Chapter 8: Another Shocking Revelation

Jay “Has anyone ever told you that you are very tiresome?” I asked Enzo while he sat next to me on my bed. “I have never been accused of that, no. But I am a very skilled man and can think of many other ways to tire you.” he answers with a smirk. “Would you stop already? You are terrible,” I say, but I can’t help but laugh. “When Marcello told me about Anne and Alfonso, I did some digging. Obviously, I wanted to kill them, but Marcello made me promise to stay out of it. You deserve to have a bit of fun, and I would never deny you anything. But if we do run into your ex, and he says anything I don't like, I will punch him in his stupid face." "I would pay good money to see that. Thank you for helping and for not killing them, I suppose." I say and laugh. "You are even more beautiful when you are happy," he says softly, and I look at him. "Thank you for the compliment, but you promised to focus." "I did, didn't I?" he says and chuckles, and I just shake my head. "As soon as they bring the Doctor, we can have a chat with him. Not only did he help Anne switch the DNA report, he has been her lover for the past five years. They met before Alfonso found her. She is currently three months pregnant with the doctor's child that they plan to pass off as Alfonso's. He is supposed to help her fake that paternity test too." Wow, she really is lower than the lowest scum. "It seems she has this con all planned out. Do we know who she really is?" "Not yet, but I will soon. He doesn't even know her real name. He knows her as Carmen Hendricks, but the background check I did shows that Carmen Hendricks died in a car accident roughly before Dr. Edwards met Anne. She obviously assumed her identity. We need her fingerprints so I can run a check." "It shouldn't be hard to get. But I didn't plan for her to see me yet. Only at the New Year's Eve ball. I will have to get a disguise," I say, trying to come up with a plan on the fly. "Don't worry about that. I can get it. I just didn't want to do anything yet without your consent. This is your show and Marcello and I are your back-up," he says, making me smile. "I appreciate the assist. I am sure you have better things to do than play along with my crazy schemes," "I told you, Jay. You will always come first. I am here for whatever you need." "Hmm, okay, thank you. I appreciate you," I say, because I don't know how else to answer him. I move to get up, but he takes my hand to stop me. I look back at him, and he smiles at me. "I know you have a lot on your plate right now and that you have been through a lot. I want you to know that I will support you every step of the way. I may be a little pushy, but that is only because I have been dreaming of seeing you again for fifteen years. We lost so much time, but I intend to make sure that we make up for that time," he says, and he looks so sincere. "I am sorry I can't remember you. Enzo. I will need time to get to know you again and to get back to my old self. For the past year, I have been in a state of numbness. Anne may have killed my baby, but Alfonso is ultimately responsible. He was supposed to protect me and our son. But he was the one that brought Anne into our lives, and he repeatedly put her needs above mine and our baby's. I can only truly be free when I have avenged my son and destroyed Alfonso's life," I say, and he nods. He gets up too and takes both my hands in his "I understand and, like I said, I will help you with whatever you need. All I ask is for you to let me in. Let me be the shoulder you choose to cry on, like you did when we were little. I just want a chance to win your heart. But I can't do that if you are always going to push me away. Please let me help you with your plans," he says, and I look at him. Really look at him this time, not ogle him like before. I can see the sincerity and emotion in his eyes, and I am a bit taken aback. He really does care about me. But I am not that little girl he remembers. Life has taught me a few hard lessons and my innocence is long gone. I have had to adjust to my circumstances and I lost a bit of the woman I was along the way. My heart has been shattered beyond repair and I don't think I know how to let someone in again. I just don't want to let him down. He deserves to get to know this new version of me, and I have to admit that I am very curious about him. I want to understand why he affects me so. "To be honest with you, my mind is all over the show right now. I will try not to push you away. And I would like to get to know you, and for you to know me as I am now. But I need to focus on my mission. It means too much to me. You are a distraction I did not account for." "I admit I can be very distracting. But I will try to give you the space you want, while still helping you get your life back. Just please don't shut me out. So do we