Okay, haileymina you've asked me to update on Thursday, so here we go... but please don't die of happiness, I like my readers happy and alive lol...
I was also asked to make longer chapters... I will try, but for now shorter chapter mean regular updates...
Gideon
Two weeks, two fucking weeks and I still can't get Anastasia from my mind. My sister... christ, the last thing I need in my life is a constant reminder of my father who took his own life, leaving his mess behind and started a chain reaction in my life that nearly broke me. Still, I can't get over the fact how hurt she looked. She didn't even say a word, she just silently took her bag and left.
I tried not to think about it, but who am I kidding, for the last two weeks all I can think about is her. To say the family I have is fucked up would be an understatement. I haven't set foot into my mother's house since I've moved out and I have no intention to do so as this place is full of memories I do not wish to revisit. My half-brother Christopher is a twisted bastard and my stepfather still holds a grudge against me for buying Vidal Recorders when he hit a rough patch.
He asked me for money, I told him I buy the company and restore it to be profitable. He didn't want it, so it ended up being a hostile take over, but he is still working there and Vidal Records is more profitable than ever.
The one person in my family I don't have any negative feelings towards is my younger half-sister Ireland. Though we don't really have a good relationship as we only see each other two or three times a year. And then I found Anastasia. I thought maybe she could help me fill the void that not having a functional family has left inside of me, but when I found out that she is my father's daughter it brought back all the negative feelings and horrible memories that come to me when ever I think of my father.
So, why the fuck can't I stop thinking about her? Because that girl has done nothing wrong and you treated her like dirt, Cross!
Fucking great, now I am having arguments with myself. I need to fix this, apologize and move on. Before I can change my mind I take my cell phone and call Angus to get her address. An hour later I am in the car with Angus driving and frown when he stops in front of a flower shop.
"Why are you stopping, Angus?"
"The background check you asked me to do on Miss Steele showed that today is her birthday, Mr. Cross."
"Really?" He nods and so I get out of the car and buy some flowers, after all I want to apologize, so birthday or not flowers are a good idea.
"Christ, where does she live, Angus, Canada?" I ask annoyed when he we are still driving after more than 40 minutes.
"She lives in Brooklyn, Mr. Cross. According to her address, it must be the house over there."
I watch as Angus points to a shady old apartment building. Has that girl a death wish? For fuck's sake, this is the worst part of Brooklyn and the house... well fuck, now I am mad and why... because you care about her, Cross!
I get out of the car and it takes me another ten minutes to find someone who can tell me on which floor Anastasia lives, because there are no names on the door bells. Fuck, that place makes my skin crawl, she has a good job, surely she can do better than this... and if not I pack her things up and move her into one of the apartments I own, this is just not acceptable for a young woman who lives alone.
Ana
Happy birthday to me... happy birthday to me... great, I guess now I have reached a new high of being pathetic. So far, besides from my job which I love, New York has been the most shitty experience. Number one would be my so called half-brother and then there was Ellen, Kate's relative I've stayed with. That woman was plain crazy. At first I thought she was just going all mommy on me by laying my clothes out for me and everything, but in a matter of days I knew I had to get out of there.
The fourth day I stayed there was the day I left, I came home and found her in the guest room I was staying in, on the bed wearing my underwear masturbating. I didn't say anything, packed my stuff and was out of there only to stay in a motel for four more days.
I thought my luck had finally come back when I found the apartment of my dreams just outside of Manhattan for a rent I could actually afford. Boy, was I wrong, because when I applied for it, it turned out the landlord wanted 6 months rent in advance on top of a 5000 dollar safety deposit. Sadly, there is no way I could have paid that. So, here I am now, in the only place that I could afford, a shady apartment in Brooklyn which I am sharing with what feels like every single cockroach in NYC. If they start talking to me, then I can film a remake of Joe's Apartment and post it on YouTube.
But I try to think positive, I mean once you have reached the lowest point it can only go up, right? So, here I am today, on my 22nd birthday all alone in an apartment I hate with nothing better to do than to sing happy birthday to myself. Seeing yet another disgusting cockroach creep up from underneath the sofa I decide I need to clean this place yet again, but just when I am about to get my cleaning supplies there is a knock at the door. I look peephole and freeze. It's Gideon. Why is he here? Oh my god, I can't let him in, even I don't want to be here, and I don't want to humiliate myself by letting him into this hell hole I have to call my new home.
"Open the door Anastasia, I could hear you walking to the door"
Fuck, well, suck it up, Ana, there is nothing you can do now. I unlock the seven deadbolts I installed on my door and find Gideon holding a beautiful flower bouquet.
"Can I come in?" he asks and I sigh, come on it's your birthday Ana, let's humiliate yourself by showing your billionaire half-brother your beautiful new home! Yup, sarcasm has become my best friend lately.
"Sure" I step aside and close the door after he is inside. Shit, with him here my tiny apartment seems to have shrunk to the size of a shoe box.
"These are for you, happy birthday, Anastasia" he says and hands me the flowers.
"Thanks, so why are you here, I mean I didn't really expect you to show up, after you offered me money to go away."
"I want to apologize to you, Anastasia. I was wrong... my father does not evoke pleasant memories for me. I just don't want anything to do with anything related to him, but I shouldn't have treated you that way. That was completely out of line."
