“Fine and how have you been?” I asked to be polite.
“I’ve been better.” He smiled a hint of a menacing soul just lingering behind. “I see my son has done quite well for himself.” He released his fingers and grabbed onto his coffee.
“Daimon works hard,” I said sternly.
“He does. It’s too bad he didn’t take my advice to marry Clara. He would have had a lot more money at his disposal, but I guess you will have to do now,” he noted callously.
“You suggested you were forcing him to marry her,” I snapped, hating how he always tried to play Daimon.
“Forcing? Addie, no one can force Daimon to do anything. I never once said anything other than perhaps Clara would be good to marry for her money,” he said behind his cup.
“Please, Mr. Evans, don’t toy with me. Daimon said it clearly you were forcing a ridiculous marriage on him,” I said annoyed.
“Is that what my boy told you?” Daimon’s father laughed. “That boy…. and here I thought he didn’t have much time. It appears he had a lot of time to play you.” He kept chuckling.
“He didn’t play me,” I said forcefully.
“Well, I never once forced any marriage on him, nor could I. He is the chairman of the company my father owned. I was bypassed, not once was I ever going to run the show. Daimon took what my father gave him and made it to what it is today.”
I sat in my chair at that café, the world I so happily thought I knew, the world I thought I had grown to understand slowly crumbled away, like pieces of a puzzle that never really fit.
“Addie,” Daimon’s father called out to me, but I could scarcely hear him.
“I need to go,” I said quietly as I abruptly rose from my chair, making it fall to the ground. I looked around, everyone’s eyes on me. I felt flushed and embarrassed as I quickly picked up my chair and left.
Ted drove me home. I didn’t wait for him to open the door for me. I flew inside the building passing Phil and Lenny like they weren’t even there, even though I heard their faint hellos. I made it up to the penthouse to hear Daimon playing his violin. I ran up the stairs, Drako running after me, barking.
“Is it true?” I nearly shouted. Daimon stopped and looked at me.
“Addie, what’s wrong?” He started for me, but I held up my hand to stop him.
“I saw your father today. He was in the coffee shop I was in,” I started.
Daimon stood not moving, his violin in one hand, and his bow in the other as he slowly eased his hands down.
“Is it true? About you and Clara? You told me he was forcing you to marry her. If you tell me it’s true, I will believe you,” I pleaded.
“Addie,” Daimon said softly, putting his instrument down. “Just listen to me.”
“Is it true?” I shouted.
“Addie, I love you,” Daimon said more forcefully.
“Daimon?” I cried out.
“Clara and I weren’t ever going to get married. She wanted to, she even begged her father, tried to seduce me a few times. But no, never was I forced to marry her,” he said ruefully.
“So you lied to me?” I scarcely heard myself say.
“I did what I needed to do,” he said calmly as he tried to walk toward me.
“Stay the hell away from me!” I cried out.
“Addie, remember I love you,” Daimon said again.
“You love me?” I said incredulously.
“Yes, I love you,” he seethed.
I grabbed onto the door, bracing myself, barely seeing the room around me as my eyes welled up. I shook my head and ran past him to the closet.
“What are you doing?” he shouted at me. I yanked a large bag from the top and threw it onto the floor. “Addie?” he barked as I took my clothes off the hangers and threw them into the suitcase.
“I’m leaving,” I yelled.
“Is that it, Addie? You use me and then you leave?” I stopped immediately and glared at him.
“Used you? It’s you who used me, you son of a bitch. It’s you, who instead of expressing yourself, used an elaborate game of lies to win me over!” I shouted, pounding my chest. My tears that had welled up fell freely.
“It worked didn’t it?. You fell in love with me!” Daimon shouted.
“You lied to me!” I screamed.
“What was I supposed to do, Addie? Just walk back into your life and ask you to be mine? With anyone else maybe, but not you. You have always been what I wanted; throughout high school and now, you are the only one I can see. So who cares if I made up these lies? Who cares if I made myself out to be an asshole? I’m no angel. Addie. I wanted you, so I did what I had to have you,” he barked, his face fierce and stern, his jaw locked tight as he stared at me through his ice cold eyes.