The Carrero Effect - Falling for the Boss (Billionaire CEO) novel Chapter 128

It’s late afternoon, I’m pacing on the upper deck in a mix of agitation, upset, and anger. A turmoil of emotions and I want to scream.

“I’m not talking to you!” I pout childishly, rage beginning to grow inside of me at his confession. Turning away from him on the main deck of the boat, I pull my sarong tightly around my waist and tie it off with an angry tug.

“Bambino, please.” He tries to catch my arm, but I storm away. He stifles a laugh and comes at me again. “You’re really mad at me?” He sounds like he’s in disbelief that I could actually be angry over this.

I forgot how obtuse he can be.

He catches my face in his hands, trying to bring me to him and croons at me softly, his baby voice coming on strong. It only makes me so much madder and I shove his hands off and glare fully at him.

“Baby? …… bambino? … Don’t be like that.” He tries to kiss me, sucks my bottom lip seductively, but I shrug him off and bat him away. The doe eyed and faux boyish coy look completely lost on me while furious beyond words.

Forget it, Carrero … That does nothing for me right now.

“Go away, leave me alone.” I snap and walk toward the metal railing of the boat; I want to smack him over the head and grip the railing with a vengeance until my knuckles turn white. He has no idea how insane he can make me.

He’d no right to interfere without even asking me … He should have told me long before now.

“Emma? … You didn’t want him in your life, I did what I thought you’d want …… He wanted money; I gave it to him on the understanding he stayed away.” He catches my arm this time and hauls me to face him “miele … bambino … Ti amo.” He’s trying to sweet talk me.

“Fuck off with your fancy foreign words.” I spit childishly, pushing him away, my hands flat on his exposed torso. “I can’t even talk Italian, so for all I know your calling me names!” I try to tug my arm out of his grasp, but he only pulls me closer. Smiling indulgently as though I’m a tantrumming child. In a way, I feel like one and could easily stamp my feet all over his right now. I’m seething.

“Do you want to see him?” He’s trying a different approach, trying to distract me from what he’s done. His eyebrows raised in question and I hesitate.

Not a chance, Carrero … I’m seething with you!

“No! … It still gave you no right to pay off that asshole … He’s my biological father, it should have been up to me to cut him off for good.” I give up trying to pull my arm free and instead turn my body away, so I don’t have to look at him as tears fill my eyes.

“Okay, you’re pissed because I didn’t tell you … You’re right … I did it without consulting you, but at the time, Emma, you were only my PA and we could barely talk about this stuff without you storming off and clamping shut.” He tries to plead his case, stroking back my hair to turn my face to him, he sounds remorseful, but I’m not done being angry about this.

Doesn’t he see how much this hurts me … Not what he did, but the fact that my biological donor happily took his money and agreed to never contact me again, for the rest of my life. It’s Jake who’s getting my rage but it’s my father I’m really seething at.

“How much?” I snap, still facing away from him. “How much money did you give him? How much did you flush down the toilet?” I snap, heart crumbling in agony a sit sinks in.

I’m thinking he would have happily taken a couple of thousand dollars to walk away, he was that pathetic. What was I worth? Ten thousand at the most? Less? He would have agreed to a meager $500 when he approached me not so long ago.

“I gave him what I thought was a reasonable amount to stay away … I didn’t give him a chance to ask for an amount, it would have pissed me off more.” He smooths my hair back again, pausing as I shrug him away and only coming back to it when I still. Persistent in trying to tame me.

“What am I worth then?” I retort, emotion breaking my voice. Pain searing through my chest like a hot spear.

Do I even want to know? Could it be anymore humiliating than this?