Free Minds Chained Hearts | ✔

Part 3 | Chapter 5

"Son of a bitch," I hissed before rushing away and into the office by the front door. Not even one inch of sentiment slithered its way into my body yet resentment seemed to be on the menu.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I yelled the moment I slammed the door open. The man sat on the armchair doesn't jump but instead turns around cautiously before smiling.

"Nice to see you too bro," said he sarcastically. He fixed his well-ironed grey suit and only awaited for me to come and talk to him.

It's been forever since we last saw each other and for all the good reasons. The day dad died he never showed up. He was out into some bar making deals with another company that dad was never fond of. Not only that but on the days he was supposed to be my brother he became my enemy. The one person I could talk to. I never understood why we drifted so far when we were inseparable as kids. Now, I don't even talk about him because I've got no reason to. He lost the title of being my brother when he disappeared without another word and now he dared to come here.

"What the fuck do you want Alejandro?" I hissed, standing my ground.

"It's business-related." He said, not even turning to look at me.

I was about to say something when I heard Evie outside looking for me. Alejandro perks up too at the sound of her voice but I didn't care when Evie came and found us.

"Hey, I was just about to—" she looks behind me and finds my brother. Confusion quickly etched on her face when she looked back at me.

Alejandro stands up and walks to us like his presence was ever inviting. I tensed up, clenching my jaw, and watched as that famous family smirk came to view and I realized what was going on in his head.

"Hi?" Evie finally said something.

"I'm sorry to disturb both of you, I'm just an old friend, Alejandro." Introduced my brother, reaching out to Evie and she introduces herself too. The moment their skin touched right in front of me I had to fight three hundred voices telling me to punch him.

"That's alright too, I was just about to leave." She turns to me and plants a quick kiss goodbye on my cheek. She was goodbye to my brother too who looked at her up and down, gawking like he didn't just see her kiss me.

We both watched as she disappeared out of the house and into her car. I waited until we were out of view from the big office window. When I was sure she was gone, I swished around and swung at my brother. The contact of my knuckles to his cheeks didn't make the best sound for the faint harder but the way he stumbles back until his head ricocheted brought a proud grin on my face.

"You've always been the one with the anger issues." He remarked, wincing at the pain I brought upon him. He deserved it more than anything after ruining a perfect morning.

"If you've got any shit I can actually care about to say then spit it out. I'm not gonna spend two more minutes with an ass." I growled walking around the desk.

"You need to go back home," he finally spits out. I scowled and threatened him with another punch but he takes a step back and says, "if you need a better reason to actually go back then...I have one."

"What?"

"Remember dad's brother? Pietro? It's him,"

I freeze at his words. "He's what?" I queried.

"He wants to take back the enterprise so he's hiring people to sabotage the company until you come back to him. You need to settle a deal to keep it all under your title." He reminds me, leaning down to the desk to try and be convincing.

My heart drops knowing their history. Dad never liked Pietro. To him, he has always been the jealous brother, the one who could have gotten everything but just wasn't that lucky. They've always been competing with each other like Alejandro and I only difference? We haven't killed people. Dad cursed that man and told him that no matter what, he will never get the company all to his name. Being a family business, they both became owners, it worked for a wild but not long enough. Dad never trusted him and knew that one day he would do something to get us off the picture.

When we were stated the will it clearly states that if the company was ever in jeopardy of an inside job or some shit like that, full ownership will be signed to me despite being the younger sibling.

There is a board of people left back home to deal with things like this until I was ready to take over. I've always thought they had shit all figured out but clearly, it isn't.

"I'm sorry Matteo but if you don't sign it then you'll be ruining the company— Matteo they will hunt you down. At least back there you can be safe until you finish the transfer and the legal stuff are handled." My brother said apologetically.

I fall to my chair and sat pondering on what to do. Rubbing my chin in disappointment and I looked up to him.

"I'm gonna graduate this year Alejandro..." I tried to reason.

"I know you are Matteo but the longer you wait, the more shit you're putting the enterprise for."

"Couldn't you just do it?"

"I tried but the board wants you. Obviously, they wouldn't trust me." He tried to lighten up the mood but I only became more anxious about it. Though there is only one thing that runs in my mind and that's Evie.

"I can't just leave," my ego shoots down and I've got not one priority but Evie and what this will do to her.

"You are putting the company—"

"Screw the fucking company!" I yelled to the top of my lungs, shooting up out of my chair. He stumbles back in surprise. "I'm not like you. I'm not the same person you thought I am. I found a reason to stay and if that's hard for you to understand then you can go to hell and fuck the devil himself!"

"Matteo this is ridiculous. You can take the girl with you if that's what you're so assed about," he shrugged as if she was some object I can pick up and take with me.

I growled and picked up the glass table, shattering it as I threw it down. The sound of glass hitting the tiled floor created a series of chimes that reminded me of who I truly was before everything, before Evie. Alejandro stands still, not fazed by what I had just done and he smirks as if it was expected of me.

I huffed and looked at him, watching as he swiped some glass and paper off of the floor with his leather found shoe.

He can't expect me to make this decision overnight.

"It's been months Matteo and your deadline is in March so you better make that decision soon. Lives are waiting for you." He reiterated calmly.

"How is this my responsibility? The one time I can be free I get all this shit and you on my plate. Why?"

"Because dad trusted you," he said without another thought. "Believe it or not dad loved us, especially you. He did all of this not only out of his spite for Pietro. He did this for us. This company was made so we don't have to starve the way he did. We don't have to be beaten up like rag dolls the way he did. If you're willing to throw that away, all of that because you found love in someone else then I don't know what type of ungrateful son you are."

His words were like needles to the chest and I was lost for words. He was one to talk about ungratefulness and all that when he was the one who disappeared at dad's funeral. He had the words and I could argue them all day long but none of that will change the fact that he was right.

All my life as long as dad was alive we heard of the horrors he had to go through in life just so he could end up where he did.

I look at my brother and tried to have the last words but I couldn't. He was right. I need to tell Evie and risk it.

"You're gonna fucking owe me for this Alejandro,"

"Oh trust me, once you sign that deal, the whole of Italy will owe you." He replied, walking to the door and through the glass on the floor.

I followed him but I go to the living room and picked up my phone only for me to be distracted by my brother's brave words.

"Living in dad's abode, having a girl, and breaking things. Hm. I've never seen you more like dad."