His always and forever

The news

Alex

I woke up to an arm around my waist. The f**k is that? I turned to my right to see brunette hair spilled on the pillow. Dad's gonna kill me. I lifted the arm from my waist careful not to wake the woman up and to have to face her. I quietly got out of the bed and collected my clothes to run out of there. I quickly got dressed in the bathroom trying not to make a sound and left the hotel suite as soon as I was done. I called my driver to pick me up and put on a pair of sunglasses hoping no one would recognize me. As I waited for him to get here, I tried to remember what had happened last night. I had picked up Amelia to go to the club. We had fun, drank a lot and then nothing, blackness. I just couldn't remember. I guessed that I'd just have to read an article about it. I got a text from my driver and walked out straight to the car parked in front of the building.

- "Where to sir?"

- "Home."

I fell asleep the entire ride to my house. With New York city's traffic, I even had time to write an entire roman, plus the house was out of the city. I had a loft in the city center at Central Park but I preferred to stay out of the city during the weekends at the family maison. When we arrived, I went straight to the kitchen as I was starving. There I found my little brother, Matteo, eating his breakfast peacefully. Of course, I had to annoy him so I stole a piece of bacon from his plate and ate it.

- "You kidding me p*ta (b***h) !" he shouted and I just laughed.

- "MATTEO BORRELI!!!" Our mother entered the kitchen with a shoe in her hand. Someone was about to get his *ss beaten down and I was about to enjoy the show.

- "Mama scusa! (Mom sorry!) " he held up both his hands in front of him.

- "We do not curse in my house son!" She then turned to land her eyes on me. I saw it, the disappointment in her eyes.

- "My dearest son, when will you stop going from woman to woman and settle down? I want my grandkids."

I walked up to her and planted a kiss on her forehead. She was smaller than me by far.

- "It's just not for me mama."

I simply replied and left for my room. I knew I was hurting her by doing this, but I just didn't trust women enough to marry one of them. They all wanted the same thing; my money. I took a shower and changed into a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt. I checked my phone and saw the tabloids' pictures of last night. If I saw it, he did too f**k! My father loved me and trusted me, I knew it but just like my mother, he despised the playboy part of myself. I just couldn't see myself trusting a woman to the point of sharing my life with her and giving her my name. I sighed, running a hand through my hair and turned my phone off. Today I'd be spending time with my family. I headed back to the kitchen where my mother was sitting a book in one hand and a cup of tea in the other.

- "Figlio (son), it's kind of you to join me." she said without lifting her eyes from her book.

My mother was maybe a petite woman but sh was fierce, an Italian. My dad loves her for that. She wasn't like the other girls he had met, she was different. He then didn't waist any time to wife her up. The rest of the story is simple. She got me, then Matteo, and the last one, Leonardo; she always wanted a daughter tough. Dad told her that our wives would be her daughters. That's why she wants me to find one quickly- oh and also to give her grandchildren. She talked about how much she wanted them at least twice a day.

I walked in front of her at the other side of the marble countertop and leaned against it.

- "Les misérables " I read out loud the name of her book- or more like a dictionary.

She loved reading in French. She used to say it's a language even more beautiful than Italian. Doubtful if you ask me. I stretched my hand to take the book from her hand and out of nowhere she slapped it away.

- "What how did you-"

- "Quiet."

That woman was scary sometimes. She was also the only one I could speak to freely without an ounce of judgement. Father was a man and he expected certain things from me so being all sentimental with him would just tarnish the image he had of me. I was his eldest son, I had to be ruthless to take over his company, not soft.

- "Mother come on, let's make a tiramisu together." She loved them. I knew it, it was her favorite dessert. As I was a child we made some every weekend, but now I was too busy with work. Not today though. I intended to spend the day with her.

- "What did you say figlio (son) ?" The woman sat her book down and looked at me with sparkles in her eyes. I chuckled and walked by her side. I slipped her small hand in mine and helped her up.

We spend the rest of the day laughing and making a mess of the kitchen. Matteo joined us and let's just say that when my father got back home, we all looked like three children about to get grounded.

- "What the hell happened here?" he was standing there at the door frame dressed up in his black suit with a scowl on his face.

- "We made tiramisu dad." Said Matteo with a spoon in his hand.

My dad sighed and walked up to my mom who had cream on her cheek. Instead of taking it off with his finger, he leaned in and did the most disgusting thing in world- wait I just want to throw up thinking about it again- he licked her cheek. Matteo and I made disgusted faces and ran up to the nearby bathroom to throw up.

That evening, dad was surprisingly in a very good mood. I decided not to question it. Thinking about it, I definitely should have. He received a call at about 8 pm and walked out of the living room and answered. We didn't pay attention to it, just thought it was a business call, but when he got back; the old man was smiling like I had never seen him before.

- "What is it with your face dad? I can see your teeth." Said Matteo, and we all laughed.

Dad even laughed with us, there was definitely something wrong with him. He didn't waist anytime and told us what had him in a good mood.

- "Amore(love), I have amazing news! We are going to a wedding!" he said before kissing my mother's cheek.

- " Oh who's getting married?"

- "One of our sons."

What in the world? I turned my head immediately to Matteo to see if he knew about it, but he seemed as shocked as I was. It must have been Leonardo then. The youngest Borreli brother was aboard in Italy. Maybe he had met someone and wanted to surprise us?

- "OMG THAT'S AMAZING!! I'LL HAVE GRANDKIDS ENZO!!!!" My mom started screaming and hugging my father. I'm glad Leon could bring a woman into the family. Mom needed it and grandchildren too of course.

- "I always knew Leonardo wouldn't let me down!" squealed my mother.

- " No honey, not Leon, but Alex."

bjuvbzuiuBFMQPBFIU WHAT????

- " What are you talking about, father?"

If this was a joke, I didn't find it funny at all. My dad was still smiling like it was the best of his life. I didn't understand. I'm not getting married, and to whom first of all?!

- "Remember when I told you you'd get the company once you settle down?"

- "Yes of course I do, how could I forget it." I was starting to get angrier by the seconds, what was his point?

- "Well, I found you a bride."

- "A what?"

I couldn't believe him! What's wrong with him? Getting married was the last thing I wanted but I knew I had to. With a stranger though? That's a no.

- "I won't"

- "You will" he was raising his voice. The voice he used when he was doing business.

- "You can't force me to marry her."

- "You're right. I can't, but I can take the company away from you. I told you months ago that you needed to settle down. You didn't listen. So now you either marry her or I pass on the company to our brothers."

He knew it was my dream to be CEO of Borreli Corp. I was born to do it. I won't let him take that away from me. But I knew if I didn't do as he asked, he would.

- "Fine, I'll marry her."