His Saint, His Jewel ✔️

53. A Worried Brother

Manuel’s POV

“Come back before lunch.” My love said as Antonio walked out the door.

I kept watching the door, expecting him to walk in again and cancel wherever he had to go. 

My heartbeat began to speed up. Dammit! The fear is coming back. When our parents died, I won’t lie, I let myself go. And I stopped looking after my little brother. But once I got my shit together, that’s when I knew I had to step up and look after him.

I know Antonio doesn’t like it when I have some of my guys follow him. I know he doesn’t like it when I baby it. I know he doesn’t like it when I force him to come to events with me. But I do it all because I love him. Él es mi hermano. My brother. Flesh and blood.

“Mi corazon! You’re gripping the control!” Dolores told me. My right hand had been clutching the TV remote so hard a few cracks had formed from the side.

“Shit!” I dropped it and rubbed my hand from the pain.

“Que paso? Why were you angry?” She asked me. She sat on the couch and put my head on her lap and rubbed circles on my temple. 

“Have you noticed Antonio acting differently these past few months?” I asked.

“Hmm? Uh, a little. Why?” She asked.

“I don’t know. I just feel like he’s hiding something.” I said.

“Well, he’s a teen boy. Of course he’s hiding things. I’ve literally caught him choking the chicken but he doesn’t know I know.” She giggled a bit. 

“I know that!” I groaned and got off her lap and stood up. “But there’s more.”

“What do you mean more?”

“Think about everything within the past few months. I was getting something from his room and found a coat by Givenchy.”

“Yeah. But maybe he saved up for that. Or maybe that lady he visits gave it to him as a gift.”

“Maybe. But then there’s the cake from his birthday. He just pulled out a cake from his room. And he’s been sneaking out a lot. Remember when we got into a fight and he snuck out? Or when he said he was going to Ms. Bella’s but he went somewhere else? He lied. He’s been lying for so long!” I started to get angry. 

“Calm down, amor. Breathe.” Dolores told me. Her hands touched my shoulder and began to calm me down a bit. 

“I need to know what he’s hiding. But if I ask him, he’ll just try harder to hide it. And if I go into his room, I’ll be disrespecting his privacy. What do I do?” I asked her. 

“Me? Well, he hasn’t been killed yet. Do you think he’s dating a girl?” 

“Possibly. What scares me is that he could be dating a girl from the east side. She’s probably been giving him gifts.” I said. It just makes sense. Who else is funding him?

“How does that make you feel? Him dating an east side girl?” Dolores asked.

“I know those girls don’t get that much involved with the Jewels. Most of them are in it like Antonio. Their brothers or boyfriends are Jewels. But it would fucking hurt if he’s dating a girl from there. But at least Antonio isn’t some queer dating someone like Jack or Michael.” I retorted.

“Yikes. That would be a scandal.” Dolores grabbed my hands and took me to the table. “Why don’t you sit and I’ll give you a snack.” She kissed me on the cheek and went to work in the kitchen. 

I still can’t seem to shake this feeling from me. There’s something Antonio is hiding. And I also feel that it’s going to endanger him and anyone involved. He’s too precious to be involved with anything. Mi hermano has the best grades and I know he can do great things when he gets out of here.

“Relax, Manuel. Antonio would never do anything to betray your trust.” Dolores kept reassuring me. 

Maybe she’s right. Maybe Antonio really is meeting with Dina. Maybe Ms. Bella is the one giving him those gifts. 

I just wish Antonio would trust me and tell me what’s going on. I’ll always support him. No matter what.

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manuel's pov. it won't be his last chapter btw. you'll see his thought process again soon.

also... shit's gonna hit the fan soon... ;)

ciao <3