Rio's POV
I pour myself another drink. I've been drinking a lot lately , I barely show up to work. I stiffen when I feel a pair of hands wrap around my bare torso, and I step away from her. Jessica.
"What the fuck do you want?" I ask, downing the whiskey. The sour taste burns its way down my throat.
"Don't be like that, sweetheart. I know you want me…" she snarls, stepping closer. I back away because I might smack her stupid face.
"I don't. I asked you to leave , what are you still doing here?" I ask, my voice rough, deep, tired.
She tsks, leaning on the kitchen counter. Her boobs almost fall out of her dress, but it doesn't do anything to me. It disgusts me, honestly.
"She was just a quick fuck, Rio. Get over her," she shrugs.Pulling her dress cups up to cover her chest .
Before I can register what I'm doing, I'm standing in front of her now. My fists clench at my sides because I don't want to hit her, but God, I want to , because no one talks about Elena like that.
I raise my hand, pointing at her face. She backs away, but she's trapped between me and the counter.
"Listen to me… if you talk about her like that again," my voice drops to a dangerous growl,
"I will put a fucking bullet through your stupid head...I warned you last time .."my voice drops to a dangerous growl.
My hand moves to the cabinet on my left and I pull it open , without looking I grab my gun . It's empty but she doesn't know that . She sucks in a breath once she sees it .
"This is the last warning, next time you talk shit about her I won't hesitate to blow your brains out ..now go..!"I say pointing the gun at her but lowering it and stepping back .
She sniffles, grabbing her things and walking to the door. She stops and turns to face me with tears in her eyes.
"You will always be mine, Rio. Only a matter of time before you realize and accept that," she chokes. Her heels click as she walks to the door and slams it behind her.
Pathetic. I throw the gun back in the cabinet and kick it shut.
I grab the bottle of whiskey that's now almost empty and bring it to my mouth to finish it. Since I flew back from Texas, my life has been shit. I haven't slept a wink. I barely show up at the company.
All because of what I found out , and the guilt is eating me alive.
The door swings open again, and I roll my eyes, a habit I picked up from Elena. My stomach churns just thinking about her again and knowing I'm the reason she had tears in her eyes.
I don't look up.
"Jessica, I said leave," I groan in exhaustion.
"Hey, brother," Mariana's voice comes instead, and I look up to be met by a very angry-looking Mariana.
"Well, you look like you got dragged from hell and back," she observes, giving me a once-over as she steps closer, taking the new bottle I was opening from my hand. I almost protest, but the glare she sends my way makes me shut my mouth.
"Hey, siz," I manage to say as I walk to the living room, flopping onto the couch. I feel her follow me and sit on the opposite couch, looking at me.
"The hell is happening with you, Rio?" she whispers in concern.
"You look like you haven't showered in days… you look sleep-deprived… you look like an alcoholic. And Marco told me you've been doing hard drugs too," she yells, and I groan, my head falling back on the armrest.
"Marco, that traitor," I say with a yawn.
"And then you got with Jessica after telling Elena you love her?! What the fuck, bro?" she raises her voice in disbelief.
My stomach churns even more. I feel like throwing up just thinking about how her face looked when she told me she hated me. No words could ever break me , but that ruined me.
I don't answer. I just stare into nothing.
I feel her stand up and walk towards me. She squats near me where I'm laying on the couch, her hand covering mine.
"Talk to me, please. What's going on?" her voice is small, pleading.
"I can't," I say, turning to look at her.
"I can't, Maria," I add, my voice cracking.
"I'll tell you, but just… just not right now," I whisper, holding her hand tighter.
"You trust me?" I ask her. She looks at me with glossy eyes , she's probably never seen me in this state before, and it pains me that she has to.
"I do," she whispers with a nod.
"Don't keep it from me for too long," she pleads, and I nod.
She stands and walks back to her couch.
"How is she?" I finally find the courage to ask, even though I shouldn't have the right.
For a moment, I'm convinced she won't tell me, but she does.
"Not so good. But she's safe. She's staying at Sam's," she says truthfully. I nod .
I already knew where she was staying. My men are following her around for her safety.
We sit in silence for a while, then Mariana stands up, and I realize I was dozing off, I blink my eyes open , feeling my head pound.
"When will you come back to the company? Our competitors are already talking about an unreliable CEO. You need to get your shit together, and fast," she sighs, slinging her bag over her shoulder.
"I'll show up soon, Maria. Keep the company running for now," I say, standing up.
She walks up to me and wraps me in a tight hug. I hug her back, glad she's here for me. Once we pull back, she looks at me with pity, as if she wants to say something.
"What is it?" I ask. She hesitates but doesn't say anything. She shakes her head instead and steps back.
"Uh… it's nothing. Get some rest," she says, walking away.
I'm left standing there with a feeling that she had something at the tip of her tongue but didn't say it.
I sigh. Reaching into my pocket, I grab my phone as I walk upstairs.
I find myself scrolling through my gallery for the millionth time , pictures Elena took of us. Not so many, but enough to make me feel like throwing myself off the balcony.
I stop at the top of the stairs, staring at our favorite one. It's a short video , she was sitting on top of me her nails dragging on my skin, my chest, neck, and arms filled with her kiss marks, her red lipstick all over me. It's the hottest thing I've ever seen, and it makes my dick twitch.
I haven't touched another woman since. Jessica keeps throwing herself at me, but she's just a part of my sick plan to make Elena hate me. I haven't let her anywhere near getting intimate with me , she's the one who can't keep her filthy hands to herself.
I shut down my phone, sliding down against the wall. I stare into nothing in particular. And am suddenly regretting leaving the bottle of whiskey downstairs.
My mind keeps replaying it , the video Marco sent me, a video from years ago. The video that changed everything. The one that will make Elena hate me for good this time.
And what's even worse? I can't blame her ,because I'd hate me too if I was in her position. She's going to view me as her worst enemy, the man she will hate most in this world and that alone makes me want to dissaper from the face of the earth like a coward because I can't face her with that truth , she'll find out soon enough and nothing scares me more .