STUCK 2

Chapter 41

Donavan had to push his current files to the side to make room for the opened compilation generously made by his wife. 

It seemed far more important than any deal waiting for him at the moment. He already postponed several meetings forward and had decided to dedicate his day towards the kind of adventure she chose to explore today. He did not enjoy it at all. 

The clauses made in the agreement screamed that she did not trust him, and that nothing else than his official signature was worth earning her confidence. He could make all the lovely promises as long as they were descriptively and unambiguously bound and signed by him beforehand. She had documented conditions that he had not even thought of in his entire life and he, for the thousandth time wondered was it too late to love someone else.

It was.  Unfortunately the superstores he owned didn't sale love in the cans, and his hotels served nothing described as love on the most diverse menu in Italy. Whatever this extraterrestrial thing was, he was growing to become happily infested with it. 

She included the clause that conditioned him to reduce his businesses concerned with illegal activities including major sources of his income that spanned drug cartels, sex trafficking, murder deals and several interventions in politics. He realised removing himself from these businesses would mean not being recognised as a mafia at all. 

"This is impossible" he argued, pushing the papers away as if doing so would free him from the weight of words written on them. 

"It's not. You have backing of several chains that do not include children and women and blood. Only if you focus more on them and withdraw yourself from dark part of the-"

"I have done this my entire life Tara. This is who I am, this is who your father was, this how it will always be"

"I hate everything you just said"

"Too bad. You cannot ask me not to do what I've always known and done"

"Fine then, you cannot ask me love you back. I'm sorry, I can never love a man who cannot help himself bring a criminal. That's not the kind of father I wanted for my children" She did not speak angrily, rather more professionally than she hoped to.

He never fit in the definition of man she had told herself she deserved. No matter how much he tried, and squeezed himself inside that little frame, her definition was made of steel and iron from the beginning of time. He never had a chance with her, with his nefarious businesses and bloody hands. 

She gave him a chance this time, to wash his hands and change his clothes. He couldn't help but think twice and yet couldn't bring himself to agree with her, and so decided to move forward to another clause without discussing more of that one. 

The entire contract revolved around Inaya's future, that she would be allowed to study, work and marry as per her independence, that her parents, especially her father would not come in the way of her natural growth. Donavan agreed, although reluctantly, he wasn't sure whether he wanted her to get married without him running a deep background check on the lucky bastard. 

And on other parts, contract emphasised that he be a better man, precisely a kind of man that had fewer chances of getting arrested or threatened or murdered or attacked, all the circumstances he currently lived joyfully in. 

She was only bound to accept, that given that all the conditions were met, she would never try to part him from his daughter and would always remain a faithful, honorable wife of Mr. Donavan Frantino. She'd never interfere with his personal or business matters as she had attempted in the past (unless the other party wished of course). 

It was all that she thought would please him, the fact that she would never attempt an escape, that she would be legally bound to him, once and for all. 

Flipping the last page, he closed the compilation, staring at the document before leaning back on the chair. 

"It mentions nothing about our sexual relationship" 

She composed herself quickly, as if it wasn't the subject that got her worked up. 

"What about it?" 

"You do understand that now we are no longer shooting in the dark, we have a goal to meet" 

"What goal?" she played dumb, knowing that it was a lot harder to say than implicitly suggesting it. However Donavan wasn't born shy, and was clearly not raised shy. He smiled when he realised she was purposefully pressing him harder, he wanted to assure her that it would only get in her more trouble than she already was, but you never tell a scapegoat it's a scapegoat. You feed it, stroke it and feed it, keeping it in dark for as long as it is possible to.  

"Two more children my dearest, and they can't happen if I come home every night to find you hiding in Inaya's room or saying you are tired or to quote you 'not in the mood'" 

There was bitterness in his voice. And once he said it out loud, he felt more angry, everything  became more real. He realised just how much it had bothered him.

Her ears heated extra degrees as colour crawled up her face. She couldn't hold the urge to look down in her lap where fingers aggressively fumbled with each other, suddenly nervous. She had not done anything purposefully, she never would. But it was unbelievable how much he had taken offense of it. She had an urge to apologise, to admit that she didn't know her recent actions would have this effect on his nerves, but it wouldn't have served the purpose to her curiosity, a quality that had never done anything good for her.    

"What do you suggest then?" she asked. 

"Seven days a week, whenever I want, however I want. You sleep in our room so I don't have to sniff you out of the mansion when I return looking for you" 

She stared at him open mouthed, watching him in disbelief. 

"That's literally an entire week. I cannot be at your service all the time" 

"When can you be at my service then?" he crossed his legs, watching her with hard eyes.

She fumbled for words, momentarily taken off guard. 

"Two nights a week, of my choice"

"Five days a week, of your choice"  he ensured she heard the emphasis on 'days'. 

"Two days a week. of my choice" she negotiated with the additional fix by his suggestion. 

"My life is perfectly fine without this contract. In fact, my life is by my rules without this bullshit. I wouldn't look twice at this stupid thing if it wasn't for your reassurance that I would take care of you and Ina. And if you are going to be this hesitant with keeping your part of the deal than I might as well roll this piece of shit and shove it up-"

"I agree" she said quickly before he would complete his sentence. 

"Agree what?" he spit

"Five days a week, of my choice" 

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Author's note: for those who think Stuck 2 is about to end, let me tell you its not. I gave you this little break of happy chapters to make you ready for what's about to arrive next. On that note, all the best!