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Post by Sedona Rossi on Dec 22, 2010 20:47:07 GMT -5
Sedona watched her brother as he stood and came over to her. It wouldn't be any easier telling him than the rest of the family. It was just that she felt like a traitor for this, and more than fearing his response, she was worried that they would hate her for it.
"Si," she said softly, after a moment;s pause, and she took his hand, getting to her feet and she let him lead her to another room, where she released a breath. She wanted a cigarette badly. She knew Teo was watching her, waiting for her to come clean, so she finally met his eyes. "You're not going to like it, Teo."
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Post by Mateo "Teo" Rossi on Jan 3, 2011 0:54:23 GMT -5
Teo frowned. There was something about the way she was avoiding his eyes that he didn't like. She had to know that she could tell him anything. She was his baby sister, and he would do anything for her. What could possibly be so bad that she would be this afraid to tell him? He'd already run just about any possibility over in his head, and he simply couldn't imagine anything that would turn him against her.
"Then you'd better get out with it, then," he said grimly. "Dona, you know I love you, right? You're my sorellina. Just tell me what is going on, and we'll deal with whatever it is."
This was a softness that he displayed only for her. When he was around his brother and father, he still kept that hard edge, because it was expected of him. Only she got to see him gentle like this.
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Post by Sedona Rossi on Jan 4, 2011 16:41:27 GMT -5
Sedona bit her lower lip, knwoing that she had just backed herself into a place where she just had to come out with it. And they would deal with it.
She released her lip, taking a breath though she kept her gaze fixed on Teo's. For better or for worse... this was Teo. He out of anyone in the family wouldn't abandon her for this. She couldn't just assume that he would disown her, because he wouldn't. He couldn't.
"It's a place in London, a loft above a little shop that Gaby and I intend to open. Gabriella.... Santino." She paused and narrowed her eyes, knowing that Teo wouldknow this name. "Don't... just wait. You know I have very little to do with the business... she doesn't either."
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Post by Mateo "Teo" Rossi on Jan 4, 2011 22:05:31 GMT -5
Of all the things he had expected and feared, this one had never even crossed his mind. It probably should have, though, and he suddenly felt like he had missed some sort of sign somewhere that would have warned him of this moment.
Gabriella Santino.
Of course Teo knew about her. He made it his business to know about the family of his father's rival. He had insisted to his father time and time again that they should not involve Gabriella, or her mother Clarice, in the rivalry, as long as they were not involved in the business. If they kept the women out of it, hopefully, the Santinos would stay away from Sedona. It seemed fair. But this... this was not something he had ever expected. That the two girls would somehow become friends....
For a moment, Teo didn't know what to do, or how to react. He stood, frozen in place, ever muscle in his body tense as if preparing himself for a fight.
"Gaby.... Gabriella Santino...." he repeated in disbelief. He hoped maybe he had heard her wrong or he'd been imagining that she had said that. But she hadn't and he knew that.
"And just how long has this friendship been going on?"
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Post by Sedona Rossi on Jan 4, 2011 23:11:03 GMT -5
Sedona had taken a defensive stance, hands dropped from her chest in case she needed to calm him down or... something. She just didn't know. What was she supposed to do?
Especially when he just stopped and stared at her, like he hadn't heard her or he wasnt processing the information she had given him. She was expecting him to be instantly angry, to tell her no, to yell at her... anything other than the blank look he was giving her.
When he finally responded, she could tell that he wasn't pleased, but she wasn't entirely sure that he was angry with her, either. Hesitantly, she sighed and opened her mouth. "I'm going to be very honest... please don't be angry. Since... third year." Third year.... years ago. Sedona's best kept secret was her best friend, and for perhaps the first time since Teo rescued her, Sedona looked... vulnerable.
