Chapter 27
Chapter 27
True to his word, and his arrogance, Dante showed up at my front door at 11 in the morning. Despite my assurance that | could
make my way to the chocte ce myself, Dante still showed up and he did note empty handed.
rge teddy bear the size of Hayley was in his hand along with a pink glittered covered case that looked like a brief case. It had
caught me by surprise when | opened the door and saw him standing there with his hands full.
Dante, surprisingly, had not worn a suit this morning. Instead, he wore a pair of dark ck jeans, a button front shirt and a pair of
leather boots. This was the most casual | have ever see this man dress. His hair was still damp but mostly dry from the slight
breeze in the air and a few stray hairs. hung over his forehead.
“Dante, what are you doing here?” | questioned not stepping aside for him to enter..
He shed me a grin like he was unaware of why | had asked him that question and shrugged.
“| told you that | was picking you up. It’s not a big deal.” He added taking away from my protest to him being here when | clearly
said other wise.
| heard Hayley approach me from behind since we were all ready to leave. | red at him, narrowing my eyes in his direction
firmly.
“This is thest time | let you get away with some thing like this. | muttered through angrily.
clenched teeth.
Stepping aside, | opened the door allowing Hayley to see Dante and all that he had his hands filled with. | didn’t miss the way her
eyes lit up brightly when she saw Dante before she even noticed the items in his hand.
“Ie bearing gifts.” Dante did a Santa use voice and, despite my anger, | found myself trying to bite back a grin.
Hayley giggled loudly, jumping a few times in excitement. “Both of those are for me?” She asked hesitantly as she reached her
hands out for it.
“Of course.” Dante responded as he passed the teddy bear to her which Hayley needed both her hands to hold.
“Thank you. | love it so much and it’s so soft.” Her voice was muffled against the fluff of the stuffed animal.
“Wait until you see what''s in this.” Dante wiggled his brows at her but she couldn’t see much.
| chuckled lightly before helping her with the bear and she reluctantly let go of it. Dante dropped to one knee on the porch,
cing the glittery case on the floor then undoing the sp at the front centre of the box facing Hayley. It popped open and
Dante pulled back the top which
which prompted another twoyers to spring out revealing a whole art set that consisted of colouring pencils, paints, various
coloured pens, and many pink, girly notepads.
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Chapter 27
Hayley gasped as she took it all in but the excitement got too much for her little b*dy so she let out a squeal.
“There are so many colours and paint! | love paint.” She touched the stuff gently like she didn’t want them to get hurt before
retracting her hand.
Before either one of us could even take another breath, Hayley ran to Dante and threw her hands around his n*eck in a tight hug.
Dante’s face instantly dropped and Hayley just hung on to him.
“This is the best gift ever. Thank you.” She said but Dante was still processing this gesture of hers. | watched him slowly wrap his
arms around her before he rxed and hugged her back.
“I''m happy you like it, little one.” He whispered but his expression was unreadable.
Little did he know that this was the first hug that he was sharing with his daughter. Hayley didn’t even know that this was her
father yet it was visible that there was a natural pull between them. They probably didn’t know it and it was better that way. |
knew that Hayley’s affections for him may be innocent but | didn’t know what Dante wanted. After all, he only knew that she was
my child and nothing more.
“Alright you two, we need to get going” | said lightly breaking them up. Hayley stepped away from Dante and nced at her gifts
before we took them in to the house and left.
Dante had driven us to the choctier renowned for producing the finest locally produced. chocte in the country. It was a
rather impressive tour and | actually enjoyed it a lot. The whole thing was never an experience | intended on actually focussing
on but | kind of got carried away with it all.
Each stage was exined and shown first hand from the extraction of the cocoa bean; fermentation, roasting of it, to the making
of it in to delicious treats that we got to taste.
Dante’s whole focus had been on Hayley and the both of them seemed to be happy by the tour. Hayley was attentive and
listened and walked through the factory all by herself with out asking for help or to be picked up but | wouldn’t be surprised if it
would catch up to herter on in the day.
But | watched as Hayley sampled the end product from the bitter, dark 97% percent which she spar out to the delicate semi
sweet that she endured and finally the delicious milk chocte sample that was her favourite.
