《THE MAFIA鈥橲 HEIR》


 CHAPTER 1

    4th July, 2021.


    BIANCA¡¯S POV


    With my hand on my still t tummy, I thought for long how the past months had turned out for me. Nerve wrecking. I told myself I was doing the best by disappearing. Yes, disappearing! That was literally what I had done. I just disappeared like a puff of smoke. I hated the fact that I had to leave my boss and my job, which I loved so much. But then, at this point, there wasn¡¯t a better option left for me. If I didn¡¯t leave, then it would just be a big mess. How was I supposed to tell a man that was stuck on an impromptu vacation with me, due to simple mistake his men had made, by kidnapping me instead of his potential bride¡­.. How was I supposed to tell that man that our few tumbles in bed had resulted to this?


    I was pregnant for him and was so scared to let even my own parents know. God! My father was gonna skin me alive if he got to know about this. That was why I had to take the drastic actions I took once I found myself in that deep hole of shit. I resigned my job immediately because I definitely couldn¡¯t be working around as Alexander Russo¡¯s P. A, heavily pregnant with his cousin¡¯s child. Now that seemed like a very wrong idea to me. Neither could I stay back at my father¡¯s house. How was I going to exin my protruding stomach in the next months toe? ¡®Oh Dad, I guess I had too much sd during dinner today.¡¯? Definitely not.


    That is the reason why I had rented an apartment and moved out. As expected, moving out of my parent¡¯s house unprovoked, was quite a hassle because they tried to understand why I was leaving. No matter the number of times I yelled at the top of my lungs, telling them I was grown and no longer a child, therefore needed my own space and privacy, it sounded like I hadn¡¯t given a reasonable exnation yet. So I had to do what I did. I ran away from home. Literally. So far, trying to have a sensible conversation with them, and having them understand the fact that I¡¯m grown enough to be on my own, wasn¡¯t working. I had to run off the next day when they were both away.


    I stood from my bed and walked about in my very tiny room of a home. I had very little savings from working with Alexander for only a few months, so this was all I could manage to get for a house. I had to make do with the little I had, life was gonna be tough from here on. I definitely didn¡¯t n on just hiding away in the small room apartment of mine, doing nothing until my baby was born. I had ns of getting a new job and working very hard. I had to save up enough money for when my baby was finally born. It had to be well provided for. I still couldn¡¯t believe I had to run away from my excellent job which took me a lot of time and preparation to bag. Another creature was in the picture now, and I found myself doing things I would never do on a normal day. Like for real! Who just ups and leaves afortable life with their parents, without a well drawn out n for the future?


    Just before my leg could hit the foot of my bed for the hundredth time, my phone rang out loudly, catching my attention and making me halt my steps. I looked to the middle of my bed where the phoneid, ringing out so loudly. A better look at the phone screen and I sighed when I saw who it was on the caller¡¯s ID. I missed her. I fell back on the bed and picked up the phone, quickly swiping up the answer button. Even God knew how much I wanted to talk to her. My entire head was so full that I couldn¡¯t really process a thing without panicking. I needed her help.


    ¡°Heyyyy Bibi!¡± Her excited voice rang out from the other end of the phone.


    ¡°Hey!¡± I replied, sounding more like a hen forced to dip itself in a jacuzzi. What did that even mean?


    ¡°Okayyyyyy¡­.¡± M dragged, definitely noticing my mood. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but you sound extremely horrible to me. Is all well?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± I lied, not knowing why I did. I thought I agreed to ask M for some help and advice? What the hell was I doing now?


    ¡°You know, Amara could lie to me and I¡¯ll swallow it hook, line, and sinker. But then, not you. What¡¯s really happening? We haven¡¯t talked since after the wedding, and I felt you had a whole lot to let me know. I had been so self absorbed during my wedding, that I failed to utilize the opportunity of having you with me physically. What¡¯s really happening Bibi?¡±


    ¡°Why do you sound like there is a problem?¡± I muttered.


    ¡°Because youngdy, there is!¡± She yelled, sounding slightly frustrated. Wait a minute¡­. there was most definitely something she wasn¡¯t saying to me.N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    ¡°You know, you can spit it out already. What do you want to say?¡±


    ¡°Well, what I want to say is that I¡¯m confused! Extremely confused. Uncle Lucas has called earlier today.¡± Now she was talking. I knew there was a lot more. ¡°Bianca, did you really leave home?¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, I did.¡± I replied.


    ¡°Oh yes, you did?¡± She asked in disbelief.


    ¡°Bianca, you need to go back home. It¡¯s been a whole week and your parents are awfully worried about you.¡± Okay, let¡¯s ignore the fact that I¡¯ve only lived alone for just a week, and my head was already so full and messed up.


    ¡°First of all, I take serious offense to how you refer to me. I am not a child, M.¡± I pointed out.


    ¡°Phee!¡± She sighed. ¡°True. I¡¯m sorry. But then, I¡¯m worried for you as well. You have never been the type to do things so spontaneously, you always have a n. I was shocked to hear that you just up and left the house, after only telling uncle and aunt of your ns to the leave the day before. Bianca, the best you would have done was let them know your location after leaving, at the very least. I can imagine uncle Lucas and aunt Greta, both returning home to find yourself and your things gone. Did you think of the implications of your actions?! Your parents are hypersensitive for crying out loud! You¡¯re offended by how I addressed you but honestly, I¡¯ve known you to be smarter. Only a teenager would act this way.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m no better than a teenager then. So you can as well hang up this call.¡± I said apathetically, feeling quite insulted and disappointed.


    I had really high hopes of talking to M, and letting her know what was going on. Somehow, she always had a solution to everything. If I was being honest with myself, she was right about me acting so spontaneously. That had never been my style. I was more of a ¡®sit down with mom and dad, and talk things out¡¯ kind of person. But then, the slightest idea of how my father was gonna react at learning I was pregnant, just made me scamper away in fear. I wasn¡¯t even thinking. Now, I was in a literal fix. Yes! I knew I didn¡¯t have so much to survive on, as I had paid quite a fortune for this cubicle I was living in. If onlynded properties weren¡¯t so expensive on this side of Italy. I was slowly growing frustrated and I knew it was not good for my baby. Talking about my baby, I knew it was very important to do the routine hospital checks and all. How was I going to manage with the little money I had? So far, finding a job after walking out on my previous one hadn¡¯t been as easy as I thought. I was really acting without thinking and honestly, only a teenager would do that.


    ¡°M.¡± I muttered, feeling shitty.


    ¡°Love.¡± She sighed on the other end of the line. ¡°It¡¯s okay to feel this way, especially when it seems like no one knows the actual story. I may have judged wrongly and spoken out of turn. For that, I¡¯m sorry.¡± She apologized, making me go soft immediately. I could feel the tears clouding my eyes. ¡°I¡¯m also sorry for not approaching you as my favourite cousin, but instead, as uncle and aunt¡¯s mouth piece. Now tell me my love, what¡¯s going on with you?¡±


    At her question, I found it difficult to hold back a strand of tear that fell down my cheek. I cleaned it off with the back of my palm immediately. Suddenly feeling energized to tell M everything that had been going on, I inhaled deeply and exhaled. M was one person that I knew would understand me. Just like myself, she had once fallen pregnant.


    ¡°M, I¡­¡± I was still talking when the door of my apartment came flying across me. The manner in which it luckily escaped my face, had me holding my breath in shock. What the fuck?! How could my door just go¡­..? I paused in my train of thoughts as I saw the three men in suit all walk in. My heart pounded so loudly in my ribcage. As I feared, my most dreaded thoughts were ying out.


    ¡°My goodness! What was that sound? Bibi! Bibi, are you safe?¡± Came M¡¯s panicked voice from the other end of the line. One of the men in suit looked at the phone, slightly irritated, but then, he chose to ignore it. Just then, the man I was trying so hard to hide from, came walking in through the door his men had just destroyed.


    ¡°Bianca.¡± He muttered, looking every bit stoic. Why was he even here in the first ce? Had he finally realized I was better for him than his Francesca? My head was always out of the game though, because if it was, I would have reminded myself that he didn¡¯t look like he hade toy at my feet and beg to have me back in his life. Moreover, he had stayed for 3 months without hearing from, or seeing me. What exactly could he be here for?


    ¡°Manuel.¡± I replied. ¡°What do you want?¡± At my question, he gave a psychoticugh before putting on hisposure once more.


    ¡°What I want?¡± He asked, fondling his goatee, deep in thoughts.


    ¡°If you came breaking into my house just to stroke your beards, then you might as well leave.¡± I said, not daring to look at him in the face.


    ¡°Biancaaa¡­¡± He drawled. He sounded like he was warning me, and I only braced myself for whatever he had to say. I honestly had no idea as to why I was disturbed. I definitely hadn¡¯t told anyone I was pregnant. M would have been the first but then, he had interrupted our conversation with this animalistic behaviour of his. Frankly, I should have been more bothered about fixing my broken door, than whatever he hade here to say.


    Maybe I was this troubled because I knew the almighty Manuel Russo wasn¡¯t going to drive all the way to my apartment, breaking down my door just to say a few petty things and leave. Far from it.


    ¡°Bianca, bold of you to think you could just disappear with my child in your belly!!¡± He growled, making me shake in my spot. Now, I could understand Manuel literally had his way around everything. He had easily found out where I stayed, even when I hadn¡¯t disclosed my location to anyone. But how the fuck did he know that the growing child inside me was his? How did he even know I was pregnant? This was top tier creepy.

 CHAPTER 2

    April 2019


    BIANCA¡¯S POV


    I zipped up the back of my dress and took a three sixty turn in front of the mirror. I smiled satisfactorily at my reflection on the mirror. It was Amara¡¯s day, but very funny how I was more concerned about my appearance.


    ¡°You already look perfect, Bianca!¡± Mom shook her head in disbelief, as she walked into our room. ¡°Get busy with assisting your sister.¡± She ordered, and I nodded. Amara chuckled from the other side of the room and I gave a sheepish smile. She waited for mom to be out, before teasing me.


    ¡°I thought it was just my convocation. Do you have a date?¡±


    ¡°Really? Amara really?¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± She threw her hands up in the air, and I gave her an ¡®are you serious?¡¯ look. ¡°Who knows? you may have invited Kylie¡­¡±


    ¡°Kyle!¡± I corrected. ¡°His name is Kyle. And no, I didn¡¯t invite him. He wouldn¡¯t evene if I did.¡± I muttered thest part, feeling quite shitty.


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t say that now.¡± She shook her head in disapproval and fully turned her attention towards me. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for teasing you with such a sensitive topic.¡±


    ¡°Kyle is far from being a sensitive topic.¡± I countered stubbornly.


    ¡°Yes! You¡¯re right. Someone like him shouldn¡¯t even be ssified as that. But then, he hurt you and I shouldn¡¯t make jokes about him. I¡¯m sorry.¡± She pouted, giving me that puppy dog eye.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t hurt me. He only told me he was way above my league, and if we are being quite honest, he never lied.¡± I muttered sadly. In as much as I wanted to act neutral about it all, I had actually been hurt by Kyle. He was the first guy I had ever liked as much as letting him know that I did. Being humiliated in the presence of other students had never been part of the n. Kyle came from a really rich family, but he was so full of himself and always rude. Most times, I wondered why I fell for someone like him. It was no suprise that I did though. He was the school¡¯s biggest kid and literally every girl wanted him. I remember how heughed along with other students, after announcing that I was way out of his league. This had happened after I confessed my feelings to him. I had privately spoken to him about it, so seeing him tell everyone about it made me feel so bad. Unshed tears welled up in my eyes and it took great strength to not let it fall. Fortunately, I had been able to will my legs to walk, and made my way out of my ce of mockery. What was I even thinking? Mama had always asked me to leave boys and focus on my books instead. At school I had always been a loner, so I literally had no one to console me and tell me that It was all going to be fine. It was my final year in high school, and Amara was already in college. I had saved up my tears and pain for when Amara returned from lectures that day. While narrating all that happened, I cried so hard.


    Amara had consoled me and reminded me that it was already myst days in high school. Soon, I would be in college and all the high school drama would be left behind. I had nodded in agreement, feeling quite better. If only I knew that Kyle was going to the same college as myself, I wouldn¡¯t have felt such peace. Presently, It was just the second semester of my first year in college, but I had changed directions, hid behind flowers, and literally ran a long distance a thousand times, just to avoid bumping into him. I very well knew that I should have gotten over the embarrassment he caused me, but that was going to take a whole lot of time. So far, I had just one dream. To work so hard that a man would never have the opportunity to tell me I was way out of his league. Don¡¯t get me wrong, I have never been ashamed of my roots. Even though my parents weren¡¯t the wealthiest, they ensured we were veryfortable and nevercked the basic things. My parents had bore just Amara and myself, so fending for us was so difficult. My family was a lovely one, and it was something I was always going to be proud of. But then, I had dreams to do better than my parents did.


    I had dreams to achieve a lot of goals that my parents were probably not able to achieve. I wanted to make a name. I wanted to build a long standing legacy for my children and generations toe. I wanted a very great empire, and I was gonna get it. I wasn¡¯t sure how I would go about it, but I definitely knew I had to work hard. The first step was graduating with an awesome degree from college. I was on it already.


    ¡°Could you help me braid my ponytail?¡± Amara asked, patting me out of my thoughts.


    ¡°Yes. Sure.¡± I gave a small smile and went ahead to do my business on her hair.


    ¡°Hpheew!¡± She exhaled, looking at the mirror before her, as I worked on her hair. ¡°If only I had as much hair as you do?¡± She said dreamily, making me scoff.


    ¡°Everyone knows that my hair is the least bit desirable. Excessively full and can never be tamed. The color is rather appalling.¡± I frowned, looking at my weird hair color in the mirror. It wasn¡¯t the first time I had the thought of mutated genes whenever I looked at myself. My mother had this really beautiful shade of brown hair. My father had ck hair, which Amara took after. So where exactly was my burgundish~burnt orangey hair coloring from? It seemed like a mixture of orange, red, brown and¡­ not nice.


    ¡°I know what¡¯s in your mind right now.¡± Amara eyed me. ¡°It¡¯s normal for children to have hair colours that are a few shades different from their parent¡¯s. Your hair color is just a few shades lighter than mom¡¯s.¡± She shrugged.


    ¡°But I don¡¯t like it.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s beautiful.¡± She maintained, trying to make me understand what I just couldn¡¯t. ¡°I have really never seen someone else with a hair as beautiful as yours.¡± Her eyes lit up in sincere awe, and I wondered what it took for me to see things like the way the rest of my family did. To me, I just looked like a cheap doll.


    ¡°Stop now.¡±


    ¡°You know¡­¡± She started. ¡°The problem with you is that you do not embrace your uniqueness. You have talked so much about how you want to achieve a lot of things and build a great empire for your future family. For someone with such lofty dreams, your mentality is not cool.¡± She lectured. ¡°You do not appreciate your uniqueness. Look at yourself.¡± She ordered, and I did. ¡°How many girls have youe across with this exact same hair color as yours?¡± I didn¡¯t want to enter a long debate with her because I hade across quite a number, so I just remained quiet. ¡°Your silence says it all. You are beautiful my sweet little sister. Embrace it!¡±


    ¡°You know, you should refrain from having these kinds of arguments with your sister.¡± We turned back to see my mom standing by the door, looking unimpressed.


    ¡°I wonder what her obsession with her hair color is. Moreover, there¡¯s more to life than the color of one¡¯s hair. It pains me when you waste your time trying to convince Bianca that her hair is beautiful. She¡¯d probably stop bothering about her hair color when her papa sends me packing out of his house, under the allegations of infidelity.¡± Mama hadughed, but her words had gotten to me more than she imagined. All she had said was the truth. I had to stop worrying over this. It never did nothing for me by the way. ¡°Enough of this talk. Amara, you definitely do not want to bete. Everyone is ready and waiting for you.¡± Mama grinned and I had an idea why. ¡°Carlos is here as well.¡± She added. I thought as much. I watched as Amara blushed a bright pink and looked down shyly. Her fiance hade all the way from Florence just to be with her today. That was really sweet.


    ¡°When did he get here?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Over an hour ago.¡±


    ¡°And you didn¡¯t say anything?¡± She said disapprovingly, making mama sigh tiredly.


    ¡°Calm down. You were not yet dressed at the time.¡± I reasoned. ¡°Moreover, he isn¡¯t running away. He¡¯d spend the entire day with you.¡± I smiled.


    I was happy that my sister could finally love the man she wanted so freely. My sister¡¯s love story was a very interesting one, but let¡¯s save it for another day. Right now, it was time to go to the convocation arena.


    ¡°Can we get going now?¡± She asked impatiently. In a way, I knew sixty percent of her reasons for suddenly being hasty was to see Carlos.


    ¡°Of course. We have nothing more to wait for.¡± Mama concurred with a knowing smile. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± She waved for us to follow her and we did in a straight file. ¡°Bianca, I don¡¯t want to catch sight of a scarf or hat on your hair. Let that hair breathe!¡± I saw thating. Feeling unauthorized to cover my hair like I would have loved, I begrudgingly followed behind. Halfway through, I realized I had forgotten my lip balm behind and quickly hurried back inside to get it. I always found it difficult to be out without it. I hated chapped lips. Like I literally couldn¡¯t stand it! I took my lip balm and rushed to meet up with my mom and sister. Getting to the living room, I saw everyonepletely dressed and ready to leave. All except my cousin; M.


    ¡°M?¡± I called and she turned to look at me with a small smile gracing her features. ¡°Why are you still in your casual clothes? It¡¯s already time.¡±


    ¡°Sweetie, your cousin wouldn¡¯t be attending the convocation ceremony along with you guys.¡±


    ¡°Along with ¡®we guys¡¯? I assume you wouldn¡¯t being as well.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Someone needs to stay back with zucherro.¡± That was what mama called my cousin.


    ¡°But why is she even staying back? M looks strong enough to me.¡± I pouted, not wanting to go without M.


    ¡°She insisted on making dishes for the celebration today.¡± Mama muttered, looking slightly annoyed. ¡°I do not know why she is so hellbent on doing such strenuous work in her condition.¡±


    ¡°Aunt¡­¡± M gave a side smile. ¡°It¡¯s Amara¡¯s big day and this is the best I can do for her.¡± If I was being honest, everyone knew M was extremely gifted when it came to cooking. My mouth already watered as I imagined the kind of dishes she was gonna make today. But then, she was heavily pregnant and wasn¡¯t supposed to be stressing this much.


    ¡°But I wasn¡¯tining.¡± Amara sighed.


    ¡°Neither am I. Think of it as a prenatal excercise.¡± M grinned mischievously. ¡°Enjoy your day guys.¡± She said, automatically dismissing us, to the dismay of my parents, and walking away.


    ¡°She just always has her way.¡± My papa grumbled.


    ¡°I heard you loud and clear, uncle.¡± M yelled as she walked away.


    ¡°I said nothing!¡± Papa denied, looking at mom and chuckling in guilt. ¡°Please take care of her my love.¡± He looked down at mama and bent to give her a chaste kiss on the lip. Whenever I looked at my parents, I wished I could recreate what they shared, with a special someone out there.


    ¡°Of course, Tesoro.¡± She nodded. ¡°Alright, you all should get going already.¡± Mama said, already tired of seeing us waste more time. At this rate, Amara was gonna bete for her thing. Carlos.¡± She called. ¡°Drive safely.¡±


    ¡°Who said he was driving?¡± Papa queried with a boyish scowl.


    ¡°I said so.¡± Mama replied with her hands akimbo, giving him no room for arguments.


    He turned and walked to the door, grumbling words that sounded like ¡®she¡¯s now quick to pick him over me.¡¯ I looked at Carlos and Bianca to see them giggling between themselves. It was always that way when your papa was begrudgingly giving you in marriage because he no longer had the liberty of making decisions for you. Amara and Carlos had fought tooth and nail to be together. It¡¯s so amusing how we all are here together, happy, when Carlos had almost lost his life trying to propose to Amara only 3 months ago. That was one funny, but scary incident. I waved at my mama and joined the rest of my family out of the house. The ride to the convocation arena was a sadly short one. I always loved to stay in moving vehicles as long as possible. I didn¡¯t know why though, but it had been a habit ever since I couldprehend things. Feeling unsatisfied with our trip, I stepped out of the car together with my family, and proceeded into therge hall. The entire space was so full. Navy blue hats of the convocating students designed the entire hall.


    ¡°Come on, sweetie!¡± Papa called out to Amara, handing over her robe, which she quickly collected and wore over her dress.


    I watched in happiness as he went ahead to put her hat on her head. Papa looked so proud of Amara and I only hoped to see that kind of pride in his eyes when it was my big day as well. My papa had always shown us love as his children, but it was no news that Amara was his favourite. That was also the reason why he found it difficult letting Amara get married so soon. I heaved a sigh as I promised myself to make him twice as proud. He finished arranging the hat on her head and asked her to run along. Her mates were already seated at the front row, waiting for the event to begin.


    ¡°Come on Bibi.¡± Papa took my hand in his and led us to another row with empty seats, with Carlos following behind us. We got settled and after some minutes, one of the invited personalities stepped onto the podium.


    ¡°Beautiful!¡± The middle aged woman said with an equally beautiful smile on her face. ¡°You all look magnificent.¡± Sheplimented and the convocating students all cheered in return. ¡°Today is a very wonderful day for you all, and for that, we are immensely grateful to God. I wee all our parents and guests to this ceremony with a d heart. As you all already know, I am Bernice Fernandez; the Dean over student¡¯s affairs of this great institution.¡±


    ¡°Wohooo!!¡± Some students cheered on as the rest pped. ¡°I would be calling a very renowned¡­.¡± The rest of her speech went on deaf ears as I went into a world of my own. M would have enjoyed this event, had she tagged along with us. Maybe if she was here to witness this event in person, she would be more encouraged to stay back in Italy for college. If I was being honest with myself, I missed my cousin already. She was still here with us, but the thought that she was gonna be leaving any time soon didn¡¯t sit well with me or any member of my family. She had just arrived to Italy seven months ago, and I was already tied to her by the waist. I tried to spend as much time as I could with M because I didn¡¯t have an idea as to when she was gonna leave us. Maybe she was gonna leave after she had her baby. Moreover, she missed her fiance so much, and would run back to him once she was sure that the coast was clear. Feeling the sudden urge to use the restroom, I excused myself and walked out of the hall. I came across a jovial looking usher and asked for directions to the restroom. Just like I had imagined, he was quite jovial.


    ¡°You¡¯re so pretty!¡± He grinned, making me chuckle.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± He eyed my hair, a more focused gaze on it. Immediately, I felt very ufortable because I had an idea what came next. My high school mates had always called me a freak. My hair color wasn¡¯t pleasant to the eyes, and I always wondered why my family ever bothered with trying to make me believe it was beautiful. I had always known myself to be quite pretty and pleasant to the eyes, but a less dramatic hair color would have made me look better. ¡°Nice dye.¡± He grinned, making me look up at him in confusion.


    ¡°Sorry?¡± I muttered.


    ¡°Your hair. It¡¯s a beautiful choice of color.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­. it¡¯s beautiful?¡± I asked in suprise. This was the first time someone apart from my family and kind church members had everplimented my hair. Genuinely.


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s¡­. rare?¡± He looked at me, slightly unsure. ¡°Is that the right word?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± I shruggedzily with an unbelievable smile on my face. Maybe beingplimented by people who didn¡¯t feel like it was an obligation to make me feel better about myself hit different.


    ¡°It¡¯s because I¡¯vee across quite a number of people with this hair color. But the shade of yours is just¡­. it¡¯s mesmerizing. Unique. Where did you get it done? Could suggest something like this for my girlfriend.¡± His grin widened, and so did my smile.


    ¡°Ohhh.¡± I muttered.


    ¡°Yeahhhh.¡± He nodded. ¡°It seems like you aren¡¯t so pressed after all.¡±


    ¡°I was, until a few seconds ago.¡± I gave a small smile. ¡°It¡¯s my natural hair color by the way. Adios.¡± I waved and walked towards the direction of the restroom. After relieving myself, I looked at myself in the mirror and felt a small but happy smile creep upon my face. I might reduce how much I wore scarfs and caps afterall. MIGHT! I giggled at how silly I was being and ran back to the hall. On my way there, I cane across a certain someone, but couldn¡¯t seem to avoid him this time.


    ¡°Hey freak!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a freak.¡± I muttered as he finally came face to face with me.


    ¡°What did you say?¡± He scowled, making my heart pound in my chest. Swallowing hard, I looked into his eyes and repeated.


    ¡°I said I¡¯m not a fucking freak!¡± I yelled in pent up anger. ¡°Don¡¯t you ever call me that again. I am unique, nothing less.¡± His eyes widened in what looked like shock, but I didn¡¯t wait for him to say any other word, before pushing past his shoulder and walking away. What was he even doing here by the way? This was my sister¡¯s college, not ours. Did he also have a sibling or family member who was convocating here as well? That could honestly be the least my problems because for the first time, I stood up to him. It may not have been so great, but it was something to me. For a moment, I cared more about letting someone know that I wasn¡¯t ashamed of my look. Or was beginning to not be ashamed, at the very least. With a low sigh, I walked back into the hall and made my way to where I had been sitting beside my papa.


    ¡°What took you so long?¡± he whispered.


    ¡°Soryy.¡± I muttered, making him release a sigh. We remained attentive as we watched through the entire process of introducing the institution¡¯s senior staff. Soon, they moved on to the award presentation part of the ceremony. They introduced different important guests to present the awards to the honoured students. So far, Amara had collected one award, and papa looked as proud as could be.  After some time, the Dean stepped up to introduce another person who was going to present the next category of awards. It was awards for students who studied Business Administration.


    ¡°Up next, I would be calling on a very important personality in the Italy business world, and internationalmunities as a whole. He is the CEO of the Russo empire.¡± Russo Russo Russo. ¡®Russo Empire¡¯ struck a chord. I had heard it so many times while in high school. I didn¡¯t know much, but I knew that was one of the strongest standing empires in Italy. There was utmost silence as she spoke. ¡°Please wee Manuel Russo.¡± She had called his name so casually, which contradicted the level of cheersing from the congregation. They were soooo loud.N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    In no time, there was a standing ovation and trumpets red as well. I felt goosebumps on my skin. Who was this man? I stood up as well, in a bid to see him, but much taller people blocked the way. I decide to sit calmly, until every other person got seated as well. Like I imagined, the cheers died down soon enough, and everyone got seated. I finally got to see him and by God, the man was fine! He was¡­.. young! Not my age range, but younger than I expected. Quite young, yet he led a thriving empire. Young and powerful. That had always been my goal. As I looked at the man with so much awe, I felt my heartbeat elerate aggressively. I knew it wasn¡¯t as a result of just admiration, because my stomach  started to feel like jelly. My legs tingled as well. This was happening because of a man I had only seen for the first time. Another man who was way above my league. Manuel Russo.

 CHAPTER 3

    3 YEARS LATER


    MANUEL¡¯S POV


    ¡°Really? Can you not handle anything properly?¡± I yelled in annoyance. It was bing so annoying.


    ¡°My apologies boss. W.. we.. we¡­ we didn¡¯t know her father was in the same building a.. as well.¡± Miliano stuttered, further pissing me off.


    ¡°Bastardo!¡± I kicked the foot of my desk angrily. ¡°Vaffanculo.¡± I muttered. ¡°Was any member of the Ferrari family hurt?¡±


    ¡°None, Don.¡± Massimo replied, and it made me wonder for a moment how the operation could have gone wrong with him present. I looked at the rest of my men and made a hand gesture for them to leave.


    ¡°Massimo, you stay back.¡± I ordered, making him halt his steps. After the other 8 of them hadpletely walked out, I focused on him. ¡°Massimooo..¡± I drawled as I walked back to my seat. ¡°You were present in this mission, so how exactly did it go wrong? Do you care to exin?¡±


    ¡°Apologies Don. I think I have an idea as to what ured.¡±


    ¡°Have a seat.¡± I waved over the seats opposite me, and he sat on one of them. ¡°Shoot.¡±


    ¡°This is a handwork of Jacobo. He knew you were going to order an attack against him and his men, so he did what he knows how to do best.¡±


    ¡°And that is?¡±


    ¡°Sabotage. He sabotaged your efforts.¡± He replied immediately. ¡°It has definitely be news in the society that ever since Alexander stepped down and you took his ce as Don, you¡¯ve tried to make peace with the Ferraris. He calcted our moves and he knew when we were going to strike. He practically lured us into his trap. We hurt him, we hurt the Ferraris. If we hurt the Ferraris, a hope for a truce with them is gone. Things are already bad as it is. Most members of the Ferrari family do not want a merger or even a truce. This failed mission is simply a p to their faces. Francisco isn¡¯t going to take it, he would strike back. Hard.¡±


    ¡°Jacobooo¡­¡± I loved the way his name rolled off my tongue. I was gonna love it better when mine would roll down his, as he cried to me for mercy. I¡¯d give it to him, he yed a smart one. Not only did he put me in thepromising spot, he basically destroyed the chances of a potential truce with the Ferraris. He was definitely gonna pay for it, but someone else would definitely pay first. ¡°I understand your message Massimo. Thanks for putting eyes all over. Do we have a name yet? Who the fuck is the traitor in my zone?!¡±Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t found out about that yet, but give me before the end of the day to do that.¡±


    ¡°I trust you to deliver.¡± I muttered dryly. ¡°Whomever it is, would so much regret selling out our ns to Jacobo for such a silly sabotage.¡±


    Immediately I heard the slightest noisee from my door, I looked and waited for the person who was behind to walk in. Don¡¯t me me. I knew I wasn¡¯t in any form of danger, but that was my reflex reaction. I was trained to be always alert at all times. The door eventually opened and it was Alex who entered.


    ¡°I heard.¡± He said as he walked towards me. Immediately Alex walked in, Massimo stood up from his seat as a sign of respect. ¡°Please sit, Massimo.¡± Alexander muttered after making himselffortable on the seat next to Massimo. ¡°Personally, I think Jacobo tried to save his ass by putting himself in the same space as the Ferraris.¡± He said without thinking or mincing words. This was the reason why this particr cousin of mine was my best friend. He was extremely smart. ¡°Also, Jacobo wouldn¡¯t have just known our men wereing for them at that point in time, so there seems to be a mole amongst us. That¡¯s unusual.¡± He said, stroking his beards as he though to himself. ¡°Weird.¡± He added. ¡°In over 4 years, we haven¡¯t had that sort of a problem. In the society, we are the family that pays our men best. There¡¯s definitely a bigger picture here. Whoever ratted us out must have done that for something more than money.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± I nodded. ¡°Massimo has promised to look into it and give me the traitor before the day is over.¡±


    ¡°Great.¡± Alex nodded, looking satisfied. ¡°Excuse us.¡± He muttered, but Massimo definitely got the message and walked out of my office. The moment Massimo was gone, the cold stare we both had in our eyes also disappeared. ¡°I¡¯m sorry brother. It seems to be that every effort you make concerning this peace treaty you wish for with the Ferraris is really never going to work.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m doing all of these for the sake of Francesca. We should be married, if not for this feud both our families have had for the longest time. I¡¯m trying to fix things here!¡± I yelled in great annoyance at the situation of things.


    ¡°Oh, be calm.¡± Alex muttered. ¡°When you say ¡®family¡¯, you make it sound so simple. Bro, we¡¯re mafians and that is how we keep shit real. You can¡¯t sleep with the enemy.¡±


    ¡°But she isn¡¯t our enemy.¡± I countered.


    ¡°Okay fine. Maybe she isn¡¯t the enemy like you say, but what about the other members of the Ferrari family? None of them are our allies. Why else has calling a truce been so difficult? If indeed they were cool with making peace, they would have weed your truce ns long ago.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t pin all these on them. I¡¯m sure you also know that some of the Russos haven¡¯t made it easy for me either.¡±


    ¡°Exactly my point!¡± He said. ¡°An enemy is an enemy. An enemy could also be an ally at anytime. But in a situation where a call for peace isn¡¯t being considered or weed, then you should know being allies had never been an option.¡±


    ¡°So what are you implying?¡± I asked, slightly irritated.


    ¡°That it¡¯s just not working!¡± He shrugged, looking like he had something more to say.


    ¡°Oh, Alex just say it. I¡¯m all ears.¡±


    ¡°Actually, I have only but one question for you. Do you really love the girl?¡±


    ¡°What are you even saying?¡± I shot back, very much perplexed at his question. ¡°I have been with her for a couple of years now. I know I like her that much. Don¡¯t you see what you have with Belle, between she and myself?¡±


    ¡°Honest reply?¡± He asked and I nodded in agreement. ¡°I do not see it anywhere. I try to, but it¡¯s just not working.¡± He looked as emotionless as could be, and I could finally understand what his issue was.


    ¡°It¡¯s the feud between the families.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the feud between our families!¡± I repeated much loudly. ¡°It¡¯s gotten into everyone¡¯s head and they just fail to see things as it really is. Mama doesn¡¯t like her, same as papa.¡±


    ¡°No, I think that uncle is quite indifferent towarsd her.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡± I chuckled humourlessly. ¡°Trust me Xander, the man dislikes whatever the woman dislikes. It¡¯s always been that way.¡± I shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m really more disturbed about the fact that it¡¯s because of¡­..¡±


    ¡°Manuel.¡± He suddenly cut me off, looking all serious. ¡°I would tell you this.¡± He drummed against my office desk with the tip of his fingers. ¡°Being a part of the mafia society is a lot. But it¡¯s a whole lot more when you¡¯re a leader. Remember the incident that had ured that made me step down from my position as Don?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± I sighed deeply, massaging the bridge of my nose with abined effort of my thumb and index finger. It wasn¡¯t such a beautiful incident to remember. 3 years ago, Alexander was very much the Don of the Russo family. One of our rival mafia families had attacked our men at the Russo barracks. It had been very unexpected, leading to the loss of a few men. Unfortunately, Alex¡¯s wife; Be had decided to pay a visit to the Russo factory which was situated in the barracks. She had been heavily pregnant during that time, and had been shot in the belly multiple times. She had lost her baby and almost lost her life as well, after surviving a major surgery. We all thought Alexander was going to lose his mind from the pain of it all at the time, but thankfully, he handled it well.


    ¡°What I had learned the hard way, was the fact that you cannot be in the center of power and bepletely secure. For power, you¡¯d have to sacrifice some things. I¡¯m sure you remember how I had zeroed my mind towards the possibility of finding and having love. My position as the head of the mafia made it extremely difficult for me to have those things. Most of thedies who flocked around me were there for the money. Like our other cousins, I was most probably gonna get married into another powerful family for the sake of support and stability. But when Be came along, she was too good to be true and I was quick to hold onto her. She was a miracle I wasn¡¯t willing to let go off. She may have been so broken and fucked up when I met her, but I knew she was the one for me. I may have grown sofortable in my happy life that I forgot there was a price to be paid. Hell! I had lots of enemies everywhere. I had paid my price in the way I least expected. I almost lost my joy in the process. I finally realized Be was never going to be safe with me being a part of all these. I knew it was impossible to leave the family, but I did the best I could do for her nheless. I vacated the seat of power. Like I said earlier, being a mafian is a lot, but being the head of a mafia family is a lot more. If I had a thousand enemies while I was Don, I definitely have lesser now. I¡¯m still notpletely without enemies, but atleast the probability of my wife being in another messy situation is lesser.¡± He took a deep breathe and released it.


    ¡°The reason why I had to recall all of that is to make you understand that you cannot always have what you want as a leader. Many times more than a few, you have topromise. And in situations where you insist on having those things your position does not permit you to have, there¡¯s always a price to be paid.¡±


    ¡°I understand you, but aren¡¯t you going a bit too far?¡± I asked.


    ¡°How do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Even if I settle for a marriage with the sole purpose of procreating heirs and strengthening the connections between families, that does not exempt whomever I marry from being a target?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s tell ourselves the truth. The pain hits different when it¡¯s someone you truly love. Annnndddd¡­¡± He chuckled. ¡°I think you¡¯re misunderstanding the lesson. I am not hitting on specifics, but rather generalizing it when I say there is always a price to pay as a mafian. I don¡¯t necessarily mean with a woman. I mean in all aspects of life. As a mafian who is a Don, you can¡¯t always have everything you want. I think you were more concerned about the area in your life that the shoes fits.¡± He winked and it really had a way of getting on my nerves. Maybe because he was right. ¡°Secondly, when we talk about the price being paid, it doesn¡¯t have to be a case of anyone being shot or targeted. Anything can be a price.¡± He shrugged. ¡°I take for instance your insistence on being with Francesca. She doesn¡¯t have to be shot for the price to be paid. Maybe the price you¡¯d pay would be having a greater conflict between the Russos and the Ferraris, that cannot be managed. Probably as a result of rebel members. Anything could be it.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± I nodded, feeling less interested in another one of my cousin¡¯s numerous lectures.


    ¡°Just ¡®alright¡¯? Really? Who was I kidding?¡± Heughed at himself. ¡°I already knew this wasn¡¯t going to change your mind about being with her.¡± He chuckled. ¡°But I wish you the best though. And whatever step it is that you take, I¡¯m solidly behind you to support you. At the end of the day, sometimes our happiness just matters more.¡±


    ¡°You finally said the kind of thing I wanted to hear. This discussion honestly doesn¡¯t change my mind about being with her, it only makes me want her more. I love challenges.¡± I rxed into my seat and gave a devilish smirk.


    ¡°Enough of this topic of discussion already.¡± He sighed. ¡°Atleast, we are already sure no one from the Ferraris got hurt as a result of Jacobo. It¡¯s a relief.¡±


    ¡°Yeeaahhh.¡± That was really the only thing that had prevented me from going mad with anger. ¡°So tell me what¡¯s up. We haven¡¯t talked for couple of days now.¡± I sighed.


    ¡°Yeah, we haven¡¯t.¡± He nodded.


    ¡°So what¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Nothing much.¡± He shrugged. ¡°Just that I finally hired a new P. A.¡±


    ¡°Oh? You did?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Someone I know?¡±


    ¡°Definitely not. I wouldn¡¯t make the mistake of employing someone we know again. They just have a way of being so familiar with you and not taking their work seriously. I figured a total stranger would serve best.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm. True though.¡± I nodded in agreement.


    ¡°Her name is Bianca. She is to resume work tomorrow. She would be on probation and we would know if she is fit to keep her job a week from now.¡±

 CHAPTER 4

    BIANCA¡¯S POV


    I smiled at the screen of myptop as I read the mail over and over again. For 3 years, I worked so hard in college, just so I could graduate with a good degree and be able to bag a job at Alexander Russo¡¯spany. Yes, it was for the sake of being in a closer range with Manuel Russo. And yes!!! I was still a hopeless fangirl. I still crushed on the man I had only seen once. The same man whom had been standing on the podium on the day of my big sister¡¯s convocation ceremony. In my opinion, Manuel wasn¡¯t a kind of guy one forgot so easily. I knew there were probably a lot of girls fangirling him like myself, but what made me different from them was the fact that I was more than ready to make something possible. I know I sound like an obsessive stalker, but trust me, my likeness for him is healthy. My efforts in trying to bag a job with his cousin may have been quite extreme, but ites from a good ce. Also, let¡¯s be real. If things do not turn out as I wish, I haven¡¯t lost anything. It¡¯s not everyone who has the chance to work in such a big and reputablepany as that of Alexander Russo. The pay is very good and I would be able to start building something for myself gradually. I still wished to be a powerful woman with a great empire. I knew my dreams would take a lot of time and patience, but it was definitely worth it.


    I smiled, deep in thoughts as I remembered how proud my father looked on the day of my convocation. He had looked down at me with so much love in his eyes and said ¡®You have made me so proud¡¯. I had always hoped to see such a look on his face, and I finally did. Trust me, it was worth all the hardwork and sleepless nights. I stood from my bed and walked over to therge mirror at the edge of the wall. I frowned a bit when I looked at the reflection of my tangled hair. It had been a while I had a beauty appointment at the salon. I guess the day had finallye. I had a job interview at the Russopany tomorrow, so I had to look as presentable as possible. That being agreed upon, I quickly put on some clothes and made my way downstairs. Mama and Papa were both in the living room when I got down. They seemed to be in a world of their own until they noticed my presence. Wait a minute, didn¡¯t they hear my footsteps as I descended the stairs?


    ¡°Bibi?¡± Mama called and I gave azy smile.


    ¡°Yes mama.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯repletely dressed. Where are you off to? It¡¯s really hot outside.¡±


    ¡°I know, but I need to get my hair done.¡±


    ¡°Why? Any asion?¡± She asked, making me chuckle. I really did not want to tell them about the job until I was sure I had been hired.


    ¡°Can I not decide to look good for myself, without the pressure of a party or event?¡± I shook my head in disbelief.


    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t really say.¡± She shrugged. ¡°Everyone knows how much you do not like or bother to care for your hair.¡±


    ¡°I do not hate my hair! I do not like it either, but I pretty much do not hate it. Atleast, not anymore.¡±


    ¡°Whatever.¡± She dramatically rolled her eyes, making my father chuckle.


    ¡°Papa, I would be back soon. You both, stay safe.¡± With that, I walked out of the house and made my way to the salon. Midway gone, I stopped by at a store to get some cookies and other junks. I would definitely love to munch on stuff while they styled my hair. Just sitting there and moping at nothing all through the time was going to be boring. After getting more than enough snacks, I stepped out of the store and continued on my way to the salon. I passed by a few grocery stores before finding a salon. At first, the salon seemed unfamiliar to me because I couldn¡¯t remember seeing it around there before. But then, the exterior design of the salon was lovely and it made me quite eager to see what the interior looked like. I pushed open the ss door at the entrance and made my way in. Empty? How could such a beautiful salon be so empty? But then, it was beautiful and cozy.


    ¡°Oh hello! I¡¯m Hilda. Lovely to have you here.¡± I turned to the right to see a counter and a lovely middle aged woman behind it.


    ¡°Hi.¡± I managed a small wave. The next minute, she walked out of the counter and came to me.


    ¡°Finally, a customer. After waiting for such long hours.¡± She muttered to herself.


    ¡°Sorry?¡±


    ¡°Do not mind me! I¡¯m just so excited that we finally have a customer.¡±


    ¡°Why? People do not patronize you?¡± I asked, a bit at loss. If such an exotic looking ce wasn¡¯t well patronized, then does that mean they do not offer good services?


    ¡°Well, technically, people don¡¯t. But it¡¯s understandable because if we had been here the whole time, they would have. Today is our first day of work. Wee! You¡¯re our lucky first customer.¡± She grinned, making me smile widely. Interesting.


    ¡°What makes me lucky?¡±


    ¡°Asides from the fact that you¡¯re going to be beautified by one of the best specialists in town, you wouldn¡¯t have to pay, for being our very first customer.¡±


    ¡°Oh wow!¡± I couldn¡¯t help the grin I had on my face. I wasn¡¯t so financially buoyant these days. I had already expended so much from the regr pocket money I got from my parents for the month. I could really use a free service right now.


    ¡°Yes. So what services what you love to be offered today?¡±


    ¡°I wanted a really nice makeover for my hair, and a pedicure and manicure session as well. So how much do I need to pay to get my nails done?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to pay. Not just your hair, but everything you do here today is for free.¡± She said, disying her perfect dentitions. Oh wow!! This was good. I was really lucky today.


    ¡°Thank youuuu.¡± I grinned widely, unable to contain my gratitude anymore.


    ¡°Alright then! Let¡¯s get to it.¡± She turned around and walked back to the counter, where she dialed a number on thendline. ¡°Yes, please.¡± That was all she said on the phone before returning to her previous station behind the counter.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t we going to be doing it now?¡± I asked, feeling a bit doubtful as she returned behind the counter.


    ¡°Of course, we are, hon. They would be here to attend to you soon enough.¡±


    ¡°They?¡± Just as I asked, a part of the walls shook and the next minute, I was seeing an open door. God! I hadn¡¯t the slightest idea that there was actually a door there. The walls and doors were so smoth. It was only when I looked closely that I noticed a door handle and lock.? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    ¡°Yes, ¡®they¡¯. I am only the sales manager. They would attend to you.¡± Through the opened door, a fewdies dressed in the same tees that Hilda had been wearing, stepped in. Okayyy. I think I was about receiving the best beauty treatment of my life!


    **********************************


    ¡°Oh, beautiful!¡± Mom looked at me with so much admiration in her eyes. ¡°She really took your hair game to some other level. This is so good.¡± She nodded satisfactorily. ¡°I love the way she changed your regr straight hair to a deep wavy style. Did you also get some facials done? You look really cute.¡±


    ¡°Yeaahhh, I actually do like my new hairstyle. And I am quite cute on a normal day.¡± I replied tiredly. One was supposed to feel new and better after a beauty treatment, but in my case I felt really exhausted. After I had gotten my hair and nails done, Hilda had insisted I just made use of the opportunity and get somesh extensions. After that, she convinced me that they had a mini spa where I could get a professional massage and facials done. Not wanting to miss out on anything while I had the opportunity, I followed them into an inner chamber where I got a special massage and facials done. Now I was back home, I just felt so exhausted from all the beauty sessions I had to undergo. ¡°Thanks mom.¡± I muttered and retired to my room. Initially, I had gone about my business of bathing and brushing without staring at the mirror for even once. Just when I was about sleeping, I felt some rashes on my neck and decided to look at it in the mirror. When I came in front of the mirror, my breathe hitched.


    I had already packed my hair up in a bo, but my face looked so rxed and beautiful. I was glowing. I also took my time to admire thesh extensions I had made. I loved them. They weren¡¯t so full, but were not scanty either. They looked pretty much natural. No wonder mom had been so impressed when I returned home. Sadly, Dad was already asleep when I returned, so hadn¡¯t been able to see my new look. He would have been happy with my mini makeover as well. I rarely did these makeovers, so it was quite understable why this made me really excited. Well to be honest, I was also excited to be seeing Alexander Russo tomorrow. Who knows? I may actually have the opportunity to see Manuel as well. Now, I felt quite giddy. I couldn¡¯t wait to get to Russo tomorrow. Almost immediately, I remembered the fact that I stood a chance of not getting the job, making me grow discouraged. But it was only momentary because I also quickly reminded myself that I had alreadye this far. I would definitely get the job by the grace of God. Finally being able to taper down my excitement, I fell onto my bed and closed my eyes in anticipation for sleep to take over. Not up to five minutester, I was in and of dreams.


    ¡°Sweetie! Bibi.¡± I abrubtly opened my eyes at hearing the sound of my name. That was definitely mama. I let out a loud yawn as I looked around my room, trying to fix my eyes on the source of disturbance, but I wasn¡¯t seeing her anywhere around.


    ¡°Mama!¡± I yelled out in frustration. She couldn¡¯t just wake me up when she didn¡¯t want me to do anything for her, and knew I had nothing to do on my own part. Nothing to do on my part. Nothing to do on my part? Nothing to do¡­.!!!! Fuck! Today was supposed to be my interview with Alexander Russo! Oh my God! What was the time? I quickly picked up my phone from inside the bedside drawer that was beside my bed. Oh no!! It was 7:36am already, and my interview was ted for 8:30am. I basically had less than an hour to be there. You all think sh is the fastest? Then you had to see me in action that morning. I breezed in and out of the bathroom, did very minimal makeup. Just glossed my lips, applied some mascara, and put some blush and bronzer on my face. I naturally had a slightly pale face, so I hardly stepped out without applying some blush to give my face more colour. The moment I zipped up my trousers and put on my zer, I fled out with my files in my hands, and my hairs peeking out from the initial style it was packed into. God!!


    ¡°Jeezzz! Bibi!!¡± Mom yelled at the top of her voice as I ran out through the living room and out of the front doors. For a moment in my ¡®helter~skelter¡¯ mode, a face shed through my mind and I sensed the longing inside me. It was M¡¯s face. I still couldn¡¯t believe she had left for Newyork with my sweet nephew after all. It was already a few months since she left, and I still missed her dearly. Whenever mom called me ¡®Bibi¡¯, M alwayses to mind because she started calling me that. Just after my three seconds of nostalgia, my mind returned to the the issue at hand. I had an interview I had prepared for, for over 3 years and somehow, I hadn¡¯t managed to keep to time. So disappointing.


    I sighed in mild irritation at myself as I hopped down the cab and looked right in front of the tall building in front of me. ¡®A. RUSSO¡¯, as it was written. ¡°Powerful.¡± Those were the only words I had in mind at that point in time. Hold it!! Don¡¯t judge me by talking about how obsessed with power I am. I meeaannn¡­ who doesn¡¯t love to be in charge? Well, I do! After being continuously picked on in high school and part of my college days by Kyle, I have always wanted to have a say in not just my life, but others as well. Atleast, I realized that when I finally stood up to Kyle for the very first time. It felt soooo good.


    Realizing I was beginning to gape at the tall building for way too long, while time ticked away, I shook my head in embarrassment and ran into the building. On going in, I looked around and by the right was a ss counter with most certainly the receptionist behind.


    ¡°Good morning.¡± I muttered, feeling weird for some reason as all the other people sitting in every corner of the ce looked at me. A much closer look at them, and I knew they were also here for a job just like me.


    ¡°Ohhh dear¡­¡± The receptionist suddenly called out to me, catching me off guard.


    Don¡¯t get me wrong, I knew people were different, but I had always thought receptionists in such big business corporations were always saucy. Her sweet attitude made me bring my focus to her. She was a middle aged woman that still had a way of looking very young and ssy. You definitely had to be ssy if you were working in a ce such as this. She had a coffe brown hair, which was neatly wrapped in a big bun at the back of her head. Her eye color were almost same shade as my sea green eyes.


    ¡°Hello ma¡¯am?¡± I said, almost sounding like I was questioning her.


    ¡°Oh dear..¡± She repeated, waving her hand for me toe over. Still not believing she was referring to me, I nced behind me to see if there was any other person behind me, before looking back at her. There was actually someone else behind me, but she waspletely busy on her phone.


    ¡°Me?¡± I pointed at myself and she gave a positive nod.


    ¡°Yes please. Come here.¡± With that, I walked up to her and gave a small but awkward smile. The next second, she pulled out a few pins from her bag and began touching up my hair. ¡°Let¡¯s help you put these beautiful mane in order!¡± She grinned. I still felt weird when peopleplimented my hair. It had taken me years toe to terms with the fact that my hair was not so bad after all. That was what being bullied as a kid for so many years could cause.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± I muttered, and she smiled.


    ¡°We¡¯re all done.¡± She informed me after some minutes of being busy on my hair. ¡°This is very unprofessional, you know that right?¡± She asked me, and I swallowed a heavy lump that her question had created in my throat.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry for being tardy. I promise it wasn¡¯t intentional. Do you think I¡¯d still stand a chance to be hired?¡±


    ¡°Oh no, dear. I wasn¡¯t talking about you. Yes, you¡¯re a bit tardy, but you still made it here 5 minutes before the scheduled time, so you¡¯re just fine.¡± She smiled. ¡°I was only talking about your hair. It very unprofessional for me to be fixing your hair in the office.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh¡­¡± I muttered when I understood what she was saying.


    ¡°Yeaahhh¡­¡± She nodded, mimicking the tone of my ¡®ohhh¡¯. ¡°So, when you eventually get hired, make sure to have your hair properly arranged before arriving work. That should be all for now. Out with you.¡± She said, shooing me away. Oh wow! If I heard right, she had said I would be hired for the job. But how could she be so sure? Maybe she was simply being nice and encouraging, but it really made my day. I gave a small wave and walked towards where the others sat. Just when I found an empty space to sit, I heard a deep masculine voice call our attention. I looked up to see a well built dark guy.


    ¡°If you¡¯re here for the interview, pleasee with me.¡± That was all he said, before turning and walking up the staircase I hadn¡¯t even noticed was there initially. Okayyyy¡­ it¡¯s about to go down. Actually, up.

 CHAPTER 5

    BIANCA¡¯S POV


    We all ascended the stairs. I didn¡¯t know if it was just me, or if every other person was feeling as giddy as I was feeling. We followed the dark man through a long hallway until we came before a door. He opened it and ushered us in. In a single file, approximately 12 of us walked in through the doors and appeared inside a fairlyrge hall. There were paired desk and seats, neatly arranged in the hall.


    ¡°Please, get sitted and make yourselvesfortable.¡± He informed, before making his way out. It was in that moment I realized not everyone felt giddy like me. Some of them felt tensed. I watched in suprise as a petite lookingdy who was dressed in a ck gown that definitely looked bigger than her, and a ck rimmed ss that covered half of her face, randomly hit more than a few desks in the process of finding the perfect seat to upy. She finally hit another desk and her pen fell from her hand. As she bent to pick up the pen, she muttered a few curse words and some words of apology. She had gotten everyone¡¯s attention at the time.


    ¡°My God!¡± She muttered. ¡°Please I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m not usually so clumsy. I¡¯m just so tensed.¡± I thought I had said ¡®Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s fine.¡¯, butter realized that I only said it in my head. ¡°A~hah!¡± She sighed when she finally saw the pen she had been looking around for, just under one of the desks. She quickly bent lower to get it and then, her sses fell right off her face. ¡°Oh God.¡± She whimpered. The sses were just few few inches away from her, but I was suprised when she kept hitting the floor around her, trying to find the sses. At first, everywhere was quiet, and I thought it was because every other person had been caught off guard just like I was. Atleast, that was until a guy muttered some rather silly words to himself. Everybody heard him, making them burst intoughter.


    ¡°Apparently, she¡¯s not only funny looking and clumsy, but blind as a bat.¡± That was what the prick had said, and that was no funny thing to say. So why was everyoneughing? Atleast, not all of them, but most of them.


    Immediately, I stood up to go help her get her sses. I squatted to her level, picked them up, and held her hand in mine. She gave a slight whimper as she probably did not expect being touched by anyone.


    ¡°Here are your sses, love.¡± I said, putting the sses into her hand. A closer look at her and I realized she wasn¡¯t as old as I may have thought. She pretty much looked my age. The sses, her rather elderly looking hairstyle, and the oversized clothes she wore, made her look a bit older.


    ¡°Ah?¡± She sounded surprised and shocked at the same time. Hadn¡¯t someone been nice to her before? ¡°Thank you.¡± Her words held so much gratitude and all I could do was nod. She  put her sses back on, picked up her pen and finally sat on the empty seat in front of her. I quickly made my way back to my seat and sat down. But that wasn¡¯t all, I had something to say to ¡®Mr stupid talk¡¯.


    ¡°And you think your words make you appear funny or smart? You¡¯re just a coward.¡± Wait a minute. Did I really just say that? Jeez. I wanted to hold back from saying more, but I couldn¡¯t. ¡°Making fun of someone in need of help? You think you¡¯re still a kid?¡± Iughed humourlessly as the guy looked at me in embarrassment, and what looked like anger. ¡°In case you¡¯re yet to realize it, you¡¯re here for a job! You¡¯re looking for a Goddamned job! You¡¯re grown already, man. Act like it.¡± I shook my head in disbelief as everyone remained silent. Good.


    Just then, the dark guy walked back inside the hall where we were sitted, with another man following him behind.


    ¡°Good morning everyone!¡± He greeted.


    ¡°Good morning.¡± We chorusly replied.


    ¡°I trust we all are here for the job openings under Russo? My name is Edgar, and I¡¯m the assistant to the HR Manager. With me is Pablo. He is an intern working with us, and would be supervising you during this short test. This test is what would qualify you to bag a job here in A. Russo. There are currently 3 job openings, and I¡¯m sure all of you didn¡¯te here for the same thing. A paper would be passed around now. Please fill in appropriately; Your name and the specific job you¡¯re here for.¡± As soon as he said that, Pablo dropped a paper on top of Mr stupid talk¡¯s desk. Gradually, the paper was passed around and when it got to me, I quickly looked over the information everyone else had written. Wow! Seems like more of us were here for the position of the P. A to the CEO. Are you kidding? The possibility of getting the job suddenly look slim to me. I didn¡¯t know if most of them were more intelligent than I was. Regardless, I filled in my own information and passed the paper to the next person behind me. The paper was passed around real quick and soon, we were done.


    Mr Edgar walked out once more, leaving Pablo behind in the hall. Just then, we heard some voices outside the hall and the next minute, two otherdies walked in. At first, I thought they worked in Russo, until they each ran towrds empty seats and sat down calmly. Ohhh, they werete. That would have been my fate if I had spent some extra minutes at home. We all waited patiently for Mr Edgar to return because clearly, Pablo didn¡¯t have an idea as to what was toe next. After a long period of waiting, Mr Edgar finally walked in with some sheets in his hand. He handed them over to Pablo, who began sharing the sheets.


    ¡°That sheet contains your supplied details, and the questions you have to answer during your 30 minutes exam. Also, more than enough space has been provided for you to share your thoughts and answers with us. Good luck!¡± With that, he walked out of the hall and we all got to business. I first looked my questions over and thought about answers, before going ahead to write. Some of the questions seemed a bit tricky, but I managed.


    ¡°Please, put away your pens this instant.¡± The sudden order made me look up, only to see Mr Edgar standing in front of the hall. ¡°Pablo, please walk round and collect everyone¡¯s sheet. Anyone seen still writing, would be automatically disqualified.¡± At the sound of thest statement, I quickly dropped my pen and sighed heavily. I know I tried my best. What¡¯s the worst that could happen after all? ¡®That¡¯s you losing the job!¡¯ My inner mind chided, making me shiver at the thought. I hade this far, all I wanted was just this job. Apart from Manuel, I needed the obvious stability athat woulde with it. I watched in silence as Pablo got to my desk and picked up my sheet. After everyone¡¯s sheets were collected, Mr Edgar walked back to the front of the hall and gave a small smile.


    ¡°Please wait behind, the results would be announced soon. Then, we would know who got the jobs, and who did not. Goodluck guys.¡± After talking, he walked through the doors, out of the hall, with pablo following behind. The entire hall was quiet immediately they left. Before we had written the tests, they muttered amongst themselves but now, everyone single person was so quiet. Didn¡¯t their tests go well? Not like I had so much trust in my own answers, but it wasn¡¯t that bad.


    I looked around to see the only person who happened to be in good spirits. The ss girl. I subconsciously smiled when I noticed she was just fine. For her to be so chill meant she was quite smart after all. I sighed and rxed into my seat as thoughts of how I was gonna break the wonderful news of my new job to my parents croseed my mind. They were going to be so happy. Okay, get a grip Bianca! I¡¯m not even sure I was gonna be hired yet. We waited for what seemed to be almost an hour. At the time, I guess most of the job seekers had gotten over their initial cold feet and were interacting with each other again. The moment Pablo walked in, everywhere went silent. Why did it feel like we were in high school all of a sudden? I fought the urge tough out loud and bit my bottom lips instead.


    ¡°Hello everyone. So sorry for the long wait. Please I would ask you all to quickly go through your mails.¡± The moment he said that, we all brought out our phones. I quickly checked my mail and I saw a fresh mail from A. Russo. I may have thought I was good at managing anxiety, but at that moment my heart failed me. I could hear my loud heartbeat in my ears, as I wondered what was in the mail I was yet to open.


    I could already hear murmurs around the hall. Apparently, a lot of us were not given the job. That was much expected. When I saw the ss girl letting out funny squeals, I smiled and got encouraged to open the mail. She was clearly given the job. I inhaled and exhaled sharply, before opening the mail. ¡®Congrattions Miss Bianca Bianchi! You have been offered the position of the Personal Assistant to the Chief executive officer, A. Russopany. We wee you to our work space and hope to have a good work experience with you.¡¯ That was what the mail said. If I had been alone, I would have yelled at the top of my lungs, but seeing as others were probably sulking due to their inability to get their desired jobs, I had to do my wild celebratory dance in my head. Finally!!! I was extremely happy. The more I looked at my phone, the more it dawned on me that my life was about to change.


    ¡°Miss Laura Marino, Mr Ricardo Fernando, and Miss Bianca Bianchi. Wee to A. Russo. Plessee with me.¡± He started walking out of the hall and I hurriedly carried my bag and phone, before following thedy I now knew to be Laura Marino. I didn¡¯t know why, but I felt good about the fact she got the job. But what I certainly didn¡¯t feel good about was when the man who was apparently Ricardo, was none other than the dumb guy who had made jest of Laura some moments back. If I were in charge, I definitely wasn¡¯t gonna give him the job but then again, this wasn¡¯t a movie. This was life. In life, not everything happens the way you want.


    I quickly tore my eyes away from his face on focused them on Laura¡¯s petite form. I wondered if the rest who came for the interview were just going to return home defeated, but then again, that was life.


    We got into an elevator that took us another floor which screamed ¡®executive¡¯!! We walked through the hallway with so many doors by the sides, until we came to a stop at a veryrge door. Above it was written ¡®CEO, A. RUSSO¡¯. This was Alexander Russo¡¯s office!! I danced in my head.


    ¡°This would be our stop for you, Miss Bianchi. When you step in, you¡¯d see Mr Edgar, who would make the necessary introductions between yourself and your new boss. Please step in.¡± He requested. I could feel my hands shake as I knocked twice, before holding the door knob to turn it open. The moment I was in, I could hear them walk away. I faced the door for quite a while, before finally building up some courage and turning to see my new boss. There he was, sitting calmly as he went through some documents on his desk. I didn¡¯t know if he hadn¡¯t noticed my presence, and was about to announce myself when another voice beat me to it.


    ¡°Sir, this is¡­¡± Edgar was still talking when Alexander cut him off.? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    ¡°No need to stress yourself Ed. I pretty much know who she is.¡± He sighed, finally removing his eyes from the papers and fixing them on me. I suddenly felt so tiny in his presence and beneath his look, that I didn¡¯t even know when I looked down at my hands.


    ¡°Good morning Sir. My name is Bianca Bianchi¡­.¡± I said, suddenly at loss for words. If I was behaving this way with him, then how was I going to react when I saw Manuel face to face for the first time?


    ¡°Ed, please leave us.¡± He ordered and Mr Edgar calmly made his way out, leaving us alone. My supposed boss sized me up for a few seconds, before speaking. ¡°Miss Bianchi, I love people who are strictly professional, I do not appreciateteness, and I like smart people.¡± He adjusted his position in his seat, before looking at me again. ¡°Can you be all of that?¡± He asked, and I nodded.


    ¡°Of course, Sir. I would deliver.¡±


    ¡°I like the sound of that.¡± He muttered. ¡°You¡¯re to resume work by 8am every week day. I get to the office by 9am, so my coffe should be done and ready 5 minutes earlier. My schedule for each day should be sent to my mail before I get to work. Lastly, you would be on a week probation, after which we¡¯d both be sure if we really want to work hand in hand. As for your sry, please discuss that with Edgar.¡± It took a few seconds topletely register all he had said in my mind.


    ¡°Okay Sir.¡± I nodded.


    ¡°You can leave now. Boost up your energy and resume work tomorrow. Remember, I hate tardiness.¡±

 CHAPTER 6

    MANUEL¡¯S POV


    ¡°Arrghhh!! Yes!!¡± She moaned loudly before falling to the other side of the bed. Oh, that was nice. I leaned in to give her a kiss on the lip, but she clearly had other ns as she turned her face away and got up from the bed.


    ¡°Why?¡± I simply asked, slightly irritated.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I have to get going now.¡± She muttered, giving me that sympathetic smile that I hated so much.


    ¡°We only just got here.¡±


    ¡°I know!¡± She sighed, throwing her hands up in frustration. ¡°I know, but there is a dinner I have to show up at, with my father.¡± At the mention of that, I went silent, trying to push away the feeling of annoyance that was slowly creeping in.


    ¡°Do you even talk to your father about this? About us?¡± I finally couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore.


    ¡°Trust me, love..¡± She chuckled. ¡°I do, but he is never interested in any conversation that has to do with you. I¡¯m trying.¡±


    ¡°Then maybe you aren¡¯t trying enough!!¡± I yelled out, finally letting out my anger. ¡°You are just not trying!¡±


    ¡°Manuel,¡± She sighed, sitting on the bed with her back towards me. ¡°You do not always have to yell at me to pass a message. I¡¯m your fiancee and not your employee or one of your men.¡±


    ¡°Oh, please!¡± I scoffed. ¡°You¡¯re always more focused on my tone, rather than the message I¡¯m trying to pass across to you. It¡¯s fucking stressful to be having these back and forths! It¡¯s annoying! You talk about being my fiancee. We have been engaged for over two years, but cannot even get married because your father doesn¡¯t like me! You don¡¯t even wear your ring when you¡¯re home. Is all these a joke to you? Am I a joke to you?¡±


    ¡°No, Manuel.¡± She shook her head, that signature look of disappointment on her face. Francesca was always disappointed in me. Typical her. ¡°I should be the one asking you that. You act as if this rtionship doesn¡¯t require joint efforts. I¡¯m trying my best here! Maybe if your men hadn¡¯t almost hurt my father and his men during your failed mission two weeks ago, he wouldn¡¯t be this mad at you. Hell! We wouldn¡¯t even being to a hotel just so we can spend time with each other, if your mother likes me, and is really nice to me! It is not entirely my fault. You clearly have areas you need to fix up as well!¡± Oh no, therees the tears!


    ¡°Do you always have to cry?!!¡± I yelled out in exasperation. ¡°You can pass your message without crying!¡± God knows how much I hated seeing a woman¡¯s tears. Anybody¡¯s tears for that matter.


    ¡°Do you even care that you hurt my feelings?!¡± She yelled back in anger as she got up from the bed to put on the rest of her clothes. Fuck!


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± I rushed out of bed and held her by the waist, but I had another thinging when she pushed me away.


    ¡°You¡¯re just apologizing because you don¡¯t want me to go, not because you actually care that you hurt my feelings. You¡¯re just an asshole!¡±


    Why did she ways have a way of spoiling the mood all the time? She asked for an apology, I gave it to her. Now she feels the apology isn¡¯t true enough. And what¡¯s with the insult?


    ¡°You know what?¡± I asked, stepping away from her. ¡°Just go. Go and meet your papa.¡± I muttered in annoyance. She looked at me in disbelief and shook her head multiple times.


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Just go. You give me a headache with your incessant naggings. If not for the fact that I love you, you wouldn¡¯t have the guts to say certain things to me. Many people who have, are dead.¡± I stated matter of factly.


    ¡°Oh really?¡± She walked closer to me, covering the space between our faces. ¡°And if you really loved me, this rubbish wouldn¡¯t even cross your mind.¡± She chuckled dryly, before picking up her hand bag from the edge of the bed. ¡°Goodnight.¡± With that, she walked out of the room, leaving a not so nice feeling in my heart. Fine then. My night was officially fucked.


    I stayed in bed all through the night, thinking of a way forward. I wanted so badly to just do away with Francesca since nothing was working, but I just couldn¡¯t.


    ***  *** ******


    2 weekster.


    ¡°And why can¡¯t you?¡± Alexander asked from the other end of the line. ¡°Why can¡¯t you just end all of these with her?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± I shrugged. It wasn¡¯t like he could see me after all. ¡°Maybe that¡¯s how I know we are meant to be.¡±


    ¡°You think?¡± He chuckled. ¡°Can I tell you what I  think this is?¡±


    ¡°I already know it¡¯s not something positive, but say it, all the same.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just so obsessed with the idea of ending the feud between the Ferraris and Russos.¡±


    ¡°Naturally.¡± I muttered. ¡°That¡¯s what happens when you truly want to be with someone.¡±


    ¡°On the contrary.¡± He said. ¡°That¡¯s what happens when you don¡¯t even know why you¡¯re with a person anymore.¡±


    ¡°What is that even supposed to mean?¡±


    ¡°This is the what¡­?¡± He asked rhetorically. ¡°The fifth time you both are having a huge misunderstanding within the space of 3 months. Do you even understand yourselves anymore, or you¡¯re rather interested in merging your families?¡± I had no response to his questions, so I just remained quiet. ¡°Manuel, don¡¯t you feel like you¡¯re wasting your time? Maybe what if all she needs is just a push. A little spontaneity to make her step out of herfort zone.¡±


    ¡°Okay, now I don¡¯t get you.¡± I sighed.


    ¡°You already said she finds it hard to defy her father. How about putting her in a spot? That way you know if she would stand up for your rtionship, or choose her father over you.¡±


    ¡°What do you suggest I do?¡± I asked, as his words finally piquing my interest.


    ¡°There¡¯s a lot you can do. You could even show up at her ce for dinner, and introduce yourself as her fiance, to her father.¡±


    ¡°Oh no!! That would not only be dangerous, but hrious!¡±


    ¡°Dangerous in what sense?¡± Alexander asked, after which I started hearing some shufflings at the other end of the line.


    ¡°Are you still there?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I am.¡± He replied, though his breathing sounded a bit shallow. ¡°I was asking what could be dangerous? Francisco Ferrari knows better than to inflict any form of harm on you. As long as you do not pose a threat to him, he wouldn¡¯t retaliate. Though, I wouldn¡¯tpletely debunk the idea that it could be dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Exactly! It could be dangerous, so that¡¯s off the chart.¡±


    ¡°So what would you do? I can tell you¡¯re quite bothered by the silence between you and Francesca.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am. But not to worry, I would think of something soonest. Something quite spontaneous.¡± I chuckled. ¡°Tomorrow is Friday, the start of a weekend. We should visit the Casino.¡± I suggested, but got no response from him. ¡°Alex?¡±


    ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± He let out a muffled groan and I was quite bothered until I heard the sound of kisses. Oh God, not again! This was always how it was. I preferred talking to Alex in person because it was almost impossible for him to be left alone while at home. Be was like a beast that always attacked when you least expect it. With a low hiss, I ended the call and walked into my bathroom. It was days like this that I really missed Francesca. Now, I had a hard on, with no one to take care of it! I had always been a onedy¡¯s kind of man, so sleeping out had never been my style. I gave a deep sigh as I dipped my body into the tub of cold water. It felt rxing too, so I just remained there for as long as possible. By the time I got out, the water had already gone warm. I dabbed my body dry and put on some clothes, after which I contemted putting a call across to her. Would she even pick up. It had been 2 whole weeks and we had not seen nor spoken to each other. After some more minutes of thinking, I finally gave in to the urge and picked up my phone to call her. Just as I was about dialing her mobile number, her call came in. I could swear that I was shocked. I didn¡¯t waste any more time as I answered the call immediately.


    ¡°I swear I was just about dialing your number.¡± I rushed out, making her chuckle at the other end of the line.


    ¡°I miss you.¡± She muttered, making me smile to myself.


    ¡°I miss you too. Can youe over?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m on my way.¡± She whispered, before hanging up the call. Okayyyy, the universe was pretty much on my side today. I was grateful.


    *************************************


    I had gotten to work quitete today because I was exhausted from the marathon sex Francesca and I hadst night. We were at it until the early hours of this morning, so it made me sleep in longer than I usually did. Not to talk about the endless minutes of quarrels from my mother. She had always not been a fan of Francesca. Scratch that! She had never been a fan of all my ex girlfriends. Now, it was the same with Francesca. Though her excuse was about Francesca being a part of another rival family. After I was done talking, or rather arguing with my mom, I headed out for work with Francesca in tow. We definitely knew letting her stay back at the house wasn¡¯t a good idea. Mom was not gonna be having it.


    I had gotten a news that soured my mood the moment I stepped into my office. For the longest time, the Russos have done business with Marco, so I couldn¡¯t begin to fathom the reason for hispsestely. I decided the best thing was to go talk to Alexander about it. He knew his way around this particr set of people.


    As I walked into Alexander¡¯s office, I was suprised to see someone different sitting on the seat of his personal assistant. Oh, that reminds me! He had made mention of hiring a new P. A.


    ¡°G.. goo.. good morning Sir!¡± She stuttered, making me chuckle. Did I make her ufortable in anyway?


    ¡°Good morning. I am¡­¡±


    ¡°Mr Manuel¡­. Russo.¡± She muttered thest part, making me smile.


    ¡°Okay, you know me already. Do you mind introducing yourself?¡± At my request, she nodded vigorously.


    ¡°Bibi!¡±


    ¡°Sorry?¡±? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    ¡°Sorry. My name is Bianca.¡± She corrected herself immediately.


    ¡°Bianca, is your boss in?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he is. Please go on in.¡± She made a gesture towards the door and I muttered my thanks. But just before going in, I turned to her and smiled. I couldn¡¯t help but give her that singlepliment.


    ¡°Your hair. It¡¯s exquisite.¡± She looked to be suprised by mypliment, but I shed her a small smile nheless, and made my way in to see Alexander. When I got into his office, he seemed to be quite busy.


    ¡°Hey cuz.¡±


    ¡°Manuel! You didn¡¯t say you wereing.¡±


    ¡°Since when did I have to do so?¡± I shrugged, taking an empty seat in front of him. ¡°You seem quite busy, but definitely not too busy to go to the casino with me tonight.¡±


    ¡°You are going to the casino today?¡±


    ¡°Of course, WE are going to the casino today.¡±


    ¡°But you never made mention of it beforehand. I am very bu¡­¡±


    ¡°I remember telling you about it just before you decided the best time to make love to your wife was while on a call with me.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, about that. I¡¯m sorry man.¡±


    ¡°Of course you are. You could show me how sorry you are by apanying me to the casino today.¡±


    ¡°Fine! If you insist.¡±


    ¡°Yes! And I just saw your new secretary.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Bianca.¡±


    ¡°So how¡¯s her performance?¡±


    ¡°Oh, excellent! She¡¯s very efficient. She actually reduces the amount of work on my shoulders.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good then.¡±


    ¡°And she¡¯s smart too. If her work performance continues this way, then I may be too greedy to let her leave anytime soon.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm. Impressive.¡± I muttered, quite suprised. Alex hardly praised his staff. This was new.


    ¡°Enough of Bianca, how are you? Have you thought of anything spontaneous yet?¡± He asked, making me smile.


    ¡°I do not think there would be a need for that brother.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°We settled our differencesst night. With great sex, if I might add.¡± I grinned, making him chuckle.


    ¡°It¡¯s always that cycle for you both.¡± He shook his head as heughed. ¡°Break up, make up,  break up. I hope you both stay for a longer time without any more issues this time.¡±


    ¡°Whatever. Just be happy for me.¡± I scoffed. ¡°Meanwhile, let¡¯s talk business.¡±


    ¡°What about?¡± He asked, his attention fully on me as he closed the file in front of him.


    ¡°The Marcolinis have been messing with my importstely.¡±


    ¡°How?¡± Alex gave a deathly stare.


    ¡°They are not keeping to their side of the deal. We pay them but do not get the exact order.¡±


    ¡°Fuck! I thought Marco was over that habit already. I should have a talk with him. That¡¯s if you do not mind.¡±


    ¡°But why would I?¡±


    ¡°I probably do not want to make it seem like you can¡¯t handle some certain issues. You may think I¡¯m undermining your position as Don.¡± He sighed, shrugging his shoulders.


    ¡°Alex, it¡¯s silly you¡¯d have such thoughts going through your head. I knew I¡¯d never have it easy when I epted this position. Please sort this mess out immediately. If there are any traitors on our side, a few bullets through their skulls should do.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit.¡± He gave an evil grin. ¡°Yes boss.¡±

 CHAPTER 7

    BIANCA¡¯S POV


    It had been two weeks of working as Mr Alexander Russo¡¯s P. A, and I was starting to see that the way to sess wasn¡¯t so easy after all. The way was not just narrow, but crooked. Trust me, I¡¯m saying all these based on experience. Having experienced what it meant to be efficient in the eyes of Mr Russo, I have decided sess is not so easy to achieve. My boss may have been so demanding and expectant towards me, as his personal assistant, but what I wouldn¡¯t do is falter or fall short of his expectations simply because they were so mighty. I have always been a hardworker and have always loved challenges, so I decided to put in as much effort as I could. The past two weeks have been so stressful and tasking, but I always reminded myself that this was just a means to an end. I definitely wasn¡¯t going to be a personal assistant forever, but I needed to be ¡®it¡¯ for a start. It is so funny how much of a motivational speaker my work had turned me into. Maybe what made it all the more tasking was the fact that I had struggled so hard to get this job, just so I could have the opportunity ofing across a certain man every once in a while, but I hadn¡¯t evenid eyes on him since I began working here. From my many enquiries, I learned my boss was the closest family and friend he had, which I had managed to confirm from my boss. He usually mentioned his visits to Manuel¡¯s office randomly, whenever he spoke to me.


    The only problem was that he never asked me to apany him to Manuel¡¯s office, as it wasn¡¯t an official meeting that required my presence, neither did Manuel visit our office as often as I thought he would. He hadn¡¯t visited since I started working here to be precise. All I really wanted was just an opportunity to meet him physically for once.


    I frowned at the screen of my desktop as I typed away, and decided to focus on what I had been busy with, so I wouldn¡¯t end up making a mistake. While I typed the minutes of our just concluded meeting, my minded drifted once more towards my cousin and I wondered if all was going on well for her. We had promised to always call and keep each other updated on stuff going on, but I guess it was a close to impossible task with the kind of job Inded myself. I was always tired anytime I returned from work, and that made it quite difficult for me to stay awake and have a lengthy conversation on the phone with either M, or my sister; Amara. Thinking about Amara, I gave a small sigh. I wondered how my niece was doing. She was going to be turning 2 soon enough, and I had been hoping I would be present for her birthday. Annalise was fast growing and it made me feel so sad. No, I wasn¡¯t sad because my niece was growing, I was sad because it had only be clear to me that a lot of my dreams and ns for the future were not going as I hoped. I had always imagined being that rich aunty that would always fly in and out of town whenever she felt the need to spend time with her family.


    I had always wanted to be so involved in the growth and parenting of my nephews and nieces. To be able to afford these luxurious presents and weekend get aways or vacations. Well now, I had been drawn into the real world and have finally understood that to be that woman I want to be, would take a whole lot of time. Maybe my nieces and nephews would be all grown by the time I could afford to do all that I wanted to do for them. I shook my head in pity for myself as I went on with my work. It wasn¡¯t up to a minuteter when the door to my office was opened. I casually looked up, thinking it was one of my co workers who had probablye to collect a file, but was shocked out of my wits when I saw who it was. You know that situation where you feel like saying something, but can¡¯t manage to get a word out? That was the situation I found myself. I looked closely at him to be sure my mind wasn¡¯t ying a trick on me. This was definitely Manuel Russo.


    ¡°G.. goo.. good morning Sir!¡± I stuttered, making him chuckle. God! That was really embarrassing. I didn¡¯t mean to shout. He looked confused for a moment.


    ¡°Good morning. I am¡­¡± He started, but trust my brain to reflexlyplete his statement for him.


    ¡°Mr Manuel¡­. Russo.¡± I muttered thest part only after realizing I was being weird. This man didn¡¯t even know me personally and here I  was, acting creepy. But then again, it was hard for me to believe I was actually seeing him in flesh. The smile he had on his face at that moment, made me feel hopeful that I didn¡¯tpletely embarrass myself.


    ¡°Okay, you know me already.¡± He muttered. ¡°Do you mind introducing yourself?¡± He asked, to which I nodded vigorously.


    ¡°Bibi!¡± I burted out.


    ¡°Sorry?¡±


    ¡°Sorry. My name is Bianca.¡± I corrected myself immediately. God! This was really the most shameful moment of my life. I wanted to let him know that I was a fan who admired him a lot, but I decided it was going to seem too forward, so I remained quiet.


    ¡°Bianca, is your boss in?¡± He gave a low sigh, but I heard it. He was probably asking himself why his cousin hired me.


    ¡°Yes, he is. Please go on in.¡± I waved towards the door, and he muttered his thanks. I thought that was all but just before going in, he turned to me and smiled. At first, I found it weird that he was actually smiling at me. Infact, I found it unbelievable. We were literally done with our short introduction and he was already leaving. But then, he actually turned back just to smile at me?! People only did that when one left an impression. Did I leave such an impression?


    My brain was still buzzing for answers when I heard his next statement.


    ¡°Your hair. It¡¯s exquisite.¡± Wait a minute. Did that man really turn back just topliment my hair? I was honestly surprised. Or let¡¯s just say I found it hard to believe. Did he actually think my hair was beautiful, or my hair just had a way of calling attention? Regardless of how shocked I¡¯m sure I looked, he shed yet another warm smile at me, before making his way in to see my boss. Did I just have my first ever meeting with Manuel Russo? Jeeezz! I was probably too suprised by his sudden appearance to actually observe his physical features. His presence alone made me feel this way.


    ¡°What¡¯s got you smiling to yourself this way?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you would understand.¡± I smiled at Laura who stood at the doorway. She was probably here to call me out for lunch.


    ¡°I honestly don¡¯t think you even want me to.¡± She chuckled. ¡°Come on, I know you haven¡¯t even realized it¡¯s lunch time.¡±Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡°Actually, I didn¡¯t until I saw you.¡± Iughed.


    ¡°Not to worry, I got you. Always.¡± She grinned, making myughter stop. Maybe it was in that moment that I realized that I was finally making a friend who wasn¡¯t Amara, M, or Sarah, for the very first time in my life. Ever since we started working here a few weeks ago, Laura had never had lunch without me. It all started as a random gesture to show me appreciation for helping her pick up her fallen sses the other day, but now it was bing intentional.


    ¡°One minute.¡± I muttered. ¡°I need to save this document I¡¯m currently working on.¡± I exined, to which she nodded. After saving the document to theputer, I picked up my phone and made a signal for us to get going.


    We both walked out of my office and made our way to the cafteria downstairs. One thing I loved about working here was the fact that thepany provided our breakfast and lunch everyday. It was even better because it wasn¡¯t some sort of fixed meal for each day. There was always a buffet with several meals to choose from. The Russos were really wealthy.


    The moment we got to the cafeteria, I could feel a pair of eyes burning holes through my head, but I could care less. I already knew who it was. It was a pity that Ricardo had also been hired alongside Laura and I to work in thepany. Don¡¯t get me wrong, I didn¡¯t pray for the downfall of another, but Ricarfo clearly made Laura ufortable. In as much as Laura never spoke to me about it, I knew that Ricardo always picked on her and hadn¡¯t stopped up until now. I was not the type to put myself in between other people¡¯s issues, especially when I knew that the situation had some sort of background history. I kinda had an idea that they both knew each other long before they came for a job interview at Russo, but Laura had never bothered to tell me about it. She definitely had her reasons for not telling me about it, which made it a total no~no for me to involve myself. The only reason why I had spoken to him the way I did the other day, was because it was a situation I had clearly witnessed. And also, I didn¡¯t have an idea they had a history with each other. It just felt so wrong watching a stranger make fun of another stranger for no reason.


    After serving some food for myself and Laura, we walked over to an empty table for two, where we settled down and began eating our food. asionally I would notice Laura look behind me, and I already knew who was there. Ricardo. She looked at him a few more times and when I couldn¡¯t take it anymore, I spoke up.


    ¡°Do you mind telling me the reasom why you let that guy ride over you all the time?¡±


    ¡°W.. wh.. what g.. guy?¡± She stuttered, making me roll my eyes in disbelief.


    ¡°Are you really trying to make me believe that you do not know who I¡¯m referring to?¡±


    ¡°But I do¡­¡±


    ¡°Enough with the act Laura.¡± I cut her off. ¡°I know that due to my busy schedule and rather unapproachable work space, I do not always get to see or join the many office conversations that other workers have. But like it or not, gossip would always spread like wild fire, regardless of my location. Thest time, I was in the restroom when I heard two other colleagues of ours having a discussion.¡± I said, looking her dead in the eyes and daring her to tell a lie. ¡°Did he, or did he not make you work without your sses for a whole day? Hell! I don¡¯t even know how that is possible. You literally do nothing without it.¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯re listening to the gossips so mu¡­¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t answer my question sweetie.¡± I gave a fake smile. ¡°For days, I have tried to convince myself that it is none of my business, especially after finding out from Pablo you both have a history together, but I do not know how much longer I can ignore the anger I feel within me whenever you shake out of fear, just looking at him. In case you do not realize, this guy is a bully. You want to know what¡¯s funnier?¡± I asked, not in anyway expecting a response from her. ¡°This is not high school. It¡¯s a work space for adults.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± She nodded, unable to actually look me in the face as she did.


    ¡°And what¡¯s ¡®hmm¡¯? What¡¯s that?¡± I asked, slightly irritated.


