Hello everyone! Thank you for being patient with me. A lot of stuff is happening right now, but I'm trying to find the time to write when I can! Thanks for reading! :)
********
"Is she upstairs?"
Tony had called Nathan from the security room. He didn't know who else to call...Holly wasn't an option because Francesca wouldn't be able to talk to her about the problems she was facing.
Tony's problems.
Guilt filled him to the brim when Tony realized there were only two other people Fran knew, and they both worked for him. Because Nathan was such a father figure to her Tony figured it be best if he sent the man to talk to her.
"Yeah, she's in our room. She might scream at you, but try to be patient," Tony murmured. His eyes were glazed over and he had a dazed look on his face. Nathan clasped his hand on his shoulder.
"Go talk to Tate about attack plans, Sir. Distract yourself," Nathan suggested. Tony nodded blankly. Nathan jumped up the stairs three at a time and was gone before Tony could even blink. He stood. Maybe distracting himself was a good idea.
"Sir," Tate said loudly as he calmly stood with his hands clasped behind his back. Maran scrambled to his feet, dropping a sandwich in the process before repeating what Tate had said. Tony simply waved them off and plopped down in a chair.
"What plans have you made, Tate?" Tony questioned.
"Their shipment will arrive at the Loaded Marina in twelve days. I have yet to receive a time from my informant," Tate said. Tony nodded. The room fell silent after that, and Tony let a smile show. Maran just kept looking between him and his sandwich on the desk nervously.
"Go ahead, Maran. You don't need my permission to eat," Tony chuckled. Maran quickly grabbed for his sandwich and shoved it in his mouth. Tony felt guilty once again because here he was laughing when his wife was probably having an attack upstairs.
He pinched the bridge of his nose in an attempt to block the migraine he felt coming.
"Let me know when you've heard something definite," Tony muttered to Tate. He ignored the nod he received in response and focused his eyes on the several televisions showing different parts of the house. Everywhere in the house had a camera covering pretty much every single inch of the space, except the private rooms.
A few seconds later he watched as Nathan left his room with his wife following shortly behind. Nathan hugged Fran, rubbed her shoulders, said something to her, then jogged downstairs. Tony was on his feet to greet him when he entered the security room.
"What'd she say?" Tony winced at the desperation in his voice, but he really needed to know.
"I think we should speak privately, Mr. Romano," Nathan replied with his eyes downcast. Tony felt his eyebrows furrow in response.
"Fine," he bit out. Tony led the way to his office and threw himself into the chair. Nathan had to force a smile off of his face at the grown man throwing a tantrum.
"May I be frank, sir?" Nathan questioned. Tony nodded. "I think you need to get it through your thick head what you've actually done to her. None of us liked lying to her from the beginning but we did so because you were our boss. Now you've messed up her life permanently, and until you understand that, you won't be able to fix your marriage."
Tony blew out a breath. "Is that all?" His tone drawled sarcastically. Nathan gave a small nod then cast his eyes to the floor again. "Who's we?" He questioned.
"Everyone," Nathan answered in confidence. He hadn't even lifted his eyes off the floor.
"You've all talked about this?" Tony prodded. Nathan chose not to respond verbally and nodded his head once again. Tony scoffed and waved him out of the room. Now his employees had been gossiping about him? That kind of talk behind his back could lead to someone threatening his position. They knew better than to do that.
For the first time in a long time, Tony wished his parents were here. They weren't the sweetest people in the world, but they gave damn good advice and it usually worked out in the end. If only he could ask them now.
"Sir?" Why was Nathan still here?
"Yes, Nathan? What is it?" Tony barked. Nathan didn't flinch and probably never would.
"I'd like to give you advice, Sir," Nathan remarked. This wasn't unusual, Nathan giving Tony advice, but this topic was sensitive. Tony narrowed his eyes at Nathan but motioned for him to continue. "If you'd just sit here for a half hour, hour tops, thinking about how your decision to keep this a secret from her has ruined her life, then go apologize for it, I think that will really mean a lot to her."
Jeez, Nathan was full of monologues today. Tony waved him out of the room, and this time, Nathan followed his instructions.
Alright, this couldn't be too hard right? Where had they started?
