Chapter 3 IT STILL HURTS

*Bradley POV*

It still hurts as if it happened yesterday. I know back then I was young and naive; I would have done things much better, but even though I did it all for her—to protect her.

I look at the big, several portraits littering the walls of my bedroom, her big, sparkling hazel eyes, her beautiful smile, and those sexy dimples on her face make my heart clench every time I think back to that night. It still hurts, but I did it for her, for her own good.

I strode out of my closet, holding the outfit I will be putting on today. I have a few gang meetings to host on behalf of Carlos. I am his consigliere, but he gives me jobs and duties as if I'm the boss.

I dressed up, picked up my car keys, tucked them into my pocket as well as my handgun, and strode out of my room.

"What are you still doing here?" My jaw twitched with rage, blazing my eyes at the whore I picked last night. I am slowly drifting into becoming a sex addict. I normally pick up to three whores in one night to quench my cravings for my ex-wife; despite it, I can't still stop thinking of her; they only provided temporary distractions.

"You want to be dragged out by securities, right?" I screeched.

"No... no, sir," she hurried, picked up her underwear; she just wore her gown and raced out of my penthouse. "Moron," I curse, scanning everywhere to see if everything was intact. After confirming that everything was in place, I exited.

*******

"Not again!" I whined at the news I just heard, swerving my white Lamborghini in another direction. I picked up my phone with my free hand while the other was placed on the steering wheel.

"Yes, Zach... Suspend it... something came up... yes!" I communicated with my subordinate before ending the call.

"I told this bastard to keep a low profile, is he playing with his inheritance!?" I ruffled my hair out of frustration; being Carlos's advisor is like walking on a tiny thread between life and death; he is just too stubborn.

Pictures of him with his gay whores were escalating everywhere on the Internet. This will make his grandfather refuse to give total control of the Russo empire to him, and I know Carlos will kill himself if he doesn't get his inheritance. Not like he can't survive without his family's wealth; he just feels like that's an honor to him.

I parked at the car park and rushed into the headquarters of the Russo empire. I took the nearest elevator to Carlos's office floor.

As soon as the elevator door slid open, I scurried out. "Where is the boss?" I demanded.

"He is inside... sir," The secretary replied immediately, shivering a little. I gave her a skeptical look before marching towards his office.

"Signoro," I called out, giving the door a soft knock before pushing it open. The sound of flesh slapping against each other flowed into my eardrum.

"Boss, it's urgent." I gritted my teeth, instantly backing him. I was busy worrying about him while he was busy screwing one of his whores, the same cause of our problem.

Sometimes I felt like I shouldn't have sworn and pledged to be his consigliere; he is a pain in the ass!

A gust of wind blew past me, signifying the exit of the whore. I turned to face him with a composed expression, not giving out the fury in me.

"Need some relief?" He grinned at me, zipping his pants.

"No, I still prefer pussy!" I declined, walking closer to him.

"There is another scandal," I made known. He shrugged his shoulder and said, "It's normal; I trust you to handle it." Sometimes he acts like a child; I don't have to clean up every mess of a grown-ass man. I reckon that's my destiny, though.

"Signoro, I can't help you this time—partially I can, but you will have to do more of the work this time around," I spoke out in a calm and respectful tone.

"What do you mean?" He creased his brows, taking a cigarette into his mouth; he hung it at a corner and beckoned for me to come and light it.

I dipped my hand into my pocket, brought out my lighter, and clicked it; a little fire erupted from it and lit up the cigarette. I watched him take a heavy drag before pulling away from him.

"Your pictures with your whores are everywhere; not only will this prevent you from getting your inheritance, it will also stain your name in the underground world." I heard him sigh out of frustration, dragging heavily and puffing the smoke into the air.

"There is no easy escape to this, my lord—" He chimed in, "Why is society so annoying? Not that I'm totally gay; I'm bisexual, for goodness sake!" He whined.

"Well, they want you to be straight, and for you to prove that you have to get married." I dropped the bombshell, making the room grow tense instantly. I knew fully well how much Carlos dreaded the idea of getting married, but there was no easy way out of this.

His eyes darkened at me, lips pulled to a thin line, "You know me very well... Much more than I know myself, how dare you suggest that to me!" He roared.

I lower my gaze. Please, my Lord, there is no other way out of this."

"No... No!" He bluntly refused, not giving it a second thought. I clenched my eyes closed as well as my fist, stopping myself from beating sense into him.

However, an idea popped into my head, and I spilled it out:"Why don't you get a girl, a tamed one that can pose as your fiancée in public, to make people believe you have a love interest that you want to  marry?" He raised an eyebrow at me, giving me a quizzical look—the one that meant he hadn't fully understood my intention.

"In short, get a contracted girlfriend, convince your grandfather to will the company to you as soon as possible, then after that you can continue with whatever—" He cut me off with, Wow... that's a brilliant idea; why didn't I think of that?" He smiled mischievously, clawing at his beard.

"That's because you are a dummy," I belittled him inwardly.

"Alright, I even have a girl in mind... Trust me—you would be proud of me on this one." He grinned, his eyes holding mischief.

IF ONLY I HAD KNOWN THAT MY SUGGESTION WOULD BE MY GREATEST REGRET....