    ¡°That¡¯s the only thing I could manage because I have nothing to say.¡± She muttered, her eyes fixed on the food she actually wasn¡¯t eating.


    ¡°You have nothing to say?¡± I asked in disbelief.


    ¡°You just do not understand.¡± She sighed.


    ¡°What exactly do I not understand?¡± I was slowly running out of patience.


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand what it means to be bullied by the same person for more than 9 years.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± I said, feeling quite confused. Pablo may have mentioned that they had some sort of history together, but 9 years was such a long time.


    ¡°I have known Ricardo since high school and just when I think I¡¯m finally going to escape his clutches, I find him in the same space as myself again.¡±


    ¡°You have known him since your high school days?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± She nodded, throwing her face away. ¡°Listen, can we not just talk about this?¡± For the first time, I could see tears brimming in her eyes. Realizing this wasn¡¯t a perfect ce or time to talk about it, I nodded in agreement and paid attention to the meal before me. I had decided to let the matter rest temporarily, but I couldn¡¯t help thinking of what was enough to make her so close to tears. Was the issue farplicated than I had imagined? Nheless, I was gonna get to the root of it. I was determined to do so now.


    I quickly finished up my meal and rushed out of the cafeteria before Laura. When she had asked the reason why I was in a hurry, I gave the excuse of wanting to submit the minutes of thest meeting to my boss before the day was over. That was actually true. I had to submit it before the day was done, but the reason why I had run out was just to see Manuel Russo before he left.


    ************************************


    ¡°Oh, calm down already.¡± Mughed heartily from the other end of the line. ¡°You are now certain he actually pays visits to your boss once in a while. You¡¯d definitely get the opportunity to meet him again. More especially, on a day when you¡¯d be less confused and more put together.¡±


    ¡°But I just really hoped to see him before he left.¡± I muttered. ¡°I do not know when next he would be here. From what I hear, he is away from the country most of the time.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re sad over a mere crush.¡± She chuckled.


    ¡°M, that mere crush is the reason I¡¯m at my current job, remember.¡±


    ¡°Yeaahhh, I know.¡±


    ¡°He might be a crush, but he is definitely not mere.¡±


    ¡°Wow!¡± M chuckled. ¡°You know what¡¯s weird?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± I replied dryly, knowing she was about to say something honest.


    ¡°It¡¯s the fact that you no longer sound like simple fan girl. Bibi, is there more to this?¡±


    ¡°Oh please!¡± Iughed out loudly. ¡°I¡¯m 22. Thest thing I¡¯d do is fall in love with a man that doesn¡¯t even know me.¡± I scowled. It wasn¡¯t like she could see me though.


    ¡°Then you shouldn¡¯t let the fact that you missed him before his departure, disturb you so much. You should be more concerned about your friend.¡±


    ¡°Laura?¡± I asked, knowing there was no other person M could be referring to.


    ¡°Of course, her.¡± She muttered. ¡°From what you said, it seems that the girl is going through worse than you think.¡±


    ¡°I already know that. The problem is getting her to talk about it.¡± I sighed. I always felt so sad whenever I really wanted to be of help to someone, but was finding it difficult to do so. ¡°Mimi, I really want to be of help.¡±


    ¡°I think I have an idea.¡± She said, stealing my attention.

 CHAPTER 8

    BIANCA¡¯S POV


    It was already weekend, and I couldn¡¯t be more grateful for the short break from all the work I had done during the week.


    ¡°Working with Alexander Russo is more demanding than grooming a child.¡± I muttered as Mughed heartily at the other end of the line.


    ¡°But is it really that bad?¡± She asked, making me release a confused sigh. Maybe it wasn¡¯t so bad. Actually, it wasn¡¯t totally bad.


    ¡°To be honest, it¡¯s not so bad. I actually have a perfect job, if we exclude the work load. The pay is very juicy. I have a lot of allowances as well. Transportation allowance, wardrobe allowance, even housing allowance! I get to eat free and delicious meals at work. It¡¯s quite difficult to find well paying jobs like this, especially for people who are fresh out of college. And to top it all, my boss doesn¡¯t seem like a sort of man to sexually harrass me. He has been nothing but strictly professional, and that makes my work space reallyfortable for me. The only problem is just the work load.¡±


    ¡°Oh, my love. I promise that you¡¯d been fine. It¡¯s just this way because you¡¯re still new. With time, you will perfectly adjust to it all. I know it¡¯s not easy, but resigning isn¡¯t part of the n.¡±


    ¡°Ah! Resigning never was.¡± I managed a smile.


    ¡°So when are you heading out to Laura¡¯s?¡±


    ¡°Immediately I end this call.¡± I replied, feeling unusually interested in going ahead with the n M had hatched, to help find out what was actually going on between Laura and Ricardo.


    I wasn¡¯t normally a kind of person who had a lot of friends, so I didn¡¯t usually go the extra miles for people. But somehow, ever since M had told me about her n to help Laura fight whatever demons Ricardo may have been sending her way, I was very willing to put it in motion. I guess I found friendship with Laura.


    ¡°By the way, how are things between you and Carter? After the case at court over the custody of Ethan, how did he take the Judge¡¯s verdict?¡±


    ¡°Hmmm!¡± She sighed. She sounded exhausted about the matter I had brought up. I guess things weren¡¯t really going as she had expected. ¡°He didn¡¯t take it so well. He is now stuck with me in the same house for 3 months. That makes it impossible for him to go on with his wedding ns to Mnie.¡±


    ¡°It must be really difficult for Carter, Mimi. Not only did you jilt him at the altar, you literally disappeared entirely, only to return 4 yearster to crash his wedding to another woman. More so, you returned with a son he never knew he had. It¡¯s a whole lot for him to take in at once. Not only does he have to make peace with the fact that he has a son who is already 4 years old, he also has to learn to be a father to him. What¡¯s worse is that, in his attempt to take custody of his child, he only found himself stuck with you for 3 whole months. I have to say, it¡¯s really funny.¡± I chuckled. My cousin and her ex fiance¡¯s story was really one of a kind. Deep in my heart, I was really rooting for them.


    I knew that M and Carter both loved each other a lot. They just had to overlook each other¡¯s mistakes and try to make their future better. If not for anything else, then for the sake of their son, Ethan. I also knew M was hurting as well. She had to unwillingly jilt the man she loved at the altar, on the day of her wedding. She did that to ensure he and his family were safe from the people who were after her life. She had safely made it to Italy, only to find out she was pregnant with Carter¡¯s child. For 4 years, she lived under the radar with my family, waiting for the day she¡¯d go back to be with the man she loved.


    She finally decided to return when she got news about his intended marriage to another woman. It must have been hard for her to see the man she had loved for so long, nning to get married to someone else. But then, I wouldn¡¯t me him. He was angry. He was pained. He thought she had left him, despite the love that they shared. And she only proved him wrong when he realized she had kept information about his son away from him all these years.


    ¡°I know Biancaaaa¡­¡± M drawled. ¡°I was fully prepared for the worst when I decided to return to Newyork. I know not all of my ns would pull through. Or at least, not immediately. But eventually, Carter woulde around. He is just in his period of anger and pain. I just really hope we could sort things out soon enough, becauseing back here only made me realize that there wasn¡¯t a minute I stopped loving him. If anything, my love for him multipied through those years of being away from him.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Mimi. I feel so sad about the state of things now. But not to worry, it would all be fine.¡± I encouraged. ¡°How about Detective Sander¡¯s investigation? Any leads yet?¡±


    ¡°Not really, but he seems to really know what he¡¯s doing. I have decided to give him time, while praying that the investigation is finalized soon. The oue of this investigation is what decides the fate of I and Carter¡¯s rtionship.¡±


    ¡°But M, why can¡¯t you just tell him everything, and save yourself the brunt of his hatred? I mean, none of this is even your fault. You¡¯re the victim here.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± She released yet another tired sigh. ¡°I know love. But I am just doing as Detective Sanders had instructed. My lips have to be sealed until the investigation is wrapped. Nobody can be trusted.¡±Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡°Not even Carter?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not about Carter, but those around him. It really hurts to think that any member of his family had a hand alongside udia, in my abduction 4 years ago. These people have been nothing short of weing of me, ever since I returned. I really do not want to believe that any of them had tried to kill me. But then again, this is the real world. And in the real world, no one can be trusted.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s scary, but true.¡± I sadly concurred.


    ¡°I think I should go now.¡± M muttered. ¡°Let me know how your visit to Laura¡¯s ce went.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sure. Please tell Ethan how much Auntie Bibi loves him, and keep me updated on how everything goes.¡±


    ¡°Sure hun. I will.¡± With that, I hung up the call and dropped my phone on my bed. I felt exhausted. No, it wasn¡¯t about work anymore, but about my cousin¡¯s situation. I found myself saying a silent prayer for her, before walking to my wardrobe for some thick clothes. It had rained this morning, and the atmosphere was a bit chilly. I was going to Laura¡¯s ce, so I had to avoid getting a cold.


    After dressing up, I picked my fancy tote bag and wore my t sandals, before making my way out of my room. I descended the flight of stairs and got to the living room to find my mama and papa all cuddled up. If there was something much more intense that rolling my eyes, that was what I would have probably done. They both were always so extra.


    ¡°Good morning papa, mama.¡± I greeted, getting my father¡¯s attention. That was when I realized that mama was fast asleep in his arms. Must be nice.


    ¡°Where to? I thought you¡¯d take this opportunity to rest a good while. Your week days had you so busy.¡±


    ¡°I know papa.¡± I gave a small smile. ¡°I have to visit a friend.¡±


    ¡°Sarah?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Not Sarah, papa.¡± I sighed. Was my life really so boring? I literally had no friends apart from Sarah. I wouldn¡¯t count M and Amara because they were literally family. And it wasn¡¯t even as if Sarah was my direct friend. She was a friend of M¡¯s, who became mine over the years. My life was probably that way because most of my life, when I was younger, I had been bullied. It made it difficult for me to trust people. One minute, they could beughing with you, and the next minute, they areughing at you. I stayed away from people because it came with a lot of drama. Unnecessary drama.


    ¡°Then who is it? Your mama and I know that you do not have much friends asides your sister, your cousin, and Sarah.¡±


    ¡°Well, I am sorry to burst your bubbles. I made a new friend at work recently.¡± I chuckled, feeling proud of myself.


    ¡°You did?¡± He asked in disbelief. ¡°Nice. So what¡¯s her name?¡±


    ¡°I would tell you about her in due time. Moreover, we just started getting familiar. Let¡¯s not rush things.¡±


    ¡°Fine then. If you say so.¡± He grinned. ¡°Off you go then.¡±


    ¡°Bye papa.¡±


    ¡°Be safe.¡± He muttered as I walked away. The moment I stepped outside our doors, I looked around and everywhere seemed isted. What better time for people to be resting, if not in a weather as this?


    I brought out the paper that Pablo had given me, and went through the address again. I chuckled when I thought of the effort it had taken me to get this information from him. I didn¡¯t want Laura having the slightest idea I was gonna give her a visit. So what was the best way to get her house address, if not through the help of one of the officials who had recruited us? Only Pablo had ess to the information of the workers in A. RUSSO. Now, I owed him a great deal. I didn¡¯t know what favour he was gonna ask of me in return, but I was hoping it was something I could afford doing.


    I quickly brought out my phone to order a ride. While waiting for my ride to arrive, I took the liberty of ying some mobile games, before thinking of randomly asking Laura if she was home. Just when I sent her a message, asking if she was home, my ride appeared and I put my phone back in my bag. I always liked to be alert whenever I was in a ride, and my phone could be quite the distraction. After driving for a while, we finally drove into a residential area and I wondered if Laura¡¯s family were affluent. She didn¡¯t strike me like someone who was an elite. If she was, then she was indeed humble to the core. Why would she even let anyone bully her when she had such background and privileges? Anyway, one could never really know why anybody acted the way they did. Moreover, that was the reason for my visit to her ce. To know why Ricardo was such a bum to her. I gave a shrug in my head and quietly waited until I got to my destination. After some minutes, the car came to a stop in front of a really tall building. I looked at the paper once more, and tried to confirm from the driver.


    ¡°Sir, is this really Fernando street, block 12?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is ma. You can confirm for yourself.¡± He replied, pointing towards the signboard which was just in front of the tall gate. Written on it were the exact details of the address on my paper


    ¡°Alright. Thank you.¡± I muttered, before bringing out his money from my wallet and giving it to him. I hopped down the car and watched as the driver sped off. With a small sigh, I made my way towards the tall gate, wondering how I was gonna make my presence known. Like I said, I had wanted to suprise Laura, but I was beginning to think that  calling to inform her of my presence was the best idea. Either ways, she¡¯d still be suprised. Just then, my phone chimed, informing me that I had gotten a new message. I took out my phone from my bag and looked at it, only to see it was a reply from Laura. She said she was home, and requested to know why I was asking. I smiled at my luck. Just as I was about to ket her know that I was at her house, therge gate suddenly began to slide open. At first, I thought it was a sensory detecting kind of gate. Maybe it sensed my presence and decided to open. But then, I wasn¡¯t so sure it worked that way. What if I was an armed robber or dangerous person? Would I just easily ess my way in? I doubted. I was still deep in my thoughts when I heard the ring horns of a caring directly towards me. It took me a few seconds to realize that the gates had opened because someone inside was leaving. And there I was, in the middle of the opened gate. I quickly ran to the other side, in order to allow the car drive out without any obstructions.


    At that moment, my mind was prepared to see Laura, not the person I had seen through the open window of the car. Were my eyes aching, or did I just see Ricardo in that car?! He had been clearly startled to see me, as his eyes went wide with shock. I watched in disbelief as his car drove away. Within that moment, a lot of things had gone through my mind. Had Pablo mistakenly given me Ricardo¡¯s house address instead of Laura¡¯s? That was when it urred to me. The name of the street!! It was Fernando street! ¡®Ricardo Fernando¡¯! Oh, for fuck¡¯s sake! Pablo had given me the wrong address, and I had probably made a fool of myself by showing up here! I put my palm on my forehead in embarrassment, as I watched the gates sliding close. I would have only been embarrassed, if I hadn¡¯t seen the person I saw next. Seeing her in there, in an attire that looked like that of a maid, as she went on her knees to help an unfamiliardy buckle her shoes, only made my heart fall to the pit of my stomach. I was shocked. She was inside this house as well. It was indeed her house address. So what was Ricardo doing here? Why was Laura dressed in a maid¡¯s attire? Just as the gates were a few inches away from beingpletely closed, she stood up from her kneeling position. I watched as the unfamiliardy shed her what looked like a warm smile. Atleast, it looked like a warm smile from the ce I stood. Laura returned the smile, and casually looked towards the gates. Then, did our eyes meet. I guess there wasn¡¯t enough time to see her reaction, before the gates finally closed off on me. But I was quite sure that my expression had been clear for her to see. I was shocked, and¡­.. and¡­ and so sorry, because in that moment, I finally understood it all.

 CHAPTER 9

    MANUEL¡¯S POV


    I looked at the men in irritation, as I thought of the best punishment for them. These were the men who had the guts of working with Marco, to cheat me. I had fools in my pack! Their present states was more than enough to douse my anger at that moment, and let me make a right decision as to what best to do with them. The looked like they were on the brink of death from that much torture. I looked at Alexander, and made a signal for us to leave the guard room. We both walked to my study, with Massimo following behind.


    ¡°I¡¯m at loss here, Alexander. I haven¡¯t thought of a suitable sentence. That¡¯s unlike me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not so hard.¡± Alexander shrugged, shing me that evil smirk. ¡°How about they help us send a message to the Marcolinis? This time, their life would be in their own hands. If they fumble, they die. If they are lucky enough, they could escape with a few crushed bones and a disfigured nose.¡± I loved Alexander¡¯s suggestion. He of all people knew that I didn¡¯t take well to being betrayed. But then, Marco was a sly man.


    ¡°Apart from the fact that we both know the risk thates with keeping rogue wolves alive, Marco is a sly and greatly impetuous man. If we send them to him, he might bend the situation to his own opportunity.¡± I released a dry chuckle. ¡°He would have already seen my retaliationing. By now, he should have already found out that the traitors in our pack who worked for him, have already been caught. I have a feeling he has built himself a shield already. My bullet may not prate that shield.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Alexander nodded. ¡°So what do you think is the best n?¡±


    ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± I thought to myself, before releasing another evil chuckle. ¡°Let him rx. Nobody should throw any stones at Marco.¡± I directed the errand to Massimo, who was just standing behind me.


    ¡°Yes Don.¡± His bass boice reverberated through the dimly lit room. ¡°Don?¡± He called again, making me hum in response. ¡°There was a tip from Dito.¡±


    ¡°What about?¡± I asked, getting interested. Whenever it was a tip from Dito, I was. The man had never been false about any heads up he had given us in the past. I wonder what this one was about.


    ¡°He says Jacobo was spotted with Marcost weekend, around¡­.¡± He hesitated, making me grunt in disapproval. I hated being kept waiting.


    ¡°What has the ears never heard before?¡± I asked in displeasure of his inability to let me know the rest of the information.


    ¡°My apologies Don. But this maye as quite a suprise.¡±


    ¡°Spill.¡± Alexander ordered, making Massimo finally speak.


    ¡°They were both spotted at Tawan¡¯s den.¡± The entire ce suddenly became consumed by an eerie silence. I looked at Alexander, hoping to hear him say a word, but he kept mute.


    ¡°Tawan.¡± I muttered, finding it difficult to believe it. ¡°When you say ¡®Tawan¡¯, does that mean they spotted Tawan in flesh?¡± I asked Massimo, who nodded.N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    ¡°I guess so.¡± He said, making me release a sigh.


    ¡°Where were they spotted?¡±


    ¡°His den in Rome.¡± Massimo supplied.


    ¡°I thought he had been banned from stepping foot around our territory?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he was. I guess there¡¯s someone new he¡¯s working for now. That is the only possible way he could have gain essed into Italy, without being shot dead.¡±


    ¡°So this simply means¡­¡± Alexander finally spoke up. ¡°This simply means he is back for revenge, or what?¡±


    ¡°Well, considering the fact that he was seen with two enemies of ours, I think you¡¯re right. Also, I had told you then. Depriving him of an arm wasn¡¯t enough. You could have ended his miserable life there and then. Now that life you refrained from taking, is what gives him the opportunity toe back against you.¡±


    ¡°It was Be¡¯s wish that I kept him alive. She had begged so much. I couldn¡¯t refuse her.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s sad because the same man is back. And it¡¯s so clear that he¡¯s returned for her life.¡±


    ¡°That would never happen when I still breathe.¡± Alexander spat, ring at no one in particr. I sighed and walked up to him.


    ¡°Not when ¡®we¡¯ are alive.¡± I corrected, making him give me a firm nod.


    ¡°But I think we¡¯re missing something here.¡± Massimo said, making us look at him.


    ¡°And what is that?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s all assumptions. What if there¡¯s a different reason as to why Tawan has returned? I find it funny to believe that he has returned to kill a woman who is literally the reason why he is still breathing.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± I muttered. ¡°There is actually a bigger picture here. If Tawan is back, that definitely means he could only achieve it with the influence of someone as powerful as the Russos.¡± We all went silent for a few seconds, before I continued speaking. ¡°Let¡¯s call that unknown person ¡®X¡¯. From the tip given, Tawan has gotten involved with Jacobo and Marco. But then, Jacobo and Marco very well know that Tawan has been banned from stepping into this territory. They would only have the guts to meet up with Tawan because they have the strong backing of X. If X went through the stress of securing Tawan a safe pass into our territory, and working hand in hand with our enemies, then it only means one thing.¡±


    ¡°X has an agenda against Russo, and we have to find X.¡± Massimo said, making me grin. He was always on track.


    ¡°Massimo you know what to do.¡±


    ¡°Yes Don.¡±


    ¡°Remember I had made mention of sending Marco a package. Please still do so. Infact, send him something to show I¡¯m well pleased with our business transactions. He shouldn¡¯t have the slightest idea that his inside men have been caught.¡± I ordered and Massimo nodded. ¡°I have suddenly thought of the best punishment for those rogues. I¡¯m d I wasn¡¯t quick to put some bullets through their heads.¡±


    ¡°Luck is clearly on our side.¡± Alexander chuckled, before looking at Massimo. ¡°Off you go, then.¡±


    Massimo walked away, leaving us to have our private discussion.


    ¡°Do you really think he isn¡¯t here to hurt my Be?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do. Tawan wouldn¡¯t return to hurt the person who literally saved his life. I doubt that. I think this is more about Russo, than Be.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± He sighed deeply, making me chuckle.


    ¡°Be is so lucky to have you. The way you care and worry about her is just so¡­. so nice.¡± I muttered, not knowing why I felt a certain kind of way. What was worse was the fact that I couldn¡¯t exactly tell how I felt. Empty? Was that the right word?


    ¡°That¡¯s the way it is when you love someone, brother. I¡¯m sure Francesca makes you feel that way too.¡±


    ¡°Naturally.¡± I guess? I gave a small smile. ¡°Naturally.¡± I repeated. I did feel worried about her though. I always tried to ensure she was safe and all. That was what it meant to care, right?


    ¡°Stop bombarding yourself with questions.¡± Alexander suddenly said, making me chuckle in embarrassment. He always managed to read my mind. ¡°I guess you really don¡¯t know what it really means to care for a person, until situations arises.¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡± I shrugged. ¡°Let¡¯s go downstairs and join the others. The event would be over soon, then we can breathe some fresh air.¡± I chuckled. It wasn¡¯t news that Alexander and I weren¡¯t really a fan of social gatherings. If not that these elite gatherings were an avenue to gain new business contacts and meet powerful people in the country, we would have preferred talking about business in our study, until the gatherings were over. But here we were, having no other choice than to go down and socialize with these people.


    We both readjusted our suits, before stepping out of the study and walking to the mini hall, where the others were. As soon as our parents sighted is, the introductions began! I chuckled as uncle Philippe pulled Alexander away to introduce him to some people.


    ¡°Oh, son! I¡¯m d you could wrap up whatever seemed so important ande downstairs. I want you to meet The Fernandos.¡± I looked up to see my mother smiling and grabbing my arm. She pulled me towards a particr set of people. ¡°Honourable!¡± Mom grinned at an advanced looking man who fit the name perfectly, making me internally roll my eyes.


    ¡°Ahh! Madame. Such a lovely event you put together tonight!¡± The man who was supposed Honourable Fernando smiled at mom. ¡°This is my lovely wife; Beatriz!¡± He introduced, taking his wife¡¯s hands and gently pulling her forward. The woman was beautiful even for her age. A total opposite of her husband, might I add. And why did he keep shouting? That was quite embarrassing, but his wife seemed not to mind.


    ¡°So nice to meet you Mrs Fernando.¡± Mom leaned in and gave her a hug. ¡°You¡¯re very lovely indeed.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your warmpliment.¡± The woman gave a smile. I could see she had a perfect dentition as well.


    ¡°Oh, please.¡± Mom waved her hand in disapproval. ¡°It is true indeed. You¡¯re such a beauty to behold. Meanwhile meet my son, Manuel.¡± The moment I got introduced to them, honourable Fernando smiled so widely at me and pulled me for a hug, giving me a fatherly pat on the back.


    ¡°Thank you so much! My son was offered a job at yourpany a few weeks back!¡± The next minute, he turned and pulled a younger guy from behind me. ¡°This is our son, Ricardo Fernando! He has a lot to learn from you! Please take care of him as you would your brother.¡± I found his words really ttering, but his son¡¯s face really didn¡¯t seem familiar in any way. I shoved it asides because I really didn¡¯t know all of my thousands of employees. But then, for someone from an affluential family as Ricardo, I was supposed to have been given a special introduction. I watched as Ricardo released an awkward smile as he whispered to his father, though we all could hear what he had said.


    ¡°He isn¡¯t my boss, Dad.¡± He muttered for the third time, to his father who seemed like someone with a hearing disability. He seemed to not be hearing what his son was whispering to him, when we could all hear it.


    ¡°What?¡± The man asked again, making the young man sigh. I decided to step in since it was now clear that the man indeed had a hearing disability. No wonder he had been shouting throughout our conversation.


    ¡°He is saying that I am not his boss.¡± I smiled. ¡°I think you may have mistaken me for my cousin, Alexander Russo. I guess that is where Ricardo works.¡± I supplied the confused looking Honourable.


    ¡°Ohhh?¡± The manughed as he realized his mistake. I gave a small smile as Ricardo mouthed a ¡®thank you¡¯. ¡°Still, my appreciation is in order! You both are still the same family! Thank you for taking my boy under your wings! I am indebted!¡± I had thought that was all the man had to say about it, until he began narrating an epistle. ¡°So, I had been skeptical when Ricardo insisted on getting a job himself! He is from a wealthy family, and as such, not suppose to struggle for a job, when I could just put a call across and get him a befitting one! You know¡­¡± And that was how he continued talking about his son¡¯s career and interests. 10 minutes and had gone by, and the man was still talk so loudly. If not the fact that I didn¡¯t want to ruin mom¡¯s effort at connecting me to Honourable Fernando, I would have burst outughing. The look on mom and Ricardo¡¯s faces were hrious. The only person who didn¡¯t seem bored of his talk was his wife. I watched as she shot Ricardo a knowing smile, making it clear that she was already so used to the man. The woman looked at me and shed a warm smile.


    ¡°Uhhmm, honey?¡± She called her husband¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Yes, my darling!¡± He finally paused his story.


    ¡°I think Mr Russo and his mother have a whole lot of other people to interact with tonight. Not to worry, your discussion with them would bepleted over dinner some other time. That gives you ample time to talk as much as you wish to.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± He nodded, giving her a small smile. ¡°That¡¯s fine!¡± He grinned at my mother and I. ¡°It was a nice time with you both! Some other time!¡± He announced, finally walking away with his family.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Mom suddenly muttered, making me shake my head in disbelief. It was so clear that she hadn¡¯t seen all of thating. She had innocently wanted to introduce us to one another, but look what happened.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine ma.¡± I replied. ¡°I have a couple more people to get familiar with tonight. I beg to take my leave.¡± I didn¡¯t really wait for her response, before running off.


    *************************************


    It was the start of a new week, and I was particrlyzy to leave my bed. Unfortunately, I had a few important tasks toplete today, which meant that I had to step out. Looking at my reflection in the mirror for the veryst time, Ibed my hair before stepping out of my room and making my way out.


    I got to the office some momentster, and I began going through the financial reports of the farm. Revenue seemed to have skyrocketed this past few weeks, and I couldn¡¯t be more impressed. People could really not do without tobo, could they? The next minute, a call came in and I picked up immediately when I saw it was Alexander.


    ¡°Hey man. What¡¯s good?¡±


    ¡°A lot.¡± He chuckled. ¡°You¡¯d have to see for yourself.¡±


    ¡°O.. kayyy?¡± I replied unsure. What could make him so excited?


    ¡°Pablo woulde to your office with some important files very soon. Let me know your response after going through the files.¡± I grinned widely, beginning to think of what it might be. If it was what I was thinking, then it was the best news this whole month. But I had to see what it was first of all.


    I walked into the restroom to ease myself, and why I was still inside, I heard my door creak open. Who could it be? Knowing my secretary, she would have called my name to know if I really wasn¡¯t in. But the person who hade in had beenpletely silent. Quickly feeling alert, I looked around the restroom and quietly pulled the fire extinguisher at the edge of the wall.


    Walking as lightly as a feather, I carefully opened the door of the restroom, and took a quick peek.


    ¡°Wow! No need to be so agitated, Manuel. It¡¯s just me.¡±


    I saw Francesca sitting on my work desk, with a file in her hand. I released a sigh and fixed the fire extinguisher back in it¡¯s ce, before walking out.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t inform me of your visit. I almost hurt you moments ago.¡± I calmly reprimanded as I walked back to the seat behind my desk.


    ¡°Actually, hurting me with an extinguisher would have hurt less than what you did.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± I squinted my eyes in apparent confusion.


    ¡°Here.¡± She threw the file she had been holding, on the desk, in front of me. A closer look at it and I realized it wasn¡¯t a file. It was today¡¯s paper.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°Look at the front page and headline.¡± She instructed, and that was when I saw my picture on it. I quickly read the headline and sighed in a mix of realization and immense happiness within me.


    ¡°This is a good news, why the long face?¡±


    ¡°You know how stupid I felt when my papa told me you had just been awarded the multibillion contract he had been pursuing with Honourable Fernando for months now? Hell! You are my fiance, and somehow I had no idea you were hitting on something as big as this?¡±


    Hearing her say those words made me feel slightly confused. What exactly was the bone of contention here? Was it the fact that I had been awarded a contract her father had been vying for, or was it the fact that I didn¡¯t inform her I was gunning for the contract? It didn¡¯t take me time to figure it out, and it was all really disappointing.


    ¡°This is not the first contract I have secured since I started managing the family business. And I don¡¯t remember talking to you about any of my previous contracts. So, how is this any different? Francesca, it¡¯s really nice to know that you¡¯d rather have your father awarded a contract that I deserve. And what¡¯s worst is that I¡¯m not even your enemy.¡± I chuckled dryly.


    ¡°You¡¯re really a hand full Manuel.¡± She gave a humourlessugh of her own. ¡°If you really paid attention to details, then you¡¯d remember me asking you to try opening up to me about whatever is going on with you, during ourst discussion. I pretty much do the same. I tell you all there is to tell.¡± She sighed. ¡°Then again, It¡¯s only natural if I feel sad that my father didn¡¯tnd the job. But that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m not d you did. It would have felt better if it was something you had told me about, before today. I just stood there like a dummy while papa rambled on, about the fact that you got the contract. Worse still, he literally gloated in my face, when he realized I hadn¡¯t an idea about the contract. Manuel, this is about the fact that you kept something as huge as this away from me.¡±


    ¡°Christ! Francesca, it isn¡¯t such a big deal.¡± I shrugged.


    ¡°It is. It definitely is, for it to be written in a national newspaper. Stop trying to turn it on me!¡±


    ¡°You know what makes me so pissed?¡± I asked, slowly getting irritated.


    ¡°What is that thing that makes you soooo pissed, Mr Russo?¡± She replied sarcastically.


    ¡°It¡¯s the fact that you couldn¡¯t even keep this fight forter. You literally brought me good news that we couldn¡¯t even celebrate together. It¡¯s pathetic.¡± I swallowed, feeling that helpless way I normally felt again. Sometimes, I just felt I was in apletely wrong ce when it came to Francesca. I wasn¡¯t even expecting it when she picked up her purse and walked out of my office the next minute. I sighed as Alexander¡¯s words reyed in my mind. ¡®It¡¯s always that cycle for you both. Break up, make up, break up. I hope you both stay for a longer time without any more issues this time.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t even up to a month we made up after our previous quarrel. Alexander was going tough in my face.


    Just then, a knock came on my door and I yelled my response in annoyance.


    ¡°Come in!¡± The next minute, a familiar lookingdy walked into my office and I sighed, trying to remember where I knew her from. The shy smile she had on her face was a clear sign that she had expected me to know who she was. I felt so sorry to disappoint her.


    ¡°Sorry, your face seems to be¡­¡± I hadn¡¯t evenpleted my statement when she rushed out her words.


    ¡°My Boss sent me to deliver these files to you.¡± She said, raising the files she held in her hands. Oh yeahhhh¡­. Now I remember who she was. It was Alexander¡¯s new P. A. Looking at her eye catching hair only made me sure it was really her.


    ¡°My apologies Brenda. I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t remember who you were.¡± I muttered.


    ¡°It¡¯s totally understandable sir. You have a lot of things you¡¯re handling, which doesn¡¯t give you the opportunity to memorize the face of a randomdy.¡± She smiled. Why did that feel weird to hear? She was saying the truth, but it still felt weird to hear her say. Or was it the manner in which she had said it? ¡°And I¡¯m Bianca.¡± She corrected, making my eyes open widely in embarrassment. Oh wow.


    ¡°Bianca.¡± I repeated, managing a small smile. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you again.¡±

 CHAPTER 10

    Bianca POV


    My boss was already in his office? I could hear sounds from inside his office, which confirmed my thoughts. That was new. I always arrived before him, so what changed today? I had just gotten to work, and was suprised to see that Mr Alexander in was already in his office. Quickly fixing up my hair and brushing out a few creases from my blouse, I walked to the door connecting my office to his. I gave a knock and the next second, I heard him ask me toe in. The moment I stepped in, I stumbled backwards, probably due to the intensity of his smile. So far, I had worked for Alexander Russo for close to a month, but this was the first time he was actually smiling at me. Genuinely.


    Don¡¯t get me wrong, he never talked down on me or made me feel less of myself, but he had never actually smiled at me so widely. Not being able to hold back a smile of my own, I proceeded to ask him the reason why he had gotten to work so early today.


    ¡°Good morning Sir. You¡¯re very early today.¡±


    ¡°Oh, good morning Bianca. I am early indeed! How was the weekend?¡± At his question, I realized the weekend hadn¡¯t really gone as I had nned, but nheless, I gave him the expected answer.


    ¡°It was fine Sir. I got the rest I deserved.¡± I didn¡¯t know how the second statement sounded after I had already said it.


    ¡°Hmmm.¡± He sighed, folding his lips in a thin line as he looked at nowhere in particr. ¡°I see the work load is too much for you to handle Bianca.¡± He muttered, making my heart sink to the pit of my stomach.


    ¡°N.. no.. no! Not at all Sir.¡± Oh Jesus! I should have just held that sharp tongue of mine. Losing my job on a Monday wasn¡¯t such a wonderful thing! I was yet to even get my first sry and I was already being relieved from my job.


    I could already feel my cheeks and neck go hot, signaling my aqueous humor that supply of tears were needed.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± He shed me a warm smile, reminding me just how easy it was for the rich to do away with your service. There were a thousand and one people just waiting for you to take the fall, so they could rece you. The tears were about clouding my eyes when he said another thing. ¡°Just make sure to remind me to let the finance officer know he should add some bonuses to your sry for the month. You truly deserve it.¡± Hearing what he just said made my legs suddenly go weak. I quickly held onto the fridge resting on the wall, in order not to fall. He just chuckled and shook his head.


    ¡°Thank you sir.¡± I released a breathe that I had held in for a while.


    ¡°You¡¯re wee Bianca.¡± He nodded. ¡°Now, back to work.¡± He muttered, wearing his signature straight face. ¡°I dropped a few files on your desk. Please rearrange every document in each file ording to their dates. Also make a call to Pablo¡¯s office and ask him to see me in the next 5 minutes.¡±


    ¡°Okay sir.¡± I nodded, before quickly walking out of his office. The moment I stepped out of the door, I released yet another sigh. God! I had given myself a scare in there. I looked at my desk, but couldn¡¯t find the files that my boss had just talked about. Where had they gone? Just then, a knock came on the door.


    ¡°Come in.¡± I said and waited for whoever was behind the door to step in. It was Lydia, and she had some files in her hand.


    ¡°Good morning Bianca.¡± She waved at me with her free hand.


    ¡°Good morning Lydia.¡± I gave a small smile. ¡°You need anything?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± She walked to my desk and dropped the files she had been holding. ¡°The boss had asked me to change the files which were worn out. Here, they are.¡± Ohh¡­ she was the one with the files I had been looking for.


    ¡°Oh, thank you.¡± I muttered.


    ¡°Yeah, you are wee.¡± She replied, before walking out of my office. I walked to sit on the chair behind my desk when I suddenly remembered that my boss had asked me to put a call across to Pablo. I pulled my work phone out of the first drawer of my desk and quickly dialed his office number. After a few beeps, he picked up.


    ¡°Good morning Bianca.¡±


    ¡°Good morning Pablo. The boss has asked you to see him in 3 minutes time.¡± I supplied. Yes, I had to reduce the time frame because I had already wasted some time.


    ¡°Alright.¡± He replied, then hung up immediately. I looked at my wrist watch to see it was just 8:12 am, which meant I had roughly 30 minutes, before going out to get my boss¡¯s coffee. But then, he had arrived earlier today, which meant he¡¯d need his coffee earlier as well. Without wasting any more time, I stood up and made my way to the coffee shop at the cafeteria on the ground floor. On my way down, I came across Pablo who was rushing on his way up to go see the boss.


    I had sessfully gotten his coffee and was back in my office. I dropped his coffee on my desk, before taking out a serviette from my desk drawer. Wrapping the serviette around the coffee cup, I quickly made way to the connecting door and gave a knock. I hadn¡¯t gotten any response, so I waited for some seconds before walking in to see him smiling into his phone. No one had to tell me who it was on the other end of the line. It was probably Madame Be. I hadn¡¯t been here for so long, but it would be nearly impossible not to know who the woman was. Not only from the gossips around the office, but from my boss himself. It was safe to say that the man was obsessed with his wife. You could only catch him smiling this wide when it had to do with the woman. Immediately he noticed my presence, he literally rolled his eyes. I could hear his wife asking him what the matter was, and he replied.


    ¡°My P. A just stepped in to interupt this wonderful session with you.¡± He threw me a re which wasn¡¯t annoying in any way. If anything, it made me want tough.


    ¡°My apologies sir.¡± I muttered underneath my breathe, but I¡¯m sure he heard me.


    ¡°Let me call you back baby.¡± He said, before ending his video call. I quickly dropped the coffee on his desk as he looked at me and nodded in satisfaction. ¡°Thank you Bianca.¡±


    ¡°Always at your service sir.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s perfect then!¡± He gave a tight lipped smile. ¡°I need you to send a bouquet of white roses to my Be.¡± This wasn¡¯t the first time I was running such errands for him, so I simply nodded my head in understanding.


    ¡°Do you need me to do anything else for you sir?¡±


    ¡°That should be all for now.¡± He replied. With that, I walked out of his office and quickly put a call across to the flower shop, which was fast getting used to my frequent orders.


    ¡°Hello ma. You need the usual package today?¡± The florist asked me, even before I could speak.


    ¡°Yes, please. Have it delivered to the usual location. Your money would be wired to you in some seconds.¡± With that, I hung up the call and made to settle down on my sit, when I saw a sticky note on my desk. I quickly plucked it off and went through the contents. It was from Pablo. He asked me to meet him at the executive rxation lounge. Thankfully, it was just a little distance from my office, so I quickly stood up and made my way there. When I got there, I saw him sitting on one of the couches, scrolling through his phone.


    ¡°Pablo?¡± I called, and he looked up to see me.


    ¡°Hey.¡± He smiled, standing up and walking towards me. ¡°I think it¡¯s time to pay back my favour.¡± He said, making me sigh. Only God knows what he was going to ask of me now.


    ¡°What do you want me to do?¡± I asked, and he shrugged.


    ¡°Nothing serious. I already promised you¡¯d do something that isn¡¯t so stressful. The boss asked me to deliver a file this morning. I just need you to do it in my stead.¡±


    ¡°Am I supposed do it now?¡±


    ¡°Yes. You should be off in the next¡­¡± He paused to look at his wrist watch. ¡°¡­ ten minutes.¡±


    I thought about it and it didn¡¯t really sit well with me, to abandon my post until I was done running Pablo¡¯s errand. What if my boss needed me when I was still out?


    ¡°Fine.¡± I muttered.


    ¡°Don¡¯t scowl now!¡± He chided, making me scoff.


    ¡°Where, and to whom am I delivering it?¡±


    ¡°M. RUSSO. Please the file should be directly delivered to Mr Manuel. That is what the boss had instructed.¡± Suddenly, I felt my stomach dance in excitement. It was Manuel Russo¡¯spany I was supposed to go after all! Oh, how did I get so lucky today?!


    ¡°Okayyyy.¡± I dragged my word, trying not to suddenly appear so enthusiastic to Pablo. ¡°If you want me there on time, I need to get going now.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± He pped his hands together, before turning to pick the file lying on the couch he had gotten up from. ¡°Here. This is the file.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± I collected it from his hand and began walking away.


    ¡°Smile, love!¡± Pablo yelled behind me. ¡°Remember I did you a favor!¡± If only Pablo knew how d his errand made me feel, he wouldn¡¯t have bothered yelling so loud. The only problem was that I didn¡¯t know whether or not to inform my boss that I¡¯d be delivering the files to his cousin myself. After thinking about it for a while, I hatched up a n and smiled to myself.


    I had already taken my purse from my bag and gone out of the office, when I sent a message to Pablo. ¡®You have serious running stomach, okay?¡¯ That was incase my boss called him.


    Next, I called my boss and he picked immediately.


    ¡°Bianca?¡±


    ¡°Sir, I¡¯m so sorry. I would have informed you before leaving, but it was an emergency.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong Bianca?¡±


    ¡°Pablo has a running stomach. He wanted to go deliver the files you asked him to, but since he couldn¡¯t manage with his sick stomach, he had to ask me to do it for him. So I¡¯m currently on my way to Mr Manuel¡¯s office now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine Bianca. Just be quick about it ande back to work.¡±


    ¡°Alright sir.¡± I said and hung up the call, relishing in my luck!


    I walked into the very tall andrge building, thinking to myself how much money the Russos really had. Here I was, thinking my boss¡¯spany was very big, but now I was seeing Manuel¡¯s, I probably didn¡¯t know anymore. I walked in and gave the saucy looking receptionist a wave. She had waved back, but seemed reluctant to do so. Putting her funny attitude aside, I focused on what I really came to do.


    ¡°Good morning. Please where is Mr Manuel Russo¡¯s office?¡±


    ¡°And who are you?¡± Thedy asked, not sparing me a nce.


    ¡°I am Mr Alexander Russo¡¯s personal assistant. I have a file to give to Mr Manuel urgently. If you don¡¯t mind, please let me know what floor his office is located.¡±


    ¡°The sixth floor.¡± She replied, quickly looking at me and taking off her eyes. Wow. This was someone I didn¡¯t even know. What was the reason for her attitude?


    ¡°Thank you.¡± I gave a small smile, and rushed to the elevator that was almost closing off after two men had gotten in. I was able to get to it before it closed off, and smiled to myself in victory. I got into the elevator and punched in my floor number. The ce had been quiet for some time, until one of the men had said ¡®hi¡¯ to me.


    ¡°Hi.¡±


    ¡°Hello.¡± I replied.


    ¡°You work here? Never seen your face around.¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t work here.¡± I smiled. ¡°I work at A. RUSSO. I¡¯m only here to deliver something to Mr Manuel.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh!¡± He nodded. ¡°By the way, it¡¯s lovely to meet you. I¡¯m Antonio.¡± He stretched his hand for a shake, which I obliged.


    ¡°My name is Bianca. Bianca Bianchi.¡±


    ¡°Alright Bianca. I would see you around.¡± He shot me a really cute grin. Just then, the elevator opened and he walked out. Okayyyy. I didn¡¯t know how I was supposed to feel about such an introduction. He had said he would see me around, but I highly doubted that.


    I got to Mr Manuel¡¯s office floor, and I could see a door, with ¡®CEO M. Russo¡¯, boldly written on it. That should be the one. I quickly walked up to the door and knocked a few times. After some seconds, I heard a feminine voice asking me toe in. I walked in to see that the design of his office wasn¡¯t so different from my boss¡¯s. His personal assistant¡¯s office was connected to his. I looked at the middle aged woman and I greeted.


    ¡°Good morning ma.¡±


    ¡°Good morning!¡± She grinned. ¡°Do you have an appointment with the boss?¡±


    ¡°Uhmm¡­¡± I scratched the back of my ears, not knowing how to answer her question. ¡°I¡¯m Mr Alexander Russo¡¯s personal assistant. He says your boss is expecting me.¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± She nodded in understanding. ¡°He is currently in with Miss Francesca. Just wait until they are¡­.¡± She was still talking when the door flung open, an angry lookingdy walking out of it. Realizing it wasn¡¯t just Manuel¡¯s personal assistant that was in the office, she released a breathe and readjusted her ssy looking dress.


    ¡°See you some other time Julia.¡± She smiled and walked away.


    ¡°Bye ma!¡± Julia replied with a wave, as thedy exited the office. Thedy looked like a rich heiress, and it seemed like she had a disagreement during her meeting with Manuel.


    ¡°You can go in now.¡± The woman whom I hade to know as Julia, said. I stood up from where I had been sitting, and walked to the connecting door. I knocked on the door and I heard an angry voice asking me toe in. Wow! It was just my luck that I had the opportunity to see Manuel Russo on a day he was angry. Here goes nothing! I pulled open the door and walked in. He looked up and gave a sigh when he saw me. I gave a small smile, but he didn¡¯t show any sign of recognition simply showed that he had forgotten who I was. Sad. He¡¯s eyes remained on me though, clearly trying to remember who I was.


    ¡°Sorry, your face seems to be¡­¡± He had started talking, but I didn¡¯t let himplete his statement, before speaking up.


    ¡°My boss sent me to deliver these files to you.¡± I informed, raising the files I held in my hands. Suddenly, he seemed to have remembered who I was and gave a sigh.


    ¡°My apologies Brenda. I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t remember who you were.¡± Wasn¡¯t today the best day? How did one feel when their crush forgot their name?


    ¡°It¡¯s totally understandable sir. You have a lot of things you¡¯re handling, which doesn¡¯t give you the opportunity to memorize the face of a randomdy.¡± I smiled, trying not to look like I was offended. I had no right to be. ¡°And I¡¯m Bianca.¡± I finally corrected, making his eyes go wide in shock. Now, that was funny.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡°Bianca.¡± He muttered my name, making the small hairs on the back of my neck stand erect, due to how masculine his voice sounded. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you again.¡± The way he smiled at me made me my belly go jelly.


    ¡°Here.¡± I walked up to his desk and dropped the files, not wanting to keep standing and staring at his really handsome face. He was so handsome. In a ssy and rugged way.


    ¡°Alright.¡± He nodded. ¡°Thank you very much Bianca. And I would try not to forget your name next time I see you. Have a nice day.¡± With that, I turned around and made my way out of his office. Was that it? That was all?! Nothing more? I couldn¡¯t believe I had juste to Manuel Russo¡¯s office, only to give him some files. Just wow.


    *********************************


    I normally didn¡¯t wait up for my lunch periods, but today was different. Already knowing Laura wouldn¡¯te to call on me for lunch today, I kept on waiting and checking the time for when it was going to be time for lunch. It wasn¡¯t because I was hungry, it was because that was my only free time to talk to her.


    Eversince I had shown up at her ce unannounced during the weekend, we hadn¡¯t spoken. I particrly knew that after what I had found out, she wouldn¡¯t love to speak to me, probably because she felt ashamed. So I waited until the weekend was over, so we could talk physically. I shook my head as I realized a lot of things weren¡¯t really as it seemed to be. Laura was a maid at Ricardo¡¯s family home? Only God knew all the things she had suffered in the hands of Ricardo. It was really so sad. Once my rm rang, informing me that it was time for lunch, I quickly picked up my phone and made my way out of the office.


    I had gotten to the cafteria and sat at our usual spot, waiting for her to show up, but she didn¡¯t. I decided collect my food and start eating as I waited for her toe. I had done just that and was halfway through my meal when Ricardo showed up, walking to the table he usually sat. I waited for Laura to show up as well, but she didn¡¯t. All the while I ate, I could feel Ricardo¡¯s eyes burning holes through my head, but I didn¡¯t spare him a single nce. The moment I was done with my meal, I rushed out of the cafteria and made my way to the elevator. I was going to see Laura in her office. Was she really thinking she could avoid me? The moment I got to her floor, I walked down to her own office and gently pulled the door open. There she was, sitting and staring at nowhere in particr. She wasn¡¯t crying, but I could see the tears clouding her eyes, and the look on her face. I recognized that look. It was a look of self pity. She hadn¡¯t even noticed my presence.


    ¡°Laura.¡± I called. Turning to look at me, her tears finally dropped.

 CHAPTER 11

    BIANCA¡¯S POV


    ¡°How?¡± That was the only word I could manage to say. I doubted she was gonna say anything to me, but to my surprise, she did. Even though she had started in a very confusing manner, I was d she still did.


    ¡°I thought it was going to be a thing of a few days, but somehow, she stayed at the hospital longer than I had imagined. The first week, the second week, and third week, and I had not seen my mother. I finally mustered the courage to ask Mr Fernando about mom, and all he said was that she was gonna remain in the hospital for a long time, with the look of things.¡± She paused, looking far off as she reminisced the past. I could see those tears clouding her eyes again, but I knew better than to say a word. If I did, those tears woulde pouring out, and I really wanted to avoid that. I looked around the executive lounge where I had been sessfully able to take her, so we could have our discussion in a somewhat calm and private manner. ¡°Knowing Mr Fernando was already footing mom¡¯s bills, I couldn¡¯t ask for more. I had already made peace with the fact that I was going to drop out of school. Visiting my Aunt¡¯s ce waspletely out of the question because I first hand knew what living under her roof felt like.¡± I guess I was slowly understanding where she was headed.


    ¡°You have an Aunt?¡± I couldn¡¯t help but ask. I needed to under the situation of things better.


    ¡°Yes. My mom¡¯s younger sister. Her only sibling actually.¡± She sighed. ¡°I had stayed with her a certain time, when my mom had traveled out on a contract job. That was the period we were still living well off. Mom hadn¡¯t lost her job yet, and we were able to afford basic nesities. I had to stay with my aunt until mom returned from her trip. It was a horrible experience. I know she never hit me because she¡¯d definitely have to give exnations to my mom when she returned from her trip. I used to be an outspoken child, so there was no doubt that I would report everything my aunt had done to me, when mom returned.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but think on about the fact that she said she had always been an outspoken child. I wonder the hardships she had gone through, that dampened her spirits this way. Nheless, I asked no questions and let her continue narrating her story. I knew lunchtime would be over soon, but I figured I could make do with some extra minutes.


    ¡°Auntie Michelle wasn¡¯t really so nice to me, so I decided going to stay with her was a bad idea. When I stayed with her, mom was still healthy and well. Imagine how life would be for me, if I dared staying with her in my mother¡¯s present condition.¡±


    ¡°But you said your mom had a good paying job. Something that could even secure her ess to other countries for work. What happened? How did she start working for Mr Fernando, and how did you end up in his home?¡± I asked, seeming quite confused.


    ¡°Immediately after mom returned from that trip that required me staying with Aunt Michelle for a year, her health slowly started deteriorating. It became worse as the day went by, and I guess it worsened that much because mom failed to go get herself checked at the hospital. She only relied on self medications. Apparently, she had fainted while at work on a certain day, and had been rushed to thepany¡¯s clinic. A few tests were run and it was discovered that mom might have gotten exposed to harsh chemicals, that lead to some sort of skin cancer. The work she had recently travelled out of the country for, was to supervise a new chemical processingpany. She had fallen victim of cancer as a result of harsh work hazard. For the first few months, thepany supported her medically, until she was stable enough. But then, after she was discharged from the hospital, theyid her off with a few months sry advance pay off.¡±


    ¡°I guess mom had so much faith that she was going tond another decent job, but her efforts at getting a job proved abortive. Mind you, she had quick forgotten the fact that she was only a high school graduate that was lucky enough to get a job with a start uppany, that grew through the years. Getting a good job seemed hard because she only had her high school certificate. After months of trying tond a job, she finally did. But she had only gotten hired as the housekeeper to the Fernandos.¡± She paused and sighed. Now it was beginning to make sense. ¡°When she had broken the news to me, that was when I realized deep down, that we were literally fucked. I had already imagined that life wasn¡¯t going to be all rosy anymore.¡± She adjusted her position on the sofa, and continued talking. ¡°So mom would go to work at the Fernandos everyday. Some days when we were lucky, they gave her tips after a day¡¯s work, other days, she brought left over foods from the mansion back home. When the school holidays had begun, I had to follow mom to work everyday. There I meet with Madame Beatriz; Mr Fernando¡¯s wife. They were extremely rich, but she was very kind to me. I guess she liked me because I was a bubbly kid, added to the fact that she had 4 sons, but no daughter. She¡¯d alwayse to the kitchen to keep mom and Ipany, even though it was beneath her to do so. Mr Fernando rted with my mom and I, more on a professional level than casual level, which was fine still. But the biggest problem turned out to be theirst son; Ricardo.¡± Finally! The story was adding up now. ¡°Ricardo had been mostly mean to me, but I really didn¡¯t care as he wasn¡¯t a face I saw regrly. It didn¡¯t matter until mom took ill again. Somehow, the skin cancer we thought had been treated, made a nastyeback.¡±


    ¡°Oh no!¡± I gasped.


    ¡°Yes. And that is how ites to the part where Mr Fernando tells me mom is likely going to remain at the hospital for a long time.¡±


    ¡°So what did you do?¡± I enquired.


    ¡°What could I do? I was just 13 years, and was literally alone in the world. Like I said, Aunt Michelle¡¯s ce was a total ¡®no-no¡¯, so I didn¡¯t bother seeking her out. I simply started staying at the home, knowing I wouldn¡¯t be able to afford my school bills. That was when I the innocence within me disappeared. I was slowly bing introduced to the harsh world, where I had to fend for myself. Soon, the little supplies we had at home had run out, and I was beginning to starve. On one of those days that severe hunger struck, I found myself at the gates of the Fernando¡¯s residence. Recognizing me as the housekeeper¡¯s daughter, the security personnel let me in. I had asked to see Madame Beatriz. The moment she heard I was around, she had rushed out to see me. She asked how I was faring, and if my father was taking good care of me.¡±


    That¡¯s true. Laura hadn¡¯t made mention of her father yet. Probably seeing the curiosity in my eyes, she supplied me with the answers I seeked.


    ¡°My father left my mom while I was still very young. So I never knew what having a father felt like.¡± Goodness! Laura had really been through a whole lot. ¡°That was the exact same thing I had told Madame Beatriz, and she became interested in my welfare. I narrated everything to her, and she had found it quite difficult to believe that I had stayed at home all by myself for the few weeks my mom had been at the hospital, with no one else to cater for me. Finally understanding that I had rushed down to their residence because I was hungry, she made sure I was properly fed, and asked me to spend the night at their ce.¡±


    ¡°The next day, she came to me and hadn¡¯t wasted any time, begging her to let me fill in the former position of my mother in their house. She had been quite skeptical because I definitely couldn¡¯t manage to carry out some of the difficult chores, but I had been quite insistent. I told her that I had to continue schooling, and I needed the littlest paying job to make that possible. She told me I was still a minor, and she would have to discuss with her husband first. I remained at their house and a day after, Mr Fernando asked to see me. He rebuffed me for not saying anything earlier when he had informed me about my mom¡¯s health, and promised to help in anyway he could. He epted that I worked for them, in exchange that they trained me through school. To my utmost suprise, a weekter, I was enrolled in the same prestigious school as hisst son, Ricardo.¡±


    ¡°Now, he was always around you.¡± I muttered in understanding, and she nodded.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know what I was thinking, hoping he¡¯d actually look out for me at school. His attitude towards me was no different from his attitude at home. He didn¡¯t just let the other rich kids look down on me, he joined them. It was more difficult for me because the bullying didn¡¯t end at school, but at home as well. And he had this way of acting the opposite in the presence of his parents.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the way people like that are. Deceptive.¡± I breathed out in annoyance.


    ¡°Things became worse when Mr and Mrs Fernando started pursuing their political career. They were barely at home, which left me to the mercy of Ricardo. I had never met his older brothers because they all studied outside the country, and were never around. The only other people in the house with us were mostly the domestic staff, who literally had no say in anything. So it was really just Ricardo and I.¡±


    Ahhh! This was really so sad. But then¡­.


    ¡°But you are clearly done with school. Why do you still remain with the Fernandos?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I do not want to leave, Bianca. I really want to leave. Moreover, I have saved up more than enough money through the years I stayed with them. Unlike Mr Fernando and I had agreed when he took me in, he paid for my tuition fees, always gave me pocket money for school, and still paid me little wages every month for working in his home.¡±


    ¡°Are you serious?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± She nodded in agreement. ¡°I had always thought the man was more of a professional person, but after my mom took ill, I guess the fatherly side of him showed up. He is a very good man. To be honest, Madame Beatriz hasn¡¯t been in support of me still working as a maid in their house, but I insisted.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± She muttered sincerely, looking away into an empty space. ¡°I really don¡¯t know.¡± She repeated. The look on her face only showed one thing. Longing. I guess I was finallying to understand the situation of things now.


    ¡°I know.¡± I whispered.


    ¡°You know?¡± She asked inquisitively.


    ¡°Yes, I know.¡± I gave a small smile. ¡°You are subconsciously tied to this people Laura. If we are being quite honest, from your story and from the little glimpse I caught between you and¡­.¡± I paused, realizing I wasn¡¯t even sure the person I had seen with Laura that day, was whom I thought she was.


    ¡°What is it?¡± She asked, not knowing why I suddenly paused.


    ¡°Thedy whom you had knelt down to buckle her shoes¡­.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Thatdy¡­. who is she?¡±


    ¡°That is Madame Beatriz.¡± She said, confirming my thoughts.


    ¡°Just like I thought.¡± I nodded. ¡°Even from afar, I could see she had a really soft spot for you.¡±


    ¡°Ahh, yes!¡± Laura smiled for the first time since we got talking. ¡°I adore her as well. She has really been a mother figure eversince my mom left.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I guess that is why you are finding it difficult to leave now, even if you had what it takes to. Mr Fernando is a father figure, likewise his wife. This people have be your family for¡­.?¡±


    ¡°9 years.¡± She supplied. ¡°I have stayed with them for 9 years.¡±


    ¡°Wait. Your mom has been in the hospital for 9 years?¡± I asked in disbelief.


    ¡°No, not exactly.¡± She chuckled, but her eyes held only sadness. ¡°I just always use that word ¡®left¡¯ when I refer to her. She actually died a few months after I got enrolled in Ricardo¡¯s high school. It was a rather painful memory for me, so I do not like to relive it.¡±


    ¡°Oh myyy¡­¡± I sympathized, feeling really sorry for Laura. And here I was, thinking that the worst thing that could happen to anyone was being made jest of, for the colour of their hair. Other people have seen far worse than that. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m slowly making peace with the fact that I will never see her again. And to be honest, the loneliness hits harder when I¡¯m alone. So I rather¡­.¡±


    ¡°So you rather remain with the only people who feel the closest to being family.¡± I cut her short,pleting her statement. All she did was nod in agreement.


    ¡°But Ricardo makes your life a living hell.¡± I sighed. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to be away from him?¡±


    ¡°I want that. I really do. But then, what difference does it make? I would still have to face him at work.¡±


    ¡°Exactly! That is why you have to stand your ground from now on. What happened to that bubbly extroverted and outspoken little girl?¡±


    ¡°She died long ago. Alongside her mother.¡± She muttered, looking away. My heart broke all the more, when I noticed the tears in her eyes.


    ¡°Would her mother be proud to see her this way? Her mother would have been happier, knowing her little girl can atleast, protect herself. You don¡¯t have to let Ricardo ride all over you. You can put him in his ce.¡±


    ¡°I can?¡± She muttered, looking at me doubtfully.


    ¡°Yes, you can.¡± I grinned. ¡°I once did so to a rich boy who always bullied me at school.¡±


    ¡°You were bullied??¡±


    ¡°Yes, I was. For years, I was.¡±


    ¡°But why? You¡¯re definitely not poor, and you don¡¯t look to me like someone that can be stepped on.¡±


    ¡°Well, I used to look like someone who could be stepped on, until I decided to stand up for myself. And can you guess why I was even being bullied?¡± I chuckled in disbelief. It all suddenly seemed so foolish to me. I was even more foolish for believing that my hair colour made me less of a person, or a ¡®freak¡¯ as Kyle used to say. I guess my short discussion with Laura had really opened my eyes to a lot of things.


    ¡°Why?¡± She asked curiously.


    ¡°Because of my hair colour. They said I had an ugly hair color that made me look like a freak. Anyways, I really do not care anymo¡­¡± I was still talking when she gasped.


    ¡°Oh my God!¡± She put her hand over her mouth. What happened now?


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked, a bit worried.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡°Bianca they lied to you! They lied to you!!¡± She suddenly burst intoughter. ¡°You have the most beautiful hair I have seen in a long while, trust me.¡± I didn¡¯t know if I was being a bit harsh, but I felt taking Laura¡¯s perspective to heart was a bit extreme. She was clearly not someone with eyes for fashion. I looked at the oversize shirt she had worn, with its sleeves almost poking its way into her mouth, in the position she was. She had buttoned the shirt even at the cor, making it almost look like she was choking. It made me wonder why Laura even dressed like that. I guess seeing her looking semi choked, was enough for me tough.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Nothing love.¡± I assured, a small, yet genuine smile on my face. I guess I had really found a friend. Someone I loved and understood, regardless of how she appeared.

 CHAPTER 12

    MANUEL¡¯S POV


    ¡°You hadn¡¯t an idea?¡±


    ¡°Like I said, this batch of employees were selected strictly based on merit. I made sure that only people who were best qualified for the job got it. If Ricardo Fernando was good enough for the job, then I¡¯m impressed.¡± Alexander smiled. ¡°Rich kids these days, normally have an empty brain.¡±


    ¡°I would agree to that.¡± I nodded. ¡°But it¡¯s clear Honourable Fernando offered us this contract because he felt we were of help to his son.¡±


    ¡°And¡­. why are you saying that?¡± Alex gave me that pointed look of his. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you feel sorry for taking the contract from Ferrari?¡± He said in disbelief, and I could only hang my head low. ¡°Atimes, I don¡¯t just get you. Francesca is supposed to be happy for you! If she really cares about you and sees some sort of future with you, then your sess is supposed to be her sess as well. Or is there something I¡¯m missing?¡±


    ¡°There is nothing you¡¯re missing Alex.¡± I sighed. ¡°Francesca could be quite difficult to understand atimes, but I know she cares for me.¡± I nodded affirmatively. ¡°That asides, you should in turn do something for Ricardo.¡±


    ¡°There you go again, Manuel.¡± He groaned. ¡°Incase you haven¡¯t noticed, I¡¯m trying to grow apany with well deserving employees.¡±


    ¡°Oh please! Make an exemption for him.¡± I rolled my eyes. ¡°He should be a part of the list for the next promotion. It¡¯s only fair he is. Not only is he actually smart, but his father has deemed himself a friend to us. That¡¯s the least we could do to show appreciation.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± He scowled, and I all but chuckled.


    ¡°This phase will definitely pass Alex.¡±


    ¡°What phase?¡± He red.


    ¡°This phase of you trying to be all good and kind. The phase of wanting corruption far away. A mafia could never be all of those things. Ruggedity and criminality runs through our veins.¡±


    ¡°I kno¡­¡± He sighed loudly, and I couldn¡¯t help but notice how tired he looked. His eye bags had only be more visible. Why hadn¡¯t I noticed how tired he looked when he stepped into my office today?


    ¡°Alex, is all well? What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t get any sleepst night.¡± He muttered.


    ¡°Clearly. But why?¡±


    ¡°I spent the whole night thinking about how this rugged life of ours has put the one person I love, in harm¡¯s way.¡±


    ¡°Alex.¡± I called, standing up from my seat and making my way to where he sat opposite me. I walked to the back of his seat and put both my hands on his shoulders.


    ¡°I know, I know¡­.¡± He exhaled softly. ¡°I know I haven¡¯t really been the best example of a big brother to you. I deviated from the path which had already been designated for me, and left the burden on you to bear. I know I was a coward. I shouldn¡¯t have stepped down from my position as Don, but I just couldn¡¯t bear to see the one person I loved being hurt because of me over and over again.¡±


    ¡°Alex, put yourself together.¡± I said, holding his shoulders more firmly. ¡°I thought we have talked about this before? I¡¯m notining in any way. You know better than anything, that this was foreseen by Pa ever since we were nothing but children. And because he had seen that you would leave, he prepared me as well for this same position.¡±


    ¡°Just like you, I led a different life from that of our other cousins, knowing that if anything should go wrong, I would be left to shoulder the burden of this empire on my own. So no regrets now.¡± I encouraged, giving his back a p, before walking back to my seat. ¡°But tell me, what¡¯s wrong? You¡¯re suddenly talking like there¡¯s some kind of danger lurking around Be. You should let me know, so we can strategize and fight it off. Is this about Tawan¡¯s return?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± He shook his head vigorously,pletely shoving the thought aside. ¡°We are already sure he hasn¡¯t returned for Be, so I could worry less about him.¡±


    ¡°Then what exactly eats you so deeply? What kept you wide awake at night, brother?¡±


    ¡°I made a mistake once. I let my enemies steal our child away from us. That poor child wasn¡¯t even born yet. My poor wife had almost lost her life as well.¡±


    I sighed, knowing that it would sound so insensitive to tell him it was all in the past. Such kinds of wounds never really healed especially for people like us. We were the kind of people that were groomed with iron hands and poisonous words. We had only love and respect for family. So seeing family die on us, wasn¡¯t really something easy to stomach.


    ¡°I know you are wondering why I¡¯m suddenly talking about an unborn baby that was lost 2 years ago.¡± He chuckled dryly.


    ¡°Not at¡­¡± I was still talking when he cut me off, saying what I had not expected to hear.


    ¡°Be is with child.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± My voice was barely a whisper.


    ¡°My Be is with child. Another child.¡±


    Now I finally understood where this tension came from. He was having another baby and was scared of losing it the same way he had lost the first one. I really didn¡¯t know how to feel at that point. I was ted, but equally sad. I was ted because there was going to be an addition to the family, through Be, regardless of the doctor¡¯s fear two years ago. The injury she had sustained that had killed the child in her womb, was also seen to have tampered with some parts of her reproductive system as well. It was on a thin thread that we hoped she would be pregnant again. Now that she finally was, we wouldn¡¯t sit still and watch the child be put to danger. Looking up at him, I shed a wide grin.


    ¡°Oh! Congrattions cousin!¡± I stood and we shared a manly hug. ¡°This is good news! When did you both find out?¡± I asked, and the smile that had managed to creep up his face suddenly faltered.


    ¡°She had already known for a month now, but she only told me yesterday. Apparently, she had been scared. She had been scared of losing this one. My own wife doesn¡¯t even feel protected with me.¡± His mood was definitely making a whole lot of sense now.


    ¡°And you felt horrible?¡± I asked, and he nodded. ¡°And you felt like a failure?¡± I asked, and he nodded again. ¡°Look, Be would have lost her life as well two years ago, but you got to her in record time. You put your own life on the line to ensure she was safe. While she fought for her life at the hospital, you were on a rampage like a madman, killing everyone who was a part of the pain she had felt. You were brave Alex. And if there¡¯s anything I have to say, then it should be the fact that I feel honoured. Honoured to be the only one that could see you in this broken state. Honoured to be the one that you don¡¯t feel the nesity to be all perfect and strong, before.¡±


    ¡°You have really tried your best, brother, but you just haven¡¯t realized. And if anything, you are far from being a coward. You feel that stepping down from your position as Don, makes you a coward. On the contrary, it makes you a hero. You were quick to let go of all that power, so you could protect your family. If you haven¡¯t realized, that is what it means to be a mafian and a leader. Up until tomorrow, I¡¯d still learn from you.¡± I gave tight lipped smile. ¡°Also, you don¡¯t have to stress about ¡®big brother¡¯ duties, when you¡¯re just a year older than I.¡± I rolled my eyes, making himugh. Did he really think I was going to forget that statement of his? Hisughter finally died down and he gazed at me, looking thankful. Knowing we had waddled in the pit of self pity for too long, I quickly pulled us out of it.


    ¡°Enough of the pity party now. Be is pregnant and that calls for an intimate family celebration.¡± I said, knowing the couple wouldn¡¯t really appreciate anything loud, in the emotional state they both found themselves. I walked up to the mini wine cab at the corner of my office, an pulled out a champagne and two flutes. Popping the champagne and pouring it into the flutes, I was about offering it to Alexander when a knock came on the door. ¡°Come in.¡± I said, and the door opened to revealed Be, looking all pretty. She had worn a red two piece dress that only brought out the beauty of her pale skin.


    ¡°Be!¡± I grinned, suprised to see her in my office. ¡°You didn¡¯t say you wereing.¡± I noticed she looked a bit tensed and her eyes didn¡¯t move away from the other man in the office with us. Well, that man happened to be her husband.


    ¡°Sorry, if I¡¯m interrupting anything.¡± She muttered.


    ¡°Not at all.¡± I waved off the courtesy and she finally chuckled, her eyes still fixed on Alex.


    ¡°I¡­. I stopped by at your office, honey. Bianca told me you were out on a meeting with Manuel.¡± Alex suddenly looked up at her hopefully, and asked.


    ¡°You came looking for me?¡±


    ¡°But of course, yes.¡± She sighed, making her way closer to him. If not for the fact that I was already used to seeing the undeniable tension that was always between both of them, I would have rolled my eyes. I guess being all lovey~dovey wasn¡¯t really my style. ¡°I came to see you. I came to say that I was sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to keep such important information away from you, and it wasn¡¯t my intention to keep you awake all night, drowning in sadness. You are best thing that has happened to me, and I would be stupid to not let you always know how valuable you are in my life.¡± She gave a small smile. ¡°In our lives.¡± She added, taking his hand on putting it on her tummy. I could really puke at that sight right now. Why did they just keep looking at each other as if they didn¡¯t have more important things to do with their time? Before I could tell what was happening next, Alex had pulled his wife to sit on his thighs, before locking their lips in a passionate kiss. Okay! That was the height of it! I could take a lot of things, but definitely not that.


    ¡°You both, out of my office.¡± I yelled in annoyance. They broke off their kiss and stood up from the chair,ughing at who was definitely not me. They couldn¡¯t beughing at me. ¡°Get out!¡± I yelled once more, and Alex just couldn¡¯t hold it in again. Theughter just came rolling out of his mouth. I knew it wasn¡¯t going to be long until I joined in theughter party. I could already feel my lips twitching as Alex gave me that look that says ¡®I know you want tough¡¯. ¡°Just leave.¡± I gestured to the door, willing myself to hold back myughter. They both walked outughing and the moment they shut the door behind them, I finally realeased a series ofughter. I just couldn¡¯t believe those two. I shook my head, looking at the champagne that was clearly going to be wasted.


    ¡°Julia.¡± I called my personal assistant, and the next second, she opened the door and stepped into my office. That was quick.


    ¡°Please I would like for you to take away these¡­¡± I had been talking with my eyes fixed on theputer in front of me. But when I heard the voice of the person who was inside my office with me, I looked up immediately.


    ¡°Manuel.¡± She muttered, and it dawned on me. We were about to repeat that silly cycle once more. Guys, we just made up! We even had some champagne to celebrate our ¡®progress¡¯.


    .Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.


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    1 MONTH LATER


    I smiled as I walked into my office that morning. It was Francesca¡¯s birthday in a week, and I had been thinking of a special way to celebrate it. I guess I was more excited because we had stayed for a whole month without having any fights. Well, when I say ¡®fights¡¯, I meant ¡®major fights¡¯. We did have minor fights, but they weren¡¯t serious enough to lead to a temporal breakup. The moment I got to my desk, I frowned when I saw a wrapped gift box and a card on my desk. Who sent this? I looked more closely to see it was from Alex. Alex? What was the asion? I opened the card and it read


    ~


    My dearest brother, I never believed you both could do it, but you conquered the month! Many more months to breaking off the ¡®cycle¡¯ curse.


    ~


    Bastardo! I couldn¡¯t believe Alex right now. I chuckled as I opened the box to see a small calendar inside it. The first month of the calender was marked out, and beneath it said ¡®8 more months to go¡¯


    Seriously?! Was this bastard challenging our ability to remain at peace for the rest of the year? I was stillughing was his call came in. I quickly answered it.


    ¡°You are a bastard, you know that right?¡±


    ¡°Oh, please tell me something I don¡¯t know.¡± Heughed. ¡°But really, you both suprised me.¡±


    ¡°I am equally suprised.¡± Iughed. ¡°You know, it¡¯s her birthday in a week¡¯s time, and I want it to be special.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm. Have you thought of anything to do for her?¡±


    ¡°I have just one thing in mind though.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Whatever I am going to do, would have that spontaneity you spoke about the other time.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm!¡± I was so sure he was grinning.


    ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s best to be spontaneous on her birthday? What if things don¡¯t turn out the way you imagined? It would only end up being a sad day for you both.¡±


    ¡°Are you discouraging me now?¡±


    ¡°Not at all. I¡¯m just being concerned. Whatever you¡¯re doing, it has to be something she may not be able to turn down.¡±


    ¡°I have already proposed, what¡¯s left to do.¡± I shrugged.


    ¡°Marry her.¡± He said, making us both burst intoughter.


    ¡°Crazy fool!¡± I muttered. ¡°Leave my phone already.¡±


    ¡°Before you hang up, I already sent Bianca to your office, with the copies a few confidential files. Let me know if you think we should sign them. I¡¯m a bit confused.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. You¡¯d get a response from me before the day is over.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± He muttered, before hanging up. I looked at the card and gift box once more, beforeughing and putting them into thest drawer in my desk. Just then, another call came in and I smiled when I saw who it was.


    ¡°Hey babyyyy.¡± I drawled, making her giggle.


    ¡°We were supposed to spend the night together.¡± She muttered.


    ¡°I know. And I¡¯m sorry. But I had some underground work to deal withst night. I would make it up to you tonight.¡± I assured.


    ¡°But we don¡¯t have to wait until tonight, do we?¡± She asked, and I didn¡¯t know how to respond to that. ¡°Do you know where I am right now?¡±


    ¡°If you tell me, I would.¡± I chuckled, not understanding what she was ying at.


    ¡°I could show you too.¡± She giggled. The next minute, the door to my office opened and no one else but Francesca stepped in. Okayyyyy. I managed a smile. She paid me a suprise visit.


    ¡°A suprise visit.¡± I muttered. Was I supposed to feel ted? We were still going to see each other tonight, not so? I guess she noticed I found it hard to react to her presence, so she did the next thing that finally made me grin. There in the middle of my office, she pulled off the long leather jacket that she had been wearing, and let it fall to the floor, leaving her in just a sexy ck lingerie. Okayyyy. Now, that was a surprise.


    ¡°You like?¡± She asked sultrily, and I shook my head slowly, making her frown.


    ¡°I love.¡± I corrected, and she shed a wide grin. I was about getting up and going to meet her, but her next words stopped me on my tracks.


    ¡°Remain seated.¡± She said in a firm voice, and I slowly got the message. She was about to dominate the dominator. ¡°I should teach you a few lessons for being a bad boy and making me wait for you all night.¡± She gave an evil grin.


    The next thing she did was walking up to my seat and straddling me, before letting our lips connect together. We had gone quite far with our makeout session, when the door to my office suddenly opened. I quickly disconnected my lips from Francesca¡¯s, to see who hadn¡¯t the sense of knocking before opening the door. It was thatdy! Alexander¡¯s personal assistant. Shit! He had informed me that she was to bring some files to me. Our eyes locked and her eyes widen in shock. Her face suddenly went pale and it seemed like she had lost her bnce for a moment. She would have fallen to the ground, if not for the door behind, that waged her.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± She rushed out, before regaining her bnce and quickly rushing out of my office. I would haveughed. I really wanted tough, but had to hold it in. Thisdy with a pretty hair was funny.

 CHAPTER 13

    BIANCA¡¯S POV


    The grin on my face when my boss had told me he was sending me to his cousin¡¯s office, was as wide as anything anyone could imagine. It had been two weeks since Ist saw Manuel when he paid a visit to my boss. Now, I had the opportunity to be at his office again, and I felt excited.


    ¡°You should get going immediately.¡± My boss said. ¡°I would love for him to send a response today, so the files have to get to him on time.¡±


    ¡°Okay sir.¡± I nodded, before stepping out of his office. I guess I was lucky because I had worn the new dress my mama had gifted me just yesterday. Quickly applying some more lipstick to my mouth, I picked up my files and the handbag, and made my way out of the office. I decided to follow the stairs, rather than the elevator, so I could breeze in and out of Laura¡¯s office. I also wanted to know if she was fine. Just today, the list of names of the just promoted employees had been released and somehow, Ricardo was part of them. I wasn¡¯t surprised though. Within this short period I had worked for Mr Alexander, it was safe to say that I knew a whole lot of important stuff happening around thepany. Part of it was the fact that a certain major construction contract had been awarded to Manuel Russo, because the son of the honourable who gave the contract, worked here. Guess who that son was? Yes, you guessed right. Ricardo. I guess I was more angry because Ricardo somehow happens to be Laura¡¯s boss now. If the universe wasn¡¯t fucking with us, then I don¡¯t know what was. I sighed as I walked into her office and saw her typing away furiously on her keyboard, leaning closer to the screen of theputer so she could clearly see what she was typing.


    ¡°Laura.¡± I called and she look up to see me.


    ¡°Bibi!¡± She called in excitement. She was excited? Had she not seen the promotion list? ¡°It¡¯s not time for lunch yet.¡± She stood up from her seat and walked up to me. ¡°You don¡¯t look fine, are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± I chuckled nervously. ¡°I¡¯m very much okay.¡±


    ¡°You?¡± She teased. ¡°Are very not okay.¡± We bothughed and I decided to ask.


    ¡°Some of our colleagues are getting promoted.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I heard. I feel so jealous.¡± She giggled. ¡°But I already knew that building my career would take time, so I¡¯m willing to be patient.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± I said, partly distracted by my thoughts. ¡°So have you seen the list?¡±


    ¡°The promotion list is out already?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It was released this morning. How about the house hunt? Have you been able to find somewhere?¡±


    ¡°To be honest, I haven¡¯t really been searching.¡± She sighed. ¡°What¡¯s the point?¡±


    ¡°The point is that you have to stay far away from Ricardo until you can finally begin to stand up to him.¡± I scratched my brows.


    ¡°I barely see him at home these days. And it¡¯s same at work.¡± She shrugged. ¡°You already know that ever since your visit to our ce a month ago, he kinda kept his distance. Yes, he still throws me those frightening res of his whenever he sees me, but he doesn¡¯t really talk to me or bully me anymore. And since he doesn¡¯t do that anymore, there¡¯s no need worrying myself about standing up to him. Stop being worried about me, I¡¯ll be just fine. I even overheard madame Beatriz having a conversation with her husbandst night. I guess he¡¯s considering moving out of the house to his own ce.¡±


    ¡°Who? Ricardo?¡± I asked in disbelief, and she nodded.


    ¡°Yes, Ricardo.¡± Suddenly she looked concerned. ¡°Honestly Bibi, I wonder if he is alright. He barely returns home these days, neither does he spend so much time around, whenever hees home.¡±


    ¡°Are you seriously being worried about Ricardo?¡± I asked, almost wanting tough in disbelief.


    ¡°Well, you can¡¯t me me.¡± She shrugged. ¡°I literally grew up in the same house as he. And I guess I¡¯m concerned because Madame Beatriz is worried. She¡¯s beenining about him skipping his meals as well.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I get you. He¡¯s probably adjusting to life. He¡¯s no longer a child. I guess a man always has problems of his own. Meanwhile, enough of Ricardo.¡± I grinned. ¡°Guess where I¡¯m off to right now.¡±


    ¡°Where?¡± She asked, making me roll my eyes.


    ¡°I asked you to guess.¡± I bit back, and she chuckled.


    ¡°Fine. You¡¯re going to see the ultimate love of your life. Manuel Russo.¡± She said in a joking manner, but she really didn¡¯t know she was right. Yes, Laura knew about my crush on Manuel Russo, and how I hadnded the job. We had be that close. She usually came over to our house for sleepovers, and my parents loved her as well. I told my mama and papa her story, and they had both felt sorry for her. Seeing it as an opportunity to show her some care, they always asked that I brought her home whenever I could. I also knew they were excited I was finally socializing and making a friend.


    ¡°Laura!¡± I squealed in excitement.


    ¡°Wait.. what?¡± She blinked her eyes in confusion. Was I right?


    ¡°Yes, you were right!¡±


    ¡°How?!!¡± She asked as we both squealed excitedly.


    ¡°How else? My boss sent me on an errand. Finally!¡± I added, basking in the feeling of victory.


    ¡°Finally!¡± Lauraughed. ¡°Knowing your boss, I¡¯m sure he has told you to hurry there.¡± She chuckled. She wasn¡¯t lying though.


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± I whispered, realizing I had wasted a lot of time already. ¡°I need to get going now.¡± I said, picking up my bag and the file that I had dropped on her work desk in the course of our conversation. ¡°I would see you at lunch!¡±


    ¡°Be good.¡± She replied as I made my way out of  her office.


    I had gotten to Manuel Russo¡¯s office half an hourter, but was suprised to see that his personal assistant wasn¡¯t on seat. Pheeww! She was supposed to be the one to let me into his office. Having no other choice after waiting for 5 minutes without her showing up, I knocked on the door but got no response. I thought I could hear some sounds insides, or was I hearing wrongly? After giving another knock, I opened the door and scanned the entire ce until my eyesnded on what I really shouldn¡¯t have seen. There he was, with a half nakeddy atop his thighs as they passionately made out with each other. He pulled away from her the moment he noticed my presence, our eyes locking with each other¡¯s. Of all times, my legs decided to fail me then. I stumbled backwards, almost falling to the ground in the process. I was really grateful for the door behind me, that did a perfect job of waging me.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± I rushed out, quickly regaining myposure and literally running out of his office. Immediately I closed the door behind me, I turned around to see none other than thedy who had been missing moments ago.


    ¡°Julia.¡± I muttered. ¡°Good morning.¡±


    ¡°Good morning Bianca. Why do you look like you had just seen a ghost?¡± She chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I startled you.¡± She gave a warm smile that weirdly made me want to cry. Why did I feel like she pitied me?


    ¡°Not at all.¡± I rushed out, dropping the file on her desk and stepping backwards. ¡°The file is for Mr Manuel, and should be treated as urgent.¡± I supplied, before walking out of her office space.


    By the time I got to the elevator, tears had clouded my eyes and I felt a pang of jealousy in my heart. Why did I even feel that way? It wasn¡¯t that deep. I furiously cleaned off the tears in my eyes, thankful I was the only one in the elevator. I would probably seem stupid to anyone who could see through my mind. Here I was, crying over a man that didn¡¯t even notice me. I guess my privacy was shortlived when the elevator binged open at another floor and a man walked in. I didn¡¯t bother looking at his face and just kept my eyes glued to his shoes. They looked expensive. Suddenly I heard my name and I wasn¡¯t sure who called me. Was it the same man that was inside the elevator with me?? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    ¡°Bianca?¡± At hearing him call my name again, I looked up to see he was indeed a familiar face, but I just couldn¡¯t remember where I had met him. ¡°I guess you don¡¯t remember me.¡± He sighed, looking a bit disappointed.


    ¡°You could juggle my memory.¡± I managed a small smile and he frowned.


    ¡°You don¡¯t look good. Are you well?¡±


    ¡°Hmmm.¡± I nodded, unable to say a word for the fear of my words failing me.


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t.¡± He shook his head slowly. ¡°Your eyes look puffy, like you have been crying.¡± He gave a sad smile and I slowly felt the tears gather in my eyes again. I quickly wanted to use my palms and clean off the tears, but his hand held mine stopping it from touching my face. ¡°Here.¡± He said, offering me a handkerchief with his other hand.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± I finally let the tears freely pour out as I cleaned them away.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. No matter what the problem is, you¡¯ll be fine.¡± All I could do was nod in agreement as I kept the handkerchief pasted to my face, feeling embarrassed that someone I didn¡¯t really know had seen me cry. After a while, the elevator binged open and we both stepped out. ¡°Where are you headed?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Back to work.¡± I replied, patting my face with the handkerchief for thest time, before handing it over to him.


    ¡°A. RUSSO? Let me give you a ride.¡± He said, collecting it.


    ¡°No no no!¡± I rushed out. ¡°I don¡¯t want to impose.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re not. I¡¯m also going that way. And even if I weren¡¯t, it would be wrong for me to see you in this emotional state and not offer to help.¡± He was saying one thing, but I had another thing on my mind.


    ¡°How do you know where I work?¡±


    ¡°You told me yourself Bianca.¡± He smiled. ¡°You hade to deliver some files to Manuel about a month ago, and we met in the elevator. I told you my name¡­.¡± suddenly the memories came crashing in, and I called his name.


    ¡°Antonio?¡±


    ¡°You remember my name.¡± He grinned so widely, and I couldn¡¯t help but notice how white his set of teeth were. He was really good looking too.


