Shadows In Durango
Chapter 97

*****Vincent's POV*****

I feel the weight of everyone's eyes on me as soon as my mother drops that bomb.

Sofia's doe like eyes bore into my own, seeming lost and desperate to know what was going on...

The air was suffocatingly thick with tension, and I can see Sofia's confusion quickly turning into panic with the longer that I stayed silent.

"Sofia, let me explain..." I start, as she looks back at me like I've just betrayed her, and I hated that look.

I never wanted her to replace out like this hell, I didn't want her to replace out at all, at least not until I had more control over the situation and had made up my mind on it myself. "Your father told me that you were marrying the girl to settle her father, am I wrong?" My mother interjects, glancing around the table and making things a whole lot worse.

"Mom, that's enough, shut the fuck up and stop getting involved!" I snap, my voice sharper than intended, but I'm already on edge, with my patience for her already wearing thin. She doesn't even flinch. She's too used to getting her way, too used to manipulating everyone around her.

I shoot a glare at Daryl next, who's grinning like the asshole that he is, basking in the chaos he had willingly helped to cause.

I don't know what his problem is tonight, but he's pushing all the wrong buttons with me...

"Vincent, what the hell is going on?" Sofia's voice is soft but laced with desperation. She's trying to keep it together, but I can see her slowly slipping.

I turn to face her fully, my heart pounding in my chest. This is the moment I've been dreading - the moment where everything starts to unravel.

"I was going to tell you, I swear," I start, my voice low as I try to block out the rest of the table for a second. It's just me and her now, and I need to make her believe me. "It's not what it sounds like." I swallow hard, as her brows draw together, still not understanding what I was trying to say.

"What isn't what it seems, Vincent? What are they talking about?" Sofia begs me for more information, as I sigh heavily and shake my head.

I glance at my father, who's sitting at the head of the table, watching me with that cold, unreadable expression that he always has.

He's always known how to play his cards close to his chest, and right now, he's waiting for me to either fess up or to dig myself a deeper hole.

And my mother was sitting there with that smug, satisfied look on her face, leaning into Daryl like they were acting as some kind of twisted duo tonight.

She loves this loves stirring shit up, especially when it's about me and my life since hers is so fucking tragic!

"I didn't want you to replace out like this," I say, forcing the words out. "There's been... an arrangement that was discussed briefly, something that I've been trying to wrap my head around before talking to you about it..." I admit carefully. "An arrangement?" Sofia echoes, her face paling. "Vincent, just tell me what it is!" She hurries me.

Fuck.

There's no more dodging this now is there? Not with my mother and Daryl ready to rat me out in seconds flat if I don't say it first.

My father shouldn't have opened his mouth to her, knowing that she can't hold her damn water when it comes to anything important!

"It's a marriage contract," I say quietly, feeling the weight of it hit the table like a hammer. "A discussed business deal between me and your father..." I let my words sink in, watching her face contort in horror before my very eyes. "What?! You spoke to him? My father?!" Sofia panics instantly, her breathing beginning to pick up as I hush her quickly.

"Not directly no, but my father did, because... well... I found out that your father actually does some work with mine..." I state, licking my drying lips as Sofia's eyes shift to my father at the head of the table who nods slowly to confirm the fact. "D-Does he know where I am? Know that I'm here? Is he coming for me?!" Sofia asks him directly, assuming that he had already revealed her location to him, but thankfully, he shakes his head next.

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"No, he doesn't, I didn't tell him much. But he knows now that you've been going around with my son... that's where the whole deal came from, he believes that it will unite our families and strengthen his business with me if you both get married." He tells her, direct and straight to the point as I run a hand down my face feeling heavily stressed that this was all getting brought up so unexpectedly.

Couldn't we have at least gotten to dessert first for crying out loud?! We had barely finished our starters and everything was flaring up!

"So

you didn't even tell her any of this?" My mother interrupts, her voice dripping with faux innocence. "Vincent, darling, you can't just leave out the fact that you're marrying someone, especially without them even knowing about it!" She giggles and throws her hands around, but no one else laughs.

Sofia's face goes white, and she jerks back like we've just slapped her.

"S-So let me get this right... you were going to force me to marry you? How is that any different to what my father tried to do to me back home Vincent? B-But you already know that..." She whispers, her voice cracking as I feel my chest tighten.

"No! It's not like that, Sofia! Nothing has been agreed to, this was only brought up yesterday, and when you were upset at school I didn't want to pile this on top, that's why I waited!" I assure, but she shakes her head with tears brimming in her eyes.

"But you contacted him behind my back!" She suddenly yells, shocking everyone at the table with the volume of her voice, as if it was all just beginning to hit her fully.

Before anyone can say another word, she stands, her chair scraping backwards, before she tosses her napkin down on to the table.

"Excuse me! I need a moment alone!" She states bluntly, before moving quickly towards the door - her heels clacking at a quick pace and fading out as she moves down the hall and up the stairs.

At least she has gone upstairs and not out front... that way I would know that she was at least safe here still!

Emma looked horrified and at a loss for words herself, evidently conflicted on whether or not to chase after her or to give her the moment alone she had demanded to have...

"Well, that went well." Daryl sneers, and before I can even process my actions, the water glass in front of me is launched across the table and at his head.

Smashing and shattering everywhere, Daryl is up in an instant with my mother screaming by his side - the blood trickling down from just above his eyebrow.

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Coward...

"Are you going to sit there and let your son throw a glass at me?!" My mother seethes, making it about her and looking over at my father who remains stoic as she brushes the shards of glass from her arm.

"Yes, I don't blame him after his mother acted like a fucking immature bitch tonight and deserved it. As for you Daryl, aren't you supposed to be a best friend?" My father's words shock me, as he shrugs and takes another drink - offering me his back up on this whole situation.

Anybody could see that my mother willingly stuck her nose where it didn't belong with this situation, as did Daryl, but that didn't excuse the fact that Sofia should have known sooner... that was on me.

With that, Daryl storms out of the room, before the front door is heard slamming shut to signal that he had left... suits me!

"Maybe I should go check on Sofia now..." Emma swallows the lump in her throat as she stands, and I nod in agreement knowing that she would be best going up there right now as opposed to me. My mother slumps down back in to her chair, arms folded tightly as she falls in to her childish huff over the incident that she had caused.

"Stop fucking sulking! As if you didn't just cause this!" My father states, snapping at her, as she continues to pout and ignore him.

This evening had gone worse than I ever could have imagined...

Reid was left speechless, looking somewhat sympathetic for my situation as I took the silence as a moment to steady my breathing.

But that was extremely short lived, when two minutes later - Emma reenters the room to announce:

"Sofia isn't upstairs! I think she got changed and left - her bag and some of her stuff is gone!" She informs us, her eyes wide as I immediately stand.

Fuck...