“Son, can you hear me?” Sevyn asked at the break of dawn, speaking from the other end of the phone.
Stone tasted something bitter at the bottom of his throat as he took a gulp of saliva thereafter. “Yes, father?”
He didn’t like phone calls from his father. Ew, no, Sevyn was the word. ‘Father’ disgusted him. If only he could be calling him that on the phone. Stone rarely got any phone calls from his father and whenever Stone did, it always ended with him staying annoyed for what? Days?
The anger had already began to settle at the pit of his belly even before he picked up the phone at the third ring. What did his father want?
Rather than being obedient on the phone, Stone would rather always throw curses, but he didn’t have a choice. He wasn’t the owner of Triple A, their family’s investment firm, it was his father who owned it and he had every power to demote him from being the CEO.
Triple A stood for Alpha Asset Alliances and it was the only thing that kept Stone around, despite hating his father’s guts. It didn’t mean he was entirely respectful, anyways.
“Good.” Like him, his father had a touch of insincere politeness in his tone. “I have called to give you good news.”
Good news? Stone wasn’t even around in his own house that was separate from his father and mother’s mansion and also in a different location. Instead, he was in Kentucky to attend a party with his friends and currently, he had picked up a random lady from the party to spend the night with at an expensive hotel and there, he lay on the bed, talking to his father.
“I can hear you.” Stone responded on the phone.
“You’re going to get married soon.” There was evident elatedness in his father’s voice, almost as if one could feel him smiling already, and at once, Stone sprang up from his bed, waking up the damsel beside him.
The lady turned on the bed, naked under the duvet and began to listen to their conversation while she also knowingly began to admire Stone's upper body from behind; The flex of muscles at his back, the proudly smooth and glowing skin that must be receiving the best attention from sun bathing and gentle, knowing hands by the works of a frequently visited masseuse.
She wanted to touch him, again, to trace the lines and muscles which she knew was as a result of a man not only dedicated in his handsome facial features but dedicated to his workout routines.
She wouldn't mind him going down on her right there and then, as he did last night so she could once again run her fingers through his soft, brown hair.
“I don’t understand.” Stone demanded.
“It doesn’t matter.” His father ignored. “Just be single if you know what’s best for you.”
“Father, what do you mean?” Stone insisted. “Do you mean to tell me that you have chosen a woman for me?” His fists closed tightly around the sheets as he spoke. His jaws clenched.
It better not be so.
“Yes, son. And she’s just perfect. You know her even.”
“Who?” Stone asked.
“Elspeth, the first daughter of my childhood friend, Louella. You have met them when you were little.”
“It doesn’t ring a bell.” Stone stubbornly said, although it was half the truth. He didn’t remember any Elspeth, but indeed he knew that his father had a childhood friend that he often spoke about.
“Exactly, it doesn’t matter.” His father repeated. “I just thought it was best to inform you sooner than later. And I also know you’re not around town, so come back quick! I want you two to meet—”
“Does she have a sister?” Stone asked. He knew why he did. It was his way of being rebellious. His way of being disrespectful at the right times.
Unfortunately, his father understood, too and he raised his voice immediately on the phone. “What manner of nonsense are you asking me?! And what if she does have a sister, you think I would allow you to change my mind so you marry her instead? Do you remember Elspeth already that you’re willing to change your mind?”
“What if I don’t like—?”
“You will marry Elspeth whether you like it or not!” His father scolded. “Or else, you will regret ever being born under me, you disobedient child.”
The call ended and within seconds, Stone threw it flying across the hotel room and it hit the television hanging on the wall before smashing to the ground. From the bed, a slight crack was noticeable on the screen of the television, but Stone wasn’t satisfied.
“Fhvcking bastard!!!” He screamed as he stood up
to pick the phone again and throw it into another direction of the room where it hit the wall this time and then he faced the television, smashing it to the ground with his fists.
He began to take everything in the room and smash them to the ground from the bedside lamps to the paintings on the wall. Instantly, the damsel who had been listening all along was amazed.
She didn’t know who Stone was, except that through their conversations last night, she found out that he was not only a man with breathtakingly handsome features, but a man with lots of money and a splatter of wealth as well! Therefore, it was all she cared about, so she was ready to play girlfriend for a while then eventually get something out from him.
She flung the duvet from her body and sat up with a fake worried look on her face. “Hey, what’s wrong, baby?” Part of her was also on alert mode because anything could happen. After all, she had a great oversight of his conversation with his father.
Still, as soon as Stone heard her voice, he paused from his rampage to look at her, chests heaving every second and the veins becoming more visible. His lids were wide to show dark green eyes filled with fury.
Then he marched towards her and surprisingly grabbed her neck, while forcefully pulling her out of the bed and tightening his grip to make her choke and she yelped out in pain at once.
“Who do you think you’re calling baby, you bitch?” He spat into her face. “How dare you!” And with that, he pushed her dangerously backwards to fall to the ground where she hit her head against the floor and cried out in pain.
He moved to stand above her and grabbed a fistful of her hair to twist her head upwards so that she could look at him. “I would have taught you some manners, but it seems that this moment would be the wrong time. I wouldn’t like to have blood on my hands now that I’m this annoyed and willing to have a fragile woman like you to be beaten up by me.” He said.
“But for your own good, you’ll keep shut until I’m out of this room.” He left her side afterwards and walked majestically into the bathroom, bypassing the mess that he had made on the floor like they weren’t there, although he made sure not to land his bare feet into any glass.
Once he was done having his bath, he came out to meet the damsel still on the floor and crying. It made him all the more annoyed that she was making noise, but he said nothing and simply dressed into a cooperate suit that he had ordered down just in case.
He loaded his suitcase with his remaining stuff and took a glance at the multi-cracked mirror before sparing a last look at the damsel.
“Take this.” He said, throwing into her face a bundle of cash. “That’s for you.” Then he threw two more bundles. “And that’s for the repairs when they demand for it.” He said and turned to make his exit.
Stone Gerardo was never always this toxic. In fact, he was a calm and quiet kid when he was young, but thanks to his father always saying no to the things he loved and the career choices he made growing up, the violent side was awoken.
Now, due to a person like his father always trying to construct his life for him, he was ready to take out his anger on anything and anyone, as long as it made him feel better. And likewise, he would find his way of putting all these to an end.
Operation number one; Elspeth. He would make Sevyn regret making such decision. If he had taken the time to pity the damsel, he would never pity Elspeth. It was a promise.