Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 108868 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 544(@200wpm)___ 435(@250wpm)___ 363(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108868 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 544(@200wpm)___ 435(@250wpm)___ 363(@300wpm)
“What’s the first thing on the list?”
“Think of things I genuinely like.”
“What don’t you understand?”
“Well, is that a generalization? What exactly is it referring to?”
“Usually, when someone has an enemy, they try to one-up the enemy, better them at whatever they do. But when you do that, you end up being nothing more than a follower. There are lots of followers in the world; you’re not going to be one of them.” No, I need you to be strong, so I can go on with my life and not worry about you when the time comes because there’s no escaping that for me.
“Still don’t get it?” Instead of tears, she was now looking up at me with confusion.
“No, give me an example.”
“Okay, Victoria drives a Mercedes, say, you don’t like Mercedes, but to one-up her, you think you need to have the same car, maybe a different color, even a different model. But what if you really like Honda? Which one would you choose?” She creased her brow and bit her lip.
“See, even someone as smart as you are, have to think it over when the answer is so obvious. You get the one you like; it’s the one that will give you the most pleasure. If you concentrate on what the enemy has or is doing, you lose yourself in them. Every situation in life is different. The one common denominator is you. That means, in all things, be true to yourself. The best defense in life is doing and being who you want to be, not what someone else forces on you, and never waver.” She seemed to be giving my words some thought.
“What if I like the Bugatti Type 40?”
“You, what did you just say?” She scrunched up her shoulders like she thought I was mad at her. “You know cars?”
“Not really; that’s the car my mom left me.” Does she even know what that is?
“Where is it?”
“It’s in the garage at home. Becky wanted it, Victoria too, but my grandma said no, it was mine. It’s part of mom’s family inheritance, so dad can’t touch it either. I’m supposed to inherit it at eighteen, but…."
She shrugged her shoulders, then got a playful look on her face to hide the sadness.
“Okay, that’s cars, but I might like a lot of things; that list can get pretty long.” It took me a minute to recognize the shift in the air.
“Are you flirting with me?” She turned beet red and hung her head—my mistake.
“I like it.” I kissed her forehead and laid her back on the pillow.
“Get some sleep. I’ll see you in the morning.” I left and went in search of my dad, an idea already forming in my head. Part of her problem is that she doesn’t know her enemies. Maybe she’s too close to the situation to notice what it’s only taken me a few meetings to do. The monsters in her head were merely more than pissants to me. This minor distraction could be a good thing after all. I can wet my beak with those three in preparation for bigger things ahead. Okay, I’ll play.
I found Pop in the entertainment room with Ma asleep with her head on his lap.
“Pop, I need a favor.”
“What do you need, son? Keep your voice down; your mom just passed out.” I gave him a quick rundown and left, knowing that he’d handle it: next stop, the meddling duo.
GABRIEL
As expected, the twins were still up rehashing the night’s events when I walked into their room after leaving Pop. “Hey, big brother, what’s up?” Nice try!
“What’s with the uninvited guests?”
“It was Sheila’s idea, ask her. You know how impatient she is.” Anna was quick to explain.
“Impatient about what?”
“Nothing, look, they’re going to be at the party in a few weeks; everyone just thought it would be a nice icebreaker for Gia to meet them tonight, so by the night of the party, they’d be like old friends.” Who the fuck is everyone?
I keep forgetting that I’ve taught my sisters everything I know, but I get the feeling they’re using that shit on me.
“Are you two running game on me?”
“Never, who would dare? You’d just beat us at it anyway.” Uh-huh.
“Do me a favor, don’t do anything where she’s concerned without running it by me first.” They both rushed to agree, but that wasn’t good enough. If it were, we wouldn’t be here. “Eh, look at me, both of you.” I waited for their compliance. “If it’s not on the list I gave you, it’s not okay, no matter who says otherwise. If that’s too hard for you two, step back, I’ll handle it myself.”
One thing I know with absolute certainty about my sisters is that they cannot stand for their big brother to be mad at them. I let them sweat for a few minutes with my stone-cold expression in place, so they know that was their one and only warning. They did a little bit of fidgeting; that’s the Russo in them, never give up without a fight. The pout was all Ma. Then Anna nudged Rosa in the side, and they started to fall all over themselves, apologizing.