Billionaire's Seduction

Chap. 24 • Silver

Antonio's POV

Her presence left a deep hole in my heart, it left a hole in the Estate. Something shifted, everyone was much quieter. During dinner, there was this unsettling silence as everyone ate, even Coco was quiet as she barely ate anything off her plate before excusing herself from the table, Claudio soon followed after her, giving an apologetic look before he left. In annoyance, I stood up, the eyes of my men shifting to me in confusion.

"Is there something wrong?" I questioned.

No one spoke at first, hesitantly glancing at one another. Even Axel sat quietly, his eyes directed on his plate. Then one of my men finally spoke up.

"Did Nia leave?" Brandon asked, a small frown on his face. I remembered him; Xena usually helped him train the younger boys when she was here. They had become quite close.

"Yes," I swallowed. "Last night."

He nodded slowly, his shoulders slugging in sadness.

"Is that a problem?"

"Not a problem," Valentino said, my younger brother sounding timid which was unusual but then again, Xena was also left an impression in him too. "It's much quieter without her. She left a very large impact on us and..."

He trailed off, his eyes glancing away from me, causing me to frown.

"And who?"

"You." My eyes flickered away from my men and to the woman leaning against the doorway.

Rosetta smiled sadly, "She left an impact on you. All of us can see that clearly, brother. She changed you."

I narrowed my eyes at my sister before sighing and looking away, a heavy feeling resting on my heart. "You are all dismissed. Please don't disturb me tonight."

That night, in my office, I welcomed the silence as I drank away my feelings. But alas, they didn't leave. Quietly, they reminded- no, haunted me of memories I shared with Xena. Nothing stopped these emotions from taunting me, no drink or drugs could stop it. In frustration, I threw the glass against the wall, watching it shattering into thousands of tiny piece of glass, drink spilled on my carpet. Deja vu hit; memories of Xena handing me the book I had thrown out of irritation and how she stood beside me, warmth radiating from her, as she separated the paperwork on my desk. Her smile was etched into my mind, the glitter in her eyes melting my heart when she looked at me with amusement. 

I scowled.

I wish I savoured her, spent more time with her, looked after her the way she deserved. Instead, I was a coward. I didn't own up to how I was truly feeling and let her slip right out of my hands. My heart clenched in pain and I squeezed my eyes tightly shut, breathing heavily to control the hurt.

The door knocked and, before I could give a reply, Claudio entered the room, a look of concern that I knew all too well masked his face as he closed the door, settling into the seat in front of my desk.

"What is it?" I asked, uninterested.

"You need to go after her," he replied, jumping straight to the point. See, the one thing I admired about Claudio was that he didn't beat around the bush, he was straightforward and, although, that would get people killed, he was my right had man for that very reason.