She smiled at him. "We're gonna work on your vocabulary, alright?"
He laughed.
....
Caly set the apple on the kitchen counter. She set her head on the table and stared at the fruit, releasing deep sighs.
"Callista, I'm pretty sure a fruit should be eaten," Mallorie stated as she worked on her homework.
"It came from someone very special, Mal," she replied with a huge smile.
"What? Who is it?" Mallorie's brows knitted.
"Callista," his father's voice had thundered in the room that even Mallorie flinched.
Caly took a deep breath and bounced to her father. "Yes, dad?"
"What was that?"
"What?"
"Someone special?" Caesar Genovese shook his head in disappointment. "Please don't tell me its Castor Luciano."
"But Dad—"
"You know its too dangerous for him and for you. Do you have any idea what the Castellano's will do?" her father exclaimed. "Don't forget what I taught you, Caly. To each his own and protect yourself above all else. Whatever feelings you have for him, hide it.
"You know, daddy..." she muttered as her silver eyes flashed in determination. "Sometimes I wish I wasn't your daughter.”
....
Callista crushed the paper on her fists and threw away the eighth threatening letter she received this week. She hadn't bothered to read it. It probably contained more or less the same as the last letter. People wanting to kill her to get to Castor.
It was the reason why she had found herself in a locked room. She didn't know that even in school, there were people who want her dead.
As the light went off, Caly felt her breathing become harder. The door wouldn't budge, no matter how she kicked at it. A hissing sound filled the air as her eyes burned in pain.
"Fuck!" She pounded on the door and like a miracle, it opened.
"Callista!" Castor exclaimed in surprise.
Caly launched herself towards him. Castor wrapped an arm around her waist. "What happened?"
She shook her head in reply.
Callista decided to remain tight-lipped. She knew that telling Castor would cause him to stay away from her. She'd never let that happen.
She'd find a solution to this on her own She could do it.
....
Callista Genovese straightened the collar of her white formal dress as she and Thomas left the funeral for her bodyguard. Jason had shielded her against a knife attack and met his demise.
She knew it was coming but still, she couldn't stop it. Somebody had died because she grew complacent.
"Miss Caly... if you don't mind," Thomas began. "You should stop meeting with Castor.”
"And why would I do that?"
"But Miss Caly..."
"If everybody wants to kill me, it's okay. Because it means I can kill them too," she responded and stared at the sky. "But my efforts weren't enough. Some remained and others grow even bolder. Fighting fire with fire wasn't a good idea."
She pulled out a folded paper from her shoulder bag. "Give that to Tori. Someone is bragging that they have infiltrated the Luciano family so I want her to keep a lookout."
Thomas accepted the envelope. "What are you going to do?"
"I need to leave," Caly answered, her fingers gripping the strap of her bag. "If I am not around, they will think I ran away. Let them feel like they won."
"Are you sure? Castor will not like it," Thomas asked.
"But he'll be safe. It's a sacrifice I'm willing to make." Caly gritted her teeth as heart clenched in pain. She took a deep breath. "I'll be back two or three years from now. When that time comes, Dad's political career will go downhill as Mayor Johnson's complaints will be heard. People will start questioning why fights and shootouts still happen if Caesar Genovese is indeed a savior. And Daddy will beg me to come home." She licked her lips, "He'll think of a new way to eradicate the mafia society by joining the families into one. Probably marriage.”
Thomas gaped at her. "He'll do that?"
"Yes. And he'll use me." Callista opened her bag to put on her Gucci sunglasses. "If I am right, I can use it to get to my own goal."
"Your goal?"
"To live in a world where I could say 'I love you' without fear.”
....
Callista watched from her car as Castor and his college friends walked out of the building. She had wanted to say goodbye but she knew she couldn't do it without breaking down.
Hurting him was never in her plan. But she had no choice.
In the end, it's gonna be worth it.
~~~~
Once again, she had been wrong.
She thought she could do anything as long as she could get to her goal. But her plan had turned to smithereens the moment she knew that she had lost her best friend.
She had vowed to never hurt him. But she broke her promise, over and over again.
Callista met Castor's angry eyes. "I'm sorry."
Dos chuckled as Castor began to step forward. He placed the gun against Caly's right temple causing her to hiss at the burn. "Step closer and I'll blow her head off."
