Life After Heart Break

The Littlest Things Count

Yesterday didn't go as planned. Of course, I didn't think that she was going to fall head over heels for me, but I thought she would notice that I wanted her. My charm didn't work, so I had to switch up my game. And I was lost. I never had to work to get with a girl; my natural charm usually won them over. The s**t had me sitting here on my laptop looking for ways to woo a woman and it had me looking at the mess crazy. There was no way I was doing half of that s**t they were talking about.

"Why the f**k are you looking for ways to get with a girl? Are you losing your touch? I thought I would never see the day... when are you going to talk with Grandpa. He's not going to keep letting you blow this meeting over, and we have to set a date for their funeral."

"We burn them, there's nothing left to have a funeral, Quin. We’re not having a f*****g visual. They're dead, everyone in the family knows, and our allies, there's no need for all of that other s**t, and I have a meeting with Grandpa in a few. You're welcome to come if you like, but I know what it's going to be about." Quinton stared at me, and I knew it was about my responses to our parents. We had them cremated, and that was the end of that.

They died in an explosion; it was all over the damn news, which means everyone knew they were dead. We didn't need a big ceremony to say so, and I wasn't about to have one. I loved my mother, but she was the one who chose to kill herself rather than to let me help her. I had it planned out, but she said it had to look like someone attacked them when all she did was set bombs before killing herself to be with the asshole she called her lover. How could I respect something like that? I stood on that and the fact of not having a ceremony, and there was nothing that could change my mind. The only thing I was thinking about was Asia and how to get through the meeting I had with our grandfather.

I didn't want to see him under the circumstances, but here I was at his door waiting for someone to come let me in since he thought he was high and mighty. He was one of those who had to have people waiting on him hand and foot, and that could have been because he had no legs. Sadly, the man lost them before handing the mafia over to my dad. He never told a how, but I learned that he blew them off himself, playing with explosions as if he were a child. He was lucky that he didn't kill himself.

"Master Sevyn..."

"Gladys, I told you to call me Sevyn. I don't care what the old man says. Where is he? In his normal spot or in his room?"

"He's in his room and cranky as ever." He was always like that, and it was where my dad got it from. The only difference between the two of them was that my grandfather wasn't a cheater or an asshole. He loved his wife, and it nearly killed him when my grandmother died. It was hard on all of us, except for her son. It made his father want to kill him, and his siblings wanted to beat his ass. He was heartless, and I refused to be.

"Pa, are you awake?"

"I am, and I can't believe you came without me calling three or four times to get you here. Tell me why I didn't know about your Father and the way he was treating your Mother? If I had known..."

"I assumed that you did with how Ma talked about it. She was scared to let you know that she had killed him, saving me. Each time they got into it, they acted as if you knew. Is that why you called me over?" I questioned with an arched brow when he pointed to the chair beside his bed. I sighed and sat. I didn't have the time for this, but he wasn't going to let up.

"With your Dad being gone, someone else has to take the title as Don. As you know you're his eldest son, which means you'll have to take over the throne.

"I figured that, but I hope you didn't call me over to say you picked me a bride." Pa chuckled while I sat there glaring at him. It wasn't a joke, and he couldn't make me do something I didn't want to do.

"No, I'll allow you to do that on your own, and please don't be whoring around in public. You have an image to uphold. However, you have a year to find a bride, or I will assign someone to that spot." He didn't have to worry about that because I had someone whom I wanted to make mine. She was beautiful in every way and had stolen my heart. The bad thing was that she was broken and confused by how much she was worthy of.

"Don't worry about that, I have a woman in mind. First, I have to get her to notice me. I'm forcing myself into her life by showing up at her workplace. I also gave her a bonus for selling a home. None of it is getting her attention. Jen mentioned that she went through a divorce to a man that she married when she was a teen, and he f****d her over, taking her money and children."