    ¡°You remembered mine too.¡± I smiled. ¡°There¡¯s someone who still doesn¡¯t remember my name even after seeing me a couple of times.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± He asked, not catching on. He wasn¡¯t supposed to. I gave a bitter smile and shook my head.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    ¡°Uhhmmm¡­¡± Would you love to have some coffee with me before heading back to work? He asked and I found myself nodding in agreement.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯d like that.¡±


    ¡°Great!¡± He said and intertwined our hands together. On a normal day, I would have felt ufortable with that gesture of his, but somehow it made me feel less sad. We both walked to the parking lot and hopped into his car. Within a shortwhile, we had gotten to a nearby cafe and were already sipping on some coffee.


    ¡°How did you know we were gonnae across each other again?¡± I asked, remembering he had said those exact words to me on our first meeting.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I just felt so.¡± He shrugged.


    ¡°So where exactly do you work? I had been thinking you worked at Mr Manuel¡¯spany, but it seems to be that I¡¯m wrong.¡±


    ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t say thought wrong.¡± He countered. ¡°When we met a month ago, I was still training under Manuel.¡±


    ¡°You talk like you know him on a personal basis.¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± He chuckled. ¡°He is my cousin. My name is Antonio Russo.¡±


    ¡°Oh my goodness!¡± I sped my mouth with my right palm and he chuckled. ¡°I hadn¡¯t an idea.¡± I really had not seen thating.


    ¡°Now you do.¡± He smiled. ¡°So I just concluded my training under him a few months back, and have proceeded to start running my own part of the Russo Empire.¡±


    ¡°Your own part? Is the empire divided?¡±


    ¡°God, you¡¯re so funny Bianca.¡± He chuckled. ¡°You should know by now that we have what is called ¡®The Russo Group¡¯. It is popr known as Russo group ofpanies. Apnies under the group specialize on different things. Manuel Russo is into construction, Alexander  Russo is into tech and gadgets, Antonio Russo is into cars and electronics, Dante Russo is into investment and returns¡­.. The list goes on. So, our Nonno made sure all his sons named their first sons after themselves. For instance, my father¡¯s name is Antonio as well.¡± He supplied.


    ¡°Okay.¡± I nodded, getting more interested.


    ¡°Yes. Likewise Alexander, Manuel, and our other cousins. So, ¡®A. RUSSO¡¯ formerly belonged to Alexander¡¯s father who is also known as Alexander. Same with Manuel Russo. I took over Antonio Russopany from my father just recently. Do you understand now?¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡± I muttered, confused about a little detail. ¡°You made mention of your Nonno¡¯s children naming their first born sons after them. What of his daughters? Don¡¯t they have a part in the Russo empire as well?¡±


    ¡°Ohhh?¡± He chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re sharp. I have four aunties and they very much have a part in the empire. They are all married into wealthy and powerful families. Their first sons all have to be a part of their own father¡¯s businesses, so they are out of the Russo structure. But their daughters take after their positions in the Russo empire.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh¡± I muttered, finally understanding him. That made sense. ¡°So your Nonno was careful enough to strengthen the Russo empire by marrying off his daughters into other powerful families.¡± Imented, and he released a small smile.


    ¡°Trust me, most of them were love matches.¡±


    ¡°Whose wasn¡¯t?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Aunt Pauline¡¯s. Everyone in the family knows she¡¯d rather marry for wealth than anything else.¡± Heughed. ¡°But she¡¯s happy where she is nheless. She¡¯s also the most outgoing and supportive aunt we have. She is the CEO of Russo fashion store. Her daughter, ¡®Pauline¡¯ is about to take over from her in a few weeks time.¡±


    ¡°Wow. Your family is coordinated. Sounds like fun.¡±


    ¡°Until it isn¡¯t.¡± He made a funny scary face, making meugh.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± I sighed, and he frowned a bit.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°For making me feel better. I really needed this.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm.¡± He adjusted his position on his seat. ¡°You could thank me in a different way.¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°Give me your phone.¡± He ordered, and I did.


    ¡°Hmm. Just like I thought. The kind ofdy that doesn¡¯t put a password on her gadget. You work in apany that deals with gadgets. Don¡¯t you learn a thing or two?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a personal assistant, not a tech assistant.¡± I muttered, making him chuckle and shake his head. The next minute, his phone began ringing and he smiled at the screen.


    ¡°Good. I just sessfully saved my number in your phone. It¡¯s part of the emergency contacts.¡± He chuckled, seeing my reaction to that piece of information. ¡°It¡¯s just incase you find yourself in another situation where you need my help, just like today. Don¡¯t hesitate to call me Bianca.¡± He handed my phone back to me, and I smiled at the way he had saved his name on my phone. Antonio with a love and smiling emoji.


    ¡°Why?¡± I suddenly asked as he stood to his feet.


    ¡°Why what?¡±


    ¡°Why are you so nice to me? You barely know me, but didn¡¯t hesitate to be so thoughtful and caring. You even told me about your family in what seemed like details. Why?¡±


    ¡°Who knows?¡± He shrugged. ¡°You may end up being a part of the Russo family one day.¡± He looked serious, but I decided tough it off. If only he knew the reason I had cried so bad was because of his cousin. One other thing I appreciated so much was the fact that he didn¡¯t bug me to tell him what went wrong. He just wanted to help genuinely. ¡°We should get going Bianca. Alexander hates tardiness.¡± Oh, Antonio was truly their cousin! I stood up with him and we made our way back to his car and drove back to work.


    The moment I stepped into the office, I decided it was best to inform my boss of my return. I knocked on his door, waiting for him to ask me toe in. The moment I stepped in, an apologetic smile was stered on his face. What was it now?


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry Bianca. Manuel just told me of the incident that took ce in his office.¡±


    Ohhh¡­.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine sir.¡± I nodded.


    ¡°I promise it would never repeat itself. I have told him to be more careful about his escapades with his fiancee. My employees do not need to see all that.¡± I guess I heard wrongly. I could feel my head spinning.


    ¡°Fiancee?¡± I asked as he was busy looking at the files on his table.


    ¡°Yes.¡± He reaffirmed with a nod. ¡°That was Francesca Ferrari, Manuel¡¯s fiancee.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± That was all I could manage to say. ¡°Do you need anything else sir?¡± I asked, hoping to leave his presence.


    ¡°Not for now, Bianca. Thank you. And my apologies once again.¡± He said, reminding me of how stupid I was as I walked out of his office. What had I been thinking? That Manuel hadn¡¯t a woman in his life? When I had seen that woman making out with him today, I thought she was his girlfriend, and it still hurt that much. I guess the pain hit different now I knew they were bound to be married. I had probably just been a fool all along. Just then, a call came in through my phone and I weakly picked it up.


    ¡°Bibi.¡± That was Laura.


    ¡°Laura?¡±


    ¡°Did you know Ricardo was assigned my new boss?¡± She sounded like she was about to cry. I guess that made the two of us.

 CHAPTER 14

    BIANCA¡¯S POV


    ¡°Biancaaa¡­¡± Laura groaned as she tossed and turned on my bed. ¡°I wish I can remain here for the rest of the week. I don¡¯t want to go to work anymore. I don¡¯t want to see anyone. I think we should both rebel.¡± She suddenly sat up on the bed, folding her leg into themselves. I felt like a mess, but seeing her hair all spiked up in different angles, with herrge doe eyes looking through the equally big and thick frames she wore, made me burst intoughter. ¡°You¡¯re weird.¡± She muttered, having no idea what made meugh so hard.


    ¡°Oh, Laura! You have no idea.¡± Myughter imcreased. ¡°You look like medusa right now.¡± Hearing me say that, she quickly rose to her feet and walked to the mirror on the wall of my room.


    ¡°Urrgghhh!¡± She groaned, making meugh again. ¡°Howe I look more pathetic than you do? I thought we were both suffering?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m suffering from heartbreak. You on the other hand, are suffering from the fear of the suffering and excessive work that Ricardo would most certainly put you through. Who knows? Maybe you¡¯d really be looking this way after a day¡¯s work with him as your boss.¡±


    ¡°Honestly.¡± She sighed and slumped back on the bed. ¡°Meanwhile,¡± She looked up at me in interest. ¡°Your boss talked about the ANAN business conference with you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± I nodded in agreement. ¡°But not in details. I only hope he doesn¡¯t need me to go along with him that day.¡±


    ¡°Well, you automatically would.¡± Laura shrugged, making me look up at her in shock.


    ¡°I would? How do you know that? That God forsaken conference is on a Sunday. Part of my precious weekend.¡± I mumbled, not wanting to imagine it.


    ¡°It¡¯s only natural you follow your boss to attend any conference he¡¯s supposed to attend. Though, I heard from our coworkers during lunch today¡­.¡±


    ¡°What did you hear?¡± I interjected.


    ¡°That Mr Alexander¡¯s previous personal assistants had always apanied him for the conference every six months. They were always excited to go.¡±


    ¡°They were?¡± I asked in suprise. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Well, I heard it was the opportunity for a perfect weekend vacation. The hotel that is used to host the businessmen in attendance, is a top notch one. And no, the conference is not on Sunday. It begins on Thursday and is concluded on Sunday. Most secretaries or personal assistants who apany their bosses, are only in attendance on Thursday and Friday. The have the weekend as their rest days and stay back at the hotel.¡±


    ¡°You are saying it like you¡¯ve been in attendance before.¡± I rolled my eyes.


    ¡°I told you our coworkers were all about it today!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t believe everything you hear. I know my Boss. If it¡¯s possible, he would want me to work even when I¡¯m asleep. That perfect vacation, is never gonna work.¡± I sighed. There was no need to be worked up about anything though. I would just see it as another busy weekend, while in the process of healing from a significant heartbreak. ¡°Oh, Laura.¡± I sighed. ¡°I just hope next week would be nice. You would have to start working under Ricardo, and I on the other hand, would go through a stressful week, while I work on killing my useless crush on Manuel Russo. It¡¯s going to be a difficult week ahead.¡±


    ¡°All we have is each other.¡± She muttered, rolling to the side of the bed where Iid. I turned to her and we gave each other a hug.


    .


    .


    .


    I walked into Mr Alexander¡¯s office, ready to take his instructions for the business conference we were to be attending tomorrow.


    ¡°Sir?¡±


    ¡°Bianca.¡± He yawned, closing off the files on his desk and looking at me. ¡°Are you sick or ill in any way?¡± He asked, making me confused for a moment.


    ¡°No sir. I¡¯m not sick.¡± I answered truthfully, unsure of what he was going to say next.


    ¡°Good then. That means you would be fine to attend the conference. I know I haven¡¯t really had time to brief you about this conference, but just know it¡¯s something I take very seriously. Only a few tech and gadgetspanies are hosted for the event. The conference gives us the opportunity to make the right connections and secure most of our contracts for the next 6 months. It¡¯s a verypetitive event even if it wouldn¡¯t really look so. I would need you to be very observant at all times. During the contribution session after every meeting, take note of the businessmen with promisingpanies. These are the kinds ofpanies we would love to connect with.¡±


    ¡°Okay sir.¡± I nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you must have heard a talk or two from the employees. In as much as my previous personal assistants saw this conference as a potential weekend getaway, it wouldn¡¯t be same for you.¡± I said it. I knew the man wouldn¡¯t let me breathe.


    ¡°Now, it¡¯s not so because I wouldn¡¯t like you to have your rest and enjoy yourself. On the contrary, I¡¯m doing this because you are different Bianca. I see how hardworking, smart and dedicated you are. You have a lot of potentials. And you would be quite the ambitious kind ofdy, if given the tform or opportunity to explore those potentials of yours. I want you to be able to use this conference to your advantage. Learn a lot, make nessary connections, and know better. In as much as I would really love to keep you as my personal assistant because you make work so easy for me, I would have to change my mind. My n for you is different Bianca. You would still be useful to me, but in a higher position. I am very sure you would be able to manage your position well. Mind you, all of these is not immediate, but eventual. I¡¯m still working on it.¡±


    I was at loss for words. I really didn¡¯t know what to say. Was it safe to say I was already in the process of climbing thatdder of greatness? I hadn¡¯t expected it toe so quickly either.


    ¡°Thank you sir.¡± I managed to say. ¡°For seeing all these¡­. potentials in me. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine Bianca.¡± He smiled. ¡°Mind you, attending this conferencees with a special package. Immediately we return from the conference, your allowance would be wired to you. That being said, please be in your best throughout the conference period. I need you to appear smart like you always do.¡±


    ¡°Yes sir.¡± I nodded.


    ¡°I would send a driver for you tomorrow. Be ready by 9am. Goodnight Bianca.¡± He said, picking up his briefcase and walking past me.


    ¡°Goodnight sir.¡± I waved in excitement, even though he couldn¡¯t see me. I was suddenly happy to attend the conference. I was one lucky girl.


    On getting home that evening, I quickly rushed out to get my hair and nails done. Seeing how much discount Hilda had given me at the shop, I decided to do somesh extensions as well. I was d that I had somehow gotten a makeover store I could always run to, even in an emergency, without being scared they¡¯d do something nasty to my hair. When I was done with my business, I rushed out of the store and made my way back home. I had to do some packing, and get very good rest as well. Tomorrow was going to be a busy day.


    After sessfully packing up the essentials things I needed, with the help of my mama, I went ahead to pack some spares in case of nesity. When I was done, I had my bath and went to bed, not forgetting to set an rm before that. ANAN conference, here Ie! Yayyyyy!!!


    .? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    ~~~~~~~~^^^^^^^^^^^^^^~~~~~~~~


    .


    I sighed in exhaustion as I looked at my reflection in the mirror, reminding myself that this was the final day. If I was being honest, so far, I had a nice time in this ce. The conference meetings had been awesome, and true to Mr Alexander¡¯s words, I did learn a lot. I also appreciated how he always kept me by his side, not letting the ushers move me away even during the some partnership contract signing.


    I looked back at my bed and couldn¡¯t stop smiling while looking at the red glitter dress on the bed. I had been suprised when Mr Alexander had given me the boxst night, before we retired to our separate rooms. He had gifted me the dress for businessmen¡¯s dinner party tonight. It was now I understood what Laura had been saying. She actually wasn¡¯t wrong. Indeed, personal assistants didn¡¯t attend the Saturday event because they were strictly for the businessmen in attendance. But somehow, my boss had managed to secure my pass into the event. The Sunday dinner party was also strictly for the businessmen, but they were allowed to bring along plus ones. I was grateful my boss had insisted I went as his plus one.


    Another surprising urrence during this event was the fact that there had been only a single business woman in attendance. It happened to be no other than the almighty F. F. Yes, now I thought she was mighty. I had been so shocked to see her in attendance, at the first conference meeting on Thursday. After the meeting, I asked my boss and he told me they were very few business women under tech.


    Francesca Ferrari had been part of the few women who were managing techpanies. But then, herpany had been the only eligiblepany selected to attend the conference. I wasn¡¯t surprised though. She was sharp and smart. The way she gave her contributions after each sessions made me realize why I could never stand a chance with Manuel Russo. I wasn¡¯t in his league. Suddenly, I heard a knock on my door, apanied by my boss¡¯s voice calling me.


    ¡°Bianca.¡±


    ¡°Sir.¡± I quickly responded, not knowing whether or not to open the door.


    ¡°You have 10 more minutes before the start of event. Please hurry up.¡± Seeing as it wasn¡¯t necessary to open the door for him, I quickly rushed to put on my dress, while giving a muffled reply.


    ¡°Alright sir.¡±


    After wearing my dress, I couldn¡¯t help but frown at the way my hair looked. I hadn¡¯t the time to properly style it, and the curls were already going off. Deciding it was best I made use of the ¡®n B¡¯ I had packed with my luggage, I made a dash for the wardrobe and pulled out the wig box. This was my first time wearing a wig, but I didn¡¯t know why it felt so weird to do so. Reminding myself that there was no time to put my hair in order, I quickly wore a wig cap, and put the brown colored wig on top of my hair. I looked at the mirror and managed a small smile. It didn¡¯t look bad. It was okay. It was nice, but I looked so different. Not like Bianca. More like a ¡®Cassandra¡¯.


    Iughed at my thoughts and quickly put on my shoes. I was able to make it out on time, before my boss came calling again. The moment I stepped out of my room, I walked down the hall way, not knowing if I should head to Mr Alexander¡¯s room and look for him first, or just find my way to the hall. I was still contemting when I saw him at the far end of the hallway.


    ¡°Mr Alexander!¡± I yelled his name, waving at him, while hastening my steps to meet him. I finally got to where he stood, talking with another business man who was also dressed for the dinner. Just then, a notification popped on their phones and they both looked at each other with a smile.


    ¡°It¡¯s time.¡± The man said.


    ¡°Yes.¡± My boss nodded in agreement, before turning to look at me. At first, he looked at me normally, before he squinted his eyes. Deciding not to say what he had in mind to say, he looked back at the man and made an introduction between us. ¡°Malik, meet Miss Bianca Bianchi. My wonderful personal assistant.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you Miss Bianchi.¡± The man stretched his hand for a shake, and I took it.


    ¡°It¡¯s lovely to meet you too sir.¡± We both retracted our hands and he gave me a small smile.


    ¡°Uhmmm¡­.¡± She stressed out, looking shy. ¡°You look lovely, I must say.¡± A shy businessman? I have never seen such a type.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± I couldn¡¯t help my smile. I was tempted to say my boss got me the dress, but I didn¡¯t want the man having the wrong thoughts, so I remained quiet.


    ¡°But, your hair. I thought you¡­¡± He trailed off, breaking into a chuckle. ¡°Forgive me, but I kind off noticed you during the conference meetings. A lot. Your hair¡­. it¡¯s different.¡±


    ¡°Ohh¡­ This is a wig.¡± I exined.


    ¡°Beautiful. But I preferred your hair.¡±


    ¡°Same thing I thought.¡± Mr Alexander muttered under his breathe. Okayyyy. Should I start exining to these men how messy my hair was? I doubted. ¡°Let¡¯s get going already.¡± He said, and we all descended the staircase at the end of the hallway.


    ¡°Beautiful.¡± Mr Malik muttered,pletely mesmerized by the dance that had just been presented. Or so I thought. His eyes had been fixed on me the entire time, making me kinda ufortable. Apparently, we were in the middle of the night¡¯s event, and I was seated between my boss and Mr Malik. My boss had spent a better part of the night associating with the businessmen on our table, or exchanging messages on the phone with his wife. ¡®Must be nice¡¯, I thought as my eyes randomly scanned the entire ce. For the hundredth time that night, my eyesnded on Francesca Ferrari. How was it possible that we had worn the exact same dress? A few times our eyes met, but she was quick to look away. Was she pissed that I had also worn the dress she had been wearing? I¡¯m sure she thought I was more pathetic for putting on a wig that happened to be the same colour as her hair. She probably thought I was a ¡®wanna be¡¯, and it only made me sad. I honestly hadn¡¯t thought about her hair when wearing my wig. Even at that, anyone would think I was a ¡®wanna be¡¯.


    She hadn¡¯t been the only woman on her table, but was clearly the one whom¡¯s attention the men sought most. It was apparent she wasn¡¯t interested in indulging any one of them, as she asionally peered into her phone. I¡¯m sure you¡¯d guess how many times I had looked at her, to have noticed she was regrly looking at her phone. Suddenly, my bossughed and I turned to look at him.


    ¡°You¡¯re not trying to be like her Bianca. It¡¯s just a mere coincidence.¡± How did the man know what I was thinking?! Was I so obvious? ¡°Quit staring at her.¡± He said, and I nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry sir.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be. I¡¯m sorry for gifting you a dress he also gifted her.¡± He sighed, before looking at his phone. Probably to see what time it was. ¡°I thought Manuel would be here.¡± What did he mean?


    ¡°Mr Manuel gifted her that dress?¡± I asked curiously


    ¡°Yes. We bought the dresses together. I just didn¡¯t figure he would give it to her as a birthday present. Though it¡¯s understandable, because it cost a fortune.¡±


    ¡°It cost a fortune?¡± I asked, looking down at the dress I wore.


    ¡°It was a smaller fit for Be, so I decided you should have it instead.¡± Ohhh¡­. This dress was meant for his wife. ¡°You deserve it.¡± He added, making me feel less shitty and pitiable. Immediately, I remembered the statement he made.


    ¡°Today is Miss Francesca¡¯s birthday?¡±


    ¡°Yes. And I expected Manuel to spend the night with her. I thought he said he had something special nned?¡± He muttered underneath his breathe. Why did I feel like crying now? I furiously blinked my eyes, hoping to will the tears back in, but it seemed they were ready to be let out instead.


    ¡°Excuse me sir.¡± I muttered. ¡°I need to use the restroom.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± He nodded as I stood to leave.


    ¡°You¡¯re leaving already?¡± Malik looked up at me. Was that a look of disappointment on his face?


    ¡°Not at all.¡± I managed. ¡°I just want to use the restroom.¡± I exined and rushed out of the hall, scared that my tears would fail me before I got to the restroom. Thankfully, I got there in record time, and just after I had released the tears I needed to let out, I sighed deeply and dabbed my eyes with some toilet paper. I walked out of the restroom, but decided to step outside for some fresh air first. As I walked along the tiledpound of the hotel, I lectured myself on how embarrassing this was bing. I needed to do away with these silly feelings. This was no longer a crush. I felt stupid for liking someone who I didn¡¯t really know.


    All I knew was the fact he was a handsome and hardworking billionaire from a powerful family. Asides that, what else? Nothing.


    Deciding that it was indeed time to stop being silly, I cleaned the residual tears in my eyes, before making my way back into the event hall. I was still walking towards the entrance of the hall when a ck bus with blinding headlights, drove towards me in full speed. The fear of being hit made me fall to the groud on my butts, as I covered my face with my palms. I waited to get hit, but didn¡¯t feel the pressure of an external force. Still to scared to look up, I remained on the floor. Suddenly, I heard footsteps approaching me and before I knew it, tworge hands grabbed me off the floor. That was when I began screaming.


    ¡°Leave me alone!¡± I yelled loudly the moment I opened my eyes to see an unfamiliar looking man.


    ¡°Calm down madame. Mr Russo asked that we do this.¡± He muttered as he carried me by the waist. What was he talking about? My boss wouldn¡¯t ask a random man to kidnap me, would he? Realizing the man was probably lying, I continued screaming as he carried me towards the bus. Just when he had sessfully thrown me inside, I looked around  to see 3 other men dressed in ck.


    ¡°Shit!¡± One of the men yelled as he pointed through the window of the bus. ¡°Security are after us.¡± Indeed, some security officers were running towards the bus. But I guess they werete because the bus drove off, safely making it through the unguarded gates before they could get to us. What the hell just happened to me?

 CHAPTER 15

    MANUEL¡¯S POV


    I looked at my wrist watch again and again, excited about the suprise I had nned out for Francesca today. If only Alexander knew that the suprise I had finally settled on, was a certain statement he had made as a joke. Yeah right! I was going to wed my fiancee today. Or rather, tomorrow. The flight from Italy to Moscow was roughly a 7 hours flight, which means my men and Francesca would get here by dawn. I know anyone who hears this might be wondering and asking themselves why anyone would do something so spontaneous. Well, since Francesca¡¯s father wasn¡¯t ready to let go of his daughter, I had to do it the hard way. Moreover, I was very sure Francesca wouldn¡¯t turn down the request once she realized how serious the situation was. Francisco Ferrari had no idea know what wasing for him. This would be me killing two birds with a stone. I would be finally getting married to the woman I wanted, and also making the Ferraris and Russos allies. If I married Francesca, the Ferraris would have no other choice than to make peace with us. What stronger force could the mafia society have? I smiled in victory as I looked into the mirror on the wall of the bathroom. Why had I not thought of this before? I couldn¡¯t help but be thankful to Alexander for unknowingly suggesting the idea to me. I knew he would be very shocked when I finally told him my ns, but I wanted to make sure Francesca was in Msocow with me, before saying anything to anyone.


    I had gotten into Moscow today, and I was currently in my private ind. Francesca was going to really love it here.


    I sighed as I picked up my phone again, wondering why my men were yet to call me. I had to be sure they were at the venue, before asking Francesca to step out of the party. Once I looked at my phone screen, I saw a message notification from Alexander. I opened it and read through, a small smile on my face. He was asking why I wasn¡¯t at the dinner with Francesca yet, wondering if I was no longer going to pull off whatever suprise I had in mind for her. Calm down brother.


    Just then, Massimo¡¯s call came in and I hurriedly picked up.


    ¡°Hello Don.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± I replied.


    ¡°There¡¯s a bit of a problem.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked, suddenly notfortable with the sound of things.


    ¡°An issue came up within the family.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I asked, standing to my feet.


    ¡°Please be calm. Our men are already working on it, under the directions of Mr Alexander.¡±


    ¡°What? Alex is at a business gathering.¡± I rified. ¡°He just texted me not long ago.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I meant his father. We had to let him know, considering the situation of things. When he asked where you were, we told him you were away on urgent business. So he asked me not to bother you with anything.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± I sighed. ¡°I trust my uncle to handle whateveres up. But what exactly is the problem?¡±


    ¡°There is an intel on Jacobo¡¯s men.¡± Massimo replied.


    ¡°What about?¡±


    ¡°They probably n to raid the barracks and substance farm tonight.¡±


    ¡°Jacobo¡­. Vaffanculo.¡± I muttered underneath my breathe. I was seeing red at that moment. ¡°I guess I have given Jacobo a lot of liberties and chances at redemption. Once I return from Moscow, his head would be on a tter. My tter!¡± I yelled in annoyance. It was really such a bold step for him to think he could raid thergest substance farm and barracks in Italy. I was going to teach him a lesson, he¡¯d probably never learn. He¡¯d be too dead to do so. ¡°I would be back to Italy on the next ne.¡± I muttered, angry that my ns had been spoiled in the blink of an eye.


    ¡°That wouldn¡¯t be nessary, Don. We are capable of handling whatever it is, in your stead. If it wasn¡¯t something to great to handle, Mr Alexander would have informed his son by now. Remember he was once the Don. He is capable of handling things in your stead.¡± I was convinced by Massimo¡¯s words.


    ¡°Fine then.¡± I nodded, even if he couldn¡¯t see me.


    ¡°Seeing as our men would be quite busy regarding the intel tonight, I sent a few of my men under training to deliver Miss Francesca to you safely.¡±


    ¡°Would they be able to pull that off without any mistakes?¡± I asked, quite doubtful. These men were still trainees. ¡°And do they know what Francesca looks like?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s been sorted out, boss. I¡¯ve sent a picture of miss Francesca to them. They also have a picture of what she¡¯ll be wearing tonight. They would definitely deliver.¡±


    ¡°Massimo.¡± I sighed, very grateful he was able to manage the situation. ¡°Thank you. Keep me posted.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Don. I would put a call across to you the moment my men get to the venue.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± I replied, before hanging up the call. Jacobo. That man was dead meat. I quickly put a call across to my uncle, and he picked up.


    ¡°Hello uncle.¡±


    ¡°Manuel.¡± He grunted. ¡°It seems Massimo finds it difficult to keep anything away from you.¡± He already knew why I was calling. I chuckled at the sound of his statement. The old man.


    ¡°Why did you request he remained quiet?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Is the family expected to be handicapped without you and Alexander? All your cousins were properly trained to work in your stead, if the need arises.¡±


    ¡°Then they should be there with you.¡± I reasoned.


    ¡°They all are at the moment. Why are you so worried? Need I remind you that your father and I formerly oversaw this family, just like you and Alexander are doing now? You both were away on business trips. I definitely wouldn¡¯t be calling for something we already have an vital information about. It would be an insult to your cousins and I. I would give you a call tomorrow, after we are done differentiating Jacobo¡¯s dead men from the injured ones.¡±Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.


    ¡°Sounds a lot like you.¡± Iughed. ¡°Uncle.¡±


    ¡°Yes son.¡±


    ¡°Please leave Jacobo for me. I would personally deal with him when I return.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a done deal.¡± He replied, before hanging up the call. I couldn¡¯t help the smile on my face. The man was tough.


    Dropping my phone, I walked to the wine cab for a drink. As I took slow gulps of my drink, trying to beat down the rage Jacobo provoked inside me, I waited for Massimo¡¯s call which finally came through.


    ¡°Massimo?¡± I called out.


    ¡°They are at the location already.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. She would be out in a moment. I hope they know that they should be quiet about every question she asks. All they can tell her is that I sent them, so she doesn¡¯t get too agitated.¡±


    ¡°Alright sir.¡±


    ¡°Once they have her, let me know.¡±


    ¡°Yes Don.¡± He said and hung up the call. Immediately, I texted Francesca, asking her to step out for her surprise. She hadn¡¯t responded, which got me a bit concerned. But either ways, I knew she was gonna show up. She had talked with me half an hour ago, asking if I wasn¡¯t going to be with her on tonight of all nights. I assured her I already had something nned for her. Knowing Francesca, she was already sad and probably angry by now. But then, I believe it is going to be worth her while.


    After a few minutes, my phone beeped and I saw it was a text from Massimo, stating that they had taken her already. Wonderful. The business conference had taken ce in Sicily, so I calcted the flight time to Moscow to be roughly 7 to 8 hours. I was sure they would be here by the early hours of morning. Now I could close my eyes for a nap. Sighing in exhaustion from my journey, I walked into my room andid on the bed. It didn¡¯t take long before my eyes closed in slumber.


    .


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    At 6am, I recieved a call from Massimo¡¯s men, informing me of their arrival. As per my instructions, they had safely taken Francesca to one of the beach houses, where she could have a bathe, and put on the dress Alexa had gotten for her.


    It was already 7am, and I was fully dressed, awaiting my bride to be at the end of the aisle. In as much as this was spontaneous, I had asked my old time friend for a favour. While I was still undergoing training in Italy, I met Alexa. She had been the daughter of a minister, who attended the same training camp as I. We hit it off instantly, and our friendship still stood strong till today. I had asked her help with securing a simple but nice dress for Francesca, and an officiating priest who would join us. It wasn¡¯t going to be everything Francesca had imagined, but the goal was to get joined matrimonially. We were going to hold a proper ceremony when we returned home. I waited patiently for my men to show up with Francesca, as the wind from the waves of the beach caressed my face. Atleast, that was something Francesca was going to love. A beach wedding.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry my friend. Your bride would be here soon. I can¡¯t wait to meet her too.¡± Alexa grinned, making me smile. I looked at the priest who shared a small smile as well. Fortunately, Alexa hadn¡¯t only gotten a dress and officiating priest for us, she had gotten a saxophonist and a pianist as well. So the moment I heard the music begin to y, I knew she was here. I didn¡¯t know why I suddenly began to feel nervous. I hardly felt nervous. Cleaning my sweaty palms on my trousers, I turned around and saw my bride to be,ing towards the altar with Massimo¡¯s men behind her. I smiled at the slow steps she took. She was probably scared, which I didn¡¯t really expect, knowing Massimo¡¯s men had informed her that I sent them. Still, it was quite understandable. It wasn¡¯t everyday your fiance¡¯s birthday suprise for you, involved you being kidnapped.


    A veil covered her face, but I could still see the blindfold covering eyes. The closer she got to me, the more I realized my fiancee had added some height in the recent weeks. Was that even possible? Or was I just too nervous? I tried to maintain my cool, but the more she got closer, the more different she seemed. I knew she had a veil and a blindfold on, but I could still recognize that the person underneath that veil didn¡¯t look anything like my Francesca. My heartbeat elerated as this strangedy that was making her way to me, took thest step that brought her standing before me. If nothing made me more tensed, then it was definitely the fact that the person underneath that veil was shaking. In fear. That definitely wasn¡¯t¡­.


    ¡°Is everything okay?¡± I heard Alexa whisper into my ears. ¡°Why are you frowning?¡± I hadn¡¯t even realized I was frowning. That was quite normal, considering the fact I was slowlying to realize. Without hesitating, I held onto the veil that covered her face, and pulled it off her face. Her eyes and part of her nose were still covered with the blindfold, but they didn¡¯t need to be open for me to know that this wasn¡¯t Francesca. I felt myself slightly move backwards in reflex, as Alexa gasped in shock of my actions. My mind was so busy at the moment, trying to understand what may have possibly gone wrong. I took another look at the person in front of me, and that was when I noticed her hair. The rare hair colour seemed familiar, but I could just ce my hand on it. Of all times, this was the worst time to have a brain lock.


    ¡°Manuel what¡¯s wrong?¡± Alexa asked again, Massimo¡¯s men rushing towards where we stood. Every other thing that happened passed in a blur. The only movement my brain had registered, was thedy¡¯s hand moving to the back of her head to untie the blindfold. The moment she looked up at me and our eyes locked, I felt breathe being knocked out of me. It was then it all made sense. She was the only one I had ever seen with such a hair color. Alexander¡¯s personal assistant. She looked like she was about to faint from shock. Even I, felt that way.

 CHAPTER 16

    BIANCA¡¯S POV


    When I opened my eyes to see the 4 men around me, I screamed in horror. So it wasn¡¯t a dream? It was real. Indeed, I had been kidnappedst night. I looked all over my body to make sure I was in one piece, and that these rugged looking men had done nothing to me.


    ¡°Madame, you could make things easier by remaining quiet please.¡± One of the men spoke to me, and I found myself calmly nodding at his requests. For all I knew, I was alone with them on this¡­. on this¡­. I suddenly looked around the room to see that it no longer looked like the bus they had thrown me intost night. This looked like a ne.


    Bit by bit, I started recalling all that happened the previous night. I hadn¡¯t stopped yelling and screaming¡­.. suddenly I felt a stronghold on me, I couldn¡¯t breathe anymore. It was as if they had been trying to suffocate me. Slowly, it made sense. I finally figured out what had they done to me, because I had passed out. They had made me inhale something that was definitely the reason I lost consciousness until now. I was scared, terrified, and ready to do whatever they ask me to do, just so they didn¡¯t hurt me. I rested my head on the headrest of my seat, as I waited for us to get to wherever our destination was. I was definitely going to ask questions, but not now.


    We were on air for some more minutes, before we finallynded at a reserved space. I personally thought that looked like a secluded spot in an airport. They all stepped out of our carriage that really turned out to be a ne, urging me to follow suit. I finally got out to meet a sleek ck car opened, and waiting for me to get into it. There was a driver already settled in, waiting for me to hop in.


    ¡°Go on in.¡± One of the men said, and I simply nodded, doing as he requested. Two of them joined the car I sat in, while the other two disappeared off to God knows where. I could care less at that point. All I really cared about was keeping my head attached to my neck for as long as possible, until I could find a way out of this crazy mess.


    All through the trip¡­ scratch that. I wouldn¡¯t call it ¡®trip¡¯. A trip was enjoyable, I guess. All through the movement to the next location, I was lost in my thoughts. I wondered if my Papa and Mama had already gotten news of my disappearance by now. How about my boss? Was he doing anything to help my predicament? I asked myself these questions, still not believing that all of these things had really taken ce betweenst night and this morning. I was still hopeful this was all but a nightmare. I remained lost in thoughts until we drove into a very beautiful space. The ce looked like an ind. The car came to a stop and the men alighted, making me follow suite. That was when I had noticed the car behind us. The two other men had been following us behind.


    Seeing as they had brought me to such a beautiful and serene ind, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if I was going to die here. For a moment, I thought it wasn¡¯t that bad, because a lot of people were killed in the woods, desert¡­.,  name it. There were a lot of horrible ces to die. The question I hadn¡¯t stopped asking myself, was what I may have done wrong, to warrant being punished this way. I didn¡¯t know or get mixed with a lot of people, which minimized my chances of stepping on anyone¡¯s toes. Or wait a minute¡­ did any of these have to do with Ricardo? I wouldn¡¯t say Ricardo and I were enemies. I wouldn¡¯t even say we had a beef. But then, he was the only one I had anything close to a misunderstanding with. If it was indeed Ricardo, was Laura safe as well? I was still in my train of thoughts when I was taken into one of the few houses I could spot on the ind. Inside the house, we walked passed the living room and got into one of the bedrooms, where I was asked to have a bath. Not wanting them to get pissed, I nodded and did as they had asked. While in the bathroom, the soap had fallen a lot more than a few times, because of how bad I shivered with fear. I literally rushed through my business in the bathroom. When I was done bathing, I walked back to the room to see I was the only one there. A part of my mind had wanted to run me to off, but the other part warned me against it.


    This environment was clearly unfamiliar. I didn¡¯t know my way around, so how could I manage escaping? More so, if I did and was caught, they¡¯d probably punish me severely. Shaking my head against the idea, I wrapped the towel I had found in the bathroom more tightly around my body, before sitting at the edge of the bed. Suddenly, I wondered if they had kidnapped me, expecting a ransom to be paid for my release. Maybe seeing me in the venue of such a business conference, may have made them believe I was either a rich heiress, or businesswoman. I sighed for the hundredth time, feeling exhaustion weigh heavily on me. I thought I slept through the night? Why did I still feel weak? I waited for a few more minutes for the men who had captured me toe, but no one was forthing, so I decided to take a quick nap. I don¡¯t think I had gone far into my nap, when I felt a tap on my shoulder. Quickly opening my eyes, I saw one of the men who had taken me.


    ¡°Sorry. I was too tired.¡± I exined, praying I hadn¡¯t pissed him off. God! I knew I couldn¡¯t survive here for an extra day. I needed a saviour of some sort. What was really going on? I guess that was what made me go crazy. The fact that I couldn¡¯t tell what exactly was going on. If I knew what the case was, then I think my mind would have been better prepared for it. But this was different. I just had to ept whatever they threw at me, with open arms or not. Either ways, I¡¯d have to ept it.


    ¡°You should wear this.¡± Was all he said, pointing to the other side ofrge bed. I looked to where he pointed, and was suprised to see a whilt silk gown, and what looked like a flower crown. Was this some sort of sick joke?!! What the hell was happening?


    ¡°P.. pl.. please¡­¡± I managed to speak up. My voice sounding much more weaker than it did in my head. ¡°What is going on? Who are you people, and why have you taken me?¡±


    ¡°You would get your answers in a little while madame. Just put on the dress first.¡± His voice sounded gruff and impatient at the end, so I remained quiet and stretch my hand to the clothe.


    Seeing I had reach out for the dress, he excused himself and walked out of the room. It felt crazy doing everything I was doing, but nheless, I found myself putting on the dress. It was a in white gown, with a small breast cup, and corset. Thankfully, it had a zipper, not loops. So I easily wore it and put the flower crown on my¡­.. I looked at the wig that was still on my head and sighed. Maybe they had mistakenly abducted me in ce of the rich heiress. That was a great certainty. We had both worn the same dress yesterday. If I was right in any way, then the first step to my freedom would be to pull off this God forsaken wig that made me feel so less of myselfst night. At remembering the events that yed outst night, I sighed again and shook my head in disbelief. The next thing I did was to pull and toss the wig on the bed. I was still trying to ce the flower crown on my hair when a blondedy burst into the room.


    ¡°W.. who are you?¡± I found myself falling back to the bed, on my butt.


    ¡°My name is Eleanor. Madame Alexa has asked me to help you. I can see you already helped yourself with your dress. You look splendid.¡±


    ¡°Eleanor.¡± I muttered her name, and she gave a smile. The girl seemed friendly and approachable, so I decided she¡¯d be the best person to ask whatever I wanted to ask. ¡°Eleanor.¡± I quickly stood from the bed and rushed over to her, holding her hands in mine. ¡°Please I need you to tell me what¡¯s going on? Why am I here?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing to worry yourself about, miss. Just be calm and do as I ask. It would all be over before you know it.¡± She gave a wide smile, but it suddenly didn¡¯t look beautiful to me anymore. Weirdly, it looked evil. Mockful. Was my mind beginning to y games with me? I heard her clearly state that it would be over before I knew it. Were they really going to kill me?!


    ¡°Sit.¡± She instructed, and I did as she said, my hands shivering against each other. She gently pulled the flower crown that was still in my hand, and got busy fixing it on my hair. ¡°Close your eyes.¡± She instructed, and I did. What I hadn¡¯t seening, was the material that covered a better part of my face. Why was she blindfolding me?! It was then that I tried to struggle, but her calm voice stilled me. ¡°Shhh¡­. Be calm, remember?¡± She asked, and I nodded frantically. I have no idea what other thing she put on my hair or face. All I knew was that another clothe brushed across my face. ¡°Stand up and walk with me.¡±


    Doing as she asked, she held my hand and led me out of the room, to God knows where. We had walked for sometime, when I started feeling the sand underneath the my feet. That was true. I wasn¡¯t even wearing any footwear. Suddenly, she let go off my hand, and instructed me to keep moving ahead. Were they going to drown me? Was this some kind of superstitious belief, where they were required to sacrifice young virgins? My fear only increased, and my hands shook more. I didn¡¯t realize I had stopped walking, until I felt a nudge behind me. Suddenly, I started hearing wedding sounds, and released a low gasp. What was happening? I had read a few stories where ady was kidnapped and forcefully made to marry a stranger. Did those kinds of things really happen? I started walking again, though in slow steps. After I had walked for sometime, the sounds suddenly stopped, and I couldn¡¯t help but feel some kind of tension in the atmosphere. I had a a few low grunts, and it made me want to shrivel up in fear.


    ¡°Is everything okay? Why are you frowning?¡± It had been a whisper, but I heard it. It was ady¡¯s voice, but didn¡¯t sound familiar at all. The ent was different as well. It definitely wasn¡¯t the otherdy that had blindfolded me. That one¡¯s voice sounded chirpy. The next second, I felt something being yanked of my hair and suddenly, the feeling of the clothe over my face was gone. Badly wanting to see what was happening around me, I put my hand to the back of my hair where the blindfold had been tied, and pulled it off in one swift move. The brightness of the morning attacked my eyes, making me quickly look down. After feeling my eyes adjust to the light, I looked up at the figure who had been standing in front of me and I swear, I felt like I would lose consciousness the next minute. What the fuck was happening?


    .


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    ¡°What the fuck are you trying to tell me Massimo?!¡± His yells were distant, but I could still clearly make out the things he said. Same way I couldn¡¯t forget the look of shock on his face when he had seen me. He looked shocked, disappointed, clearly angry. It was at that moment that I felt the tears get released from my eyes. Throughout my journey to this ind, all I have felt was fear. If not for anything, I was d I could finally feel an emotion different from fear. It was relief. It hadn¡¯t taken me long to realize what had happened here. This was probably the suprise meant for miss Francesca. I had been taken by mistake. At that moment, being mistaken for miss Francesca was honestly the best thing I could think of. It was better than being chosen to die. My major relief was the fact that I was sure no one was going to hurt me.


    I zoned back into the present, as I watched Manuel Russo bark out orders from afar. I had only ever seen theported and smart Manuel. This was the first time I was seeing an angry Manuel. He look appealing all the same. Though he would have been less appealing if his anger was directed towards me. I remained there as I silently watched him make several calls, walking to and fro the space where he stood. After what seemed like forever, he finally put his phone back in his pocket, and walked towards where I quietly sat. When he got to me, he just stood, probably at loss for words. I focused my eyes on my nails, sincerely too angry to even say a word. It was now I was finally able to arrange my thoughts and manage my emotions. I felt angry beyond words. Come to think of it, didn¡¯t they have miss Francesca¡¯s pictures? This was the kind of situation that someone would hear and call ¡®unrealistic¡¯. It really was! Was this man trying to tell me that he had flown me across countries under the excuse of mistaken identity? Save for the identical hair and dress, I looked nothing like miss Francesca. I wanted to scream in his face, but nothing was forting. Finally, I was able to say something, but not without the hot tears that apanied the words.


    ¡°Do you know the emotional and mental turmoil your men put me through?¡± My voice was shaky, as tears flowed down my face, but I could care less. At that moment, he wasn¡¯t ¡®Manuel Russo¡¯ to me, but a man who had wronged me. I had expected a lot of things, but not him looking away. It only provoked me that the man didn¡¯t even feel a tiny bit sorry for his actions. I waited for him to say something, but he didn¡¯t utter a word until I was done crying. The moment I cleaned off my tears, he spoke.


    ¡°My apologies, miss Brenda. You should have some rest, while I work on your flight back to Mn.¡± Was this man kidding me? Was this man being serious right now?!!


    ¡°Your apologies??!¡± He hadn¡¯t even sounded a bit remorseful! ¡°And my name is not Brenda! It¡¯s Bianca!!¡± I yelled at the top of my lungs as I stood up from the flower bed I sat on, and walked past him, making my way to God knows where. I didn¡¯t know where I was going, but I was sure I needed to be away from this man. He was infuriating!


    I kept walking until I got to where I could see water. It was a beach. The swash of the waves called to me, and I found myself squatting on the sand, crying. Crying?!?! Crying again?! What was this?


    ¡°Bianca what is wrong with you??!! Are you are cry baby now?! Aren¡¯t you tough and strong?!! What¡¯s all these?¡± I berated myself, and slowly my cries died down. ¡°But I thought I was gonna die. I nearly died before they could even kill me themselves.¡± I answered my own questions. Slowly, another bout of tears started making its way out of my eyes, but this time it came withughter. ¡°I nearly died!!!¡± I yelled out again,ughing at the top of my lungs. I don¡¯t know how long Iughed for, beforepletely falling to the sand, thinking about my family, and eventually dozing off.


    Byte afternoon, I woke up, wondering how possible it had been for me to have slept for so long outside, under the sun. But to be fair, the sun wasn¡¯t scorching. Feeling kinda hungry, I tried making my way back to the beach houses, but ended up getting lost in some kind of garden. Deciding to explore therge ind, I kept walking along until I found my way out of the garden. Slowly, the sun was setting, and I was yet to find my way back. Deciding to go back through the same way I came, I found myself back at the Garden. This was be frustrating.


    I went out through the other entrance of the garden, and began walking along sandy paths. By that time, dusk had fallen and the hunger for food had long vanished. All that was on my mind was getting back to the beach house. Oh Bianca! You¡¯re better off never angry. See where my anger has brought me now.


    ¡°Hello!!! Anyone around?!!¡± I yelled countless times, but couldn¡¯t hear anyone respond to me. Suddenly the pang of hunger hit once more, and I found myself weakly settling on the sandy ground again. Now, the sand were no longer warm. They were not cold either, but not warm. I sighed, wondering if Manuel and his men had already forgotten that I existed. Maybe I was going to die on this ind after all. What I hadn¡¯t imagined was for the ind to be so big. After sitting on the sand for some time, I found my back hitting the sand again, before surrendering to my exhaustion andying down. It hadn¡¯t taken me long before sleep took over.N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    In my dream I saw the beach at night, under the sky and moonlight. It was a beautiful sight. I also saw a familiar looking man who walked up to my lying figure and stroked my hair.


    ¡°Biancaaa¡­.¡± He sighed softly. ¡°I really do hope you forgive me.¡± He whispered, before scooping me off the ground and walking away with me in his arms, into the dark of the night. Was I still dreaming, or was this real? I guess the former was the case. It could only be a dream.

 CHAPTER 17

    MANUEL¡¯S POV


    It wasn¡¯t like I wasn¡¯t remorseful or sorry for the emotional turmoil I had caused her, but I was too shocked to even calcte my thoughts or manage my anger. I had spent the passed hour or so, making series of calls. And it wasn¡¯t just about my cousin¡¯s personal assistant being here under a mistaken identity, it was also about the raid that had taken ce yesterday. I was so furious listening to the feedbacks from Massimo, but was more furious when the call had just disconnected while he was still trying to exin all that had transpired. Now, I didn¡¯t know the full story, but a lot of our men were injured. The one that got me so mad was when he said uncle Alexander had been shot on the arm.


    A whole lot of things were going through my head, making me reluctant to stop her from walking away in anger. I was not in the right frame of mind to make her calm down. I also couldn¡¯t exin the situation of things to her, because she had no business knowing what the Russo family was really into. I watched as she walked away, fuming in anger. Did she even know where she was headed? I only hoped she went back to the beach house, because this ind could be quite big to wander upon, without thepany of someone who is used to the environment. The moment she disappeared from sight, another call came in, and I looked to see that it was Alexander. I hadn¡¯t spoken to him since I left for Moscow. I could only imagine how disturbed he was over his father¡¯s health. This was all my fault. If I hadn¡¯t been stupid enough to try out something as foolish as¡­.. I paused ny train of thoughts and answered the call.


    ¡°Manuel.¡± He rushed out, sounding a little out of breathe.


    ¡°Alex.¡± I muttered.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± His question came as a suprise to me. I had expected him to say a lot of things, but not check up on me.


    ¡°That should be my question.¡± I responded. ¡°Are you fine? You sound like you¡¯re out of breathe.¡±


    ¡°I am.¡± He rushed out once more, breathing frantically.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± I asked, already disturbed.


    ¡°I¡¯m just busy. I¡¯m busy expending all of my energy on this ass hat!¡±


    ¡°Who are you¡­?¡± I was still talking when he interjected.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry bro. But I just couldn¡¯t wait for you to return. Jacobo had to feel a little taste of my wrath.¡±


    ¡°You have Jacobo?¡±


    ¡°Of course, we do. His men as well. The ones who aren¡¯t already dead.¡± He added, making me sigh. I could hear the nking of chains and the creaking sound of a door shutting. That indicated he was leaving the guard room where Jacobo probably was.


    ¡°Alex, I¡¯m so sorry. About uncle Alexander.¡±


    ¡°Just stop it already, and get back home. You can¡¯t fault yourself for something you had no power over. You need to return, there¡¯s a lot going on.¡± He said, his breathing finally normalizing.


    ¡°What is going on? Massimo told me you got to them in the middle of the action. How did you know something was going on? If I remember, you were at the conference dinner.¡±


    ¡°Manuel, I had gotten a tip from Dito, just a few minutes before realizing that my personal assistant who had excused herself for a pee, had been captured. Luckily, some of the security personnels had been present to witness the scene. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have guessed she had been abducted by X. Bianca is such a wonderfuldy. She doesn¡¯t deserve to be dragged into this mess.¡±


    I had wanted to tell him I was with Bianca, but the other thing he said had pulled my attention more. Did he just say X?


    ¡°Has Massimo found out whom X is?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I doubt. But I think Dito has an idea who he is. For him to have found out about X¡¯s intent to attack us through Jacobo and his men, I think he is close to unraveling who the bastard is.¡± Alex spat, sounding really pissed. ¡°I had flown back to Mn immediately, to know the situation of things. When I got there, Dad exined all that was going on, and we got prepared. What we hadn¡¯t seening was the fact that Jacobo may have had an inside help.¡±


    ¡°An insider again?!!¡± I growled. This was really getting out of hand. They may have been few of them who had done it, but it didn¡¯t change the fact that is was formally a rare urrence.


    ¡°Yeahhh.¡± Alexander replied. ¡°But the good thing is that the bastard was caught. Another good thing was the help we had gotten from our rogue members.¡±


    ¡°Rogue members?¡± I asked, not really catching onto what he was saying.


    ¡°Yes. The men who had aided Jacobo thest time. I¡¯m d we finally didn¡¯t have them killed. They proved to be of great help yesterday.¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°You were right when you decided we use them to our benefit. Marco had informed them of¡­.¡±


    ¡°Marco was in this too?!¡±


    ¡°Exactly why I need you to be back home Manuel. There¡¯s really a lot going on. I guess Marco would definitely be part of such a sabotage, if they were truly working hand in hand with X. The person I haven¡¯t seene into y so far, is Tawan. The man seems to have been on a low since he returned. There¡¯s no doubt he and X have more plots up their sleeves. What we really have to find out, is who this X is, and what his motives really are. For all I know, he is using Marco and Jacobo to test the waters. There were his sticks for checking how shallow or deep the water actually was. Their n was quite strategic. It is something both Jacobo and Marco wouldn¡¯t have done, without making sure that they had a good backing. Now X knows our capabilities, who knows what he¡¯s going to throw at us next?¡±


    ¡°I have it!¡± I found myself saying. Through the time Alexander had been speaking, my mind had been running wild, trying to understand and calcte a lot of things. I was finally getting a grasp of this madness.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Like you said, we don¡¯t know when or what X may be nning for us next. Make sure Jacobo and Marco and extremely tortured, but remain alive. For them to have taken such a bold step against us, they must have been offered something really huge. For them to have been offered something so great, that made it worth risking their lives, they had probably seen this mysterious X. They seem to be our only key to knowing whatever we have to know.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, I guess.¡± Alex sighed. ¡°It¡¯s safe to say we conquered this round, but I¡¯m not sure of the next. What bothers me the most right now, is the whereabouts of Bianca. What do they want with her? You haven¡¯t even said anything about that. I feel that would even be the major part of¡­¡±


    ¡°Calm down.¡± I muttered softly.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to do so, knowing the innocentdy is somewhere, fighting to stay alive. The only reasonable thing I can make out of all these, is the fact that they might have taken her, instead of taking your fiance. Bianca doesn¡¯t hold any major value to us, so I doubt they¡¯d want her. Why didn¡¯t you show up yesterday? In fact, what¡¯s going on Manuel?¡±


    ¡°Alex¡­.¡± I sighed. He seemed so worried about Bianca. ¡°Bianca is¡­. Bianca is safe.¡±


    ¡°And how do you know that?¡±


    ¡°Because she¡¯s with me, here in Moscow.¡±


    ¡°She with you, where?!!!¡± He yelled into the phone, making me grimace. ¡°How?!¡±


    ¡°Like you had suspected. It was a case of mistaken identity.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t get you.¡±


    ¡°Massimo¡¯s men had mistakenly abducted Bianca, instead of Francesca.¡± Knowing he was going to ask me another question, I quickly rushed out. ¡°That was part of the suprise I had for Francesca.¡±


    ¡°To kidnap her?!¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± I rushed out, before correcting myself. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Manuel, what¡¯s up with you?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t sound like I¡¯m going bunkers or something.¡± I retorted.


    ¡°But that is how it seems.¡± He actually seemed concerned at the moment, which made me chuckle.


    ¡°Then you should wait until you hear what the full n was.¡±


    ¡°And what was it?¡±


    ¡°I had nned to marry Francesca, under the guise of being abducted.¡± I finally let it out. Pheeww!! That was really difficult.


    ¡°What?!! Manuel have you gone mad??!¡±


    ¡°No.¡± I replied dryly. ¡°I just wanted to do something spontaneous, like you said. That way, I know what Francesca really wants.¡± I had expected him to give a whole lot of several responses, but not what he ended up saying.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you fucking married the poor girl!!¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Bianca.¡± He said, and I sighed in mental exhaustion as I remembered the events that had urred earlier in the day. ¡°Manuel, did you marry my personal assistant?¡± His voice sounded steely, making me suprised.


    ¡°Alexander, you seem to really have a soft spot for the woman.¡±


    ¡°Which I¡¯m even yet to show.¡± He countered me, making my eyes go wide in suprise.


    ¡°Alexander¡­.¡± I called carefully. ¡°What about Be?¡± I didn¡¯t want to believe it was what I was thinking.


    ¡°Christ!!!¡± He sounded shocked. ¡°Are you being serious Manuel? No one, absolutely no one can rece Be in my life. And no! I don¡¯t like her that way.¡±


    ¡°Then what way? You sounded really furious.¡±


    ¡°How exactly was I supposed to sound, knowing the emotional crisis the girl would have gone through? She was already feeling so shittyst night, having to wear the same dress as Francesca.¡±


    ¡°There you go again. Why does she have Be¡¯s dress?! We both purchased those dresses for our women. Bianca doesn¡¯t look like your woman in anyway.¡±


    ¡°Be herself, asked me to give it to Bianca. The dress was a small fit. She had added quite some weight with the pregnancy, so¡­¡± He exined. ¡°And as for Bianca, I had in mind to take her under me. Manuel, thedy has a lot of potentials that are wasting. She¡¯s really smart. She¡¯s a gem, and you know how much I love to work on gems.¡±


    ¡°So she¡¯s like a daughter to you or what?¡± I jested, purposely trying to rile him up.


    ¡°Do you even hear yourself?¡± He asked, and we both burst outughing. ¡°Well, the aim wasn¡¯t to make her my daughter.¡± Heughed again. ¡°The aim was to be her mentor.¡±Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡°But you said she¡¯s so efficient being your assistant. Are you really sure you want to¡­.¡±


    ¡°Trust me Manuel, I would definitely find someone who can live up to expectations just like Bianca has done. But I need Bianca to be of use to me in a much better ce.¡±


    ¡°Is this what I¡¯m thinking?¡±


    ¡°What are you thinking?¡± He teased.


    ¡°Do you trust her that much?¡±


    ¡°I guess trust progresses with time. Time would tell.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think that project may be too much for her to handle as a start? Moreover, what do you think Nonno would say about this? His granddaughters; our cousins, all wanted a chance to handle that project as well.¡±


    ¡°But he asked me to oversee the project, which means that I get to choose who¡¯s best for the job. And as for her capability, Bianca adapts very quickly.¡±


    ¡°You have so much faith in the girl.¡± I chuckled, suddenly getting interested in thedy.


    ¡°Well, that is what it takes to be a mentor. So far, I think I¡¯ve mentored the best students.¡± I was so sure he was grinning. He wasn¡¯t wrong though. Alex had mentored a couple of people, who have ended up being useful to the Russo empire, through their various high profile positions. I guess he ns to do more. I was pleased. ¡°Manuel, send Bianca back to me in one piece.¡±


    ¡°So sorry about the whole mix up. She¡¯d be back tomorrow.¡± I assured him.


    ¡°And I hope you didn¡¯t marry her?!!¡± He asked, making me scoff.


    ¡°Are you serious right now? Massimo¡¯s men may have been blind to mistake her for Francesca, but I¡¯m not. Neither is she daft to see me and still let me wed her.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± He sighed. ¡°Spoken to Francesca yet?¡± He asked, and all I really wanted to do was groan so loudly.


    ¡°I guess that¡¯s another part of the whole drama I¡¯m hoping to avoid.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you can¡¯t my dear.¡± Alexughed. ¡°How dare you take the woman who wore the same dress as I?¡± He mimicked Francesca, making meugh.


    ¡°Naahhh¡­ I doubt Francesca would be as petty as that. But she¡¯d definitely be furious about the fact that I wasn¡¯t with her on her birthday.¡±


    ¡°You should talk about the fact that she¡¯d be furious you thought you could abduct your way into marrying her! Spontaneity in marraige?! What the hell were you even thinking?¡±


    ¡°I really don¡¯t know.¡± I sighed, facepalming myself. ¡°You had suggested it as a joke, butter on, I thought it was a good idea.¡±


    ¡°Now you know it wasn¡¯t. No wonder you didn¡¯t tell me. You knew I was gonna talk you out of it.¡±


    ¡°But Alex, do you really think Francesca could have turned me down?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m the best person to ask that question.¡± He sighed. ¡°You should have that talk with her when you return. You both are not getting any younger. And there¡¯s really no fun in just dating and breaking up, over and over again. Nothing new. You are now Don, and should take your love life more seriously. In case you do not realize, you need an heir sooner than you think. It would not be funny if Nonno decides to speak with you on this matter. The old man had probably held himself back from showing his displeasure over your choice to be with Francesca. I guess he is silent for reasons best known to him. But then, If Francisco doesn¡¯t want you for his daughter, then just¡­.¡±


    ¡°Alexander, you know the circumstances surrounding Francesca and I.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re overthinking this.¡±


    ¡°She saved my life!! A Ferrari who saved my life, Alex. What¡¯s there not to overthink?¡±


    ¡°Fine. Francesca saved your life some years back, and you think marrying her or being with her is the only way you can return the favour or show how thankful you are? Are you even with Francesca because you love her too, or just out of gratitude and obligation? I¡¯ve never really wanted to have this conversation, but I think it¡¯s time we did.¡±


    **********************************


    I walked back to the beach house after my long conversation with Alex. When I had asked my men and Massimo¡¯s men about Bianca, they imed she hadn¡¯te here since the drama at the wedding venue.


    ¡°Alexa?¡± I enquired.


    ¡°She drove away a while back.¡± The guy whose name was Philippe said. He seemed to be the bright one among Massimo¡¯s men. ¡°Though she said she¡¯d return soon. Said something about getting the miss some clothing.¡±


    That was really thoughtful of Alexa. Though I felt sad that her efforts at making the wedding a sess, had gone to waste.


    ¡°When Bianca gets back here, let me know.¡± I instructed, before walking into one of the rooms. The aim had been to get some rest and sort my thoughts out, but I guess it was funny of me to think that was possible. The moment I hadid on the bed, Francesca¡¯s call came in, and we had quite a messy quarrel. After I ended the call, I finally made a decision concerning Francesca and I. I guess the spontaneity paid off after all. Now I knew Francesca wouldn¡¯t have epted to marry me, if I had seeded in getting her here. It made me think about what Alex and I had talked about. The incidence that ured 4 years ago had only made me obligated to be with Francesca. I wouldn¡¯t deny the fact that I did care about her a great deal. At some point I think I really loved her. But what I also wouldn¡¯t deny is the fact that the situation she had put me in, is only making me derail in my obligations as Don. I was already 30, and it was time I settled down. I couldn¡¯t keep ying these endless games with Francesca. For that reason, I was going to do it when I returned to Mn tomorrow. I was going to break up with Francesca. This time, it¡¯d be for good.


    By the time I finally slept, it was already mid afternoon. I had slept in for much longer than I had expected. When I woke up, it was already 7 in the evening. The first thing that came to my mind was calling my pilot and making arrangements for our trip back to Italy tomorrow. What I just had not seening, was the response I had gotten from him. I felt my heart fall to the pit of my stomach.


    A travel ban? Now of all times? God! What the hell was I going to tell Bianca? She was already very furious as it was. Telling her our stay had been stretched to an extra week was going to make her go crazy. I really couldn¡¯t deal with that.


    After sitting on bed and thinking for a while, I decided to go speak with her. Asides from the fact that she deserved a good apology, I also had to let her know the new turn of events. I was Manuel Russo, never scared of anything. But remembering how angry she had been this morning, I dreaded seeing her in a worse mood. Nheless, I changed my clothes and made my way outside the beach houses, where my men were.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t no onee to inform me about Bianca¡¯s return?¡± I asked no one in particr.


    ¡°Our apologies Don, but the miss is yet to return.¡± One of my men replied, and I found it hard to believe.


    ¡°That¡¯s not possible. She is supposed to have¡­.¡± I trailed off, before speaking up again. ¡°And you mean to tell me that none of you have gone in search of her?¡±


    ¡°We all did, Don. But we couldn¡¯t find her anywhere.¡± Phillipe replied.


    ¡°They are telling the truth my friend.¡± I turned to see Alexa. ¡°The be is yet to return. We¡¯ve also looked everywhere for her, but didn¡¯t find her.¡±


    Oh fuck! Fuck fuck fuck! I promised to bring Bianca back to Italy in one piece. She couldn¡¯t go missing now. Before I could even ce my thoughts together, my legs had swung into action. This ind was very big, and that had been part of my fears when she had walked off in anger. I just hope she wasn¡¯t hurt in anyway. I could hear the sounds of my men following me behind, but my mind had been more focused on finding Bianca.


    I don¡¯t know how far or long I had walked for, but I could tell that my men may have lost me. I couldn¡¯t hear them behind me anymore. Just when I got to the one of the beaches on the ind, I saw a body far off,ying on the soft sand. I quickly made my way towards the body, not doubtful for a single moment that she was the one. When I had finally gotten to her, I squatted to her level and looked over her features under the bright moonlight. Now, I felt remorseful for how exhausted she looked. I wasn¡¯t one to get so emotional, but for some reasons, I felt terrible. Sighing in equal exhaustion from fear that she may have gotten lost, I found myself stroking her exquisite hair. It didn¡¯t just have a beautiful color, the texture was so soft as well.


    ¡°Biancaaa¡­. I really do hope you forgive me.¡± I muttered, thinking about the travel ban and how she was going to react to such news. I scooped her slender body into my arms and for a moment, she opened her eyes. She didn¡¯t stay awake for more than a few seconds, before closing her eyes again. I guess we were stuck here together for the next week.

 CHAPTER 18

    BIANCA¡¯S POV


    Travel ban. That was thest thing we had talked about before he disappeared on me, leaving me alone in this big ind. For 7 days, I had been here with just a few men and Eleanor. Turns out Eleanor was actually a sweetdy. She was the one who had managed to save me from the boredom that would have consumed me. I had note on the ind with my phone or any gadgets, so I didn¡¯t have any idea what was going on outside the ind. ording to Manuel, the travel ban was supposed to be for just a week, then I¡¯d be able to go home. I had not stopped asking myself why it had to be now of all times. Why so suddenly was a ban implemented, restricting people froming in and going out of Russia? Manuel had exined that reasons were due to infiltration of some enemy forces into the country. All I knew was that I missed my parents and wanted to be with them. I had never imagined I would miss work so much, but now I did. I missed my boss as well. Atleast, I¡¯m sure Manuel had already informed him that he had taken me. I wondered how my boss had reacted on hearing that. Even Laura. I guess she was worried sick about me. M, Amara, and Sarah as well. I felt so sorry for myself.


    I dabbed the little sweat that had broken out on my forehead due to having stayed outside, under the sun for a while now. The sun was harsh today, but the cool breezeing from the swashing waves of the beachpensated me immensely. Seeing as I had taken more than enough of the beauty I could get from the beach, I began making my way back to the beach house, hoping Manuel was going to show up soon. I really needed him toe and tell me the travel restriction had been lifted, so I could return home.


    ¡°Bianca!¡± I looked up to see Eleanor running towards me.


    ¡°Eleanor. Are you okay?¡± I asked in concern, seeing how out of breathe she was when she got to me.


    ¡°This little run had me exhausted. And the sun is scorching.¡± She hissed in displeasure. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d still go out to the beach today, considering how harsh the weather is. All the while, I thought you were in your room.¡±


    ¡°No, I was out.¡± I replied. ¡°Did you enquire about the travel ban like you promised?¡± Eleanor had been with her phone on the ind, and had promised to check in on the updates about the travel restriction.


    ¡°Ahhh!!¡± She put her hand over her mouth in remorse. ¡°I am so sorry dear. I totally forgot to browse about the update on the ban.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. We can always check it upter in the day.¡± I nodded hopefully.


    ¡°Look how tanned your skin has be over the passed few days. Your pale skin has be disfigured.¡± She muttered, her eyes racing all over my body.


    ¡°On the contrary.¡± Iughed. ¡°I love the tan.¡±


    ¡°But the sun was too harsh on your skin! Look, you have burns on your neck.¡± She sighed worriedly, touching all the ces I had probably been burned by sun. ¡°It¡¯s just a miracle your face is not so affected. But I can still spot a few burns though.¡± Sheined.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Iughed. ¡°Don¡¯t be so dotting. Like my mom.¡± I sighed again after saying thest part.


    ¡°You miss them, I know. You¡¯d be back home soonest!¡± She grinned. ¡°Mr Manuel just returned this afternoon. That¡¯s why I came looking for you.¡± She giggled, making a smile appear on my face.


    ¡°Really?!¡± I asked in excitement, my legs swinging into action as I walked faster towards the beach house.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°You think the ban has been lifted?¡± I asked, walking faster as she tried to catch up behind me.


    ¡°I think so!¡± She replied, clearly out of breathe again.


    Finally getting to the beach house, I rushed in and walked into my room, expecting to see him waiting for me, but I saw no one. With a small frown on my face, I stepped out of my room and walked towards the other room that Eleanor normally stayed, but found no one in. What was Eleanor saying¡­ My thoughts were cut short when I heard a feint sound from thest room that wasn¡¯t upied by anyone. The men normally stayed at another beach house that was just behind this one. Having a feeling that Manuel was in there, I walked slowly towards the door, but halted when I heard him barking outmands. I listened carefully and at some point, I could feel my breathe hitch. Did I just hear clearly, or was my mind ying silly tricks on me? The mafia? A Don? How?!! Oh my God! It¡¯s like there was always a new suprise in store for me, when it came to Manuel Russo. The moment he ended the call, I quickly knocked on the door, in order to prevent him from opening the door and finding me there. Then, it¡¯d look like I had actually been eavesdropping on him.


    After a few seconds, he came and opened the door, and my breathe had been knocked off. Yeah yeah yeah, I know worrying about returning home hadn¡¯t let me think about my feelings for the man these past few days. But seeing him now, I felt all the anger of him leaving me on this ind, just disappear.


    ¡°Hey!¡± He raised his right hand and waved, a pretty smile adorning his Greek godlike face. For the first time, I had actually focused on his eyes. God!! They were a very unique shade of grey. Beautiful.


    ¡°Hey.¡± I found myself reflexly waving back at him.


    ¡°How are you?¡± He asked, bringing me back to the present.


    ¡°You left me.¡± That was all I found myself saying. Why did I say that now?


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± He said, suprising me even more. He shed me a small smile, but my head did not stop screaming at me, reminding me that this very man standing before me was a mafia lord!! There was a very dangerous man, beneath all the handsome and cute exterior.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± I nodded like a robot. ¡°Uhhmmm¡­ can I go home now?¡± I asked, but noticed his mood change slightly. His forehead creased into lines, and his brows furrowed. Was everything okay? I could return home tomorrow right?


    ¡°Actually¡­.. that was the reason I came.¡± He started, scratching the back of his ears. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Bianca. The travel ban was dragged for two more weeks. We cannot go home until then.¡±


    ¡°W¡­ wh.. what?¡± I found myself stuttering. Anyone in my shoes would. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± He muttered, actually avoiding eye contact with me. For a moment, it seemed like this mighty mafia lord was scared of my wrath. That was funny. Not just him, Russia was! They were all funny!! I gritted my teeth as I turned my back and walked away in anger. I guess I was going to remain here for another 14 days. And I¡¯m sure the cause of my predicament would be away in another part of Moscow, having a time of his lfe!


    .


    .


    I sat in my bedroomter in the night, saturated from so much sleep. Was this how the remaining weeks were gonna be? What if the ban was extended for some extra weeks after that? Arrgghhh! I was really going to die then. Deciding to step out for some fresh air as my room was a bit stuffy, I threw on a simple dress shirt that Eleanor had gotten for me, before walking out of the room. It was night already, so I was extra observant as I walked, not wanting to get lost again. I found myself walking along the path that had been decorated for the wedding a week ago, and I subconsciously scoffed. Seeing the familiar flower bed I had sat on, from a distance, I rushed there and made myselffortable. The atmosphere was so calm, and I loved it. It made it possible for me to have clear thoughts. I wasn¡¯t halfway through my thoughts when I heard shuffles from behind me. Immediately my adrenaline kicked into action, and I found myself getting into flight mode. I quickly sprung up from where I had been sitting, and was about swinging my legs into quick action, when someone stepped out from behind the flower bed.


    ¡°Hey.¡± The person muttered. It was night, with only the moonlight acting as a source of illumination. I couldn¡¯t really make out the person¡¯s face clearly, but seeing the figure walk towards me, only made me fall on my butt in fear.


    ¡°Ouch!¡± I winced in pain, but theughter that emanated from the person made me look closely at him. Manuel? What was he doing here? I thought he left already?


    ¡°Mr Manuel?¡± I managed to ask, and he sighed.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me.¡± He replied, walking closer to me. ¡°Here.¡± He offered me his hand and I took it, helping myself off the ground. I dusted off the sand on my body and I heard him chuckling again.


    ¡°It¡¯s not funny.¡± I muttered, and hisughter ceased almost immediately. I looked at him and he had this apologetic smile on his face. ¡°I thought you left already?¡± I asked, avoiding eye contact with him, because the way he stared at me in that moment, I could really just strip off my clothes for him to see. Just kidding.


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t leave.¡±


    ¡°When are you leaving?¡± I asked again and he shook his head slightly.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡°I¡¯m not leaving. I would remain here until we can find our way back home. I¡¯m sorry I left. I thought that after all the stress I¡¯d put you through, it was best I gave you your space.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± I muttered underneath my breathe. ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± I replied, at loss for words. Maybe this was the normal way to feel when your crush, whom you were mad at, was finally giving you his attention. You¡¯d feel speechless. Not wanting to make a fool out of myself, I turned and started walking away.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± He asked, making me halt my steps.


    ¡°Back inside.¡± I replied, then turned to look at him. ¡°I can see you¡¯re already here. I don¡¯t want to intrude in your space.¡±


    ¡°Not at all!¡± He rushed out, making me amused. Was this man actually asking me to stay back? ¡°I could do with thepany.¡± He shrugged, making me take a couple of steps closer to him. ¡°Do you care to join me for a walk?¡± He asked, but I was unresponsive. ¡°I particrly find the sceneries of this ce quite mesmerizing at night.¡± He added, making me nod in agreement.


    ¡°I would join you for a walk then.¡± I managed, and he smiled. Could he just stop smiling at me?!! It made it difficult to stay mad at him. He started walking ahead of me, while I stood there just moping. ¡°Bianca,e on.¡± He waved at me to join him, and that was when I found it possible to move my legs. Pheeww!


    We had walked for quite a while, with neither of us saying anything. The atmosphere was bing awkward. Probably not for him, but for me. I was the one who liked him.


    ¡°Do you feel awkward?¡± He suddenly asked, and I had no reply to give him. I was actually suprised he was asking that. But then, I was really conscious about watching my words around him. I couldn¡¯t afford to give him the impression that I liked him. He was never going to have any kind of thing to do with me, and I had finally made my peace with the fact. I would only make myself look stupid by directly or indirectly letting him know that I liked him, when I clearly didn¡¯t stand a chance with him.


    ¡°Not really.¡± I lied. ¡°The silence allows me process my thoughts.¡± That one wasn¡¯t a lie though.


    ¡°Ohhh.¡± He nodded in understanding. ¡°It feels awkward for me though. Your silence makes me feel like you¡¯re still angry at me.¡±


    ¡°No¡± I muttered. ¡°No, I¡¯m not. Even if I have every right to be.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± He nodded, and we kept walking again in silence. This time, the silence was more awkward.


    ¡°Have you heard from my boss?¡± I asked, trying to ease the awkwardness.


    ¡°A lot!¡± He chuckled dryly. ¡°The man could probably just chopped my head off.¡± My boss was that worried about me? It made me feel good in a kind of way. It was nice to know I wasn¡¯t just a work machine to him.


    ¡°You deserve every bit of it. God only knows how much work he has on his te now.¡±


    ¡°Sweetie, he can always hire a virtual assistant for the mean time, till you return¡­.¡± In all honesty, I kinda lost a lot of things he had said when he called me sweetie. One minute he is cute, the next minute, he is infuriating. ¡°Bianca?! Are you listening to me?¡± He called my attention once more, making me jolt out of my thoughts.


    ¡°Yes, yes, yes!¡± I rushed out as sweat broke out on my forehead. ¡°Yes, I am. What were you saying again?¡± I asked and he smiled.


    ¡°Are you always out of sorts?¡± He chuckled. The rat!!


    ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°You seem confused.¡± He smiled, probably enjoying riling me up.


    ¡°I¡¯m not confused!¡± I spat at him.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t look like the case to me dear.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me that. I¡¯m not your ¡®dear¡¯. You are the very reason I¡¯m away from my boss in the first ce.¡± I muttered in annoyance. Oops! that didn¡¯te out right.


    ¡°You sound like¡­..¡± He paused, giving me that look that says ¡®don¡¯t breath, I¡¯m trying to read your thoughts¡¯. ¡°Do you have an affair with my cousin?¡±


    ¡°Are you crazy?!!¡± I yelled. ¡°No, scratch that. You must be stupid!¡± This man was truly infuriating.


    ¡°Watch your tone, youngdy. It¡¯s just a question. Are you, or are you not?¡± I was slowly getting to see that aggressive mafian side of him.


    ¡°Well, I am not. The man doesn¡¯t even look my way. The man only has eyes for his ¡®Be¡¯.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like someone who is jealous.¡± He smirked, probably happy seeing me so riled up. ¡°I understand it already. This is that story of a P. A who has eyes for her boss, but the man doesn¡¯t even notice her.¡± Was this man actually serious??! He was the very one who never seemed to notice me! He always forgot my name! The conversation was already pissing me off, as it stood.


    ¡°Jeeez!! You don¡¯t get it, do you?¡± I asked rhetorically. ¡°I¡¯m not that kind of girl! I don¡¯t do married men!¡±


    ¡°Easy there. We were just having a harmless conversation. You¡¯re going all defensive now. I was just suprised that Alexander could be so bothered about a casual P. A. He almost beat me through the phone when he learnt I had been the one who had taken you.¡± d to know I was just ¡®casual¡¯. But then, had my boss been that furious?


    ¡°Really?¡± I asked in suprise and he gave that annoying chuckle again.


    ¡°Why do you seem so excited about that information?¡± He asked. I was about yelling at him in annoyance, but then I decided to calmly give him my sincere answer. In my wildest imaginations, I would never have seen a day like thising. Here I was, talking to my crush of many years, and having himugh at almost everything I said and smile at every action I made, even if most part of the conversation annoyed me. And even if he thought I was causal or insignificant.


    This was the same man who hadn¡¯t even spared me an extra nce after realizing I wasn¡¯t the one he had in mind to capture. If only I could contact M and Laura, and tell them it was finally happening. That I had finally gotten the opportunity to talk to Manuel Russo on a basis that wasn¡¯t formal. The man was here, thinking I had some sort of extra marital affair with his cousin. If that wasn¡¯t personal, I don¡¯t know what was. I finally looked up at him with a small smile on my lips, before speaking.


    ¡°The truth is, aftering across one of Alexander Russo¡¯s rtives at an asion, I had a crush on him for the longest. My years in college were spent, trying to see how I could make the best grades and be eligible to work for Alexander Russo. Maybe then, I could be much closer to my crush and get to see him more frequently, and not just from afar.¡± Seeing him pay so much attention to what I was saying, only made me feel warm inside. I looked closely at him as I spoke, and the words just came out. ¡°It¡¯s crazy, but I think I might be in love.¡± I finally let it out, releasing a long breathe after I did.


    ¡°Hmmmm¡­¡± He smiled without a teeth out. ¡°You sound like a fan girl right now. Don¡¯t tell me you have a crush on whom I¡¯m thinking. You know, it¡¯d be quite difficult to make the right guess as almost every man in the Russo family are very established. But then, my best bet would be Francisco! It¡¯s him isn¡¯t it?¡± He grinned at his supposed discovery, making me fall in love with his perfect dentition. How was I going to tell this man I had no idea who this ¡®Francisco¡¯ guy was? I was about asking who he was when Manuel spoke up. ¡°It has to be Francisco who would have a full growndy fan girling over him this way. That¡¯s what he gets for being an actor.¡± He shrugged. Wait a minute. An actor?! There was only one famous actor who went by the name¡­.. Oh my goodness! Francisco Russo!! The same Russo? He was a part of the Russo¡¯s empire as well?


    ¡°I said it! The reaction on your face gives you away.¡± His grin widened. ¡°The awe in your eyes. But then, working for Alexander wasn¡¯t the best option. You should have tried getting a job with my little sister Greta. She¡¯s a fashion designer and Francisco is seen around her most of the time.¡± If not for the fact that he grinned so widely, making me so mentally paralyzed, I would havended a clean p on his handsome face to make him realize that I wasn¡¯t talking about Francisco Russo, but him!! I thought of a better way to escape this conversation, as It was already getting awkward talking about my supposed love interest, with the man who was the actual love interest. ¡°Hey, I could set up a meeting between you both. Atleast, to show how sorry I am about this whole situation I got you into.¡± Okay, this was really getting out of hand.

 CHAPTER 19

    MANUEL¡¯S POV


    True to my words, I stayed back on the ind with her. So far, we had spent 5 days together and even if we didn¡¯t normally get to see each other during the day, we never missed our walks together at night. It was like an unspoken pact. It wasn¡¯t like we talked so much during these walks, but it just felt nice having a partner to apany you while reveling in the beauty of nature. But tonight was going to be different. It seemed our nightly walks were going to be put on a hold.


    I had actually been at Alexa¡¯s ce during the week I was away. Probably realizing I had decided to remain on the ind, Alexa came to camp there with us for some days. So far, she had spent days 4 days on the ind with us, before dering her ns to leave tomorrow. ording to her, she had pressing work she had to return to. Seeing as it was herst day to stay with us, we decided to do something fun. We nned to light a campfire and y games tonight. It was a really unusual thing for me though. I couldn¡¯t remember thest time I was part of a campfire party, or yed games. It was always work, violence, and noise. These past few days have been somewhat different and peaceful, but oddly weing. I wouldn¡¯t lie and say that I didn¡¯t enjoy the serenity that came with being stuck on this ind. It made me loosen up a bit, and it was actually refreshing. That was actually the reason why I bought it. It was a ce I came to unwind, whenever my head was full.


    Walking out of my beach house which was just behind Bianca¡¯s, I walked towards the ce that was lit up. It seemed like tonight was going to be entertaining. Hastening my steps when I heard Alexa yell my name, I got to them in a matter of seconds.


    Looking around, I noticed there were a few new faces around tonight. I had been busy working on some documents that Julia; my personal assistant had emailed to me, so I had been indoors all day. When did the new faces arrive?


    ¡°Manuel, I hope you do not mind the extrapany? Seeing as your men are too uptight and would rather remain on guard all night, I thought it would be more fun to invite a few of my friends who came visiting a nearby ind. Don¡¯t worry, they would leave with me by morning.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine Alexa. We could all do with some new faces.¡± I smiled. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Manuel. It¡¯s nice to meet you all.¡± I greeted the 2 guys and 3 three girls who hade.


    ¡°It is nice to meet you too.¡± They all replied.


    ¡°My name is Boris.¡± The first guy introduced himself to me and Bianca. It was clear they all knew Eleanor, as some of the girls teased her by introducing themselves to her. We allughed. The introductions continued up until thest guy, whom I had noticed found it quite difficult to take his eyes off my walk partner.


    ¡°Hey, my name is Ivan. It is really nice to meet you.¡± He had a thick Russian ent. ¡°Ty prekrasna.¡± He muttered. That was the way of saying ady was beautiful in Russian. I didn¡¯t know why I found myself rolling my eyes at his words. It was no news that Bianca was a really beautifuldy, and her rare hair colour only made her seem like a dream sometimes. Yes, a dream. It always seemed that way when the moonlight reflected on her at night. Sometimes, it seemed like she was glowing. My thoughts again. Iughed inwardly, shaking my head. I was never the sort of man to be crazy about women, but whenever a woman interests me, I am quick to ascertain what the attraction is all about. When it came to Bianca, I couldn¡¯t deny the fact that it waspletely lust.


    Everything about the girl could get a man hard. Her rosy pink lips, her sea green big doe eyes, her pointed nose, slender neck, andshes that were so long. I guess being in the same space with her for a few days had started making me see her differently. The few times I had seen her at work, she always appeared coporate. A skirt below the knee, a very conservative shirt, and her hair packed up in a neat bun or ponytail. Here, she waspletely different. Wearing short sun dresses, leaving her hair down, she even seemed to have gotten a bit tanned since we got here. It made her give off this sexy appeal. Tonight, she was wearing a very light white chiffon dress shirt, that did a good job at revealing the bra she wore inside. I could already feel my cock going hard at the sight. Actually, I¡¯d finally admit to the fact that ever since the second night Bianca and I had strolled together, I always went to bed with a boner. So it was understandable if Ivan seemed interested in her.


    ¡°Manuel!¡± Alexa called my attention. ¡°Come over here and sit, we are about to start the games.¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay.¡± I walked away from the wood I had been leaning on and went to sit next to Alexa on the really wide nket that had beenid on the soft sand.


    ¡°So, I had in mind for us to dance around the campfire, but if we do that first, we may be too exhausted to y our games. So I decided we y the games first, then dance after.¡±


    ¡°Interesting.¡± The girl named Vera muttered. ¡°So what game would it be?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure as hell you already know!¡± Alexa grinned, making everyoneugh. It seemed everyone except me had an idea about the game we were gonna be ying.


    ¡°Truth or Dare!¡± Alexa announced, making me chuckle. That game? Interesting. Alexa went ahead to state the rules of the game. ¡°If you do not answer a question, you drink a shot.¡± She raised a bottle of gin for us all to see. ¡°If you don¡¯t do a dare, same goes. You can¡¯t choose truth twice, or dare twice. You must alternate¡­.¡±


    The rest of what she said had been lost as I watched the Ivan guy leaning onto Bianca as he whispered some words into her ear, making her giggle. Hmmm. I couldn¡¯t ce how I felt at that moment, but all I just knew was the fact that he wouldn¡¯t get the opportunity to have his way with her tonight. I was personally going to make sure of that. That devilish smile appeared on my face and I grunted in approval of my thoughts.


