Betraying Marco [Book 2 of the Stavros Series]✔️

18 |Beauty and the Beast|

The helicopter was called from one of Xander's hotels in Venice. Marco didn't want to make the call to his older brother but he knew he had to. It was the easiest way to get out of Venice anyhow without going near the water again.

It picked us up and took us not far from Victoria's house. Victoria picked us up and talked our ears off the entire ride home.

I didn't speak much since I was still shaken up by the situation earlier today. I hardly left Marco's side at all, so much that I made him sit in the back seat with me and leaving Victoria to sit up front alone.

She didn't seem to mind though because she talked about everything under the sun, mostly about stuff that I didn't know about or that I didn't care for. Finally she spoke about a topic that had both Marco and my ears turning.

"Have you spoken to Xander at all yet Marco?"

Marco clenched his fist in his lap. "No," he lied.

"So I guess you haven't heard the news huh," she asked with a grin.

"About the baby? You already told us."

"No, not that, I'm talking about the wedding!"

"Wedding," Marco and I asked at the same time.

"Yes." She nodded her head enthusiastically. "Xander and Aria are getting married this week. In Ohio I believe although I don't know why it would be there. Apparently she lives there."

"This week," Marco asked shocked. He did just talk to his brother a couple hours earlier and he said no such thing of a wedding at all. Was he too scared to bring it up?

"I already started packing, I'm so excited," she squealed. "Weddings are my favorite thing in the world and I never imagined that Xander would even have one! You know, after the whole Emily thing." She gasped dramatically. "Eliza we should go dress shopping together! I heard that there's a bunch of cute little stores in small towns in America that we could get them from or we could go to New York and get some!"

"Um well," I began, not knowing exactly what to say.

"She's not going," Marco finished for me. I looked at him, giving him a glare that he matched. "I'm not going either," he said.

"It's your brother Marco," Victoria spoke up. "You have to go."

"Did he have to sleep with the woman I love," he retorted.

I reached out to grab his hand and squeezed. "Are you ever going to forgive him," I asked softly.

"Why should I," he yelled. "He knew what he was doing that night and he still did it! He stabbed me in the back!"

"Yes he knew who I was but he didn't know I thought he was you. It was a huge misunderstanding Marco and misunderstandings should never tear families apart."

"It was not a misunderstanding," he seethed. "He knew I was in love with you and he still took your virginity! None of that is okay!"

"If you don't forgive him than think about what would happen. The family will take sides, they will have to or one of you will leave."

"Just drop it," he grumbled, "I don't want to talk about him anymore."

He didn't speak the rest of the way home, no one did and when Victoria finally parked I knew what I had to do.

Victoria left Marco and me in the car as she left to go inside. I turned to Marco, one hand holding his. "I want you to do something for me babe. Close your eyes," I whispered. Marco gave me an odd look before doing as he was told. "Now I want you to imagine our kids," I said and instantly a smile spread across his lips. "Imagine them at Christmas, running down the stairs to get their presents and writing letters to Santa. Now imagine them playing together, them laughing and smiling, they're the greatest of friends. But then one day they aren't." Marco frowns and he almost opens his eyes before I cover them again. "No more hearing their laughs through the house, they no longer play together, they don't even speak to each other. And when one gets beat up at school the other isn't there to save him." Marco pushes my hand away and I notice his eyes are wet with tears.

"Do you remember," I said with a shaky voice. "When you were seven and Xander was eight."

"Stop," he growled.

"You were at the country club and suddenly a couple of older kids come up and start picking on you. They start pushing you around as well as Xander but Xander gets away and runs to your parents."

"Please don't," he pleaded, sniffling past his tears.

"I was there with your parents remember? Xander came running up to us, telling your parents all about what was happening to you. He thought that your father was going to do something about it. But instead Leo looked at your brother and said, 'You never leave your brother like that.' So Xander ran back to you and beat all of those kids up until they left you alone." I wiped a fallen tear from Marco's cheek. "And he never did again. He never left you, he always protected you from that point on."

Marco sniffled and ran the sleeve of his shirt across his face.

"He went to every single one of your games, even if he was busy with something else, he missed a final test to go to your graduation, he backed you up for every fight you had, he helped you with your homework, he is your best friend. You're going to put one single mistake he made over a whole life time of protecting you, us? Do you know how many times he stood up to Riley for us? He even back talked to Quinton himself which got him grounded for two weeks." I reached out to grab his face, making him face me. "Family doesn't get left behind Marco. You taught me that."

Marco blinked and another tear fell from his eyes.

"Never leave your brother like this," I told him sternly before sliding out of the car.

...

After Victoria gave me her phone I went into the bathroom and dialed his number.

He picked up on the second ring.

"Hello?"

"Xander," I whispered. "It's me."

It was silent for a bit before he finally spoke. "I don't think I should be talking to you Eliza. Does Marco know?"

"No he doesn't but-"

"Then goodbye Eliza."

"Wait Xander no," I shouted. "Do you want my help or not?"

"With what?"

"Getting Marco to your wedding."

"Really?"

"Look you don't deserve my help, you're the last person I want to help so I want to make it clear that I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing this for your family and your family only. Marco needs his brother Xander and you need yours. So I'm hatching a plan, are you in?"

"To get my brother back? Hell yeah."

...
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