********
"Excuse me! Excuse me, Sir!" Fran shouted. She pushed through the throngs of people on the sidewalk, trying to run to the man who had left his wallet on one of the tables at the cafe she worked at. It was a nice wallet, and when Fran had opened it up to find an I.D. she was met with a wad of hundred dollar bills.
It was obvious the man shouldn't leave this wallet.
"Sir!" Several men turned around to face her but she just continued to push them aside with a scowl. A very nice black card was idling by the sidewalk and she almost screamed bloody murder when the man began to make his way towards the car.
Almost as soon as he' d gotten in the car, Nathan started to pull away from the curb. Tony insisted coffee was the one thing he could get himself in the mornings, but they were cutting it close this morning. Tony was going to be late to a meeting he scheduled, and it didn't take a genius to realize how bad it would make him look if he was late.
Tony watched Nathan begin to turn the wheel, and almost coughed up the coffee in his mouth when something made a loud thud on his door. Nathan immediately ripped of his seatbelt and jumped out of the car, hand on his waistband.
Tony couldn't help but grin at the training that was coming in handy.
When Nathan began to argue with whoever—or whatever—it was that had hit them he slammed the car door shut. Tony took another sip of his coffee, looked out the heavily tinted window, then sighed.
He was going to be late. Great.
Tony couldn't help but roll the window down the slightest bit to try and hear some of the conversation.
"—much this will cost?" It was Nathan's voice he heard above all the others. "The price of damages will cost much more than this wallet!"
"I didn't know," he heard a guilty voice murmur, "I just wanted to return the wallet. I kept trying to catch up with him to give it back. Here, I'll give you my phone number and insurance to settle the damage."
Tony couldn't resist lowering his window until he could see out of it. Nathan was standing with his arms folded, glaring intensely at a small girl holding a wallet out with shaking hands. That was his wallet. Where had she gotten it? Was she a pickpocket?
"Nathan," he called as he stepped out of the car, "leave the poor girl alone. We're going to be late." Tony turned to the girl. "I'll take my wallet, please."
The young girl handed him his wallet without any other response then wiped her hands down her jeans. She was nervous. He smiled.
Nathan stepped back into the car, but still kept a watchful eye on Tony. That was his job, and he was going to suspect everyone—even this young girl who seemed to be telling the truth.
"I'm sorry about him," Tony addressed, watching as her eyes moved anywhere but him. This girl was amusing.
"I'm sorry about your wallet," she murmured back, "and your car." It was then that Tony noticed the sizable dent right where the passenger side backseat was. So it was her that had run into the car. Tony could barely keep himself from laughing.
"It's quiet alright,..."
"Francesca," she supplied, "but everyone calls me Fran."
"Fran," he said with a grin, "how about coffee tomorrow morning?"
********
She'd thrown herself at his car, he thought with a grin, just to give him back some pocket money. At least she hadn't thrown herself in front of the car.
Slowly, as Tony thought more about their relationship, he realized that he had slowly pushed away anyone she'd ever had. While her family was her own doing, rightfully so, everything else had been because of him. She wasn't able to keep up with friendships because of her busy schedule, and any time she wasn't dancing she was with him.
He was the reason she didn't have anyone to go to. Tony gulped as that thought set in.
Her career was the only place she was able to have friendships because she saw them so often, but even then he'd ruined that for her. She had no career to go back to, and people she considered her friends were dead because of him.
How could he live with himself?
Nathan had suggested Tony really think about this, but all it had done was put him in a depressed state. How was his wife still in this house? He was surprised she hadn't packed her shit and left a long time ago. It was what he would have done.
He didn't deserve her. Tony didn't deserve the angel that was his wife a single bit. Why was she still here?
He'd trapped her financially. The thought almost made him cry. He hadn't meant to do it on purpose, but she didn't have any savings and he'd ripped her career away from her. How was he still alive? Fran surely should have killed him by now. He didn't deserve her. He didn't deserve to be alive.
"Tony?" Came a voice and a quiet knock on the door. He couldn't do it. He couldn't keep her trapped here.
"I'm so sorry, Fran," Tony mourned, "but I'm going to have to ask you to leave."
********
Thank you so much for reading!
Vote!
Comment!
Enjoy!
Have a great rest of your day/night!