    Soon enough, the game began and so far, the bottle hadn¡¯t been spun in my direction. Nheless, the many truths and dares that had been done so far, were very much entertaining. That should be except that time when Ivan had been asked to give Bianca ap dance. She hadughed through it all, but I noticed how much efforts he had put into his craft, probably hoping to seduce her. He had even gone as far as pulling off his shirt. The bastard.


    Presently, the bottle was being spinned by Alexa once more and my eyes followed it. All I could hear Alexa scream was ¡°Finally!¡±, before I even realized the head of the bottle was pointing towards me, and the bottom towards Alexa. Here goes nothing. ¡°Finally, Manuel gets the bottle in his direction.¡± Alexa grinned. ¡°You¡¯re going with Bianca this time. Manuel, truth or dare?¡± Wow, with Bianca?


    My eyes not leaving the bottle for once, I answered her. ¡°Dare.¡±This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Hmmm!¡± Alexa hummed and everyone grinned. ¡°So far, we have skinny dipped, twerked,p danced, stripped¡­. we¡¯ve done a lot, but no one has kissed anybody.¡± The moment she said that, I didn¡¯t hear, but could feel Bianca give a reaction. She had gasped. She was shocked I guess. It only made me smile inwardly.


    ¡°Manuel, I dare you to kiss Bianca for a straight minute.¡± Nice. Thank you Alexa. I was d, but did well not to let it show. I slowly stood from where I had been sitting and I walked towards Bianca who just kept moping at me in shock.


    ¡°Can I drink?!¡± She suddenly blurted out, catching me off guard. The entire ce was silent for a moment, until Alexa spoke up.


    ¡°Oh, so sorry Bianca.¡± Alexa chuckled. ¡°Your partner is willing, so¡­¡± She shrugged. I wanted  to yell out and say I wasn¡¯t willing. Manuel Russo never begged for the attention of anydy. But then again, I needed to kiss her so badly.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a game.¡± I shrugged, making Bianca blink a good number of times.


    ¡°Exactly, it¡¯s just a game Bianca.¡± The other girls murmured. Seeing how lucky I was, I bent to her level and before she could do any other thing to prevent the kiss from happening, I captured her lips with mine. It took me a couple of seconds to finallyprehend the way I felt when our lips had touched.


    God! These were so soft and sulent. She tasted like¡­.. grapes. She seemed unwilling, because she just stayed there, unresponsive to my kisses. Nheless, wanting to make good use of my 60 seconds, I held her waist and pulled her closer. That way, she finally snaked her hands around my neck and gave in to the kiss. Our tongues began fighting a battle. No, it wasn¡¯t a battle of dominance. It wasn¡¯t a battle of time. Deep down, we knew that we were trying to make the most of the little time we had. They way her fingers pulled against my back hairs told me so. If it was possible to plunge my tongue deep down her throat, I would have done so. The next thing I heard was a countdown.


    ¡°10, 9, 8, 7¡­.¡± This wasing to an end then. I settle in her lower lip and suckled so hard on it, before finally letting go at the sound of ¡°¡­. 1¡±


    The moment we pulled away, I exhaled deeply. I didn¡¯t realize I had been that deprived of air. I spared her oncest look and even if I hadn¡¯t noticed any other thing, I noticed that one thing I had hoped to evoke in her. They were there in her eyes. The desire.


    ¡°Okayyyyyy¡­.. That was¡­.¡± Alexa began, making me stand up and make my way back to where I had been previously sitted. But it seemed to be that Alexa was at loss for words. That was quite funny.


    ¡°That was really hot!¡± Vera helped. ¡°What I¡¯d give for Manuel to kiss me that way.¡± She muttered, looking at me sultrily. I didn¡¯t know why, but it sounded funny to me. Maybe it was because she didn¡¯t appeal to me in anyway. Don¡¯t get me wrong. She was a really pretty woman, but like I said before, women hardly appealed to me. So if anyone did, I always made sure to have a taste of them. When I did, it naturally pleased the hunger inside me, and I wouldn¡¯t be in need of them anymore after our conquest. That was probably the case with Bianca. I just needed to have a taste. Once I did, the strong need and hunger for her would disappear.


    The games continued through the night and soon, they were dancing around the campfire. Yes, ¡®they¡¯. I could do a lot of weird stuffs, but dancing around a fire wasn¡¯t part of it. I had seen a wooden rocking chair around, and made myselffortable in it. I found myself chuckling as Alexa¡¯s body moved like an stic material around the fire. Her friends too. Bianca hadn¡¯t really been dancing. If you asked me, I¡¯d say she didn¡¯t know how to. But watching her try to copy the steps of her colleagues, made her look so naive and cute. Soon enough, the waves from the beach became stronger, and the winds started howling. It didn¡¯t take time before the campfire in the middle started dancing around, signaling that the wind was having the expected effect on it.


    ¡°It seems like it¡¯s about to rain.¡± Alexa announced. The girls and the other guy; Boris, came running towards where the nket had beenid. ¡°It¡¯s about to rain.¡± Alexa said to me as soon as she realized I was still sitting on the wooden chair. If only she knew the rain threatening to pour was the least of my problems. My major problem was her friend who had a hard time staying away from Bianca. It seemed Alexa noticed my eyes were pinned on the duo, and beganughing.


    ¡°Trust me, he¡¯d do all he can to get in between those hot legs of hers tonight.¡±


    ¡°Is that a joke?¡± I asked, looking at her.


    ¡°Trust me Manuel, he will.¡± Sheughed, shaking her head in disbelief as she returned to helping her friends pack up the stuffs we had used for our games. Soon enough, we all started walking away, Bianca and Ivan behind the rest of us. Smiling deviously, I excused myself from the crew in front, and walked to the back where Bianca was. For a moment, she seemed suprised seeing mee back to join them, but somewhat relieved.


    ¡°We should get going now.¡± I simply muttered, making the guy look at me in confusion.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± He said, and I sighed.


    ¡°Bianca and I both have somewhere to be.¡± I replied dryly.


    ¡°But¡­.¡± He was still trying to talk when Bianca interjected.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but Manuel and I actually have somewhere to be tonight.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± He muttered underneath his breathe before walking away. The fucker seemed angry. So all he wanted after all was to stick his dick in her honey pot! Why was I talking like it wasn¡¯t the same thing I wanted?


    ¡°It¡¯s about to rain.¡± She managed a small smile, looking everywhere else but at me. I guess she felt awkward about the kiss.


    ¡°Yes it is.¡± I muttered. ¡°I thought we could take a short walk before it starts to rain.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± She simply nodded, and I began walking in the opposite direction. She quickly followed me and we began our walk with the wind aggressively kissing our faces.


    ¡°And about the kiss.¡± I started. ¡°It¡¯s just a game, so you shouldn¡¯t feel awkward about it.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± She nodded, and released a sigh. Wait a minute! What did I just do? Did I indirectly tell her I had no ns of wanting her? Like, being with her? Inside her?!!


    ¡°Where are we headed?¡± She simply asked.


    ¡°A small water body you¡¯ve never been to, on this ind. It¡¯s exquisite to look upon at night.¡±


    ¡°But, wouldn¡¯t the rain catch up with us?¡±


    ¡°We definitely wouldn¡¯t die if it did.¡± I chuckled, making her smile. Her smile was beautiful. If only she knew I was making all these efforts, and even willing to walk under the rain just so that man doesn¡¯t have his hands on her tonight.


    We kept walking and soon, it began to drizzle.


    ¡°It has started.¡± Sheughed and began running.


    ¡°Where are you running to?¡± I yelled behind her.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know! Some form of shelter?¡±


    ¡°I know somewhere.¡± I said. I had really mastered every part of this ind like the back of my palms. I had gotten it when I had been here on training. Alexa and I used toe here then. It used to be a public spot where a lot of people came, but that was before something happened and I bought it. ¡°Come.¡± I called her and took her hand in mine. I led her to a really small hut close to where we were. The moment we got in, the rain progressed to something more violent.


    Even though we had made it to a shelter on time, we had still gotten wet. Unlike the beach houses where there was electricity, this hut was dark, making me pulll out my phone and putting on the shlight. I looked around to see that Bianca¡¯s light dress shirt was quite soaked, and clinged to her body like a second skin. I could easily outline her breasts. Swallowing hard, I spotted a table by the other corner of the hut and made my way there. Fortunately, there was a wooden candle cup on it, and a match box beside it.


    ¡°Great.¡± I muttered, before pulling out a stick from the match box and lighting the candle. Candle light always seemed amusing to me. The way a small candle could lit everywhere up was amazing, even though the light was a dim type.


    ¡°Oh!¡± Bianca whispered, the moment the light came on. I turned back to see her standing at the other corner of the hut. Save for a wooden two seaters bench just behind her, and this table, the hut waspletely empty. I sighed as I walked to the bench and sat down, waving at her to join me. Reluctantly, she did. We sat together for a while, listening to the sounds of rain that didn¡¯t seem like it was going to retire anytime soon. All the while, I had restrained myself from looking at her, because I knew I was going to be really tempted. Eventually tired of looking at the empty hut, I turned my head towards her to see her slowly dozing off. I sighed as my eyes slowly trailed down her slender figure. Her breasts were quite full,pared to how slender her body was. Same went for her hips and derriere. My gaze got stuck on her open thighs which had been as a result of her dress hiking up. The dim light of the candle against her tighs only made me want to feel the smoothness her skin there.


    I knew I couldn¡¯t hold back anymore, so I let my hand rest on her left thigh, humming in approval of how smooth it actually felt. What I hadn¡¯t realized was thedy who had woken up and just stayed quiet, staring at me in shock.


    ¡°Manuel?¡± Her voice had been a whisper, but I could note the desire and tension it held. Seeing I had been caught in the act, I looked up at her and leaned into her neck, sniffing a very light scent of vani on her. Edible.  ¡°Manuel.¡± She whispered again and this time, I decided to shut that mouth of hers, so she could let me simply have my way with her. I turned her head to me, bent and captured her lips in a searing kiss. She sighed into the kiss, holding the hem of my shirt so tightly. I ravished her mouth, tasting all I could taste at once. After some seconds, she pulled away from me. The desire more evident in her eyes. I¡¯m sure my eyes disyed a greater level desire as well.


    ¡°I thought it was just a game?¡± She whispered.


    ¡°I feel like ying another game.¡± I replied, before connecting my lips with hers, and hoisting her up in a way that she straddled me. The way she had simply let me carry her onto my tighs, her hands tightly holding onto my shoulders, were enough to tell me she was consenting to my request. Indeed, we were going to y a very intense game of strip poker tonight. It was going to be a long night, because I was going to ravish her body as much as I could, so I don¡¯t hunger for her again after tonight.

 CHAPTER 20

    BIANCA¡¯S POV


    I know you¡¯d be wondering why I asked if I could drink. Well, like I said, I had made peace with the fact that Manuel could never be mine, especially after he had promised to set up a date between myself and his cousin; Francisco. The best I could do was just love him from afar. Atleast, I was d that I had the opportunity to go on these walks with him every night. I always returned to my room with a wide smile. It only made me realize that I was indeed in love with a man that was way above my league. The fact that spending time with him during our silent walks every night was enough to make my day, only proved that I actually had genuine feelings for him. So kissing him now wasn¡¯t such a good idea. It would only make me end up wanting him more. Something that would never happen. And did I have to add that he¡¯d be my first kiss if I let him?! On a normal day, I would have been thrilled that my first kiss was a man I liked. But now, I realized the heartbreak would be a lot more worse if he kissed me, only to act like he didn¡¯t know me the moment we left this ind.


    It just happened to be my luck that I wasn¡¯t allowed to take a shot of the drink. But then, not in my wildest imagination had I imagined that he was going to kiss me with such passion and greed. It felt like he was looking to provoke some sort of feeling within me. I wasn¡¯t really sure if that was his intent, but all I knew was the fact that I wanted more. Just like I had forethought.


    Deciding to use Ivan as a distraction for the rest of the night, I tried to wee his touches and flirtations, even though all it made me feel was disgusted. Just when we were all retiring for the night and I couldn¡¯t take Ivan¡¯s breathe on my skin anymore, Manuel came to my aid. He may not have realized that he did though. I found it suprising that he truly wanted to go for a walk, regardless of what the howling wind signified. Nheless, I followed his lead and just when the rain would have made a huge mess of us, he led me to a very warm and cozy hut. I felt my heart beat rapidly, realizing I was in such an enclosed space with Manuel for only God knows how long. In as much as he had told me not to feel awkward about the kiss, I still did. I just did a good job at concealing it. To me, a whole lot had happened this night. How could I even begin toprehend the fact that I kissed Manuel Russo?! The Manuel Russo.


    He had lit up the hut with a candle, which made it feel a lot more warm, my body slightly shivering from the rain that had soaked my thin shirt. As I tried to flip some water out of my hair, I noticed Manuel slowly make his way behind me, and that was when I realized there was a bench there. He had sat down and didn¡¯t fail to signal me toe join him. I would have honestly preferred standing where I had been, but for how long? I didn¡¯t have an idea when this rain was finally going to subside, so I reluctantly joined him there.


    He hadn¡¯t tried to start up a conversation with me, which I profoundly appreciated. I just sat there staring at the empty hut even if I so badly wanted to look at his handsome face. I kept staring into space until I started feeling drowsy. Slowly, my eyes began to droop until they finally went shut. Due to the fact that I hadn¡¯t gone far into my sleep yet, my eyes flung open when I felt the hand on my thighs. I looked at the man who caressed my skin like it was some sort of gem. Atleast, his face held such admiration. He hadn¡¯t noticed I was awake and staring at him, so I had to inform him.


    ¡°Manuel?¡± What the fuck was that? That wasn¡¯t how I had expected to sound? I had expected to sound firm, and not like some 6 year old kid. What made my breathing be more erratic was the fact he had clearly heard me, but drew closer to me and buried his face into the crook of my neck. His hot breathe against my neck and face only made hot sweat break on my forehead. ¡°Manuel.¡± I tried calling him again but this time, he turned my face to himself before his lips came crashing onto mine.


    Hot. That was how my entire body felt. Christ! I could feel a certain thrill spread from my chest, down to the pit of my stomach, before making it¡¯s way to my very core,ing out in the form of a hot wetness. I could feel the wetness pooling in between my thighs, provoking feelings in me that made me squeeze the hem of his shirt. This was slowly spiraling out of control. With the little strength and courage I could muster, I pulled away.


    ¡°I thought it was just a game?¡± I whispered. The question I had asked, and what I really wanted were in huge contrast to themselves. Alll I actually wanted was for him to kiss me again.


    ¡°I feel like ying another game.¡± Came his reply, before connecting our lips together once more. I could feel my neck be hotter as the kiss intensified. The next minute, he was hoisting me onto his thighs as I held onto his broad shoulders tightly. Now I was straddling him. He trailed his lips away from my lips and began leaving wet kisses on the sensitive spots along my neck. I could feel his tongue and lips working in uniformity as he sucked the hollow space between my neck and shoulder. The feeling he evoked in me made me want to to shout, but I just didn¡¯t know how to. The only thing I could do was sigh in silent appreciation of the pleasure his lips and tongue gave me. Slowly, his hands made their way to my butt, softly squeezing them as he hummed in approval. At that moment, the only thing I found myself doing was trying to brush my private part against the fat bulge in his trousers. The movement may have erupted some sweet sensations within him because the next second, he was grabbing my butt and bringing me closer to his bulge. I had not even realized that my dress shirt had hiked up to my belly, if not for the feel of his warm hand on my butt cheeks.


    Soon, we were aggressively moving against each other as the sensation kept growing within me. As I moved against him, he did the same as well, tightly holding my waist so I didn¡¯t fall off from the excitement I felt within. At some point I wondered if he was feeling the way I was feeling, and opened my eyes to look at his face. If only I had known I would be met with such a raw and primal look of hunger on his face, I would have kept my eyes closed. Silently challenging me to keep my eyes glued to his, I did so, watching him release muffled grunts from the back of throat, as I released helpless sighs of mine.


    The next thing I knew, one of his hand left my waist and reached for my breasts instead. He squeezed my boobs through the bra I had been wearing, but that didn¡¯t seem to satisfy him. The next thing he did was to undo the fisrt few buttons on my dress shirt, I put his hand inside my bra. The feel on his bare hands on my breasts only made my need for him intensify. I continued grinding wantonly against him as he brought out both my breasts and began sucking on the right one ardently, while using his fingers to y with my left nipple. His warm mouth sucking on my breast only made me jerk in a mix of pleasure and excitement. I pushed my chest closer to his face, suffocating him if possible. What drove me to the edge was his undivided attention to different parts of my body at the same time. He hadn¡¯t relented in the energy at which he grinded against my pussy, while still paying attention to my breasts. He finally let go of my right nipple with a pop, before focusing on the other. I could swear his administrations brought tears to my eyes, but little did I know it was just the tip of the iceberg.


    After a while, he stood with my legs wrapped around his waist as we kissed. He knelt on the floor of the hut. It wasn¡¯t a neat ground, but neither of us cared at that moment. All we wanted was to get to the very end of what we had begun. He gently dropped me on the floor, before standing up to take off his shirt and unzip his trousers. In the blink of an eye, he was just in his boxers while I was still in my dress shirt, with my breasts out. He knelt down again and captured my lips in another searing kiss. While we kissed, his hands worked on my shirt and bra, and in no time, all I had on was just my thin panties. He pulled away from my lips and moved towards the valley in between my breasts, leaving wet kisses there. A lot of thoughts were running through my head at that point in time, and for a moment, I wondered if I was doing the right thing. I guess those conflicting thoughts flew right out the window the moment I felt his hand in between my open thighs.


    God! I could feel a more wetness pool down there, making me want anything at all to touch me there. The next second, his fingers pushed my panties to the side, before parting my pussy lips open and began ying with my clitoris. The sensation caused me to groan loudly, my back arching in pleasure. It was at that moment that I realized there was no turning back for me. He kept ying with my clit until I finally found myself getting to a certain peak. I almost cried when he suddenly removed his hand, making me groan in frustration. He released an evil chuckle before hooking his hands around my panties, and tearing it shreds.


    ¡°Hah!¡± I rsed a gasp that was muffled by his lips. I felt him settling in between my thighs, making me wonder when he had taken off his boxers. He was truly a devil. Now, it was his naked body against my naked body, and I appreciated the heat that emanated from his body on such a cold night.


    ¡°Spread your legs honey.¡± He instructed. Like a dazed creature, I parted my legs much wider for him to befortably settled in between them. I could feel this tip of his hard cock against the lips of my wet pussy, as he teased me continuously. He bent to kiss me again, our tongues ying with each other. I had been focused on the kiss, but it wasn¡¯t enough for me to not notice his cock slowly making it¡¯s way into my pussy. I could feel my heartbeat increase erratically as I thought about the pain I was going to feel soon. But then, the countless pleasure he had made me feel before now, was enough promise of what was toe after the pain. With one intentional thrust, I felt him breaking through the barricades of my wall and taking my virginity.


    My fingers dug into his back and tears stung my eyes as a result of the pain his actions had caused me. My face leaned into his neck, the tears slowly falling out of my eyes. He had stilled his movements for a while and within that time, the pain slowly began to dull, though notpletely. I moved beneath him, feeling a certain kind of primal pleasure course through the walls of my pussy, down to my legs. I tried moving underneath him again, when he suddenly spoke up. That was when I realized why he had gone still.


    ¡°You are¡­..¡± He wasn¡¯t able toplete his statement, his voice breaking halfway. ¡°It¡¯s a lie?¡± That was clearly meant to be a question, but it came out as a statement. I pulled my face out of the crook of his neck, and rested my back to the floor. That way he could see my face. I guess the residual tears in my eyes were all the evidence he needed. Before he could say any other thing, I moved underneath him, that familiar but new feeling coursing through my body once more.


    ¡°Please.¡± I whispered, badly wanting to get to the core of this pleasure his hard member was able to make me feel. ¡°Please.¡± I begged again, wrapping my arms around his neck and trying to move against him. Slowly, he began moving inside me, making me feel that inexplicable pleasure again. A smile made it way to my lips as I tried my best to get him closer to me. But sadly, it was the closest he could be. Initially he felt reluctant, but as the seconds passed, his strokes got deeper and faster, making me open my lips to release those sighs. But these time, instead of hearing sighs, I heard moans. Loud pleasure filled moans. Those moans came from me.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± He muttered into my neck as he drove faster into me, his grunts bing louder.


    ¡°Ma.. Manuel.¡± That was really the only word I could bring myself to say. He connected his lips with mine again, but was more intentional with his thrusts. I could feel his teeth on my neck as he bit lightly into my skin there, his thrusts not faltering for a moment. The sounds of his thighs against my inner thighs only made me more excited. Eventually, I started feeling myself begin to race towards a certain height. I didn¡¯t know how high it was, but all I knew was that I had to get to the peak.


    ¡°Ohhhh¡­. Bianca.¡± He growled into my ears as I held onto him for dear life, because it felt like I was apart falling apart.


    ¡°Arrgghhh!!¡± I moaned into his neck as his assaults against my pussy intensified, slowly bringing me to the edge. Finally climbing up there in the clouds and basking in the heavenly feeling, I fell gracefully, clenching my walls around his length. My release came with a loud moan, as I copsed onto the floor. He thrust in a couple more times, before releasing a groan and emptying his hot semen into me. Feeling extremely exhausted, I breathed heavily, closing my eyes as a smile appeared on my lips. That was magical. More magical than M had described. It was pure bliss. I could feel Manuel¡¯s hand hovering over my arms. Was he contemting whether or not to hold me?


    ¡°Please hold me.¡± I whispered, and he carefully gathered me into his arms, our sweaty bodies sticking against each other. We stayed that way in silence, my heart swelling with a lot of emotions for the man.


    ¡°Was I¡­.?¡± He suddenly asked, trailing off beforepleting his question. Either ways, I knew what he was aking.


    ¡°Yes.¡± I responded. ¡°You were my first, Manuel.¡± I whispered. ¡°My first everything. You took everything from me today.¡± He hadn¡¯t said anything in reply, but I chose no to let it bother me. Regardless of how he may be feeling after the deed was done, I wouldn¡¯t deny the fact that he had probably satisfied me in a way that no other man could. I just hoped he hadn¡¯tpletely ruined me for other men. Slowly, my eyes began to droop, until it finally shut close in slumber.


    .Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    .


    The tiny sounds of insects, and the mild brightness that shone across my face was a clear evidence that morning hade. I opened my eyes to find myself on the floor, covered in a small duvet. Weird. That hadn¡¯t been herest night. Quickly pushing the duvet off my body, I looked behind to see if Manuel was still there. To my greatest disappointment, he wasn¡¯t. I stood up from the floor and looked around the small hut, but didn¡¯t see him. All I had seen were my clothes on the bench. His, were gone. Finally understanding what had just happened to me, I walked to the bench and sat on it, looking at my naked and dirty body in shame and self pity. What had I been expecting after sleeping with the devil yesterday? To be cuddled up until morning, afterwhich he¡¯d dere his undying love for me? I sat still, raising my knees to my chin and covering my breasts with them. Hot fat tears rolled down my cheek as I realized that the devil had actually left me in hell.

 CHAPTER 21

    MANUEL¡¯S POV


    It was unexpected. This was all crazy. What the fuck had I done? She was a bloody virgin!! How could I be her first?!! I looked over at her naked body snuggled into mine in the middle of the morning, and that was when the whole daze cleared off my eyes. What the hell had I done? This was¡­ this was a mistake. Horrible mistake! Fuck! I carefully detangled her naked body from mine, and stood up from the floor. I looked around for my clothing and I saw them piece by piece, lying at different angles of the hut. Last night had been crazy, no doubt. With a sigh, I made for my clothes and put them on. Where was my phone now? Looking towards the table where the candle cup that had almost burned out sat, I saw my phone just beside it.


    4:47am. It was already close to dawn. I made to walk out of the hut, but found it difficult to move my limbs. Fuck! My eyes directed its way back to her sleeping figure, and I felt that pang in my chest. Christ! I hated being in suchpromising situations. Now I was, and I couldn¡¯t help but pity myself. How was I going to deal with it now? Thest thing I had in mind was to disvirgin a girl. I looked at her again and muttered an ¡®I¡¯m sorry¡¯. To be honest, I was. I didn¡¯t know what she was gonna think of me after waking up, but I just knew I couldn¡¯t remain here with her for a minute more. Finally building up some courage, I got moving and walked out of the hut. I literally ran all the way back to the beach house and when I got to my room, a sudden chill kissed my skin, making goosebumps appear all over my body. This was new. I never got so anxious to the extent of having goosebumps on my skin. Well to be honest, disvirgining a girl was new to me as well. All my life, I had never been with a virgin. All of a sudden, I thought of her and I wondered how cold she must be probably feeling now,ying on that cold and dirty floor all alone.


    Quickly scouting through the clothe shelf for somethingfy, I saw a small nket and it just seemed perfect. I sprinted back to the hut and gentlyid the nket over her form. Her body seemed to have weed the warmth, as she snuggled into the nket. I made my way out of the hut but for some reason, I found myself walking inside again. Not knowing exactly what I wanted, I simply sat on the bench in the hut and just watched her sleep. I was never the sort of guy to do stuffs like this, but I guess I felt guilty. It¡¯s been a long while since I felt that way. Like, genuinely felt that way. Sighing in mental exhaustion, I rxed into the bench and didn¡¯t even know when I dozed off.


    I guess the vibration of my phone in my pocket was what had woken me up. I reached into my pocket and brought out the phone. It had been a message from Massimo. Marco was found dead in the guard room and Jacobo severely injured? What the fuck?! I quickly stepped out to call him but before I could, Alexander¡¯s call came in.


    ¡°Hey! I just got Massimo¡¯s message.¡± I rushed out.


    ¡°I thought as much. Shit is crazier than I thought. How many more days until you¡¯re back?¡±


    ¡°Not sure. 8 days?¡±


    ¡°Pheeww!! That¡¯s quite a while. But there¡¯s a little positive news though.¡± He supllied, and my ears itched to hear it. God knows that with such a frustrating news that Massimo had just sent, I needed to be sure that a few things were still going on fine.


    ¡°Please tell.¡±


    ¡°Jacobo seems to be stable now. Though he is still unconscious. Atleast, we are sure we didn¡¯t lose him. Apparently, X had nned to kill them both before they spilled anything. That only goes to prove one thing right. They do have important information about X. I wonder how important though.¡±


    ¡°And¡­ clearly X had an inside help to kill Marco. Who was that?¡± I asked, so tired of hearing the fact that our men were begin to betray the family.


    ¡°On the contrary. Everything had been caught on camera. Mind you, the person who was sent to kill them is dead. He was killed by our men before he got the chance to inflict worse harm on Jacobo. We have looked at the body and he wasn¡¯t identified as one of us. I guess the pack is clean for now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡± I sighed. ¡°It seems X is running out of options as quickly as he began. It seems Jacobo and Marco were the keys to whatever ns he had. It was either they destabilized us with their attack, enough for him to strike hard, or they die in the process of attacking us. Either ways, he remains safe. What he hadn¡¯t seening was that we had already decoded the fact that they weren¡¯t working alone, and decided to keep them alive instead of killing them off. Any news from Dito?¡±


    ¡°Not yet. But we¡¯re expecting something from him soon.¡± Alexander replied. ¡°For now, we are more focused on taking Jacobo some ce safe. It has be as clear as dawn that this X guy hasn¡¯te to y. We have to be on our toes.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right. I hope there isn¡¯t any form of chaos or unrest within the family?¡±


    ¡°Of course, not. It¡¯s my responsibility to ensure everyone remains unbothered and goes ahead to work and be productive. We can¡¯t let this rough period affect the return of ourpanies. You shouldn¡¯t worry yourself so much as well. Knowing you, you¡¯d be in that ind of yours in Moscow, thinking your brains out everyday. If I had my way, I¡¯d just let you be, until you return. But then, you¡¯re Don and everything happening within Russo has to be reported to you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much about me. I¡¯m just fine.¡± I assured him.


    ¡°That¡¯s a relief then. How is Bianca? I spoke to her parents a few days back. The poor couple had been extremely worried.¡± At hearing him ask about Bianca, I felt myself stiffen. I knew Alex was my only ¡®go to¡¯ person. Okay, maybe he was one out of the two ¡®go to¡¯ people I had in my life. But right now, thest thing I could tell him was that I slept with¡­.. no scratch that. That I disvirgined his personal assistant justst night. Knowing the likeness and ns he had for her, he was probably gonna go berserk on me. And thest thing I wanted to present myself as, was irresponsible. I know I could literally tell him anything without being judged, but with Bianca the whole thing just seemed different. I seemed to be judging myself before anyone else could even get the opportunity to.


    ¡°Oh? You hadn¡¯t spoken to them since the incidence?¡±


    ¡°Well, I had. I reached out to them after you had told me all that happened. I had to cook up some lie and tell them. I told them Bianca had mistakenly misced her phone during one of the conference meetings, but that she was gonna contact them soon. But then, you called me to tell me about the travel ban. I irresponsibly avoided their calls for a whole week.¡± He sighed, and I felt bad putting him in such a tight situation.


    ¡°So you eventually reached out to them again. What did you end up telling them?¡±


    ¡°The truth Manuel. I told them the truth.¡± He sighed. ¡°Trust me, her father had been really furious. I couldn¡¯t be mad because the man had every right to be. I guess his major annoyance was the fact that I had lied to them initially. But thankfully, his wife seemed to have calmed him down.¡±


    ¡°Thank goodness.¡± I muttered.


    ¡°Yeah. But they are really worried. They want to speak with her and be sure that she¡¯s alright.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. I can certainly do that much.¡± I nodded even though he couldn¡¯t see me.


    ¡°Fine then. I would forward her father¡¯s contact to you. Please ensure she speaks with them today.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡± I muttered. ¡°Thank you Alex.¡± I didn¡¯t know why I felt so touched at the moment.


    ¡°For?¡±


    ¡°Everything.¡± I sighed. ¡°Thank you for taking care of things in my stead, and not throwing tantrums over the troubles my petty actions have caused you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly now.¡± He grunted, making me chuckle. ¡°I¡¯m going off now.¡± With that, he hung up the call and I let out a deep sigh. Atleast, things weren¡¯t really as bad as I had thought. It was unfortunate for Marco, but I was d they had been able to save Jacobo. He was our only key to fighting a literal invincible force.


    I turned back only to realize that I had walked quite a distance away from the hut. I had probably been walking as I talked. Seeing that I was very close to theke I had nned on taking Bianca yesterday, I decided to go there. As always, the entire environment was so calm and just captivating. I stood there for a while, just listening to the chirps and sounds of the birds. It was peaceful and for a moment, I could think clearly. What was I to do with Bianca now? Was I obligated to date her now that I had seduced her and taken her v~card? Was that how these things worked? I needed to talk to someone, and the second only person that I found it easy to talk with, was none other than Greta; my younger sister. She would have the best opinion concerning situations like this. But first, I needed to get Bianca back to the beach house. Walking away from theke, back to the hut, I got in only to see that no one was there.


    ¡°Bianca?¡± I called out, not expecting an answer, but being hopeful that she¡¯d probably emerge from behind me. She didn¡¯te. It only meant one thing. She woke up, thought I had left her, and went back to the beach house alone.


    Hell! I knew that having sex with her didn¡¯t nesarily make me indebted to her, but the least I could do after the situation of things was to be by her side when she had woken. I may not be the cheesy kind of guy, but I definitely understood basic gestures a man was supposed to make atimes. More so, a responsible man. I quickly rushed out of the hut and made my way back to the beach house. The first person I had seen was Eleanor, who looked at me with worry in her eyes.


    ¡°Have you seen Bianca?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes. She hadn¡¯t slept in her roomst night, only to return this morning looking quite¡­.. offended? Or angry?¡± She sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to exin the exact mood she was in, but I know it wasn¡¯t a good mood. She didn¡¯t say a word to anyone as well. She had only managed to say goodbye to Alexa who just left a while ago.¡±


    ¡°Where is she now?¡±


    ¡°She went into her room, but hasn¡¯t stepped out since then.¡± She supplied.


    ¡°Thank you Eleanor.¡± I muttered, before going into the beach house and making my way straight to Bianca¡¯s room. I had opened the door without knocking, but didn¡¯t meet anyone in her room. It was after a few seconds I took note of the sound of running watering from the bathroom and understood she was having her bath. That meant I had toe backter, when she was done with her hygiene routine. I quietly made my way out of her room and went to the beach house my men and I upied. The moment I got there, my phone beeped and I opened it to see it was a message from Alex. It was Bianca¡¯s father¡¯s mobile number. I definitely couldn¡¯t call him now, because she currently wasn¡¯t avable to talk. Thinking of the best thing to do at that time, I put a call across to Greta. Her phone had beeped for a few seconds, before she eventually answered.


    ¡°Oh now, who else would call if not my wonderful brother. We haven¡¯t spoken in weeks Manuel. You didn¡¯t even inform me you had traveled to Russia.¡±


    ¡°Then you have probably heard all you want to hear, I see.¡±


    ¡°Not really. Alexander didn¡¯t really tell me about Francesca¡¯s reaction to your failed n.¡± Sheughed in a mocking manner. ¡°What the hell, Manuel! What were you thinking? Considering the unrest within the family, I had decided to wait until you returned to Italy, so we could talk. But then, now that you thought to call me, let¡¯s just talk. What did Francesca say?¡± Yes, I know. My sister was a wonder. She hadn¡¯t even bothered asking if I was doing fine. Nheless, I fed her curiosity. Moreover, I¡¯d still have to talk about Francesca during the discussion we were both going to have.


    ¡°Francesca was mad that I had thought I could manipte her into getting married. It was disappointing.¡±


    ¡°No, it isn¡¯t. I know I¡¯m not really a fan of Francesca, but I¡¯d have to agree that she¡¯s right. That was you, trying to manipte her into doing what you wanted.¡±


    ¡°But I didn¡¯t see it that way. All I thought was that she needed a push to take that step.¡±


    ¡°Are you being serious? Did you even think about the implications of your actions? About the internal chaos that would havee with bringing her back home as your wife? Just like that? What were you thinking?¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t thinking right.¡± I admitted.


    ¡°Now, what happens? Now that you know you spontaneity isn¡¯t enough for her to marry you, what happens?¡± She had really spoken about this matter with Alexander in details.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve finally decided it is best we call things off.¡±


    ¡°Are you serious?¡± She asked in disbelief.


    ¡°Of course, I am.¡± I snapped.


    ¡°Calm down. I just didn¡¯t expect you¡¯d really do it. You¡¯ve stuck with her all these while like there was some sort of bonding glue between you both. This new decision of yours is suprising.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m serious. I¡¯m growing tired of the back and forth. All for what? Now I¡¯m sure she doesn¡¯t have in mind to get married to me anytime soon. Getting married when I return definitely means we need her father¡¯s consent, which I don¡¯t see happening. So I might as well just end it, as it leads us both nowhere. I have never been so stagnant in any aspect of my life.¡± I replied, and we both went silent. After a short while, she spoke up.


    ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯re taking this step Manuel. But then, why did you call? I¡¯m very sure this is not the reason you called.¡±


    ¡°Are you alone?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes?¡± She replied unsure, probably wondering why I was asking her that.


    ¡°Good. I need your advice concerning something.¡±N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    ¡°Shoot.¡±


    .


    .


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Eleanor replied, making me blow out hot breathe. Where could she have gone? It was night already, yet she hadn¡¯t returned since she left the beach house this morning.


    I had finished my discussion with Greta this morning, only to return to Bianca¡¯s room to find it empty. One of my men had informed me they had seen her stepping out, but didn¡¯t know where she was headed. I decided it was best I waited until she returned, but it was 8:17pm already and she wasn¡¯t back.


    ¡°I think she could have gotten lost. We should go look for her. She seems to always lose her way whenever she¡¯s angry.¡± She whispered thest part, but I heard her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I would look for her myself.¡± I said, before walking out of the beach house and heading towards the ce I had found her the other night she had gotten lost. I got there, but there wasn¡¯t any sign of her. I decided to scout the parts of the ind we had both been together. My mind told me she was going to be in any one of those ce and I wasn¡¯t wrong. After checking four different locations, I had finally seen her at the fifth one. That was where we had walked, two nights ago. She wasn¡¯t aware of my presence, so I kept a good distance and remained silent as I watched her. She seemed to be lost in a world of her own as she looked at nowhere in particr.


    I thought about the best way to approach her, and the next idea that popped in my mind felt like a good option. I pulled out my phone from my pocket and put a call across to the number Manuel had sent earlier on. As I waited for him to answer, I quietly made my way to her. Just when I was right behind her, he finally answered the call.


    ¡°Hello?¡± Came the deep baritone voice from the background. Okayyyy. I hadn¡¯t expected that.


    ¡°Good evening sir. I¡¯m sorry to bother you sote at night.¡± The moment Bianca heard my voice, she jumped off the stone she had been sitting on, clearly shocked to see me there. ¡°My name is Manuel Russo, and I just wanted you to speak with your daughter.¡± Immediately I said that, her eyes lit up.


    ¡°Bianca?¡± Even her father sounded more lively. I could hear a feminine voice in the background, asking what it was. ¡°Tesoro, it¡¯s Bianca.¡± He muttered to the person I was now sure was his wife.


    ¡°Papa!¡± Bianca yelled, pulling the phone out of my hand. ¡°Papa!¡± She had mistakenly put the phone on loud speaker while pulling it away from my hand, so I was able to hear what her parents had said next.


    ¡°Bianca, mio zucherro! Are you hurt? Are you alright?¡± That was her mom. Realizing the phone was on loudspeaker, she quickly pulled it away from her ear and changed it.


    ¡°Mama, I¡¯m fine.¡± She sighed, walking away from me as they continued their conversation. For the next half hour, she had been on the phone talking with her family. Even if she was far away from me, I could hear her sniffle at some point, signifying that she was crying. I had wondered if something bad happened at home? Or was it just the emotions that came with finally hearing from her parents? I felt so sorry seeing the kind of stress I had put her and her family through. And somehow, I had made things worse by¡­.. pheeww! A lot of things were really fucked up, but I was going to take Greta¡¯s advice. She had shunned me for cheating on Francesca, but urged me to clear the apparent misunderstanding with Bianca, and know what she really wanted. ording to her, my rtionship with Francesca was as good as over, so I could freely get into a rtionship with Bianca if that was what she wanted.


    At this point, the lord knew I was willing to get into a rtionship with the girl, if that was what it took to make things right. I had never been one to date for love, so it wasn¡¯t going to be such a new thing for me. It was just suprising how fast a lot of things had escted in just one night. Crazy. But suprisingly, I didn¡¯t regret keeping that Ivan guy away from her. In as much as things ended up the way it did, I wouldn¡¯t deny the fact that sex with Bianca was like none I have ever had before. Thinking about it made me go all hard again. It vexed me to no end because I didn¡¯t expect to still want her as much as I obviously did. Or maybe, it was the after effects that came with knowing I was her first. Maybe the urge would die down after a while?


    ¡°Here.¡± I looked up to see her standing in front of me, holding out my phone to me. Was it me, or did she seem to have be more beautiful in one day? ¡°Thank you.¡± She whispered.


    ¡°It¡¯s the least I could do after the stress I¡¯d put you and your family through.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm.¡± She muttered and began walking away, but I was quick to pull her back.


    ¡°Bianca¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°¡­ please can we talk?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t feel like talking with you.¡± She sounded so tired.


    ¡°Bianca please. It¡¯s not what you think.¡±


    ¡°And what do I think?¡± She turned and eyed me squarely, making that very unfamiliar feeling rush through me. Guilt.


    ¡°That I had left you all alone after¡­. after¡­¡±


    ¡°After having sex with me and taking my virginity?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°As expected.¡± She chuckled dryly, before giving a scoff.


    ¡°I really am. It¡¯s not exactly what you think Bianca. I never left you all on your own. I had been with you up until the early hours of morning, when I received an urgent call. I simply stepped out to take it, but might have gone a bit too far off. By the time I was done with my call, I returned to the hut to see that you were gone. I never left you Bianca. Not after finding out what I didst night. My values and morals wouldn¡¯t let me act that way.¡± God! This was the longest I had ever exined myself to anyone. Thisdy just had a way of making me do things I normally didn¡¯t do. Shit was crazy. I looked at her to see that she had be somewhat pacified after hearing what I had to say. But then, she remained silent. ¡°Say something at least.¡±


    ¡°Something like what?¡± She muttered, looking away from me.


    ¡°Like you forgive me?¡± I suggested. Realizing this was the best time to ask what she really wanted after all that had happened between us, I proceeded to ask. ¡°Look, we both know I hadn¡¯t an idea about you being a virgin. You may decide you want us both to be in a rtionship, which is not really¡­¡± Here I was, about telling thisdy that if she wanted us to be in a rtionship, it was really a problem for me, but she just had to cut me off with such a statement.


    ¡°I have a boyfriend!¡± She rushed out.


    ¡°What?¡± I asked, not clearly getting her point.


    ¡°I said, I have a boyfriend.¡± She sounded much more clear. She had a boyfriend but was still a virgin?


    ¡°But¡­.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± She cut me off again. ¡°We just began seeing each other, so¡­¡± She answered the questions I had in mind. Wait a minute, was she rejecting me?


    Nody had ever rejected me before. It has always been the other way round.

 CHAPTER 22

    BIANCA¡¯S POV


    When I said I had a boyfriend? Trust me, that was a lie. A really big lie that was needed in order to dodge the p of being rejected by him. Yes, I¡¯d rather be in a delusional rtionship, than to let Manuel tell me that he was sorry he couldn¡¯t be in a rtionship with me. That would have been quite the embarrassment for me.


    ¡°Don¡¯t take what happened between us both too personal. I was only angry because being my by side the night after I lost my innocence to you, was the simplest gesture you would have given. I felt stupid for letting you take something as important as that from me, without the slightest feeling of gratitude. But since you have exined what really happened, we¡¯re cool.¡± I said.


    ¡°We are?¡± He asked in suprise, and it only made me dramatically roll my eyes. I was right after all. He never really wanted to date me. Look how his expression gave off excitement, at hearing me say we were cool. ¡°That¡¯s¡­. that¡¯s nice. Thank you Bianca. I¡¯m d that we can finally put this past us. I had been so worried the whole day.¡± He gave a chuckle that made me want to cry. I was really a fool for letting him have his way with me. But now, the mistake was already made and I couldn¡¯t turn back the hands of time.


    ¡°Yes, we are.¡± I bit out. Not waiting for him to say any other thing, I walked away, heading towards the beach house. I was extremely tired and hungry after staying out all day. The best thing I could get right now was a warm bath, a good meal, and a great amount of sleep.


    It was as if God had paid extra attention to my pleas, because as I got to the entrance of the beach house, Eleanor and a few of Manuel¡¯s men all rushed out. It was weird to see but for the first time, Manuel¡¯s men had shown some kind of emotions towards me.


    ¡°Where have you been?!¡± Eleanor asked in worry.


    ¡°The boss had been extremely worried about you madame.¡± One of the men I hade to know as Phillipe, said to me.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I got you all worried unnecessarily. I¡¯ve seen Manuel as well.¡± I rified, and he nodded. He took a few steps away from me, the rest of the men who had surrounded me followed suite, leaving just Eleanor and me.


    ¡°You look so tired and hungry.¡± She muttered. ¡°Come, have a warm bath and eat something really delicious. And then, you sleep.¡± She added. ¡°Your eyes look so heavy.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± I smiled in appreciation, and followed behind her, as she led the way into the beach house. One after the other, I had my bathe, ate, and slept. In my sleep, I wondered why I couldn¡¯t stop seeing a particr face. Anthonio. I hadn¡¯t been able to reach out to him before this crazy Manuel had me abducted. When I had woken from my sleep, I made a mental note to myself to call him when I got back home. We had just a week to be here, and I hoped it was going to be just a week. Atleast, above anything else, I was so d I got to talk to my parents.


    God! A lot had happened since I had left home. Here I was the whole time, thinking that my cousin M, was doing okay and was worried about me. Little did I know that her son had actually been kidnapped the same day as I, alongside her husband¡¯s sister; Peggy. What worried me the most was that even until now, they were yet to be rescued. At that moment, I couldn¡¯t be more thankful that Manuel had helped me reach out to my parents. I had clearly reduced the weight and heartache they felt concerning our disappearances. I could feel my heart drop to the pit of my stomach as I imagined how M would be feeling at the moment. Dabbing away the tears that had started making its way to my eyes, I stepped out of my room from some fresh air. It was the middle hours of morning already, and the sun was already bing harsh.


    ¡°Bianca!¡± I heard my name, and I knew it was Eleanor.


    ¡°Eleanor.¡± I replied as she slowly made her way to me from the other beach house. Why did she look somewhat confused and disorganized. I looked down at the long floral skirt she had been wearing, and a side was hiked up than the other.


    ¡°You¡¯re awake?¡± She gave a nervous smile, and I nodded.


    ¡°Where were you?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Me?¡± She pointed at herself, making me chuckle. She really seemed disoriented this morning.


    ¡°Yes.¡± I nodded, keeping my eyes locked with hers.


    ¡°Oh? Oh yeah!¡± She chuckled. ¡°I was at the other beach house. I went to check in with Mr Manuel to know if madame Alexa safely got home yesterday.¡±


    ¡°But I thought she was going for a business meeting?¡± Seeing that there was definitely something that she wasn¡¯t ready to talk about, Iughed off my question. ¡°She probably decided to stop by at home first.¡±


    ¡°Exactly!¡± She grinned, looking everywhere else, but at me. Just as I was about to say something else, she spoke. ¡°You look brighter this morning. I guess you¡¯re well rested now.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± I muttered. Half happy I got to hear my parent¡¯s voice, and half sad that my cousin¡¯s life was a mess. ¡°I spoke with my father yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Eleanor squeaked, looking suprised and guilty. Why?


    ¡°Eleanor? What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing!¡± She waved it off. ¡°Mr Manuel called your parents?¡±


    ¡°Yes he did. And I know that something is definitely wrong with your mood, so just say it.¡± I pressed. Seeing I was very much insistent on knowing what was going through her mind, she sighed as her shoulders slumped in defeat.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Bianca.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± I asked, a bit confused.


    ¡°The reason why I hadn¡¯t been able to call your parents¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because your phone had fallen inside a drum of water.¡± I helped.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°No. Yes. Well, no.¡± Why was she being so indecisive? ¡°Well, Manuel had warned me not to let you get across to your family with my phone. So when you started being insistent about reaching out to your parents, I purposely dropped the phone into water.¡±


    ¡°Eleanor!!¡± I shrieked in disbelief.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± She muttered.


    ¡°Was that why you refused to help me get an update about the travel ban update?¡± I asked, feeling quite betrayed.


    ¡°No, no! That wasn¡¯t it. I sincerely forgot to check.¡± She hung her head in remorse.


    ¡°Fine then!¡± I spat. ¡°I would go see Manuel myself.¡± I snapped and began walking away from her, when Phillippe walked out from the same corner she had walked out from, moments ago.


    ¡°Good morning Madame.¡± He said, giving me a small wave. But I could care less about his greetings. His boss was making me very furious.


    ¡°Is Manuel inside?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Oh, no. The boss left very early this morning.¡± The moment he said that, I stilled in my ce. Left? Manuel had promised to stay on the ind until the ban was lifted.


    ¡°He left?¡±


    ¡°Yes, for just a brief business in town. He would be back before evening.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh.¡± I muttered in understanding.


    ¡°Calm down.¡± Eleanor walked up to meet me where I stood. ¡°He only did so after he realized the travel ban had been implemented, and there was no way you could fly back home the next day.¡±


    ¡°So it was best to leave my parents in worry?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± She raised her hands in surrender. ¡°No. He talked about being sure that your boss was going to reach out to them, and probably make something up. I guess they have finally told your parents the truth, for you to have spoken with them already.¡±


    ¡°Yes, my parents know now.¡± I sighed.


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry Bianca. I just couldn¡¯t go against Mr Manuel.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± I nodded in understanding. Suddenly, I felt a pang in my stomach, signaling hunger. Slowly sweat began to break out on my forehead. ¡°Is there any food? I¡¯m hungry.¡± I pouted shamelessly, making herugh.


    ¡°Of course, there is.¡± She replied. ¡°Come on.¡± She pulled me with her, back into the beach house. It was when we had gotten in that I realized something was off. If Phillippe said Manuel had left in the morning, and Eleanor had told me she had gone to enquire from the same Manuel if Alexa had gotten home safely, then¡­. Eleanor had lied. But why?


    .


    .


    Later that night, I walked up and down the length of my room, being consumed by boredom. Deciding it was best I talked to my parents again, I made my way to Eleanor¡¯s room, but was suprised to see she wasn¡¯t there. Where was she then? I walked out of her room and the beach house in entirety. Just when I stepped outside, the cold night breeze kissed my face, and the first person I saw was him. I hated how much my breathe hitched whenever I saw him, regardless of the fact that my brain screamed at me to kill every emotion I had towards him.


    ¡°Bianca.¡± He called out, walking closer to me with his hands in his pocket.


    ¡°Good evening Manuel.¡±


    ¡°Hey.¡± He smiled, making me angry. I hated when he made himself look so handsome. It was hard to not want to embrace him and sniff in the scent of his masculine cologne.


    ¡°Have you seen Eleanor?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No, I haven¡¯t. You need anything from her urgently?¡± He asked, and it suddenly urred to me that I was yet to confront him about a certain issue.


    ¡°Oh, yes.¡± I grinned humourlessly. ¡°I was hoping I could call my parents with her phone, since she doesn¡¯t really have to avoid making me reach out to them anymore!¡± Slowly, his eyes widened in realization and his smile dropped. I thought as much.


    ¡°God.¡± I muttered in disbelief. ¡°How could you?¡±  Angrily, I started walking off, but thankfully, he followed me behind. So there was no ¡®getting lost¡¯ today.


    ¡°Bianca can you listen to me please?¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t want to.¡± I replied, not turning to spare him a nce.


    ¡°Bianca, stop now!¡± He roared so suddenly, making me shudder and stop in my tracks. It took me a couple of seconds to get over his tone. He walked up to me, and looked down at me. ¡°Now, listen to me.¡± He ordered, making me scoff.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t listen to you, just because you asked me to! I have a mind of my own.¡± I bit out. I honestly didn¡¯t know why I felt so angry. Maybe it was because of the fact that he had indirectly rejected me yesterday, and made me lie about having a non existent boyfriend. Now, I had to force myself and act like I was cool with everything that had transpired between us, when I just wanted¡­.. I just wanted¡­ when I wanted him to beg me to have him.


    ¡°Bianca¡­¡± He chuckled humourlessly, clearly trying to beat down his temper.


    ¡°You were so cool with having me chained up here in your ind, while my parents stressed their minds out with worry?¡±


    ¡°I was wrong to have done that, and I¡¯m sorry!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t even sound sorry!¡± I sighed in exasperation. ¡°I guess it¡¯s so easy for you to say those words even when you don¡¯t mean them right?¡±


    ¡°Bianca, watch it!¡± He warned, and I only raised my chin higher in defiance. ¡°Nobody regards me like tha¡­¡±


    ¡°And I don¡¯t care, Mr Don.¡± I said, suprising both him and myself. He had no idea that I knew he was in the mafia. Now he did.


    ¡°Wow, Bianca.¡± He muttered. ¡°You always suprise me.¡± He said, stepping closer to me.


    ¡°Pleasure.¡± I replied. On hearing my reply, his countenance gradually began to change, as he drew closer to me.


    ¡°I could kill you and bury your body on this ind, and no one would ever question me.¡± He threatened. To be honest, I was scared. Really scared. For the first time, he was showing me that side of himself. But somehow when I was around him, I had this silly urge to be stubborn and challenging, regardless of the fact that I liked him.


    ¡°Then you haven¡¯t met my father.¡± I muttered, not backing down. I looked at him in the eye, daring him to act out his threats, even if deep down I was frightened to my bones. We stared at each other for some seconds, before he released a chuckle.


    ¡°Like I said, you always suprise me.¡± He shook his head, almost in disbelief. He was probably expecting me to cower before him, but that wasn¡¯t my style.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s so funny that you had been so scared of men who had abducted you, but somehow, you aren¡¯t scared of their boss who sent them? Very funny.¡± He added. ¡°Or maybe, I¡¯d me experience. You haven¡¯t seen the deathly side of me, Bianca. I hope you never do.¡±


    ¡°I doubt I would run into you so much after leaving this ind. There wouldn¡¯t be an opportunity for you to show me that side.¡± I retorted.


    ¡°Biancaaa¡­¡± He drawled. He sounded like he was warning me, but I was suprised when he smirked. ¡°I hade to ask you to walk with me tonight.¡±


    ¡°And I was going to decline.¡± I shrugged. He looked at me for a moment, before releasing a sigh. He had probably realized I wasn¡¯t going to let things go so easily.


    ¡°I¡¯m truly sorry for what I did. I was wrong.¡± He looked like he had swallowed arge morsel of pride to say that to me.


    ¡°Okay.¡± I muttered in response, trying so hard not to smile.


    ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°So what?¡±


    ¡°Look¡­¡± He released a breathe to show he was running out of patience. Wow. ¡°Bianca, I do not like begging.¡±


    ¡°Neither do I like to be begged. It¡¯s so bothersome.¡±


    ¡°Walk with me.¡± He ordered, disregarding my statement. He walked ahead of me and I guess I heard him mutter something that sounded like ¡®I¡¯m never a bother to anyone¡¯. I guess I trampled on the young mafian¡¯s ego after all. Interesting.

 CHAPTER 23

    BIANCA¡¯S POV


    I quickly increased my pace and caught up with him. We both walked a reasonable distance in silence. It was afortable silence. That was the way our nightly walks normally were, so it didn¡¯t bother me in anyway. I was much more suprised when he tried to strike a conversation.


    ¡°So you are the only child of your parents?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not.¡± I replied. ¡°We are two. My elder sister is Amara. She got married and relocated to Florence with her husband a few years back. They have a daughter now. Anneliese.¡±


    ¡°Nice.¡± He muttered. The silence ensued between us again. This time it felt awkward. Maybe, I had been thrilled that for some reason, he was interested in knowing more about me. Maybe I was wrong. After a few minutes, he spoke up again.


    ¡°I hope you do not mind me asking?¡±


    ¡°Shoot.¡± I rushed out, already happy he was asking me yet another question that was most probably about myself.


    ¡°Uhhmm¡­.. yesterday, while on the call with your parents, I heard you crying. Did something go wrong at home?¡±


    Okayyyy¡­ I hadn¡¯t seen thating. Had I been so loud?


    ¡°You weren¡¯t loud, I have quite the receptive ears.¡± He muttered. He read my mind then.


    ¡°Well yes, something bad happened at home.¡±


    ¡°For real?¡±


    ¡°Yeahhh.¡± I sighed. ¡°My cousin, who is actually more like a sister to me. I guess we both rte the same way you rte with my boss.¡± I exined, and he nodded. ¡°So, her four year old son was kidnapped the same day your men had taken me.¡±


    ¡°Oh no.¡± He muttered, only making me tear up.


    ¡°Ethan is such a sweet little boy. He doesn¡¯t deserve to suffer that way.¡±


    ¡°Nobody does.¡± Manuel mumbled. ¡°Has he been found yet?¡±


    ¡°Not yet.¡± I released a deep breathe of mental exhaustion as I halted my steps.


    ¡°Do they have an idea who may have taken him?¡± On hearing his words, I suddenly felt the need to talk about it all, because I felt nobody understood how much M¡¯s predicament worried me.


    ¡°It¡¯s a long story.¡± I muttered.


    ¡°We have all night.¡± He smiled. I nodded on agreement and started walking again.


    ¡°5 years ago, M had run down to italy, sustaining serious injuries, while in search of my family.¡±


    ¡°Who is M?¡± He asked.


    ¡°My cousin.¡± I replied. ¡°I had only heard papa speak about her a few number of times, and she was the only cousin we had from papa¡¯ste sister; Aunt ire. Aunt ire had married an wealthy American, who had died a few months prior to M locating us down to Italy. Papa and mama had been so shocked to see her standing in front of our home that fateful day. Papa needed no introductions in order to recognize her as histe sister¡¯s daughter. M was a spitting image of Aunt ire. When they had brought her in and enquired the reason why she was in Italy with a literal gunshot injury on her arm, she revealed that she was on the run.¡±


    ¡°On the run?¡± He asked, and I nodded.


    ¡°Apparently, her father married a second wife after Aunt ire had died. It turned out that her stepmother had masterminded M¡¯s arranged marriage to an American billionaire; MacCarter Spencer.¡±


    ¡°Arranged marriages are quite normal for the elite. It¡¯s a way of strengthening the power and wealth of the two families involved. The Russo family isn¡¯t a stranger to arranged marriages, so it¡¯s really not so bad.¡±


    ¡°This was a man M had never known before.¡± I rified. ¡°They had never for once met, and she was just expected to be his wife under such a short notice? It was bad Manuel. But it was much more worse when udia; her stepmother, had made her move in with Carter before the wedding. Naturally, Carter and M disliked each other due to a few misconceptions about each other, which had been as a result of udia filling each party¡¯s head with foul informations about the other. But eventually, Carter and M began getting along. A while after M moved into Carter¡¯s ce, her bedridden father had died. M had been so sure that udia had a hand in her father¡¯s death.¡±


    ¡°Did she report to the authorities?¡± Manuel asked, and I shook my head.


    ¡°No. She hadn¡¯t any tangible evidence.¡±


    ¡°So what happened?¡± Manuel pressed on, seeming very interested in my story.


    ¡°The thing is¡­. before M¡¯s father had died, hispany had gone bankrupt. udia had somehow convinced him to sign thepany off to her before he died. The man had also handed hisrge and stable poultry farm to udia as well. That was part of the reasons why M had gone ahead with the arrangement to marry Carter. udia had threatened her with the fact that Carter was her only saviour out of a life of poverty, as her father had clearly left her with nothing. Not even the bankruptpany, or their thriving poultry farm.¡±


    ¡°That is so messy.¡± Manuel looked annoyed.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure M thought so too. After her father¡¯s death, hiswyer had called for the will reading. M already knew the oue of the will reading, so she was very reluctant to go. But then, Carter had motivated her to go. Guess what happened during the will reading?¡±


    ¡°Let me guess,¡± He eyed me suspiciously. ¡°Her father miraculously left thepany and poultry to her.¡±


    ¡°No, he didn¡¯t.¡± I chuckled. ¡°But it was something like that. Her father had a whole lot of properties abroad. He even owned an estate here in Italy. Apparently, udia hadn¡¯t an idea about these properties. Actually, no one did, except hiswyer. He had left them all to M. Just like that, M became extremely rich.¡±


    ¡°Is this some soap opera?¡± He chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s interesting though. Go on.¡± He urged me, and I continued my story.


    ¡°So¡­.¡± I hadn¡¯t even said much when he cut me off.


    ¡°Let me guess, she decided to call of her marriage ns to Carter because she was now a wealthy woman?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± I chuckled. ¡°This is not a soap opera. Well, she couldn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because she had already began to fall in love with Carter.¡±


    ¡°I thought as much.¡± Manuel smirked in victory. ¡°Not all arranged marriages end badly.¡±


    ¡°I guess so.¡± I gave a small smile.


    ¡°So what happened? How did she end up in Italy with a gunshot injury? It¡¯s not adding up.¡±


    ¡°To cut the long story short, her stepmother had kidnapped her a day to her wedding with Carter.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a lie!¡±


    ¡°Very true.¡± I nodded. ¡°Coincidentally, the same night she was kidnapped had been her bachelorette party, and she had gotten into a huge misunderstanding with Carter. His ex jad shown up and a few misconceptions had been. She wasn¡¯t able to sort out her issues properly with him before being kidnapped, so he thought she had disappeared on him. Carter had been jilted by the woman he loved on their wedding day.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a disaster.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not even all.¡± I scoffed.


    ¡°Clearly.¡±


    ¡°When udia had kidnapped M, she had tortured my poor cousin, and made her sign away her newly acquired properties under duress.¡± I could see Manuel¡¯s eyes widen in shock. ¡°After that, her goons had thrown M into an ocean, where she was left to die. Now, that¡¯s a disaster.¡±


    ¡°Keep going.¡± Manuel muttered, looking intently at nothing exactly.


    ¡°Fortunately, someone had witnessed the entire scene, and had rescued M. The man had been a very loyal employee of herte father. He had gotten her out of the water, but she had been unconscious for a few days. When she woke up, she had been very worried about Carter and wanted to rush back to him in time for the wedding. Then, she was told the wedding was supposed to be held two days prior. She had been so broken and disappointed. She wanted to go back to Carter and exin all that had happened, but her saviour warned her not to. They had no idea the things udia was capable of doing. She had literally attempted to kill her own stepdaughter without batting an eye. They had to y safe. So she remained at her saviour¡¯s house for¡­¡±


    ¡°Is his name saviour?¡± Manuel asked, making meugh.


    ¡°I doubt. I just don¡¯t remember his name, especially as he had died.¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°He died?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he did. He died. Somehow, udia had figured everything. Mr Dumbrey had an¡­.¡± That was his name!


    ¡°I guess you remember his name after all.¡±


    ¡°Yeahhh. I guess.¡± I nodded, before getting back to my story. ¡°So as I was saying, Mr Dumbrey had a hunch that udia had found out, and started making ns to send M to Italy, where she¡¯d locate us. On their way to the airport, they had been intercepted. Mr Dumbrey practically gave his life, to save M. He was a good man. Fortunately, M had managed to escape with a serious gunshot injury. She had been held at the airport and almost not let out of the country, but she was lucky enough to be let go. That was how she got to us in Italy. A month after she hade, she realized she was pregnant with Carter¡¯s child.¡±


    ¡°Wow!¡± Manuel raised his hands in disbelief of how the story had be so twisted.


    ¡°I know right?!¡±


    ¡°So I guess she reached out to Carter then?¡±


    ¡°No, she didn¡¯t.¡± I sighed.


    ¡°But why?! She was going to be having his kid? It¡¯s very bad of her to not let him know.¡±


    ¡°But she was trying to go under the radar. Moreover, they had been several news stating that udia had taken over her properties after her death. She wasn¡¯t still safe.¡±


    ¡°She would never be safe. All she needed to do was to face her fears and fight.¡±


    ¡°Christ! She was only 19! She was scared to put Carter¡¯s life and the life of their child in danger! It wasn¡¯t an easy one for her! Trust me Manuel, it¡¯s easier to imagine when we aren¡¯t wearing the victim¡¯s shoes. M had it really rough.¡± I sighed. ¡°She was supposed to have twins, but had lost one. Do you know all the strength it took for her to keep going? She went through a lot of pains, trust me. I admire my cousin, Manuel. She¡¯s anything but weak.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say she was. I just didn¡¯t like the fact that Carter had no idea she had his child.¡±


    ¡°Well, heter did. M travelled back to America a few months back, like a rat being chased out of its hole.¡±


    ¡°Finally!¡± He pped in mockery, and I just shook my head at the funny man.


    ¡°Yes. She traveled back just in time to crash his wedding to his supposed fiancee, who happened to be none other than udia¡¯s niece.¡±


    ¡°Fuuckkk!¡± He dragged. ¡°That¡¯s pretty messed up.¡±


    ¡°Just what I thought.¡±


    ¡°So did she win Carter back?¡± He asked curiously, realizing I wasing to an end of my story. ¡°Well, added to the fact that he thought she had jilted him at the altar, it was harder to win him back when he found out she had kept his son away from him all these years.¡±


    ¡°Exactly what I told you!¡± Manuel rushed out, making me chuckle. ¡°No man would take that Bianca.¡±


    ¡°Well, things had finally begun to go smoothly between them, when Ethan and Carter¡¯s sister got kidnapped few weeks back. All fingers are pointing towards udia.¡±


    ¡°Fuck! She hadn¡¯t gotten the woman arrested yet?! Your cousin¡¯s du¡­¡±


    ¡°M isn¡¯t dumb.¡± I cut him short. ¡°Not everyone has the resources like you, to fight against dangerous people.¡±N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    ¡°They are rich!¡±


    ¡°So is the enemy in question. udia is rich and dangerous.¡± I spat. ¡°udia was actually about being apprehended, when she disappeared into thin air. I guess her way of retaliating was by kidnapping Ethan.¡± I sighed. With each minute that passed, I felt worse. Ethan was in dire danger as it stood. I didn¡¯t even realize when I had started crying. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± I rushed out, quickly cleaning away my tears. Still trying to bit down my sobs, I looked at Manuel to see him looking quite nervous. Or should I say irritated? Or maybe, confused? I couldn¡¯t say for a fact, which it was. But before I could say any other word, he had pulled me into his embrace. After a while, he started to pat my back. Initially it felt like it was a forced action, but eventually it started to feel natural.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about your nephew, Bianca. And I¡¯m sorry I kept you away from your family while all of these were happening.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± I pulled away from him the moment my heart started beating abnormally. ¡°I believe everything would be fine with time.¡± The moment I stopped feeling his body warmth, I felt the cold breeze kissing my skin and I shivered.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± He rushed out, and I nodded.


    ¡°Yes. Just cold. Could we get back to the beach house now?¡±


    ¡°Now? But we haven¡¯t really walked as much as we normally do.¡± He muttered.


    ¡°I know. I just feel tired already. Mentally exhausted.¡± I looked away.  After a few seconds, I heard him sigh.


    ¡°I understand perfectly.¡± He nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    We began walking back to the beach house and just when we were close enough, I could sight a movement on a tree a bit farther from where we stood. Gazing more intently at the shadows, I could finally make out two different figures who were¡­.. Christ! They were¡­ they were having sex! I didn¡¯t realize when I gasped. The next minute, I heard Manuel chuckling behind me. He had probably seen what I had just seen too. Just then, I realized something too important to shove aside. In the whole of this ind, we were only two women. I and¡­.. Oh my goodness!


    ¡°Eleanor and Phillippe have seemed to be at it a lot, these past few days.¡± He just confirmed my thoughts. It was Eleanor after all! And¡­ Phillippe? I suddenly remembered the events that urred earlier today.


    I hadn¡¯t thought much about it then, but Phillippe had stepped out of the same corner which Eleanor hade from. He had seemed a bit disorganized just like Eleanor, who had her skirt hiked up at a side. Wow! I was really oblivious to a lot of things happening here then. No wonder she had been so nervous and lied about going to see Manuel, when in fact, she had been receiving the drill of her life.


    ¡°How would they cope when it¡¯s time to finally leave?¡± I asked, feeling sorry that their likeness for each other was about going through a rough phase.


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Manuel chuckled.


    ¡°I should be asking what you mean by your question.¡± I shot back.


    ¡°What more could I mean? Phillippe is probably having fun and satisfying his desires while he can. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s as deep as you think.¡± Hearing Manuel say that, I couldn¡¯t help but feel that chill on my skin. This was how it was for them, I guess. It was just for the fun of it. Same way it had been between Manuel and I a few days back. I guess being a virgin kind of made thingsplicated for him, but it didn¡¯t change the fact that all it was ever gonna be to him was for the fun. Even as he had found I was a virgin, nothing had changed. He had even tried to find a way of letting me know our time together meant absolutely nothing to him. Slowly beginning to feel disgusted at everything in general, I increased my steps and walked away from where I could still see Phillippe and Eleanor going at it. I felt so sad for her.

 CHAPTER 24

    MANUEL¡¯S POV


    She looked upset as she walked away. Why did she make it seem like¡­..? I don¡¯t even know how to exin what went through my mind, but God knows that I was very willing to get into a rtionship with her, but she quickly turned me down before I could even say a word. Why did she suddenly make it seem like what all men wanted was the fun, without having to be ountable after the fun? More so, what if thedy in question was keen on chasing her own satisfaction as well?


    As Bianca walked away, I refrained from calling her back. I was only going to alert Phillippe and Eleanor to our presence. Quietly, I made my way back to the beach house. When I got to the beach house, I couldn¡¯t stop thinking about the story Bianca had told about her cousin. On a normal day I could care less, but today, I hoped that the poor boy and his aunt were found. I disliked the fact that it worried Bianca. And I disliked the fact that I cared so much about what worried her. It was so annoying how a lot of things that usually annoyed me, seemed just fine if it had to do with her.


    Everyone knew how much I hated to see a woman weep. It normally got me angry, but today it had been different. I found myself wanting to console thedy while she cried. Maybe, it was because I felt guilty for keeping her away, while all those things urred. Whatever it was, I couldn¡¯t wait to get off this ind, where I could be far away from her. It was such a shame that even until now, I still desired her badly.


    .


    .


    The following day had been somewhat shocking and confusing for me. Francesca had called and she really had a lot to say. I didn¡¯t understand what she had meant when she had said her father had given his consent finally. It took me a couple of minutes to finally understand that Francesca was proposing we get married once I returned. I suddenly didn¡¯t know how I felt about it all anymore. This was something I had always wanted to do, but I didn¡¯t know how to react to it now. Maybe it was because I was still very shocked that Francisco Ferrari had given his daughter and I the go ahead to get married. Unbelievable.


    ¡°Manuel?¡± Alexander¡¯s voice resounded from the other end of the line, drawing my attention back to him.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I got lost in my thoughts for a moment.¡±


    ¡°You are suddenly so suprised Manuel.¡± He muttered. ¡°Isn¡¯t this what you¡¯ve always wanted? To merge Ferrari and Russo?¡±


    ¡°It is.¡± I replied.


    ¡°You seem to be having double minds at the moment. But then, you have a lot of time to think it through before you go ahead to announce your decision to our family. Your spontaneity paid off after all. Who knows the strings Francesca had to pull, for her father to finally ept to let her be with you?¡±


    ¡°I guess so too.¡± I agreed, not able to shake off the cold chill to his voice as he spoke.


    ¡°Good then. Things are about to go just as you wanted.¡± Deep down, I knew he wasn¡¯t pleased with the turn of events. I wouldn¡¯t say I didn¡¯t know why though. Ever since we had the discussion about how I had started dating Francesca, I knew he wasn¡¯t going to be happy if things ended up working out between us. ording to him, I have taught my mind to believe I was supposed to remain with her. He wasn¡¯t far from being wrong though. I had dated a few other women before Francesca came into the picture. But with the manner in which she came, I promised myself that I was never going to be the one to break her heart. If at all things were going to end between us, then she was going to be the one to call the shots on that. I had been on the verge of calling things off with her because it was beginning to seem like I was making a fool of myself, by deciding to stand on the promise I made to her some years back. Indeed, I had been hell bent on not hurting the woman who had saved my life then.


    ¡°You are not happy about it after all.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not wrong about that.¡± He sighed. ¡°I¡¯m genuinely happy that your efforts paid off, even if I think you have put yourself in a default setting of being with her.¡± There he goes again!


    ¡°Alex, not everyone would have that opportunity to meet their soulmates just like you did! From the onset, you know I¡¯ve never really been someone who is into the love thing. Plus, I don¡¯t see any soulmate forthing,  so I¡¯d just stick to Francesca.¡± I shrugged.


    ¡°You finally admit it to yourself.¡± He chuckled.


    ¡°I always have.¡± I shot back.


    ¡°No, you haven¡¯t.¡± Heughed all the more. ¡°You¡¯ve always deluded yourself into thinking you were in love with Francesca. I wouldn¡¯t act like I don¡¯t understand you though. I actually do. Like you said, not all of us are destined to meet their soulmates. But I strongly believe that there is more in store for you in that area, Manuel. Who knows? Francesca might be your soulmate after all. You are deserving of every love you can get, regardless of what the death of Nonna might have made you believe.¡± We both went silent for a moment. This has always been a touchy subject for me.


    ¡°No.¡± I disagreed with him. ¡°Nonno had made it clear to me the period Nonna had died, that I wasn¡¯t deserving of love.¡± I ground my teeth against themselves in inner turmoil as I remembered the events that had urred that period. Ever since my Nonna had died and the circumstances surrounding her death, I had never remained the same. I had carried the guilt and burden of the loss my Nonno had to bear, in my heart. And I had believed his words. Truly, I wasn¡¯t deserving of love. In that moment, different scenes yed in my head, starting from when I had run away from home as a rebellious teen.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t mean those words! It was just from a ce of grief and pain, Manuel. How long would it take for you to understand that?¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what to say in response to his chastisement, so I simply remained quiet.


    ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking right now.¡± Alexander muttered. ¡°No, your life is not messy. And I know you still feel guilty over everything that happened, but Nonno had long forgiven you. He has shown you his support in different ways possible. So stop feeling guilty whenever you think about that incident. This is life, and it¡¯s not so nice atimes. Your experiences should make you better. Do you hear me?¡± He queried, and I nodded, forgetting he couldn¡¯t see me. It was really days like this that made me feel like a younger brother to him. The way he lectured me like a child.


    ¡°Yes, I do.¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°Good then. All that should be in your mind is the next step to take concerning Francesca. Mind you, I guess Nonno would be quite impressed you had been able to merge both families together.¡±


    ¡°Or he would detest the fact that I brought an enemy into his home?¡± I countered, making Alex chuckle.


    ¡°I doubt that Manuel. Who knows why he has been so silent ever since you both started seeing each other 4 years ago? I guess the idea of Ferrari and Russo bing one, never seemed like a bad idea to him. If he thought that way, then he would have tried arranging your marriage to a more suitable heiress by now.¡± We bothughed at the thought. So far, it had just been Dante and Alexander that had gotten married amongst my eligible bachelor cousins. It was suprising how they had both been let to marry women of their choices. Not without a little struggle though. Nonno had especially not been so pleased about Alexander¡¯s choice of woman. Be had just been a broken addict who worked in one of our factories, when Alex found her. I guess it was an instant attraction for him. Regardless of the fact that she wasn¡¯t clean, he had taken it upon himself to get her rehabilitated. When I thought about how far they had bothe now, it pleased me greatly. I had always thought I would end up getting married to either Francesca, or some other woman my Nonno would pick for me. I guess by the look of things, Francesca was Nonno¡¯s choice.


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± I grinned. ¡°Nonno has nit said anything because he is fine with my choice. I would officially announce my n to wed Francesca the moment I return.¡± Slowly, a small smile made its way to my face. I should be happy after all. I was finally getting what I wanted, and it only dawned on me that my choice seemed pleasing to my Nonno.


    ¡°Great! Come back home already and stop disturbing Nonna in her ce of rest.¡±


    ¡°Get off my phone already.¡± Iughed at his words, before hanging up the call.


    After ending the call with Alex, I got busy with the works that Julia had mailed me earlier in the day. It was such a relief that nothing with Bianca had beplicated. I was grateful she had a boyfriend and had turned down my offer to be in a rtionship. How else would I have dealt with the situation if reverse was the case? Would I have told Francesca that I had cheated on her and suddenly started dating another woman under 2 weeks? Just after I nned a suprise wedding for her? I chuckled humourlessly as I thought about the whole thing. I hated messy situations, and my life was quick bing the center of it. I still felt bad about how things had gone with Bianca, but I was d it wasn¡¯t a case where she and I became awkward around each other.


    The rest of the day had gone in a blur and in no time, it was evening again. Time for my nightly walks with Bianca. I wondered if she was gonna be up to it today, considering how foul her mood had been when we parted ways yesterday. I know that with the most recent turn of events, I wasn¡¯t supposed to continue my walks with her. But then, there was this peace I felt whenever we just walked together in silence. Very satisfying peace. It reminded me of my Nonna.


    I walked into the bathroom for a quick shower and in no time, I found myself in front of Bianca¡¯s beach house. I guess I was going for the walk tonight. I walked into the beach house and made my way to her room and just as I got there, I met the door of her room widely ajar.


    There she was with Eleanor, having a conversation I wasn¡¯t really sure about whileughing their hearts away. The moment they noticed my presence, theirughter died down. The next second, Eleanor was making her way out of the room. We were finally alone and I spoke up.


    ¡°I was wondering if you¡¯d like to apany me toni¡­¡±


    ¡°Definitely!¡± She grinned, making me suprised. She seemed hyper tonight. ¡°Lead the way.¡± She said and I did. I turned and started walking out of her room, towards the entrance of the beach house, with her following behind. Once we were out and could breathe in the fresh air, I let out a satisfactory sigh.


    ¡°You seem excited tonight,pared to your moodst night.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm.¡± She hummed. ¡°I am. I spoke to my parents with Eleanor¡¯s phone today.¡±


    ¡°You did.¡± I nodded, hoping she wasn¡¯t going to suddenly go berserk on me the moment she remembered what I had done. She could be quite unpredictable.


    ¡°Yes. And they gave me great news.¡±


    ¡°About M?¡± I asked, slowly getting excited as well.


    ¡°How did you know?!¡± She squealed and giggled in between. ¡°Ethan and Peggy¡¯s abductors were apprehended yesterday!¡± She chimed excitedly.


    ¡°Oh wow! Some good news finally!¡±


    ¡°I know that, right?¡± She smiled. ¡°Thankfully, Peggy is fine even though she had sustained quite the injury.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a relief. Peggy is M¡¯s sister inw right?¡± I asked, quite unsure.


    ¡°Yes, she is.¡±


    ¡°So, was udia truly the one behind it all?¡±


    ¡°Actually¡­¡± She cracked her knuckles. ¡°It was she.¡±


    ¡°Wow.¡± I whispered in disbelief. ¡°It¡¯s good to know that she would be made to face the beat of her own drum soon.¡± I sighed, truly appalled by the said woman.


    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m d M and her family are safe now.¡±


    As one would already expect, we both fell into a moment offorting silence. After a while she spoke again.


    ¡°It was a mutual agreement.¡± She muttered, looking like she was holding back a smile. A mutual agreement? What was she talking about?


    ¡°Wh¡­¡±


    ¡°Eleanor.¡± She cut in. ¡°It was a mutual agreement of benefits between she and Phillippe.¡±


    Ohhh!!! Now I got her point. I was about making that face of ¡®I told you so¡¯, but refrained from doing so.


    ¡°Oh? Good for them.¡± I simply stated.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about my outburst yesterday, and how I just walked away. I thought Phillippe was purposely ying with her feelings.¡± She exined.


    ¡°Even if that was the case, Bianca.¡± I sighed. ¡°They are adults and can make decisions for themselves. I found it difficult to believe you could let people¡¯s business disturb you that much.¡±


    ¡°Eleanor has be a friend during the period we¡¯ve been on this ind. It¡¯s only normal I frown upon situations that doesn¡¯t seem to be in her favour.¡± She shrugged, and I nodded. Fair enough. ¡°I hear the ban would be lifted in a fews days indeed.¡±


    ¡°Heard so too. It¡¯s time I returned home moreover.¡± I said.


    ¡°Hmmm. Same here.¡± She nodded. We fell into another minute of silence, before she asked another question. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me that this ind belongs to you?¡± Okayyy. I wasn¡¯t expecting that.


    ¡°Eleanor has been telling you a lot, I see.¡± I chuckled.


    ¡°This ce is sooo beautiful and big. I wounder how it was possible for you to acquire something this p.¡±


    ¡°Money.¡±


    ¡°Sorry?¡±


    ¡°I said money.¡± I repeated. ¡°Money made it possible to acquire a ce as fine as this.¡±


    ¡°As expected.¡± She scoffed yfully, making me smile. I had not expected what I did next. Here I was, exining to thisdy something I hadn¡¯t really talked about in a long while. It wasn¡¯t even like she asked me to. Even though I hadn¡¯t given her the details, it was still surprising that I had said anything at all.


    ¡°My Nonna was a Russian, you know?¡±


    ¡°She was?¡± Bianca looked suprised.


    ¡°Yes.¡± I nodded. ¡°This ind had been one of her favourite ces in the world.¡±


    ¡°Very much understandable.¡± Bianca smiled.


    ¡°She was buried here when she died.¡±


    ¡°Like¡­. here?¡± She looked like she wasn¡¯t believing my words. I couldn¡¯t me her. ¡°For real? Not in Italy? Your family was cool with that? But why was that?¡± So many questions at a time.


    ¡°That had always been her wish before she had died.¡± I muttered, suddenly not feeling like saying more.


    ¡°And you bought the ind in order to honour her. That was really so thoughtful. You are such a nice grandson.¡± She grinned.


    ¡°Hmmm.¡± I stered a small smile on my face. If only she knew exactly how Nonna had died. Wanting to change the subject, I pointed towards the beach I had found herying the first night she had gone missing. ¡°There.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± She asked, turning to look at where I pointed.


    ¡°You had been almost unconscious the night I found you here.¡± I watched as her eyes slowly dted as realization set in.


    ¡°Oh.¡± She muttered, looking embarrassed.


    ¡°No need to be embarrassed.¡± I chuckled. ¡°If it¡¯s makes you feel any better, you were the first missing woman I¡¯ve ever looked for.¡±


    ¡°Really?!¡± She stomped her feet in yful annoyance, making meugh heartily. Just as Iughed, I could see the curls of her hair bounce around as she stomped her feet and vigorously shook her shoulders. Oh, that hair. I could stay all night just admiring it. How could a human being have such a pretty head?


    ¡°I could literally stare at your hair all night. Beautiful.¡± I had expected a lot of reactions from her, but not the frown on her face. Actually, that frown wasn¡¯t all that unfamiliar. If I remember quite well, she had given this same reaction the first time I had ever seen her at Alexander¡¯s office. I remember telling her she had a beautiful hair, but was suprised to see her frown. ¡°Why?¡± I asked in confusion.


    ¡°Why what?¡± She asked.


    ¡°You hate it when peoplepliment your hair? This is not the first time you are giving a negative reaction to mypliment.¡± She was quiet for a while, before finally respondin.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s just say I didn¡¯t grow up with the orientation that I had beautiful¡­.¡± She paused her words, as if recollecting her thoughts. ¡°Actually, I had the orientation. But let¡¯s just say for some reasons, I thought I had the ugliest hair. I am really working on bing confident about my hair, but let¡¯s just say I tend to give a reflex negative reaction sometimes. Atleast, it¡¯s not as bad as it used to be when I was in high school. In high school, I literally wore a scarf or headwarmer everyday.¡±


    Hearing her say all that only made me interested in knowing what might have made her behave so.


    ¡°Do you mind me asking why you did all that? It¡¯s quite shocking to see that you do not realize how unreal your hair makes you look. It¡¯s too beautiful to be true. So I can¡¯t help but wonder why you think opposite is the case.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just say there was this guy at school. The rich and popr kid who bullied me for the better part of my high school days. He always told me I had an ugly hair colour that proved I was indeed a freak. The whole school thought he was right, and so did I.¡±


    ¡°Biancaaa¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t believe all that crap right now. I wanted tough at how stupid she was, but on a second thought, she had just been a young teenager seeking validation. ¡°They were all fools. They probably still are. It takes only a fool to think you¡¯re a freak.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm.¡± She nodded, probably still doubtful of my words to her.


    ¡°You know what?¡± I asked and she slowly shook her head, probably wondering what lie I was going to tell her next. Though it wasn¡¯t a lie.


    ¡°I should begin to call you something else.¡±


    ¡°Something like what?¡±


    ¡°How does ¡®Pretty head¡¯ sound?¡± I watched in amazement as sheughed so heartily, before sighing deeply and looking at me.


    ¡°I think I¡¯d like that.¡± I liked it too.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.

 CHAPTER 25

    BIANCA¡¯S POV


    I was extremely excited the moment I dropped the phone after the call with my parents.


    ¡°Eleanor it¡¯s just two days left!¡± I screamed in excitement. I had not really realized how much I missed home until recently. I guess hearing that my sister and her family hade visiting, only me made want to go home already.


    ¡°You seem so excited to leave. We wouldn¡¯t be seeing each other in a long while. We might never even see each other again.¡± Eleanor muttered and immediately, my excitement tapered down a bit. It was true. I wasn¡¯t going to be seeing Eleanor again, neither was I going to have the opportunity to be within such close proximity as Manuel again. These past three weeks may have been crazy, but it wasn¡¯t so bad.


