DON'T LAY YOUR HANDS ON ME!

His hands smeared with clay worked on a sculptural work mounted on an amateur using a wooden sculpting knife to remove clay from the cheeks, taking a handful of clay from both cheeks and adding them on the forehead. Photo in hand, he moved back and examined the face, trying to figure out if there was any part of the face that needed modification. Toro drew back, watching the work in front of him. It was long he worked in his studio, a secret room in his penthouse which only Darrell knew about. His father had no idea of his second identity as a sculptor and Potter. Toro didn't want to base off of his father's businesses and assets, he needed to build his own money and make a legacy for himself but all his father cared about was him taking over his businesses and settling down.

"I'd like you to meet Mr Smith, the founder of MCl cooperation construction company, we would be working with him...." His father introduced him to an average brawny man with clean cut hair, seated on the exquisite expensive leather sofa opposite his father's desk. Darrell had put a call through to him, informing him his father requested his presence at his office.

Toro stood there and he was quite aware of what his father was doing. His father was bent on making him take over half of his assets. He did encourage him to even buy shares in top companies but that was the least of Toro's problems .

"Nice to finally meet you," the average older looking man extended a hand to him. He looked like he'd be the same age with his father or might be days or months older. "You look like your father...I looked forward to working with you."

To fulfill all righteousness, Toro forced a smile and took the man's hand in his. Shaking it. "Of course….." He mumbled out the words.

He threw his father a questioning glance when the man told him he would be working with him. His father was quick to notice the questions that graced his face and quickly inserted. "He and his team will be overseeing the affairs of the construction site. The construction site of the new shoprite in Anaheim…..also he will be partnering with us for future works."

Toro didn't utter a word and just gave a faint nod, preparing the words to say to his father once this man before them leaves in his head. Today will be the day he's going to end this with his father, telling him he's not interested in any of his assets or stuff. The business associate and his father engaged in a few long conversations, making him ponder if he'd just leave and have the talk with his father next time.

Finally, the man stood up and shook hands with his father, turning to him as well. Toro stood up and shook hands with him too, throwing him a fake and forced smile. Once the business associate had left, he strolled to his father's desk. The two of them gawked at each other for a couple of brief minutes.

"You got something to tell me?" His father lifted a brow while pivoting his seat right and left.

"Was this the urgent matter you told Darrell to tell me?"

"Well it was urgent in my perspective since you would be the one in charge of the building of the shoprite ... .also the one to manage the affairs once it is completed."

"Didn't I make it clear I wasn't interested in any of your assets, I don't want you to place any of your assets under my name? I'm fine." Toro balled a fist, suppressing the anger sizzling in him.

"Whether you want it or not, or accept it or not. Everything I owned belongs to you and it is high time you started using your fifth sense brain to think and act. You don't have any investment under your name, do you?"

"I do!" He raised his voice a bit. Letting out a breath of frustration. "I have a gym center under my name so I don't need yours."

'Pfft...' His father made a mockery sound under his breath. Harboring across his face a look of disbelief, his eyes showing a hint of amusement. "Do you realize you are 38 years old….close to 40? And you only have a gym as an investment? I bet it is hardly doing well..."

Toro wanted to throw a comeback but it was a waste of time because his father was headstrong, he wouldn't listen. And also he was so money oriented.

"You think everything is all about money?"

"Nope," his father shook a finger. "You got it all wrong. What actually rules the world is money and influence. That's what I'm trying to make you understand...."

A tense air lingered between them a bit. Toro and his father gaped— basically they threw each other death glare. If he wasn't his father, Toro swore on his life he would have punched the heck out of him.

Calming his angry nerves, he took a long deep breath. "That's why you watched mom die...."

Immediately those words left his lips, the goading mocking smile on his father's face disappeared. His eyes darkened, a glint of anger mixed with surprise appeared in his eyes and he immediately sprung to his feet. Marching over to him. Toro half expected him to grab his collar in a fit of rage to match with the stern look that plastered on his face.

"If you say a word against me again, I will forget you are my son."

His words made Toro chuckle. He lowered his head on the marble tiled floor, gaping at it for a minute before raising his head to meet his father's.

"Son?" He let out an amused snort under his breath. "You think of me as your son? Do you even know the kind of person your son is? The things I like and dislike? Have you taken time from the day I was born—- no, the day I started walking to learn about me or you just assumed what I'd like and I wouldn't?"

Dead silence fell between them, the only sound heard was the sound of their heavy breathing. His father's face hardened more, a stroke of vein visible in his temple as he ogled at him

"Do you know how much you hurt her while she was still alive?" Toro never expected him to answer. "I watched her from childhood break down, she was going through a lot of physical and mental trauma and you could have been there to emotionally support her but you were never there. I saw her wet her pillows every night to the point she resulted in staring at the clock almost everyday."

"I always spent time with your mother!" His father fired.

"Once in a blue moon," Toro fired back. "You never cared for me or mom...but yourself, even when she was dying on that sick bed…..you weren't there to spend the last moments of her life with her and you call me your son?"

"I have never considered you my father....you are practically a stranger to me…."

Feeling the burden that had weighed in his heart for years lifted. Feeling a little bit elated he had spoken out his feelings, he stormed out of his father's office quite aware his father's burning gaze was still on him.

"Really, do you always zone out all the time?" A loud thud shook him back to the present and it was Darrell's hand that made the thud, he had slammed it on a desk filled with his sculpting tools.

"At this point. Any one can come in here and do whatever they want and leave without you noticing them. I tell you a day is coming when someone will walk in and stab you and you wouldn't even realize it."

"When did you get here?"

"About….20 minutes ago," Darrell answered, darting his eyes around the studio. "Wow, this room is still in existence, I thought you would have gotten rid of it."

Toro kept mute and resumed working on the slab of clay on the amateur.

"Something must have happened." Darrell toured around the room, scanning and touching everything in the room. "And it is just like it is, nothing changed…..so tell me, did something happen between you and your father? You only remember your studio whenever you have a big fight with him."

Now he mentioned his father, Toro thought this was the best time to caution him never to put any call through to tell him concerning his father. He should exclude him from anything that has to do with his father.

"What's this?" Darrell picked up a crumpled paper on top of a molded flower pot. He watched Darrell carefully unfurl it. "A number?...." He raised his eyes to meet his gaze.

"Who does it belong to?"

It dawned on Toro who the number belonged to, prompting him to curse under his breath.

'Darn it.'

●●●●●●●●●●●

Toro paved his way to the Greenfield restaurant. Scanning the inside with his eyes, hoping to catch a glimpse of her. As he neared the restaurant, ready to open the door. The door flew open instead, revealing her. His lips lit up in a small smile but the look in her eyes wasn't welcoming. She was glaring at him and was dressed in denim baggy jeans and an orange top.

He expected her to speak but instead, she turned away and started walking away.

Was she upset that he couldn't keep his word to meet her yesterday?

When he grabbed her wrist to halt her. She snatched her wrist from him, startling him.

"Don't you dare lay your hands on me!" She said in an angry, bone chilling voice.