"Really, well you said what you wanted to say, I guess you can leave now." My voice is so cold, even I am surprised by it.
"Can't we talk?"
"Talk about what, Gideon?" I snap.
"Are you always such a bitch?" he snaps back and in this moment I lose it.
"So I am a bitch now? Perfect, what is it with men that you think it is okay to walk all over someone who is obviously already lying on the ground. In the last three months I've been through a very painful break up, one of the two friends I had turned out to be creep, my ex boyfriend started some sort of sick vendetta against me, my boss drugged me and tried to rape me, my boss's boss knew that my boss was a pervert and he did shit to keep me safe. I had to find out that my mother lied to me for all of my life about who my father is. I have to live in this shit hole with what feels like a million cockroaches and maybe, just maybe I thought having a brother would be a good thing, because I could need something good in my life, but of course that turned to shit as well... so excuse me if I am being a bitch, but I'm just done... I can't do this anymore... I just ... I want... "
And it happens the meltdown I was trying to hold back so desperately finally happens and I sit down in the middle of my apartment on the floor and I can't stop crying.
"Hey, come on Anastasia it's okay" Gideon has sat down beside me and pulls me in his arms, but I fight him, I don't want his pity. He offered me money to go away, why would he care?
But no matter how much I struggle to get away from him he is holding me, never letting go until I have no more fight left in me and just cry until eventually I am all cried out.
"Better?" he asks cautiously and I nod to ashamed to even look at him. Brother or not he is a complete stranger and I hate that he has seen me like this.
"Good, lets pack your stuff and leave this place."
I look up at him. "What?"
"Look, this place is not safe and frankly it's gross, no offense. You can't live here, you'll get sick. I own several apartments in Manhattan, they are furnished, clean and much safer as this place. There is a free apartment in the building I live in, you can move in there."
I can't help it, I snort. "Sorry, but I am sure I couldn't even afford a closet in the building you live in."
"I don't want you to pay rent." he says and I freeze.
"So, is this your new plan to get rid of me, buying my silence by offering me a better place to stay, thanks, but no thanks."
"No, damn it, I said I am sorry, okay? It was a shock, but I have come to my senses, you are my sister and like it or not Anastasia, I am not going to leave this place without you. So, either you pack your stuff now or you can make things difficult, meaning that I am going to drag you out of here by your hair if I have to and send someone to pack your belongings for you!" he snaps and for a moment him bossing me around reminds me of Christian... shit don't think about him, focus Ana!
"Gideon, I can't just accept to live rent free in one of your apartments."
"Yes, you can." he says stubbornly and next he gets up grabs one of the cardboard boxes I just finished unpacking this morning and starts to throw things inside.
"Hey! What are you doing."
"You are coming with me, end of discussion" he hisses and even though I want nothing more than to leave this place I can't take him up on his offer, not if he won't accept me paying rent.
"Only if you let me pay rent." I insist and he shakes his head exasperated.
"Fine, what do you pay for this shit hole?"
"950 each month"
"Perfect, that is exactly what the rent for the apartment in my building is, now pack!" he says.
"I want a rental agreement, written down."
"Works for me, but please don't tell me this furniture is yours."
"No, the former resident left it here."
"From the smell of the sofa he left it because he died in here" he mutters
"That would at least explain all the cockroaches" I pout and for a moment we look at each other and suddenly we both burst into a fit of laughter.
"See, that's a lot better. Now let's get the hell out of here, after all we have a birthday to celebrate and please don't get this the wrong way, but from now on I'll make sure that we meet at least for one meal each day, jesus christ, you are so fucking thin I get the urge to feed you every time I look at you." he says and I look at my hands and continue to pack until 20 minutes later everything is in his car and his driver is taking us to Manhattan.
In his building we ride up to the 15th floor and he opens a door. The first thing I see is the spectacular view of the Central Park from the floor to ceiling windows of the open living space. It's so amazing I have to walk over to the windows and just look outside.
"You like the view?"
"It's breath-taking."
"I'll have someone put a desk for you in front of the windows, you can work and enjoy the view."
"You don't have to do this, Gideon. I don't want to be a reminder of your father for you."
"Right now, all I see is my little sister. I ... I'm not exactly close to my family, they are... difficult to see at least. So, it would actually be nice to have a family member I get along with, because I could use something good in my life, too."
I stare at him, somehow I feel like what he just said was a huge admission for him and I get the feeling that he has ton of issues on his own, but we are family.
"Maybe we can be good for each other."
"Maybe, so what do you want to eat, we can order pizza, chinese, burger, mexican food..."
"Actually, I am not really hungry." Even now I'm still finding it difficult to eat, which is why it is almost time for dinner and so far I haven't eaten anything today.
"Try again" Gideon says and his tone makes it clear that he won't leave me alone until I have eaten something.
"Pizza sounds good." I say with a small smile and smiles back.
And so, I've spent the rest of my 22nd birthday in my new amazing apartment on the floor on the livingroom, eating pizza and getting to know my brother who managed to make me laugh so often in one night, that when I go to bed I almost feel like my old self again. Maybe finding out that I have a brother and meeting him really was the best thing that has happened to me in long while...