    ¡°Heyyy¡­¡± I slumped my shoulders, feeling bad for being so excited. ¡°You know I would miss you, right?¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± She sighed, a small smile making its way to her face. ¡°But I understand you too. I know you would want to see your family. Come here.¡± She grinned, before pulling me into her embrace. After our somewhat emotional hug, we pulled away from each other and she suddenly grinned at me in a suspicious manner.


    ¡°What now?¡± I smiled, even if I had no idea what was actually going on in her head.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just say that I have just  two nights and one day to get the best I can get from Phillippe¡¯s cock.¡± She wiggled her butts in the air, making me shriek in disbelief.


    ¡°God! You¡¯re extremely shameless Eleanor.¡± Iughed in embarrassment.


    ¡°Oh please! What¡¯s a vacation on such a beautiful ind, without a good fuck? I mean, hundreds of good fuck from a nice dick?¡±


    ¡°Stop saying that already!¡± I knew my cheeks were beet red by now.


    ¡°Oh please! Don¡¯t act like the saint now.¡± She mocked. ¡°You think I don¡¯t know about your trysts with Mr Manuel the other night?¡± On hearing her statement, I Iiterally froze. How the hell did she know? ¡°Trust me, it was very obvious. You both had kissed so passionately during the game that night. After that, you both magically went missing, only to return in the morning of the following day? Oh please! Probably everyone of his men also knows what happened between you both.¡±


    At that point, I began to feel stupid. What was she going to think if she knew that unlike her who was having the fun of her life, I had slept with a man who had a fiancee? No, not that. I had given my first time to a man who didn¡¯t care two fucks about me, and gotten more emotionally invested in him after that? I tried to say something, but I guess I was too embarrassed to.


    ¡°Do you think he¡¯s interested in you?¡± She suddenly asked, making me look up at her, feeling extremely pitiable. She knew then. She knew I was a fool who was liking or loving a man that didn¡¯t see me the same way. ¡°I think he is.¡± She added.


    ¡°What?¡± I asked in confusion.


    ¡°I said I think he likes you.¡± She eyed me closely.


    ¡°Stop looking at me like that.¡±


    ¡°Like how?¡± She chuckled, still looking at me so closely, before squinting her eyes at me. ¡°Oh my goodness!¡± She put her palm over her mouth. ¡°You like him too Bianca! Don¡¯t even deny it!¡± She warned, making me scoff.


    ¡°Well, congrattions.¡± I stretched out my hand to her for a shake. ¡°Congrattions on being the 5th person who knows I like Manuel Russo.¡±


    ¡°My goodness!¡± Sheughed out, shaking my hand as she did. ¡°You¡¯re so hrious. Who are the other 4?¡±


    ¡°My sister; Amara, my cousin; M, my cousin¡¯s bestfriend; Sarah, and my friend; Laura. Though, my sister and my cousin¡¯s bestfriend only think I have a crush on him.¡±


    ¡°And you don¡¯t?¡± She asked. I was silent, but gave a simple shrug.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure anymore. I think it¡¯s gone beyond that.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you ask me, I¡¯d say that the feelings are mutual between you both.¡± She was repeating this same thing.


    ¡°No.¡± I shook my head in disagreement. ¡°I think you¡¯re getting it all wrong. If anything, he sees me as a¡­..¡± I paused, heaving a deep sigh. Now I thought about it, I wondered what I was to Manuel. Were the three weeks we had spent together enough for him to see me as a friend? I was probably just his cousin¡¯s personal assistant still.


    ¡°Bianca, I don¡¯t know what you may be thinking, but I think he likes you too. He is always here to take you for those walks every night.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. Just walks. We¡¯re most silent at each other during those walks, so it¡¯s no big deal. Moreover, he has a fiancee back in Italy. A rich heiress, whom I don¡¯t measure up to in any way. They would probably get married when he returns to Italy.¡±


    ¡°Phe!! What would you do with your feelings now?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡± I forced a smile on. ¡°I don¡¯t want things to get awkward between us by refusing to go on our nightly walks after having sex with him. He clearly doesn¡¯t even think much of it because he already tried to let me know we can¡¯t be together.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s so sad.¡± Eleanor muttered and it only made me pissed. Pissed at myself. Sad? I may have been bullied throughout high school days, but the moment I broke away from Kyle¡¯s oppression, I never let myself be pitiable anymore. I wouldn¡¯t start bing pitiable now.


    ¡°It really isn¡¯t.¡± I smiled. ¡°I¡¯m doing away with the feelings I have for him already. I¡¯d count our fling as one of the satisfactory excercises I had while on this ind.¡±


    ¡°Dammmnnnn! You nasty girl!¡± Eleanorughed and I joined in. As we bothughed, I hoped that I would indeed find it easy to let go of these guing emotions. Just as ourughter died down, Eleanor¡¯s phone chimed. She picked it up and looked at it, a smile spreading onto her face.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I have to leave you now. I have to go get some medications that had been prescribed to me by the doctor.¡± I couldn¡¯t help the frown that came on my face. Was she sick? She seemed quite serious as she spoke.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    ¡°Not sure. I would probably be, when I get some vitamin D and K from Phillippe.¡± It took me a few seconds to grasp the meaning behind her statement and when I finally did, I couldn¡¯t just help myughter.


    God! Eleanor¡¯s freaky side was really suprising. She never really seemed to me like the sort of girl to just have sex without any emotions tied to it. It made me wonder how people achieved that. I just couldn¡¯t be that. Just once I had sex with Manuel, and all I really wanted to do was to spread my legs apart for him whenever I saw him. But then, I had to bring my self control to y whenever he was near. Our nightly walks were a torture, but I couldn¡¯t afford to make him have an idea about these feelings I had towards him, by turning down his requests to walk with him. Eleanor happily jumped away as she went to meet her ¡®drug vendor¡¯.


    I looked around the room, thinking of what to do to keep myself busy until it was time for our nightly walks. Eventually, I decided to justy down on my bed and sleep. It was only a few hours before nightes, but I couldn¡¯t just stay and remain bored. Eleanor had been the one keeping the boredom away but now she had gone to have sex, and I was literally left to my boredom. I closed my eyes, but didn¡¯t sleep until about half an hour had passed.


    By the time I woke up, I looked through the window of my room to see that everywhere was very dark. This seemed like a te night¡¯ kind of dark. Looking at the tiny clock by my bedside, I gasped when I saw it was already 1am in the morning. Oh boyyy. I had clearly missed out on my walk with Manuel. Laying down back in my bed, I closed my eyes to sleep again, but found myself chuckling. I definitely knew that it was impossible for me to sleep again.


    I remained on my bed though, looking at the ceiling and counting several hundreds until a sound caught my attention. Manuel? Was he still outside? That was definitely his voice. Hopping down my bed, I opened the door of my room and strolled outside the beach house. I was very suprised to see him seated on one of the pavements close to the path leading to his own beach house. He seemed to not have noticed me. Looking closely, I realized he was on a call. By this time? I didn¡¯t know how long it was going to take him to finish up with his call, but seeing he had been here up until now, his call was probably going to take much longer. I was about to turn and quietly make my way back inside when I heard my name.


    ¡°Bianaca?¡± I turned to see Eleanor and Phillippeing from the opposite direction. Christ! Up until this time? They had been at it since evening? Eleanor let out a chuckle as she got closer.


    ¡°Bianca?¡± I turned towards the sound of the voice and saw Manuel up on his feet, putting his phone in the pocket of his trousers. He began making his way towards me.


    ¡°Alright, we would just leave you both.¡± Eleanor smiled. ¡°And no, we haven¡¯t been busy at it since then. We had a short break, before picking up from where we stopped. I also hope you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°About what?¡± I asked, quite amused by the funny woman.


    ¡°Phillippe would be with me in my room tonight, and they would be so much noise.¡± Oh wow. My neck went hot the moment I sighted his hand grabbing her butt and squeezing it.


    ¡°Enough of all that. You both should use the privacy of your rooms if you don¡¯t mind.¡± Manuel said from behind me, making me shudder from the feeling of his body so close to me. When had he gotten so close? I waited for Phillippe and Eleanor to walk in, before creating a space between me and him.


    ¡°I hade for our walk, but learned you were deeply asleep.¡±


    ¡°Ye.. yeah.¡± I stammered. ¡°I was. I slept off quite early today.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm.¡± He nodded. ¡°I take it you¡¯ve woken then?¡± Why did he sound like¡­.?


    ¡°Yeah. You want us to go for our walk now?¡± I asked, not wanting to believe that my thoughts were right.


    ¡°Of course. Why not? There are no dangers lurking around this ind, so we are very free to walk about whenever we feel like.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t feel sleepy?¡± I asked, scratching the back of my neck. I really didn¡¯t want to go because my body didn¡¯t feel right at that point in time. I still felt hot from watching Phillippe grab Eleanor¡¯s ass.


    ¡°Shall we?¡± He asked, before turning and walking away,pletely ignoring my questions. With a sigh, I began to walk behind him, purposely slow enough to make me not meet up with him. Suddenly he halted, making me walk into his back.


    ¡°Sorry.¡± I muttered.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I wanted to cover the distance between us.¡± He exined and I nodded. Once more, he began walking and I followed beside him. I noticed he had taken apletely different route today, but didn¡¯t bother asking him anything. We walked for a while until we got to a veryrge tree. Around the foot of the tree were a few chairs.


    ¡°Wow, I¡¯m seeing this ce for the first time.¡±


    ¡°There are many more ces on this ind that you¡¯re yet to explore.¡± He smiled. It was annoying the way I felt a some liquid pool in between my legs. It could be quite mortifying if he had an idea I went wet just watching him smile. I noticed that I felt really horny throughout today though. Maybe it was my hormones acting out, I hadn¡¯t an idea.


    ¡°And to think I have just a day left to be here. This ce is such a treasure.¡± I said sincerely.


    ¡°Hmmm.¡± He hummed in response. ¡°We should sit.¡± He suggested, pointing towards the seats that seemed to be made of stone or y. I settled down on one of the seats, and watched  as he took his own seat beside mine. I don¡¯t know what impressed me the most about this spot. Was is the fact that therge tree acted as an umbre above our heads, or was it the fact that my legs sunk into the soft sand on the ground? We both remained there in silence, enjoying the environment. After some time, I scratched the tip of my nose and I noticed he looked at me in an amused manner.


    ¡°What?¡± I asked and he just shook his head, looking to be in thoughts.


    ¡°You know, you remind me of my Nonna.¡±

 CHAPTER 26

    BIANCA¡¯S POV


    ¡°You know, you remind me of my Nonna.¡± He said, making me wonder why he thought so. He had spoken fondly about the woman yesterday and from his words, he cared deeply for her.


    ¡°I do?


    ¡°A lot.¡± He chuckled, almost like he didn¡¯t believe his own words.


    ¡°You don¡¯t sound sure.¡± I noted.


    ¡°That¡¯s the problem.¡± He muttered to himself. ¡°You¡¯re just so familiar¡­ I don¡¯t know how to exin it.¡± He chuckled again, making me scratch the tip of my nose. ¡°You see?¡± He grinned.


    ¡°See what?¡±


    ¡°That action.¡±


    ¡°What action?¡± I asked in confusion.


    ¡°Scratching the tip of your nose.¡± Heughed. ¡°My Nonna used to do that a lot.¡±


    ¡°Oh? It¡¯s a normal thing I do most of the time.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve not seen you do that often.¡± He countered.


    ¡°Well, you probably just haven¡¯t noticed. It¡¯s something I do most of the time. When I¡¯m tired, when I¡¯m tensed, when I¡¯m excited¡­.¡± I trailed off.


    ¡°You both are really so alike huh?¡± He grinned at me.


    ¡°So what more? We don¡¯t just feel alike because of a single regr reflex action now, do we?¡±


    ¡°Well, maybe. I guess the restes from your ability to stay quiet for very long. My Nonna and I used to walk around the beautiful spots of this same ind. The same feeling I have when I walk with her, is the same I get when I walk with you. And weirdly, you both have identical eye colours.¡±


    ¡°We do?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Very alike.¡± He smiled. Why had my boss never mentioned that? ¡°Do you really expect Alexander to talk about the fact that you have identical eye color as his grandma?¡± He asked, making my eyes go wide.


    ¡°Not again!¡± I groaned. ¡°How do you do that stuff? This is the hundredth time you¡¯re reading my mind. Stop reading my fucking mind!!!¡± I yelled in exasperation and he justughed. Hisughed gradually died down, getting mixed with my silence.


    ¡°So, you do not really care for my cousin then?¡±


    ¡°Sorry?¡± I asked, looking at him as I tried to decipher the meaning behind his words.


    ¡°You said you liked Francisco, but you have a boyfriend.¡± He exined.


    ¡°I never said I liked Francisco, you just assumed.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t like Francisco? But you said you had a huge crush on Alexander¡¯s cousin, whom you might even be in love with presently.¡± Why was he suddenly bringing this up now?


    ¡°What is it to you anyway?¡± I asked, and he all but shrugged.


    ¡°Just naturally curious.¡± After he responded, we fell into silence again. Suddenly, it felt really awkward for me to be there with him, so I stood to leave. ¡°Why did you stand up?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m heading back to the beach house.¡± I replied, avoiding eye contact with him.


    ¡°Look I¡¯m sorry about intruding into your¡­¡± He was still talking when I took my first step to leave, and the next thing I knew, he had pulled me back and Inded on his thighs. ¡°Sorry.¡± He muttered into my ears from behind, making my neck and face go hot instantly. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d fall straight onto my thighs.¡± He rushed out, his hot breathe fanning the nape of my neck and sending thrills down to my toes. I hated the fact that in that moment, I could barely control my hormones. They were everywhere. I tried to get up from his thighs, but when I felt something erect just beneath my butt, I sat still. Was that what I was thinking? Even if it was, I had to ovee my shock and get up from his thigh, before he asked me to do so himself. Just before I could make another attempt to get up, I felt his hand on my waist. Was he about to push me off? If only I had known that his intentions were far from being pure. The next thing I had felt were his lips attacking the nape of my neck.


    ¡°Biaanncaaa¡­¡± He drawled, making my breathing be shallow. He began trailing his tongue down my neck as my whole body turned into jelly. I found it difficult to move a long minute. I had expected to open my eyes to realize it was all a daydream, but that did not happen. Instead the rough way he grabbed my breasts from behind made me gasp, telling me that it was all real.


    ¡°Manuel¡­. no.¡± I managed to say, but all he did was grunt in disapproval of my words. ¡°Please.¡± I tried again in my state of weakness, but all he did was put his hands underneath the shirt I was wearing, cupping my naked breasts with hisrge palm. I guess that was when I lost character.


    Before I couldprehend what I was doing, I began grinding my butt atop his hard dick, my breathing getting more and more shallow as seconds passed. What was I doing? I just couldn¡¯t help it with the way his hands felt against my skin. He pulled one hand off my breast, and began tugging on the skirt I was wearing.


    ¡°I want you now.¡± He whispered into my ears, making me shudder in a mix of excitement and fear. Fear of what my apparent stupidity was going to cost me when all of this was over. The next thing he did was to stand up from his seat with me in his arms, before lowering me down to the soft sand as he hovered above me. He wasted no time in pulling off his shorts, after which his hands began ying along my thighs, sending sweet sensations through my lower body. My mind screamed at me to shut my legs against him, but I chose to be a fool and spread them wide open to him. He hooked his fingers on each side on my panties and pulled them down my legs with my cooperation. When that was out of the way, he spread my thighs wider and bent to kiss me. I hooked my hands tightly around his neck as I felt his cock slowly making its way into my wet hole. My body shivered in ecstasy as a result of the electrifying sensations that the intrusion of his cock made the walls of my pussy feel. I tightened my hold on his neck as he began to move inside me.


    ¡°Arrgghhh!!¡± I moaned out, feeling him take me higher as each second passed. He disconnected his lips from mine and buried his face in the crook of my neck, where he kept biting into lightly.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± He groaned at some point, his thrusts bing harder. I felt myself tearing up from the intense pleasure I was feeling and in no time, I began to cry. He suddenly stopped and looked at me.


    ¡°Did I hurt you?¡± He breathed roughly, probably having it difficult restraining himself from moving inside me at that moment. I was having it difficult too.


    ¡°No! Don¡¯t stop.¡± I said, sping my legs around his waist. He gave a deep grunt before resuming his thrust with a hard m. ¡°Goddd!!¡± I yelled out, more tears leaking from my eyes.


    ¡°Fuck! Bianca!¡± He groaned into my neck, his pace bing faster. ¡°You are heaven!¡± He grunted out, hitting so deep inside me that my brain did a flip for a second. Another thrust and I began losing it. My body vibrated uncontrobly underneath him as all the pleasure and sensation from every part of my bodybined into one, exploding in perfect uniformity before my very eyes. I guess the lights from the explosion were so bright that it blurred my vision and senses for a straight minute. I could still feel my body being used by Manuel who crazily chased his own release. After a while, he fell limply on top of me, and I reflexly ced my hand on top of his head, my fingers trailing through the soft mass of his hair until I fell into slumber. God! That was mind blowing.


    ***********************************


    I got to the airport with his men and we all sat on a long empty bench, waiting for him to show up. It wasn¡¯t up to five minutester when he strolled in with one of his men following behind. My eyes had not left his figure as he walked closer to where we sat. I was finally seeing him since I woke up on that soft sand alone yesterday morning. Eleanor had told me he had hurried out of the ind that morning with his suitcase. I had told myself to not feel wronged because from the onset, he didn¡¯t owe me anything. He never forced me to have sex with him, I did on my own ord. But it didn¡¯t change the fact that I naturally felt hurt. I wondered if there had been another exnation as to why he had disappeared again, but was it really worth listening to? We were about traveling back to Italy and things were definitely bound to return to normalcy.


    While we waited for the pilot to be done with his checks, Manuel remained in a conversation with the man he had arrived with. A part of me felt like he was purposely avoiding having to talk with me, so I equally acted blind towards him. Thest thing I¡¯d do is try to say hello to a man who fucked me like I meant everything, and then disappeared the next morning. I wasn¡¯t so desperate. Soon, we all went aboard and jet took off. I had stayed at the other end of the ne, quite a distance away from Manuel. I hadn¡¯t gotten up from my seat except I wanted to relieve myself. I tried to sleep for most part of the journey, and just remained swallowed by my thoughts for the other part. The journey took roughly 7 hours and once wended the airport in Mn, I felt that tingling feeling of tension in my belly. It had alle to an end. We took our luggages and stepped out of the ne.


    The only luggage I had was the clothe on me, as I had left the clothes Alexa had given me, back on the ind. The refreshing air from the open space kissed my skin, and I sighed. We all walked towards the main part of the airport and through our entire journey there, he hadn¡¯t spared me a single nce.


    As we got to the arrivals section of the airport, I spotted a familiardy running in her heels, making her way towards Manuel. A tall and fit looking man followed her behind and I deduced he was probably her body guard.


    ¡°Hey baby!¡± She flung herself onto Manuel¡¯s body and then, did he finally look at me. I only hoped I didn¡¯t look as sad as I felt. He pulled his eyes away from me almost immediately, and smiled at the woman in his arms. His fiancee. Her bodyguard calmly walked up to me and introduced himself.


    ¡°Hello ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°Hello.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Massimo. I work for the Don. So sorry about the mix up.¡± For him to have referred to Manuel as ¡®the don¡¯ in my presence, then it only meant he was aware I knew they were mafians. And he wasn¡¯t her bodyguard after all.


    ¡°I¡¯m alive and for that alone, I¡¯m grateful.¡± I managed a small smile which he reciprocated.


    ¡°Here.¡± He muttered, handing over a familiar device to me. That was my phone! I was d it was safe.


    ¡°Thank you so¡­.¡± I was still talking when I saw Francesca standing right before me.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡°You are the girl who had worn my dress the other night right?¡± She didn¡¯t really sound condescending per say, but I could tell when someone didn¡¯t like me. Thisdy fucking disliked me. It was understandable. I had spoilt her birthday suprise. I guess she¡¯d hate me more if she had an idea how her fiance had fucked me only two days back.


    ¡°I¡¯m Bianca. Yes, we happened to dress alike.¡± I rified her. She couldn¡¯t make it seem like I was some sort of wannabe who copied her style of dressing.


    ¡°Hmmm.¡± She sized me down. Now, she looked condescending. Manuel stepped forward and held her arm. ¡°We should leave now.¡± He casually said to her. Looking squarely into my eyes, she gave a smirk and tore her eyes away. ¡°Yes my love.¡± She replied to Manuel, patting out an invisible dust from his shirt. Just then, I received a message on my phone. I had seen a whole lot of unread messages, but focused on the one that just came in. It was from my papa. He said they were close to the airport already. I felt relieved that my family wereing for me. I probably wouldn¡¯t be able to share the way I felt with them, but their presence was definitely going to make me feel better. ncing as Manuel and his woman once more, I made a promise to myself. I was done being pitiable beacuse of my feelings for this mafian. It was time to return to reality. In reality, a girl like me never had any business with a man like him.


    The next minute, he took Francesca¡¯s hand in his, and they started walking away. He had not walked far off when he halted, making Francesca halt as well. He turned to his men who were still with me.


    ¡°Make sure Bianca gets home safely.¡±


    ¡°That wouldn¡¯t be nessary sir.¡± I quickly replied. ¡°My family are already on their way for me. Thank you, Mr Russo.¡± We shared onest nce at each other and in that moment, I could tell that my mind had finally seeded in convincing my heart to put him behind. I pulled my eyes away from his, and looked into my phone when it beeped. My family had gotten here. With every confidence I could muster, I walked past he and his fiancee, as I made my way towards the entrance of the airport.

 CHAPTER 27

    LAURA¡¯S POV


    I was so excited when Mr Russo had informed me that Bianca was going to return today. Yes, the boss himself had told me. I¡¯m sure the man was probably going to fire me from work the moment Bianca got back. I had the nerve to always go to his office, demanding to know when Bianca was gonna return from wherever he said she was. That was even what made it harder for me. I had no idea where she was! The first time I had stepped into his office to make an enquiry about Bianca was the fifth day after he returned from the conference, and I was still unable to reach her phone. I remember reaching out to her parents the day before, to know if she was okay, but was shocked to hear that Bianca hadn¡¯t been home for days. ording to them, Mr Russo had reached out to them just once, to let them know she had misced her phone. But after that, he never answered their numerous calls or replied their many text messages. That was definitely when I had started suspecting something fishy. It was unlike me, because on a normal day, I wouldn¡¯t have mustered as much courage as it had taken me to walk up to Mr Russo¡¯s office the next day, and demand to know where he had taken my friend. I guess Bianca was making me go out of my way to do things I¡¯d normally never do. In a way, I loved it. Mr Russo seemed to have been suprised at my guts, but I really didn¡¯t care. I just wanted to know if my only friend was safe. I may sound so normal now, but only God knows how scared and worried I had been for Bianca. The fact that I hadn¡¯t an idea of what was actually going on, only gued me the more.


    During those weeks when I¡¯d go crazy with the excessive work Ricardo would make me do, I would go for lunch, hoping that Bianca would suddenly appear at the table and threaten to bite Ricardo¡¯s head of his neck. Yeah, Ricardo ended up being my boss as spected, and it hasn¡¯t been such a wonderful experience. He hardly spoke to me or made jest of me like he used to do. He had actually stopped doing so for a while, ever since Bianca had showed up at the Fernando¡¯s residence. But then, the great amount of work he made me do, only showed me that was his new way of bullying me. Sometimes, I would be so busy that I wouldn¡¯t be able to go out for lunch, but he¡¯d suprise me by returning to the office and dropping my lunch on my desk. I guess that was what made me more confused. These days, I couldn¡¯t say for sure if he hated me or not. Why did he suddenly start bringing me lunch? It was more annoying because the more lunch he brought, the more work he assigned to me. Shit was crazy! Worse still, I was no longer in my former office, where I could interact with other workers, so I was always lonely. With the promotion, Ricardo was assigned a new office and as his assistant, I was made to move into the smaller office attached to his.


    Mr Russo had informed me yesterday that Bianca was gonna resume work today. Because of that, I had stayedte at workst night, trying to work ahead of today, so I didn¡¯t have so much work to do. I really wanted to be able to make good use my lunchtime today and spend some time with Bianca. I would have actually gone over to the Bianchi¡¯s homest night, but I remembered Madame Beatriz had wanted to speak with me once I returned from work. I knew it was going to be a discussion about Ricardo, and I wasn¡¯t wrong.


    The poor woman was still worried about her son, and it made me sad that I couldn¡¯t be of any help to her, except letting her know if he showed up at work everyday and if he seemed fine. Ricardo had moved out of the Fernando¡¯s residence a week after Bianca¡¯s disappearance and ever since then, he hardly came over to the house. The only ce I had the opportunity to see him was at work, and he never really made it easy for me to talk with him.


    Today, I was very early to work and was suprised to see that Ricardo was already on seat. The quiet noisesing from his office only proved me right. I stepped out to get his coffe from the nearby cafe and returned to the office building with two cups of coffee in my hand. I could really make do with a cup today. The stress that I had gone throughst night was enough to make me feel sleepy at work today. Just as I was about to step into the elevator, I heard someone call my name.


    ¡°Laura!¡± I turned back to see a familiar looking man walking towards me. I sighed when the elevator closed shut in front of me. He seemed to have noticed my frustration and the next thing he did suprised me. ¡°Here.¡± He took the two cups of coffee from my hand. ¡°Let me help you with those.¡± The moment he held the cups, he gave a sigh of his own. ¡°As hot as I thought.¡± He chuckled, making me smile. It was then that I remembered who he was. He was the head of unit at the previous department I was assigned to work, before bing Ricardo¡¯s assistant.


    ¡°Mr Federico.¡± My smile widened.


    ¡°You know,¡± He pressed the button of the elevator and it opened. ¡°No one had seen Mr Fernando¡¯s promotioning.¡± He said, stepping into the elevator and I followed behind.


    ¡°Yeah, no one had.¡± I nodded. ¡°Thank you for helping me with the cups.¡± I muttered.


    ¡°You¡¯re wee Laura.¡± He smiled nervously, making me wonder why. ¡°You were the best newbie in my unit only a couple of weeks back. Had I known that Fernando was going to be assigned your new boss as a result of his promotion, I would have written a letter to the boss, to have you stay back in my unit.¡± His words came to me as a surprise because we barely spoke to one another while I worked under him. If not for the small smiles he always stered on his face whenever I went to his office to submit a work file, I would have thought he was a snob.


    ¡°Thank you?¡± It wasn¡¯t supposed toe out as a question, but he didn¡¯t seem to mind.


    ¡°I hope your new boss doesn¡¯t stress you so much?¡± He asked, before rolling his eyes and nodding his head as if realizing something. ¡°What am I even saying? I know he makes you do a lot of work.¡± It didn¡¯te as a suprise hearing him say that. Everyone at my former unit definitely had an idea about how Ricardo bullied me. Thatst time he had hidden my sses, I literally had to work all day without them, making my eyes hurt so badly after the day¡¯s work was done. To be very honest, I had every reason to hate the rotten man, but I guess the love I had for his parents was an atonement for all the sins he hadmitted against me. ¡°You¡¯re hardly out during lunch, so I¡¯m quite right about my assumptions.¡± Mr Federico added, making me sigh lowly. I didn¡¯t want him realizing he was right about his statement after all. ¡°I always ask about you, but he always responds with the same answer. ¡®She¡¯s busy¡¯. Did you get what I sent to you through him?¡±


    On hearing him ask me that, I looked up at him in suprise.


    ¡°You sent a file to me?¡±


    ¡°Not a file, silly.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Seeing as you think it¡¯s a file, he certainly did not give it to you.¡± He looked sad for a moment, and it made me feel warm. It was clear that this man had sent me a gift of some sort.


    ¡°What did you send to me?¡± I asked curiously.


    ¡°Nothing much.¡± He shrugged. ¡°Just a contact lens and blue light protection sses.¡±


    ¡°You got me contact lens?¡± That was unexpected.


    ¡°Yes. I figured you wouldn¡¯t have to worry about Ricardo¡¯s silly pranks with your sses, if you have your lenses inside your eyes.¡± He chose to use the words ¡®silly prank¡¯, knowing fully well that it was nothing but bully. He was looking out for me. Didn¡¯t want me to feel bad because of his choice of words.


    ¡°But you don¡¯t even know what eye defect I suffer from.¡± I chuckled. Just then, the elevator stopped and binged open. We both stepped out and continued walking towards my office.


    ¡°You suffer from Astigmatism Laura.¡± He said, almost as if lecturing me. ¡°I definitely went through your file when you newly got hired. So I know what you suffer from, and I did my research. I actually have an older brother who is an optometrist. He said toric contact lens would be best for your eye defect. And the blue light protection sses were because you tend to look closely at the desktop screen all day.¡± Wow! Wow. This man was definitely unusually thoughtful.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to thank you.¡± I whispered, feeling quite touched. No one had ever thought so dearly for me. That was with and exception of Bianca and Ricardo¡¯s parents. ¡°Thank you.¡± I muttered. I might be a literal nerd who doesn¡¯t have good sense of fashion, and a girl who gets bullied, but I am smart. I wasn¡¯t dense, and I knew when someone cared about me. Maybe even liked me. I guess Mr Federico¡¯s case was both, and it made me feel so nice. This was the fourth time someone was actually showing that much interest in me. In high school and college, I didn¡¯t get so much attention from boys because I was the girl that RICARDO FERNANDO bullied. Now things were gradually changing, and so would I? It wouldn¡¯t be such a bad idea to start dressing more nicely, would it? This would mean ¡®bye to myfy clothes¡¯ though. I needed to start looking and living like every other youngdy out there. That simply meant that I was never gonna let Ricardo treat me in a condescending manner again. Hearing Federico choose his words while talking to me, only made me feel weak.


    ¡°I actually know a way you can thank me though.¡± He smiled, and I already knew what wasing next. Dinner. ¡°You could go out with me for dinner.¡± Told you guys! That honestly didn¡¯t seem like a bad request. It made sense to me. Giving a small smile, I nodded.


    ¡°I would love to.¡±


    ¡°Perfect.¡± He grinned, pping both hands like a child. ¡°I would pick you up after today¡¯s work is over?¡± He was asking. Suddenly, I grew self conscious and my smile dropped. He was wearing a suit, so he was definitely going to look presentable. I couldn¡¯t say same for me though. I have watched a lot of movies that were enough for me to learn that baggy work shirts and nerdy sses were definitely not what ady wore to dinner.


    ¡°But I can¡¯t go like this.¡± I muttered, looking down.


    ¡°Laura, I more interested in you, rather down your outfit.¡± I was very thankful that he didn¡¯t go on to say that I looked just fine because then, I¡¯d know he was lying and probably just wanted to get in between my thighs. For any other girl, it would have made her feel better, but not me. With a small smile and a warm pat on my arm, he announced his departure. ¡°I¡¯d see youter tonight.¡± He handed the cups of coffee back to me and walked away. It was then that I realized we had actually gotten to my office. I walked into my space and dropped one of the cups on my desk. I walked towards the connecting door to Ricardo¡¯s office and I knocked against it, before pulling it open. When I stepped in, he looked to be extremely concentrated on the whatever he was watching on his tab. That was until I heard a feminine voiceing from the tab. Was he on a video call with thatdy again? It had been this way since I had started working as his assistant. I guess he had newly gotten into a rtionship. It was none of my business, but was he supposed to be doing that during working hours? My subconscious screamed at how hypocritical I was being. Only moments ago, had I fixed a dinner date with my former boss.


    ¡°Good morning sir.¡± I greeted, still feeling weird addressing him as my boss. I know it was already three weeks, but I highly doubted I¡¯d ever get used to it.


    ¡°Morning.¡± He murmured, not sparing me a single nce as he signaled me to leave. I didn¡¯t waste no time and walked out, making a mental note to enquire about the stuffs Federico had asked him to give me,ter.


    I went back to my desk and got busy with work and a few minutes before it was lunchtime, I sneaked out of my office and made for Bianca¡¯s. I didn¡¯t know why I felt doubtful that I was going to see her there, but the moment I was about knocking on her office door, it pulled open to reveal Bianca. Bianca! My heart was screaming and I was sure my face disyed my excitement as well. Immediately she realized I was the one, her eyes narrowed at me, making my heart drop. Wasn¡¯t she happy to see me?


    ¡°Laura Marino!¡± She called. ¡°For a minute I thought you didn¡¯t love me anymore.¡± She suddenly pouted like a child, making my eyes go wide in a mix of shock and joy.


    ¡°Bianca!¡± I yelled, almost close to tears as we hugged each other. Bianca was a few inches taller than I was, so it felt like I was hugging my big sister.


    ¡°I missed you so much.¡± She muttered into my ear, before pulling away. She carefully looked at me and slowly shook her head disapprovingly. ¡°You look stressed and tired. Oh my goodness! What has Ricardo been putting you through?¡±


    ¡°We definitely have a lot to tell each other.¡± I sighed. ¡°Come, let¡¯s go for lunch. We will catch up while at it.¡± She let me pull her along and we made our way to the cafteria.


    ¡°You got to be kidding me!¡± My eyes were as wide as saucers. I couldn¡¯t believe all that Bianca had told me. Lunchtime her passed over ten minutes ago, but we were still talking at the cafteria. I had told Bianca all that had been going on since she left, likewise her. I couldn¡¯t believe all she had told me. Most of all, I couldn¡¯t believe Manuel Russo turned out to be such a douche. I know he didn¡¯t owe Bianca anything, but he couldn¡¯t have instigated having sex with her a second time, and acted like he didn¡¯t know her afterwards. I was d Bianca had made up her mind to put the memories behind, regardless of how much I knew she was really hurting.


    ¡°All of that asides.¡± She sighed, a small smile making its way to her beautiful face. ¡°About your dinner date tonight.¡± She grinned. ¡°I don¡¯t care if he says he doesn¡¯t care about your outfit, you should look like a snack!¡± She said.


    ¡°But it¡¯s tonight. Neither do I really have any outfits that fits the asion.¡±


    ¡°Worry not, my dear.¡± She grinned. ¡°We would go shopping today. All we need is permission from my boss, and my credit card.¡±


    ¡°Your¡­¡± I was still talking when she cut me off.


    ¡°Yes, bills on me. It¡¯s my way of saying I¡¯m sorry for leaving you alone for three crazy weeks.¡± She gave a warm smile, making me feel so touched.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± I muttered.


    ¡°Anything for you.¡±


    ¡°So what excuse would you give Mr Russo?¡± I asked, and she gave a weird smile. I knew she was cooking up a devious n in her head.


    ¡°Laura, don¡¯t you think your eyes have been aching more frequently these days? We should go see the optometrist urgently.¡± She looked so serious that it took me quite a while to understand what she was doing. Eventually realizing what she was up to, I burst intoughter and she joined in. Ahhh¡­ only God knew how much I missed her.


    **********************************


    I walked into the office, all smiles as I thought about my dinner yesterday. Federico was such a lovely and thoughtful man. He had treated me like a princess, andplimented me on how beautiful I looked. It had been all thanks to Bianca. She had taken me to a nearby mall after taking permission from her boss on the basis of going with me to visit my eye doctor. What shocked me was the number of dresses we had ended up getting, when I thought we were only going to get a nice dress for dinner. ording to her, she hadn¡¯t been making good use of her wardrobe allowance, and the huge incentive she had received for attending the ANAN conference was too much to not be shared. Because of that, we had to stop by at her house to drop a literal change of wardrobe at her ce. I had gotten the opportunity to meet her sister¡¯s family, who were over for a few days. Her sister had such a lovely family.


    After that, she pulled me along to a ce where she imed I¡¯d be given a magical makeover and true to her words, I didn¡¯t feel the same after stepping out of there. My body felt new from the nuru massage I had been given. My hair, was on a different level, and my skin screamed ¡®pampered¡¯!!! I had been so excited because it was almost impossible to recognize myself after wearing my dress and light makeup that Bianca had done on my face. She hadn¡¯t stopped screaming about how I was cutely petite with killer butts. I guess that was what myfy baggy clothes did. Hide my curves. Butst night, I was more than confident to show it off. I wouldn¡¯t forget how Frederico couldn¡¯t stop gaping when hade pick me from Bianca¡¯s home. I had sent him a message that I wouldn¡¯t be at work when the day was over. If I were him, that would have gaped at me that way too.


    Now, it was a new day and dinner was over. I was back to feeling shy again. For the first time, I was wearing a body hugging gown to work and I felt different. I had received a couplepliments from my former colleagues, which honestly helped in boosting my confidence. I hadn¡¯t slept over at the Fernando¡¯s residencest night, because I had gone back to Bianca¡¯s house. I made a mental note to call Madame Beatriz and let her know that all was well, and I was going to see herter in the day.


    Silently, I prayed that I wouldn¡¯te across Federico this morning. All was definitely well, but I wondered how things were going to be between us from now on. He hadn¡¯t asked me out because he was clearly trying to take things slowly. But then, I knew he was very much interested in me, and it made me sad because I realized I didn¡¯t really feel that way towards him. All I felt towards him was genuine friendship, and it took dinner for me to figure that out. I actually felt bad in a way.


    Thankfully, I got to my office without running into him, and was d I already got coffee for Ricardo on my way in. I wouldn¡¯t have a reason to step out again, except to see Bianca and tell her how my night had gone. When I had gotten to her cest night, she was already asleep, and I had woken up this morning to see she was already gone.


    The moment I knocked and stepped into his office, he ended his routine call with thatdy. He dropped his tablet on the work desk, and looked squarely at me.


    ¡°Good morning Sir. Your coffee.¡± I muttered, dropping his coffee on the desk. I couldn¡¯t brush off the weird way I felt when he looked at me. What was it now?


    ¡°My mom had called me sotest night.¡± He simply muttered, and I quickly knew where this was headed. She had been worried about me. Before I could say a word, he beat me to it. ¡°Don¡¯t you think every responsibledy should be ountable to whomever acts as her guardian? You were probably so caught up enjoying yourself with Federico, that you failed to inform my parents of your whereabouts.¡± Oh my goodness! How did he know? My eyes went wide as he red at me. ¡°He posted you on his Instagram storyst night.¡± He muttered with so much venom coating his voice. ¡°Everyone in the office definitely knows you both are fucking each other now! Just like you wanted.¡± He spat!


    Suddenly, I grew tired of it all. He would have just gone ahead ignoring me, and not dared to say all of the horrible things he just said to me. I lost it.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you ever¡­ speak to me that way again!!¡± I yelled out, suprising myself. He cornered his eyes at me, probably wondering what gave me such effrontery to speak back at him.


    ¡°And what would you do?!¡± He suddenly stood up and walked towards me, cornering me to the wall. ¡°Huh? What the fuck would you do? Go out with a new guy from the office tonight? Probably dress so seductively and fuck him too?!!¡± And that was it! I did it. I pped him! Oh Goddd!!!


    ¡°Maybe that wouldn¡¯t be such a bad idea! I could go out looking like a snack every night, rather than remain here as your bullied assistant!!¡± I yelled back, decided to use Bianca¡¯s word of addressing me as a snack. He rubbed his check and smirked devilishly.


    ¡°That¡¯s all you¡¯ll ever be.¡± He chuckled, looking into my eyes. ¡°A snack to be eaten and forgotten.¡±


    I wonder what it had been that had made me feel so bad. Was it the fact that he looked me in the eyes like all he said was the truth? Or the fact that all his eyes held towards me was resentment? Whichever one it was, it made me tear up. All through the years I had been bullied by Ricardo, I had always cried. But not once had I let him see those tears fall down my eyes. Today was the first. Suddenly, he retreated backwards, as if rethinking his words.


    ¡°I¡¯m really done with all of these.¡± I muttered, my head feeling extremely heavy. ¡°For a moment, I had refrained from requesting they change my new ce of duty because I wanted to be close to you and always make sure you were fine and alright. For the sake of Madame Beatriz. Now, I can see how stupid I had been to put the need of others before mine. I am done doing this with you. I would send a letter to Mr Russo, requesting that they change my position. I think we¡¯d all feel better then.¡± I could fell my weak knees almost giving up under me. I only experienced that when I was extremely angry. Trying to remain steady, I walked out of his office, not answering him as I heard him call me back. I was done being answerable to him.

 CHAPTER 28

    RICARDO¡¯S POV


    I was extremely pissed at everything, starting from the night before, when I saw her looking so beautiful andughing her heart away on Federico¡¯s story. I had totally lost it when she had said she was going to be out with a different guy every other night, looking like a snack. I had been angry, and it made me say the wrong things. Never had I seen her tear up before. That was excluding the night after Bianca had showed up at my home unannounced. That night, I had walked into the garden to see Laura crying. She hadn¡¯t noticed my presence, and I did well to remain unnoticeable. I had felt so bad seeing her cry.


    Okay, I know you¡¯re probably wondering what a wicked and heartless bully like me was saying about the very girl he bullies. Trust me, I¡¯m not proud of all I had done to Laura. I never have.


    What Laura had done to deserve all the harsh treatments I gave to her? To be honest, she had done nothing. It was just that her presence had caused me a lot more inconvenience than I was willing to admit.


    It had all started many years back, when she had showed up in our house. I had walked into the kitchen to see my momughing so happily and ying with this girl. I was a few years older than the little girl who had been sitting on the refrigerator in the kitchen, while mom tickled her sides. None of my cousins bore a resemnce to the girl, so I only assumed it was a friend¡¯s daughter.


    It waster that night I had been informed that the little girl was Laura, and she was going to be in our house during the week days because her mom was the newly employed housekeeper. I still wasn¡¯t bothered about the arrangement until the days began to pass. I was thest child my mother had bore, my immediate older brother being older than me with about 10 years. I was literally the unexpected child that was very much pampered, so it was difficult for me to see my mom¡¯s attention gradually shifting away from me. Those days, mom would spend the entire day in the kitchen, discussing with Laura¡¯s mom or ying with Laura. I knew mom had always wanted to have a female child, as I and all my siblings were males. But I wondered why it had to be Laura that satisfied that craving within her. It wasn¡¯t like I didn¡¯t have a lot of female cousins that could fill the spot. Losing my mom¡¯s attention made me be jealous and spiteful towards Laura. I remember a day when she had asked to join our game when my cousins had visited. That was the first time I had spoken to her condescendingly. I had made jest of her parent¡¯s poverty, told her rich kids didn¡¯t y with the poor ones. Most of my cousins weren¡¯t pleased with my attitude, but chose to say nothing. I remembered being more angry because all she did was shrug her shoulders and head back to the kitchen where she hade from. I was desperate to make her feel as bad as she was making me feel about my mom, so I decided to keep saying hurtful things to her. Things got worse when her mom had fallen ill and Laura had topletely move in with us.


    I had been angry that my parents had taken her in, instead of just letting her remain with her father. At the time, I hadn¡¯t an idea that her father had abandoned Laura and her mother long ago. My parents had shocked me all the more by saying she was going to be enrolled in the same school as myself. That had been the beginning of bullying Laura. What drove me to the edge was the fact that she acted indifferently towards my harsh treatments, so it made me push all the more. I wanted so badly to see her breakdown and beg me to stop. Now, thinking about all I had done, I was greatly disgusted at my actions. How could I have been so inhumane towards her?


    Well, it didn¡¯t stop there. In highschool, when I realized that somehow, I had begun to fancy her, I bullied her all the more. It was no longer about my mom¡¯s attention, it was about the fact that I was beginning to fall in love with someone I was supposed to hate. I hated that fact.


    My anger towards the whole thing only seemed to have aggravated the day that Dennis had pulled her hair at school. Dennis McCarthy used to be my American friend in high school. That was until we got into a huge fight. The cause of the huge fight? You guessed right. It had been Laura, and it was something I never wanted her to find out. Dennis was a part of my clique then. We all came from rich homes and had luxurious lifestyles. Everyone knew Laura was the girl ¡®I¡¯ bullied in school, and he was supposed to know that as well. I had never gone as far as pulling her hair, so what gave him the right to think he could do so?


    What gave him the right to even think he couldy his filthy hands on her?! Even as I think back to that day, I¡¯m still angry. I remember stepping out of my just concluded ss, only to see the hallway crowded with a lot of students. I had made my way through the crowd, only to see Dennis and Laura in the middle. Laura whimpered, tears clouding her eyes as he pulled on her hair. I had be instantly angry and it took every strength in me to not have caused a huge scene and broken his bones. Well, I still had my wish when I met him at the restroomter that day. I can¡¯t begin to give the details of our fight, but I remember the fact that he returned home with a broken nose. I had warned him to keep shut about what happened between us, and to tell our other friends to stay away from Laura. She was mine, and no other person had the right to treat her badly. I was really a foolish teenager. How could I have thought it wasn¡¯t okay for others to treat her badly, but fine if it was me? I was the one who loved her, I was supposed to have treated her better. I can¡¯t believe all those times where I¡¯d shove her against the wall, or grab her arms so tightly that it¡¯d leave a mark. We had attended a private college, so it was not so different from being in high school. Throughout high school and college, she had no friends because everyone was weary about getting on my bad side. That was until now. Until Bianca came into the picture. Bianca stood up for her all the time, and it made me wonder what I was really doing. Bianca cared about her. I also did, but our actions towards her were opposite.N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    It had been after Bianca had showed up at our house and I had seen Laura cry¡­.. It was after then that I realized I needed some sort of therapy. I had gradually be so evil, and I didn¡¯t even realize it. I had made silly excuses as a teenager, and gone ahead to make her life a living hell. The very same person I loved.


    You would probably not believe that I loved Laura, but I truly did. I love her so so much that I had gone crazy seeing her with Federico. Initially, I wasn¡¯t bothered about suitorsing her way because she wasn¡¯t really what a lot of guys would see as attractive. Well, she was to me. She had always been, and I didn¡¯t care if she wasn¡¯t the trendy kind of girl. I knew that underneath those thick rimmed sses and big clothes,id a very sexy body. I was very sure about that after all the nights I¡¯d sit at a particr corner of the pool. From that angle, I could clearly see everything Laura was doing in her bedroom. Those were excluding the days her lights were off, or her windows were closed. So trust me, I¡¯ve seen her and she was a goddess. I know I¡¯m so perverted, but that was the only way I could soothe myself after having to act all day like I actually hated her. Most nights, I would jerk myself off to sleep with thoughts about her.


    Suddenly, I was very scared because of the presence of Federico and many other men that would definitelye into the picture. I started noticing Federico had an interest in her, a few weeks before I got the promotion. My father had already hinted the fact that I was going to be promoted, so I made a move and requested for Laura to be my assistant. That way, I¡¯d get her far away from Federico. When she had started working under me, I knew my attempts to have her all to myself were not enough because I always noticed a lot of eyes on her during lunch. Unweed eyes.


    But now, after all my attempts at making her work so hard so she¡¯d miss her lunchtime, and probably minimize the chances of her getting close to any of those interested men, I could see how wolfly I failed. Not only had I stressed her out for nothing, it seemed to be that Federico was just a step away from winning her over. It ached my heart all the more because there was little to nothing I could do about it. Now, it was worst because she has nned to leave my side. I didn¡¯t know how I was going to cope, and I could feel my head begin to ache me as she walked out of my office in tears. She had left just after letting me know how foolish I was. I should have known that Laura wouldn¡¯t have agreed to stay as my personal assistant, if there wasn¡¯t a reason behind it. Even thoughtely, I didn¡¯t bully her or say hurtful words to her, she was definitely not going to be okay with being my assistant.


    So all along, she had remained just to make sure I was okay? Just to make sure my mom wasn¡¯t worried.


    I quickly rushed towards my door and opened it, expecting to see her sitting behind her desk. I was disappointed to see that she wasn¡¯t there. Had she gone to plead for a change of duty already?! My head banged all the more and in that moment I had to speak to the only person that knows about all these. I took my phone from my work desk and ced a call to my older brother; Davide.


    ¡°Buongiorno!¡± He greeted cheerfully, and I sighed tiredly. He seemed to have noticed my countenance and asked. ¡°Is all well?¡±


    ¡°I¡­.. messed things up.¡± That was all I could say at that point. He went silent for a while, before speaking up.


    ¡°With Laura? Ricardoooo¡­¡± He chastised. ¡°I thought you were seeing the therapist I rmended to you?¡±


    ¡°I was! I am.¡± I sighed. ¡°And I have really improved¡­.¡±


    ¡°Then what has happened now? What did you do to Laura this time?¡±


    ¡°I insulted her, and literally called a slut.¡± I muttered, getting ready for him tosh out.


    ¡°God, what?! Ricardo why?¡±


    ¡°I was jealous. I was so jealous, I couldn¡¯t help it.¡± I could feel tears stinging my eyes.


    ¡°Are you about to cry?¡± He asked, sounding amused.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t sound like opposite is the case though.¡± He chuckled.


    ¡°This is not the problem now. How do I get her to forgive me and stay back?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by stay back?¡±


    ¡°Well, she has threatened to apply for a change of duty here in the office. And there are a few guys who would grab the opportunity to¡­¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you right now, Ricardo.¡± Davide interjected. ¡°You should let the girl breathe. Let her make her own decisions. Decisions about those men as well. Stop trying to police or Influence every aspect of her life. That is the freedom thates with real love. You are free to get jealous, but it shouldn¡¯t be enough to hurl insults at her! The initial n was to give her space and let her heal. To Let her see you gradually change into a better man, before you tell her how you feel about her. But then, you had to spoil it by manipting your way through to have her as your personal assistant. At this rate, she¡¯d probably hate you. There¡¯s no way she would try to appeal for a change of position, without finding out that you had influenced her position as your assistant!! It¡¯s very unsafe to say that you have messed things up! And I¡¯m disappointed. I wouldn¡¯t praise you for your actions.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Davide.¡± I breathed out, fear being the most prevalent emotion in my mind. ¡°But I need your help now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but no. I wouldn¡¯t be helping you this time because when I tried to, you didn¡¯t value it. You put yourself into this mess, so for once!!¡­. get yourself out of it.¡±


    ¡°Davide.¡± I called his name in disbelief.


    ¡°You know how much mom cherishes that girl. How do you think she¡¯d feel when she hears that the one person who was supposed to look out for her, has been doing the very opposite all these years?¡±


    ¡°Oh my God! Please don¡¯t tell mom.¡± I rushed out. Now, my fear had increased. I definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to handle how disappointed she was going to be.


    ¡°I never said I would. It¡¯s not my ce to tell her. But if I actually had the right to let her know, I would have done so. Maybe it would have taught you a lesson or two about treating the woman you love, right. I¡¯m hanging up now. Do not call me again until I return to Italy in a few weeks time. You can only call me before then, if you¡¯ve been able to sort out this mess. Ciao.¡± He hung up the call, muttering something that sounded like ¡®God, I can¡¯t believe this kid¡¯. No matter how old I get, I would always remain a kid to Davide. I had four older brothers and amongst them all, he was the closest to me. They had all studied abroad and resided in different countries. Davide had actually resided in Canada, but recently, he decided to relocate back to Italy with his family. Yes. He was married with 2 lovely kids.


    His reaction and anger hadn¡¯te as a huge suprise to me though. Just like my parents, my older brothers loved Laura as well. In as much as they weren¡¯t always around, they never did a video call without asking to speak with her. During the end of the year when they all traveled back for the holidays, it was the same. They all cared about her and were going to be pissed off, if they had an idea I have been everything but nice to her. Davide had only found out about my attitude towards Laura when I had called him after Bianca¡¯s visit. I really needed someone to talk to, so I called him. He had taken things easy and tried his best to not make me feel horrible about my actions. Then he rmended therapy for me, which was actually going on well until today.


    The rest of the day had passed in a blur and it was evening already. Laura hadn¡¯t returned to her office space after she had left in the morning. The only time I heard the door open and went out to see who it was, was when Bianca hade to take Laura¡¯s handbag. She had red daggers at me before hissing and walking out of the office. My only option was to visit the family residence tonight and talk with Laura.


    I drove in through the gates and parked my car. Inhaling deeply, I walked ahead and made my way into the entrance of our home. The moment I got into the living room, I heard sniffles and quickly turned to see Laura cuddled deeply into my mom¡¯s side. Fuck! My heartbeat elerated as my mom raised her head to look at me.


    ¡°Ricardo.¡± Mom¡¯s face lost every iota of happiness to see me, and I knew I was fucked.


    ¡°Mom.¡± I whispered, my voice almost failing me. I watched in suprise as she shook her head and sighed.


    ¡°I¡¯m so d to see you honey. I¡¯m sorry if I don¡¯t look like I am.¡± She muttered, carefully pulling away from Laura who looked up at me then. Her eyes were blotched and red. I was a bit distracted when mom walked up to me and hugged me. If she was hugging me then that meant¡­ that meant I was safe.


    ¡°Mom, what¡¯s going on?¡± The moment I had asked that question, Laura stood up and started making her way upstairs.


    ¡°Laura has been going through a whole lot, and I didn¡¯t even know.¡± Mom sighed. ¡°I¡¯m her mom, I should have known.¡± Hearing my mom say that, my forehead creased into lines. What did mom mean by that? I knew she loved Laura dearly but¡­.


    ¡°Mom.¡± I chuckled nervously, making her roll her eyes at me.


    ¡°Ricardo get over it. You are not a child anymore. It¡¯s okay to share.¡± What did she mean? ¡°Your father had told me about your jealousy towards Laura when she came into this home newly. I thought it was just a childish behavior, so I didn¡¯t dwell much on it. I was right then, because your jealousy seemed to disappear over time. But now, it seems to be that it is slowly returning. I¡¯m sorry love, but you¡¯d have to share my affection from now on. Moreover, since you moved out of home, you don¡¯t really care about¡­¡±


    ¡°Mom I¡¯m not jealous, I can always share.¡± I cut her off, trying to understand what this was all about.


    ¡°Hmmm. Are you sure?¡± She asked, suddenly looking so serious. What was going on? I thought Laura had told mom about my behavior towards her, but that didn¡¯t seem to be the case. ¡°Even as your father and I are nning to officially parent her?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I want to adopt Laura.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You heard me.¡± She sighed, walking back to the sofa where she had been previously sitting when I came in. Was that the reason Laura was crying? I was confused, until mom said her next words. ¡°Atleast, bearing ¡®Fernando¡¯ as her surname would send a message to that good for nothing. My daughter is a ¡®no go¡¯ area!¡±


    ¡°Who is the good for nothing?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Who else? The boy who has been bullying my baby.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Ricardo!¡± She suddenly frowned at me. ¡°You haven¡¯t been doing a good job looking out for Laura. This person has bullied her since high school and you didn¡¯t deem it fit to let me know. How could you stand back and watch your sister being harrassed?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s not my sister!¡± It came out even before I could hold it in. I couldn¡¯t bear the thought of calling the woman I loved ¡®my sister¡¯. That was insane.


    ¡°What?¡± Mom whispered in shock.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry mom. I didn¡¯t mean to sound that way.¡± I muttered. ¡°I just think you¡¯re taking things too fast.¡± I watched as she looked at me in total disappointment, before sighing and asking.


    ¡°Would you like something to eat? Are you sleeping over?¡± She didn¡¯t seem pleased in anyway, so I simply nodded. I silently ate the food she had brought to me minutester, before heading to what used to be my room. It still was though.


    After having a warm shower and wearing one of the clothes I had left in my wardrobe, I sat on the bed, thinking of my next line of action. I needed to speak with Laura, and I needed to do so immediately.


    I quietly walked out of my room and made my way down the hallway way, where her room was. I knocked lightly against the door and after a few seconds, it was pulled opened to reveal Laura.


    The moment I saw her, my breathe literally hitched. She wasn¡¯t wearing her sses and her hair was wet. She looked very fresh as well and I was very sure she had just stepped out of the shower. All that she had worn was a big polo that stopped a few inches above her knees. She would definitely look better in mine. God! She was beautiful. I slowly closed the door behind me, as I inched closer to her. She seemed to have been ready for a fight because her hands had been akimbo, as she red at me. That was why she hadn¡¯t seen my next actioning. I leaned down to her petite form, and pulled her closer for a kiss. I was suprised as well. This was the first time I was kissing her and my heart was thumping loudly in my ribcage. Sweet lord, her lips were very soft and plump. I was still getting into the mood when she suddenly pushed me away.


    ¡°The nerve of you!¡± Her eyes were ssy now. ¡°You have the guts do that to me?¡± I could see the shock in her eyes, but she tried to sound angry.


    ¡°Laura, I kissed you.¡± I said, shocking myself. I wasn¡¯t d she was referring to our first kiss as ¡®that¡¯.


    ¡°You really are a psychopath.¡± She whispered to herself, and I froze.


    ¡°Laura¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare call me.¡± She gritted out. ¡°You had bullied me and toiled with my emotions! You made my life a living hell for so long. You think I would give you a handshake because you gave me a Judas kiss?¡± She asked, looking at me in disbelief. ¡°You manipted your way into making me your assistant, just so you could make me more miserable with so much work. While I was busy worrying over your well being and caring for your mom, you were simply busying thinking of worse ways to make life hell for me. And the worst part is the fact that¡­. I did nothing wrong.¡± She shrugged, putting a smile on her face, but the tears in her eyes contradicted it.


    ¡°Please Laura, I just want to talk.¡± I begged.


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t!! You have probablye to warn me to keep my mouth shut. You¡¯re just scared I would tell Madame Beatriz that you have been the one who bullied me all along. So don¡¯t¡­¡± She was still talking when we both heard a familiar voice.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Laura¡¯s eyes widened in shock, and I looked back to see my mom looking at me in a way I never wished to see again in my whole existence.

 CHAPTER 29

    BIANCA¡¯S POV


    ¡°Stop looking Bibi.¡± Laura whispered to me, but I couldn¡¯t help it. I was suprised whenever I had the opportunity to look at him. Suprised at how sad he always looked these days. Most of all, suprised about his actual feelings towards Laura. ¡°Christ! Bibi that¡¯s embarrassing.¡± Laura whispered once more and I rolled my eyes.


    ¡°For God¡¯s sake, he doesn¡¯t even notice I¡¯m looking. He¡¯s so caught up in his thoughts, that he doesn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm.¡± Laura mumbled, looking at the meal in front of her. It had been a month since she had stopped working under Ricardo and so far, she had given the man such a tough time. Initially, I was very pleased she was finally standing up to him and putting him in his ce, until he had asked to privately speak with me yesterday, and I reluctantly agreed.


    It¡¯s safe to say that after our conversation, my heart melted a bit. I wasn¡¯tmending him for all the wrong things he had done to Laura, but then, I could clearly see the love for her in his eyes. The man was undoubtedly in love with my friend. Had actually been for years, but had a wrong way of handling it. Now, Laura couldn¡¯t even stand the sight of him anymore. I didn¡¯t me her though. That would have been anyone¡¯s reaction to all of that. But I also noticed that beneath all the anger and alleged hatred she felt for him, there was softness. Whenever Laura spoke about him, her eyes held a lot of emotions. Some of those emotions weren¡¯t ones I recognized as anger or hate. I knew Laura fancied Ricardo too, but didn¡¯t realize it yet. I guess a whole lot of emotions wereing at her at once, and she couldn¡¯t really say which was which. The most prevalent emotion was clearly anger, and she that was what she had decided to act on squarely.


    For the past month since she had been reallocated a new duty post and started working in Federico¡¯s unit, it was safe to say that they were getting closer.


    ¡°So you were at Federico¡¯s yesterday?¡± I asked, and she looked up at me in suprise.


    ¡°I was just about to tell you. How did you know?¡±


    ¡°Well, I do not follow him on Instagram, but a lot of the employees here do. He had posted you on his storyst night. At this rate, I feel you both may have started dating in the imaginations of the workers, before you really start dating in reality.¡± I chuckled and she tried to join in. ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­.¡± She sighed, looking at the tables besides ours, to be sure no one was listening in on our conversation. ¡°Federico is a really sweet guy. He is caring and truly loving. But then, I don¡¯t just seem to like him that way¡­..¡± She trailed off, eyeing me closely to see if I understood what she was trying to say. And I did.


    ¡°Then stop leading him on.¡± I muttered. ¡°It¡¯s really painful to be deceived by someone you love.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m not deceiving him!¡± She yelled, before looking around us and giving a weird smile to the workers who looked at her. ¡°Sorry.¡± She muttered, then turned to me. ¡°I¡¯m not leading him on.¡± She whispered. ¡°I already told him I didn¡¯t feel that way about him, and he insisted he was patient enough to wait for my feelings to grow.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh¡­¡± I released a deep breathe.


    ¡°Laura.¡± Laura and I both looked up to see Federico smiling at us. Thankfully, he didn¡¯t look like he had heard a word we spoke before he showed up.


    ¡°Rico.¡± She smiled at him and put her small hand into hisrge palm that he held out to her. ¡°How are you?¡±


    ¡°Just as fine as I wasst night.¡± He grinned and she smiled shyly. Wait a minute!! Did something happen between themst night? I was still thinking to myself when he stretched out his other hand and arranged some scattered hairs behind her ear. Jeezzz¡­ this man was the extremely cheesy type. Everyone in thepany would definitely think they were dating already. ¡°You wore your lenses today?¡± He asked in suprise and she giggled.


    ¡°For the very first time. Does it look good?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Totally.¡± I replied before he could. When I had learned Federico had gotten Laura a pair of contact lenses and a blue light protection ss, I felt he was really thoughtful. Just then, my eyes locked with Ricardo¡¯s and for a moment, I could swear I saw tears in his eyes. The next second, he stood up from where he had been sitting and walked out of the cafteria. Shoot me.


    For some reason, I was felt extremely sorry for him. Poor Ricardo. Not only had Laura literally banned him froming anywhere close to her, his mom had been silent on him for weeks now. I didn¡¯t pay so much attention to Laura and Federico¡¯s conversation from then onwards, as I patiently waited for Federico to leave us. After a few talks between them, he finally gave me a wave and walked away.


    ¡°Do you actually hate Ricardo now?¡± I suddenly asked, making her frown slightly.


    ¡°Do you actually hate Manuel now?¡± She replied in a sarcastic tone, making me burst out inughter.


    ¡°Christ! I never realized you were so impossible Laura. Where has this stubborn and spirited woman been all along?¡±


    ¡°She had been supressed beneath Ricardo.¡± She spat dryly, making me sigh.


    ¡°Laura, you have every right to be mad. But then, I wouldn¡¯t be your friend if I don¡¯t tell you what¡¯s best for you.¡±


    ¡°And what¡¯s best for me?¡± She calmly asked, looking down at the remaining food she was unable to finish.


    ¡°You have to let go. Don¡¯t let your rage swallow you. I know that after years of being oppressed by him, and finally feeling that freedom and confidence thates with standing up for yourself, you are careful and scared to not want to lose it. To not want to suddenly seem weak and go back to being oppressed again. And this ising from a girl like you, who suffered from bullying. Ricardo is your family. I¡¯m not asking you to run into his arms, but forgive him atleast. I¡¯m sure you haven¡¯t even listened to all the exnations he has to give you yet. All you just know is how much of a dickhead he has been to you, without knowing his reason behind such actions.¡±


    ¡°Have you been speaking to Ricardo?¡± She looked at me in an usatory manner. Disappointment written all over her features.


    ¡°Yes. Once. Yesterday.¡± I sighed, expecting her tosh out towards me. ¡°Buttt¡­. before you start to yell at me, I want you to know that there is no valid reason as to why anyone should be bullied. I just feel you would be able to find the closure you need when you both talk. There¡¯s a lot of decisions you have to make regarding your family. Are you really keen on moving out and leaving Madame Beatriz alone? You told me about her intent to adopt you. You¡¯d only be breaking her heart if you really go. And you¡¯d also make it difficult for her to forgive Ricardo.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± She swallowed, trying to fight back the tears that were brimming in her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s all so much to take in at once. Her adoption ns, Ricardo¡¯s unexpected kiss, leaving his side as his personal assistant, Federico. My life is¡­. it¡¯s all happening so fast and I can¡¯t think straight. But why would he kiss me?¡±


    ¡°You mean Ricardo?¡±


    ¡°Who else ever has?¡± She rolled her eyes, chuckling.


    ¡°But¡­.¡± I paused, trying to tidy my thoughts. ¡°But you have kissed Federico right?¡± I asked, unsure. She shyly shook her head ¡®no¡¯ and I released a sigh.


    ¡°He had wanted tost night, but I just¡­ it just wasn¡¯t working on my part.¡±


    ¡°Lauraaa¡­.. You really do have a lot on your mind. And in regards to your question, Ricardo certainly kissed you because he likes you. He loves you. You never really gave him the opportunity to let you know why.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s preposterous. Was that what he told you yesterday? Infact, what did you both speak about?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry love, but I can¡¯t tell. It is not in my ce to say anything to you, after you had gone a whole month without speaking to him. Also, there are probably a lot more he would want to say to your face, asides the things he told me. Ricardo is slowly finding his way back to being a good man. Atleast, our discussion yesterday assured me of that. Your silence and distance would only make things worse for him. All he just wants now, is to know that you have forgiven him. And I¡¯m sure you would need the closure thates with speaking to him too. You can¡¯t just decide to leave their house and detach yourself from his family. Asides him, the rest of his family has always cared for you. Would you seriously throw all that away?¡±


    ¡°Bianca I¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to speak with him immediately. Take your time. But you have to talk with him eventually.¡± I was d when she meekly nodded at me and held my hand over the table. I was thankful she wasn¡¯t taking my words wrongly.


    ¡°How¡¯s Anthonio?¡± She suddenly asked, making me blush furiously.


    ¡°He¡¯s good!¡± I grinned. In all honesty, I was really happy. I had contacted him the very day I had gotten back home from Moscow and apparently, he had been trying to get across to me all those weeks. He had even gone as far as randomly visiting my boss and asking about me, only to be told that I had traveled on a business trip. I was grateful that my boss had refrained from telling him the actual truth. I know it¡¯s just been a month, but I¡¯ve been really happy. Things were going on a bit too fast between us, but I didn¡¯t mind. One thing I hade to realize with Anthonio, was the fact that he was a man that knew what he wanted. He wasn¡¯t going to y with my heart, so I ought to do the same. I wanted to just start afresh with him, and forget that I had spent 3 whole weeks on an ind with his cousin who disvirgined me.


    Arrggghh!! It sounded moreplicated than I would have liked, but there was nothing I could do about it. Anthonio had spiked my interest and I couldn¡¯t push him away just because I had a tryst with his cousin that was currently nning on getting married. His cousin who hadn¡¯t made a move to reach out to me for over a month. He probably wouldn¡¯t even remember my name anymore, so why should I care?


    ¡°You seem really happy Bibi, and I¡¯m d.¡± She smiled sadly. Why did I see a ¡®but¡¯ing next? ¡°But¡­.¡± Oh God, I was right after all.


    ¡°But what now?¡± I sighed.


    ¡°You realize the family tie between those two, right? Bianca, they are cousins! And I just hope you aren¡¯t trying to get over Manuel by using Anthonio?¡±


    ¡°What am I supposed to do, Laura? Keep pining over a man that may be way above my league, but undeserving of me?¡±


    ¡°God! Bibi that¡¯s not what I¡¯m trying to say.¡± She squeezed my hand that was still holding hers. ¡°All I¡¯m saying is that¡­. Are you sure you really want Anthonio? He seems like someone who is quite intentional about you. Atleast, from the little I can see, he truly cares about you. It would be wrong to toy with his feelings, simply because you are trying to get over his cousin.¡±


    ¡°That is the point Laura! I never for once believed I was going to be able to start getting over Manuel so soon. But Anthonio seems to be making that possible. Atleast these days I can go a whole day, and think about Manuel only once. Before, it used be at every hour of the day.¡± I chuckled. ¡°And I¡¯m sorry if I sound selfish, but I wouldn¡¯t push away the only man that made it possible. Moreover, I would seem more weak and stupid to keep loving Manuel even after all that happened between us. I know I have notpletely gotten over him, but I¡¯m getting there. And that¡¯s only because of Anthonio¡¯s presence. Moreover, my parents really seem to like him as well.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Laura whispered, looking at me in disbelief and excitement. ¡°He met your parents already? And you didn¡¯t tell me? When was that? You both are yet to officially start dating.¡±


    ¡°It was just yesterday.¡± I chuckled. ¡°As usual, he had picked me from work and taken me home. So papa insisted on meeting this particr cab driver I had been consistently using for a couple of weeks now.¡± I chuckled and Laura joined in. ¡°Papa invited him for dinner, which he obliged. He spoke with my parents, and I was proud Laura. Anthonio is such a soft spoken and wise man. My papa liked him immediately. Mama did too, but she wasn¡¯t as excited as papa.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm. I hope your mama is truly cool with you and Anthonio. She seems to me like the kind that would be happier.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right Laura. I could see she was happy, but truly not as much as I had expected, considering Anthonio is the first man I have ever brought home. She probably still can¡¯t believe how much I¡¯ve grown.¡± I chuckled. That was probably it.


    ¡°Maybe.¡± Laura smiled. ¡°I hope you and Anthonio make things official soon. He makes you happy and that is all that matters.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm.¡± I smiled, before looking at my wristwatch. ¡°I think I have to head back to the office now.¡± I sighed. ¡°Remember that meeting I have to attend with my boss today?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you mentioned.¡± Laura nodded. ¡°What is it even about?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. He hasn¡¯t really said much about it, but I guess I would know in due time.¡± I stood up from my seat, Laura doing the same. We both walked out of the cafteria, waving at each other as we made our separate ways to our offices. The moment I got in, my boss was stepping out of his office with a file in his hands.


    ¡°Perfect! You¡¯re back already. Let¡¯s go.¡± He said.


    ¡°Okay sir. For the meeting?¡± I asked, trying to be sure, and he nodded. I quickly rushed to my desk where I picked up my bag, phone, and notepad. ¡°We¡¯re good.¡± I grinned and he smiled back. Ever since I returned from Moscow, my rtionship with my boss had gotten more informal. We normally had other conversations that didn¡¯t nesarily rte to work, and he smiled at me more often.


    Another good thing was the fact that within the past month, he had personally introduced me to a few men and women in the high ces. I knew that he wasn¡¯t just doing that because he felt like it, but I didn¡¯t question him though.


    We had gotten into his car that afternoon, and the driver took us to a grand looking hotel. On the highest floor of the building was written ¡®RUSSO¡¯ in such bold letters. These people were extremely rich.


    ¡°Who are we here to see?¡± I asked the moment we alighted the car and he shed me another smile.


    ¡°You finally ask. We are here to see my Nonno.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I choked out, my body running cold. What did he just say? I wasing to see the actual head of Russo, and I was so unprepared?!!


    ¡°God, you should have told me.¡± I sighed, looking at my dress. That was a reflex action.


    ¡°Calm down Bianca. You are fine.¡± He muttered.


    ¡°But what¡¯s happening? Why am I going to see your grandpapa?¡± I asked, truly at loss.


    ¡°Do you remember the conversation we both had before traveling for the ANAN conference?¡±


    ¡°What about?¡±


    ¡°You having potentials, and me wanting to help you harness them?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± I replied, not sure where this was headed.


    ¡°Well, we just started your journey to greatness.¡± He grinned. I could copse the next minute. It was really happening!


    ¡°And you didn¡¯t inform me on time.¡± I cried out, making himugh.


    ¡°Bianca don¡¯t be a baby. Come on. My Nonna is not a busy man, but doesn¡¯t like to waste his time either.¡± He said and started walking ahead of me. I diligently followed behind.


    ¡°But I thought your Nonno lived in Sicily?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. He does live in Sicily, butes down to Mn every once in a while.¡± He nodded. ¡°Currently, he is around to take care of a few businesses. So I said to myself, what better time than now, to introduce you both and get your new project running.¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± I raised my hand and he turned to look at me. ¡°Does this mean that I stop being your assistant?¡± To be honest, I was a bit bothered. I had grown too ustomed to working for my boss and now, it was weird to suddenly stop working for him.


    ¡°But Bianca, that was the initial n, not so? To bring out those potentials in you. You are worth more than being an assistant.  But not to worry though. You wouldn¡¯t stop working for me until the project is in full motion. You would also be needing my guide through it all as well, so it¡¯s as good as still being your boss.¡±N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    ¡°That sounds much better.¡± I sighed as we stepped into the elevator together. By the time we had gotten to the roof top, I inhaled deeply and stood beside as my boss pressed the door bell. After a while, an elderly lookingdy opened the door and greeted us.


    ¡°Wee sir, madam. Pleasee in.¡± She ushered us in and we sat on one of the long sofas. We had waited for a few minutes before by boss excused himself to use the restroom. He hadn¡¯t been gone for up to 30 seconds when an advanced aged man walked up to me. I hadn¡¯t even noticed his presence until I heard him clear his throat. It was then that I looked up at him. He seemed to have been suprised for a moment.


    ¡°Bellissima.¡± He smiled so warmly. ¡°What is your name?¡± It was then that I suddenly realized who he most certainly was. He oozed of power and wealth.


    ¡°Good afternoon sir. My name is Bianca.¡± I rushed out, standing up in show of respect. Why did he have to show up now of all times, when his grandson wasn¡¯t here? I was extremely tensed.


    ¡°Hmmm.¡± He nodded, taking a seat on the sofa and signaling me to join him. ¡°Bianca you are beautiful. And you have an eyes that is quite familiar to me.¡± He said, looking lost in his thoughts for a moment. His eyes were sad and it made me bad for him.


    ¡°Really?¡± I smiled, trying to influence his mood, and it seemed to work.


    ¡°I like your smile too.¡± He added. ¡°I suppose you are here to see Alexander¡¯s Nonno huh?¡± Wait¡­. He wasn¡¯t Mr Russo? Then who was he?


    ¡°What do you do for Alexander?¡±


    ¡°I am his personal assistant.¡± I managed a smile, gradually getting used to his presence.


    ¡°He sings quite the praises about you to his Nonno. I hope you won¡¯t disappoint.¡±


    ¡°He does?¡± I asked in suprise and he nodded.


    ¡°Yes, he does.¡±


    ¡°Then who are you?¡± I asked, hoping I didn¡¯t sound to forward or rude. He was about answering my question when he got interrupted.


    ¡°Ahhh!!¡± I looked up to see my boss walking towards us and smiling. ¡°Bianca, I can see you have gotten¡­¡±


    ¡°Alexander, my boy.¡± He interjected Alexander. ¡°Your personal assistant is really pretty. It¡¯s my first time seeing such a hair colour. I¡¯m sure your Nonno would like her.¡±


    ¡°My Nonno?¡± My boss asked, looking a bit confused.


    ¡°But of course. Isn¡¯t he the one you have brought her to meet?¡± It took a while for my boss to reply.


    ¡°Yes, he is.¡±


    ¡°I thought as much!¡± He grinned. ¡°He is currently not around.¡± Ohhh. So I probably may not be able to see him today then. ¡°Not to worry dear, he would return soon. By the way, my name is Emilio. I¡¯m a friend of Alexander¡¯s Nonno.¡± Emilio? Why did that name sound¡­.? That was it! Emilio Russo. Emilio Russo is the name of Mr Alexander¡¯s Nonno.


    ¡°You both bear the same name?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes, we do. He is Emilio Russo, and I¡¯m Emilio Powers. I own Powers oil and gas.¡± Really? I had seen a few paper works about Powers on my boss¡¯s desk before. Though I¡¯ve never really handled any of it. So he was the CEO of Powers? Nice. ¡°So my dear miss, would you love me to keep youpany until my friend returns?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely.¡± I smiled, already liking the jolly old man.

 CHAPTER 30

    MANUEL¡¯S POV


    ¡°I have to drop the call now. I have a meeting with Francesca¡¯s father this afternoon.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm.¡± I was sure he had a silly smile on his face. ¡°First meeting with your father inw to be. Must be nice.¡± He muttered, and I sighed. Alexander never really had the opportunity to meet Be¡¯s parents. She was an orphan when they met and hence, they proceeded with the wedding without her family or parents present.


    ¡°We are her family now.¡± I said, but he remained silent. ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am. I¡¯m just worried that when she puts to birth, she would be sad like she was on our wedding day. But just as you said, we are her family now.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Yes. So enjoy your meeting with Francisco Ferrari, while I enjoy mine with Nonno.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that reminds me. I would try to pay him a visit before he returns to Sicily.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you should. I¡¯m using the opportunity to introduce him to Bianca.¡± Bianca. I hadn¡¯t seen her ever since we got back to Mn. Sometimes I think of stopping by at Alexander¡¯s office, but when I remember I am definitely going to run into her, I change my mind. I wouldn¡¯t deceive myself by saying we had parted ways on good terms. We hadn¡¯t, and that was a topic I wasn¡¯t ready to discuss. More so, I have been so angry about the way she invaded my dreams. These days, I noticed I thought about her a lot, and whenever I did, I pictured her naked beneath me. It made me so mad with anger especially during nights Iid together with Francesca. It pained me that I was busy thinking about another woman, whileying next to my wife to be. I regretted ever having sex with her because now, I found it difficult to flush her out of my system or memory.


    I guess it worried me more because even after a whole month of having notid my eyes on her, I craved her even more than I did before. Maybe she was a witch! Her unusual hair and eye colour, her guts towards me¡­. No other woman had ever dared to challenge me physically or by invading my thoughts and dreams uninvited. Not even Francesca. Bianca was definitely a witch. But she wasn¡¯t going to conquer me. I am Manuel Russo. Manuel Russo is not just any man that can be easily conquered by a woman.


    I just had to remain steadfast and refrain from seeing her. That was it! Once Francesca and I get married, the spells of that pretty headed witch would probably not have an effect on me anymore. Yes, that was the solution.


    ¡°How is she?¡± I found myself asking.


    ¡°Who?¡± Alexander asked.


    ¡°Your assistant, of course.¡±


    ¡°I can see she did make an impression huh? I told you she¡¯s good.¡± He sounded happy.


    ¡°I was just asking how she was doing.¡± I muttered. I wasn¡¯t expecting the questions he asked. She did make an impression. A lot of impressions!


    ¡°Like you have been doing for the past couple of weeks.¡± He chuckled.


    ¡°No, I¡¯ve not.¡±


    ¡°Why do you sound offended? I¡¯m just saying I¡¯m d she made an impression.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m saying she didn¡¯t!¡± I burst out in annoyance.


    ¡°She didn¡¯t?¡± He asked, almost sounding worried. ¡°But Bianca is very impressionable. A certain business colleague she met at the conference hasn¡¯t even stopped asking about her.¡±


    ¡°Is he interested in her?¡± I tried to sound as casual as possible. Why did I even care?


    ¡°I guess so. Why do you even¡­.? My goodness, Manuel! You like her!!¡± Heughed like a kid, and it only provoked me.


    ¡°That is very absurd, Alex.¡± I scowled, even though he couldn¡¯t see me.


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by ¡®how¡¯? You know I¡¯m very picky and not a lot of women interest me. I only ask about Bianca every week because I still feel guilty over her wrongful abduction. And that¡¯s that. Wouldn¡¯t you be suprised if I don¡¯t ask about her, after spending three weeks together on my ind? How could you think I would fancy Bianca?¡± I scoffed. ¡°She¡¯s your assistant for crying out loud.¡±


    ¡°And assistants do not deserve to be liked or admired?¡±


    ¡°I never said that, Alex. Stop putting words in my mouth.¡±


    ¡°Fine!¡± Heughed. ¡°I really do enjoy getting on your nerves though. I¡¯m sorry.¡± Heughed harder.


    ¡°Dick head.¡± I chuckled. ¡°I am goingte for my meeting already. I would update you on how sessful or unsessful the meeting turns out.¡±


    ¡°Jeez, Manuel. You really believe he can change his mind now, after giving his consent already?¡± He chuckled.


    ¡°Francisco Ferrari is capable of anything.¡± I scoffed.


    ¡°True. You should hang up and get going already. You wouldn¡¯t want to bete on your first meeting. You need to make and impression just like Bianca. All the best!¡± The annoying cousin of mine. He was truly trying to annoy me with all these Bianca talks. He didn¡¯t even wait for me to hang up like he had suggested, before doing so himself. Dramatically rolling my eyes, I picked up my phones and walked out of the office.


    Just as I got to the entrance of my office building, I came across that particr cousin of mine that never parted ways with me, without sessfully pissing me off.


    ¡°Anthonio.¡± I gave him a curt nod.


    ¡°Manuel.¡± He replied with a nod of his own. I had expected him to walk and pass, but no. He definitely wanted an opportunity to piss me off. What was he even doing in mypany in the first ce?


    ¡°On your way out?¡±


    ¡°What does it even matter to you?¡± I asked, trying to appear unprovoked.


    ¡°Easy.¡± He muttered. ¡°I was asking because I needed to see you.¡± Only God knew what he needed my assistance with this time. Since he hadpleted his tutge under me a couple of months back, he had somewhat deluded himself into thinking we were cool now.


    ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°I need your help with securing a major contract.¡± He went straight to the point, pissing me off the more. The confidence he had to think I would so easily agree to be of help to him.


    ¡°I can¡¯t help you.¡± I simply replied.


    ¡°You can¡¯t, or you won¡¯t?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Both.¡± I replied almost immediately. With Anthonio, I was everything the word ¡®petty¡¯ described. And I really didn¡¯t care. He looked at me for a moment, before releasing a sigh.


    ¡°Manuel, we aren¡¯t kids any longer. I thought I had atoned for my sins enough?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s clear you haven¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m your family, and I need your help.¡± He said, looking at me in disbelief.


    ¡°Uhhmm¡­ Anthonio, I have an important meeting with my Fiancee¡¯s father. I don¡¯t really have much time on my hands. Tell me what exactly you want and let me think about it.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s one more slot remaining for the uing national car race championship events. I need A. RUSSO to be able to participate in that event. You happen to be well acquainted with the¡­.¡± I already knew where he was headed, so I cut him off.


    ¡°I would think about it.¡± With that, I turned and walked out of my building. I knew I was definitely going to put a call across to the minister in charge of the event. Moreover, hispany was a part of the Russo empire, and his loss affects everyone as well. I just wanted to give him a bit of a hard time.


    The ride to the Ferraris mansion was smooth and less disturbing. I had expected to feel tensed all the way there but suprisingly, I wasn¡¯t. It felt like every other business meeting I attended. Just as I got to the mansion, Francesca¡¯s call came in and I managed a smile. She was probably calling to scold me.


    ¡°I¡¯m just right in front of your door.¡± I muttered into the phone the moment I picked up.


    ¡°You are?¡± She sounded very excited, and I nodded,pletely forgetting she couldn¡¯t see me.


    ¡°Yes, I am.¡±


    ¡°Alright. I would be down with you shortly.¡± She said before hanging up the call. Just then, a call came in from Massimo. He knew I was to see Francesca¡¯s father today. What was so important that had him calling?


    ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Hello Don. So sorry to disturb your meeting.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm. What¡¯s happening?¡±


    ¡°Jacobo has fled the country.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible.¡± Iughed. ¡°All he has is here in Italy. His family are here too.¡±


    ¡°Same thing that baffles me.¡± Massimo sighed. ¡°He left his family behind.¡±


    ¡°He really left the country? But I thought he was under the surveince of our men?!¡± I could already feel myself losing it. A lot of things seemed to be pissing me off today. I remember returning from Moscow to be told that Jacobo imed he had never had any physical meeting with X. If that was the case, why was he suddenly fleeing from the country? The coward didn¡¯t even leave any sort of protection for his family.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Don. We failed in our duties.¡± Came Massimo¡¯s reply. I was about talking when Francesca appeared at the doorstep, looking every shade of excitement.


    ¡°We would continue this discussionter Massimo.¡± I muttered, before hanging up the call and turning my attention to Francesca.


    ¡°Hey babyyy.¡± She grinned, pulling my head down for a quick kiss. ¡°Missed me?¡± She asked, and I shrugged. I honestly couldn¡¯t tell if I did. She rolled her eyes and muttered. ¡°Forgot how unromantic you could be. My father awaits you inside.¡± She said, and I nodded. We both made our way together into her home. It was very weird to say, but I hadn¡¯t been to Francesca¡¯s family home before. I definitely knew her home, but have never been there. This was my first visit.


