Chapter 7:

John's Pov

When I returned to the club, I was a little bit surprised to see Vince anxiously waiting for me in front of my office. 

I knew something was off immediately.

"You're back." He said when he saw me.

"Yes. Did something happen?"

"Not really, but I've been asked to wait for you and let you know that your father requests to see you as soon as you return."

Why?

But even as I asked myself that question, I knew why.

Fiona.

"Did he return home yet?" I asked.

"No, he's still in his private room."

"Alright, I'll go meet him."

I didn't bother entering my office, I turned around and made my way to Dad's private room, so not expecting to see Fiona sitting on the armchair across from him with her head down and her make-up streaming down her face.

They both looked up as I entered, no doubt Dad had an angry expression on his face.

"Come in, John." Dad said in a flat tone, gesturing at the empty armchair next to Fiona's. I kept my eyes away from her and took my seat. 

What did she tell him? Because clearly he was mad at me and with how much she had been crying, Dad's definitely going to think it's my fault.

"Vince said you wanted to see me." I said to Dad.

"That's the first thing you're going to say? You're not going to ask your girlfriend what got her so upset? Look at her, her eyes are red and swollen."

I gritted my teeth. The last thing I wanted was to talk to Fiona, but if Dad was interfering, I was trapped.

I turned to her.

"What's wrong?" It was meant to be a soft and concerned tone, but instead it came out harsh.

"What's wrong? You're really asking me that? After how you treated me?" 

Treated her? What's she talking about.

"John, Fiona came all the way over here to see you and you walked out on her without a word? That's not how I taught you to treat women."

How he taught me? The man had over a dozen whores who he treated like playthings. If I was taking lessons from him, Fiona would be crying blood and not tears.

"I told you I had things to do and was heading out. Vince was..."

"You're her boyfriend, not Vince. How can you leave your girlfriend in the care of another man? And where did you go, because I'm very sure it was not an official business." Dad said, interrupting me.

Like I said... I was trapped.

"Nowhere in particular, I went out for lunch."

"And you couldn't take me with you?" Fiona asked, looking so hurt.

Okay, I'm not heartless, I understood how she must've been feeling, but she was the reason I left. You wouldn't ask the same thing you're avoiding to go out with you, would you?

"I..."

"Son, you just have to apologise and make it up to her. Take her to the cinemas, let her watch a movie of her choice with her man. Or take her shopping and afterwards treat her to a fancy dinner. Whatever you do, make sure you atone for all the tears she has shed for you today."

Damn it!

Why did he keep doing that? He knew I hated it, there's no way he didn't know. Yet, for some reason he enjoyed taking jabs at me and getting on my nerves.

I'm a fucking grown man, I could make my own decisions.

"Come with me." I said through my teeth, taking Fiona's hand and lifting her up with me, not giving her a chance to protest.

I led her out of Dad's private room and back to my office. Once the door was shut behind her, I let go of her hand.

"What the hell was that?" I demanded, turning to her.

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't test my patience right now, Fiona. You know damn well what I'm talking about. Why did you go to my Dad? Why did you lie?"

"When did I lie?" She shot back. "You know I'm not stupid, I know when someone's trying to play me for a fool."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"I'm your girlfriend, okay? Not some random girl seeking your attention. You have absolutely no respect for me, you treat me like trash, you don't care one bit if I'm breathing or lying in a ditch somewhere. You don't take my calls or even bother to check up on me. God forbid that I actually come to see you because then you'd have to run out like the devil is on your tail."

It took everything in me to hold myself back from telling her just what I was thinking: 'I don't fucking want to be in a relationship with you, take a hint!'

But I didn't say that. Just as I didn't ask to be in a relationship with her, she didn't ask to be in a relationship with me. It's just all Dad's doing and Fiona didn't deserve to be treated the way I have been treating her.

She's no Cindy, but I really haven't given her a chance before. Maybe if I tell her the things I didn't like about her personality, she might make an effort to change?

Yeah, I didn't know if that was ever going to work and I had no right to ask her to change anything about herself, it might make her angrier.

"Alright. I'm sorry, I should have done better." I said sincerely and her expression softened.

"I'm not asking for too much, just stop treating me like an idiot."

"That was not my intention. I just..." I trailed off.

"What?" She asked.

"Don't worry about it. Do you want to see a movie or go shopping? We can have dinner afterwards."

She grinned and for the first time, I actually didn't feel like cringing.

"Or we could do all three. Hang on, I'll fix my makeup and then we can leave." She leaned over and enveloped me in a bear hug before rushing off to my restroom.

Once again, even though I fought against it, I found myself doing my Dad's bidding.