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Post by Mateo "Teo" Rossi on Jan 5, 2011 0:05:28 GMT -5
The question of how long had been an important one. If it had been a relatively recent friendship, he could have forbidden her to see Gabriella; he could have told her that it was likely that the girl was working some kind of angle. Maybe she wasn't as uninvolved as she claimed to be, and she was using Sedona to get information for her father. Or maybe she was trying to get Sedona away from her family for some reason. But it wouldn't be Sedona's fault, of course it wouldn't be her fault. She'd been played.
Except that she hadn't. Instead, she had been friends with this girl nearly half of her life. And she had kept it from them. From him.
Somehow, that was a bigger betrayal to him than the actual friendship. The fact that she had kept it from him all this time, that she had lied to him. Clearly the friendship was genuine.... No 13 year old girl would have made friends with another girl to find out about the business. Sedona hadn't even really known what the business was at that age... only that it was dangerous and that people sometimes got hurt. And that the Santinos were their enemies.
For a second, he wanted to hit her. But he didn't hit women, and certainly not his sister. She looked so vulnerable and scared, and another part of him just wanted to hug her and tell her it was OK. But it wasn't OK. She had lied to him for years, and it hurt. Couldn't she trust him?
"Get out," he said, turning away from her. "I can't look at you right now."
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Post by Sedona Rossi on Jan 5, 2011 0:20:02 GMT -5
Whatever reaction Sedona had been expecting, she wished she could say that this wasn't it. But it sort of... was.
Was he disowning her? Was this some kind of final 'Get out, don't ever come back'? She had been prepared to fight him on the topic. What she hadn't been prepared for were the tears that suddenly welled in her eyes at the thought that he was telling her to get out for good.
"Teo..." She trailed off, unsure of what she could say right now that would make things better. If that was even possible. She completely misunderstood why he was upset. "Teo, we don't even talk about the business. And when we started being friends, I didn't even know who she was. Please don't do this... her family was so upset with her, and I couldn't bear... I need you, Teo. Don't make me leave."
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Post by Mateo "Teo" Rossi on Jan 5, 2011 0:29:43 GMT -5
He wasn't thinking beyond this moment. Right now, he just wanted her to go away so he could find some way to deal with this. He didn't have the power to disown her, not really, and he didn't think he'd have the heart to do it, anyway. But he wasn't even thinking about any of that right now. Right now, all he was thinking about was that she had lied to him. The business didn't matter as much as the bond between them, a bond he thought was sacred. He thought she could never lie to him, but she had.
He spun around on her, his eyes flashing. "I don't care about the business," he snapped. "How could you lie to me? All these years, you were friends with her and you kept it from me... how could you?"
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Post by Sedona Rossi on Jan 7, 2011 11:47:52 GMT -5
Sedona took a step back when he yelled at her. Having expected it, or course, she rather hoped she would stand her ground, and for a moment, her eyes flashed with her own stubborn defiance. Until it settled in what he was angry about about. It had nothing to do with Gabriella, even.
Her eyes narrowed, wondering if he would have been calm had she told him at age 13... she still expected her would have forbade the friendship.
And Merlin, above all that, he was intimidating as a dragon when the fire of anger lit in his eyes. "Teo, don't yell at me," she said, rather calmly, surprising even herself. It wasn't a tactic she expected to take. "Tell me you would have allowed us to be friends if I told you then." That was her point- she lied because she knew back then what the response would have been. It didn't matter that it was to Teo. She told him everything else.
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Post by Mateo "Teo" Rossi on Jan 10, 2011 0:13:23 GMT -5
Would he have forbidden a 13-year old girl to be friends with another 13-year old girl, if he had known about it in the beginning? Teo didn't know. Technically, he didn't have the power to forbid her to do anything; that was their father's job. She might have thought of him as being all-powerful, but he wasn't even second in command in their father's business. He should have been, but his father wanted him to work his way up in the organization.