    ***********************************


    LAURA¡¯S POV


    Just like every other Saturday, I had cleaned up my room and done myundry. I was stepping out of the bathroom after my bath, and was shocked to meet Madam Beatriz on my bed.


    ¡°Hey.¡± She muttered.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.


    ¡°Good morning.¡± I shivered as an effect of the cold air condition on my wet body.


    ¡°It¡¯s seems to be afternoon already.¡± She smiled. ¡°You haven¡¯t had anything to eat today.¡±


    ¡°Have been busy withundry.¡±


    ¡°Lauraaa¡­¡± She sighed. ¡°I miss you so much. You seem so close but distant these days. Or does thate with the change of fashion style?¡± She asked, making me break into a smile. I was trying so hard to hold back a chuckle. Madame Beatriz could be really funny atimes. Remembering the conversation I had with Bianca during the week, I sighed and made my way to where she sat on my bed.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± I choked out, tears clouding my eyes. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to be distant. I¡¯ve just had a lot going through my mind. I find it difficult to arrange my thoughts.¡±


    ¡°I know. I know you feel angry as well. And I am ready to remain silent at my son for as long as it pleases you.¡± I looked into her eyes and I couldn¡¯t detect any uncertainty or lie in there.


    ¡°That¡¯s a rash decision to make.¡± I chuckled. ¡°He is your son.¡±


    ¡°And he hurt you. You¡¯re my daughter too.¡± She held my hands in hers and my skin weed the warmth of her palms.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± I whispered. ¡°For everything.¡± I found myself falling into her open arms and she held me so tightly. After a while of staying in each other¡¯s embrace, I asked my next question. ¡°It¡¯s been a month already. What if I never forgive him? You can¡¯t remain mad at him forever. Please don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°This is why I had so much confidence when I said I was willing to stay mad at him as long you wanted.¡± She pulled away from me and held my cheeks in her palms. ¡°Because you wouldn¡¯t make me stay long. You are one of the few people I know, that has such a kind heart, my dear.¡±


    ¡°You think?¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± She nodded with a warm smile that made my heart melt. Just then, a call came in through her phone and she released a sigh the moment she looked at the caller¡¯s ID. ¡°It¡¯s Davide. I have to answer it.¡± She said and I nodded. ¡°Buongiorno.¡± She said the moment she answered the call.


    ¡°¡­.¡± I couldn¡¯t hear what he had said.


    ¡°He is?¡± Her smile faltered and she looked up at me. She quickly looked away and swallowed some saliva. ¡°That is because I haven¡¯t been taking his calls.¡± She looked like she was about to tear up and it made me worried. What was the matter with Davide? ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I wouldn¡¯t go.¡± She muttered once more.


    After a while, she gave me the phone and I took it. My hands shook as I put them to my ear. These people were my family and whatever hurt them, hurt me as well.


    ¡°Hello?¡± I muttered.


    ¡°Laura. How are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± I replied, fearcing my voice. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± I dared to ask.


    ¡°Ricardo is extremely ill. He had tried to call Dad, but can¡¯t reach him. He also called mom but apparently, she doesn¡¯t take his calls anymore. And even now, she isn¡¯t willing to go see him.¡± Oh. Now I understood it all.


    ¡°She is.¡± I choked out


    ¡°What was that?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I said she is willing to go. She¡¯s just bothered she¡¯d hurt my feelings and that¡¯s¡­..¡± I paused, looking at her as tears welled up in my eyes. ¡°That¡¯s crazy.¡± A tear slipped down my eyes as I held her own eyes. She was already crying as well.


    ¡°Are you crying? Wait, is my mom crying as well?¡±


    ¡°A little.¡± I choked out, trying hold back more tears. It was crazy that she was really going to abandon her sick son because of me.


    ¡°Laura, my sweetheart.¡± Davide suddenly said, making me smile. I knew I looked weird crying and smiling at the same time. Maybe it was because I knew he referred to me that way, because he needed a favour.


    ¡°What do you want me to do for you?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Such a smart girl.¡± He chuckled. ¡°It is quite a hard task, but not something impossible to do.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°God! I told that spoilt brat that I wasn¡¯t gonna be helping him this time. What am I doing now?¡± He muttered to himself. What was he talking about? ¡°Please, could you go check on Ricardo yourself? That way, mom doesn¡¯t feel guilty. I also have a lot to discuss with her while you¡¯re away.¡± I went silent for while. The aim of my silence was to think about his request, but I seemed to be nodding my head even before I could think.


    ¡°Fine. I would go. I guess I would have to face him finally, not so?¡±


    ¡°Ohhh, I¡¯m sending a thousand kisses to you right this moment. I would send you his house address in a matter of seconds. Thank you so much love.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± I managed to say, wondering what I had been thinking when I made such a promise.


    ¡°Please could you give the phone to my mom now?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± I held the phone out to Madame Beatriz. ¡°I would go wear some clothes.¡± I mumbled, before making my way to my wardrobe. I wanted something simple to wear, so I settled for a short lc sundress. I applied my body lotion and face lotion, and applied a leave in conditioner to my hair. I loved how it smelled.


    Federico was such a thoughtful guy. Yes, you guessed right. He had gotten it and a few skin products for me as well. All the while, I tried to distract myself with thoughts of other things, but it just wasn¡¯t working. I knew I had made a huge decision by agreeing to go see Ricardo, when I wasn¡¯t even ready to face him yet.

 CHAPTER 31

    LAURA¡¯S POV


    The moment I was done dressing up, I waved at Madame Beatriz and was about to leave when she held my hand. ¡°Are you sure?¡± She mouthed, looking worried. I forced a smile and nodded, before turning and walking out of my room.


    I had gotten to Ricardo¡¯s apartment about 20 minutester, and was about pressing the door bell for the fifth time. Just before I could press on it, the door opened and I saw him standing so unsteadily. He looked pale and dazed. Seeing him in that moment, all my anger flew out the window. I was instantly worried for him.


    ¡°Ricardo!¡± I quickly walked inside and closed the door behind me. Before I could reach out and hold his arm, he had fallen into one of the sofas in the living room. I walked closer to hold his hand, but was shocked at how high his temperature was. ¡°Christ! Ricardo!¡± I quickly flung my handbag to another sofa and tried to assist him up. ¡°Hold on to me.¡± I ordered, and he lifted his arms with so much unease. He was really sick. How could Madame Beatriz think it was okay to leave him on his own? I felt tears clouding my eyes and cursed myself for being so soft. When he was steadily holding on to me, I made my way out of the living room, towards where the bedrooms seemed to be located.


    ¡°Easy.¡± I muttered, when he had almost fallen off me. He couldn¡¯t even say a word back to me. He was that weak.


    It was already close to evening and I had sessfully dabbed his body with some cold towel to regte his hot temperature. I also went to a nearby pharmaceutical store to get drugs for him. Atleast, now he seemed to be slightly better than when I hade. I walked into his room with the warm soup I had just prepared, in a tray. He was still sleeping, so I quietly dropped it on his table, before stepping out of the room. I went back to the living room and picked up my phone from where itid on one of the couches, only to see a couple of missed calls from Madame Beatriz. I quickly called her and waited for her to pick up.


    ¡°Laura, I¡¯ve been calling. Are you fine? Did anything happen there?¡± She sounded so worried.


    ¡°Calm down, I¡¯m fine.¡± I sighed. ¡°I¡¯ve just been busy taking care of him, and my phone has been far from me. He is extremely ill.¡± I muttered thest part. She was silent for a while, before asking.


    ¡°How sick?¡±


    ¡°He couldn¡¯t even stand steadily or speak to me when I came.¡± She went silent once more and it made me feel bad. She was probably feeling so horrible for neglecting her son.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± She interjected.


    ¡°He has improved now. Atleast, he¡¯s temperature has dropped since he took the drugs from¡­..¡±


    ¡°You got him drugs?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I did.¡± I replied, wondering why she sounded quite worried.


    ¡°There is a particr brand he¡­.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± I found myself smiling. ¡°I definitely didn¡¯t buy the brand he reacts to.¡± She went silent for a moment, before responding.


    ¡°Thank you for being with him. Would you be able to return tonight?¡±


    ¡°I doubt.¡± I replied. ¡°He needs to be closely observed. He¡¯s improving, but not strong yet.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. I shoulde around tomorrow with some change of clothing for you.¡±


    ¡°That would be nice.¡±


    We spoke for a few more minutes and I hung up. It was as if the stress of the day just began to weigh on me, and I found myself falling into deep slumber. Just before I could give in, I walked to Rardo¡¯s room andid on the long sofa there. Eventually, I slept off there. Some minutester, I felt a warm hand tapping me, and I immediately opened my eyes.


    ¡°You shoulde sleep on the bed.¡± I looked up to see Ricardo. He seemed much better now, though his eyes were a bit swollen.


    ¡°No, I am just fine here.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure? You¡¯ve been in this position for hours now.¡± What? Hours?


    ¡°Hours? What¡¯s the time?¡±


    ¡°Some minutes to 9pm.¡± He replied and my eyes widened. I stood from the sofa and my back ached badly. Fuck!


    ¡°Can I use your spare room?¡± I asked, not sparing him a nce.


    ¡°It¡¯s in a bad shape. It¡¯s not been arranged since I moved in. I haven¡¯t really had the time, and I hardly entertain visitors that spend the night.¡± It was then that I took note of how he spoke to me. He couldn¡¯t hold my eyes.


    ¡°So where do I stay?¡±


    ¡°Y.. you could u.. use my bed?¡± He stuttered, making me look up at him in suprise, our eyes locking. We stared at each for a while, his beautiful grey eyes cowering before mine that looked deeply into his. I felt his hand on mine, before he opened his lips and whispered. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± I was angry at myself for being so weak in that moment. I couldn¡¯t even say a word as my lips quivered. I guess that was probably because it was the first time Ricardo was cowering before me. Or maybe it was because of how warm his hand felt against mine. Whichever it is, my heart certainly wasn¡¯t able to take it.


    ¡°Ricardo.¡± I managed to say, my lips twitching at the corner.


    ¡°Is it possible that you¡¯d ever forgive me?¡± He rushed out, his voice still low.


    ¡°Ricardo, I¡­¡±


    ¡°Please tell me that it¡¯s possible.¡± He pleaded, tears clouding his eye, shocking me all the more.


    ¡°Ricardo please I don¡¯t want to talk about this now.¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡± His eyes dropped in sadness. ¡°I thought you wanted to¡­¡±


    ¡°I do want to, but not right now.¡± I tried exining to him. All of a sudden, I felt annoyed for speaking so casually with him. We weren¡¯t on talking terms! ¡°I¡¯m only speaking so nicely to you, because you happen go be ill.¡± I rified, making his face drop. He slowly nodded and let go off my hand, before shifting to the far end of the bed. I knew that his gesture was for me toy at the closer corner of the bed. On a normal day, I would have declined but today, I was too tired to think of declining. I hopped onto the bed andid down. I didn¡¯t move to the extreme end of my side because I didn¡¯t want the whole thing to start seeming childish. We stayed silent on the bed and after a while, I started feeling drowsy. But that was until I felt Ricardo inching towards me. My brain went into full action at once. And¡­. so did my body. Soon, he was close enough to me, but we weren¡¯t touching each other.


    ¡°Federico.¡± He whispered, making me turn to him with a questioning look. ¡°Have you both¡­.?¡± He trailed off, notpleting his question. I was still trying to grasp what he meant, when he covered the space between our faces and kissed me. I wanted to push him away. That was the valid and reasonable thing to do. But somehow, I couldn¡¯t get my limbs to work. Before I knew it, he disconnected our lips. ¡°Have you?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that is any business of yours. And you don¡¯t have the right to kiss me when you feel like it!¡± I replied sternly. ¡°Whether we kiss or make love, that¡¯s not your business.¡± I added. I watched in shock as tears clouded his eyes once more, and he slowly moved away from me. Before he could move farther, I held his arm and he looked at me. He had this glimmer of hope in his eyes, and it made me wonder if Bianca was right after all. Did Ricardo really love me? I really didn¡¯t know why, but the thought that he did, made my belly twist in excitement. Weird excitement. Was I the sick one here? I looked into his beautiful gray eyes again, and I whispered the next words.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Kiss me again.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± His eyes widened slightly in what seemed to be disbelief. Already feeling stupid due to the request I just asked of him, I turned my back to him as I bit my lip painfully. Why did I have to ask something so stupid? I had just told him a few seconds back, that he had no rights kissing me. Now, I was bestowing that right upon him. I was still silently berating myself when I felt his hands on my arms. This time, he held the chin of my face and turned me to himself. Not allowing me to say another word, he leaned down and took my lips with his. I let out a tired sigh as he plunged his tongue into my mouth, quickly taking all liberties he could get. I slowly began to respond to his hot kisses, but he still dominated me effortlessly. He wasn¡¯t kissing me, he was ravaging my lips. He moved closer and closer, until he was finally on top of me. This was going too far already. But I wasn¡¯t willing to stop him because I was enjoying it. His kisses, his attention, the way he gingerly caressed my skin with his semi rough palms. I liked it all. My hands made their way to his hair and grabbed a handful of it in between my slender fingers. He let out a grunt and pulled his lips away from my mouth. He began licking the sides of my mouth as his hands made their way underneath my short sun dress.


    It was all cool until his thumb brushed across my vulva, underneath thece panties I wore. I gasped reflexly and he stilled every action, including his kisses. We both panted against each other¡¯s lips and he whispered. ¡°Do you trust me?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± I replied without even thinking twice. And I honestly didn¡¯t feel bad about my reply. That was the truth. I didn¡¯t trust Ricardo. I was slowly realizing that I knew nothing about him, knew less about his intentions towards me, and hadn¡¯t an idea if I was already getting over all his wrongs against me.


    ¡°I understand.¡± He nodded sincerely, and was getting off my body when I frowned.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°I.. I¡­ We¡­¡± I knew he was going to keep stuttering, so I helped him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t trust you, but I like your kisses. Don¡¯t stop.¡± I looked at him with desire filled eyes and his hands quickly went underneath my dress again, finding its way in between my thighs. I had wanted to tell him that wasn¡¯t part of a kiss, but damn the sensations his fingers made me feel. We weren¡¯t kissing, but just looking at each other as his hand shifted my panties asides, and a finger slide in. It was ufortable at first, until he slowly started moving inside me.


    ¡°Haahhh¡­¡± I sighed, loving the feeling. His thumb found my clitoris and began rubbing against it as his middle finger continued fucking me. I felt like I was going to explode the next minute, my mouth opened as Iet out pleasure filled gasps.


    He kept his eyes fixed on mine as he administered all these actions. All of a sudden, he retrieved his hand from my cunt and moved his body down to my private area. The next thing I knew, his head was diving in between my thighs and his mouth was eating me up. That was when I eventually started letting out screams. If he had neighbors, they would have probably called 911 for reports of domestic violence. Yes, I had been that loud.


    All I remembered was arching my back so deeply when the clouds were finally within my reach, and falling back on the bed in exhaustion. After that, I could feel the bed dip beside me, indicating that Ricardo wasying by me. I felt his fingers trailing lines on my arm, before I eventually slept off.


    ********************************


    BIANCA¡¯S POV


    I looked at Laura in total amusement as she gave me the gist of what had gone down between Ricardo and herselfst night. God! This girl definitely loved it all, but was trying to force herself not to.


    ¡°Laura, let go.¡± I smiled. ¡°You enjoyed it, and so did he. You had that discussion with him this morning, before leaving his ce. Now you know everything, and you know he loves you. You have already tortured the poor guy for more than a month now, making the rest of his family do the same. You have tortured yourself too. It¡¯s time to embrace the opportunity you have at love.¡±


    ¡°But how can I love Ricardo?¡± She wailed.


    ¡°You can. Except you don¡¯t want to, it¡¯s your choice. You have to understand that love takes time to grow.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not it.¡± She muttered, looking away in embarrassment. It took a few more seconds to finally understand what she meant when she asked ¡®how she could love him¡¯. She wasn¡¯t trying to, she already already did. And now she was questioning herself because it didn¡¯t feel right.


    ¡°Oh my goodness, Laura!¡±


    ¡°Pipe down! Your Papa can step in here at any moment.¡± She whispered, making me chuckle.


    ¡°Laura you love him!¡±


    ¡°I said ¡®pipe down¡¯! And love is such a strong word to describe the way I feel.¡±


    ¡°And how do you feel?¡± I asked and she sighed, readjusting herself on my bed.


    ¡°I actually do not like the feel of Federico, when he is in a closely intimate range with me. But when it¡¯s Ricardo, I¡¯d want him tangled with me all day, if possible.¡± She looked down at her hands with a small smile on her face. I was happy for Laura truly. She deserves every happiness she can get. ¡°And despite how much he¡¯s made me cry in the past, I hate to see even an unshed tear in his eyes. It bothers me so much, even more when I¡¯m the cause of his tears.¡±


    ¡°Lauraaaa, you¡¯re so kind.¡± I muttered in all honesty. ¡°You deserved to be treated with so much love. I know you are not there yet, but with the look of things, you¡¯re heading there. Let Ricardo love you. From what I know, he¡¯s willing to be patient with you. He¡¯d give you as much time you need to heal and begin to love him like he loves you. But for that to happen, you should definitely give him a chance. Giving him a chance doesn¡¯t mean you should go on and ept his rtionship proposal. Giving a chance is simply letting him into your life. Giving him a chance is making him believe you trust in his capabilities to be better. Giving him a chance is giving him hope for a future between you both.¡±


    ¡°I have heard you my friend.¡± Laura smiled in appreciation. ¡°Just like you suggested, it was best I spoke with him and¡­.¡± She was still speaking when the knock on my door interrupted her.


    ¡°Bianca?!¡± That was papa.


    ¡°Yes Papa!¡±


    ¡°You have a visitor.¡± Came his voice from the other side of the door.


    ¡°I do? Who is it?¡± I quickly hopped down the bed and walked to the door and opened it. ¡°Papa, who is it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s our friend.¡± He grinned. I had never seen my father so ecstatic before. What was it now?


    ¡°Our friend? Who is our friend?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Anthonio.¡± He whispered, his brows dancing up and down, making meugh.


    ¡°Papa, he¡¯s MY friend.¡± I cleared his notion and he scoffed.


    ¡°He is in the living room, you should go see him now.¡± He demanded, and I nodded in obedience. I mouthed an ¡®I¡¯ll be right back¡¯ to Laura, before closing the door and jogging down the stairs to see him. I was quite excited to see him, as we hadn¡¯t been able to see each other yesterday. When I got to the living room and saw him sitting down, I broke into a smile. Immediately, papa and mama excused us both, making me wonder why. That was unusual.


    ¡°Anthonio?¡± I called out to him, and that was when he looked up at me. He seemed to be worried about something. ¡°Are you okay?¡± I asked and he nodded. He stood from the sofa he had been sitting on, and walked towards me.


    ¡°Bianca.¡± He called, looking down into my eyes, holding my hand in his. I was more worried, until he said the next words. ¡°I know this is weird. I had nned spending the weekend with my family but when I thought about you¡­. I couldn¡¯t help but rush down here to see you.¡±


    ¡°Annn.¡± I smiled, removing my hands from his, and wrapping them around his torso as I hugged him. He gently pulled away, making me frown.


    ¡°That¡¯s not it.¡± He sighed. ¡°I want to be close to you more than before. More and more as the day goes by.¡±


    ¡°Anthonio.¡± I muttered with a small smile on my face.


    ¡°Bianca¡­. please would you make me so happy by epting to be my woman?¡± He asked. His hands that were holding my arms were shaking in anxiety, and it only made me smile. He was the sweetest man I knew presently, so why not?


    ¡°Yes, I will.¡± I smiled shyly and he grinned widely.


    ¡°For real?¡± He asked.


    ¡°For real.¡± I answered, before he cupped me cheeks and gave me a sound kiss. That was our first kiss and it wasn¡¯t bad. It was part of the things Iiked about Anthonio. He was a perfect gentleman and very patient with me. He never tried to pressure me into being intimate with him in anyway. He moved at a steady pace, which I really needed since I was on my way topletely getting over another. We pulled apart after kissing, then fell into each other¡¯s embrace.


    ¡°Thank you. Thank you so much my love.¡± He whispered into my ears, making me sigh in contentment. Atleast, my life was headed somewhere beautiful now. I was happy.


    Little did I know that the next couple of months were gonna be shocking and crazy. I was literally going to go insane with the decisions I would have to make.

 CHAPTER 32

    1 MONTH LATER


    BIANCA¡¯S POV


    ¡°Emilio!!¡± I giggled in disbelief. This old man was such a clown.


    ¡°For real my dear!¡± He grinned. ¡°She had been yelling in my face, but the only thing I could think about was how beautiful she was, and how I must make her the mother of my children. Oh, my Rosa. She was so calm, but extremely spirited when provoked.¡± He chuckled, looking into nowhere in particr as he reminisced his time together with histe wife. ¡°I really do miss her.¡± He muttered, and I sighed. I could only imagine the pains he went through. Being so old and not having yourpanion anymore. Amara and M were very much still alive. We always talked as much as we could, but I still missed them dearly.


    ¡°I know how you feel. I guess what hurts the most is the fact that you¡¯ll never be able to see her again.¡± I held his hand in mine and he smiled warmly at me.


    ¡°Bianca, I never knew that the day woulde, until you stepped in here a month ago. When I saw you, I saw Rosa. Your eyes felt like my dead wife had somehow reincarnated. Those eyes of hers were very rare. Rosa was a rare angel. You are even much rare. Your kind heart is so maic and makes me feel so much peace. And I want you to know that you would always be under my protection. It would pain me greatly, for anyone to hurt you under my watch. It would never happen.¡±


    ¡°Emilio.¡± I whispered, feeling really touched. The man had been nothing short of nice to me, ever since I got to know him. I went into his embrace and sighed deeply. Coming over to see Emilio on busy days was just a miracle for me. I don¡¯t know how he did it, but he always sent for me whenever I had a load of work to tend to at the office.


    Whenever I came to the penthouse, it was no less than a daily vacation for me. I always slept to my satisfaction, ate well, and talked with him to my heart¡¯s content. I don¡¯t know how, but the man understood me greatly, like no one else. He also had a very cool way of letting me see things in a better perspective.


    ¡°When are you leaving?¡± I asked, feeling sad already.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that now, my dear. I already extended my stay a for some extra weeks because of you. I promise toe down to Mn more regrly than before. Atleast, I have a reason to, now. Or you can alwayse over to my mansion in Sicily!¡± He said in excitement. ¡°You would love it there, trust me.¡±


    ¡°I know I would.¡± I pulled away from him with a small smile. ¡°Being here with you is already enjoyable, talk more of being in your luxury mansion.¡± Iughed, then stopped when I remembered that the major reason I met Emilio was yet to be aplished. ¡°But Emilio, I hope you don¡¯t mind?¡±


    ¡°What about?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s about the meeting with Mr Emilio Russo. I¡¯m still yet to meet him after 1 month.¡± I mumbled. ¡°My boss expects a lot from me, and I don¡¯t want to let him down.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s not your fault if my dear friend just spontaneously decided to whisk himself off to another country a month ago. Do not worry yourself, Manuel knows it is not your fault. His Nonno can be a handful.¡± Instead of being quiet, I nodded my head in annoyance and spat out my next words.


    ¡°All Russo men are a hand full!¡± I scowled and Emilio gave me a funny expression.


    ¡°Hmmm? Trouble in paradise?¡± He grinned. ¡°You sound like you are having some sort of disagreement with Anthonio.¡±


    Well, Emilio found out about my rtionship with Anthonio just a few days back.


    ¡°Well, not really. I¡¯m just not happy with him.¡± I sighed.


    ¡°And why is that?¡± He asked, paying meplete attention.


    ¡°Well, hispany got selected to run for the national car race event, just a week ago. He had been informed of an impending business workshop for the purpose of the event. The workshop is to hold in Japan apparently, but only told me about it yesterday.¡± I sighed sadly.


    ¡°So, that means he would be traveling soon?¡±


    ¡°Yes. He would be traveling tomorrow, to return in a month¡¯s time.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s sad. And I understand you feel angry because he is leaving under such a short notice. But not to worry, you¡¯d be fine. It¡¯s seems like a month is sooo long, but it would fly by in the twinkle of an eye.¡±


    ¡°I hope so.¡±


    ¡°Now, Anthonio is not so bad.¡± He chuckled. ¡°I would agree that Manuel is a hand full though.¡± He sighed. Yeeaahhh!! Don¡¯t judge me! There was no way I could tell Emilio about Anthonio, with speaking of Manuel. Yes, he knows I had always loved Manuel. Yes, he knows Anthonio has finally helped me rid Manuel off my mind. And yes!! He knows I don¡¯t n on ever letting go of Anthonio. He was such a ray of sunshine in my life. I trusted Emilio not to disclose our discussions with anyone else, so I wasn¡¯t bothered in any way. He was literally the only one that knew of our rtionship, alongside Laura and my parents. It was so weird that I was yet to tell M about it.


    My parents and I had just returned from New York a week ago. We had attended M and Carter¡¯s wedding, and I had been hoping to catch up with her about a lot of things, but I didn¡¯t get the opportunity. They wedding period had been extremely busy and draining for her.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t answered me yet. When are you leaving?¡± I asked again.


    ¡°In a few days time.¡± He gave a sad smile. Oh now, I hated how emotional I had begun to feel. No no! I hope I wasn¡¯t about crying? God! What was wrong with me?


    ¡°Okay.¡± I managed to say, without my voice breaking.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I would be back soon. Meanwhile, have you invested into the uing Russo project, like I advised you?¡±N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    ¡°Yes.¡± I smiled. ¡°I finalized the entire process yesterday. A whole lot of my savings had gone into that, but I trust that my returns would be worth it.¡± Part of the things I had learned from Emilio was being a good investor. I had told him about my dream to be so powerful and wealthy. To control a lot of industries andpanies. To have a say in the Italy government. I had expected him tough off my talks as the dreams of a silly girl, but he had done the opposite. Actually, part of the reasons he always called me over to the penthouse, was to tutor me on leadership and investment. ording to him, good investments brought massive returns, and massive returns helps one build wealth. He told me that the honest truth remained the fact that a leader cannot fully ess the perks of being a leader, if he or she isn¡¯t rich. So the first thing I have to do is make money. A lot of youths don¡¯t realize investment is another secret to making wealth.


    ording to him, nothing was too small to be invested in a legitimate and well known thrivingpany. I had invested two third of my savings from work into the uing Russo ¡®gold empire¡¯ project. It made me wonder why he hadn¡¯t told me to invest in his oilpany instead.


    ¡°I know that the gold business is very lucrative, especially amongst the high ss. But then, oil and gas is another good business. I am very sure Powers oil and gas is thriving as much as expected. So why didn¡¯t you advise me to invest in Powers instead?¡±


    ¡°Bianca, all I want is for you to trust me. You would know the reason in due time. I would never lead you astray.¡± He smiled, patting my shoulder.


    ********************************


    I walked into the office to see a bouquet of rose flowers on my desk. I frowned in confusion. Who was this from? I took out the card inside the flower and read it. The note was congratting me on my promotion? What was going on? I quickly made my way into my boss¡¯s office and gave a knock.


    ¡°Come in!¡± His voice resonated through the walls of the office. I quickly made my way inside and he grinned at me.


    ¡°S.. sir?¡± I stuttered. ¡°I saw a flower with a congrattory note on my desk.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± He smiled. ¡°Congrattions to you Bianca. You just got promoted.¡±


    ¡°Where to?¡± I asked in confusion. I knew the only other job he had in mind for me, was to be a part of his grandpa¡¯s project, and I couldn¡¯t even get the man to see me even once! I watched in confusion as he shuffled through some folders on his desk, and finally picked one out. He stretched his hand and gave it to me. I hurriedly took it from him.


    ¡°Open it.¡± He instructed, and I did. I went through it and my eyes widened slightly. What was happening? I was now in charge of the new Russo project? The gold empire? What was happening?


    ¡°I¡­ I¡­ what¡¯s this? I don¡¯t understand.¡± I muttered, tears welling in my eyes.


    ¡°Well, my Nonno has approved you to take on the project.¡±


    ¡°But I didn¡¯t even see him. I didn¡¯t talk to him, he didn¡¯t discuss¡­¡±


    ¡°Bianca¡­¡± My boss gave me a pointed look and I went silent. ¡°The man thinks for some weird reasons his FRIEND had given him, that you are fit for the job.¡± Wait a minute. Did he just say ¡®his friend¡¯? Emilio? Oh my goodness! Emilio had put in a good word for me!!


    ¡°It¡¯s Emilio?¡± I asked, already tearing up.


    ¡°Oh my goodness.¡± Mr Alexander rolled his eyes in disbelief. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me the fact that it¡¯s Emilio, makes you feel so touched to the extent of crying?!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m crying?!¡± I wailed in disbelief.


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re crying Bianca. Goodness gracious. What is wrong with you these days?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m sorry.¡± I quickly cleaned the tears off my eyes, even if more tears kept pouring out.


    ¡°Is this because of the workload recently?¡± He asked in worry. ¡°I have noticed that you¡¯re always fatigued during work hours. Your eye bags are very visible, and even Emilio has told me to reduce the work you have to do. Even after doing that, you¡¯re still very stressed as I can see.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I can manage work perfectly well.¡±


    ¡°You would even have more work to do, now that you have been given a better job. Are you sure you can handle?¡±


    ¡°Yes sir!¡± I rushed out, cleaning off the residual tears in my eyes. ¡°I can definitely manage.¡±


    ¡°But I think you should see a Doctor. You¡¯re not fine. Please, I urge you to visit the hospital today.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± I squeaked out.


    ¡°Here.¡± He pulled out a card from his desk drawer and gave it to me. ¡°That¡¯s the Russo family doctor. You must visit him today.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± I nodded in obedience. He wasn¡¯t lying though. I was weak these days, and it made it difficult for me to work efficiently. I always felt sleepy during work hours as well, even after sleeping through the night.


    ¡°You¡¯re dismissed for the rest of the day and the next. Congrattions once again.¡± He smiled and I returned it with a grateful one. I took the project folder with me as I left his office. Just as I got back to my work desk, I messaged my boyfriend to share the good news, and he seemed ted. I knew asking when he was going to return was useless, because he hadn¡¯t even been gone for up to a week. He also encouraged me to go for the medical check up and adviced me to get a lot of vitamins, as he believed I was fatigued. After we were done texting, I made my way to Laura¡¯s office to inform her that I was going to leave the office, just incase she came to call me for lunch and I wasn¡¯t around. When I got to her office and asked for her, I was told by a colleague that she had been called to Ricardo¡¯s office. A smile made it¡¯s way to my face. It definitely felt so interesting to be doing what they were doing. Sneaking around with each other during work, just because Laura wasn¡¯t ready to make their rtionship public yet.


    I eventually made my way to Ricardo¡¯s office and was suprised to see that his new assistant wasn¡¯t on seat. I got closer to the door connected to his office and was about knocking when I heard sounds. I clearly knew what those sounds were. Oh my goodness! Was Ricardo cheating on Laura with his assistant??! Before I could even think further, I turned the door knob and pushed the door open in anger. I guess it was toote to unsee what I had seen. Oh my goodness! How wrong I had been. Ricardo and Laura should pipe it down please!!!!


    *


    *


    *


    I patiently waited for the Doctor to return with the results of my tests, already feeling tired again. Finally, the door opened and he walked into the office.


    ¡°So sorry for taking a lot of time.¡± He muttered, before sitting opposite me and opening the envelope in his hands. He handed it over to me and I didn¡¯t bother opening it. I knew he¡¯d definitely have to exin everything in the paper.


    ¡°So what¡¯s the problem Doctor?¡± I enquired, and he smiled.


    ¡°ording to the result there, you¡¯re 9 weeks pregnant. Congrattions.¡± What?!!


    ¡°Wh.. wh¡­ what did you just say?¡± I asked in a mix of fear, disbelief, and shock. I could already feel my heartbeat elerating. No no no!! It couldn¡¯t be true. I waited for him to prove me wrong and say something else was the matter with me. Maybe, I heard wrong.


    ¡°You are pregnant madame. You are required to refrain from¡­.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible.¡± I cut him off. ¡°I just saw my period a week ago. So how is it possible that I am 9 weeks pregnant? There is a mistake somewhere.¡± I said confidently. ¡°In fact, I think the case should be that I¡¯m having a hormonal imbnce, because I tend to see my period more often and irregrly these days.¡± I rushed out, my breathing bing erratic. ¡°I think there¡¯s a mistake somewhere.¡±


    ¡°I understand your concerns madame. Indeed, you may have experienced some bleedings and spottings, but it does not mean that you¡¯re menstruating. Like you said, those bleedings are irregr. But I would definitely administer some medications to help with that. It is verymon during the first trimester of pregnancy.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± That was supposed to be said in my mind, but I let it out.


    ¡°Yes. So please¡­.¡± The rest of the things he said had gone on deaf ears, as all I could hear were buzzing sounds. I didn¡¯t know when I stood up from my seat and ran out of the doctor¡¯s office in tears. No no no! This couldn¡¯t be happening to me now. God no! In the matter of seconds, my life had been thrown into confusion and regrets. If only I hadn¡¯t be abducted in ce of Francesca. If only I had not let Manuel Russo sleep with me. If only I had met Anthonio before then. If only, if only, if only. I had never even had sex  with my boyfriend, yet here I was, pregnant for his cousin.

 CHAPTER 33

    BIANCA¡¯S POV


    I had wandered around the streets, confused and desperate to want to be woken from this nightmare. How had my life be this way? I saw a bench by the roadside and decided to sit down, after walking for so long. I sat and started thinking about my plight again. What was I going to do? Who was I going to talk to? I was so scared. What was I going to do now? I started crying again, but quickly cleaned my tears when a call came in through my phone. I felt my heart fall to the pit of my stomach the moment I saw it was my boyfriend. God! What was I going to do now? I wanted to decline the call, but I willed myself to answer it. Taking in deep breathe as the cool breeze of the night kissed my wet cheeks, I tapped on the green icon.


    ¡°Hey baby. How are you?¡±


    ¡°H.. hey.¡± I muttered.


    ¡°Babe? Are you okay? Where are you? I can hear a lot of noise there.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m on my way home.¡± I whispered tiredly. Tired from thinking and crying the whole day.


    ¡°At this time? It¡¯s almost 10pm!¡±


    ¡°Is it?¡± I sighed, pulling the phone off my ear to see the time on the screen.


    ¡°Yes, silly. It¡¯s already 5am here.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm.¡±


    We were silent for a while before he asked.


    ¡°And your visit to the Doctor¡¯s? How did it go?¡± My mind did a flip, and I swallowed hard.


    ¡°I.. it¡­ it was fine?¡±


    ¡°Was it, really? You don¡¯t sound fine to me.¡±


    ¡°I just need to rest. I¡¯m fatigued.¡± I lied.


    ¡°Alright. I would hang up now, so you could rest. Please get home as soon as you can, I¡¯m sure your papa and mama are worried by now. I love you babe.¡±


    ¡°And¡­.¡± I sighed, regretting not having told the truth. Deep down, I knew that since I had started with a lie, it was going to be hard to tell him the truth. But how could I? How could I do that to him? How could I break his heart in such a cruel manner? Anthonio had been nothing but nice and sweet to me. He had been the gentleman I have always hoped to have. Look how I ruined everything with my own hands. I could feel another batch of tears preparing to slip down my eyes, but tried my best to hold it back. It was then that it became clear to me. Anthonio was infact deserving of all my love. Finally feeling it was right to say it after a few months, I muttered my reply to him. ¡°I love you too.¡± I felt tears dropping from my eyes. He went silent at the other end of the line for some seconds.


    ¡°This is the first time you ever responded that way to me.¡± He whispered. It was indeed the first time I was telling him I loved him back. Maybe the fear of how my newly diagnosed situation was going escte in the next few weeks, got me so scared to lose him.


    ¡°Yes. I love you so much. Thank you for loving me the way you do.¡± I shook my head in inner turmoil as more tears made its way down my face.


    ¡°Babe? Are you crying? Are you truly fine? What¡¯s the matter, I¡¯m getting worried already.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine baby.¡± I nodded, letting the tears fall freely. ¡°It¡¯s just that I miss you so much. And I seem to be having a sort of hormonal imbnce as well. So I can¡¯t help but be overly emotional these days. Please don¡¯t be worried.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh!¡­ Bianca.¡± He released a breathe. ¡°I can¡¯t wait toe back to you already. I should be my your side now, cuddling you during such a difficult phase. My whole heart is with you baby. Please make sure you get home quickly and get your deserved rest.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡± I nodded.


    ¡°Do you want me to speak to my cousin? Atleast, Alex tolerates me more than Manuel.¡± Ahhh!!! Another reminder that I had made such a terrible mistake. During these few months of dating Anthonio, I had learned of the fact that he and Manuel weren¡¯t really the best of cousins. Anthonio would never forgive me if he were to find out about my pregnancy. No no no. I would never say a word about it to him. Atleast not for the next couple of weeks. ¡°I could ask Alexander to reduce the work¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not nessary babe. Remember we are keeping our rtionship private for the mean time? Please.¡±


    ¡°Arrghh!¡± He groaned. ¡°I can¡¯t feel alright when you¡¯re not fine. I have first hand seen you cry as a result of work stress, and I so much disliked to see you that way.¡± It was really so beautiful how even up until today, Anthonio had never really questioned me about the reason I had cried in the elevator, the second time we met each other. He had simply assumed I was stressed from work. I really appreciated the fact that he refrained from asking me about that. I definitely couldn¡¯t begin to tell him that I had been crying because I saw Manuel making out with his fiancee. Stupid.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I would be fine.¡±


    ¡°Okay, if you insist. Get home already. Bye love.¡±


    ¡°Bye baby.¡± I replied and he hung up the call, leaving me in a very depressing state. I wished I had been able to tell him the truth and get it all over with, but I just couldn¡¯t bring myself to break his heart that way.N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    As per his request, I stood up from the bench and took a taxi home. I loved rides normally but today, I hated it. Maybe the silence in the car only reminded me that I was in literal trouble. It forced on me the opportunity to clearly think about the plight I so much wanted to forget.


    When I got home eventually, it was already 10:30pm and my parents were so worried.


    ¡°Christ! Tesoro you had us so worried! Where have you been?¡± Mama asked, hugging me and tilting my face from one side to another. ¡°You look like you have been crying.¡± She said, making my entire body tingle with fear. ¡°What is the matter? Talk to me.¡±


    ¡°Talk to us.¡± My papa joined in. I knew this was the part where I either spit out the truth, or tell a lie. I wasn¡¯t really the sort of girl to lie to my parents, but then, I had never had to tell the truth about being pregnant for a man, whom they knew wasn¡¯t my boyfriend. It was still going to be a problem for my papa, even if it was Anthonio¡¯s baby. So having another man¡¯s child was a total deal breaker! Not having any other choice, I lied.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine mama. A friend died today.¡±


    ¡°Oh my goodness!! Hope it isn¡¯t Laura?¡± Mama rushed out.


    ¡°No, mama. God forbid.¡± I rushed out the moment I imagined it. ¡°It¡¯s a colleague at work.¡± This was the problem I had with lying. One lie was never enough. You had to keep lying until you¡¯re finally off the hook.


    ¡°So sad.¡± Papa muttered. ¡°I guess that is why you¡¯re sote. So sorry about your loss my dear. You should go to your room and freshen up. Your mom made a nice meal.¡± He suggested, and I nodded in agreement. They had been so sweet and worried about me. I wondered if it would have been the same, had I told the truth. As I made my way up, it became clearer to me that I had just lied to my parents indeed. If I could lie to them, then it was real after all. I was pregnant. I had been feeling bad already, but felt much worse when it was time for me to sleep and I got a beep on my phone. My ount had been funded with a handsome amount of money, and I needed no one to tell me who it was from. Anthonio had made it a duty to send me money as frequently as possible. His money had yed a huge role in helping me invest in the gold empire project. Now, I wasn¡¯t sure how my career was going to turn out. The description of the payment only got me crying. It said, ¡®A little something to bnce the financial hormones of my girlie!¡¯, and a love emoji. I didn¡¯t deserve this man.


    *******************************


    2 weekster.


    I cleaned the tears off my eyes when I looked into my wallet to see very little cash. I looked at my phone to see that there were no new mails either. No response for the variouspanies I had applied to. 2 weeks had passed and I wouldn¡¯t mind giving you a breakdown of what had happened within that period.


    Firstly, I had resigned my job, leaving my boss quite confused. I decided that the best thing to do was to leave my job, because there wasn¡¯t a way in hell that I would be pregnant for Manuel and keep working for his cousin. Manuel was definitely going to hear about it and somehow, he¡¯d know the baby was his. I just had to quietly quit and¡­. I honestly didn¡¯t even know what my n was. I guess I didn¡¯t want Manuel knowing about it, now his wedding was very close. Did I even want him to know? There was every tendency they could take my child away from me. I don¡¯t know if pregnancy came along with a craziness syndrome, because ever since I learned I was carrying another human inside me, my protective instincts had shot up a lot. I couldn¡¯t let this baby be taken away from me, or put in harm¡¯s way. It was already clear that Francesca didn¡¯t like me. Her family was part of the mafia too, so imagine the kind of danger I could find myself, if she hears of my pregnancy for her fiance. God! What am I even thinking? Were my thoughts right or just foolish?


    Secondly, I had disappeared from home because I couldn¡¯t risk my parents realizing what was up with me. I was already beginning to act weird, and mama was already questioning my health.


    When I quit my job, they started querying me and asking a lot of questions. I had to make up my mind and leave. I tried having a conversation with them about getting my own space, but theypletely put aside the suggestion, iming they were responsible for me. That was when I made the reckless decision of leaving home. Now, I was already finding it difficult to survive on my own. Due to the fact that I had invested almost all my savings in the Russo gold empire project, I had very little to survive on. And the huge amount of money I had paid for the one room apartment I was currently staying, had been so much because I had gotten the space under a short notice.


    I also applied for a few jobs where I could work remotely, but haven¡¯t gotten response from any of thepanies yet.


    Thirdly, I had shut out every single person since the past week. Everyone, including Laura, Emilio, my parents, and Anthonio. My phone was always on airne mode, except I was online scouting for jobs, so it made it difficult for anyone to speak with me.


    I had run away from home because I was scared to disappoint my parents. Was that really the right thing to do? Lately, I¡¯ve been acting on impulse and I was slowly beginning to seem stupid to myself. Who just runs away because they are pregnant? Am I the firstdy to pregnant outside wedlock? M was.


    What¡¯s the worst my parents would do? Scream in anger and ignore me for days? It couldn¡¯t be more than that. Okay, they would probably let me know how disappointed they were, for getting pregnant for my boyfriend¡¯s cousin? That was definitely all it could be.


    The more I thought about my situation, the more sorry I felt for myself. Only God knows how Anthonio was coping at the moment. I had refused to take his calls that were able to connect, or reply his messages for over a week now. I was going crazy myself. Things were getting tougher and I really needed to reach out to someone. I paced around my tiny room as I thought of calling my parents. Whether I liked or not, they could be angry all they wanted, but they¡¯d never abandon me or leave me to face this on my own. I should definitely call them. Just then, my phone rang and my breathe hitched. I had forgotten to put the phone on airne mode after checking my email for job invitations. When I saw it was M, I released some air from my mouth. She was definitely someone I shouid talk to now.

 CHAPTER 34

    MANUEL¡¯S POV


    ¡°Babe!! You haven¡¯t told me what you think about the pictures I sent to you.¡± Francesca whined at the other end of the line, making me roll my eyes. This was my problem with her. What did she think I was going to think about women¡¯s clothing? She was supposed have dinner with my family tomorrow. It was going to be her second official visit to my family, after the sessful meeting with her father 2 months back. I could tell that the man wasn¡¯t so pleased about the rtionship between his daughter and myself, but he clearly couldn¡¯t call it off. I guess Francesca may have had some sort of face off with him, after all.


    ¡°Francesca¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°The dress is beautiful.¡± I said, not wanting to get on her bad side so early in the morning. Though I was being sincere. I really thought the dress was nice.


    ¡°But you know it isn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Then why did you ask for my opinion?¡± I asked in exasperation. Christ! I was slowly going crazy by the day.


    ¡°Because I wanted to hear the honest truth!¡±


    ¡°Then how do you know that I¡¯m not being honest? Moreover, what¡¯s all these fuss about a dress for? You¡¯re very good at this fashion thing, so I find it funny that you call my phone so early in the morning, just to pick up a fight with me over a dress.¡±


    ¡°Look Manuel, I¡¯m going to be facing your mother for a second time. She clearly isn¡¯t still pleased that you and I would be married in a matter of weeks. I¡¯m really trying so much to get her to begin to like me at the very least. I need your support! Do you realize the fact that I would be standing before the Russo family tomorrow night? Your Nonno inclusive!¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± I took a deep breathe and released it. ¡°I get you. It is okay for you to be tensed, but you shouldn¡¯t worry about my mother so much. She would definitelye to terms with the recent developments soon. It¡¯s just like things are with your father. I¡¯m not stressing my head over my rtionship with him. He would definitelye around with time.¡±


    ¡°It is easy for you to feel that way, because you wouldn¡¯t being to live with me in my family house. It¡¯s the other way around.¡±


    ¡°Francesca, we¡¯ve talked about this before. I cannot leave the family house or estate. It is the Russo estate and we all stay together. That has been family tradition for ages, I can¡¯t decide to do otherwise now, just because you don¡¯t feelfortable living there as my wife. When you be my wife, you would automatically be a Russo. You have to start getting used to the idea of living as one.¡±


    ¡°Fine. Whatever you say.¡± She added in a sarcastic manner. That was Francesca for you!


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m hanging up now.¡± I informed, before ending the call. Today was supposed to be a busy day for me, considering the fact that Nonno would being down to Mn. Tomorrow is going to be our family dinner, ording to the Russo tradition, where a bride to be is weed by the Russo family. That was part of the reasons Nonno was traveling down to Mn. Though he imed he had a few other businesses he had to take care of. I had been able to speak with him thest time he was in Mn and it seemed to be that he was okay with the arrangement to marry Francesca. I wouldn¡¯t say he was ecstatic about the fact that I was on my way to merging the Ferrari and Russo families, but he wasn¡¯t displeased either. I was supposed to see Alexander at his office for a business discussion today, but due to the fact I was still trying to avoid his assistant, I insisted we met at my office. I was already runningte and didn¡¯t want to keep him waiting. Rushing up my morning hygiene routine, I threw on a grey Armani suit and wore the first shoe I saw on the rack. I made my way out of my room and walked downstairs towards the living room. There, were my parents, running around as they yelled instructions at the hired workers that hade to set up the mini hall for the event tomorrow.


    Oh? You didn¡¯t know our traditional family dinner was done in a grand style? Normally, the dinner would be done in our private garden, with just family. After that, we would all move to the hall to join our elite guests for the party. The party was going to be aired on different TV channels, and it was going to be a way of officially breaking the news of our intended marriage to the public.


    ¡°Goodmorning mom.¡± I greeted, and she looked at me in mild irritation. I knew what this was about. ¡°Mom, nothing about this would change. It¡¯s going to be Francesca and no one else. You have to make peace with that fact.¡± I stated matter of factly.


    ¡°I know.¡± She nodded. ¡°If I didn¡¯t know, I wouldn¡¯t be here, stressing about tomorrow¡¯s event.¡±


    ¡°Thanks mom.¡± I muttered, leaning down to give her a kiss, but she gently pushed me away. My face fell.


    ¡°Sorry.¡± She forced on a smile. ¡°I am just so busy. Have a good day at work.¡± With that, she walked away to the other side of the living room, collecting arge ribbon from one of the workers, as she gave her instructions.


    ¡°Pheeww!¡± I sighed. I hated to see my mom sad about anything, but I couldn¡¯t help it this time.


    ¡°Manuel.¡± I looked up to see my father walking towards me with that sympathetic smile on his face. He had most likely witnessed the conversation between my mom and I.


    ¡°Good morning father.¡±


    ¡°You should have in mind¡­¡± He started, either disregarding my greeting or not having heard it. ¡°¡­. your mom thinks she isn¡¯t the right one for you.¡±


    ¡°All my exes were never the best for me, ording to her.¡±


    ¡°But she wasn¡¯t wrong about them.¡±


    ¡°I feel she¡¯s wrong about Francesca. Why doesn¡¯t she want to believe that Francesca is good enough for me?¡±


    ¡°Because more than anyone else, even more than Alexander, your mother knows you. These women do notplete you.¡±


    ¡°Father I¡­¡±


    ¡°You should be off to work already.¡± He interjected. ¡°There¡¯s basically no point having this argument, when you just cannot seem to see things her way. Off you go!¡± He shooed me away like a mosquito, making me scowl. I walked out and got into my car, reminding myself that Alex was most probably waiting for me already.


    The ride to the office was filled with thoughts of my conversations with my parents. What were they really expecting me to do? Suddenly decide that I wasn¡¯t going to marry Francesca anymore? That would spell war between the Ferraris and Russos. That would be such a reckless thing to do.


    The moment I stepped into the office, I grinned when Alexander started pping his hands.


    ¡°What¡¯s that for?¡± I chuckled, walking to my desk and taking my seat in front of him.


    ¡°Nothing much. It¡¯s a congrattory gesture. You would be a married man soon.¡± He smiled.


    ¡°Hmmm.¡± I nodded. ¡°How¡¯s Be?¡±


    ¡°Oh, she¡¯s fine. Her belly is beginning to protrude and it gets me more excited every second.¡± He giggled like a baby and I couldn¡¯t help but smile. I was happy for him.


    ¡°Fine then! Everyone gets to celebrate that as well, during dinner tonight.¡±


    ¡°Absolutely.¡± He nodded. ¡°I hear that Nonno is already on his way to Mn?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± I sighed. ¡°He was quite indifferent about my marriage to Francesca. I had doubted for a moment, if he was really going to be around for the dinner tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°But you know the old man is the founder of the Russo tradition. He wouldn¡¯t do otherwise just because you think he is indifferent about you and Francesca. Atleast, he doesn¡¯t dislike the idea.¡±


    ¡°Thankfully.¡± I muttered.


    ¡°Moreover, he is also returning to take care of something else. He is bent on finding Bianca wherever she might be. He thinks she is in danger.¡±


    ¡°Bianca? What¡¯s happened to her and where did she go?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I haven¡¯t told you about it?¡± He asked, and I shook my head in negation. I didn¡¯t remember him telling me anything about her for a while now.


    ¡°About what?¡± I asked, suddenly bing curious.


    ¡°Bianca resigned.¡±


    ¡°She resigned?¡± My eyes widened in shock. I was definitely not expecting to hear that. ¡°When? Why?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know the reason why? I can¡¯t even understand any of what¡¯s happening! She had just been given the go ahead to take on the gold empire project by Nonno, and suddenly, she just stops showing up at work. A week and some days after, she sends her resignation letter to my email. She didn¡¯t even do so in person.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s weird.¡± I muttered. If I remember correctly, Bianca had always wanted to work for Alex, so what changed? Was she no longer satisfied about something?


    ¡°I think what¡¯s crazier is the fact that they are rumours going around the office.¡± He sighed in worry.


    ¡°What sort of rumours?¡±


    ¡°Well, they aren¡¯t really rumours that are difficult to believe.¡± He shrugged. ¡°That is, considering the way she behaved at work before she resigned. Some of the workers think she¡¯s pregnant.¡± I felt my heart do a smooth flip,nding gracefully in the pit of my stomach.


    ¡°Did you say pregnant?¡± I chuckled nervously. ¡°That preposterous. You really do have a lot of gossips in yourpany.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s only normal to hear these kinds of things in argepany such as this.¡± He shrugged.


    ¡°What do you think about it?¡± I asked, patiently waiting to hear what he had to say.


    ¡°To be very honest, a lot of things are making me believe that the rumours are true. Bianca had truly begun to behave weirdly before she resigned. She was always tired and extremely emotional. These are parts of the signs I also notice in Be. Even Nonno had personally asked me to reduce the workload she handled. I had asked her to see Doctor Luigi to know if she was alright.¡± He scratched his brows. ¡°Manuel, she was basically getting to the peak of her career, so why would she just suddenly resign?¡± My heartbeat elerated at his words, and I could feel my hand shaking as I slowly began to solve the puzzle piece by piece. Bianca would not be the first pregnantdy with a good job. The only reason Bianca would resign her job because she is pregnant, was only if¡­.. the pregnancy was mine.


    ¡°Alex¡­.¡± I released a deep breathe. ¡°Are you certain?¡±


    ¡°I guess? Her friend Laura had informed me about her disappearance a week ago. ording to Laura, even Bianca¡¯s parents have not been able to find her. It¡¯s all so crazy and I¡¯m truly worried about her. I can¡¯t say for sure what is going on because her disappearance only makes the entire thing confusing. That is part of the reasons Nonno has returned. He intends to find Bianca and make sure she is safe.¡± The fact that Alexander had said our Nonno was ready to go that far for Bianca was really the least of my worries at this point.


    ¡°Can I speak with this Laura girl please?¡±


    ¡°Manuel? You don¡¯t seem fine, you¡¯re literally shaking.¡± Alex looked at me in confusion. I couldn¡¯t help it. I have never been so tensed in my entire life. ¡°Manuel are you¡­.?¡± He paused his words, probably thinking to himself for a few seconds before he looked up at me in a mix of shock and disbelief. ¡°No. No no no. Manuel tell me that what I¡¯m thinking is not true.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Alexander, but I think it¡¯s true.¡± I muttered under my breathe, not able to look at him.


    ¡°Fucking hell!!! Manuel how could you?!¡± He burst out angrily. I had seen thating. ¡°Not only did you kidnap her against her will, you slept with her too?! And clearly, you both did it without protection, for you to think the baby is yours.¡±


    ¡°It was consensual Alex. Two adults decided to have sex and it¡¯s normal.¡± I said, trying to sound like I wasn¡¯t extremely worried.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not normal. Manuel, you had a fiancee for crying out loud! That is unlike you! That is unlike Russo men! You know what Nonno would do when he¡­.¡± He suddenly paused and released some air from his lips. ¡°I think we are going too fast.¡± He said, trying to calm himself. ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I spoke to you wrongly out of anger.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡­ I deserve to feel the brunt of your anger.¡± I calmly muttered, actually feeling bad about the oue of my actions.


    ¡°But like I said, we are moving too fast. You can¡¯t just think Bianca¡¯s baby is yours because you both had a fling. Moreover, we are not even sure she is really pregnant. What if she fell victim to a very serious ailment?¡± He asked, looking concerned. I don¡¯t know why I felt that way, but I just knew Bianca was pregnant and my child grew inside her.


    ¡°Trust me Alexander, that child in her belly in mine.¡± I ground my teeth against each other. ¡°I¡­ I¡­ I was her first.¡±


    ¡°Fucking hell! Manuel!¡± Alexander¡¯s eyes opened widely. ¡°Jeeezz.¡± He scratched his stubble in thoughts.


    ¡°You said something about asking her to meet Doctor Luigi?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± He replied unsure, probably still trying to absorb the fact that I just said I was Bianca¡¯s first.


    ¡°We can ask him¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s out of the question Manuel. You know he wouldn¡¯t willingly give out information about his patients.¡± Alexander shook his head in disagreement, but that wasn¡¯t what I was thinking though.


    ¡°You talk like you don¡¯t know who we are. We literally have Italy in our palms. What¡¯s a simple information in the database of a hospital, that we can¡¯t get? Who says we need Doctor Luigi to tell us anything, when I can still get the information I need?¡± I asked rhetorically. ¡°All it takes is a single call to Dito.¡±


    *


    *


    *


    Indeed, all it had taken was a single call and within a couple of hours, I had gotten my answer, waiting for the next. I had instructed Massimo to find Bianca¡¯s current location, but he was yet to give a feedback. Bianca was indeed pregnant and it angered me to no end, that she had tried to keep it away from me.


    ¡°What did you expect her to do?¡± Alexander asked. ¡°You are getting married in a few weeks time!¡±


    ¡°There is no reason why she should keep such information away from me! No matter what!¡± I yelled back in annoyance. Just then, Massimo walked into the office.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for not knocking, Don.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine Massimo. Any leads on where she is?¡±


    ¡°Yes Don. I just forwarded the details to you. Indeed, she was in hiding.¡±


    My day had started with shocking informations, and I had proceeded by making decisions I didn¡¯t carefully think through. The only thought that ruled over my mind was my childying in Bianca¡¯s belly. It was silly of her to think she could runaway with it!


    ¡°They found her.¡± Alexander muttered.


    ¡°Massimo.¡± I called.


    ¡°Yes Don.¡±


    ¡°Take a few men with us. We are going there now.¡± I said, looking at Alexander who looked very displeased.


    ¡°No!¡± He yelled out.


    ¡°And why is that?¡±


    ¡°Manuel, you haven¡¯t even thought this through.¡±


    ¡°There is honestly nothing to think about. Your assistant is having my child, but she thought it better to disappear with it? Funny.¡± I stood up from my seat and took a few steps farther away from him.N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    ¡°I¡¯ve informed Nonno already.¡± Alexander muttered, making me stop in my tracks. My eyes widen in shock, a little feeling of fear creeping over me. I turned to him slowly, wanting to believe I had heard him wrongly.


    ¡°What did you just say?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I had to.¡±


    ¡°How could you do that?¡± I asked, not able to believe that Alex really told our Nonno.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Manuel, but this matter is moreplex than we both think. Nonno would be in a better position to tell us what to do.¡±


    ¡°But I said I know what to do!!¡± I yelled at him in annoyance and he just sat, shaking his head at me.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but you don¡¯t.¡± He sighed. ¡°Do you even know what you n to do or say when you get there? No!¡± He answered his own question. ¡°I don¡¯t want you hurting her either.¡±


    ¡°You think I¡¯m capable of hurting her?!! I would never hurt a woman, more so, the woman carrying my child.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry.¡± He sighed. ¡°Things are already escting so fast as it is. There is no need dragging the inevitable.¡±


    ¡°And what is the inevitable?¡±


    ¡°The fact that Nonna has to know about it. There is basically no way we would keep this to ourselves forever, except you n on making her remain silent about having your baby. You are also getting married to Francesca in a matter of weeks, so whether you like it or not, the earlier we have Nonno¡¯s say on this, the better for us all.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Manuel, you already went as far as making a huge mistake. Don¡¯t make it moreplex by deciding to act on your own instincts. Whether you ept the fact or not, the child Bianca is carrying would be your first born child, so Nonno definitely needs to have a say. More so, you know he also has the intention of finding her. He definitely will. And when he does, he¡¯ll find out she¡¯s pregnant with your child. You know what would happen after that.¡±


    I felt sweat break out on my neck as I listened to all Alexander had said. Truly, I had made a very big mistake our Nonno had warned us to be weary of, as Russo men. Jeeezz!! I couldn¡¯t even believe all of these were really happening. I blinked my eyes a couple of times, hoping I would wake up from this dream. My affair with Bianca a couple of months back had really brought me to this. Inderd, he was right. It¡¯s better we told Nonno about it, than let him find out by himself. Alexander¡¯s phone began ringing and my heartbeat elerated.


    ¡°Manuel.¡± He called and I looked up at him. ¡°It¡¯s Nonno.¡± He held out his phone to me and swallowed hard. It was all really escting! I slowly took the phone from his hand and answered it.


    ¡°Hello.¡± I managed to sound firm.


    ¡°Alexander, I got your message. Put that cousin of yours on the line.¡± He sounded so cold.


    ¡°Nonno, it¡¯s Manuel.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see.¡± He muttered. ¡°I would be in Mn in a matter of hours.¡± He went silent for a few seconds. ¡°Whatever you do, do not return to the estate without Bianca.¡± He didn¡¯t even let me speak before hanging up the call on me. Already, I knew that I dared not go against him. Bianca had to return home with me, whether she was willing or not.

 CHAPTER 35

    MANUEL¡¯S POV


    As Massimo broke down the door, I was worried for a moment. I hoped she wasn¡¯t going to be hurt. When I walked in after my men to see her fine and unscathed, I released a breathe. This was the first time I was seeing her after months, and I couldn¡¯t really exin how I felt. Angry? Disappointed? Lowkey excited? Whatever it was, I knew the predominant feeling was anger. She looked to be on the phone with someone before we hade in, because the person on the line was still talking and probably asking if she was okay. Bianca just looked at the phone in silence, without saying a word in response.


    ¡°Bianca.¡± I muttered.


    ¡°Manuel.¡± She replied, avoiding any form of eye contact with me. ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°What I want?¡± I chuckled humourlessly, ying with my beards.


    ¡°If you came breaking into my house just to stroke your beards, then you might as well leave.¡± She spat, making my anger rise all the more. So even after seeing me, she failed to let me know what was actually going on? Did she ever n on letting me know all along? Was she nning to keep my child away from me?


    ¡°Biancaaaa¡­.¡± I drawled, trying to beat down my anger. But then, seeing how defiantly she stuck up her chin at me, I lost it. ¡°Bianca, bold of you to think you could just disappear with my child in your belly!!¡± I watched as her eyes widened in shock, and her lips quivered in fear. She seemed to be lost in her thoughts for a while, before looking up at me once more.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± She said, making my eyes widen slightly. The fact that she still had the guts to lie to my face only made me disappointed. She didn¡¯t seem to me like the sort of woman to keep her child¡¯s father in the dark.


    ¡°How dare you, Bianca?!¡± I thundered, but was suprised she didn¡¯t fold. Instead, she just stood there, looking so emotionless.


    ¡°Manuel, don¡¯t get mistaken. I wouldn¡¯t cower before you, especially when it has to do with my child.¡±


    ¡°Hmm..¡± I let out a disgruntledugh. ¡°So you finally ept that you¡¯re with child? MY child.¡±


    ¡°Clearly, you have found out about it.¡± She talked more to herself, than me. ¡°I really do not know your mission bying here, but it¡¯d be nice if you left.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s funny you think that after what you have done, you have the right to give me orders.¡±


    ¡°Look Manuel, I don¡¯t want any troubles.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯te for trouble, I came for my baby.¡±


    ¡°Even after I bear this child, I would never let you have him. He is mine!!¡± She yelled at the top of her lungs, making me flinch in suprise. I could see tears slowly cloud her eyes that was ring at the empty door post. ¡°Just take these men with you and leave. I would assume that this never happened.¡± She pointed at both of us and I smirked. It was clear she hadn¡¯t realized the gravity of the situation.


    Not wanting to waste any other time having baseless arguments with her, I gave one of my men a signal. He walked up to her and was about lifting her into his arms, but we all hadn¡¯t seen her retaliationing. The next second, she was breathing so hard, her hands balled into a fist as she took a fighting stance. He groaned in pains as he knelt to the floor and held his groin with one hand.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± He gritted.


    ¡°Trying to be stubborn huh? Not suprised.¡± I said, rolling up my sleeves and shaking my head at her unwillingness to coperate.


    ¡°Don, I¡¯ll handle it.¡± Massimo muttered in my ears, but I shook my head in negation. I made my way towards her and for a moment, the sweat that had broken out on her smooth neck had me distracted.


    ¡°Bianca, I would love to make this simple for you.¡± I said, dragging my eyes away from her body. ¡°Leave this ce with me willingly, or leave unwillingly.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere with you!¡± She yelled. Our eyes locked and I was sure she had not seen any sign of unseriousness. I was fucking serious. Slowly, she started backing away, but I was quick to grab her waist before she could make a dash for the bathroom. I knew that was her n. To run in there and lock herself up. Bianca had to know I was way too smart for all these silly tricks. My grip around her waist tightened as she yelled for help.


    ¡°Manuel let me go!! Let me go now!!¡± She yelled, but I clearly wasn¡¯t paying any attention to her screams as I walked out of her apartment with her in my arms. She hadn¡¯t stopped struggling until we got outside the small gate, where our cars had been parked. With an effortlessly swing, I threw her into the back seat of my car and joined her there immediately. Thedy could be crazy. I didn¡¯t want to risk her jumping out of the car.


    ¡°Massimo! Drive.¡± I ordered, and the car engine roared to life. The car started moving and she suddenly gave my groin a punch, making me see stars for a moment. She had tried opening the car door and running out, but Massimo had been smart enough to lock the doors. She was still hitting on the tinted ss window, when I held her wrists so tightly. She released a painful whimper, making me let go almost immediately.


    ¡°Stop hurting me, you bastard!¡± She yelled in my face, and it had me scowling in annoyance. Did she just call me a bastard? The next minute, she was trying to bite my hands that held her.


    ¡°Look!¡± I held both her shoulders and shook her vigorously. ¡°If you don¡¯t stop trying to inflict pains on me, I¡¯d grab your tits so hard that you¡¯d scream in so much agony.¡± I smirked in satisfaction as her eyes widened in shock.


    ¡°Are you threatening me?¡± She red at me with so much irritation on her face.


    ¡°No.¡± I shook my head. ¡°I am assuring you.¡± I corrected, making her entire face go red in embarrassment. For some reasons, I found myself wanting to smile, but held it in. I couldn¡¯t be smiling now of all times.


    *


    *


    ¡°You unfeeling, disgusting, bastard!! You brute of a man!! Let me down!!¡±


    We had finally gotten to the estate and she hadn¡¯t stopped yelling. She was totally adamant about getting down the car, so I had to throw her over my shoulders like a sack of potatoes.


    ¡°Keep it down!¡± I whisper~yelled in slight irritation, suppressing the urge to smack her derriere. The lord knew how angry at her I was, but somehow, I couldn¡¯t help the thrill of excitement that rushed through my veins, knowing she know that she was literally at my mercy. She let out another loud scream and I wondered if she knew this was my family estate. I was sure as hell that my other rtives could hear her screams from their neighboring homes.


    I made my way through the entrance of our home and walked into the living room. As expected, my parents turned to see what the noise was all about. The moment they saw me with an unfamiliardy on my shoulder, mom gasped.


    ¡°Oh my heavens, Manuel! What the hell are you doing? Who is she?¡± She immediately stood from the couch she had been sharing with my father, and walked up to me. I had no ns of letting Bianca go just yet. Like a said, she could be very crazy. One little mistake and I knew she¡¯d be off running to wherever, probably screaming over her lungs for help. I didn¡¯t want the extra attention of my extended family. I was already confused as it was. In a way, I felt thankful that Nonno had decided to give the orders concerning the situation. I very well knew that I was gonna receive a lot of bacsh from him, but atleast, he was going to help fix this mess I found myself.


    ¡°Mom, please move out of the way.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I won¡¯t. Who is the youngdy, and why is she on your shoulders? Put her down this instant.¡±


    ¡°Put me down!!¡± Bianca yelled and I pinched her thighs.


    ¡°Mom, I¡¯m working ording to the instructions of Nonno. Please move aside.¡± I requested, and she sighed in defeat.


    ¡°But why would¡­.?¡± She was still talking when I continued my way up the stairs with Bianca.


    ¡°Put me down you infuriating bastard!!!¡± Bianca continued to yell until I made it to my room. Once we got there, I finally threw her onto the bed. She quickly scrambled to her knees, looking at her surrounding with a quick nce, before throwing her eyes back at me. ¡°What is the meaning of all these? Why have you brought me here?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± I answered truthfully.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know? You don¡¯t know??!¡± She paused for a moment before looking up at me, shock written all over her face. ¡°Is that it? It¡¯s true!! You want to take my baby!¡±


    On hearing her allegations against me, I remained quiet because she wasn¡¯t actually wrong. To be very honest, I didn¡¯t know what n Nonno had for her. But what I knew for sure, was the fact that Bianca wasn¡¯t leaving with my baby in her belly. I didn¡¯t know where such possessive feelings were beginning to emanate from. The feeling was quite new and spontaneous. Just this morning, I was living the life of a bachelor, about to be married. Now, I was a father to be, and I wasn¡¯t ready to lose my child to any other man.


    ¡°Bianca, I wouldn¡¯t let your boyfriend father my child.¡± At my words, she suddenly went silent. It was as if a bucket of ice had been poured over her head, as she was sank onto the bed. No one had to tell me what phase she had just gotten into. This was that phase where she begins to reevaluate the happenings of today, and finally realizes how fast and serious things were getting. I already knew that having a conversation was something she definitely wasn¡¯t going to concede to at the moment. Even I, wasn¡¯t really in the mood to talk now, because I didn¡¯t know what to say to her! I didn¡¯t have any n! I was to get married to Francesca in a short while, and I suddenly began to think of how to break this news to her. How was I going to tell her that thedy I had kidnapped in her ce, was now pregnant with my child? Fucking hell! Bianca was pregnant! I had realized that fact a couple of times already, and it seemed to be that each time, the realization sunk in more. I looked at Bianca who was already curled up at the edge of my bed, with her head in between her knees. She was certainly going through the same struggle that I was. How was she going to tell her boyfriend that she was pregnant for another man? Shit was so messy and I didn¡¯t even realized when I started retreating slowly. My back eventually hit the door and I made my way out of the room, leaving Bianca alone. Walking to the living room, I released a small sigh when I saw my parents sitting and waiting for me to give them an exnation of the whole drama.


    ¡°Manuel, what business does your Nonno have with the girl? And what do you have to do with it?¡± My father queried. Oh God!


    ¡°Oh God.¡± I whispered to myself.


    ¡°That is not an answer to my question.¡± He said. ¡°Do I need to call your Nonno to know what¡¯s really happening?!¡± He yelled in annoyance. All that his screams had done, was make my head bang.


    ¡°Please, I want to be left alone.¡± I muttered, walking out on them and making my way to my study. The moment I got in, I locked the door in order to keep everyone out. I really didn¡¯t feel like speaking to anyone. I didn¡¯t know what to say to them, or how to even begin. I kept myself locked up in my study and threw myself into thoughts. What was Nonno going to say? Would he convince Bianca to let me have custody of the baby after its birth? No Russo offspring had ever lived away from the family.


    What about Francesca? Was I going to be able to convince her to let us bring up the child together? I knew she was going to be so mad. I felt so guilty. I continued in my train of thoughts for hours, until I eventually slept off.


    The ring sound of my ringtone jarred me awake, and I quickly looked down at my phone.  The sleep left my eyes when I saw who was calling. It was Nonno. Without wasting any time, I answered the call.


    ¡°Hello?¡± I muttered, my voice a bit hoarse from sleeping.


    ¡°You should get out of that hiding ce of yours right now. I¡¯ve never known you to be a pussy.¡± The fact that the old man made use of such vulgar words, made me grimace. ¡°Don¡¯t keep me waiting for an extra minute.¡± He ordered, making me quickly stand up from where I sat. I walked to the door and unlocked it, headed for the living room. I got there and my family were already sitted. My parents and siblings. I could see from the open windows that it was already evening. I wasn¡¯t seeing Nonno anywhere either. Regaining myposure, I looked at everyone and asked.


    ¡°Where is Nonno?¡±


    ¡°Manuel, you have made a very big mistake that I would not take so lightly.¡± I followed the source of the voice, to see Nonnofortably sitted on the one seater couch at the edge of the room.


    ¡°Nonno.¡± I muttered. He threw me an icy stare. Fuck.


    ¡°Greta!¡± He called out to my sister.


    ¡°Yes Nonno.¡±


    ¡°Go get her.¡± He ordered, and Greta stood up from where she had been sitted.


    ¡°She¡¯s in my room.¡± I supplied.


    ¡°I know.¡± She shot back and continued on her way upstairs. The entire ce was so silent as we waited for Bianca to show up. To be very honest, I wasn¡¯t sure what I was supposed to expect. I had been in my study, and the door to my room was unlocked. By chance, had they spoken with Bianca already? I looked at my parents and noticed they still looked confused. After some minutes, Greta descended the stairs, with Bianca following behind. The moment the got down, I noticed how puffy her eyes were. She had obviously been crying. She spared me a quick nce, before looking over the ce. Her eyes seemed to catch Nonno¡¯s figure and she went still in her position.


    ¡°Emilio?¡± She called at first, unsure he was the one. When he shed her a warm smile I hardly saw him wear, she confirmed it was him. ¡°Emilio!¡± She yelled in relief as she ran towards him. I would have been bothered about the fact that she had addressed Nonno by his name, but it didn¡¯te as a surprise after Alexander told me Nonno had been pranking her. I could hear mom gasp, definitely as a result of hearing Bianca call Nonno by his name. I looked at Matteo and Tommaso, and they seemed to be at loss, when Bianca threw herself into my Nonno¡¯s embrace. He gently patted her back and she began crying like a baby. What was going on here? I knew they were jovial, but I had no idea it was to this extent.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorryyyyy¡­¡± She wailed. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to stay silent at you, I was just confused and¡­. scared.¡±Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay my dear.¡± Nonno gently pulled away and looked at her, with so much love. He cleaned away her tears and patted her cheeks softly. Oh wow!


    ¡°You came for me.¡± She managed a smile, and his fell. Seriously?! He was the one who ordered me to bring you here!


    ¡°Nonno what¡¯s happening?¡± Tommaso asked, making Bianca look at him. She and Tommaso held their gaze for a while, before she looked back at Nonno who looked¡­. I couldn¡¯t say. There were emotions I weren¡¯t so used to seeing the man disy. But somehow, I had seen a lot of them under such a short while.


    ¡°Nonno?¡± She whispered, immediately pulling her hands away from his. ¡°Nonno?¡± She asked once more.


    ¡°Nonno.¡± Tommaso confirmed her thoughts. She looked like she was about saying something, but her lips could only quiver in shock.


    ¡°You lied to me.¡± It was a whisper that we almost didn¡¯t hear. She sighed, looking so tired.


    ¡°Father, can you just tell us what¡¯s happening?¡± Dad asked impatiently. ¡°And who is thedy you seem sofortable around?¡± I was d I wasn¡¯t the only one who thought it was unusual for him to react the way he does, to Bianca. Something told me that nothing about his verdict was going to favour me. But I was hopeful.


    ¡°The youngdy is Bianca. And she is a few months pregnant for Manuel.¡± Nonno finally announced. The whole ce fell silent. God. I avoided locking eyes with anyone. After a while, mom finally spoke up.


    ¡°But dad, Manuel is getting married in a matter of weeks. As you already know, his bride to be is supposed to be officially introduced to the family tomorrow. Would the event be called off?¡± I rolled my eyes at herst question. Mom really thought Bianca¡¯s pregnancy was enough to stop my wedding to Francesca?


    ¡°Who said anything about calling off the event?¡± Nonno asked, making me smile inwardly as mom¡¯s face fell. ¡°The dinner and the wedding would go on. It wouldn¡¯t be such a hassle to finish nning the wedding with a different bride in the picture, would it?¡± Wait, what?


    ¡°Wh.. what¡­?¡± I stuttered. What did he mean by ¡®a different bride¡¯? Bianca that had been in a world of her own, suddenly looked up at him in confusion.


    ¡°The event would hold as nned tomorrow.¡± Nonno said. ¡°And Bianca would be introduced to the family as Manuel¡¯s bride to be.¡±


    I felt like my head had just been bashed against a wall. Nonno said what?!

 CHAPTER 36

    BIANCA¡¯S POV


    He didn¡¯t want my boyfriend fathering his child. Those were the only words that kept ringing in my brain even after he left the room. I nestled my head in between my knees as I thought about how nerve racking it was all gonna be in a matter of days. Did Manuel know that the boyfriend in question was none other than his cousin? Finally getting the opportunity to think of Anthonio, I began crying. Through out the time Manuel had been around, I tried not to let a single tear drop. It wasn¡¯t because I didn¡¯t feel worried or scared, it was because I didn¡¯t want to look weak before him. Before them all. Manuel came from an extremely powerful family. Once they realized I was scared and weak, they¡¯d leverage on that to snatch what mattered most to me. My child. What bothered me the most was hearing Manuel say he had taken me, under the instructions of his Nonno. God! Their grandpa was already involved in this matter? This wasn¡¯t good for me. Now that Manuel had literally pulled me out of hiding, there was no point avoiding anyone¡¯s calls anymore. Maybe I should call Anthonio and tell him all he needed to know now. I couldn¡¯t risk him finding out by himself. It was so clear that the Russos were all going to be aware of the recent development soon. Anthonio inclusive.


    Looking around for my phone, my brain instantly registered that my phone wasn¡¯t with me. Oh yeah¡­. I had been on a call with M before Manuel had broken into my house. I didn¡¯t remember taking it with me when he took me. I sighed, going back to my previous position of my head in between my thighs. I was fucked for real.


    I couldn¡¯t imagine how badly Anthonio would perceive me, when he finds out. He has been the sweetest thing that¡­. I couldn¡¯t go on with my thoughts as I broke into tears, due to the fear that he¡¯d break things off with me. I couldn¡¯t bear to lose him now.


    What would my papa and mama say or think? I had caused them so much worry, on top of the fact that I had literallymitted a huge offense. What was I thinking when I left home?! Maybe I should have just found a way to tell them. Maybe things wouldn¡¯t have been so bad now. Maybe¡­


    Yes! Yes! M had been on the phone while all the chaos had taken ce. She could hear it all. I¡¯m sure she heard me call Manuel¡¯s name. Atleast my parents would have a lead as to where I currently was. Okay! There was still hope.


    I folded myself on the bed that feintly smelled familiar. If I could remember right, that was Manuel¡¯s cologne. It smelled nice. Feeling so annoyed at myself that his scent was weirdly the only thing that managed to keep me calm at that moment, I buried my nose deeper into the sheets as my breathing slowed down.


    *


    I opened my eyes when I felt someone¡¯s hands on my bare arm.


    ¡°Hey.¡± I opened my eyes to see a very unfamiliardy, and sat up on the bed to get a better look at her. It was very suprising to see her smiling at me.


    ¡°Hello.¡± I muttered.


    ¡°My name is Greta. What¡¯s yours?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Bianca.¡± I replied. Immediately, I remembered who she was. Manuel had mentioned her before. That was his sister. And I remembered being d about the fact that she bore the same name as my mom.


    ¡°Bianca are you hungry?¡± The moment she asked, it seemed my stomach had been reminded that it was supposed to be hungry. It twisted painfully, making me wince lightly.


    ¡°Yes.¡± I nodded.


    ¡°That¡¯s great then! I brought you dinner on my way up.¡±


    ¡°Dinner?¡± I asked, looking around for a window.


    ¡°What are you looking for?¡±


    ¡°A window to confirm if it¡¯s night already?¡± I replied and she chuckled.


    ¡°It¡¯s been night for a while now.¡± She sighed. ¡°You should eat up. Nonno expects you downstairs soon.¡± Did she just say Nonno? As in Emilio Russo? He was here?


    ¡°Y.. yo.. your Nonno. Your Nonno is here?¡± I asked. She just smiled warmly at me.


    ¡°I know he can be quite strict, but he doesn¡¯t bite.¡± She assured. ¡°I would have really loved to enquire from you, the reason as to which you¡¯re here. But then, I don¡¯t want my Nonno to be displeased. He has asked you join us downstairster, so I assume he would be the one to let us know what is really happening, soon.¡± She nodded hopefully. Was I supposed to be hopeful with her? I already knew all she wanted to know. She stood up and began walking away, but stopped on her tracks when she got to the door. ¡°PS: I¡¯m my Nonno¡¯s favourite grandchild.¡± She grinned, making me chuckle. I couldn¡¯t help the small smile on my face. Was that supposed to be an achievement? Well¡­ maybe it was. Personally, I had always wanted to make my father so proud of me. Lowkey, it was because my sister; Amara had always been his favorite. I wanted to know what it felt like to be papa¡¯s favorite, so I worked so hard in school. Well it because of papa, and also because I wanted to be able to work in Russo, so I could see a certain man. I had gotten my wish and right now, I regretted it.


    Looking at the tray of food thatid on therge mahogany desk at a corner of the room, I stood from the bed and went there. Pulling out the seat that was tucked under the desk, I sat downfortably, and lifted the lid covering the te of food. The moment the lid went off, the aroma of food wafted through my nostrils and I began salivating. Looking at the food, I knew it was gonna be as sweet as it smelled. I wasn¡¯t wrong. The food was delicious.


    In no time, I was done eating and returned to the bed. A few minutester, there was a knock on the door and Greta stepped in again.


    ¡°Are you done eating?¡± She asked, to which I nodded. ¡°Great! Nonno asked that I brought you down.¡±


    ¡°Now?¡± I asked, my hands shaking.


    ¡°Yes, now.¡± She replied. ¡°Come with me.¡± She instructed, shing me an encouraging smile. It actually helped my nerves and I was able to move my legs. I followed behind her silently, as we made our way down the stairs. Once we got to the living room, I saw Manuel standing, facing some people. His family, I guessed. The man and woman I had seen earlier today; Manuel¡¯s parents, were sitted on a two seater couch. I also took note of two identical looking boys who looked to be in their early twenties. Then at the left corner of the room was¡­. Oh my goodness!


    ¡°Emilio?¡± I called out. I knew it was him, but I just wanted the extra confirmation. The smile on his face made me know it was him. ¡°Emilio!¡± I yelled in relief as I made my way to where he sat. His arms were open, so I just fell to my knees and hugged him tightly. It felt so nice to see a familiar face. I released a huge sigh, apanied by tears. And to think I had left the poor man hanging for weeks. He had sent me messages and tried calling, but I never responded to any.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorryyyyy¡­¡± I sobbed. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to stay silent at you, I was just so confused and¡­. scared.¡± I was mostly confused though. That was the only exnation I could give after I literally ran away from everyone.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay my dear.¡± He carefully pulled away and cleaned the tears from my cheeks. I smiled a little when he patted my cheeks gently. Typical Emilio. He always treated me like a baby. But then, how did he know I was here? Has he been looking for me? ¡°You came for me.¡± I muttered. But then, where was Manuel¡¯s Nonno? Had he apanied his friend?


    ¡°Nonno what¡¯s happening?¡± One of the twin boys asked, making me look at him. Why did he call Emilio that? I held his gaze for a while, before looking back at Emilio who looked guilty. Wait a minute. What was going on here? If Greta had fetched me to see her Nonno, and this boy who was definitely her younger brother just called Emilio Nonno, then¡­. my God.


    ¡°Nonno?¡± I asked, pulling my hands away from his own. ¡°Nonno?¡± I asked again.


    ¡°Nonno.¡± The boy confirmed my thoughts. It all suddenly began to make sense. The first time we had met. My boss had acted like something was off, I just didn¡¯t think about it this way. All the times he¡¯d relieved me of my duties at work¡­.. That was because he truly had the power to ask that of my boss. And his Rosa¡­. Our identical eyes. Manuel had said the same about his Nonna. How could I have been so dumb??!! No wonder Emilio Russo suddenly traveled out of Mn the very day I was supposed to meet with him. It¡¯s because he had been with me all along. I tried to make out words, but failed wolfly. My lips quivered in fear when I realized I had told this man everything. Literally everything!! He knew about my initial feelings for Manuel. He knew I was dating Anthonio. Oh my God! Tears clouded my eyes and for some seconds, I lost track of what they had been saying.


    ¡°You lied to me.¡± I was supposed to sound angry, not this way. I sounded weak. To be very honest, I was at this point. His face fell, making me feel bad for a moment.


    ¡°Father, can you just tell us what¡¯s happening?¡± Manuel¡¯s father asked impatiently. ¡°And who is thedy you seem sofortable around?¡± I wasn¡¯t suprised at hisst question. Every time I have ever heard of Emilio Russo, I heard he was a strong and strict man, even in old age. Realizing whom he was now, I found it amusing that he indeed acted sofortably around me.


    ¡°The youngdy is Bianca. And she is a few months pregnant for Manuel.¡± Emilio replied, making the whole ce fall silent. This was really awkward. Now, they all knew I was carrying their son and brother¡¯s child. I could feel their eyes on me. His mom¡¯s eyes even dared to look at my belly.


    ¡°But dad, Manuel is getting married in a matter of weeks. As you already know, his bride to be is supposed to be officially introduced to the family tomorrow. Would the event be called off?¡± His mom asked. What had their marriage got to do with my pregnancy? They could go ahead and get married for all I cared.


    ¡°Who said anything about calling off the event?¡± Emilio asked and her face fell in disappointment. She was disappointed? Weird. ¡°The dinner and the wedding would go on. It wouldn¡¯t be such a hassle to finish nning the wedding with a different bride in the picture, would it?¡± At his statement, I quickly looked up at him in shock. What did he mean by that?