"Stop it. I thought it was me you hated!" Cas exclaimed as his green eyes widened in fear and terror. "Why don't you kill me then?"
"I do want to kill you," Dos declared. "But she's right, her death will hurt you more."
Callista winced as the gun's muzzle continued pressing in her temple. She wiggled her left hand, shielding it from Dos' eyes using her body.
"She's awesome, you know," Dos said that sent Callista's heart hammering. "And you're an idiot. You really think that in our world, loving her wasn't a death sentence?"
"What are you talking about?" Castor growled and searched for Caly's eyes. She turned away. She didn't want to see his fury over her lies. "Callista?"
Fuck. Callista bit the inside of her cheeks in regret.
Instead of being the bitch she was and pouring everything into her plan, she should've loved more. Maybe get more milkshakes with Tori or hang out in Mallorie's bar. She should've given Thomas, Eula, and Aunt Amanda a raise. She should've tried harder to reach out to Franco. Maybe tell her father what she really thought of him and try to mend their relationship. And most of all, she should've told Castor the truth.
She had everything she ever wanted, people who love her for who she was and she didn't even notice.
And now, she was losing everything.
This must be karma.
***
CHAPTER 33
Callista Genovese watched as Dos told Castor everything. The pain on her temple was nothing compared to the disbelief that crossed Castor's handsome face.
"She's quite something, isn't she? You should've used her better," Dos muttered, waving his hands in the air.
Castor didn't miss the opportunity as he tackled Dos to the wall. The gun fell on the floor. Castor twisted Dos' arm, hitting his head against the wooden wall. Dos groaned and elbowed the man behind him.
Callista finally freed her hand. She dove for the gun and directed it at the younger man. "Get off him!"
Dos' eyes were blown. He licked his lips as he put his hands on the air. "You won't shoot me.”
She laughed and tossed the gun to Castor. He clicked his tongue and shot him once on the leg.
Dos shrieked in pain as he crumpled on the ground.
Callista was about to step closer when several shots were fired. They crouched on their knees as Castor jerked his head to the counter.
She cussed and crawled behind the counter, flinching as the bullets whizzed above her.
Castor appeared a few seconds later, dragging Dos' with him. He huffed as his back hit the counter.
"Why did you have to bring him here?" she grumbled, glaring at the wounded boy. Dos' jaw was clenched as his hands cupped the injury on his thigh.
"He's family," Cas replied as he tore the hem of his shirt. He tied the strip of cloth on the younger boy's leg. "And you know, it's better to torture him if he's al
ive.”
Caly sighed and snatched the phone from Castor's jeans pocket. "Didn't you call Marcus?"
"I gave them the wrong...address." Dos breathed out.
Callista's fingers worked fast as she typed in several commands at once. She instinctively winced as another round of bullets pestered the small bar. "Shit."
"What did you do?" Castor asked as he wiped a hand over his forehead.
"Are you okay?" She reached out to touch him but Cas threw him a scathing look.
Caly felt her heart broke.
The bar remained quiet for a few seconds before the door creaked open. Castor's grip on the gun tightened.
"Wait!" Callista called out, clutching Castor's shirt as he jumped to his feet.
A wide-eyed Vincent Ferrer stood on the door. "Uhm..." He set his gun down. "Long time, boss."
"I see." Castor lowered his gun, putting his weight against the counter. His gaze settled on the woman beside him. "What else, Callista? What else did you lie about?"
~~~~
Caly found herself by the pool of Castor's house. She let her feet play with the water until the sky turned dark. Dread swirled on the pit of her stomach. What would Castor say?
"Hey."
She whirled to see Vince coming towards her. Caly stood up and met him halfway. "Is he okay?"
"Yeah. The doctor stitched his cut," Vince replied, inserting his hands on his pockets.
"Did you—"
"We talked." Vince heaved out a sigh. He ran a hand through his shaved head, his rings glinting against the mansion's light. "He got angry. But well, he seemed to calm down when I told him that... sometimes it's okay to let someone have your back.”
Callista pursed her lips. "That's great."
"He'll forgive you."
She shut her eyes, pressing the spot between her eyebrows. "I'm not so sure I want to be forgiven."
Callista walked inside the house after asking Vince where Castor's room was. Trepidation filled her every step as she turned on a corner and stopped in the last room. She took a deep breath and knocked.