If he had known about Sedona's friendship with Gabriella Santino at that time, he probably would have told her to stay away from the girl, but he couldn't forbid her. Most likely, he would have been forced to make a choice--either keep her secret from their father, and possibly compromise his position in the organization, or turn her in to their father, and betray her trust. She never would have forgiven him.
So, yes, as he thought about it logically, it was a good thing that she had not told him about it. But it still hurt.
"I can't tell you what to do, and you know that. I've never been able to do that. You always do what you want to do. But I just thought... I thought you would have known that you can trust me."
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Post by Sedona Rossi on Jan 19, 2011 17:30:16 GMT -5
Sedona bit her lip, keeping her words silent for a moment. Teo was calming down at least, and it made it easier to keep Sedona off the defensive.
"I do trust you. That's not why I didn't tell you." That made sense, didn't it? "I couldn't... it's bad, Teo. My friendship with her... I know that, and I know Padre won't approve. I know you wouldn't approve. It has nothing to do with whether or not I trust you. You understand, don't you?"
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Post by Mateo "Teo" Rossi on Jan 20, 2011 19:06:58 GMT -5
Teo sighed. He had no idea what to do here. Surely she understood that if it would have been forbidden when she was 13, it would surely be forbidden now. He had hoped he would be able to argue whatever living arrangement she had in mind to Father. But he couldn't support this. She wanted to move in with the daughter of their rival.
On the other hand, the daughter of their rival wanted to move in with Sedona. He wondered if there was a way they could work this to their advantage somehow. It was the only way he could get their father to agree to it. Unless she did it without his permission. Teo wouldn't be surprised if she decided to do just that.
"Has she already talked to her family yet? What did her father say?"
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Post by Sedona Rossi on Jan 21, 2011 17:35:28 GMT -5
Sedona nodded slowly. "Yes... she told them already."
She paused here, wondering if this would make Mateo angry. "Just yesterday, which is why I had to tell you today, in case it meant any kind of trouble... we don't think it will. Her family... was not pleased. She left on bad terms. I very much don't want to leave on bad terms, Teo."
Her eyes were wide, doe-like, but they were honest, too. She just wished she knew what was going on in his head right then.
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Post by Mateo "Teo" Rossi on Jan 21, 2011 18:04:14 GMT -5
Teo ran his hands through his hair in frustration. That Marcello Santino had not taken the news well could possibly be worked to their advantage, but he also knew that Sedona would never allow it. And Teo didn't want Sedona involved in the business in any way.
"Dona, you know Padre is never going to be OK with this. Actually, I'm not either. I don't want you to leave on bad terms... but I'd rather you not leave at all. I take it you mean to go, no matter what I or Padre have to say?"
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Post by Sedona Rossi on Jan 22, 2011 23:13:03 GMT -5
Almost with a touch of humor in her voice, Sedona replied, "I told you that you wouldn't like it."
Yes, Sedona knew that her brother and her father wouldn't approve of this. That's why she tried convincing them without letting them know who she was moving in with. Their approval would have been a lot easier to get. But no, they had to push.
"I don't know... I haven't thought ahead that far. I don't know what I'll do, Teo."
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Post by Mateo "Teo" Rossi on Jan 23, 2011 1:45:14 GMT -5
For a moment, Teo wished he lived a different kind of life. One where his sister could be friends with anyone she wanted. One where they didn't have to worry about the danger she might be in just by moving in with a friend. One where they could be honest with each other and wouldn't have to keep secrets.
The business was important to him, and he fully expected to inherit it one day. But he couldn't deny that it had a profound effect on the way their lived their lives. He couldn't be with the woman he loved. Relationships in general were not really possible for him. He was under a tremendous amount of stress, and hadn't relaxed in years. Sedona had to hide her friendship and risk being disowned by their father just because she wanted to move in with the daughter of their rival.
A surge of anger shot through him, and he swung out at the wall, punching a hole through it. He barely felt it as the wood and plaster as it sliced through his hand, and when he pulled away, his hand was bleeding.
"Go. You tell Padre. I can't help you, Dona. Not with this."
