Chapter 105 The Evil One
ALICE
I pushed the door of my apartment open and stumbled inside.
I was exhausted and my feet were killing me.
"Mm," I said while kicking my heels off near the door. "Smells really good!"
"I'm glad you think so," Theo retorted. "I'm making your favorite creamy pasta dish."
I went into the kitchen and he whirled around to face me. His body was warm and he smelled like dinner mixed with a scent that was uniquely his. I felt so comforted in his arms. Coming home to him here, cooking for me...God, was he dreamy. "Yum. I'll change and be right back."
"Need me to run you a bath before dinner?"
"No. I thought we could clean up together." I gave his lips a peck. "After."
His lips curved into a smile that made me throb. "Why didn't I think of that?"
I changed into a comfortable pair of jammies, wiped all my makeup off, let my hair down, and then headed into the kitchen. Dinner was served. We sat across from each other and he poured himself a glass of wine while I opted for water. The food was mouthwatering and I just felt so at ease that I couldn't imagine what it would be like without this.
"How was the meeting?"
"Good. She was pretty straightforward and unproblematic."
"Felix wasn't around all day, so I'm hoping he'll take the hint and stay away," Theo claimed. As soon as he said the words, I felt a weight in my chest. If I'd told him, he would've gotten really upset. I was glad that I hadn't ruined the day for him.
That didn't mean that I would hesitate if it happened again. That asshole had one more chance to pull himself together.
"Is your family still...mad about this whole thing?"
Theo moved his fork in a circle on his plate, gathering pasta around it. "They're not as happy, but I couldn't care less. I have Granny's support. Oliver's on my side. What the hell do I care?"
I wanted to ask him about his mother, but he reacted weirdly every time he talked about her and I wanted to lighten the mood, not do the opposite. "Hey, what about your sister? You rarely talk about her."
"She just doesn't care enough about any of this," he explained. "She's blowing the money Dad left for her, and she's enjoying herself. She left way before he died."
"What's her name again?"
"Clarice."
"Yeah, that's right. Do you get along?"
Theo shrugged. "It's hard to say. We never really had much in common. She was the younger sister I never had time for before, even when I was a kid myself. I always had something to do. My parents put me in all sorts of clubs. Kept me so busy I never even had time to think. Clarice is close to my mother, though. They're almost the same person, come to think of it. Looks and everything."
I didn't know what to respond to this, so I just listened to him.
"That being said, I do talk to her sometimes. Not often. Oliver has the time to entertain her. Every time she calls, it's her complaining about people I don't even know. Oh, I won't even mention how she never asks about me."
I laughed at this, though it did sound like he was serious to me. We were silent for a handful of seconds, and then I blurted out, "What about Felix?"
He frowned. "What do you mean?"
At this point, I regretted asking, but the only reason why I did was that I wanted to understand the dynamic between them to hopefully understand what today was all about. Was this long-standing rivalry always the norm? He mentioned not liking him even when they were younger, but how deep did this dislike run?
"Where does he fit in all this?"
"Nowhere." He sits back in the chair. "I don't know why Mom insists on us entertaining that guy. He doesn't belong anywhere near us and technically, he has no shares in the company yet. If Granny decides to leave him something, then yeah, he'll be a chronic pain in our asses, but that's not the case yet, so he shouldn't be here.
"I already told you that we didn't get along, but it was more serious than that. I hated him even when we were kids, and it was clear that he hated me. He used to pull the meanest shit, Alice, and I mean things so mean I broke bones. Fingers. People dismissed it because we were kids, but nobody understood just how vile he was, especially for a kid. He never messed with Oliver—I was his only target. He once put maggots in my oatmeal, and naturally, I didn't see them. Long story short, I ended up in the hospital for a week, and I felt so ill afterward."
"Jesus," I mumbled. "He's dangerous, then."
Theo shook his head. "He's a dick is what he is."
"But aren't you scared that he could...I don't know...maybe one day...?"
Theo looked at me questioningly but I couldn't bring myself to finish my question. It was just too awful to think about. "That he could hurt me? Is that what you mean? Baby, let him fucking try. He'd give me the perfect excuse to end him."
This talk worried me. I reached across the table and placed my hand over his. "Theo, you don't want to do something you'll regret for the rest of your life."
"I wouldn't regret it."
I sighed. "You know what I mean."
"Relax, baby," he assured me as he closed his hand around mine. "It'll be fine. I'm not afraid of him, not in the slightest. And I meant what I said. If he says anything to you, you let me know and I'll deal with him."
I felt so guilty, but there was nothing I could do. I had an opportunity to tell him earlier today and missed it. The next time it happened, I wouldn't hesitate, though. "I know. I will."
He changed the subject. "And your parents? Have they called you yet?"
"I'm not sure why you think they would," I claimed. "They're stubborn as heck and they hate me right now. This should last for...I don't know. Years, maybe."
"If they're following the story, they'll read about us soon."
"You think?"
"I know."
I felt sad all of a sudden. Reaching for my chilled glass of water, I mumbled, "I don't know."
Theo picked up his glass of wine and took a sip.
We dropped the subject and moved on to something more pleasant.