"Women like that are scared of love, especially younger women. I know from experience that your grandmother was married young to an older man. It was an arranged marriage to secure an allied. She was sixteen when they married, and the bastard beat the s**t out of her and everything under the sun. Luckily for her, he had a heart attack and died, but loving again, or whatever you call it, was hard on her. I tried the same things you did, but in the end, I realized being nice and becoming a friend helped. I made her feel special by doing the littlest things, like buying her flowers to uplift her spirit or leaving her little notes, things like that. Try them, and you'll see she'll come around."

I nodded, thinking of something that I could do while my grandfather talked about my responsibilities as if I didn't know them already. I didn't need him to tell me what my dad had already drilled into my head about how a Don should be and what I shouldn't do. Most of it, he didn't do. The man was a fraud, and no one noticed it but his children and our mom when she was fussing about him cheating. It was the only reason I was still staying at home to ensure that my mother, little sister, and brother were safe.

"I'll give you two weeks to get your s**t together, and then we'll announce you as the new Don, and after that, we will talk about your swearing-in... Sevyn, I want you to know that I will help you with whatever I can. Don't be afraid to come to me for advice. Never get involved with anything that you are unsure about."

"Yeah, I hear you, Pops, and thank you for the advice." I never really had a problem with my grandpa, but the way my mom always talked about him made me weary of him. However, now that she and my father are gone, I see that she didn't want us to know the real man that she talked down on because he was probably trying to help her. There was nothing I had to worry about, but I did have to focus on getting the girl that I wanted. It stayed on my mind all the way back to my brother's apartment.

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"Our penthouses are the best, and the one that I'm about to show you looks over the same lake into the city. I know you work for Jennifer Clark. She and I are good friends, and she made it a point that I show you these apartments, as well as the others. The penthouse has four bedrooms, three and a half bath, and a beautiful kitchen. Oh, the living room is spacious, I'm telling you. You would love it." She wasn't lying; the penthouse was beautiful, and I could afford it, though Jennifer had to talk to the woman a bit because I never told her who I worked for.

However, I decided to go with the penthouse, and I could appeal the custody case and get shared custody because I wasn't the cold-hearted person that he was. I wanted my children to be around their father, but he wanted to be selfish. I only wanted a chance to see my babies, and this was the beginning.

"Thank you for taking the time to show me these apartments. I love the penthouse, and I'm going to enjoy it more once I move in."

"I just know you are. Your neighbors are good people and look out for everyone on this floor. Make sure to introduce yourself once you move here..."

"Please do because I would love to get to know you." It was him again. I knew it was him without even looking, but I still turned to him slowly as he smiled at me while the lady on my side tried to be flirty. However, he didn’t pay her any attention; it was all on me, and once again, he was looking at me like he was going to rip off my clothes and have me where we stood.

"Mr. Martin, I heard that you were staying with your brother. I'm sorry to hear about your parents, but if you ever need anything... and I mean anything give me a call." She smiled, handing him a card, after she turned to me, gave me my keys, and left.

"Wow, that was very forward. She invited you to have s*x with her. You should take her up on her offer."

"Naw, but I would love to take you out to lunch if you would let me." I sighed, shaking my head. I didn't know what he was trying to do, but I had no interest in it. I had other things to do besides going out to lunch with him. I had to find furniture for my new home and get to my current home before Bandit made his great escape.

"I'm sorry, I have to decline your invitation to lunch. I have some things that I need to get done. I need furniture for my home, and I have to make it back before my raccoon makes his great escape."

"You have a pet raccoon? That's s**t right there, it's wild, you have to let me see him. I have nothing to do today, so let me tag along. I promise there will be no advances until you want them." He spoke following me to the elevator, saying he was going to follow me whether I wanted him to or not.

"Fine, but I don't have a car."

"Well, you're just in luck, Shorty, because I do. Come on, we're about to have some fun." I laughed because he was too happy about this, and it made me smile. It was funny to see him run out to his car and open the door for me after he took me to the nearest furniture store, which was expensive as hell.

"Sevyn, I can't afford this store." In return, he smiled, pulling me from the car into the store. The whole time I was trying to tell him the things were too much, but whatever I said, I liked, he told the store I wanted it and my address. The man paid for everything, and surprisingly, he didn't want anything in return.