Dante had gotten carried away quite a bit at seeing Hayley so pleased and he petting her head many times before toying with
her pony tails. At first, | thought it an instinctual gesture but | eventually noticed that it had been more deliberate.
rm bells went off in my head and | moved closer to her forming a wall between Hayley and Dante. Surely he couldn''t doing
what | assumed he had been? Perhaps my mind was ying tricks on me. Dante would never try to snatchText ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.
a strand of her hair for a DNA test, would he?
| gave my head a small shake when Dante moved away naturally and not like | had interrupted his n but the thought still had
me on edge forcing me to stay close to Hayley to prevent any such urance. | guess it would exin why he had gone out of
his way to arrange this whole tour.
“I had so much fun! | think this is the best chocte I’ve ever tasted.” Hayley beamed, hopping her
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Chapter 27
way out of the chocte factory clutching her paper bag of even more chocte.
| was going to have restrict how fast that bag got eaten before | had an over active, sugar high kid bouncing around the halls.
Dante ruffled the front of her hair before he stopped but | still held my breath the entire time that he had touched her hair. | even
made sure so lingering strands had been caught on his hand before looking back to Hayley.
“I''m d you had fun. kid.” Dante said to her with the most sincere smile I’ve ever seen him disy.
“Mama, can Dante join us for dinner again tonight?” Hayley asked looking up at me with her big eyes that she knew just the way
to nt them to tug at my strings but | was not going to allow this.
| think we’ve had enough Dante for one day and | needed to be away from him with Hayley out his reach until | was sure that he
had not been trying to plot some ulterior motive behind my back.
“Not tonight, sweetheart. Maybe some other time.” | said with a smile to her but my words were tight warning Dante not to push
his luck.
Hayley sighed and her shoulder slumped. This is what | did not want. Hayley was bing to used to have Dante around when
he was a man who would never be consistent. | couldn’t even understand why he was here to begin with but | did know one
tantrum from Pheobe would have him scurrying away from Hayley and then I''d be the one left to deliver bad news and excuses
about why Dante was not around as much.
“| think your mum is right. Dinner times are mostly meant for close family. Your father wouldn''t be too happy if | were there
interrupting family time.” Dante uttered and | squeezed my eyes shut tightly at the mention of Hayley’s father figure.
| opened my eyes again to see Hayley grimace but then she shrugged. “I don’t have a father. He died before | was born. Isn''t,
mama?” She stared at me for confirmation and even though she was so small, her eyes bore some forlorn look like she missed
someone she hadn''t know her whole life.
“Oh?” Dante looked to me with a tight, calcting re.
“Yes.” | swallowed nervously but then yed it of by directing Hayley to the car where | got her in and shut the door closed.
| moved to the other side of the back seat to get in but Dante blocked my path standing tall, towering over me. He looked down
at me like he was on to me but also like he didn’t know what he himself wanted to do.
“Do you mind? I''d like to get in to the car.” | averted my gaze from his but he didn’t budge.
“You are ying a dangerous game, Sophia. One that | hope does not y out as you see it.” He warned in a low tone.
“| don’t know what you are talking about.” | muttered before reached for the door handle but his hands beat me to it causing my
hands to be trapped beneath his.
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Chapter 27
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The sudden constant made sent a jolt of electricity shooting up my arm. | tried to pull my hand away but | couldn''t.
“If you think you can get away with what I think you did, then you will be highly mistake.” His words squeezed themselves
through clenched teeth.
| red up at him. “Enough of your threats. Dante. This is my life and my child and | will not let youe between that or try and
use me of things.” | shot back at him furiously.
We both stood there ring at each other for what felt like minutes. Dante muttered some thing. under his breath that | didn’t
catch before he yanked the door o for me finally allowing me to
remove my hand from his heated one.
He drove us home wordlessly and only spoke of Hayley had a question for him but aside from that he stayed to himself. When
we had gotten home, | unbuckled Hayley but she as she tried to throw her legs over the side of her seat, | saw them tremble but
refused to move.
Her carefree expression became grim and her eyes zed over but she didn’t cry. | knew she hated when these things
happened even though she was so strong and understanding about her disability.
“Not this again.” She whined, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand while she held her brown paper bag in the other..
“It''s alright, Hayley. I''ll help you.” | reassured her but she was still unappeased.
“I know but not in front of Dante.” She darted a look at him in the front seat and he had heard what she had said.
Dante got out of the driver’s side and came to stand next to me. He looked down at Hayley trying to assess the situation but |
didn’t want him around to see this.
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