Chapter 3

• *Alejandro*
• "Okay, be sure to keep me up to speed," I said to the manager of my company in New York before ending the call and looking out the window. I had arrived in Florida late in the evening yesterday so I'd had to check myself into a hotel. I decided to rest for a few hours this morning before calling my personal driver to come pick me up. I let out a deep breath, resting my head back against the seat from where I sat in the owner's corner.
• Home, sweet home.
• A part of me had hoped that Lucas would come pick me up from the hotel. It had quickly become rather obvious after I'd waited for more than three hours that he had no intention of coming. The house came into view in a blink and I took in the mansion I'd built years ago with my well-earned money. My attention shifted to the penthouse Lucas occupied but I got the feeling from how quiet it was that Lucas wasn't at home.
• Figures.
• He'd known I was going to arrive today but he hadn't bothered to at least be here when I arrived. He hadn't cared to pick from the airport and he also had not felt the need to pick me up from the hotel. I smoothed out the crease in my forehead with my fingers, telling myself it was way too early to be worrying about Lucas and all his antics. There would be plenty of time for that later.
• Getting some rest was most important now.
• Sam parked the car in the garage and immediately stepped down to open the door for me. I nodded my thanks before fixing the button on my shirt and stepping out. I managed a small smile when Rosa walked towards me and gave me a welcoming hug, relieving me of the briefcase I'd been holding. Rosa was my housekeeper. An elderly but strong woman getting to her late fifties, she was like the mother I'd never had while growing up.
• "It's really good to see you, Alejandro," She said softly, touching my cheek lovingly. I gave her a small nod, stepping into the house as she held out the door for me. I paused in my steps, taking in the house for the first time after so many years. The interior decoration had been upgraded a bit, much like the outside of the house. Rosa had obviously made good use of the money I'd sent for slight renovations.
• The house had a warmer feeling than I remembered.
• "It's good to see you too," I replied finally. There was a light feeling in my chest and it occurred to me then how much I'd secretly wanted to come back home without admitting it to myself. I watched as the two girls who worked with Rosa walked my suitcases up the stairs to my room. Rosa had informed me she was getting extra hands but I had been away already. I had not met them.
• They introduced themselves after they were done moving the bags and then left to continue their duties in various parts of the house. I told Rosa not to bother me for a while and then took the stairs to my room to get some rest. A firm knock on my room door woke me up from sleep a couple of hours later. Already having a feeling who it was going to be, I stood up to open the door.
• And I was right.
• My son stared back at me, his hair darker than mine, but looking almost exactly like me in everything else. He leaned away from the doorframe the second I opened the door, instantly driving his hands into his pockets and standing upright. It pained me that even now he seemed to have no idea who I really was. I didn't care that he had been leaning against the doorframe but if his actions were any indication, he obviously thought I did.
• I shook my head slightly, pushing the thought away and pulling him close to give him a hug. He clasped his hand on my back, squeezing me tightly before releasing me almost immediately. "I heard you had finally arrived home," He stated, putting some distance between us and casually touching a hand to his hair. I barely stopped myself from saying something to him about not being responsible enough to pick me up from the hotel.
• He'd at least put in the effort to come find me upstairs but he should have been the one driving me home. Although if I knew Lucas well enough, which I did since he was my son, he was just going to get defensive and come up with one excuse or the other and we were going to end up getting into a fight.
• It was the last thing I wanted.
• "Yeah," I responded, a slight frown overtaking my face. I thought about inviting him inside so we could talk but I noticed that he seemed a little off, and I knew that talking alone wasn't going to solve whatever was bothering him. Guilt curled in my stomach as I wondered if his restlessness had anything to do with my arrival. Lucas and I didn't get along much but I had always thought that it wasn't to the point where he wanted nothing to do with me.
• What if I'd been wrong?
• I studied him. "Want to go get a couple of drinks?" I asked, extending an olive branch. His eyebrows lowered as he considered the offer before muttering something inaudible beneath his breath and raising his shoulder in a shrug. He didn't say anything after that but it was only because he didn't need to. I knew my son enough to understand that he had given an answer to my question.
• "I'll meet you downstairs" I informed him. I thought about how awkward it was going to be having drinks with him after so many years. I thought about how quickly things could go south. Lucas and I had a way of getting annoyed with each other so quickly. I thought about all these things and did the safest thing I could come up with.
• I called my best friend and invited him.
• ***
• It had taken just a second for me to realize I'd fucked up. Before I could get downstairs, Williams had already arrived, meaning that he had been the one to inform Lucas that he was coming along to what had supposedly been a father-and-son outing. I tried to meet Lucas' eyes to explain to him but he brushed it off with a shake of his head, choosing to act like it didn't matter instead.
• Fine then.
• We got into one of my cars and my driver drove us to The Citadel bar-restaurant. I kept my head down, not wanting to draw any attention to myself as we got checked into an empty booth. A waitress showed up by the table, flirting with all three of us as she took down our order. I asked for a bottle of vodka, scanning the place like I usually did whenever I stepped into any room.