"You didn't take the job? And where exactly are you moving?" Mr Capra Sr looked at me in bewilderment and shock.
I gave him a small smile in return, not wanting him to worry too much with it not being good for his health.
"Out of the city," I replied, not wanting to go into too much detail since as much as I loved him, my trust for him was gone, especially when it came to things that he could pass along to Ben.
It had been a few weeks since I last saw Ben and hadn't heard from him since. His father didn't seem to have an idea of where he was or what he was doing either.
The job Tony was willing to give me was a very good one. The pay and status basically mirrored my previous job at Capra Corp, just without anything illegal or morally wrong. Even though I had asked for the job during our dinner, I had turned it down when I met up with him for lunch a couple of days ago.
I was moving away from the city and starting fresh in a small town in the countryside, from where I had already purchased a lovely little home. The closest neighbour was a 15 minute walk away, which was a very lovely thought to me right now in my life.
"How is your financial status? How do you plan to earn a living?" He began shaking his head at me, "I'll gladly help you out, but I think that getting a job is a more stable option."
"I have everything handled, Mr Capra," I laughed lightly, "I have enough money saved up from working for you. I am planning on applying for a job there, though."
"Alright. What kind of job? I think you'd make a lovely assistant," he smiled, "or maybe even a chef? You are good at cooking, aren't you?"
"I pride myself on my avocado toast," I boasted jokingly, and he chuckled, "but I was thinking something along the lines of waitress or barista while I venture out in painting."
We were sitting in the backyard of my home, drinking our teas at a small and round glass table I had out here. Most of the belongings I wanted to take with me were already packed into boxes and ready to leave with me in two days. I was planning on buying completely new furniture according to the multiple vision boards I had made.
Mr Capra Sr's brows raised in pleasant surprise, "that's lovely! Anything creative is good for the soul. Just make sure that it's a good cafe you want to work in, not a crummy one."
"I will," I nodded, smile widening, "thank you for everything. I wouldn't be in a rather financially free place in my life now without you, I hope you know that."
"Darling, you're family to me," he gave me the sweetest and most meaningful look, "it's been my pleasure. I hope you know that you won't get rid of me even if you move away."
I giggled and nodded, "I know that. Once I've settled in I'd love to have you visit."
"Just send me the address and I'll be on my way!"
I nodded, appreciating Mr Capra Sr and everything he'd done for me. Despite him having lost my trust, we had talked it out and I had forgiven him, not wanting our ties to sever.
Hanging out with him like this felt so normal, as if Ben Capra had never happened. Still, I couldn't get him out of my mind. I hadn't been able to since our last encounter.
"Is there anything you'd like to tell me about you and my son? I feel like there's something I don't already know?" Mr Capra Sr tilted his head at me questioningly with a small smile playing on his lips, submerging into full on gossip mode.
I sipped my tea and laughed awkwardly, "I have no idea about what you already know."
"Oh, Sofia! To start, that bracelet definitely isn't something you'd ever buy for yourself," he nodded cheekily down at my wrist while I held my cup of tea.
I quickly lowered my hands and cup back onto the edge of the table and looked down at the bracelet, its diamonds sparkling gently and smoothly in the sunlight.
"Don't get me wrong, it's absolutely beautiful. But I know how much it is and you're not one to splurge," he pointed out.
"Yes, well," I cleared my throat, not knowing what to reply with, "we're not together, if that's what you're insinuating. There's nothing between us anymore."
My feelings for Mr Capra Sr's son definitely hadn't disappeared or started fading, but no-one needed to know that. I felt pathetic, especially since I had worn the bracelet almost daily.
"That's a shame," he offered me a sympathetic smile, sensing my hurt but not making me uncomfortable by pointing it out, "it's just that even though I don't look it, I am getting old."
"Mr Capra..." I gently laughed at his playful tone.
"Grandchildren are something I want to have," he told me and sipped his tea right after.
My eyes widened and a surprised laugh left my lips, "Mr Capra!"
"What?" He wondered in fake innocence, both of us knowing what he had just insinuated rather clearly.
"I'm never going to have children with your son, I'm sorry," I told him straight up, "he'll need to find someone else."
"Never? It was that bad?" He then frowned, playful tone gone now. My smile began fading as I wondered what he was on about.
"What was that bad?"
"Whatever ended you two," he clarified, "sorry, I won't further it. Change of subject, he called me yesterday. Apparently he wants to go to dinner with me and talk."
I couldn't help but smile softly, proud of Ben to be able to put aside the fact that Mr Capra Sr hadn't been the best father and was now trying to salvage what was left of their relationship.
Mr Capra Sr, as caring as he was toward me, had barely been around when Ben had been a child. After his mother and Mr Capra Sr's wife had passed away due to an illness, Ben had been put straight into a boarding school. Also according to him, he and his father had never spoken about his mother's death. He didn't feel like he had ever received the love or support from Mr Capra Sr that a son was supposed to get from their father. He had felt like a waste of space, simply pushed into boarding school until he went off to study.
The breaking point was Mr Capra Sr forcing Ben into a job that he didn't want after not having been apart of his son's life in the least.
The stories from childhood that Ben had told me were heartbreaking, such as having to spend each holiday alone with just a couple of other people at the school since his father had been too busy 'womanising in exotic countries' to bring him home or even visit. As much as I felt empathy for Ben, these things were something only a professional could help him with, and I really hoped he would do as I had rather rudely told him to.
"That's nice," I commented about Ben wanting to have dinner with his father, "how do you feel about it?"
He looked over at my garden and thought about it for a moment.
"Happy," Mr Capra Sr then turned back to me with a gentle and taken smile, "I'm grateful for whatever you did to him. He's never wanted to have dinner and talk before. He's always been so angry at me."
"For good reason," I found myself quickly growing defensive, not wanting it to seem as if Ben was angry for no reason.
"Yes, of course," Mr Capra Sr quickly nodded solemnly, "I know that. He has every right to hate me. I have tried to reconnect us when he moved here, but you already know how that went..."
"Yes," I replied, sighing and glancing over at the wild flowers that had grown in the far end of my garden, "I hope you two can talk things through."
"Me too."
We were both quiet for a moment, him giving me time to process my thoughts about his son.
"Oh! I completely forgot to tell you something!" Mr Capra Sr suddenly began with excitement, almost startling me as my head darted back to his.
"What is it?" I wondered, amused at his sudden state.
"I think I have a girlfriend!" He hadn't been far from basically squealing the statement out.
My brows raised and a happy smile formed onto my lips, "really? That's great! Tell me everything."
A/N: this chap and the next chapter(s) will be more like updates on what's going on in Sofia's life. They will be far apart from each other timeline wise, if that makes sense?