have a deal?" "I can agree to those terms. You have a deal, Mr. Romano," I say, extending my hand. He smiles and takes my hand, but then pulls me closer and kisses my lips softly. He moved so fast, I didn't have time to react. He moves away and smirks at me. "Starting tomorrow. It's still Christmas, after all," he says, and I can't help but laugh. "You are going to drive me crazy, aren't you?" "Oh, I hope so," he says with a wink, and I just shake my head. Oh, this man. Alfonso This has been the worst Christmas I have had in a very long time. My f*****g wife seems to have left me, and my grandfather is acting like an ass. What has gotten in to everyone? I spent most of the day trying to get Anne to calm the f**k down because she was throwing a hissy fit over how grandpa treated her. I can see Joel is worried, because he and my grandfather have always been close, and he sees him as a father figure. Maybe I should let him speak to my grandfather. Maybe he can get to the bottom of grandpa's behavior. I am sure Jay is to blame for this anyway. She just up and left without a word. Why would she do that anyway? f**k, I just need to get a grip. I can fix whatever is wrong, I just need to focus. I have all my men looking for Jay and they should find her. I am not about to let her get away that easily. And she can forget about a divorce after the stunt she pulled today. But right now, I need some sleep. Maybe things will be better in the morning. I had to sleep over at the penthouse apartment I got for me and Anne. There is no f*****g furniture in my house. Anne was still pissed, so she slept at her parents' place. But that's fine, I need a reset. I drank a few glasses of scotch before I got into bed. Surprisingly, I fell asleep immediately, but I was woken up to my phone ringing non-stop. Who the hell is calling me at this hour? But then I see it's already after 7am in the morning. "Alfonso Du Pont," I say when I answer the call. I didn't even check who called. I am a little hungover. "Sir, it's James. We still haven't been able to locate Mrs Du Pont. She hadn't checked into any of the hotels in the city, and she never boarded any flights. We have an alert on her passport and cards running. As soon as she uses either, we will know where she is. Can you think of anywhere she would stay? A friend or family maybe?" James asks. "Only my grandfather, but she isn't there. He doesn't know where to find her either. Keep looking please. She could be hurt somewhere or worse," I say, and he agrees before he hangs up. "f**k! Where the f**k are you, Jay!" I yelled in frustration. I get up and fix myself some coffee so I can get ready to face the day. I have to find my wife, get my grandfather to calm his ass down, and get Anne to snap out of her tantrum. I grab a quick shower, and then head to my grandfather's estate. I will start with him. Maybe Jay contacted him again. "Morning grandpa, how are you feeling today?" I asked when I found him sitting on the sofa in his living room. "Have you found my granddaughter yet?" he asked instead of answering me. "I was hoping she contacted you. James can't find her. She hasn't checked into any of the hotels in the city, or used any of her cards. I am getting worried now. What if something happened to her?" I ask, sitting down. "I told you that you aren't allowed to come back here until you come here with Jay. Now leave and go find her," Grandpa says, and I am a bit taken aback by how angry he looks. "Are you serious right now?" I ask him. "Yes, now leave." He says, turning to look out of the window. "I really need my grandfather right now. My wife is missing, and I don't know if she is hurt or worse," I say, and he looks back at me. "Where was this concern for your wife when you were sharing her sister's bed? If she left you, then you are the only one to blame. Go find her and make things right. And get rid of that snake of a woman, you are f*****g," he says, before he gets up and walks away. Is he really serious? How can he know about me and Anne? I have always been careful around him. So does that mean Jay also suspects us? f**k! I have to find her. Only she can fix this s**t with grandpa. He is going to cut me out of his will and take the company away from me if I don't get Jay back soon. Right now I can't go into panic mode. I have to be proactive. I take out my phone to call James, but see that Joel Walters is calling me. "Hey Joel," I say when I answer. "What the f**k is going on, Alfonso? Get your ass over here now! You have a lot of explaining to do. You are ruining my daughter's reputation. Get here and fix this now!" he says, hanging up before I can ask what he is talking about. I called back but he didn't answer. Damn it. Now I need to go there, and I don't even know what the f**k is going on. This day is starting off just as s**t as Christmas day. I really need Jay right now.