[chapter 10. Theodore Mariano]
"Lily," Theodore's palm sweated. She had ignored him throughout dinner and was now in the room, sitting on the sofa, reading the recent issue of Dance Magazine.
He nonetheless felt his heart skip a beat when he saw her, and he still was drawn to her even after three decades, and his wife had grown as graceful as ever. He still remembered the stuttering girl he became hopelessly enamored with- who soared to become the Mariano clan's ever-wise Matriarch.
The family did not acknowledge their love when Liliana was an ordinary person while he was confronting a crisis. Marino's clan needed support, and what could be preferable over a marriage of convenience between two prominent families? Amidst this, he wedded her, whisking the ballerina away from her little world, delegating her a diamond throne, and starting a happy family.
A crisis that compelled him to sign a contract that he would later regret.
A bargain that could cost him his entire family.
That other part is yet to come.
"Theodore," she called as she set the book on the wooden table. He swallowed; great full name, no love, no Theo.
"I'm sorry," he said.
"For what?"
"Making you angry," he answered in a heartbeat.
Liliana sighed; her lips twisted downwards in disappointment. "You fool," she said. She knew far too much about him. The man was a cold-hearted chairman who only cared about his loved ones. And he had never considered Selena to be a member of his family.
"And what about our daughter?" she inquired, pressing on our daughter.
"I can't trust her. She needs to understand the comp--"
"If you can't trust her, how can you expect her to do the same?" Her words caught him off guard.
He only perceived his point of how much he missed his daughter. And now that he'd found her, all he wished to do was protect her. What about her? Did she long for her family?
"Do you still remember the words she said?" his feisty wife fired another question.
"If you want respect, so do I. Respect is earned- not demanded. I respect you, and you respect me as simple as that. You may have noticed I am a closed-off person. Respect my privacy, and I will be calm and easy to get along with. This entire family charade is already exhausting. And I am not used to a family. Let's take it slowly, shall we?" Her brutal words wounded his heart.
"And for the last time," her green eyes looked into his eyes. "I'm a Knight, not a Mariano," she growled, leaving.
I am not used to a family.
I am a Knight, not a Mariano.
Guilt clawed his innards. Theodore felt dizzy. Now that he thought about it, he felt like shit and regretted the words- more like how he framed them.
They had lost the most important years in her life. It never would be recuperated.
He still vividly remembered his daughter calling him da-da for the first time and taking the first step towards him- how the baby clung to him more than her mother.
An uncomfortable lump swelled in his throat. His eyes stung, and his psyche pulled back with recollections of the two-year-old baby missing, the excruciating cries of his pregnant wife, and the shouts of his oldest child hitting him like a storm.
"I need to be strong," he stood up with a shudder in his voice. "I need to play the bad cop so they won't get spoiled and somebody can watch out for them. I need to prepare them for the harsh world," he completed after a breath.
His hand coiled around her waist, pulling her closer to him till she hugged him back and melted into his comfort. "Maxim functions well when you set high expectations for him. Samuel performs well when you challenge him, but that doesn't mean your stiff personality will work on Selena," she said.
"The girl might have got love from her orphanage, but it is impossible to compare it to the love of family. Her mind can't process that your harsh words are for her security. She thinks of you as an outsider, and if an outsider lashes out at me; the second they see me. Even I would be mad," she added.
"She had grown up as a Knight, not a Mariano. You can't expect her to strip off the identity she has been wearing for over a decade in a few days," she jabbed a finger into his chest, peering up at him.
Theodore tucked the strand of blonde hair behind her ears. His green orbs looked into her earthy ones; his lips stretched into a sad smile. "I know," he murmured.
He was a good chairman, leader, and lover, but he still needed to learn to be a decent father. Over the years, he had become detached from his family and worked on expanding the business. Somewhere he knew the motivation to develop the organization was to be strong enough to shield the family.
The trauma of losing his daughter ate him alive.
He became colder towards his sons and did not display affection toward Liliana in public- afraid the enemies would target them the next. The man could not take it anymore, one more family member lost, and he would crumble.
"I will try to be kind to our daughter," he pressed a tender kiss on her forehead. "I will try," he repeated.
"No ignoring me anymore, no more fights?" he pressed his forehead on hers. His wife hugged him closer.
"Of course." Liliana smiled.
~~~~
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Hope you are enjoying the story so far.
I wanted to keep this chapter short and focus on Theodore's standpoint and why he is so cold to Selena. There is still more to Theodore's personality.
Please keep in mind that I am currently developing the world as well as Selena's character and what she can grow into. The first few chapters will be slow, but the story will start picking up once she begins college, and there will be a lot more drama.
Any thoughts? Please do not hesitate to mention it.