    ¡°Wh.. what¡­?¡± Manuel stuttered. I knew that was probably the worst thing he had heard all day.


    ¡°The event would hold as nned tomorrow.¡± Emilio continued. ¡°And Bianca would be introduced to the family as Manuel¡¯s bride to be.¡± I felt my head spin for a long minute. God, what was happening to me? My heartbeat elerated and I felt myself lose bnce for a second.


    ¡°Oh, my goodness! Hold her!!¡± I heard a feminine voice yell. It sounded like his mom. In the matter of seconds, I felt huge set of hands holding me in ce. I opened my eyes to see Emilio standing before me, worry filling his eyes.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Please help her to one of the couches.¡± He instructed the person who was holding me.


    ¡°Sorry.¡± I muttered, no longer able to hold the tears back. Seeing it was Manuel who held me steady, I shrugged his hands off my arms. ¡°I am fine. I¡¯m fine.¡± I insisted. ¡°Emilio, what are you saying?¡± I asked, my breathing increasing as seconds ticked. He held my hands in his and muttered to me.


    ¡°You have to marry Manuel.¡±


    ¡°But I can¡¯t.¡± I cried. ¡°I can¡¯t, and you know why.¡± My lips quivered, scared to say what it was in front of his family. I was dating Anthonio. I couldn¡¯t possibly marry Manuel. ¡°Please, I can¡¯t!¡± I cried more loudly.


    ¡°Put yourself together my dear.¡± Emilio said, making me angrier.


    ¡°Don¡¯t sound like you worry about me?!¡± I yelled out finally. When I had found out Emilio had lied to me concerning his identity, I had easily let that go. But for him to actually ask me to marry Manuel just because I carried his child, even after knowing I was starting to fall in love with Anthonio, was a huge ¡®no no¡¯ for me. I knew I wasn¡¯t supposed to yell at Emilio that way, but I couldn¡¯t help it.


    ¡°But I do, my dear.¡± He begged.


    ¡°No¡­¡± I shook my head at him in disappointment. ¡°No, you don¡¯t. No.¡±


    ¡°Greta.¡± He called out.


    ¡°Yes, Nonno.¡±


    ¡°Please escort Bianca to the room. She needs to rest.¡±


    Greta walked up to me and held my hands in hers. The genuine sympathetic look she shared with me, made me refrained from putting up a fight with her. She began leading me towards the staircase, and just when I was about taking the first step up, I heard Manuel say the craziest thing ever.


    ¡°Nonno please. Please this wouldn¡¯t work out. How do I let Francesca know that we wouldn¡¯t be getting married anymore?¡±


    ¡°No child with the Russo blood flowing in his veins would be born away from this family!¡± Emilio shouted in anger. I shook for a moment.  I wasn¡¯t used to that side of him.


    ¡°That wouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡± Manuel rushed out. ¡°I could speak to Francesca. I could exin everything to her. She wouldn¡¯t mind training him alongside me.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± I growled, pushing Greta¡¯s hands off me, and making my way towards her brother. ¡°My child?! You want your wife to mother my child?! Never!!¡± I was past that pointed of being cool. How dare he? Does he know what it means to carry a child? How dare he think I would dly give my child to Francesca?


    ¡°Bianca¡­¡± He tried to speak but I cut him short.


    ¡°Shut the fuck up!¡±


    His face hardened at my order and he looked down at me.


    ¡°You don¡¯t speak to me that way!¡± He yelled in my face, towering over me. I could care less because all I really wanted to do was bash his head against a wall.


    ¡°Don¡¯t push me!¡± I screamed back at him.


    ¡°No one speaks to me that way!¡±


    ¡°Well, I do.¡± Emilio calmly said, making him go quiet instantly. ¡°And because of how foolishly you¡¯ve just spoken,e with me.¡± He muttered in a dead tone. I watched as Emilio walked away, Manuel following him behind.


    ¡°Oh my goodness.¡± Manuel¡¯s mom gasped, rushing towards me. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry my dear. Do not mind what he says.¡± She held my hands in hers, patting them. All I wanted to do was pull my hands away from hers and yell out so loudly. But all I found myself doing was crying as my shoulders slumped in defeat. ¡°Come here.¡± She beckoned, pulling my face down to her shoulders, where I rested my face and let my tears flow freely.

 CHAPTER 37

    MANUEL¡¯S POVThis belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    The moment I stepped into the study after Nonno, I closed the door shut. What was I supposed to expect now? He sounded really angry. To be very honest, I couldn¡¯t remember whenst Nonno spoke affectionately to me. He was either indifferent, or inly angry. Lately, he had been indifferent. I guess this was the first time he was so mad at me again after several years. I looked at the man, expecting screams and threats, but was shocked to hear him say what he said next.


    ¡°On your knees.¡± The man stated so calmly. What?! I watched in shock as he walked to the seat behind my desk, and made himselffortable. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t repeat myself.¡± Knowing better than to go against him, I went on my knees, feeling so humiliated in my current position. No one could really humiliate me this much. Not even my parents! To others, I was ¡®The Manuel Russo¡¯. But to my Nonno and a certain stubborndy, I was just Manuel or the ¡®infuriating bastard¡¯. I was shocked that he wasn¡¯t saying anything else. I remained in my position and minutes turned into hours. My body was used to so much exercise, so I was able to endure for a while. But then, I couldn¡¯t keep going at some point. My eyes remained fixed on the ticking clock in the study. I looked up to see his head leaned back on the headrest of his seat, with his eyes closed. Don¡¯t tell me this man slept off on me.


    ¡°Nonno?¡± I called, hoping to jar him awake.


    ¡°How many hours now?¡± He simply asked, suprising me. So he wasn¡¯t even sleeping after all?


    ¡°About 3?¡± I replied as sweat broke out on my forehead, regardless of how cool the air condition made the entire ce feel.


    ¡°You¡¯re not sure.¡± He sighed.


    ¡°It¡¯s 3 hours sir!¡± I rushed out. ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡± I released an exhausted sigh. My back ached so badly from being in that position for hours.


    ¡°How humiliated do you feel?¡± He asked. Was I supposed to have an answer to that? He should know how humiliated I felt, being told to kneel down at my age. I was only thankful he hadn¡¯t been angry enough as to make me kneel in front of everyone. God knew that if that was the case, I still dared not to go against his words. ¡°I see you¡¯re not humiliated enough then.¡± He chuckled humourlessly. I remained kneeling for a couple more minutes, before I eventually swallowed thest morsel of my pride.


    ¡°Nonno.¡± I called, my legs already shaking.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± He casually responded.


    ¡°I feel very humiliated.¡± I told him.


    ¡°As humiliated as you made the mother of your unborn child feel?¡± He asked, and I swallowed.


    ¡°Yes sir.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± He nodded. ¡°Have a seat.¡± He pointed towards the chair opposite him. It took almost a minute for me to stand on my feet. I literally couldn¡¯t feel my legs for a while. They shook painfully as I tried to steady them on the floor, the ache on my knees, reminding me of the fact that I most certainly had a space in the guiness world record. The Man To Kneel For The Longest Time.


    After I could finally stand steady, I walked slowly towards the empty seat and lowered myself onto it. All the while, he had an unbothered expression on his face.


    ¡°You know, I was present at your delivery, many many years ago.¡± He said, making me wonder if he finally wanted to disown me. ¡°You know how much your father was worried? Worried for you and your mom?¡± He asked. I knew it was a rhetorical question, but I shook my head in negation. ¡°Your mom had a lot ofplications associated with your delivery but somehow, she refused to give up on you. The scene that had yed out earlier in the evening, only made me feel sorry for Manuel and your Mia. I doubt Manuel ever imagined he¡¯d raised a son so smart, yet foolish.¡± He chuckled humourlessly, making me feel really stupid. Nonno had a way of making even the most arrogant person so humble. ¡°You are smart and really brilliant, but it hurts to know that you fail to reason properly atimes.¡± He sighed.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry sir.¡± I muttered, my head bowed down.


    ¡°Even with all theplications of your delivery, and the pain you caused your mom, Mia would have never willingly given you to another woman. So who are you to think you could take a child from its mother, and hand him or her over to whom you see fit?!!¡± He suddenly yelled. ¡°Do you know what it means to carry a child? Do you know what it means to birth a child? No, you don¡¯t. That is the only reason why you think it¡¯s fine to raise your son with a woman who is not his mother, even after you had the chance to bring his mother into the picture.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± I muttered once more, but it only seemed to aggravate him. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you are sorry! Exin to me, why you thought it was best to take her child away from her. Did you even think of the reason why she ran away? She went into hiding because she was scared something like this would happen! You only proved her right.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I only thought it would have been the best way to bnce the situation. I have already promised marriage to Fra¡­¡±


    ¡°Enough of the Ferraridy.¡± He ordered. ¡°You im to be so dedicated, yet you cheated on her when you got the chance. Do you know how many wrongs youmitted against this family?!¡± He asked in annoyance. ¡°Russo men don¡¯t sleep around! Russo men don¡¯t nt illegitimate seeds! It had been a rule ever since you were little children. For a moment, I had thought you were the grandchild I didn¡¯t have to worry so much about, when it came to that particr rule. Women didn¡¯t really freak you. How wrong I had been.¡± Heughed dryly. ¡°Oh, how wrong.¡±


    ¡°It honestly wasn¡¯t my intention to get her pregnant.¡±


    ¡°It never is anyone¡¯s intention, stop talking like a child! Do you think your uncles and cousins are all righteous? No, they aren¡¯t. They definitely go around breaking the rule, but not doing it so foolishly. How could you have had intercourse without using protection? What were you thinking? And now, you suddenly thinking the best way to fix this mess you created, is by creating an even bigger one? You think after all the humiliations and pains Bianca has gone through because of this unexpected pregnancy, that she¡¯d willingly give you her child?¡±


    ¡°But she has a boyfriend. I don¡¯t want someone else fathering my son.¡± I sighed.


    ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± He seemed to be in thoughts. ¡°Her boyfriend would not have a problem fathering your child, trust me.¡± He knows her boyfriend? Were they that close? ¡°But if that is truly your worry, then you shouldn¡¯t hesitate to do as I say, and marry her. Moreover, it would be silly for you to think that I¡¯d let any Russo offspring be born out of wedlock.¡±


    ¡°Marrying her is not really the problem.¡± I admitted. ¡°The problem are the Ferraris. How would they take the turn of events? They would only feel like Russo tried to make caricature of them.¡±


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be too hard for Francisco. Atleast, his daughter wouldn¡¯t be announced as your wife to be officially. That should help them save face. And as for the expected enemity that is toe, it shouldn¡¯t bother you or anyone else for the matter. Moreover, the man had always deluded himself into thinking that Russo was the reason for his wife¡¯s death. He would get over his daughter¡¯s heartbreak the same way he got over the loss of his poor wife. After all, it shoulde as a relief to him. I heard the girl had literally forced him into epting the marriage between you both. I had been quite apathetic towards your marriage ns with her. Now I know why. It was just never meant to work out.¡± He shrugged. It sounded so easy for him to say, but he didn¡¯t know I was going to be the one dealing with a wailing and angry Francesca.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t worry about the girl.¡± He said.


    ¡°What girl?¡± I asked, at loss.


    ¡°Your previously intended. What¡¯s her name?¡±


    ¡°Francesca?¡± Oh my God! My Nonno didn¡¯t know her name?!


    ¡°Yes, Francesca. Leave her to me. I would handle her myself.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s my responsibility to¡­¡± I was still talking when he cut me short.


    ¡°And I insist that I speak with her first!¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± I surrendered.


    ¡°Yes. All you should do is go upstairs and prepare for the event tomorrow. I wouldn¡¯t ask you to apologize to Bianca. You should do so when you truly feel sorry for your mistakes. She definitely doesn¡¯t deserve an apology based on coercion.¡± He was right about that though.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard you sir.¡± I nodded.


    ¡°Have a good night then.¡± He said and stood up to his feet. I also stood as he walked out of the  study, leaving me to my thoughts.


    Wouldn¡¯t I be a coward by letting my Nonno speak to Francesca on my behalf? I was a whole lot, but definitely not a coward. In as much as I really wanted to just call her and let her know what was actually happening, I had to refrain from doing so. Just then, a message notification popped on my phone, and I only felt bad when I saw it was a message from Francesca. She said was anticpating tomorrow¡¯s event. Knowing I couldn¡¯t give as much as a reply, I turned off my phone and reclined deeper in my seat. Congrattions to me! The entire course of my life has changed in one day.


    ****


    ****


    ****


    ¡°Don¡¯t be tensed, you¡¯d be fine.¡± Mom whispered into my ear, and I rolled my eyes. I already knew how happy she was about the fateful turn of events. Suddenly, I wasn¡¯t getting married to the girl she didn¡¯t want anymore.


    ¡°I¡¯m never tensed.¡± I bit back.


    ¡°Oh dear,¡± She chuckled, looking so amused. ¡°Don¡¯t let your Nonno hear that. Or better still, don¡¯t let your wife to be, hear it.¡± She gave a satisfied smirk.


    ¡°Are you by any chance insinuating that I¡¯m scared of Bianca?¡± I had a really disgusted look on my face. My mom could really go over board with a lot of funny things she said.


    ¡°Maybe it was just me, but did you see your face when she asked you to shut up?¡± Tommaso butted into the conversation, making momugh.


    ¡°Could we get down already?¡± I asked, losing so much patience. ¡°Our family are already waiting for us.¡±


    ¡°Alright. You go ahead, while I quickly check if Bianca is ready.¡±


    ¡°You all should do well to prepare her own space for her. I hate that she¡¯s encroaching in mine.¡± I bit out.


    ¡°I feel so sorry for you Manuel, because that isn¡¯t happening. Married couples are supposed to share a room. And that is just how it is going to be for you both. You better start getting use to these changes soon.¡±


    ¡°I cannot get used to it.¡± Why did my mind scream at me, telling me that was a huge lie?


    ¡°Well, suite yourself.¡± She shrugged. ¡°I wasn¡¯t the one who asked you to stick you manhood into her.¡±


    ¡°Christ! Do you realize that you¡¯re my mom?¡±


    ¡°Do I look like I don¡¯t?¡± She shot back, walking away. I stood looking ar her retreating figure, until Tommaso tapped my arm.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go down brother.¡± He gave a small smile, which I just wasn¡¯t able to return. We got walking, and he struck a conversation. ¡°Remember when we were still very young, and you¡¯d ask Nonno to pick the best bride for you?¡±


    I actually did remember. Why was he suddenly bringing that up?


    ¡°Yes, why?¡±


    ¡°You never really hoped to marry for love. And arranged marriages are no news to we, Russos. You don¡¯t realize he has just done as you requested.¡±


    ¡°Well, I clearly do not need his services anymore.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s pretty.¡± She spoke out of context, making me shake my head in disbelief.


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°Your soon to be wife.¡± He grinned. ¡°Too beautiful forfort.¡± He added, making me re at him.


    ¡°I guess you realize why I knocked her up in the first ce.¡± I mumbled dryly.


    ¡°Is it true you were her first?¡± At his question, I stopped in my tracks. How did my little brother have such an intimate information? It wasn¡¯t funny.


    ¡°Who told you that?¡±


    ¡°No one did. I actually eavesdropped while Greta and mom discussedst night.¡±


    ¡°Hmmmm.¡± Was all I could manage to say. So Greta was selling me out, huh?


    ¡°If it¡¯s true, then you should be nicer to her.¡± He muttered.


    ¡°I¡¯m nice to her.¡± I spat in annoyance, and he literally red at me. ¡°Stop that!¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡± He mumbled. We stepped down thest step of the stairs, before continuing on our way to the garden. That was where dinner was supposed to hold. We got to the garden and it was filled with family members. I went around to greet them all, receiving all the congrattoryments they threw my way.


    ¡°Manuel!¡± I turned to see Be and Alex walking into the garden. They had obviously just arrived. Nonno followed quite a distant behind them and I frowned sightly. He had walked in with a couple, whom I assumed where guests for the after party.


    ¡°Hello Be.¡± I leaned down and gave her a kiss.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Alexander whispered to me. ¡°Greta briefed me on the turn of events yesterday. I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re getting married to Bianca.¡± He chuckled in disbelief.


    ¡°Neither can I. Nonno always has his ways, you know.¡±


    ¡°To be very honest, I believe it¡¯s the right thing to do.¡± He gave a sympathetic smile.


    ¡°Is it the right thing? Or you all just do not like Francesca?¡± At my question, he smiled mischievously and I shook my head in disbelief. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you right now.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s something I think you should know though.¡± He suddenly looked serious.


    ¡°What about?¡±


    ¡°About Bianca¡¯s boyfriend¡­¡± He paused when Nonno walked up to us and looked at me.


    ¡°You should escort Bianca¡¯s parents in.¡± He turned to the entrance of the garden and my eyes widened in shock. The couple he had stepped in with, were Bianca¡¯s parents? He already had them involved?


    ¡°Did you think for a moment, that you¡¯d marry the girl without her parent¡¯s consent?¡± He asked.


    ¡°No sir.¡±


    ¡°I thought as much.¡± He muttered and walked away to go sit amongst the rest of our family.


    ¡°You should go to them.¡± Alex nudged me, and I halfmindedly nodded, forgetting to ask him what he had been saying before Nonno showed up. I took slow steps towards them, suddenly feeling¡­. No! I wasn¡¯t tensed! I was only concerned¡­. Arrgghh!! I just hated Bianca so much. Ever since she stepped into my life, there was always a reason to be tensed. They remained at the entrance, clearly waiting for me toe. Once I got to them, the man threw me an icy re. Wow. He definitely disliked me a lot.


    ¡°Hello ma¡¯am, Sir.¡± I greeted.


    ¡°Hello.¡± His wife managed a small smile. It was small, but genuine. Atleast, that helped my nerves. ¡°Your grandfather asked us to wait for you here. We insisted we wouldn¡¯t go into the crowd if we were yet to see our daughter.¡± She exined. Did she really call my family a crowd? What was she going to say when she sees the number of elites that would be in attendance at the after party?


    ¡°Of course, I can take you to see her. Pleasee with me.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Her mom muttered, pulling along her husband who seemed to hate me. Weirdly, it gave me shivers. Why did I even care about what the man thought of me?


    I lead then into the main house and just as we were about going upstairs, I heard my mom and Greta talking as they came down. Behind them, was Bianca. Lord! She looked stunning in that ck strapless dress, I hated to admit. She looked quite stunning, but sad.


    ¡°Mio cara!¡± Her mom called out and Bianca¡¯s eyes got fixed on her parents. Her eyes widened in what looked like fear. She paused on her tracks, making mom and Greta do the same. They looked at her in worry.


    ¡°Mama¡­.. Papa.¡± She called out, tears running down the beautiful face beat she had on, slightly ruining it.


    ¡°Oh, baby don¡¯t cry.¡± Her mom rushed up the stairs and pulled Bianca into her arms.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry!! I¡¯m so sorry.¡± She wailed. In that moment, I nced at her father and his eyes had gone so soft. Why did I suddenly begin to feel sad? Not just sad, but guilty?


    ¡°No no no! Your papa and I are happy you¡¯re safe. We¡¯ve been so worried.¡± Her mother muttered, close to tears. Mom and Greta thought it best toe down the remaining flight of stairs, leaving Bianca and her mother alone. After sobbing in each other¡¯s arms for a while, her mom pulled her down the stairs. ¡°Come. You should say hi to your papa.¡± They starteding downstairs to meet her father who seemed eager to hold his daughter. I was so engrossed watching the man that I didn¡¯t realize when Bianca¡¯s eyes widened in shock. It was when she let out a whimper, that I noticed she was looking at something, or rather, someone. I followed the direction of her eyes and itnded on¡­. Anthonio? I had no idea he was back. The look of shock on his face only meant they were familiar with each other. I was still trying to put my thoughts together, when he said the next words that got me equally shocked.


    ¡°Baby?¡±


    For a moment, I wasn¡¯t sure whom he referred to, until I saw the reaction on Bianca¡¯s face. It was a mix of fear, remorse, and¡­. affection? ¡°Babe.¡± He called out again and fresh tears fell from her eyes.


    Hold up! Bianca was his ¡®baby¡¯?!!

 CHAPTER 38

    BIANCA¡¯S POV


    Oh God! This was all too much for me to take in at once. I was still dealing with the appearance of my parents, only for Anthonio to show up. When did he return?


    ¡°Baby?¡± He called, and I shivered with fear and remorse. ¡°Babe.¡± He called again, and I couldn¡¯t help the fresh tears that fell from my eyes.


    ¡°Ohh¡­¡± I let out an almost inaudible whimper. ¡°Anthonio.¡± I fell to the ground in the pretty dress that Manuel¡¯s mom had gotten for me.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± He asked, looking into my eyes as he walked closer to me. ¡°I just came backst night, and had to show up for my cousin¡¯s¡­.¡± He trailed off, looking at everyone, before looking back at me. ¡°Your parents are here too. We¡¯ve both been trying to reach you. Where have you been? What has been going on? You got us really worried.¡± I watched as his emotions fluctuated by the second. From suprised, to worried, to confused, and then to being curious. ¡°What happened? You have not spoken to me or taken my calls in weeks now. I¡¯ve been going crazy.¡± He groaned. For a moment, I wondered why he didn¡¯t think anything was off. Wasn¡¯t he seeing that my parents had just found me, and I was¡­..? ¡°Stand up already please. I¡¯m not mad anymore.¡± He begged, pulling me off the ground. ¡°I¡¯m so relieved to see you are safe. I¡¯ve missed you.¡± He pulled me into his embrace, and I just let him do whatever he wanted. The fear in my mind made it difficult for me to think straight. ¡°You look beautiful.¡± He grinned, cleaning the tears off my eyes. For a moment, I wondered why everyone just quietly watched us. I couldn¡¯t bring myself to say anything, so why couldn¡¯t they just say something on my behalf? I took a quick nce at everyone. Greta and her mom looked very shocked, while Manuel looked¡­.. angry.


    ¡°Anthonio.¡± I sobbed, pulling his hands off my cheeks, and holding them in mine.


    ¡°I told you it¡¯s fine already. I¡¯m not angry anymore.¡± He sighed, cleaning off my tears. ¡°We can talk about it all when today¡¯s event is over.¡±


    ¡°Anthonio please listen to me!¡± I yelled firmly, admist my tears. He finally looked at me quietly and attentively. ¡°This¡­¡± I pointed around us, ¡°is not what you think it is. I¡¯m so undeserving of you, please forgive me.¡± I sniffled, making him frown.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± He finally asked, looking so serious. His expression made it difficult for me to start speaking.


    ¡°I.. I am¡­ Anthonio¡­¡±


    ¡°She has my child in her belly.¡± Manuel suddenly spoke up, making my eyes go wide. That wasn¡¯t how I had nned to let it out. Anthonio nced at Manuel with an unreadable expression, before looking back at me. He seemed to be having issues digesting Manuel¡¯s statement. Who wouldn¡¯t?


    ¡°Babe¡­¡± He released a sigh, so much fear in his eyes. ¡°Please tell me what is happening.¡±


    ¡°Anthonio, that is what I¡¯m doing right now.¡± Manuel continued. ¡°Bianca is pregnant for me, and we are to be married in a matter of weeks.¡±


    ¡°Shut up, and let my woman talk!!¡± Anthonio burst out in anger, making me shake in my ce. I had never seen that side of him before. He looked up at me with anger evident in his eyes. He didn¡¯t ask me any other question, but the look in his eyes said it all. All he wanted was a confirmation, or for me to debunk Manuel¡¯s ims.


    ¡°Anthonio please.¡± I begged.


    ¡°Is it true?¡± He finally asked and I shamefully nodded, unable to hold his eyes. Everywhere went silent for a moment, before he bursted out. ¡°Bianca, no!!¡± He yelled angrily. ¡°Bianca how¡­. how¡­.?¡± His breathing increased, making me worried for a moment. He seemed like he was hyperventting. ¡°How could you do this to me?¡± He asked, tears finally dropping from his eyes. Oh God! I couldn¡¯t even say a single word. All I could do was just shake my head and cry. ¡°How could you break me this way?¡± He cried all the more, shocking everyone.


    ¡°Anthonio, please calm down¡­.¡± Manuel¡¯s mom tried speaking to him, but he cut her off.


    ¡°Your son is about stealing something so important from me, and you ask me to stay calm?!!!¡± He thundered.


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t dare speak to my mother that way again.¡± Manuel intervened. My heartbeat already elerated with so much fear. Thest thing I wanted, was any kind of fight. Just then, Emilio showed up.


    ¡°Anthonio.¡± He called so softly. Everyone looked at him.


    ¡°Nonno, Manuel is¡­.¡± Anthonio started, but trailed off. ¡°Bianca is my woman. She¡¯s mine.¡± He cried weakly. God knows that all I wanted to do was hug him, and tell him how sorry I felt for us. But I knew he was gonna push me away.


    ¡°I know.¡± Emilio nodded. He looked at Greta and gave her a slight nod. She gave a nod in response and walked to me, took my hand in hers, and pulled me out of the entire scene. I willingly followed her because the tension was bing too much for me to bear. We walked away as I heard Emilio ask Anthonio to follow him.


    Greta and I got to the room, and she lead me to the the chair that I just had my makeup done. The makeup artist whom had been hired, was still busy packing up her things, when she looked up at me and frowned. Knowing my face was probably hideous from my crying, I looked into the mirror just in front of me. I frowned slightly when I saw my reflection on the mirror. God! I looked horrible. That was the least of my worries though. My major worry was Anthonio. What would Emilio be telling him now? What would he think of me? Would he ever forgive me for such humiliation and deception? Did I deserve his forgiveness?


    ¡°Calm down Bianca.¡± Greta patted my shoulder. ¡°Atleast, it¡¯s all out now. You don¡¯t have to continually worry about how you¡¯d let him know the truth, anymore. That part is done now. All that¡¯s left, is getting over the whole incident.¡±


    ¡°It would be very difficult for me to just get over it. I hurt a man who did nothing but love me.¡± I muttered, and her hands found their way to each side of my head. She gently massaged my temples as she spoke to me.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t in my wildest imaginations, think your boyfriend would be my cousin. Neither did I think that your tryst with Manuel a few months back, would bring us to this. But we are here now. Most importantly, a child is on the way. This means that whatever decisions you decide to take, must be in the favour of this child. You cannot¡­.¡± She suddenly paused and gave a long sigh. ¡°We should focus more on the event tonight. We cannot afford to have you stepping out to the rest of the family with a blotched face. No one else has to know about what happened in here. I¡¯m sure you wouldn¡¯t feelfortable if they did. So what we have to do now, is to rearrange your face, and then you step out like none of this happened tonight.¡±


    ¡°But I just cannot pretend like it didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°You can.¡± She insisted. ¡°I am begging you to try. It¡¯s just for a couple of hours, and you cane back inside and have your privacy.¡±


    ¡°What about Anthonio?¡±


    ¡°Do not worry about him. Nonno would keep him in check.¡± She assured, making me nod in understanding. ¡°Lydia.¡± She turned to the curious make up artist who just watched us as we spoke. ¡°Please quickly fix this, or recreate another magic on her face. Could you be quick about it as well? We don¡¯t really have so much time. You would be paid extra for the stress.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Thedy nodded and walked up to me. Before I knew it, the previous cakey and teary makeup had been wiped off my face, and a new one was being applied. Many times, I thought about the situation of things and was close to tears. But whenever I remembered I would only be frustrating Lydia¡¯s work and wasting the time we didn¡¯t have, I tried keeping the tears in.


    *


    *


    *N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    I had been able to uphold my promise to Greta, and did my best to step out to their family and guest, lookingposed. For the rest of the night, I didn¡¯ty eyes on Anthonio. I knew he left already. Mama and Papa had also left midway, promising toe check on me the next day. I didn¡¯t even understand what they meant by that. Wasn¡¯t I returning home anymore? Was I going to be in the Russo estate until the wedding?


    Personally, I hadn¡¯t waited for the after party to be over before excusing myself and walking back into the house. Atleast, I had been patient enough to take pictures with some of the important guests. The moment I got into the house, I made my way through the staircase, and walked into the familiar room. I pulled my shoes and my clothes off. I was still looking through the wardrobe for any of the clothes Greta had put in there for me this afternoon. All I could see were Manuel¡¯s clothes, making me frown. Just when I finally got hold of a a simple gown I could wear to sleep, the bedroom door opened to reveal Manuel standing at the doorstep. His eyes widened at seeing me almost naked. I had been shocked as well, and was too caught up in my shame to realize myself. When I finally did, I instinctively covered my breasts with both hands.


    He turned his back and closed the door behind him, while I quickly put on my gown. I was honestly too tired to feel ashamed. My eyes were sore from so much crying, and I still worried about Anthonio. I sat on the bed, deep in thoughts. A couple of minutester, a knock came on the door and I heard Manuel¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Are you wearing something now?¡± He asked, and I gave a positive reply. Immediately, he opened the door, walked in, and shut the door behind him. He stood just in front of the door, looking at me without saying a word, but I could feel his eyes on me. Not ready for any other additional drama tonight, I sighed and moved into the middle of the bed. I truly needed the rest. My movements stopped midway when I heard what he said.


    ¡°Is this some sort of game to you?¡± He asked, and I turned to look at him. ¡°So you had sex with me, knowing it was my cousin whom you dated?¡± He used, making me go mad momentarily.


    ¡°So what are you insinuating?¡± I asked, trying my best to remain calm. ¡°That this is all my fault? I only started dating Anthonio after I got back from Moscow!¡± I cleared him.


    ¡°Oh please!¡± He chuckled humourlessly. ¡°You clearly told me that you had a boyfriend, and couldn¡¯t bemitted to me in any way.¡±


    ¡°That is because there was a lot of awkward tension between us! That is why I told you I had a boyfriend, and couldn¡¯t have anything more to do with you! I didn¡¯t want you to begin to think that because you took my virginity, you owed me some sort ofmitment. Mind you, I would have never slept with you if I was dating anyone at the time. Anthonio and I only started dating 2 months ago.¡± At my words, he went quiet and I shook my head in disbelief. ¡°So for a moment, you actually tried to slut shame me?! You wanted to shame me for sleeping with you while dating your cousin? If you were ever so big on faithfulness, then why did you cheat on your ex fiancee with me? Twice!¡± I got no response from him. ¡°First, you spoke about taking my child and parenting it with her.  Meanwhile, you were the same person who said you couldn¡¯t watch my boyfriend father your child. Now you try to slut shame me when you are even the worse slut?! All you do is think about yourself. It¡¯s always about you. Self centered and arrogant¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t even know what more to call him. This man had a way of making me so furious. I didn¡¯t even wait for him to think of a suitable reply, before I moved further into the bed and covered myself with the thick duvet. He could go to hell for all I cared. I was in mine already.

 CHAPTER 39

    BIANCA¡¯S POV


    I opened my eyes to see the space beside me on the bed, empty. That was best for us. His family had sessfully forced us to share a room, and I was d I didn¡¯t have to wake up to see his face every day. I couldn¡¯t be angry first thing in the morning. Cleaning off the sleep from my eyes, I stepped down the bed in my silky night robe, and walked into the bathroom. I looked at my reflection in the bathroom mirror, and I was d I looked better. I also felt better. It was the fourth day after the Russo¡¯s traditional family dinner and after party. I had not seen or heard a word from Anthonio, and to be very honest, all I could tell him was that I was sorry. I always dropped a new message for him every day, but he never replied any. It got me worried because more than any other thing, I could not bear to go ahead with this wedding, knowing I hurt another man. The day of the wedding was fast approaching and if I had what it took to dy it or make time go still, I would have.


    We were supposed to proceed with the wedding two weeks after the dinner. Mia; Manuel¡¯s mom, had insisted that we didn¡¯t waste any more time. ording to her, money wasn¡¯t a problem, so I could have everything I wanted for my dream wedding within the short period of time. ¡®My dream wedding¡¯. I did have a dream wedding, what girl didn¡¯t? But I guess my dream wedding should be to a man I loved. I no longer love Manuel, so¡­


    Truly, I no longer loved him or even liked him. It was so suprising how everything you have ever wanted and hoped for, turns out to be your worst nightmare when you have it. Manuel wasn¡¯t the kind of man I wanted for myself. Beneath all the beautiful and masculine exterior,id a very self centered and selfish man. I guess where everything became much clearer to me, was when he actually said Francesca could raise my child. How much more unfeeling could he be? I was already going through a lot of hormonal imbnce and funny body changes since I got pregnant. It wasn¡¯t the best feeling, trust me. I guess it would even get worse in time. But somehow, a mentally deranged man thought I would give his girlfriend my child? A woman who clearly disliked me? How was she going to treat my child then?


    I turned on the water in the sink, and started brushing my mouth. After I was done, I sshed some water over my face and sighed as I enjoyed the cool feeling it gave. I turned on the hot water and let it flow into the blocked bathtub. When the water was filled enough, Ipletely pulled off my robe and stepped into the bathtub. God, it felt so warm and nice. I remained soaked for some more minutes, before proceeding with my bath and washing my hair. The moment I was done bathing, I walked out of the bathroom in one of the fluffy robes that was hung inside.


    I walked into the bedroom to see a tray of food on the bedside table. Ohhhh nice. It smelled so good. I quickly rushed to the bed and opened the lid covering the te of food, making the steam and aroma hit my nose in full force. These days, my appetite had increased a thousand folds, and I just wanted to keep munching away on anything. So I decided to eat first, then continue my morning routine afterwards. I ate so fast, surprising even myself. Within some minutes, I was done and full. But I knew I was only momentarily filled. Very soon, I would feel like eating again.


    I had a lot nned out for the day, so I hurriedly blew dry my hair and dressed up. Loving how fine I looked in the mirror, I made my way out of the room. My first destination today was A. RUSSO. I didn¡¯t have the opportunity to speak with him during the dinner, but my boss sure looked like he had a lot to say to me. Apart from that, I had to see Laura. She had called me yesterday, sounding worried and angry. She had every right to be angry though. I hadn¡¯t been so great at keeping the promise we made to each other. We had promised to not keep secrets away from each other, and always open up when there was a problem. There was literally no time that she hadn¡¯t kept to that promise.


    ¡°Ah, Bianca! You¡¯re up?¡± I looked towards my right to see Mia, seated on the couch with a magazine in one hand, and a cup of tea in the other.


    ¡°Hello.¡± I waved awkwardly. I guess it was still very awkward to be around the woman. I found it difficult to believe how easily weing of me, she had been.


    ¡°Heyyyy honey.¡± She grinned, keeping her magazine and cup of tea on the side stool, before standing up and walking to me. ¡°You look like you¡¯re stepping out.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am.¡± I nodded with a small smile ying on my lips.


    ¡°Goodness, you¡¯re too beautiful forfort.¡± She sighed, put some fallen strand of my hair in ce. It was so funny how she justpletely spoke out of context.


    ¡°Thank you?¡± I muttered. Too beautiful to be true? I guess I had entered that era where I looked wonderful to everyone around me.


    ¡°Hmm. Where are you headed? It¡¯s the first time you¡¯re stepping out since you arrived here.¡±


    ¡°Oh. I just need to be at my former work ce. I have some things to speak to my boss about.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± She nodded. ¡°Do you needpany?¡± She asked, her face lighting up as she eagerly looked at me for my response. How was I going to tell this dotting woman that I really needed to do all that I had to do, on my own?


    ¡°I would also go to see my parents after leaving A. RUSSO.¡± I added. She seemed to have gotten my underlying message, as she nodded in understanding.


    ¡°So did you love the new boxes of clothes that Greta brought you yesterday?¡± She asked, and I found myself smiling. I was so touched when I saw the suitcases that had been taken into my room yesterday. The dresses inside them were all so beautiful. Even the night robe I had wornst night.


    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am, they were all pretty. I couldn¡¯t look at them all because they were quite much, but I truly love them. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d you loved them. They are all from Greta¡¯s fashion line. She¡¯s a fashion designer,  you know?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± I nodded. ¡°Manuel mentioned once, but I didn¡¯t know the dresses were from her line. She¡¯s quite good.¡±


    ¡°Oh? You probably didn¡¯t look at the tags then. But that asides, please I don¡¯t want you referring to me as ¡®ma¡¯ again. You should call me Mia or mom.¡± She smiled hopefully. I felt calling her mom was too quick, but I could settle for Mia.


    ¡°Alright Mia.¡± I smiled.


    ¡°Beautiful.¡± She grinned back at me. ¡°So I would have Marco drive you to your destinations today.¡±


    ¡°Not at all!¡± I rushed out. ¡°I would just order a ride.¡±


    ¡°No no no.¡± Mia shook her head, almost as if my statement was a taboo. ¡°It is my duty to ensure you are safe at all times. Please, you would be using my personal driver and one of my cars. I should be able to arrange your own car and driver soon. But for today, you should let Marco take you wherever. I need to be sure that you are safe.¡±


    ¡°Okay, if you insist.¡± I guess I had finally be part of a wealthy and powerful family.


    ¡°Yes, I insist.¡± She smiled warmly at me. The next thing I knew, she was calling Anna. Anna was one of the maids who worked in the mansion. ¡°Anna!¡± She called out.


    ¡°Yes Madame.¡± Anna appeared, smartly dressed in her uniform. ¡°Do you want anything ma?¡±


    ¡°Yes, please.¡± Mia nodded. ¡°Get my favourite burgundy purse from my room.¡±Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.


    ¡°Yes Ma¡¯am.¡± Anna replied and walked upstairs. While she was away, Mia got busy putting a call to Marco, and asking him toe pick me up. Some minutester, Anna returned with the purse and handed it over to Mia.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Mia nodded and opened the purse. She looked through it and pulled out a gold card. ¡°Here.¡± She stretched out her hand for me to take it. ¡°In case you have the need for anything while you are out, you can just make use of it.¡±


    ¡°No no no, Mia.¡± I shook my head, truly mortified. ¡°You don¡¯t need to stress, I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not stressing honey. It is my duty.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m fine.¡± I tried convincing her. Nheless, she kept her hand held out to me. I thought for a moment what to do, and finally collected it. No much case. I wasn¡¯t gonna make use of the card after all. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Always weed.¡± Her phone beeped and she looked at the screen. ¡°Great! Marco is ready. You should get going now.¡±


    I nodded in agreement and began making my way out.


    *


    *


    *


    ¡°You hurt me real bad.¡± She said, and I looked down at my fingers in remorse. ¡°I had spent weeks worried about you. Meanwhile, all you had been trying to do, was hide from me. You could hide from everyone else but not me.¡±


    ¡°Laura¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°I¡¯m truly sorry. I cannot tell you how sorry I am. What happened doesn¡¯t mean you aren¡¯t important to me, because I swear that you are. I was just confused and scared.¡±


    ¡°Bianca.¡± Her eyes softened. ¡°That is why I¡¯m here. To listen to you when you are confused and scared. Please don¡¯t ever do this again. You gave me the kind of scare that you had given me the time that you were taken to that God forsaken ind. Christ!¡± She exhaled. ¡°I can¡¯t believe all that is happening right now. Bibi, are you really getting married to Manuel? Jeeezz! I cannot even believe that you are pregnant.¡± She looked to be in a lot of shock, and it only made me sigh. I also couldn¡¯t believe my predicament.


    ¡°Even up until now, I am still suprised that Emilio turned out to be their Nonno. God, it was so dramatic.¡±


    ¡°I can imagine.¡± She held my hands in hers. ¡°I¡¯m sure you had cried so much when Anthonio showed up.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know half of it.¡± I blinked, thinking back to few days ago. ¡°I have honestly thought this whole thing through these past few days. I have to marry Manuel, even if that long term wish suddenly seems like a death trap to me.¡±


    ¡°Bianca. Are you sure that this is what you want?¡± She asked, worry in her eyes.


    ¡°Even if it isn¡¯t what I want. Right now, my childes first.¡± I said, cing my hand on my t tummy. ¡°Same way I wouldn¡¯t like Francesca to mother my child, it would be selfish of me to want Anthonio. If I remain with Anthonio, I definitely cannot give my child away to Manuel and Francesca. Moreover, it¡¯s really selfish for me to want to keep my child away from its father, even when I have the chance to give it a life with Manuel. Plus, I even doubt that Anthonio would still want anything to do with me. He doesn¡¯t reply any of my messages anymore. I am only hoping that he forgives me. Wanting to still remain in his life is a greedy and far fetched thought. No man would dly remain with me after such deception.¡±


    ¡°Bibi stop this! You are honestly being too hard on yourself. You never even knew you were pregnant for Manuel. Neither did you have the intentions of deceiving Anthonio. It¡¯s not your fault, life just happened.¡±


    ¡°Enough about me.¡± I forced a smile. ¡°What about you? How are you and Ricardo doing?¡± On hearing his name, she couldn¡¯t help but smile so widely.


    ¡°Wellllll¡­.. we got official a week back.¡±


    ¡°Oh my goodness, Laura!¡± I grinned in genuine happiness. ¡°This is so good to hear. I am truly happy for you. You deserve every happiness.¡±


    ¡°I know right?¡± She chuckled. ¡°Ricardo is really striving so hard to be a better man, and I truly appreciate his efforts. I have never been this happy all my life, Bibi.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great my friend.¡± Then, I thought of something else. ¡°But how is Federico? How did he take the whole thing?¡± I watched as her shoulders slumped in defeat.


    ¡°It was a really hard pill for him to swallow. But you know what makes me d?¡± She asked, managing a small smile. ¡°His problem wasn¡¯t that I had picked Ricardo over him. His problem was the fact that he felt Ricardo wouldn¡¯t treat me right. I understood his fears though. Ricardo hasn¡¯t been much of the best man in the past, but he is getting there.¡±


    ¡°How about the adoption ns with Madame Beatriz?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Well, what would you expect? Her son made it clear to everyone that we were now together, and he had the intentions of making ourmitment to each other, permanent in time. The woman was ted. She definitely had to drop the thoughts of adoption, because of our rtionship.¡±


    ¡°That makes a lot of sense.¡± I nodded. ¡°Either way, you would still be her daughter.¡± I grinned, before looking at the time on my phone. ¡°Laura, I would have to get going now.¡±


    ¡°So soon?¡± She pouted, making me smile warmly. We were currently in the executive lounge of thepany, and it was past lunch hour already. When I had stepped into A. RUSSO today, I had spent most of the time at my boss¡¯s office. The man had a lot of questions to ask me. I was so thankful because in all he said and asked, he seemed genuinely worried about me. He had also told me to give my marriage with Manuel a chance, and try to forgive Emilio for his staunch order to make me marry Manuel. Truly, I had been so angry at Emilio. I hadn¡¯t spoken to him in days, even though he was regrly at the house.


    Whenever he was around, I either pretended to be sleeping or sleeping. Yes. Sleeping was the only way he wouldn¡¯t force me to talk with him. I truly missed him, but my anger prevailed more.


    ¡°Laura, I have to go see my parents before heading back home. You know how it would be. I¡¯m very sure they have a mouthful of things to say to me. They had promised toe see me a few days back at the Russo estate, but didn¡¯t show up. So I thought to go see them myself, and get over and done with this important part of the situation. You know Papa particrly favoured Anthonio. He is definitely displeased with the recent turn of events, especially after seeing Anthonio cry the other day.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm. I understand.¡±


    ¡°But you coulde check up on me at the Russo estate.¡± I suggested with a small smile.


    ¡°Are you sure they would be fine with strangersing into their home?¡±


    ¡°You are my friend Laura, not a stranger.¡± I corrected. ¡°I would speak to Mia about it as well. It would feel better spending these few days with you, before I transition into being Manuel Russo¡¯s wife. I¡¯m scared that it might be a very unhappy phase of life for me, and sadly, it¡¯s until death do is part.¡± I sighed.


    ¡°I would love nothing more than to be by your side through it all.¡± She caressed my cheeks, before grinning mischievously. ¡°I also love nothing as much as sitting on Ricardo¡¯s face too.¡±


    ¡°My goodness, Laura!!¡± I yelled out in exasperation, and we both startedughing.


    *************


    *************


    The moment I stepped out of the car in front of my parent¡¯s home, I asked Marco to leave ande back for meter. But he insisted on waiting as long as was necessary. I made my way into the gates and walked to the door. I felt nervous, but pressed on the doorbell nheless. After waiting for a few seconds, the door opened, revealing my mother.


    ¡°Honey.¡± She muttered, so much emotions in her eyes.


    ¡°Mama.¡± I sighed, not knowing what to say. ¡°Can Ie in?¡± I finally asked, and she frowned.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly now! You are pregnant, not disowned.¡± She went teary eyed and pulled me into her embrace. I found myself close to tears again.


    ¡°For a moment, I thought I was.¡± I muttered into her bosom.


    ¡°And why would you think such a thing?¡± She gently pulled away from me, in order to see my face much clearly.


    ¡°You and papa had promised toe see me at the Russo estate, but you didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Her eyes softened. ¡°Honey, your papa took ill after the dinner at your¡­. new home.¡± My ¡®new home¡¯. Hmm. ¡°I¡¯ve been tasked with taking care of him, and that¡¯s the reason we haven¡¯t showed up yet. I¡¯m so sorry.¡±


    ¡°No no! It¡¯s totally fine mom. How is papa doing now?¡±


    ¡°Getting better.¡± She sighed. ¡°He is extremely worried about you.¡±


    ¡°He is?¡± I asked in slight disbelief, tears clogging my eyes.


    ¡°Of course, he is.¡± She looked around us and hit her forehead. ¡°Silly me. Come on in already. We have a visitor.¡± She muttered. A visitor? She opened the door much wider, and I made my way in. I was shocked to see none other than Emilio, sitting on one of the couches.


    ¡°Mama?¡± I called, and she looked up at me with a small smile. I waited for some kind of exnation, but she didn¡¯t give any. She only shrugged her shoulders and excused herself to go infom my papa of my arrival. I knew it was an excuse to let Emilio and I have our privacy though. I was grateful. I waited as she walked up the stairs, until she waspletely out of sight.


    ¡°Good afternoon.¡± I muttered to Emilio, not looking at his face. ¡°How did you know I would be here?¡±


    ¡°I asked your chaffeur for a small favour.¡± He replied, and I nodded, still not looking at him.


    ¡°Oh, my sweet girl.¡± He sighed, walking up to me and pulling my stiff body into his embrace. I slowly felt myself begin to soften up.


    ¡°Why did you do that to me? You know I shouldn¡¯t hurt Anthonio that way.¡± He pulled away and cleaned the small tears from my eyes. ¡°He doesn¡¯t deserve such pain.¡± I added.


    ¡°I know.¡± He nodded in  agreement. ¡°To be very honest my dear¡­¡± He began, pulling me to an empty sofa where we both sat together. ¡°I would have chosen Anthonio over Manuel, if the situation was different. But you have to understand that in life, you should always put your children first. Manuel may act and seem so infuriating, but you are the only one I havee to realize, would bend him and make him better. He is a good man, but just needs a bit of chiseling. You loved him before¡­. You can love him again, for the sake of your unborn child. I believe so much in your capabilities to make this marriage work. Please, give him a chance.¡±

 CHAPTER 40

    MANUEL¡¯S POV


    ¡°Manuel, hope you are ready?¡±


    ¡°Yes Nonno.¡± I replied the old man who poked his head through my door for the tenth time this morning.


    ¡°Good. The priest should be here any time from now.¡± He said. Yes, today was my wedding to Bianca, and so far, our rtionship with each other still wasn¡¯t the best. We literally avoided each other like a gue, regardless of the fact that we shared a room. But then, I honestly loved the feeling of her warm body against mine at night. She probably didn¡¯t know, but she always snuggled into my side while she slept at night. I wasn¡¯t going to tell her though. I kinda liked the feeling, and I didn¡¯t want her to be more conscious of herself while she slept.


    ¡°What has you smiling?¡± Alexander asked.


    ¡°Nothing.¡± I shrugged. ¡°Or am I supposed to remain sad because I¡¯m getting married to your assistant?¡± I rolled my eyes.


    ¡°First of all,¡± He started. ¡°Bianca is no longer my assistant, but my sister inw. Secondly, you don¡¯t particrly seem like a sad man. You cannot even convince me that you¡¯re sad.¡± He gave a silly grin, only pissing me off.


    ¡°And what is that supposed to mean?¡±


    ¡°That you¡¯re not sad.¡± He shrugged, the silly grin still on his face. After a few seconds, he looked serious and asked the next question. ¡°Have you spoken to Francesca yet?¡± At his question, I released a sigh.


    ¡°Tried reaching out to her a few days back. She¡¯s probably blocked my number. I do not have a problem with leaving Francesca anymore because as the days have passed, I only realize that the only ce I really want to be, is where my child is. But then, I really do not know how Nonno would have ¡®handled¡¯ her. And I really do not want to seem like a coward who has his grandfather doing all the dirty works for him.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm, understandable.¡± Alex nodded. I honestly appreciated the fact that he was the only one with me as I prepared and waited for the priest to arrive. ¡°But you know what I particrly love about all you just said?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°You said the best ce for you to be, is where your child is. This also means you can make things work with Bianca for the sake of your child.¡±This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    I honestly didn¡¯t know what to tell him. Maybe I wanted to tell him that I was already looking forward to working things out with her? But then, I didn¡¯t want to look so¡­ easy?


    ¡°Manuel, you know it¡¯s not bad to admit that you may really want her. That you are beginning to fall in love with her¡­.¡±


    ¡°Hold up!¡± I put my hand up, almostughing in disbelief. Sometimes, Alex tended to run faster than himself. ¡°It¡¯s insane for you to think that I am already in love with her. Jeez! Not only do I think that this love thing is just a facy, I feel it¡¯s really too early to say that I ¡®love¡¯ your assistant. Yes, I like her body probably too much forfort¡­.¡± I trailed off when I noticed the weird look he gave me. ¡°Okay, fine! Maybe I do love her body, but saying I love her is honestly far fetched. Let¡¯s assume I¡¯m truly capable of love, Bianca would be thest person I would fall in love with. God! She can be soo¡­. so¡­.¡± I tried getting the right word, but just couldn¡¯t get a hold of it.


    ¡°You feel she is infuriating because sadly, she is the only woman who wouldn¡¯t bend to your will.¡± Alexander chuckled, and I scowled.


    ¡°I don¡¯t go around trying to make women bend to my will. I¡¯m not that kind of man.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± He raised boths hands in the air, before frowning at me. ¡°Come on now. You definitely know I do not mean it that way. Greta told me how Bianca had asked you to shut the fuck up, in the presence of your parents and brothers.¡± He beganughing again, making me only more pissed.


    ¡°I told her not to speak to me that way!¡±


    ¡°And she told you not to push her!¡± Alexanderughed even more. Wow, Greta did spill everything to him.


    ¡°Whatever. Are youing with me, or you aren¡¯t interested in being my best man anymore?¡± I asked, and he look to be in great shock for a moment. He kept looking at me, a mix of suprise and amusement on his face. ¡°What now?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡± He gradually shook his head. ¡°Just made a huge discovery.¡± He smiled. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± He nudged me forward, and we walked out of my room.


    Alexander and I walked down the stairs to see everywhere so full and busy. I guess it was my wedding after all. My extended family were all hanging around or sitting at different corners of both living rooms. I swear I heard a thousand ¡®congrattions¡¯.


    ¡°Nonno.¡± Alexander called, and I turned to see him and my mom walking towards us.


    ¡°Your father just informed me that the priest has arrived.¡± He said to me and I nodded.


    ¡°Get going to the hall, our guest are already there.¡± Mom said. I would get the rest of the family to move there. Meanwhile, I have to get to Greta¡¯s room and check in on Bianca first. She turned and walked up the stairs, while Nonno joined Alexander and I to the hall. Nonno particrly seemed too energetic for his age today, and it was weirdly disturbing. We got to the hall and indeed, most of our guest were already sitted, waiting for the ceremony to begin.


    ¡°You both, go on down the aisle. The priest is waiting.¡± I guess this was the part of a wedding I dreaded the most. Waiting for a long while before the bride showed up. Nheless, Alexander and I made our way to the end of the aisle, where we stood waiting for the hall to get filled up and for Bianca to show up.


    Twenty minutes in, and Bianca was yet to show up.


    ¡°Calm down.¡± Alexander whispered into my ear, dusting an invisible dust from my suit. ¡°I waited longer for my Be.¡± At his words, I rolled my eyes. He was patient to wait that long because he was supposedly in love with the woman.


    ¡°Whatever.¡± I muttered, making him chuckle.


    ¡°You know, I was suprised to see Anthonio here. I thought he wasn¡¯t gonna attend the wedding.¡± What?


    ¡°Anthonio was here?¡± I whispered, and he nodded.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t see him when we first walked into the hall? Though, I can¡¯t see him again. He stepped out some minutes ago, and has not returned yet.¡± I nodded and fixed my focus back on the priest. A few minutester, Greta was spotted walking to where Nonno sat, whispering into his ear.


    ¡°Is there a problem?¡± I muttered to Alexander.


    ¡°I guess. Greta looks kinda worried. I just hope this isn¡¯t what I¡¯m thinking?¡± Alexander was clearly jesting, but I wasn¡¯t seeing things that way. God knows thest thing I would let any woman do to me, is jilt me at the altar.


    Greta stood from her squatting position after talking with Nonno, and our eyes locked. The look in her eyes were enough for me to tell that all really wasn¡¯t well. I was personally going to drag Bianca to this altar, if that was what it took. Before I could think my next actions through, I began walking away from the altar.


    ¡°Manuel!¡± Alexander whisper yelled my name, but I didn¡¯t really pay him any heed. As I got closer to Greta, I took her hand and we walked out together.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± I asked the moment we were out of the hall.


    ¡°We were abouting down to the hall, when one of the maids walked into my room to deliver a note.¡±


    ¡°The note was from Anthonio, right?¡± I asked, already knowing what the answer would be.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Greta sighed. ¡°I tried convincing her not to go, but¡­. she insisted.¡±


    ¡°So she¡¯s basically eloped with him?¡± I went straight to the point, thinking of the best way to deal with the bastard when I found him.


    ¡°Well, not yet. But we need to stop them before anything happens.¡± Greta replied. I felt my heartbeat decelerate to normalcy at hearing that nothing too serious had happened.


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s no time. Where is she? Where are they?¡±


    ¡°Father¡¯s library.¡±


    I quickly made my way to the said destination, only offering small smiles to my family members whom I came across on my way in. My father¡¯s library was just next to my study, so it didn¡¯t take me so much time to get there. Greta had been following me behind, but I guess I was just too fast, because I couldn¡¯t hear her behind me anymore.


    I got to the library and the door was slightly open, making it easy for me to make my way in without any noise. I looked around therge library, following the sounds of voices until I could see them. There was Bianca, in her veryrge gown, and her hair packed in a pretty style at the back of her head, a few curls framing her face. Anthonio stood before her in his grey suit, almost looking like they were saying their vows to each other. I remained hidden behind one of therge shelves of books, making them not realize I was present. I listened and watched keenly as Bianca cried, smearing her makeup.


    ¡°Juste with me Bianca. We still have enough time to leave. We can go to Sicily until everything calms down.¡±


    ¡°But I can¡¯t.¡± She sniffled. ¡°What about my baby? It belongs to Manuel.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind.¡± He rushed out. ¡°I would care for him as my own. Please, I can¡¯t bear to lose you.¡± He held her hands and raised them to his lips, kissing her knuckles. ¡°I know you love me Bianca, don¡¯t let what we have just go down the drain because of him. Please.¡± He pleaded, moving closer towards her. She stood still in her ce, almost as if in a trance, as he came closer to kiss her. The guts of this rat!


    ¡°If not for the sake of blood ties, there¡¯s really nothing that would have stopped me from putting a bullet through your head.¡± I stepped out of the shelf and Bianca looked very shocked to see me. She quickly pulled her hands out of Anthonio¡¯s as I got closer, her cries only increasing. I had really wanted to punch him and beat him until I felt satisfied, but then I refrained from doing so. I already hurt him enough by taking the woman he loved. So I just took Bianca¡¯s hand and pulled her away with me. I half expected her to put up  a resistance, but she didn¡¯t. Once we got out of the library, I opened my study just close by and pulled her in.


    ¡°Now listen to me!¡± I thundered, making her shake beneath me, as thin strands of tears dropped from her eyes. ¡°This marriage is as good as done. I feel sorry for you and Anthonio, but I lost my fiancee as well. So it¡¯s best youe to terms with the fact that we are stuck with each other.¡± Just then, a knock came on the door, and I heard Greta¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Can Ie in?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± I said. The door opened and Greta walked in. She rushed to Bianca and held her hands.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I couldn¡¯t afford you making a mistake.¡± She begged. Bianca just stayed unmoving in her position, not saying a single word in return. Greta only sighed and looked at her face closely. ¡°Thankfully, I insisted she used the waterproof products. I knew something like this would happen. There isn¡¯t much harm done to your face, though the makeup artiste would have to touch up your face a little more.¡± She turned to me and said. ¡°Manuel please return to the hall. We don¡¯t want our guests thinking there is a problem. Biancae with me.¡± She pulled Bianca along with her and they walked out of the study together.


    I remained in my study for a little while, trying to blow off the steam of the drama that had just taken ce, before making my way out to the hall once more. Alexander had remained in his position, making me release a sigh of relief. I could swear there was no better person by my side than him. I walked up to him and whispered.


    ¡°You are still here.¡±


    ¡°Had to make sure the guests didn¡¯t think anything was wrong.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± I nodded in appreciation. ¡°You are just the best person to be by my side. Why aren¡¯t we getting married instead?¡± I joke and we bothughed, unable to hold ourselves. After we calm down, he looked at me and made a disgusted face.


    ¡°Should I inform Be that you are a threat to her? Seems you do not like how safe your dick is.¡± He whispered, but the priest had surely heard him because the next second, he was throwing us a nasty re. ¡°Bianca¡¯s family have arrived by the way. I guess her sister is around as well.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± I looked around, trying to find the familiar faces of her parents. I finally saw her mom and truly, ady who looked a lot like Bianca, but just with a ck hair, sat next to her mom with a little girl on her thighs.


    My eyes locked with hers and I managed a small smile. I was suprised she had returned my gesture with a much wider smile. Okay, I Iiked her.


    Some minutester, the wedding sound started ying and I knew Bianca had arrived. Her face was covered in a white veil as she walked towards the aisle, hand in hand with her father. The man looked indifferent, and I truly couldn¡¯t get used to that no matter how hard I tried. A familiardy whom I havee to know as Laura, followed her behind. The closer she got, the more the scenario became familiar. This had happened before. Though it didn¡¯t work the other time, it was working this time. She finally got to where I stood and I could now see her face a bit, even though notpletely clearly. She looked so sad and unhappy. For some reasons, it made me displeased. Her father stretched out his hand that had been holding hers, and offered it to me. I took her hand in mine and brought her to stand next to me. We both turned to the priest and the ceremony began.


    ¡°Dearly beloved¡­.¡± The priest began. ¡°We are all gathered here today, to witness the joining in holy matrimony of Manuel Russo and Bianca Bianchi. If there is anyone who thinks this union shouldn¡¯t work, he or she should speak now, or forever remain silent.¡± I guess this was the part were I¡¯d really put a bullet through Anthonio¡¯s head. I waited patiently for anyone to speak up, but no one did. I thought as much. ¡°Let us proceed then.¡± The priest muttered. He called out the vows and asked us to repeat after him, which we did. All the while, tiny strands of tears fell from Bianca¡¯s eyes. I felt embarrassed because even though the rest of the congregation couldn¡¯t see it, Alexander, Laura, and even the priest could. The priest probably decided to act blind to it. Atleast, her tears did not affect the tone of her voice while she repeated her vows to me. Soon, we got to the ¡®kiss¡¯ part and it suddenly felt awkward kissing the samedy who was pregnant for me. Why did I fear she would push me away in the presence of everyone?


    ¡°You may kiss the bride.¡± The priest repeated to my hearing, making most of the congregationugh. I stepped closer to Bianca with my heart beating really fast. Taking off her veil, I cupped her face and leaned down for a kiss. It was supposed to have been very fleeting, but I found myself doing more than ¡®fleeting¡¯. I wouldn¡¯t deny the fact that ever since I found out Bianca was expecting my child, and brought her to my home, I had really tried so much to keep my hands off her. Most especially in the nights when she held my body against hers as she cuddled into me.


    After some seconds of massaging her lips with mine, I pulled away, that familiar desire coursing through my veins. But I couldn¡¯t let anyone notice that the thoughts in my head were so impure. So I tried my best to appear calm and unnerved as the congregation cheered on. Bianca on the other hand, looked to be neutral to the kiss we just shared, so I wasn¡¯t particrly encouraged.


    The rest of the day had been going smoothly and I was thankful that the event had gone without any more drama. The reception party was already halfway gone and I was quite busy greeting and appreciating our guests individually. I was speaking to Honourable Fernando and his wife when I noticed Anthonio standing alone at a corner of the decorated hall, sipping from the flute of champagne he had in his hand. He was still here? Wow. I continued my conversation with the couple, and the woman mentioned that her daughter was my wife¡¯s maid of honor.


    ¡°Really?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Well, ideally. She¡¯s lived with us for most part of her life and now, she has something beautiful going on with our son; Ricardo.¡±


    ¡°Oh, wonderful.¡± I smiled. My attention going to where Bianca sat, discussing with Laura and whom I recognized to be Ricardo. For the first time today, I had seen her smiling so genuinely. My eyes went back to the spot Anthonio had been standing, and I couldn¡¯t see him there any longer. I was just hoping he didn¡¯t have any more tricks up his sleeve. Bianca and I were pretty much married already, so what could he possibly try to do?


    I was stil talking with the Fernandos when one of the ushers walked up to me, handing me a note. I opened the note immediately and saw it was from Anthonio. It wasn¡¯t over yet? That was what was written in the note and the statement only made meugh so hard. I looked around again and finally found him at another corner, raising up his drink to me. ¡®Cheers¡¯, he mouthed, and I shook my head in half irritation. I excused myself from the couple and made my way to him.


    ¡°Stop acting so pathetic and just leave already.¡± I muttered to his hearing and he chuckled. He seemed to be drunk already. ¡°Take your drunk ass out of here.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm, I would.¡± He noddedically. ¡°But that is after I let you know the truth.¡±


    ¡°And what is that truth?¡± I asked non chntly.


    ¡°You may be married to Bianca, but she remains mine. Heart and soul.¡±


    ¡°Well, too bad.¡± I chuckled. ¡°Her mind and body remains mine. I would most certainly ravish her as much as possible.¡± I said, purposely trying to infuriate him. ¡°I guess you do not know how that feels right? You never really had the opportunity to be in betweeen those creamy thighs of hers.¡± He gripped his ss more tightly, and I lost all traces of subtlety.


    ¡°Now, listen to me.¡± I grounded my mrs against themselves. ¡°I was her first, and I would definitely be herst. I¡¯m sorry for the turn of events. Truly sorry. But Bianca is mine now, and you should make your peace with that. I wouldn¡¯t want our enemity to be even much worse than it already is.¡±


    ¡°Make my peace you say?¡± He drawled drunkenly. ¡°I would. But after I also make her body mine.¡± Heughed and ohhh, how I lost it. The next thing I heard were gasps. Fuck! I punched him! I had punched him indeed! The blood trailing from his nose was more than enough evidence. This foolish cousin of mine just knew how to press my red buttons. I hadn¡¯t seen iting when Bianca pushed passed me and went over to Anthonio would was drunk and bleeding, making it seem like he was unconscious.


    ¡°Why did you do that to him?!¡± Bianca yelled at me in anger. ¡°Anthonio! Anthonio!!¡± She called him, so much panic in her voice. I stood there and watched as she pulled him up with the help of other family members who had rushed to the scene.


    Oh wow! I was the bad person now? This fucker had just told me he had ns of sleeping with my wife, and here she was, taking his side!!


    ¡°Come with me.¡± I looked to my side to see Alexander, who gently pulled me away. I walked passed our guests who were most probably thinking I was a deranged psycho. Not to talk of Nonno who had that deathly look on his face. I had caused a huge scene in my wedding after all. Somehow, I knew it was unavoidable. I guess none of their reactions had pained me as much as Bianca taking Anthonio¡¯s side in front of everyone. I was her husband, not him.

 CHAPTER 41

    BIANCA¡¯S POV


    Emilio had sessfully sent Anthonio home, just after the fight ensued between he and Manuel. I couldn¡¯t believe Manuel had actually thought it cool to behave so cave manly in the presence of our guests. Where had he gone off to now? I walked towards a corner of the hall, where I could easily see everyone.


    ¡°I guess you were so busy supporting the one who isn¡¯t your husband, in the presence of others. Now you can¡¯t tell where your husband is.¡± I turned in shock, hearing the voice of the person who had just spoken in my ears.


    ¡°Amara?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Bibi.¡± She nodded as she burped a sleepy Annalise on her waist. ¡°I would tell you this, and as quickly as I can.¡± She began. ¡°I know you had a growing rtionship with Anthonio, but the moment you chose to go ahead with your marriage to Manuel, that became past. Keep your eyes fixed on the one you have chosen to be with.¡± She smiled. ¡°You should go look for him now.¡±


    ¡°Amara.¡± I muttered, unable to say any other word that wasn¡¯t her name.


    ¡°Go on, already.¡± She nudged, pushing me towards the entrance of the hall. With slow steps, I made my way out of the hall and headed towards our room. I got there to find that he wasn¡¯t there. Sighing in exhaustion from a long day, I sat on bed and pulled off my shoes. Thankfully, my dress had a zip and not loopholes, so I easily took it off me. I had wanted to bath because of how hot I felt, but found myself putting my head on the pillow and sleeping off instead. I wasn¡¯t even sure if I was supposed to leave the wedding reception hall yet.


    The sound of the door being opened, woke me up. I opened my eyes to see Greta walking into the room with a tray of food in her hands.


    ¡°I guess I just disturbed your rest.¡± She smiled, making her way to the bed and dropping the tray on it. ¡°I had to bring your food myself. Wanted to be sure you were fine after the whole drama.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry.¡± I muttered, my head bowed.


    ¡°Heyyy¡­¡± She held my chin and raised my face to look at her. ¡°You weren¡¯t the one who caused the fight. And if you are sorry for just rushing off to support Anthonio, then you can talk things out with Manuelter.¡±


    ¡°But I do not have an idea where he is.¡± I sighed. ¡°He was the one I hade looking for, before sleeping off, on the bed.¡± Immediately realizing I might have gotten another thing wrong, I rushed out. ¡°Was it wrong for me to have left the hall before the guests had left?¡±


    ¡°Of course not.¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°Ideally, you should be off on your honeymoon with your husband after the wedding. So there¡¯s nothing to be worried about. It¡¯s not your duty to keep the guests entertained.¡±


    ¡°So where is your brother?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. He¡¯s not anywhere in the house. I¡¯m guessing Alexander pulled him away for some air. He would definitely be back soon. It¡¯s night already.¡± She shrugged. ¡°You should eat up your food before it runs cold. We already had dinner, but mom knew you¡¯d be hungry when you wake up.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m thankful.¡± I muttered, before drawing the tray closer to myself.


    ¡°Alright. I would send one of the maids toe take the tray when you¡¯re done.¡± She stood and walked out of the room. I began eating and when I was done, I walked into the bathroom for a quick shower. My body was sticky from sweat and it made me so ufortable.


    I had soaked myself in the scented bath for quite a while, and when I noticed the water had be cold, I stepped out and dabbed my body dry. Taking one of the robes and putting it on, I made my way out of the bathroom. The moment I stepped into the bedroom, the door opened and Manuel walked in. I didn¡¯t know why but for some reasons, my heart beat elerated. I knew I owed him an apology for acting the way I did in the presence of our guests. But then, I couldn¡¯t bring myself to say a word with the way he just stood in his ce and looked at me, not saying anything. Just when I finally got the courage to speak, he slowly made his way towards me.


    ¡°Wedding night?¡± He chuckled, making me wrinkle my nose when the stench of alcohol attacked my nostrils. He had been out drinking?


    ¡°You¡¯re drunk.¡± I said, but he waved it off and grinned at me.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not. Your boyfriend was.¡± He shrugged, making my face go red at his statement. It was wrong to still address Anthonio as my boyfriend.


    ¡°Manuel¡­¡± I was still talking when he came closer and attacked my lips with his. I didn¡¯t see thating, so I gasped in suprise, making him gain easy ess into my mouth. He held my tongue with his lips, sucking on it so hard that it left a sting. That hurt. I tried pushing him away, but he held my arms so tightly, making it difficult for me to move or breathe. Oh God. I could feel my eyes slowly be teary at his assault. Finally, he pulled away from my lips and attacked my neck, leaving actual painful bites there.


    ¡°I should have a taste of you as my wife, before your boyfriend does. Don¡¯t you think?¡± He whispered into my ears, making my eyes sting with painful tears. I guess what hurt me the most was that he thought I was capable of such. No matter what the case may have been between I and Anthonio, I could never cheat on my marriage with Manuel. How could he think so low of me? So he wasn¡¯t even kissing me because he wanted to? He was kissing me because he felt threatened.


    ¡°Manuel!¡± I yelled out when his grip on my arms became too strong. I was very sure that with how tight he held me, it would leave a mark on my arm. I finally gathered the strength and pushed him away from me. Before I could evenprehend my next movement, Inded a p on his face. ¡°Don¡¯t you ever touch me again, you animal!¡± I cried. He looked to have been shocked at my actions, as he blinked his eyes a couple of times.


    ¡°So you don¡¯t want me, but him?¡± He chuckled humourlessly. He felt okay making such assumptions of me. Even to the extent of just assaulting me the way he did. There wasn¡¯t a need trying to prove otherwise, when he already had the notion he wanted to have of me.


    ¡°Yes!!¡± I yelled out in anger. ¡°I don¡¯t want you! I never have!¡± I lied, but he seemed to have truly bought it. He was silent for a moment, before finally speaking up.


    ¡°I thought as much.¡± He muttered and nodded to himself. He seemed to have be a lot more sober in thest few minutes. ¡°I thought as much.¡± He repeated, looking around the room in clear irritation. ¡°Then I shouldn¡¯t be here with you after all.¡± He sighed. ¡°I should be with someone who wants me as well.¡± He said, making my eyes widen momentarily. I knew what he meant by that. I watched as he turned and walked out of the room, shutting the door with a loud bang in the process. I felt tears drop to my cheeks as I realized what had just happened. He was going to be with Francesca, and I hated the fact that it hurt me so much.


    ***


    ***


    TWO WEEKS LATER


    I stepped out of my room, feeling quite livelypared to other days. When Tommaso had asked me toe watch them y in the basketball court, I thought it was a wee idea. I was always locked up in my room these days. They only little time I socialized was during dinner with my new family. I was grateful for the kind of family Manuel had. They all tried to make sure I didn¡¯t feel bad over Manuel¡¯s disappearance for the past two weeks. I had particr bonded really well with his mom, and it felt nice. She always dropped by at my room to check up on me. Sometimes we had random discussions and other times, we just enjoyed each other¡¯s presence in silence. I loved the fact that she could literally stay in bed with me all afternoon, not saying a word to me and just reading a novel. It made me not feel the need to do extra in order to please her. She was already pleased.


    I further walked through the hallway, but halted my steps when I got closer to the sitting room. I could hear Mia¡¯s voice as she angrily spoke to someone. What was happening?


    ¡°This is such an unwee behaviour Manuel! I didn¡¯t raise you to act this way. You have been away from home and from your wife for two whole weeks! Even if you thought it was best to clear your head after the turn of events at the wedding reception, weren¡¯t a few days enough?! You are only making your Nonno even more mad at you. Come back home!!!¡± She yelled into the phone, before hanging up on him.N?velDrama.Org owns this text.


    ¡°Mia, you should calm down.¡± Manuel¡¯s father said to his wife as he pulled her down to the sofa beside him. I remained hidden in my spot, not daring to step out and making them realize I just heard the exchange with their son. I wasn¡¯t ready for their sympathetic gazes.


    ¡°But darling, you know this is wrong! What¡¯s worst is that he doesn¡¯t even listen to anyone else, other than Alexander or Nonno.¡±


    ¡°Exactly! Do you think my father would not have ordered him to return home by now? If Manuel isn¡¯t home yet, then it only means father has been silent about it all, and he has his reasons. Just calm down.¡±


    ¡°I see you.¡± I heard a voice behind me, making me jerk in shock. I turned to see a very familiar face. Be? ¡°Hey.¡± She whispered to me with a small smile.


    ¡°Hey.¡± I muttered in shame of being caught eavesdropping on my parent inws.


    ¡°Come.¡± She took my hands and pulled me. We walked through the hallway until we got to my room. Once we were in, she shut the door and asked me to sit down. I was still wondering why she was here though.


    ¡°You were still asleep when I came in this morning.¡± She exined, readjusting herself on the bed. Her belly had already protruded a lot, making it seem difficult for her to sitfortably. Was this how I would be feeling in the next couple of months? ¡°I stopped by to run a few errands.¡± She exined, and I nodded in understanding. We stayed silent at each other for a while, before she eventually broke the silence. ¡°I do not really want to intrude, but I feel the need to speak with you.¡± She said, making me sigh. God knows I really needed to talk to someone as well. These past weeks has only felt like I had been stuck. Just stuck where I had no idea. I felt so pitiable.


    The only person I knew I frequently spoke with was Laura, and these days, she seemed to be too busy. I had visited home only twice and both times, only Papa was home. He was definitely not the best person to speak with, in my situation.


    ¡°I may not know so much, but when ites to the Russo family, marriage is not taken so lightly. Have you really made peace with the fact that your new life now belongs with Manuel?¡± She asked, making me release a sigh.


    ¡°I have.¡± I replied. ¡°Now.¡± I added.


    ¡°I¡¯m d.¡± She gave an encouraging smile. ¡°Do you want your marriage to work? Or are you okay remaining a stranger to your partner for the rest of your life?¡± I truly had no answer to that particr question. Did I really want my rtionship with Manuel to work?


    ¡°I don¡¯t really know.¡± I answered truthfully. ¡°I guess I¡¯m just¡­. I¡¯m just here, ready to see how it goes.¡±


    ¡°You have to change that notion. Marriage is a gift of God to humanity. This means that it should be enjoyed. Not the other way round.¡±


    ¡°But how can I work things out on my own? Marriage is not one sided. Ever since I stepped foot here, everyone has asked me to give Manuel a chance. But he clearly doesn¡¯t even care.¡±


    ¡°You may think he doesn¡¯t, but he does.¡± She gave a warm smile.


    ¡°Wow!¡± I smiled dryly. ¡°He surely does. Meanwhile, he is currently away from home and in the arms of another woman.¡±


    ¡°Says who?¡±


    ¡°Says him!¡± I yelled out, unable to hold in the pain and disappointment in anymore.


    ¡°And when did he tell you that?¡± She asked in amusement.


    ¡°Well¡­..¡± I swallowed. ¡°We had a fight before he left home.¡±


    ¡°You did?¡± She asked in suprise. ¡°Tell me about it.¡±


    I was done narrating the incidence and she slowly shook her head at me.


    ¡°Now, it all makes sense. Here I was all the while, thinking he had decided to leave home because of the fight with Anthonio. Look Bianca, I¡¯m quite sure that by now, you know Manuel and Anthonio aren¡¯t the best buddies. The biggest p to Manuel¡¯s face, would be if he loses to Anthonio.¡±


    ¡°But he isn¡¯t! I went ahead to marry him, not so? But he still went ahead to punch Anthonio on our wedding day.¡±


    ¡°Clearly, you don¡¯t know the full gist of what happened. Manuel doesn¡¯t get violent unless he is pushed so hard. On that day, Manuel had lost it when Anthonio said he was going to fuck you.¡± What?


    ¡°Anthonio said that?¡± I asked in shock. ¡°He would never say a thing like that.¡± I defended.


    ¡°Well, he did. And that is what made Manuel punch him. Not only did you take Anthonio¡¯s side, you went ahead to push Manuel away when¡­..¡± She trailed off, sure that I had clearly gotten the message. God, I didn¡¯t know that was the case.


    ¡°Yes!¡± She raised her hands up. ¡°I agree that he shouldn¡¯t have been so aggressive towards you, but you stated clearly that he was drunk. Not only did you push him away, you made it clear to him that you didn¡¯t want him. How did you expect him to react?¡±


    ¡°A lot of ways that didn¡¯t include running back into Francesca¡¯s arms.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not being fair Bianca.¡± She smiled. ¡°But I¡¯m happy because there¡¯s hope for you both.¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s the hope? Haven¡¯t seen it for two weeks now.¡±


    ¡°Do you miss Manuel?¡± She chuckled, making me more angry.


    ¡°How can I miss someone I¡¯ve never had a moment of peace with? I don¡¯t miss him, my pride is just wounded. What would people say when they hear that my husband left home the day I got married to him, and hasn¡¯t returned even after two weeks.¡±


    ¡°If you insist.¡± She smiled. ¡°And for your information, he has not been in ¡®Francesca¡¯s arms¡¯. He¡¯s been at somece.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t stop Francesca from being with him in the same ce.¡± I shrugged.


    ¡°Trust me, she isn¡¯t. She hasn¡¯t.¡± She said it with so much certainty. ¡°My husband told me so.¡± Oh.


    ¡°He did.¡± I swallowed, not wanting to admit that the little information made me feel better.


    ¡°He did.¡± She smiled. ¡°And I think Manuel would be returning home tonight.¡±


    ¡°How do you know that?¡± I asked, hoping it was indeed true.


    ¡°Well, my brother inw is returning home today. My husband¡¯s younger brother. He has been away for a few months, but is returning today. Manuel would most likely go to pick him up from the airport, after which they mighte for dinner together.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± I muttered.


    **


    **


    **


    LATER IN THE EVENING


    A knock came on the door and I went to get it immediately. It was Greta.


    ¡°Hey.¡± She smiled. ¡°Your husband is finally back. Felt like smacking his head for a moment but sadly, he is my older brother.¡± He is really back. Be was right after all. ¡°It¡¯s time for dinner. Everyone is waiting for you downstairs, you shoulde with me.¡± She took my hand in hers and pulled me out of the room. ¡°And that reminds me, one of our favorite cousins is around. He is Alexander¡¯s younger brother.¡± She grinned. Be was right.


    ¡°It would be lovely to meet him.¡± I smiled at her.


    ¡°Feels good to see you smiling.¡± She squeezed my hand. We got to thest step of the staircase and just as we took a turn into the dinning room, my eyes locked with that of Manuel¡¯s. He looked¡­.. good? Maybe he looked good to me because I had walked in on him smiling at the person next to him. It was then that I took a nce at that person, and I literally went still in my spot. Did I really just see whom I thought it was? What was Kyle Russo doing here? Oh, my God!


    ¡°Bianca, I guess you haven¡¯t met Kyle yet. He wasn¡¯t around for the wedding, so you may not know him.¡± Tommaso grinned at me, making my knees go weak momentarily.


    The moment Kyle¡¯s eyes locked with mine, I felt like I was going to pass out. Why did my life always have to be so annoyinglyplicated? How could my highschool bully be another cousin of my husband? Worse still, Alexander¡¯s younger brother. Once again, I was reminded of how much the universe loved me.


    ¡°Kyle?¡± Manuel whispered into the ears of Kyle who had his eyes still locked to mine. At that point, I was sure that everyone on the table knew that something was off.


    ¡°Bianca dear, is there a problem?¡± Mia asked. I wanted to shake my head ¡®no¡¯, but I knew I couldn¡¯t tell a lie.


    ¡°Not really, aunt.¡± Kyle spoke up. ¡°Bianca Bianchi.¡± He tasted my name on his lips and gave a loopsided grin.


    ¡°You know Bianca?¡± Greta asked in suprise. All the while, Manuel just watched.


    ¡°All too well. She was the first girl to send me a love note in high school.¡± He chuckled in mockery, making my face go red. ¡°So you never went for people within your league after all? It¡¯s a wonder that you are now married to my cousin.¡± He said, before shaking his head in fake realization. ¡°Oh, sorry! For a moment, I forgot he was forced to be with you.¡±


    The humiliation I felt when he spoke to me that way, couldn¡¯t bepared to anything else. Everyone just stared at me in shock. I¡¯m sure they were probably wondering how many Russo men I had a past with.


    ¡°Kyle, you shouldn¡¯t speak to her that way.¡± Greta shook her head in disapproval, but all he did was shrug, making me so angry. How, or why did he think that he could waltz in here and bully me again? I felt tears clog my eyes, but I tried hard to not let it drop. I couldn¡¯t afford to appear weak before them all.


    ¡°Kyle.¡± Manuel called, making everyone¡¯s attention fall on him. Including mine. ¡°I don¡¯t know whatever past you may have shared with Bianca, but she is my wife now. And you must ord her due respect.¡±


    I watched in shock as Manuel stood from his seat and walked towards me. I didn¡¯t know what to expect, but was further suprised when he took my hand and pulled me along with him. The moment we were out of the watchful eyes of the other family members, I let the tears drop down my face.


    Manuel walked towards our room, still holding me. The moment we got into the room, he turned to lock the door. Just as I was about telling him that I was sorry about ourst fight, and thank him for standing up for me, he broke my heart with his next words.


    ¡°Just how many more Russo men should I be weary of? How many would you cry for? Is he the one you have always wanted? For a moment, I thought it was Francisco. Then I realized I was wrong, it was probably Anthonio. But now, I realize how wrong I must have been again. Is it Kyle? You still like him?¡± He asked, only making me more disappointed.


    ¡°No, I do not like him anymore.¡± I muttered. He had spoken up for me. Atleast I owed him that much exnation.


    ¡°Then why are you crying?!¡± He yelled in annoyance. ¡°Why are you fucking crying?!!¡±


    ¡°Because it hurts when your high school bully, turns out to be a favourite cousin of your husband!! Because he is the same person who made me think I was a freak, and made life horrible for me in highschool. Because he is the sole reason why I was so ashamed of my hair color for years. Because even until now, he thinks I¡¯m not good enough. Even for you.¡± I watched as his anger slowly dissipated and he released a sigh.


    ¡°Ohh¡­¡± He whispered in realization. ¡°I had no idea that guy was kyle. I¡¯m so sorry.¡±

 CHAPTER 42

    MANUEL¡¯S POV


    It¡¯s been a while I actually sat to watch the television. It had also been a while I cooked for myself. It had also been a while I did my ownundry.


    ¡°When did you say you were gonna get a help again?¡± Alexander asked as he walked out of the kitchen, holding a pack of juice in his hand.


    ¡°Don¡¯t know.¡± I shrugged.


    ¡°Oh, so you n on getting a help?¡± He asked incredulously, making me scoff at his gimmicks.


    ¡°Why not?¡± I asked. ¡°I can¡¯t continue to do all the work myself.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s two weeks already. You promised you¡¯d return home to Bianca today.¡±


    ¡°Stop saying it that way. It makes it seem like she actually anticipates my return. I know all she¡¯s thinking of right now, is Anthonio.¡±


    ¡°Just stop with all the Anthonio thing already. You are Manuel. And have you forgotten no one can take what is yours? It shouldn¡¯t be allowed. Instead of remaining here, why not go back home and fix things with your wife?¡±


    ¡°Can it even work? I truly want to make things work with Bianca, for the sake of our child. I do not care for love, but atleast, we should be able to get along as parents of a child.¡±


    ¡°Then you should tell her all of these. Look Manuel, I would tell you one truth about Bianca. She blossoms under kindness. You can¡¯t treat or speak to her condescendingly, and expect her to hug you for a good job. Have you forgotten you were the very same person who abducted her wrongly? Have you forgotten you were the one who fucked her and parted ways with her like it meant nothing? Have you forgotten you were the same person who threatened to take her child away from her and raise it with another woman? Have you forgotten you were the reason why she had to leave a man she loved? Have you forgotten how violent you had been towards her just before you left home?¡± He asked, making me tight lipped. ¡°With these few points of mine, I hope I¡¯ve been able to convince you, that you have brought nothing but sadness and chaos into her life. You have to realize that Bianca only submits to kindness. You can¡¯t outrightly force whatever you want on her, that¡¯s wrong.¡± He held the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger. ¡°Jeeez! Manuel you truly know nothing about love and affection! How did you cope with Francesca, or rather, how did she cope with you? And still want you so badly!¡± He yelled in disbelief.


