Betrayal

Chapter 31

Antonio's POV

His men have been following Iris for months without her knowing. One of them managed to get a job in the same workplace to know who her friends were and her work routine. He was still keeping his distance because he did not want his father to find out about his secret project. He had eyes only on their empire. That is where he wanted him to remain. "Boris, what do you have for me", he said as he walked into his office finding Boris waiting. It was his job to update him about Iris's whereabouts. "She has moved in with Burhan. I think he knows about us", Boris said capturing his attention. "How so?", he asked clearly getting annoyed with the fact that there was a man standing between him and Iris. "I got photos of him meeting Agent Stonebrige. It's either that or he is looking for a favour but is sure that if Agent Stonebrige is here then he is onto you. Something tells me, he knows you will come for Iris", he said looking pissed. "Am sure it's nothing. If he couldn't get father, he won't get me", Antonio answered his mind stuck on a photo that Boris gave him with Iris in her Chef uniform looking very professional and concentrating on her work. It made him smile. She was a hard worker and loved cooking. He remembered how dinner was always exciting for him. It was not only because she was cooking for him but because she was a damn good cook too. But then he left her. He chose his family over her. "Boris I need to know what happened to her after that night. Can you make it happen?", he asked his friend looking at him deep in the eyes. "I will try", he said standing up just when his father walked in. "Boris, how are you my boy?", he said happily. "Am fantastic Chief. Nice seeing you", he answered walking out of the office after a handshake. "Got an update for me?", his father asked. "Yes Sir. Everything is ready. I will be moving next month", he assured his father who nod his head while lighting up his cigar. "Will you be going with Adira?", his father asked knowing very well they were not getting along. "No. She attracts too much attention and I don't intend to have any", he said focusing on his laptop. "Fair enough", his father replied standing up. "Have you heard from her?", he asked. Antonio knew who his father was referring to without the need for any of them to mention her name. "No", he said ignoring his father as he walked out.

Boris was MIA for a month and Antonio was beginning to worry. He was about to move to a town that Iris was in but she was not alone, she was with someone else. She had moved on and he was about to open up healed wounds. It made him have second thoughts but he needed a warehouse in that town. It was going to make him a lot of money and get his father off his back. He walked into his penthouse and noticed that something seemed off. There was no forced entry so he knew it was Boris. 

"I was beginning to worry", he said when he found Boris sitting on one of the sofas looking lost in thought. He gave him a medical file. With the state Boris was in, Antonio found himself hesitating to open the file. He took a shot of whiskey and then opened it. It was Iris's medical file. It was from the time she went missing. It had no origin or details just reports and photos of her injuries. In some pictures she was unrecognisable. Broken ribs, leg, arm, dislocated shoulder, fractures... you name it. Antonio felt his blood boil. There was no one to blame but himself. He left her behind without thinking for a second that the police would come for her since his father tend to have her escort him to most events. "This is not a normal medical report. Where did you get it?", he asked feeling his hands tremble. "We stole it from the DEA's office. I didn't ask questions. I told them I was a reporter and that I knew they were doing illegal torture to the witnesses and she gave me that as the most recent interrogation that went too far, it led to the suspension of a dozen suits", he explained looking like he was also feeling guilty. "My god. We shouldn't have left her behind like that. We literally fed her to the wolves", he said more to himself than Boris. "We had time, we could have gone back for her. She trusted me and I broke her trust. She was nice to me. Treated me like family", Boris added running his fingers through his hair. "We can make it right. We can find her and make her come back", Antonio said. "And Adira?", Boris asked. "Fuck Adira. I want Iris. She is the one. After all these years, she is still the one", he said holding his face in his hands. "She has moved on Boss", Boris said. "What are you saying?", Antonio asked, his anger was getting the best of him. "Am saying that you have to let her choose. We owe her that much", Boris explained finally making sense. Antonio looked and the photos again feeling his chest tighten. He closed the file. "We panicked and made a wrong call. You should not beat yourself up because of this. All that you can do is ask for forgiveness and hope that she accepts. For both our sakes", Boris said walking out of the penthouse. Antonio closed his eyes remembering how Iris laughed. How he promised her the world, the look she had when he hugged her goodbye thinking that it was for the best, how he saw the police storming into his once happy place as he ran to safety without a second thought. He didn't feel guilty at the time but after Boris said that he saw her at Joe's and now the file. She was beaten half to death with some photos of her looking like she was starved for days. It was clear that forgiveness was not something he was going to get easily. Especially from someone who didn't want anyone to know about her past.