"Cas? Can we talk?" she called out.
The door opened but Castor walked away without greeting. She let air inflate her lungs before she entered, closing the door behind her. She cast a surreptitious glance around his room. It was neat and clean compared to what he had in Manhattan. White walls and pale curtains made the room brighter. She could spot one picture frame on his bedside table.
Castor was in his bathroom. The door was wide open that Caly could see him washing his hair. He was topless, his black pajama pants hanging low on his waist. He spoke without looking at her. "What do you want?"
His tone was firm and dismissive. Callista bit her lower lip before she trod closer to him. "I want to apologize.”
Castor grabbed a towel, drying his hair as he stood upright. He stopped in front of her, displaying his muscled torso and intricate tattoos. He had a new stitch above his eyebrow. "Oh, is that all?"
She met his convicting gaze. "I'm sorry for not telling you. I'm sorry for lying to you. And I'm sorry for not trusting you with the truth."
"If this didn't happen..." he paused, swallowing deeply. The towel clutched firmly on his hand. "You're really gonna marry Franco? Do you think that's the way that you could have the peace you want? What? Will you force me to make friendship bracelets with him? After what happened earlier, you really think you can pull it off?"
Caly clenched her fists. His scornful statement made her choices sound so stupid.
"The Callista I know wouldn't depend on anyone to solve her problems," he spat out. His emerald eyes swirling with fury.
"I know that! I know I'm wrong!" she yelled as tears burned on her eyes. "But I never told anyone my plan so nobody was around to tell me I was being stupid!"
"Fine! You're being stupid!" he shouted back. Castor rubbed a hand over his face, throwing the towel to his bed in anger. "You cut me off, Callista!" A sarcastic laugh left his mouth. "For what?"
She continued crying as his biting words crushed her heart. "I'm sorry! I didn't want to lose you!" Callista wiped away the wetness from her cheeks. "I thought that if I told you what's happening... you'd stay away to keep me safe."
"You think I will do that?" he exclaimed with a broken voice. "Really? And what do you think I will feel if you die one day and I didn't even know why? Do you ever think of that? No, right? Because you only think about yourself!" Castor shook his head in incredulity. "You don't even know what it feels like to lose something you care about! It was so fucking easy for you to just leave... to hurt me! To make me feel like I meant nothing! And now... you can just say that you have a price on your head because of me? What am I supposed to feel?”
"I'm sorry!" she croaked, bawling her eyes out. His sharp words hit every nail on her chest. "I'm really sorry. It-it was selfish. I-I know that." Caly couldn't breathe anymore but she forced the words out. "You see, I lost my mother and I barely have a father but I've never really been alone. I always had you, Cas. I was desperate to hold on to you." She sniffed, clearing her airway for a second. "And you're wrong... I know what it's like to lose something. I know that I'm losing you right now..."
Castor clenched his jaw. He was quiet for a minute. Only Caly's sobs permeated the air before he spoke again. "What now? What do you want to happen?”
Callista inhaled deeply and let herself fall on her knees.
Callista Genovese had so much pride. She stood at the top like the queen she was. People challenged her all the time. They wanted to defeat her, pushed her off the pedestal, and see her kneel. But that never happened.
She had once thought that it would take something extraordinary to bring her to her knees.
But at this moment, kneeling didn't even seem enough.
1
"I understand if you can't forgive me right now. I understand if we can't ever be friends again..." She looked up at him and his green irises were filled with shock and astoundment. "I... maybe after a few years... if you finally forgive me and if we pass each other on the street, I-I hope you can still say 'hi' to me.”
Castor crossed his arms over his chest. He nodded, his jaw remained tight. "Fine."
The detachment on his tone caused another surge of pain over the girl's features. She had been foolish for pursuing a plan that she knew would hurt him. She deserved this. She deserved to lose the only person who saw her for who she was and loved her anyway.
Callista put a hand over her mouth to stop another onslaught of sobs. She stood up and headed for the door. Her fingers closed over the doorknob. The door was partly open when Castor's hand slammed it shut.
Caly gasped as she felt his warm body behind her. His right arm was over their heads. She turned her head but Castor didn't let her. He placed his chin on her left shoulder while his left arm circled her waist. Their bodies were pressed closer that Caly's heartbeat tripled.
SLICK Page 22