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Post by Sedona Rossi on Feb 22, 2011 17:37:35 GMT -5
Sedona should have jumped or been startled when he hit the wall- but she wasn't. This was Teo. He could kill a man, he could punch all the walls he wanted. But he would never hurt her, and nothing short of him actually doing so would convince her otherwise.
She shook her head. "No... you said you would convince our Padre. I was honest with you and you were supposed to help me."
It was all terribly unfair of him to ask her do, and she knew that. But if Mateo was angry with her, she would just be lost. She just wanted him to tell her that it was okay. That even if their padre disowned her, he still loved her.
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Post by Mateo "Teo" Rossi on Mar 5, 2011 13:09:49 GMT -5
She was asking too much of him. She had to know that. How was he supposed to make it acceptable to their father that she was going to move in with the daughter of his business rival?
It shouldn't be this complicated. The girls should be able to be friends with anyone they wanted. They should be allowed to move in together and start a business together with no fear of consequences. But it wasn't that simple. Even the innocents in the families were sometimes dragged into the business against their will. Teo knew that all too well.
Sedona had been kidnapped as a little girl. And now Teo was holding the girlfriend of Dante Santino prisoner in his house, despite the fact that Dante had never been involved in the business and had been too stupid to figure out that his girlfriend's disappearance might have been related to it. And Shana... well, she was the most innocent victim of all. She hadn't even known what her boyfriend's family was involved in.
Teo didn't know what to do. He was angry at her, and yet he wasn't angry at her. This wasn't her fault, not really. Yes, she had lied to them and apparently had been lying to them for years about her friendship with Gabriella. She knew that this wasn't OK, and she deliberately kept it hidden until now. But none of that would have been necessary if not for the family business.
Finally he looked back at Sedona. Of course he still loved her. She was his baby sister. And all it took was one look into her tearful face, and his anger evaporated.
He sighed, slumping over. "Fine. Go upstairs and pack, if you're going to leave. I will tell Padre myself."
He would take their father's wrath--which was sure to be severe--on himself to spare her. That was what he did... he sacrificed himself for the rest of the family and for the business. It had never occurred to him until that moment that it was really a lonely position to be in.
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Post by Sedona Rossi on Mar 7, 2011 18:35:21 GMT -5
Sedona hesitated when he spoke again, and maybe she was imagining it, but she thought she saw something lonely and hurt in his eyes.
Slowly, she shook her head. "No, Teo. That's not what I meant. That's not what you said you'd do."
Her goal was not to get Teo to take the fall for her supposed transgression. Mateo had promised to make her father see that this was okay... and if he thought she was going to leave him here to suffer the consequences while she ran away... well, that hurt surely as much as it hurt him that she had lied to him. She wasn't going to let that happen.
But she realized her father would never think that this was okay.
She took a deep breath, her face softening, and she stepped forward and put her arms around her older brother. "It's okay. I'll do it. Just promise me you forgive me."
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Post by Mateo "Teo" Rossi on Mar 8, 2011 1:12:43 GMT -5
He wanted to be mad at her. After all, not only had she betrayed the family, she had lied to him.... and she was leaving. Depending on how their father reacted, there was a good chance that she was leaving for good... and they wouldn't be allowed to see her. He would try to convince padre that they should have a guard on her, or at least check in on her periodically, but that could cause a problem, especially if the Santinos did the same for Gabriella.
Sedona was the only one who really saw Teo's softer side these days. Not that he ever opened up and spilled his guts about his secret fears and insecurities to her... but they were close. He had never been close to Gio. So the idea of Dona walking out and not seeing him every day... it hurt a lot more than he cared to admit.
But he also knew that, no matter how justified he was in being angry with her, he just couldn't. There wasn't anything he wouldn't do for her, and she knew that.
He hugged her back, then pressed a kiss on her forehead. "I forgive you," he said. "I still don't like this, though."
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