“It doesn’t have too.” I said softly and he just reached over and held my hands.
“After yesterday, talking to you about my mom, it made me realize so many things. It made me realize that a lot of my hurt and fear comes from my mom and dad’s relationship. It was mentally abusive to her, emotionally abusive and she didn’t know how to cope. I think she most probably suffered from depression as well.” He sighed. “And my dad did nothing to help. I hate him for the man that he is, but I also realized this morning when you left me in the bed, I didn’t want to be him. And I didn’t want to be the man hiding away from my feelings because I was scared. I love you, Mila. I love you like I’ve never loved anymore before in my life. We were destined to be together. I feel that in my soul. My very soul. Do you know that? Do you know how much you mean to me? How much you’ve always meant to me? It’s scary.” He said, his eyes blazing into mine.
“If I mean half of much as to you as you mean to me, then yes, I know.” I said smiling at him.
“Look, there’s something I need to tell you.” His face changed to one of anguish and my heart froze.
“What is it, TJ?”
“I don’t know how to tell you this.” He sighed and I could see that he was worried. “It might change everything and I understand that it does, but I can’t not tell you.”
“You’re scaring me, TJ. Please just tell me.”
“So, all the calls I’ve been getting and this whole engagement, well, it’s not what you think.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked confused.
“Our engagement, it wasn’t about me or impressing the board or any of that.” He took a deep breath. “It’s about your family company. It’s in trouble. Real trouble. Your parents will most probably be bankrupt in the next 3-6 months. Nonno knew, has known for a while that it’s not doing well. They haven’t listened it any of his advice, so he came to me.” He took a deep breath. “He wanted me to help him make sure that his company, his investment and legacy to you didn’t go down the drain.”
“What are you talking about, TJ? How could it go down the drain? How could you help?”
“You have 51% shares in the company. You can make all the decisions.”
“But that’s just in name.” I shook my head, still confused. “I haven’t done anything.”
“When we got engaged, you gave me power of attorney. I’m able to control the company.” He gazed into my eyes. “Today I’m going to sign a contract that allows my father to purchase your family company for ten million dollars. This is what Nonno wanted. This is what he wanted me to do. And he didn’t want anyone to know. He knows your parents wouldn’t do it. He knows that my dad might tear apart the company, but he doesn’t care. He wants to make sure you’re taken care of, Mila. He loves you with all his heart and well, he can’t live knowing that you might be left with nothing.”
“What? What are you talking about? You’re signing my family company away to your dad?” My jaw dropped. “You used me?”
“I didn’t want to do it. I haven’t even done it yet. It’s been killing me, Mila. I’ve been going back and forth on what to do. I feel like I’m betraying you every time I even think about the contract. I hate myself. I’m only doing it because I made a promise to Nonno. He begged me to help him with this. He said if I cared about you at all, I would do it because it was for your best interests.” He sighed. “I agreed before I fully understand what it would be like to have to deceive you.”
“Why the fake engagement?” I said, my heart pounding and my chest hurting as I tried to comprehend what he was telling me.
“Because it was the only way to get the power of attorney through a contract.” He sighed. “It was all Nonno’s idea.”
“He knew I loved you.” I sighed. “How could he do this to me? Didn’t he know it would just hurt me even more?”
“I think he could see that I loved you as well.” TJ gave me a half-smile. “Maybe he was trying to give me a push. See what we could have.”
“Yeah, I suppose.” I looked away from him, deeply hurt.
“And it worked, Mila. I did come to my senses. I love you more than life itself and I might not have realized that if not for this craziness.”
“I suppose.” I rubbed my forehead, not sure how I was feeling. “It’s a lot to take in, TJ.”
“I know.” He nodded. “There’s something else.”
“Oh, God.” I groaned. “What now?”
“So Barbie?” He sighed. “She kinda knows the plan, and she’s kinda dating my dad.”
“WHAT?” I screamed out loud. “Are you joking me? Fucking Barbie knows?”
“Well she doesn’t know everything.” He half-smiled. “She thinks I’m doing this for my dad because I want a seat on the board. She thinks I’m doing it begrudgingly. She doesn’t know that Nonno is in on it and she doesn’t know that we’re way overpaying for the company.” He smiled at me. “So while she’s gloating, I’m smiling inside.”