Ruined: Loving An Alpha Male(86)

I said softly, “I miss him so much, Marcus.”

“I’m sorry, Maxine. I really am. For what it’s worth, you were the best thing my brother could have ever hoped and dreamed for. He’s going through some shit right now. I wish I could tell you things will be different in time, but I don’t really know if it will. Just remember the last things he said to you and hold on to that for as long as you can. I know whatever he said to you, he meant every word.”

I smiled weakly.

“Oh for it to be that simple.”

He smiled at me.

“I know.”

I turned to walk away.

But before I opened the door, I looked to my left and glanced at Marcus and asked, “Did he accomplish what he set out to do?”

“Well, he never really said. But you know him probably better than I do. I’m sure you could better answer that than I can.”

I grunted and said softly, “I wish that were true.”

I walked out of the apartment and never looked back.





Chapter 15


Mason


“Listen Jack, I don’t really care how you get the son of a bitch to sign the papers. That’s your job. You brought this to me saying you had everything wrapped up. But clearly you don’t. No, I’m not going up on shit. If he wants to sell, then you have my offer. Other than that, I’m done.”

I hung up. ‘Fucking idiot.’

I saw the door to my office open, and in walked my better half. My brother had this disappointed look on his face, and I wondered what the hell did I do now?

I’ve been home for two weeks now, and it’s taken a while for me to get used to all the changes. I’ve been through three secretaries so far. Seems they can’t handle my bluntness and impatience. I really don’t have time for the niceties. I just need someone competent enough to do what I ask; simple as that. My brother said I intimated people. Well, too fucking bad. They need to grow a set, if you ask me.

Anyway, I watched my brother claim a seat in front of me. But he didn’t speak. He just looked at me.

So, instead of trying to figure out why his panties were in a knot, I asked, “How was Philly?”

Marc went out to smooth over some investors that he claims I rubbed the wrong way. He knows damn well that I couldn’t care less about some old, over-privileged ass-wipe with so much money they don’t know what to do with it, but when you tell them how to make more, they question your judgment. So he told me he needed to go make nice and hoped he was able to fix the damage I was causing with my rudeness or, the way he called it, “my fucked up attitude.”

“Uneventful,” he replied.

I watched my brother’s eyes, and I sighed.

‘Motherfucker.’

“You went to go see her, didn’t you?”

I had given Marc strict instructions to stop by my place, grab a few things, and leave a letter for Max on the island for her to read. He wasn’t supposed to be there when she got home. But leave it up to my brother to fuck this up.

“Well, hell, bro. What did you expect? She is living there…or was living there. Nice place, by the way.”

I frowned.

“Wait, what do you mean she ‘was’ living there?”

“Oh yeah. She gave me these for you. She told me to tell you ‘fuck you very much.’”

He placed before me a set of keys that I gave her with a figure of Rocky on the keychain, and an envelope that apparently has been ripped up multiple times.

I closed my eyes and leaned back in my chair.

“This is so fucked up.”

“You fucked up, bro. I mean, from what I could tell and from the little that I talked to her, you fucked up badly.”

“I know I fucked up. You don’t have to remind me. I had to do it. I couldn’t go back there.”

“So what? Instead you break her heart?”

My eyes narrowed on my brother.

“I didn’t break her heart.”

“Are you joking? I may have seen her only on the TV screen. But what I saw just a few days ago was a shell of the woman. She’s been waiting for you to come back for four weeks, and you figured you saying goodbye in a letter was all she was good for?”

I stood up.

“Marcus, you don’t understand. Okay?”

“You’re right bro, I don’t. Why don’t you explain it to me?”

I shook my head and headed to the bar that has become my go-to place when things get heavy.

“I wish I could, man. I really do.”

“Look, I get it. Okay? You have a lot of heavy shit going on. But that woman was the best thing that ever happened to you. You’re nothing without her, Mason. She deserved better than what you did to her.”

I snapped.

“Don’t you think I fucking know that,” I yelled. “Don’t you think every day I feel like the scum of the earth because I hurt her? I know I’m not shit. I know I’m waste of fucking space. But I didn’t know what else to do. There is so much shit going on in my head right now. I don’t even understand how I’m still breathing. I couldn’t come home to her like this, Marcus. I couldn’t do that to her. I love her too much.”