Chapter 14: Priceless Possession [2]

The original Lorenzo had forced an engagement upon her by threatening her father. When that hadn’t satisfied his desires, he had gone even further, violating her in the worst possible way.

He was disgusted by his privious self.

He was the one making decisions now.

And even after recognizing how despicable Lorenzo’s behavior had been, he had still threatened Sofia’s father just to get her to sit across from him.

Some things never change, do they?

Samuel had spent most of his previous life getting what he wanted through intimidation, manipulation, and violence.

Those methods had made him a powerful Mafia boss.

They had also made it difficult for him to recognize when he was using his strength to solve a problem that shouldn’t be solved through force.

He knew what he was doing was wrong.

He simply hadn’t figured out how to stop doing it.

His desire to repair his relationship with Sofia had seemed reasonable after days of consideration.

But the moment she refused his invitation, he had resorted to the same tactics the original Lorenzo would have used.

He had wanted her cooperation, so he had taken away her choice.

There was no clever justification for that.

I’m beginning to understand why people like me are so difficult to deal with.

Lorenzo almost laughed at the irony.

He had been given a second chance at life, yet he was already repeating the mistakes of the man whose body he had inherited.

Perhaps the problem wasn’t the body.

Perhaps the problem was that Samuel Chen had never been as different from Lorenzo Riina as he wanted to believe.

"Are you even listening to me?"

Sofia’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

Lorenzo looked up.

She was glaring at him with an expression that suggested she was seconds away from throwing her glass at his head.

"Yes."

"Then what did I just say?"

"You said I’m a pathetic excuse for a human being who wouldn’t understand shame even if it slapped me across the face."

Sofia stared at him.

"...I didn’t say that exact thing."

"But you were thinking it."

"Don’t act like you know what I’m thinking!"

"Fair enough."

Lorenzo leaned back in his chair.

For a moment, Sofia looked genuinely confused.

She had expected him to argue, mock her, or threaten her into silence. That was what Lorenzo Riina always did whenever someone dared to challenge him.

Instead, he had simply agreed with her.

She hated that she couldn’t understand what he was trying to accomplish.

"What do you want from me?" she demanded.

Lorenzo opened his mouth, then closed it again.

What do I want?

The answer should have been simple.

He wanted Sofia to stay close to him. He wanted to satisfy the strange obsession his trait had created. He wanted to repair the relationship that Lorenzo had destroyed.

But those desires contradicted one another.

He couldn’t repair their relationship while treating her as something he owned.

And he couldn’t expect her to trust him when he had given her every reason not to.

"I wanted to talk to you," he finally answered.

Sofia let out a bitter laugh.

"You threatened my father because you wanted to talk to me?"

"...When you put it that way, it sounds rather stupid."

"Because it is stupid!"

She slapped her palm against the table.

"Do you think everyone in this world exists to satisfy your whims? Do you think you can do whatever you want simply because your father is powerful enough to protect you?"

Lorenzo remained silent.

"Of course you do," she continued. "You’ve probably never had to face the consequences of anything you’ve done. Whenever you cause trouble, your father cleans up the mess. Whenever someone refuses you, you threaten them until they give in."

Her voice trembled with anger.

"And you wonder why I hate you?"

Lorenzo looked at her for a long moment.

"No," he said quietly. "I don’t wonder."

Sofia’s expression faltered for the briefest moment.

Then she scowled.

"Stop doing that."

"Doing what?"

"Acting as though you understand! You don’t get to sit there and pretend you understand how I feel!"

"I know."

"No, you don’t!"

She took a sharp breath, trying to contain her anger.

"You don’t know what it’s like to be afraid of someone who can destroy your entire family without lifting a finger. You don’t know what it’s like to have your future decided by someone else. And you certainly don’t know what it’s like to have someone hurt you and then expect you to act as though nothing happened!"

Lorenzo’s fingers tightened around his glass.

For once, he had no clever response.

Sofia was right.

He didn’t know what it was like to be her.

He had spent his previous life on the other side of that equation. He was the man people feared, the man whose displeasure could ruin lives.

He had understood fear as a tool.

He had rarely considered what it felt like to be the person forced to live with it.

"Look," he said, leaning back in his chair. "I didn’t invite you here to argue."

"You didn’t invite me. You forced me to come."

She was right.

He wanted nothing more then to reach across the table and catch her hand.

The [Perfectionist] trait stirred, turning his attention toward the details of her appearance. His mind began cataloguing the delicate contours of her face, the symmetry of her features, and the way the light caught her eyes.

For a brief moment, the rest of the restaurant seemed to fade away.

There was only Sofia.

And the unbearable desire to keep her within reach.

But he didn’t, Lorenzo was forcing his Will to control his Perfectionist trait.

...And he managed to do it.

Sofia’s expression darkened.

For a moment, she looked as though she wanted to throw her glass at his face.

Lorenzo wouldn’t have blamed her for that, either.

In fact, he would have considered it a perfectly reasonable response.

Unfortunately, the restaurant probably wouldn’t appreciate the mess.

Lorenzo looked at her face deeply and let out long sigh.

’This isn’t going to work.’

"Wait for me. I’ll be back in a few minutes. I need to use the restroom."

He didn’t wait for her response.

He stood, turned away from the table, and walked toward the restroom, keeping his hands firmly at his sides.

Behind him, Sofia remained seated, watching him leave with a mixture of suspicion and disgust.

She waited until he disappeared around the corner before finally releasing the breath she had been holding.

For the first time since arriving at the restaurant, she could relax her shoulders.

Finally.

She glanced at the untouched food on the table, then toward the corridor where Lorenzo had disappeared.

She didn’t know what he was planning.

Whatever game he was playing, she wanted no part in it.

Sofia reached for her handbag and checked her phone.

She had endured enough for one evening.

If Lorenzo returned expecting her to continue their little dinner, he would find that she was no longer there.