    ¡°I¡¯m not that bad. I¡¯m really hot too.¡± I grinned, making him huff. ¡°Plus, have you slept with me?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t even believe you right now.¡± He shook his head. ¡°Maybe all Francesca wanted was the hotness, but trust me, a woman like Bianca doesn¡¯t just want hotness. You should have a lot more to offer her. You have to realize that you shouldn¡¯t treat or speak to your partner the way you speak to our men.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m Manuel Russo. It¡¯s not me, if I don¡¯t act that way.¡±


    ¡°And that is where you are getting it wrong. You don¡¯t even realize that the hard and imprable wall you put up in the face of your men and business clients, is not who you really are. It¡¯s just a facade. Who you are is when you are with your loved ones and family. You have to get used to the fact that Bianca is not just anyone anymore. She is your wife now. She is family. Most of all, you have to losen up. Stop holding yourself back from doing things you¡¯d normally feel like doing, because you fear it would make you less powerful. Your power is not supposed to oppress your wife, but protect her. Am I really giving you a lecture on this?!¡± He yelled in exasperation, making meugh.


    ¡°For instance, it¡¯s just like the way you felt when she had taken Anthonio¡¯s side over yours, when you punched him. No matter the situation, partners are meant to support and protect each other. The way you felt about her reaction only meant one thing. You truly want her to see you as a partner. Which boils down to all I¡¯ve been saying here. If you want her to treat you as her partner, then show her you are deserving of such preferential treatment.¡±


    ¡°Who said I wanted to be her partner?¡± I scoffed, not about to let go of my pride. But then, Alexander understood me all too well.


    ¡°Manuel, I didn¡¯t say ¡®lovers¡¯, I said ¡®partners¡¯. And I know you want that, so stop pretending.¡± He rolled his eyes, finally settling onto the couch beside me.


    ¡°Fine! I do want it.¡±


    ¡°Then you just have to be kind to her. Stop putting up a wall around yourself. It¡¯s either you¡¯re tough or kind. And you already know she doesn¡¯t react nicely to toughness. So, you can¡¯t be tough and expect her to embrace you. You can¡¯t eat your cake and have it.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± I sighed.


    ¡°Wonderful.¡± He grinned. ¡°So when are you returning home?¡±


    After a couple of seconds, I smiled and replied. ¡°Tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just perfect.¡± He pped. ¡°You could go pick Kyle from the airport, before proceeding home. Moreover, he made mention of wanting to have dinner with your family, since he missed the wedding.¡±


    ¡°That makes a lot of sense.¡± I found myself smiling again. To be very honest, I missed Kyle and was d he was returning. But then, he wasn¡¯t the reason I was smiling. A certain pretty head was.


    ********************


    I was seeing red at the moment. I had returned home in such good mood, hopeful enough to sort things out with Bianca. But what I hadn¡¯t expected was another Russo man being a part of this web. Seriously?! I had done what Alexander had asked me to do, by standing up to Kyle on her behalf. But then, her incessant cries as we walked to our room together, only made me feel stupid for speaking up. Did she still like Kyle? Wow! She really sent him a love note in school? This woman was driving me insane by the second!! Here I was, pining away and hoping to feel her body close to mine again. Yet, here she was, crying over another man. Another Russo man. Most of all, my younger cousin! I could understandpeting with Anthonio over her, but not with Kyle!


    ¡°Just how many more Russo men should I be weary of? How many would you cry for? Is he the one you have always wanted? For a moment, I thought it was Francisco. Then I realized I was wrong, it was probably Anthonio. But now, I realize how wrong I must have been again. Is it Kyle? You still like him?¡± I asked, and her face fell.


    ¡°No, I do not like him anymore.¡± She muttered, looking away. Why did her response seem hard to believe?


    ¡°Then why are you crying?!¡± I knew I shouldn¡¯t have yelled at her, but I did. I was really trying so hard to work on my temperament towards her, but it just couldn¡¯t happen in one night. ¡°Why are you fucking crying?!!¡±


    ¡°Because it hurts when your high school bully, turns out to be a favourite cousin of your husband!! Because he is the same person who made me think I was a freak, and made life horrible for me in highschool. Because he is the sole reason why I was so ashamed of my hair color for years. Because even until now, he thinks I¡¯m not good enough. Even for you.¡± Oh God! I clearly remembered when she had made mention of a certain guy who always bullied her in school, and called her a freak. So that guy was Kyle? Now I felt bad. Terrible.


    ¡°Ohh¡­¡± I whispered in realization. ¡°I had no idea that guy was kyle. I¡¯m so sorry.¡± I guess what got to me more was herst statement. In a way, she had been worried that she wasn¡¯t good enough for me? She was the mother of my unborn child, so that made her more than qualified. ¡°And you are good enough for me. For any man.¡± I added, making her look up at me.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± She muttered after some time.


    ¡°For what?¡± I asked.


    ¡°For standing up for me. I appreciate it.¡±


    ¡°That is my job as your husband, Bianca.¡± At my words, she gave me a look of uncertainty, and I was quick to exin myself. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for having disappeared on you these past weeks. Can we talk?¡± I asked, to which she nodded like a robot. She could be really cute atimes.


    ¡°Before we get started, I just want to say that I¡¯m sorry too.¡± She rushed out. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for taking Anthonio¡¯s side over yours in the presence of our guests. I shouldn¡¯t have done that.¡± She bit her lips in remorse, making me sigh.


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s time to talk about what we both expect from this marriage, Bianca.¡± I walked to the bed and sat down. After a few seconds, she joined me there. ¡°We are basically stuck together now, and it¡¯s either we make this work, or not.¡± I muttered thest part. ¡°What do you want?¡± I asked her, but she seemed to be finding it hard to give me a reply. So I decided to speak first. ¡°Personally, I want to make this work. I know you do not fancy me like you fancy Anthonio, but I am not asking for that. I just want us to have a tolerable rtionship with each other. Atleast, for the sake of our children.¡± I added, making her eyes widen slightly. Wait, was she thinking we would have just one child? ¡°You know we would have more children right?¡± I asked, making her nod stiffly. We both knew what I meant. I wish I could just outrightly tell her to let me have free ess to her body whenever I wanted it.


    ¡°But that means¡­.¡±


    ¡°That we would have sex.¡± I interjected, making her swallow some saliva. ¡°Well, if we truly want to make this work, we are to supposedly remain faithful to this marriage. Except you are cool with having our fun outside of the marriage?¡±


    ¡°Not at all.¡± She rushed out, making me smile inwardly. Deep down, I wasn¡¯t a fan of such. I knew she wasn¡¯t either, but I wanted her to sumb and tell me that it was fine to have sex. I didn¡¯t want to be straightforward and ask that from her, especially after knowing she¡¯d not really wee the idea, considering her previous rtionship with Anthonio had just copsed. She may not really feel inclined to let me touch her just yet.


    ¡°But then, that is if you are interested in making this marriage work. You haven¡¯t told me yet.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± She released a long sigh. ¡°For the sake of our child. Children.¡± She corrected herself, blinking furiously. God, she was really beautiful. ¡°But about the sex part.¡± She said, making my mind hold still for a moment. What was she about to say about that now? ¡°That should be when nessary, right?¡±


    Okay now! What did she mean by ¡®when nessary¡¯? Was there a time when sex was necessary?


    ¡°Yes?¡± I answered unsure, half displeased that my agreement to such n, could mean no sex for me, even in months toe.


    ¡°Fine then.¡± She sped both hands together, looking everywhere else but at me. ¡°Is there anything else you would like to discuss concerning this?¡±


    ¡°Not really.¡± I shrugged. ¡°You?¡± I asked, she shook her head in negation. ¡°Great! I suppose we are good?¡±


    ¡°Not really. I¡¯m still hungry.¡± She muttered, making me smile.


    ¡°I know you wouldn¡¯t feelfortable going to the dinning room, where Kyle is. I would ask one of the maids to bring up your meal.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± She nodded, and I stepped out to make do on my word.


    I opened my eyes so early the next morning, being attacked by the harsh sun rays from my open window. The brightness of the sun only meant one thing. I had slept into thete hours of morning. I noticed Bianca wasn¡¯t by my side. She had probably woken up much earlier. I smiled when I thought of how she had snuggled into my body while asleepst night. That was something I had undeniably missed these past two weeks. I sat on the bed and stretched my limbs, before walking into the bathroom for my daily routine. I took my time preparing for work, seeing as I was alreadyte. All the while I dressed up, I half expected Bianca to walk into the room, but I guess she was probably busy with something else downstairs.


    Finally, finishing up, I walked out of the room and made my way downstairs. There, was Greta. Wasn¡¯t she going to work today?


    ¡°Morning!¡± She chirped, walking towards the dinning room. ¡°You should join me for breakfast before stepping out.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem like a bad idea to me.¡± I shrugged, going to join her on the table. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to work today?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Not really.¡± She yawned. ¡°I have an interview with a fashion magazer in the day. So I thought it nore convenient to clear the rest of my scheduled activities for the day.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± I nodded in understanding. ¡°Bianca?¡± I asked.


    ¡°She went to the hospital with mom. She didn¡¯t inform you?¡±


    ¡°Not at all.¡± I frowned a bit. ¡°Is she okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Greta rushed out. ¡°She¡¯s great. It¡¯s just that mom insisted she started her antenatal check ups now. She¡¯s already heading to 4 months.¡±


    ¡°Greta?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Are husbands supposed to apany their wives for these kinds of check ups?¡± I asked, unsure.


    ¡°Absolutely! Alex always apanies Be for hers.¡± She nodded in approval.


    ¡°Is it okay if I joined my wife at the hospital?¡± Greta looked up at me in suprise.


    ¡°Are you kidding? Of course, Manuel. Mom most especially would love that. You should actively participate in activities that has to do with the well being of your baby. Parent to child bonding begins from these stage.¡±


    ¡°Why do you say it like you¡¯ve been there before?¡± I rolled my eyes and sheughed at me.


    ¡°It¡¯s not my fault you are quite dense when ites to situations as this.¡±


    ¡°Oh, wow.¡± I muttered dryly. I guess I had to get going. If they had left so early, then their appointment with the doctor was most certainly early. ¡°I assume they had gone to Doctor Luigi?¡± I asked, to which she nodded. ¡°Alright then. See youter in the day.¡± I stood up. ¡°I hope your interview goes well.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you eating anymore?¡± She asked as I walked away.


    ¡°Yes!¡± I yelled back my response as I rushed out of the house and made my way to the hospital.


    I got to the hospital after a short drive, and went straight to Doctor Luigi¡¯s office. I knocked on the door to his office and after some minutes, I heard a muffled e in¡¯. He was very suprised to see me.


    ¡°Good morning Doctor.¡±


    ¡°Ahh! Manuel, I didn¡¯t expect to see you here. Are you fine?¡±


    ¡°Totally.¡± I managed a small smile. ¡°Uhmm¡­ is my wife not here?¡±


    ¡°Ahah! That reminds me. Congrattions on your wedding. I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t attend.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± I nodded in understanding.


    ¡°Your wife and mother momentarily stepped out to get¡­.¡± He was still talking when the door opened, and mom stepped in with Bianca following behind.


    ¡°Manuel?¡± She called in suprise. ¡°What are you doing here? Are you okay?¡± Mom asked in a mix of worry and curiosity.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine mom. I¡¯m here to be with my wife. It¡¯s her first antenatal check up, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± She eyed me suspiciously.


    ¡°Cool. Then we should do it together.¡± I said, smiling at a suprised looking Bianca.N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    ¡°Wow.¡± Mom whispered.

 CHAPTER 43

    AUDREY¡¯S POV


    These past two weeks had honestly been suprising! I know Manuel and I talked about making our marriage work, but I didn¡¯t really expect things to straighten out so quickly. I guess it was all about making the decision. Once you know what you want and make the decision to get it, that¡¯s all! I had been very suprised when he had shown up at the hospital during my prenatal checkup. At first, I thought he had been joking about staying with me through check up, but he did until the very end. Even asking Doctor Luigi a few questions in rtion to the short lectures he had given us. He had also shown concern about the case of my hormonal imbnce, after the doctor had mentioned it. It made me suddenly begin to feel like I wasn¡¯t alone anymore. To be very honest, more than anything, ever since I got pregnant, I felt lonely. Sometimes I just felt like I was doing this on my own. Buttely, Manuel put in efforts that made me rethink that notion. I wasn¡¯t alone, I had a co~parent. A partner.


    Slowly and gradually, I could feel the connection and friendship we shared at the ind returning. In as much as we were no longer at the ind, it didn¡¯t stop us from regrly going for our short walks around Mia¡¯srge garden. We normally went every evening after he returned from work and today, I was particrly ecstatic about it.


    I walked out of the bathroom, a little disappointed when I saw that he wasn¡¯t back already. He usually didn¡¯t stay out sote. I sighed and proceeded to put on my night wear. I pulled the robe off my body and just as I was about put on my night wear, the door flung open, revealing Manuel. I almost died of shock and embarrassment, seeing as I was stark naked. Oh God! I was so confused. I hadn¡¯t an idea whether I should cover my body with my hands, or whether I should bend and pick up my robe. All the while, Manuel remained fix in his spot, just looking at me. The rotten man. After standing in confusion for some seconds, I finally squatted, covering my breasts with my knees. I looked to the other side of the bedroom in embarrassment.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± I heard him rush out, before the door got closed. He had stepped out. I quickly stood up and put on my night wear, before settling on the bed. After a little while, a knock came on the door and I heard his voice.


    ¡°Can Ie in now?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± I muttered, but he could hear me. The next second, he opened the door and walked into the room. He walked towards the table and dropped something I hadn¡¯t really seen, because I was looking everywhere else, but at him.


    ¡°I should have knocked, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Why did it feel weird that my husband was apologizing for walking into our room?


    ¡°Not at all.¡± I eventually looked up at him. He raised a brow in question and I managed a small and awkward chuckle. ¡°I mean, what husband apologizes for seeing his wife¡¯s nakedness.¡±


    ¡°Just like I thought.¡± He muttered to himself, but I clearly heard him. We stayed silent for sometime, not knowing what else to say, until I broke the silence.


    ¡°You returned home quitete today.¡± I noted, and he nodded.


    ¡°Had some improptu but important meetings to attend with Nonno. Missed me?¡± He asked with a small smile, making my cheeks go red.


    ¡°No¡­ not at all.¡± I shrugged, trying to act unfazed. ¡°Why would I?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m just kidding.¡± He chuckled, his eyes locking with mine. I don¡¯t know why, but I found it extremely difficult to hold his gaze these days. It was honestly frustrating. ¡°That reminds me! Nonno asked to see you tomorrow at his penthouse.¡± He said, grabbing my attention.


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± He nodded, as he began unknotting his tie. ¡°I can drive you there if you want.¡± He shrugged.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°That¡¯d be nice. You coulde pick me up when I¡¯m about to return home as well. If I¡¯m really going to pay Emilio a visit, then it simply means I wouldn¡¯t be leaving until night. So you could as well pick me up on your way home.¡±


    ¡°Am I supposed to be jealous that Nonno has be so attached to ady he met just two months ago? Yet here I have been for 29 years of my life, not half as close as you both are.¡± He had said that as a passing statement and a joke, but it had actually sunk into my head.


    I have noticed that there is this way he talks whenever he refers to his Nonno. He makes it sound like he is Emilio¡¯s least favorite grandson. I definitely did not know the reason why, but that was what I was gonna find out. I acted like I wasn¡¯t really paying any attention, but stole nces at him as he stripped off his work clothes, leaving him in just his boxers, before making his way into the bathroom. I feel ashamed to admit this, but it was my favourite part of him returning from work everyday. Secretly admiring his body while he pulled off his clothes. His hard nipples and chiseled abs. This guy was a literal demigod. My husband was a demigod!


    Why was I suddenly perceiving chicken nuggets now? My cravings these days could be really crazy. I had been craving chicken nuggets for a couple of days now. I was suprised when he opened the door to the bathroom and poked his head out.


    ¡°While you are waiting for me to be done with my bathe, you could munch on the chicken nuggets I bought you.¡±


    ¡°You bought chicken nuggets for me?¡± I asked and he nodded. It¡¯s on the table. That was when I realized that I had indeed been perceiving it.


    Before I could say any other thing, he shut the door and continued with his business in there. I quickly rushed to the table and took the bowl of chicken. Why was I close to tears now? Nheless, I focused on my nuggets and devoured them delightfully as a few tears dropped from my eyes. I didn¡¯t even realize how far time had gone because I had been so busy eating.


    ¡°Why are you crying?¡± I jerked off my seat when I saw Manuel¡¯s face in front of mine. Oh God! My butt hit the floor. That hurt. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry.¡± He rushed towards me and stretched his hand for me to take it. I obliged and he pulled me off the floor. When I got seated once more, he repeated his previous question. ¡°Why were you crying?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± I replied truthfully. ¡°Maybe the nuggets were just so good. How did you know that I¡¯ve been craving them?¡± I asked, and  found myself crying again. Oh God, what was really happening to me?


    ¡°Heyyyy.¡± He held my hand and gave a sympathetic smile. ¡°Stop crying.¡± He cleaned the tears from my eyes with his other hand, causing me to tear up even more. ¡°You said it in your sleepst night. You said you wanted some chicken nuggets. So I thought to myself, could it be my baby telling me what he or she really wanted to eat? They probably found a way to speak up, now that mama was asleep.¡± He joked, making meugh. Now, I wasughing and crying at the same time.


    ¡°Shhhh¡­¡± He muttered softly, cleaning the tears off my cheeks once more. ¡°Do you want to go on our stroll now?¡± He asked, and I nodded.


    ¡°Alright then.¡± He smiled. Why was he being so nice these days?!! Why couldn¡¯t he just continuously piss me off? Why couldn¡¯t he just remain infuriating? Now, he was just always so thoughtful, making me think if I had ever truly gotten over him. It was still too early in our unconventional marriage to be feeling this way. ¡°I would just go get you some water to drink, after which we would step out.¡± He exined. I should have just calmly nodded in understanding, but I found myself yelling at him.


    ¡°Stop being so nice!!!¡±


    He seemed taken back for a moment, before observing me more closely.


    ¡°What?¡± He muttered, and I repeated myself.


    ¡°Stop being so nice to me. Why are you doing all the nice stuffs you have been doing for the past weeks? Why did you get me that fancy hair clip two days ago?!¡± I cried out. ¡°Oh, I saw this pretty hair clip, and I just thought the color would match so well with your hair.¡± I mimicked, just how he had said it before giving me.


    ¡°Because I truly thought it would look good on your hair.¡± He said, making me angry all the more. Why was I feeling so aggressive? He seemed to be slightly pissed, but was trying his best to not let it show.


    ¡°You know what? I think you need some space.¡± He muttered.


    ¡°Then get the fuck out!¡± I yelled, to which he calmly obliged. The moment he closed the door shut behind him, I felt hot tears drop from my eyes. Was I really okay? I had literally just chased him out of our room for no just reason.  I expected the chicken nuggets to be less enticing to me, but I was so wrong. I continued eating them as little strands of tears made their way down my cheeks. Just when I decided I was satisfied, I walked into the bathroom and washed my hands, before heading to the bed where Iid for sometime. It wasn¡¯t up to half an hourter, when the lights in my room suddenly went off. Weird. This has never happened for the 6 weeks I¡¯ve spent here. Lights never went out. Sighing, I assumed there may have encountered some sort of problems. I was about closing my eyes shut when I felt arge palm on my mouth, making me not able to scream out in shock. I struggled with whoever had held me, kicking and tossing. I felt the person¡¯s other hand make its way to my belly, palpating it sort of.


    ¡°Your baby would never be safe.¡± He gave an evil chuckle, making my body run cold. I didn¡¯t know where the energy hade from as I pushed backwards, making the intruder¡¯s hand fall off my mouth. The first thing I did was to scream so loudly. I felt the person¡¯s hand gripping my shoulders so tightly, making me release a whimper. I kept struggling, making us fall off the bed, onto the floor. Just then, the lights came on and just like the speed of wind, the person disappeared through the open door that led to the balcony. I had only been able to make out the clothe the person had been wearing. A ck hoodie and trouser. I shivered in fear as tears slipped down my cheeks. Just then, the door to the room burst open and Manuel rushed in. I found myself crying even more when he gathered me in his arms and picked me off the floor.


    ¡°Someone was here!!¡± I cried out, and he nodded. ¡°Manuel someone was here!!¡±


    ¡°I know. I know. I¡¯m so sorry.¡± He muttered into my ears. I felt like a baby in his arms as he sat on the bed, with me sitting on his thighs. He hugged my body, as he gently rocked me back and forth.


    ¡°They tried to hurt my babyyyy.¡± I cried harder.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry.¡± He repeated. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have left you here.¡± He apologized, and I held onto him much tightly. We stayed in that position for a long while. I guess a few family members had stopped by, but I was halfway into my sleep to have noticed any of them.


    All I remembered was waking up in the middle of the night to pee. I was suprised to see that Manuel¡¯s hand held my waist so tightly, preventing me from moving.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± I felt his hot breathe against the back of my ear, making my neck and face go hot as well.


    ¡°To pee.¡± I replied, and he released his grip. I rushed into the bathroom, did my business, and rushed back out. I was literally running. The incident of the night was still in my mind, making me run out of the bathroom. It seemed to be that Manuel understood my fears because the moment I returned to the bed, he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me closer to himself.


    ¡°You are safe.¡± He whispered into my ear. ¡°They were just lucky this time. It would never repeat itself.¡± He assured me, making me nod.


    Even after so many minutes, I closed my eyes and tried to sleep, but it just wasn¡¯ting. I knew it wasn¡¯t because I was scared. The moment Manuel wrapped his arms around me, I instantly felt safe. So what was it? I could feel his hot breathe against the nape of my neck once more, making my entire body tingle with desire. Oh God, no! No no no!! I tried to moderate my breathing, but all my efforts seemedpletely useless when I felt his hand moving from my waist, towards my breast. I was about protesting when he kissed the nape of my neck, gently massaging my breasts.


    ¡°Are you awake?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± I whispered in response. The next minute, he was flipping me over in a way that I straddled him. My heartbeat elerated as I looked down at him, the bedside light serving as the only illumination in the room. I was still trying to ce my thoughts together, when he said the next words.


    ¡°Kiss me.¡±

 CHAPTER 44

    MANUEL¡¯S POV


    Why was she acting in a confusing manner  now? I felt like we were finally getting on a mutual ground, but she was making me rethink my assumptions now. I walked away from the door that I had stood by, for some minutes, even after I walked out of the room. I could still hear her crying and it only disturbed me all the more. Should I go back inside and try to make her feel better? What was I supposed to do, when she didn¡¯t even want to see my face? Was I beginning to irritate her? I wasn¡¯t the kind of guy that cared the way I was currently doing, but this woman just had a way of making me act out of line. Releasing a low sigh, I took slow but long strides to the living room. When I got there, mom was busy speaking to my father about what I wasn¡¯t sure of. When she noticed my presence, she looked up at me in suprise. What was so surprising now?


    ¡°Manuel?¡±


    ¡°Mom.¡± I replied halfmindedly.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t going on a walk with Bianca tonight?¡± She asked, to which I just gave a shrug.


    ¡°Hmmm.¡± She released a sigh.


    ¡°They had a fight.¡± Dad stated with so much confidence. Was he even in the bedroom with us? We didn¡¯t have a fight, she threw me out of the room!


    ¡°Is that true?¡± Mom asked, and a low rumble escaped my chest.


    ¡°It¡¯s not any of your businesses.¡± I replied dryly. I expected mom to lecture me concerning how I wasn¡¯t supposed to address them in such a manner, but I was suprised to see her tapping my father¡¯s arm and drawing his attention to get back to the conversation they were having. Couldn¡¯t they see that I was having an issue with my wife?! ¡®But you literally asked them to shut the fuck up!¡¯, my subconscious mocked. I sat on one of the couches, but the uneasy feeling that came as a result of Bianca¡¯s attitude towards me, still tugged against my chest. Why was I even bothered? It was nothing to be bothered about. ¡®It is something to be bothered about. She is your partner¡¯, came my subconscious again. God! Ever since we began this partner thingy, I was just¡­. I guess this was a set up. I couldn¡¯t believe how much she was beginning to get under my skin, under such a short while. She was beginning to make me care without even trying. I guess we wouldn¡¯t have our satisfying walks tonight, then.


    I looked at my parents to see them still engrossed in their discussion, and I couldn¡¯t help it anymore.


    ¡°Why does she just flip up and begin to have an attitude for no reason?¡± I asked, but they didn¡¯t stop their discussion, making me slightly angry. ¡°I was asking a question!¡±


    ¡°Oh? You were asking us?¡± Mom asked, making me look up to the ceiling and release a frustrated sigh.


    ¡°I thought it wasn¡¯t any business of ours?¡± Dad added.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± I muttered, but got no response.


    ¡°She¡¯s giving an attitude?¡± Mom asked after a while of silence.


    ¡°Yes.¡± I rushed out. ¡°She¡¯s even crying.¡±N?velDrama.Org content.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know?¡± I shrugged, my forehead creasing in confusion. ¡°For buying her a cute hair clip, I guess. Or for buying her chicken nuggets.¡±


    ¡°You bought your wife a hair clip?¡± I looked up to see Greta descending the stairs with an amusing smile.


    ¡°Yes? Anything the matter?¡±


    ¡°Not at all.¡± She retained that look of amusement.


    ¡°I guess her pregnancy hormones are the problem. ording to Doctor Luigi, she¡¯s also facing problems of hormonal imbnce. I can understand how she feels. In fact, I cannot understand, because I didn¡¯t even understand mine when I was pregnant with you.¡± She chuckled, making me release another sigh of relief. I hadn¡¯t done anything wrong, then. She was just going through a hormonal phase. ¡°But I can rte to the feeling, I guess. You shouldn¡¯t have left her on her own.¡±


    ¡°But she threw me out!¡± I yelled in exasperation.


    ¡°She what?!¡± Greta gave a really annoying chuckle.


    ¡°And what¡¯s so funny about that?¡± I red.


    ¡°What¡¯s funny is that¡­..¡± She trailed off, tapping her chin and looking up, as if trying to recall whatever scene she had in mind. ¡°The Manuel Russo I know, wouldn¡¯t let a woman push him out of his own bedroom. Even a certain Francesca wouldn¡¯t dare.¡±


    ¡°What does that have to do with anything?¡±


    ¡°I noticed you¡¯ve been particrly mean to me, for a while now. Dearest brother, what have I done wrong?¡± She asked, purposely batting hershes at me.


    ¡°For a start, you have to remind me to stop talking to you about my personal matters.¡±


    ¡°Why?!!¡±


    ¡°Because you told mom that I was Bianca¡¯s first. Somehow, Tommaso knows about it as well. You know what that means; the entire Russo estate would know about it soon.¡±


    ¡°I think they do already.¡± She shrugged with a small smile.


    ¡°Seriously, Greta?¡±


    ¡°Whose fault is that?¡± She asked, making me re at her in total disbelief.


    ¡°Is it mine?!¡±


    ¡°Clearly! I only told mom, but you told Anthonio and a few other family members and ushers who were within close range during your fight¡­.¡± She was still talking when the lights suddenly went off. Fuck! I didn¡¯t need an extra second to know that all was not well. Someone was trying to infiltrate the estate.


    ¡°Down to the floor, everyone.¡± I whispered, as I took stealth steps towards the direction of the center table. I gently pulled out the slim drawer that was inbuilt to the table, and took two guns out.


    ¡°Dad?¡± I whispered.


    ¡°I¡¯m with a gun already? Head for your room, Bianca is alone. I would remain with your mom and sister. Tommaso and Matteo know what to do.¡± He instructed. Fair enough.


    ¡°Mom, Greta, remain calm.¡± I instructed. ¡°The security would be here in no¡­.¡± I paused my words the moment I heard a loud splitting scream. Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! That was Bianca!!


    If it was actually possible for a human to run in the speed of light, then I guess I just did. I went up the staircase in long strides and just as I got to the top, the lights came on. I could hear voices downstairs, as I made my way through the hallway, towards my room. Most likely, our security were here already. Without any waste of time, I kicked open our bedroom door, quickly pointing my weapon inside to gun down any intruder. I looked around and all I saw was just a shivering Bianca on the floor. One look at the open balcony door, and I knew the intruder had just escaped.


    Immediately, I made my way to Bianca and scooped her off the floor where sheid. She had raised her head to see it was me, then immediately hid her face into my chest again. I could feel my shirt getting soaked and I knew she was crying. Just then, two of our men walked into the room and I gave them a signal to check the bathroom and scout everywhere properly.


    ¡°Someone was here!!¡± She cried out, looking up at me. I nodded in agreement. That wasn¡¯t a lie, someone was here indeed. ¡°Manuel someone was here!!¡±


    ¡°I know. I know. I¡¯m so sorry.¡± I muttered into her ears, feeling so angry at myself that I wasn¡¯t here with her. She would have been so terrified to have let out that scream. What really happened? I didn¡¯t know if the right thing to do was interrogate her, when she was still trying to get over the incident that had just ured.


    ¡°They tried to hurt my babyyyy.¡± She muttered in between cries, making every hair on my body stand. What?!! For her to say that, only meant one thing. Whoever hade in here, had not onlye in, but spoke with her.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry.¡± I repeated, not knowing what to say. I guess I felt much more pathetic because I hadn¡¯t been able to catch whoever it was. I hadn¡¯t seen thising. It had never happened before. This only meant that I had to be more alert and tighten the security around the estate. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have left you here.¡± I apologized, and honestly felt better when she held onto me much tightly. My men returned from different angles of the room and shook their heads at me. I waved them off, and they walked out, closing the door behind them. It was a miracle that the door was still intact, even after the impact of my kick against it.


    Bianca and I stayed in our position for a long while, as I rocked her back and forth. It seemed to have calmed her a bit and slowly, her breathing became even. She had slept off. I looked at her tear stricken face and I felt my chest do a little flip. I was angry deep within. Whoever had the guts to harrass my wife, wasn¡¯t going to get away with it. I just suddenly felt this consuming need to want to protect her from any harm. To protect our unborn child. I had never felt emotions this strong before. I guess that is what happens when a man has a family of his own. I looked over her body to see that she had her hand on her tummy. Sighing deeply, I ced my free hand on hers. I had to find a way of assuring her that our baby was going to be safe. Now, I understood the way Alexander felt about Be and their baby.


    I was still rocking her body when a knock came on the door. I didn¡¯t want to say anything in other to not wake Bianca. Luckily, the door opened and the person, or rather, people behind the door stepped in. It was my family. They all silently looked at me as I rocked Bianca¡¯s body gently, and I could spot a sad smile on mom¡¯s face.


    ¡°Is she okay?¡± My father mouthed, and I shrugged. I couldn¡¯t say ¡®yes¡¯ because something bad had clearly happened. But I couldn¡¯t say ¡®no¡¯ because she was much calmer now.


    ¡°We just wanted to be sure she¡¯s fine.¡± Greta muttered. I could detect the sadness in her eyes. I nodded and gave a small smile in appreciation. They all left the next minute, and shut the door behind. It was so amazing how every member of my family had easily gotten so used to Bianca as a new member of our household. The woman was truly likeable, and that was the major problem I had with her in the beginning. It was new for me to have met someone who spiked my interest so easily, without even trying to. I also hated how much my body wanted her.


    But now, I loved how much it craved her because more than anything, I was happy she was my wife now. I just only hoped for the day I could finally bury myself inside her again. I wanted it to be soon, but it didn¡¯t seem like it was going to be that way. Our rtionship seemed too tonic for that these days. I could tell that she still missed Anthonio, and that simply meant that she wasn¡¯t going to give me ess to her body anytime soon. It was so annoying! I knew I was being greedy by wanting her to just get over him and let me im her, but you couldn¡¯t me me. This was a woman I even thought of, while in bed with my ex fiancee. No one would understand the restraint it had taken for me not to just look for her and beg to have my way with her.


    After some time, I gently carried her to the middle of the bed, but her hand didn¡¯t leave my neck, making it a little bit of a hassle to pull away andy down.


    ¡°Shhh¡­. I¡¯m here.¡± I whispered into her ear and suprisingly, she nodded, finally letting go of me. Immediately, I rounded the bed andid behind her, pulling her body into mine.


    I knew it was going to be difficult for me to sleep tonight because of this ugly event that had ured, but I didn¡¯t mind. Atleast it meant I was gonna be on the watch for the rest of the night. I looked towards the balcony door to see it was locked. A lot of thoughts ran through my mind. I just knew I had to fish out this person. Who could it be? Who would want to hurt Bianca or our baby? The only person I had in mind was Francesca. Wasn¡¯t it weird that with the way things ended between us and how much she imed to love me, she hadn¡¯t taken my calls or tried to reach out to me for some sort of exnation? What if it was Anthonio? But I didn¡¯t want to believe he would try to hurt Bianca just because he couldn¡¯t have her to himself. Who could it be? I would work with the few hunches I have, for a start. I didn¡¯t care what it took, I was going to find Francesca and we were going to have a good talk. She had to understand that things had changed and I wasn¡¯t going to take it, if my unborn child was hurt. Hell! I wasn¡¯t going to stand for it, if as much as a single hair strand disappeared from Bianca¡¯s body.


    Sighing deeply, I continued to let my mind run in thoughts, and didn¡¯t even realize that several hours had passed.


    I began to feel Bianca move her body against mine. Was she about to wake up? Suddenly, she tried to move but couldn¡¯t, because my hand held so tightly onto her.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± I asked, but got no response from her, until after a few seconds.


    ¡°To pee.¡± She muttered, making me release my grip. She stood up and rushed into the bathroom. She was very pressed after all. I was more suprised when she rushed out so quickly from the bedroom a few minutester. For a moment, I thought she had seen something or someone, until she returned to the bed andid down like nothing happened. That was when I realized what just happened. She was scared. Oh God. Without thinking much, I pulled her into my arms, hoping she was gonna feel much calmer. It seemed to have worked, but I still had to verbally assure her.


    ¡°You are safe.¡± I whispered into her hot ear that rubbed against my lips in a way that made me feeling like nibbling on it. ¡°They were just lucky this time. It would never repeat itself.¡± I assured, and felt better when she nodded.


    A lot of minutes had passed and her breathing had calmed, but not the bulge that had started to grow in my pants. God, not now. She had just gone through a bad phase this night, it was wrong that all I could think of now, was burying myself inside her.


    My breathing gradually became rough and I couldn¡¯t hold myself from caressing her waist. At least, I could do that much while she slept. I was suprised to hear a very low gasp from her. Was she still awake? I was going to find out now. My hand moved from her breast, gently caressing her belly as it made its way up to her breasts. God! They were so soft. And I didn¡¯t remember them feeling so full in my hands. They used to be full, but not this much. I knew I was gone past the point of return when she released a low sigh. I dropped a chaste kiss on her neck and didn¡¯t relent in massaging her tits with my hand.


    ¡°Are you awake?¡± I found myself asking.


    ¡°Yes.¡± She whispered in response. She was awake and hadn¡¯t tried to push me away. That was a good sign. Her reaction gave me a lot of hope, making me flip her over in a way that she straddled me. I had my reasons for doing so. I not only wanted to give her the choice of easily rejecting me, but also to not make her feel I was trying to take advantage of her vulnerable state. She had to know that she was the one in charge. She looked very suprised as she blinked her eyes a couple of times. It was only the bedsidemp that had been on, making the contours of her beautiful face enchantingly illuminated. Her full and pink lips were just too enticing to ignore.


    ¡°Kiss me.¡± I whispered. Wait¡­. did I soundmanding? I really wanted her to take charge. ¡°Please kiss me.¡± I corrected myself, making her lips quiver slightly. Her breathing increased rapidly, making me sit up a bit as I rested my back on the bed head rest. Now, my face was much closer to hers. I rubbed her back soothingly, and she released another breathy sigh. Was she scared to take the lead? Not knowing what else to do, I put my hand around her neck and pulled her face closer to mine. We were close enough to share a kiss, but I didn¡¯t try to kiss her. I wanted her to kiss me herself. Our eyes locked as we released hot breathe from our mouths, that intermingled with each other¡¯s. God, I was so hard already.


    ¡°Should I?¡± She finally whispered, and I answered her with so much urgency.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°But isn¡¯t it¡­. wr¡­¡± I didn¡¯t let herplete that statement, before cutting her off.


    ¡°Right. It is right. We belong to each other now. Hmm?¡± I whispered.


    ¡°Hmmm.¡± She let out a breathy moan, rubbing the tip of her nose against mine. Finally, she leaned in and imed my lips with hers. Heavenly.


    Fuck you Anthonio.

 CHAPTER 45

    BIANCA¡¯S POV


    I was the one who had kissed him first, but it seemed to be that he had dominated the kiss even while beneath me. I could feel him moving his lower body against mine, his hard groin making sparks erupt all over my butt cheeks. I didn¡¯t know if this was right, but he convinced me that it was. What about Anthonio? Didn¡¯t I owe him the decency of remaining sexually distant from Manuel until after a while? Wasn¡¯t this showing that I didn¡¯t regard what we shared as much as I was supposed to? A lot of thoughts ran through my mind, but the most prevalent one was the thought of how pleasurable his cock used to feel inside the walls of my pussy. I wanted him there again. I didn¡¯t have the restraint to hold back anymore. I began moving my waist alongside his, readjusting myself on his thighs in a way that his cock was directly underneath my pussy. I was fast getting wet and it was an evidence of how much power this man still had over me. I felt his hands tug against my night wear and the next minute, I was breaking off our kiss and taking it off my body, leaving me bare to him. I hadn¡¯t even pre~thought that action. Wow.


    I usually didn¡¯t wear panties to sleep, so I was very much naked. I watched as he look over my body in what resembled fascination¡­. and lust. I lusted after him as well. He also took off his shirt I felt the urge to run my fingers against the properly sculpted expanse of his chest. This man¡¯s body was divine! I was suprised when he took my hand and ced it on his chest, giving me the confidence to caress it just how I wondered. I didn¡¯t know what to do, as I¡¯ve never been on top before, but I just let my instincts take the lead. I remember that he always suckled on my breasts, and it normally felt so good. I could do the same. Before he could tell my next mode of action, I bent down and took his nipples into my mouth. I suckled on them gently, and was so satisfied when he released pleasure filled gasps. My hands found it¡¯s way to the joggers he wore, and I tugged them down. They didn¡¯tpletely pull down because of the position he was. But I was able to pull out his very much erect cock at least. The only thing that went through my mind at that moment, was letting my pussy swallow up this cock.


    ¡®Sit on it. Bianca, sit on it!¡¯, my subconscious screamed at me, and I eventually sumbed. I  held onto his shoulder with one hand, and used the other hand to position the tip of his cock at the entrance of my pussy. Seeing my next course of action, his strong hands held onto my waist, making me veryfortable. We both locked eyes with each other as I slowly released myself onto his cock, my pussy swallowing it up just like I had imagined. God! I felt like crying. It felt soooo good.


    ¡°Kiss me.¡± I was the one who asked this time, and he reached out and pulled my face closer to his. Our lips connected as we shared a very passionate kiss. As our tongues romanced each other, so did his member romance the walls of my pussy. I found out I wasn¡¯t even the one doing the work, as all he did was hold my waist tightly and plunge into my pussy from beneath. I held onto his neck tightly, scared to fall off due to the kind of pleasure his cock gave me. With each thrust he took, I could feel his cock brush lightly against my clit, sending a thousand tingles all over my body.


    His hands groped my breasts and massaged them so well, still not relenting in the steadiness of his thrusts.


    ¡°Aahhh!!! Oh God!¡± I moaned out, not able to hold it in again. I could feel myself getting wetter by the second. ¡°Please suckle on it.¡± I begged and he didn¡¯t waste a single minute to do as I had requested. The feeling of his wet tongue over my nipple and are threw me over the edge. I found myself moving against him now, feeling like there was something I needed to catch onto very quickly. I was getting a hold of it already, as my fingers dug themselves into his shoulders. ¡°Yes, Manuel yes!!¡± I moaned louder. I knew I was going to regret my actions by morning, because the entire family may have probably heard me, but I could care less at that moment. The pleasures he gave me were just to good to be silent about. Finally, I got a hold of my prize and hugged it so tightly as my body shook from having its release. Iter realized how hard I had hugged Manuel in the highness of my release. He still continued to thrust into me from below, gradually making me horny again.


    Soon, he flipped me gently, my backnding on the bed. He came on top of me and kissed me deeply, nibbling on my lower lip so hard. ¡°Spread your legs for me.¡± He whispered, and I did so immediately. I was already ready for him again, my pussy aching for the pounding I knew I was about to receive. He setlled in between my thighs and thrust in once more. This time, he let out a loud groan.


    ¡°God! You feel so good.¡± He panted as he thrust into me. ¡°So so good.¡± He managed to say in between his fast thrusts. I, on the other hand, was only able to release moans that broke in between, due to how fast he drove into me. He connected his lips to mine and kissed me so passionately. I grabbed a hand full of his hair, getting lost in everything that he did to me. Sweat broke out on our skins, making it feel so mmy when our bodies rubbed against each other¡¯s. But it was mmy in a pleasant way. Soon, his thrust became slow again, making me wonder why. He didn¡¯t seem to be tired in any way. Though his strokes were slow, they were very steady and intentional, hitting the right spots. He buried his head into the crook of my neck as he carried out his onught against me,pletely filling up my pussy with each thrust.


    I was going insane with how good he was making me feel. I was gradually reaching for my release once again, and these slow thrusts were not quick enough to let me im it. He began to shake above me like he was trying to resist something, his teeth digging into the soft skin on my neck.


    ¡°Manuel please.¡± I begged. ¡°Please go faster.¡± I cried out.


    ¡°I want to.¡± He groaned, continuing with his slow thrusts. ¡°But I don¡¯t want toe out of you just yet.¡± He rushed out, finally losing it and hitting me so hard that my eyes rolled to the back of my head.


    ¡°Oh God!!¡± I yelled, as he begin hitting me faster. ¡°Manuel!! Ohhhh!!!¡±


    ¡°But I can¡¯t endure it when you feel so nice.¡± He groaned, leaning downwards and biting my bottom lips. I could finally see myself in the cloud and before I knew it, everything went nk. Like pure darkness. I didn¡¯t know how loudly I had screamed, but it seemed like I had passed out momentarily from excess pleasure.


    *


    *


    *


    I opened my eyes, only to close it shut so quickly. Finally, I opened it once more and sighed as my eyes gradually adjusted to the brightness of the morning sun that streamed in through the open window.


    ¡°You¡¯re awake.¡± I looked up to see him in front of the bathroom door. He was tying a towel that went wayyyy below his waist. Too low forfort. He gave me a wide smile, which was a bit difficult for me to reciprocate. I had sex with himst night, and had moaned so wantonly and loudly. I guess I even passed out as well. This was the same me, who imed to be in love with my boyfriend just a few weeks back. I felt so ashamed. He walked up to me and sat beside me, the little drops of water that trailed down his body, actively distracting me. ¡°You gave me a scarest night.¡± He whispered, his hand holding my cheek and caressing it. ¡°I thought you had fainted.¡± He chuckled and leaned down to kiss me. My senses were very much active now it was no longer night, making me respond to his spellbounding kisses quite passionately. Wow! So much for an ¡®active brain¡¯. I thought I was gonna be able to push him away.


    After a few seconds in, I found the strength to actually push him away! I eventually did! He stared at me in a way I couldn¡¯t really tell. Disappointed? Shocked in a subtle way? I don¡¯t know what it was, but it was disturbing.


    ¡°I need to pee.¡± I lied, and hopped down the bed. I went into the bathroom with the speed of light, and locked myself there. What was going on? It was okay for us to be intimate, right? ¡®Clearly! You sat on his cockst night.¡¯, my subconscious reminded. ¡°You asked me to.¡± I muttered in response. I don¡¯t know what it was, but I just couldn¡¯t get myself to let him feel this was totally okay between us. No, it wasn¡¯t about Anthonio anymore. I just couldn¡¯t tell why.


    I suddenly remembered I was supposed to go see Emilio today, and just decided to have my bath immediately. I was about to peel off my clothes from my body when I realized I wasn¡¯t wearing any.


    ¡°Oh my God!!¡± I let out, before I could hold myself. Immediately, he knocked against the door.


    ¡°Are you okay?!¡±


    ¡°Yes! Yes! I am fine. I¡¯m sorry.¡± I replied with a small sigh. What message would I have sent by walking so freely before him, in my birthday suit?


    I quickly had my shower and stepped out in a robe, suprised to see him fully dressed and sitting down. It was clearly not just me, he also tried to avoid any form of eye contact between us.


    ¡°You¡¯re still here?¡± I asked, looking towards our shared wardrobe.


    ¡°Hmmm.¡± I could see him nod from my peripheral view. ¡°I am supposed to take you to Nonna today, remember?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I do. I just didn¡¯t think you¡¯d still want to take me there.¡± I said, expecting him to angrily ask me whether or not I wanted him to take me. But he suprised me by just remaining silent in his seated position. I got busy changing into my clothes. I could feel his eyes on me but whenever I turned, he quickly looked away. Why did everything seem so awkward now? He was kissing me just this morning, right?


    ¡®You literally pushed him away and lied you wanted to pee. He isn¡¯t a kid Bianca! What exactly do you want?¡¯ At this rate, I felt like kicking my subconscious away. But what could I do? It was stuck with me for life.


    The moment I was done dressing up, I looked at him and muttered.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    He nodded in response and stood up to his feet. We both walked out of the room and made our way downstairs. When we got down, the whole family was already down, having breakfast at the dinning table.


    ¡°Good morning everyone!¡± I greeted with a small smile. They had all responded, but the weird looks on all of their faces made me ufortable.


    ¡°Had a nice night?¡± Mia asked and I nodded, a bit unsure.


    ¡°You don¡¯t look sure.¡± Greta grinned. ¡°But you did sound quite surest night.¡± Instantly, my face felt hot, knowing what this was about.


    ¡°Greta watch it.¡± Manuel grunted behind me, making me feel all the more embarrassed. Tommaso who was always so jolly around me, couldn¡¯t even look up at me. Not to talk of Matteo. No, this was beyond embarrassing.


    ¡°My dear, how do you feel after the unpleasant incidentst night?¡± Manuel¡¯s father asked, making the silly grin disappear from everyone¡¯s face.


    I was suprised they had forgotten about it for a moment. I also did. That was probably what Manuel¡¯s strokes caused.


    ¡°I feel better. Much better.¡± I managed a small smile. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°We arete already.¡± Manuel said behind me. ¡°Let¡¯s get going.¡±


    I nodded and started walking away, while he followed behind me.


    ¡°You both are going out?¡± Mia asked, and I nodded.


    ¡°Yes. To see¡­..¡± I was so used to calling him by his name, but it suddenly didn¡¯t feel so cool anymore. ¡°To see Nonno.¡± I finally said, and she nodded in return.


    ¡°See youter.¡± She gave a small wave, which I returned


    ¡°Bye Bibi!¡± Tommaso finally called out, and that was when I gave my first wide smile this morning. He was the only one in the family, who called me that. I heard Manuel mutter under his breathe. It sounded like ¡®what¡¯s Bibi?¡¯. Bibi is my name, you fucker.


    ¡®Good fucker¡¯, I heard an annoying giggle in my head. Fuck you, my subconscious.


    *This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    *


    I alighted the car and shut it close. ¡°Thank you.¡± I said with a small smile.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± He nodded slightly, locking eyes with me for the first time since after I had my bath this morning. ¡°Call me when you¡¯re done.¡±


    ¡°What if I decide to go before it¡¯s time for you to leave work?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Still call me.¡± He ordered. I didn¡¯t like his tone, but tried not to show it. ¡°Please.¡± He sighed. Okay, wow. He was really trying so hard.


    ¡°Bye.¡± I waved, thinking that he deserved that much. It was very wierd to see him wave back. It was clearly an action his wasn¡¯t used to. His hands had moved like a robot¡¯s, causing him to look so funny.


    The moment I got up to Nonno¡¯s penthouse, I hadn¡¯t even rang the bell when the door was pulled open, revealing a grinning old man.


    ¡°Hello Nonno!¡± I smiled in return and he eyed me closely.


    ¡°That change of title pleases me so well.¡± He nodded in satisfaction. ¡°Come in my dear.¡± He invited me, and I obliged.


    ¡°It seems you are not travelling to Sicily anytime soon?¡± I had expected him to leave since after the wedding, but he was still around.


    ¡°Oh, the gold empire project is about run in full motion.¡± He said, his smile faltering a bit. ¡°Bianca, I¡¯m so sorry for deceiving you.¡±


    ¡°What I don¡¯t understand is why you did.¡± I muttered, and he pulled me towards the sofa to sit down. He was silent for a while, before taking my hand in his.


    ¡°For the first time, I saw a woman who looked so much like my Rosa.¡± He sighed. ¡°I knew it would be so difficult to have her feel very free around me, if I told her who I was. I had a lot of ns for you, my dear.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t anymore?¡± I asked, and he smiled.


    ¡°It¡¯s much better now that I¡¯ve sessfully been able to make you family.¡± He grinned, making meugh. ¡°I want you back on the gold empire project, Bianca.¡± He said, making my own smile drop. He was the reason why I was awarded the contract in the first ce.


    ¡°Do you really think I¡¯m good enough to handle the project? Or is it just because I look like yourte wife?¡±


    ¡°It is all of it.¡± He nodded. ¡°When Alexander told me he had found someone to handle this project, I thought he had chosen one of his female cousins. But I was suprised to hear that it was his ¡®smart¡¯ assistant. I would have normally pushed such a suggestion aside, but I knew above anything else, that Alexander was someone who knew talent when he saw one. I decided to give you a try after much thoughts.¡±


    ¡°When you hade and I saw that you bore such a striking resemnce to myte wife, it was truly a plus. But when you turned out to be a better student than I had expected, I was so sure that it would be you to handle it.¡±


    Okayyyy. The lectures on leadership, power, and wealth weren¡¯t just for nothing after all. He had a n.


    ¡°This project is very dear to me, Bianca. It is a project that Rosa had wanted to embark on, before I lost her to the cold hands of death. It only pleases me more than anything, that it feels like she is back to carry it on, through you. Now you are my family, and that is truly a huge plus as well. Please I need you to ept this offer my dear.¡± He begged.


    ¡°Why did you ask me to invest in this project?¡± I asked, wanting to know his actual reason. It was beginning to seem like he had a reason for everything he did.


    ¡°That was because I wanted you having as much shares as possible. I wanted you to be qualified enough, to contest for the position of CEO.¡± He tilted his head in a way that said ¡®there you have it¡¯. Oh my goodness! He was joking right? No, he got to be joking.


    ¡°But I¡¯m not a part of the board. And I doubt I have as much shares to qualify for that.¡±


    ¡°As for your shares, I just needed to be certain you were bold to take that step of investing. The money you invested could only make you a minor shareholder. I boosted your shares. As of now, you have a total of 19 percent shares under your name. That is more than enough to vie for the position of CEO. And as for being a member of the board, it¡¯s not necessary to be a member of the board for you to be CEO. I am the Chairman of the board, and you are my candidate.¡± He smiled. ¡°So, my dearest nipotina, do you ept my offer?¡±

 CHAPTER 46

    MANUEL¡¯S POV


    I put on my suit and got busy fixing my cufflinks.


    ¡°Let me help you with that.¡± Bianca muttered, before walking up to me and taking my hand in hers, as she tried fixing the cufflink that I had been struggling with.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± I said, eyeing her closely as she looked so focused on what she was doing. Her baby hairs curled so cutely above her forehead, the colour of her hair making it look even more mesmerizing. Her lips were slightly parted opened and her eyes blinked a few times, before she sessfully clipped the cufflink. ¡°Thank you.¡± I repeated, and she nodded with a smile. I loved it whenever she acted this way towards me. It made me feel good deep inside, and I really couldn¡¯t tell why. It had already been a week since we had sex and true to my thoughts, we hadn¡¯t done it again. It wasn¡¯t like I had tried making my move and she pushed me away though. It was just that I was¡­. scared? No, I wasn¡¯t scared. I was never scared of anyone, talk less of a woman. I just wasn¡¯t sure she was gonna let me touch her again. Though we had been able to coexist peacefully with each other for the whole week without any fights, I still couldn¡¯t brush off the feeling of her rejection thest time.


    She made it seem like she had been pressed and wanted to pee, but I knew that was not the case. She had outrightly been repulsed by me, and subconsciously pushed me away without even realizing it. When she eventually realized her actions, she tried to make it seem like she wanted to pee, in order not to hurt my feelings. I wasn¡¯t a fragile doll! She could have just told me straight up, that she didn¡¯t want me. What annoyed me the most, was how sweet she had been for the past week. The little gestures she made and the simple things she said. Just like the way she was being so attentive to how I dressed up now. I hated it! It made it difficult for me to flush her out of my system. I had finally agreed in my mind, that expecting our marriage to just develop so fast was rather impossible and far fetched. I realized she need so much more time to get used to the way things had be. But in as much as I decided to try and give it time, it didn¡¯t change the fact or doused those strong emotions I had started feeling towards her and my child. I was gonna protect them with all it took, and no one who tried to hurt them was gonna get away with it. That was the reason for the meeting with Francesca I was supposed to have today.


    After much efforts from my men, I had finally been able to know her whereabouts. She had traveled out of the country a few days before my wedding, but just returned to Mn 2 days ago. I hadn¡¯t wasted any time in trying out to reach her and suprisingly, she had taken my calls. She seemed suprised to have heard from me, but even more suprised when I told her we had to meet up today. Eager, if you ask me.


    ¡°Do you?!¡± She nudged my arm, pulling me out of my mind consuming thoughts.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± I asked, not knowing what she had been on about.


    ¡°I was asking if you wanted me to help you with your tie.¡± God! This was the same thing I had just talked about. She was being too sweet to me these days. And it was so annoying because she wasn¡¯t ready for me to have all of her yet. If she wasn¡¯t ready to give me all, I didn¡¯t want half. What was I even saying now? All and half? I was beginning to think rubbish these days.


    ¡°No, not to worry.¡± I gave a tight smile. ¡°I can manage on my own.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± She nodded and took a step back. I got busy knotting my tie when she asked yet another question. ¡°Do you want some coffee? You spoke about having an early meeting today.¡±


    Yeahhh¡­ I may have let her know about my meeting during our walkst night. What I just didn¡¯t tell her, was who I was actually going to be meeting up with.


    ¡°No. I¡¯m just fine.¡± I declined with a small smile. She seemed to not have expected I would decline that as well, making her face fall a bit. ¡°I¡¯m just not in the mood for coffee.¡± I said, feeling the need to exin to her. More than anything else, I have noticed how much I did not like to see her sad. I finished knotting my tie walked towards the table to fix a file into my briefcase.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± She forced a smile. ¡°Have a nice day today.¡± Her smile seemed better, making it easier for me to pick up my briefcase and walk out of the room. I was almost at the door when I halted my steps.


    ¡°After your meeting today, you should¡­.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± She cut me off with a smile small. ¡°Call Massimo and tell him toe pick me up. You¡¯ve said that continuously for the past few days. You don¡¯t need to remind me anymore.¡±


    ¡°Actually, no.¡± I found myself grinning. ¡°I was about to ask you to call me. I woulde over and pick you up today.¡±


    ¡°What if you aren¡¯t done with work yet?¡±N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    ¡°I do not mind.¡± I shrugged. ¡°Today is a very important day for you, and I would like us to celebrate your win together.¡±


    So Nonno had decided to make Bianca the CEO of the new Gold Empire project. To be very honest, I had always seen iting. Right from when she still worked as Alexander¡¯s assistant. I had known that Nonno was going to award her a very important position in the empire. What I just hadn¡¯t imagined was him, actually giving her a much more prestigious position than I thought. It only went to show how important Bianca had be to my grandfather. In a way, it pleased me. I had gradually gotten used to the notion that Nonno may really not be interested in keeping a strong and beautiful tie with my immediate family, because of the strife between us. At least, now he was going to. For the sake of his Bianca.


    ¡°Oh?¡± She whispered, looking suprised.


    ¡°Of course.¡± I smiled warmly at her. ¡°That is my duty as your husband. Go get your crown today. All the best.¡± With that, I walked out and headed for work. I was still on my way when Massimo called to inform me that he had gotten to the estate to take Bianca to Nonno¡¯s penthouse.


    Eversince the attack on Bianca a week back, I had been too careful. I doubled the security at home, and always made sure that she never stepped foot out of the house without Massimo following her. At first, it was a difficult change to get used to, because she was new to all of these. The life of arge family, of mafia, of being followed every second just because she had to be safe. I remember the first night after Massimo was made to apany her to Nonno¡¯s penthouse. She had returned that night,ining about how ufortable it made her feel. ording to her, it made her feel even more scared and worried for her life. It had taken me a lot of time to convince her that it was the best approach to protect her and our child. I guess she was ready to get used to any change, for the sake of our child after all. I also think Massimo must have made quite the impression within these few days of being around each other. Now, she was beginning to seem fine with the whole arrangement.


    When I got to the office, I reviewed a some files and got them signed. I was still signing some more when my personal assistant knocked on my door and made her way in.


    ¡°Julia.¡±


    ¡°Good morning Mr Russo.¡± She gave a bright smile. ¡°You have a call on hold.¡± She said, raising up the telephone she was holding. ¡°It¡¯s Miss Ferrari.¡± Then, I looked up at her and urged her to bring the phone to me. Immediately, I took the telephone and answered the call.


    ¡°Hello.¡±


    ¡°Good morning Manuel. I¡¯m already at the venue, and I can¡¯t find you anywhere.¡± Hearing her say that, I quickly looked down at my wristwatch. It said the time was 9:15am.


    ¡°Francesca, we fixed a meeting for 9:30am. It seems to be that you are too early.¡± I said, trying to sound as neutral as possible.


    ¡°Hmmm.¡± She sighed. ¡°Is that the reason you weren¡¯t answering your personal call line?¡±


    ¡°I was too engrossed with work to notice your calls. My apologies.¡± I muttered, picking up my phone and realizing it was muted. When had it gone on mute? ¡°I would be with you shortly.¡± I said, before hanging up the call.


    ¡°Thank you Julia.¡± I said, handing the telephone back to my personal assistant. She turned and walked away. The moment she stepped out of the room, I stood from my seat and picked up my phones. Not forgetting to also take a gun along, I carefully hooked it onto my trouser, then covered it with my suit jacket. The next minute, I was walking out of the office.


    The ride to the hotel we had agreed to meet at, was a rather short one. I honestly did not know how to feel about meeting Francesca after all that had taken ce in thest couple of weeks. Everything had just run at such a spontaneous speed that made me not really able to understand the way I felt towards anything. I was just going with the flow, the way I was supposed to.


    The moment I got to the ground floor of the hotel where the restuarant was located, I sighted Francesca who sat at the end of the public space, closer to the see through ss walls, where her eyes were fixed. She seemed lost for a moment as she stared through the ss. She looked quite different. Almost sick, might I add. She had lost a lot of weight. Why did I suddenly feel bad? I walked up to the table and made my presence known. She had worn a very conservative ck turtleneck dress, unlike her.


    ¡°Good morning Francesca.¡± I called and she looked up at me immediately.


    ¡°Oh my! I didn¡¯t realize you were here already.¡± She gave a smile that didn¡¯t reach her eyes. I  sighed, before taking a seat opposite her. We were silent for a while, before she broke the silence with yet another fake smile. ¡°So tell me, how have you been these past weeks?¡±


    To be very honest, with how things had ended between us, that wasn¡¯t the question I was expecting. But I gave a reply regardless.


    ¡°I have been good, thank you.¡± I muttered. Realizing I was supposed to extend the courtesy, I returned her question. ¡°How have you been?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Oh, Manuel. Do not pretend like you care about how I have been.¡± She gave a small smile. ¡°But I have been good though. Trying to get over the pain that your betrayal had caused me.¡± She kept her eyes fixed on mine, some tears beginning to well up in them.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about how things had ended between us Francesca. But I did not betray¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh really?¡± She raised her brows, looking at me in disbelief. ¡°I was your fiancee, I was your woman, I was supposed to be your wife!!!¡± She yelled suddenly, causing me to narrow my eyes at her. ¡°But you got that cheap poor wannabe slut assistant of Alexander pregnant!¡±


    Oh God! Now I was pissed. I may have initially felt sorry for her, but that was it.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare, Francesca.¡± I hadn¡¯t yelled at the top of my voice like she had done. I didn¡¯t need that to pass a message. The firmness of my voice and the coldness in my eyes were enough to pass my message. ¡°I am sorry for how things ended up between us, but that woman is my wife now. I wouldn¡¯t appreciate you calling her names. You should watch your tone towards me as well.¡±


    She seemed to have been very suprised at how I had responded to her.


    ¡°Oh wow! So that¡¯s how it is?¡± She muttered, her eyes getting red. ¡°The same woman you asked me not to worry about, finally took my ce beside you.¡± She whispered, a tear finally dropping from her eyes. ¡°And you didn¡¯t even have the decency to tell me yourself. You had to beg your grandfather to threaten me?¡± Oh wow. Nonno. ¡°This is all so unfair. But I guess that is how life is after all. All is only fair in love and war.¡± At her statement, I quickly looked up at her, remembering the actual reason why I came to see her in the first ce. She gently cleaned the tears off her eyes, and proceeded to stand up from her seat. She was about walking away when I stopped her with my words.


    ¡°Is that why you tried to hurt my wife?¡± I asked, and she looked down at me with a smile on her face.


    ¡°I would have asked you the meaning of what you just said. But then, it seems to be that even your wife has a lot of enemies. Enjoy your married life.¡± She started walking away when I stood up and held her arm.


    ¡°Now, listen to me Francesca.¡± I leaned closer to her ear. ¡°I do n to enjoy the remaining years of my life together with Bianca. She is expecting my child, and I would not hesitate to deal with anyone who tries to hurt anyone of them.¡± God knew that at that moment, I was seeing red. ¡°Including you.¡± I finished, not believing I could actually say that to Francesca, considering the guilt I felt in my heart towards our broken rtionship. When it came to my family, nothing mattered more. I released her arm and let her walk away in anger. I was mad as well. I had nned to make this discussion very civil with her, but it was no suprise it ended in a fight. That was Francesca¡¯s way after all.


    *


    *


    *


    I walked out of the office, suprised that Bianca was yet to call me. I was aware that she had been with Nonno since morning, and the shareholders meeting had only started around 12 noon. But it was quitete already, and she was yet to call me. Weren¡¯t they done with the meeting yet? I looked at my wristwatch to see that it was already 8pm, before making my way to the executive parking lot and hopped into my car. I hadn¡¯t even asked about the venue for the meeting. Fuck! Immediately, I put a call across to Massimo, who picked up in no time. The phone was connected to my car speaker, making it much essier for me to talk with him while keeping my focus on the road.


    ¡°Don.¡±


    ¡°Massimo, how are you?¡±


    ¡°Very fine Don.¡±


    ¡°You had taken my wife for the shareholders meeting today right?¡±


    ¡°Not really.¡± He muttered, sounding a bit unsure.


    ¡°What do you mean by that? Did you, or did you not take my wife to the shareholders meeting?¡± I snapped.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡± He said, making me further confused.


    ¡°Why? How then did she get to the venue?¡±


    ¡°Don, the thing is that I took her to your Nonno¡¯s penthouse first. When I got there, he had asked me to leave, saying he was gonna call you to take her home after the day was over.¡±


    ¡°But he hasn¡¯t called me yet.¡± I muttered in slight worry. ¡°I would call you back.¡± I said, before hanging up the call. Next, I tried calling my Nonno, but he wasn¡¯t picking up. I tried calling Bianca as well, but her phone wasn¡¯t even connecting. I tried calling Nonno again and finally, he picked up. Thank goodness.


    ¡°Nonno.¡± I rushed out.


    ¡°Why do you sound so disturbed, boy?¡± Heughed. What was funny at the moment? He sounded really weird, but I pushed the thought aside.


    ¡°I¡¯m not disturbed.¡± I lied.


    ¡°Okay.¡± He agreed.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t heard from Bianca yet. Did you take her home already?¡±


    ¡°Take her home? Not at all. She just went for a little pee.¡± What did he mean?


    ¡°A little pee? Where?¡±


    ¡°We are at Le¡¯ude.¡± He replied. That was a restaurant. What were they doing there? Were they with enough security? God. I was a bit relieved that the restaurant wasn¡¯t up to 15 minutes ride from where I currently was. Immediately, I hung up the call and made a change for my destination.


    True to my estimation, I had arrived at the restaurant roughly 17 minutester, and wasted no time in going in. In the car pack, I saw a very familiar red Audi parked there, but I pushed away the thought. He certainly wasn¡¯t the only one with the same car in Mn.


    Eventually, I made my way in and the entire ce seemed to be filled up today. I looked everywhere on the ground floor, but couldn¡¯t catch a sight of my Nonno or Bianca. I realized that the were probably at the VIP section of the restaurant, which was at the topmost floor. Without wasting anytime, I made my way there and walked into the private looking mini hall. There were a quite a lot of tables around, so it took me a while of scouting before my eyes finallynded on him. Nonno. He had beenughing so heartily, looking so rxed and happy. Seeing him that way brought a smile to my face. I hardly got to see him in such a mood. I looked towards the centre of his amusement and my eyes fell on Bianca, who seemed to have her eyes focused elsewhere, or rather, on someone else. The person had been seated by her side and the moment I looked at him, I was seeing red. I had been right after all. He was the owner of the red Audi parked outside. What the hell was Anthonio doing here?


    After trying my best to look unnerved, I walked towards the table that the trio had sat around. The moment my Nonno saw me, his smile widened. Weird.


    ¡°The husband of the CEO is finally here.¡± Heughed, making Bianca quickly break her eyes off Anthonio, and look up in my direction. She seemed shocked. I had clearly startled her sweet moment with her lover, hadn¡¯t I? And I had the ns of doing more. I shared a look with Anthonio, who had this glint in his eyes. Bastard!


    ¡°Manuel.¡± She whispered.


    ¡°I¡¯m here now. We should get going.¡± I said, paying Anthonio no heed. I wasn¡¯t about to let him push me into the temptation of getting into another fight.


    ¡°Ohhhh, my boy. Always so uptight! You should stay back and celebrate with us.¡± Nonno chuckled, causing Bianca to look at him in concern. That was when I understood that he was drunk. Just nice. He was drunk?! And here I had been, thinking he would have acted as some sort of chaperone between Bianca and Anthonio.


    ¡°Nonno, you¡¯ve had more than enough to drink. I would take my wife with me now.¡± I finally looked at her, and she seemed to be squirming on her seat. ¡°Anthonio, you should ensure Nonno gets back to the penthouse safely.¡± I muttered.


    With that, I rounded the table and took Bianca¡¯s hand, pulling her off her seat. She had willing followed me behind, as we walked out of the VIP section and outside the restaurant. The moment we were out, I disconnected my hand from hers, groaning internally as the cold atmosphere hit my palms that had been warmed up by Bianca¡¯s own. I walked straight to the car and opened the door for her, not losing my manners regardless of how angry I was. She got into the car and I did as well, driving out of the restaurant and making our way home.


    Throughout the ride, I remained silent, my eyes fixed on the road. I could feel her eyes on me, but I wasn¡¯t going to give her the satisfaction of looking back at her. Just when we had gotten into our estate, making our way to our family mansion, a call came in from Massimo, and I answered immediately, not caring to disconnect it from the car speaker.


    ¡°Don?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Massimo.¡±


    ¡°Have you been able to get through to Miss Bianca?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I did already.¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay.¡± He sighed. ¡°You had sounded so worried about her when you¡­.¡± I didn¡¯t let him finish speaking before hanging up the call. She didn¡¯t have to hear that I was worried, but I guess she did already. I continued to feel her stares at me, but didn¡¯t look back at her as I had been doing already. We finally drove into our own home, and I picked up my phone and alighted the car, throwing the keys to the security guard to pack my car properly. I walked into the house seething in anger, with Bianca steadfastly following me behind. The moment we got into the living room, I walked past my parents, not answering their greetings. I walked straight into my study, not wanting to be in the same room at Bianca in my current mood.


    The moment I got into my study, I sat on one of the seats and released a grunt. It all annoyed me more because just today, I had also been with Francesca. But we did not share the kind of look I had found Bianca and Anthonio sharing. I knew it was going to take a bit of time for my anger to dissipate, so I decided to remain in my study until I felt better. What I had not expected was the door to my study being opened, and Bianca walking in.


    I looked up at her and all I truly felt was anger.


    ¡°I would like to be left alone.¡±


    ¡°Manuel please can we talk.¡± She muttered.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t want to talk with you!¡± I burst out. I had expected her to cower at the tone of my voice, but she just remained in her ce.


    ¡°Well I wouldn¡¯t leave until we talk.¡± She maintained her position. Was she being serious at the moment? Why was she trying to make me seem like the problem here? I stood to my feet and calmly asked her to leave.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to lose my temper with you, so just go.¡± I pointed at the door and she remained in her position. ¡°Oh wow! You don¡¯t want to give me my space now? I had walked in on you¡­.¡± I was still talking when she walked up to me, tiptoed to my level, and cut me short with a kiss. Not a fleeting kiss. An actual deep kiss. I was angry, but it wasn¡¯t enough to quench the hunger she had stirred up within me. I pulled away from the kiss and red at her. When I saw the clear desire in her eyes, I grabbed her neck and pushed her towards the wall. Without waiting for any invitation, I bent down and imed her lips into another searing kiss. I guess it was time to pour out this anger I felt within.

 CHAPTER 47

    BIANCA¡¯S POV


    He was so mad, and I had truly expected it. But it wasn¡¯t any fault of mine. How was I supposed to know that Anthonio would just show up here? After the election of CEO during the shareholders meeting, I had won and¡­..


    Okay, let¡¯s take a deep breathe and use this moment to celebrate me!! I am CEO now!! I¡¯m a CEO? Oh, God! All my dreams were slowlying to fruition, and it only made me happy. I was going to be that rich and powerful woman I have always wanted to be. It was so suprising how I was achieving that within such a short period of time.


    Yes. So, back to the matter at hand. How was I supposed to know that Anthonio was going to be at the same restaurant? Nonno had insisted that we went out go celebrate together, after which we would return to the penthouse and he¡¯d call Manuel toe take me home. What I hadn¡¯t expected was for Anthonio to show up when we were almost about leaving, saying he had a date in the same restaurant. I was strangely happy when Anthonio said that. It only made me realize how much I wasn¡¯t even hurt. In fact, I was happy for him. I was truly happy that he had been able to find someone else who interested him within such a short while.


    Nonno who had already started getting tipsy, had been pleased as well, and asked him to sit with us, making me so weary of being alone with him. I tried to keep a straight face and just mind my business, but he started whispering silly things to me.


    ¡°You¡¯re okay with the fact that I¡¯m hooking up with another woman?¡± He asked, but I didn¡¯t give him the satisfaction of a response. ¡°Did Manuel ask you to not speak with me?¡± He asked again, but I remained quiet, trying to not make Nonno concerned about anything. ¡°Did he also tell you to not let me touch you?¡± He asked, almost inaudibly this time. My breathe hitched in a mix of disbelief and disgust when I felt his hand on my thigh underneath the table. I wanted to yell at him and ask him never to try such again, but he probably knew I couldn¡¯t. I didn¡¯t want Nonno to find out and get mad at him. My heartbeat elerated the higher he got, making my skin crawl. I felt Anthonio¡¯s hands go higher again, almost close to my panties and I was literally seeing red.


    ¡°Get your hands off me!¡± I a bit out, trying so hard to keep my voice down. All of a sudden, he looked at me in disbelief and blinked his eyes.


    ¡°So this is it? Your body repulses my touch now? It repulses my touch after letting Manuel touch you?¡±


    Anthonio looked so pained, and it made me feel sorry for a moment. When he withdrew his hand from my thigh, my eyes softened as well. We were looking at each other when I heard Nonnough and announce that Manuel was there. I didn¡¯t look shocked because Manuel had suddenlye, I looked shocked because it suddenly became clear to me. Anthonio did note here for a date. For over 30 minutes that he had been here, his supposed date was yet to show up. This was his n all along. He knew Manuel was going to be here to pick me up, and purposely appeared to make him furious. Things had probably not gone as he had nned though. Not only had I rejected his indecent advances, Manuel had not given him the satisfaction of starting a fight. He clearly looked furious, but did a good job at containing his anger, and I truly appreciated that. That was the reason I had followed him out of the restaurant without any questions or resistance.


    The moment we had gotten outside the restaurant, he pulled his hand away from mine. I didn¡¯t know how to feel when he proceeded to hold out the door for me. I wanted to just tell him straight up that things weren¡¯t the way they seemed, but I decided to keep calm until we got home. He was about to drive, and I could not afford to piss him off or divert his attention from the road.


    He held the steering so hard as he drove, making me want to hold his free hand and tell him I would never betray him that way.


    I had spoken to M after the incident that had taken cest week, and I told her how I rejected him after we had sex. M told me it was normal for me to feel bad for wanting to be with Manuel so quickly after ending things with Anthonio. But she told me that pushing away Manuel who was ready to make things work with me, just because I felt sorry for Anthonio, was only going to ruin me. Anthonio was now in the past, and should remain there. No matter how long I mourned my broken rtionship with Anthonio, I would still remain married to Manuel. So the earlier I started trying to fix things up with Manuel, the better for us. That was exactly what she had told me, and I had taken it to heart, trying to do my best to improve our rtionship this past week.


    As he continued driving, my mind drifted to Anthonio and the pain he had in his eyes, when I outrightly rejected him. In that moment, I was less concerned about the fact that he felt bad, but more concerned about what I had realized. I just realized that the man I thought I was growing to love, didn¡¯t appeal to me at all. The only person that I ever really wanted to touch me and do all sorts of things he wanted with my body, was Manuel.


    It began to slowly dawn on me. The conflicting feelings and emotions I had been having for weeks now, wasn¡¯t because I felt bad for Anthonio. Indeed, my pregnancy hormones had contributed to it, but it was mainly because of Manuel. I was still in love with him, and it scared me to no end. I was so scared that he would nevere to truly like me or maybe even fall in love with me because in truth, he was only tied to me for the sake of our child. I was scared to be the fool who would continue to love him unrequitedly, while he just had his fun with my body. Those were the fears that I couldn¡¯t admit to myself until now.


    But now, seeing him so angry about the fact I was with Anthonio, only made me wonder why. Per chance, had Manuel gotten jealous?! Had he?? If that was the case, then it seemed to be that I had a lot of hope. Maybe I could gradually get him to begin to love me. It was possible. He already treated me with respect, protected me, and even wanted to be sexually intimate with me. All that was left, was love. If I was patient enough with him, it could grow gradually.


    I remained calm and stole nces at him once in a while. Okay, that wasn¡¯t true. I literally did not stop looking at him throughout the ride. I just wanted us to get home immediately, so I could let him know that Anthonio and I, had not nned to meet up with each other. I wanted to let him know that there was nothing to be worried about. And I wanted to initiate mindblowing sex with him. Looking at him every day, without being able to touch him was great torture. A torture that I was inflicting on myself for the wrong reasons.


    We had almost gotten to the house when a call came in from Massimo. I listened through their conversation and my heart did a silly flip towards the end. So he had been worried about me? Oh, Manuel.


    We finally got home and he angrily got down the car as I followed him behind. We walked  into the living room and while his parents tried to exchange pleasantries with him, he ignored them and took an unexpected turn towards his study, making me a bit disappointed. I was hoping we could both talk, but now, he was going to lock himself up in his study? I looked at Mia and Manuel who mopped at me in confusion, regarding their son¡¯s mood.


    ¡°You both had a fight?¡± Manuel asked, and I shook my head slightly. I would not say we had a fight per say.


    ¡°But we did having a misunderstanding.¡± I rified.


    ¡°Follow him into that study of his, and talk things out.¡± Mia said firmly, to which I nodded. The next minute, I was heading for the study, hoping to meet the door unlocked. Luck seemed to be on my side as I tried opening the door and it actually opened freely. I stepped into the study and Manuel was quite angry to see me.


    ¡°I would like to be left alone.¡± He said.


    ¡°Manuel, please can we talk?¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t want to talk with you!¡± He suddenly bursted out, but it didn¡¯t seem to move me.


    ¡°Well I wouldn¡¯t leave until we talk.¡± I maintained my stance. He red at me for a moment, before getting up from his seat.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to lose my temper with you, so just go.¡± He pointed at the door, but I didn¡¯t budge. ¡°Oh wow! You don¡¯t want to give me my space now? I had walked in on you¡­.¡± Oh God, this man could be infuriating.


    He was still talking when I walked up to him and stretched higher to his level. I captured his yapping mouth with mine, and poured all of the feelings I had into the kiss. He pulled away and red at me, but I almost smiled when I noticed the struggle within himself. He wanted to kiss me too. I hadn¡¯t seen his next moveing, when he grabbed my neck and pushed me towards the wall. Oh God.


    The next second, he bent to my level and smashed his lips against mine, kissing me so hard that I was so sure it would leave bruises on my lips the next morning. But I loved it. I loved how rough he was getting. This was the first time he was being that way with me, and knowing it was as a result of his jealousy, only made me horny. He pulled his lips away from mine all of a sudden, and attacked my neck, leaving wet trails of kisses from underneath my chin, to the hollow space in my vicles. I had been wearing an off shoulder gown, which made it easy for him to pull it down, exposing my breasts to him. He also pulled off the handless bra I wore, and held one of my tits in his hand. I had expected him to suckle on my nipple like he would always do, but he didn¡¯t do that. Instead, I squeezed my breast so hard that it stung slightly, and gave it a painful p. It was so suprising that what he had done, only seemed to turn me on all the more.


    I looked at him as he repeated the same treatment to the other breast, making me release a whimper. The next minute, he was pulling me towards the desk in the middle of the room, and pushing me onto it. I bent over, holding the edges of the table for support, as he came up behind me. He hiked up my gown, exposing my butts to him, and I began to hear the nking sounds of his belt, before I felt hime behind me. His warm hand caressed my butt cheeks, making me get excited. He hooked his finger on my panties and tore it, making me release a gasp. My gasp seemed to have fueled him further as he held my neck from behind and pushed my head downwards. He gently kicked both my feet further apart, automatically making my stance wider. Soon I felt the tip of his cock brush slightly across my clit, making me release a muffled moan. He shouldn¡¯t tease me please. He held me down not too tightly, but enough to make it impossible for me to move as he did all he wanted to my pussy. He continued trailing the tip of his cock along the edge of mybia lips, making shocking thrills shoot up my entire pussy.


    ¡°Please.¡± I muttered, close to tears. He slowly bent to the level of my ears and whispered to me.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t even started begging yet.¡± The next second, he plunged into me so roughly, making me break into a sob. God!! I felt extra full in that position he had me. Without waiting an extra second, he began pounding into me so hard that his thighs pped my butt cheeks painfully. What was more suprising was how much more turned on I was getting by the second.


    ¡°It¡¯s a good thing your body recognizes its owner.¡± He muttered into my ear in between rough thrust. ¡°After I¡¯m done with you, you wouldn¡¯t be able to work steadily for the next few days.¡± He said, hitting into me much harder. This wasn¡¯t a kind of fuck where one moaned. No. It was just groans, grunts, cries and muffled sighs. But it felt soooo good. I could feel his hand grab a fistful of my hair, raising up my head in the process, and biting in my neck, his thrusts not relenting. I felt like a mortar being pounded by its pestle. The only difference was that the pestle was almost too big to fit into the mortar.


    ¡°Oh, Manuel.¡± I broke into a sob as he hit a particr spot inside me. Was it possible for one¡¯s cock to reach the edge of your pussy? I guess Manuel¡¯s just did.


    ¡°Bianca.¡± He called, breathing roughly into my ears.


    ¡°Y.. e.. es.. sss.¡± I responded, too high up in the clouds to properly say the word.


    ¡°Who owns you?¡± He bit out, sounding so authoritative and making me feel tingles all over my body. ¡°I said, who owns you?!¡± He repeated, hitting so hard inside me as a way of juggling my brain.


    ¡°It¡¯s yo.. oo.. oouuuu.¡± I cried out, tears falling out of my eyes. ¡°It¡¯s you.¡±


    ¡°Who do you belong to?¡± He asked again, and I nodded, not able to put my thoughts together with the way his cock attacked me. ¡°Answer me.¡± He gritted.


    ¡°It¡¯s you!¡± I yelled when he hit that spot again, fresh tears falling from my eyes. ¡°It¡¯s only you.¡±


    ¡°Say my name.¡± He ordered, to which I obeyed.


    ¡°Maaaanueeelll¡­.¡± I drawled, eyes rolling to the back of my head, as my lips slightly parted open.


    ¡°I would have loved to shoved my cock into that pretty mouth of yours.¡± He managed to say, sounding like he carried a huge weight over his head. ¡°But that would be for another day.¡± Just then, he raised up my left leg and held it up, his cock driving into me to the hilt. That was it! I couldn¡¯t take it anymore as my body vibrated so violently.


    All the while as my body shook from the intensity of my release, he didn¡¯t stop plunging into me. I felt so exhausted as he continued using me to chase his own satisfaction. Soon his knees juddered behind me, as he shook furiously, increasing his pace if that was even possible. After that, he fell limply on top of me, making me feel slightly emascted. It was only for a few seconds before he scooped me into his arms and headed towards the sofa in the study. He sat down on it, with me straddling him as he hugged me. Slowly his breathing became even and I could feel him drawing smooth lines around my back. We were silent for a really long while, just feeling thefort of each other¡¯s bodies before I broke the silence.


    ¡°I would never cheat on you.¡± I muttered into his chest.


    ¡°I know.¡± He replied, his chest rumbling as he did. ¡°I know.¡± He repeated. I pulled my face away from his chest and looked up at him. He was already staring down at me, and the next thing he did was to bend and capture my lips with his. He kissed me so gently and passionately, in contrast to the way he had just roughly fucked me moments back. Our tongues yed with each other, as Ibed his hair with my fingers.


    After a while of kissing each other, we pulled apart for some air.


    ¡°You know the restraint it takes to keep my hands off you every day?¡± He whispered. I swear that my clitoris twitched at those words. I stared at him and tried straddling him more steadily. It was really a shock that I found it difficult to move my legs and thighs. Oh no! Manuel had ruined my ability to move for the next couple of days. His chest started vibrating as heughed.N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    ¡°I told you, didn¡¯t I? Why did you think I carried you here? It¡¯s because I knew it would be a difficult task for you to walk on your own.¡± His gaze suddenly went soft as he cupped my cheeks and caressed them. ¡°Was I too rough on you?¡± He asked in concern.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± I nodded. ¡°In a good way.¡± I smiled, making him lean down to kiss me again. I sighed into the kiss and just let him take the lead. After I pulled away, I cupped his own cheeks and muttered to him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let Anthonio ruin what we are struggling to build.¡± He was suprised at my words, but tried not to show it. ¡°He is in the past now, and you¡¯re my present. My future.¡± I sighed. ¡°I¡¯m all yours, and you don¡¯t have to restrain yourself anymore.¡± I smiled seeing as he wasn¡¯t able to hold back his grin at hearing myst statement. He suddenly smacked my ass and squeezed it, his eyes zed with so much desire.


    ¡°Pretty head,¡± He called. ¡°Can you manage another round right now?¡±

 CHAPTER 48

    MANUEL¡¯S POV


    ¡°Hmmmmm¡­.¡± I released a sigh as my eyes opened to see it was morning already. The sun rays invading the room through the open windows were not harsh, so I didn¡¯t find myself squinting like I always would. I felt the warm body closely snuggled into mine. ¡°Haaa..¡± I released yet another satisfied sigh as a result of how soft her skin felt against mine. She seemed to still be fast asleep, and I took the liberty to admire how beautiful she was. God! My wife is beautiful! Breathtakingly gorgeous, even with her lips slightly parted open. It made her look even cuter. Like a baby. I suddenly thought about our baby, and I found my hands slowly going underneath the sheets to caress her smooth belly. My hands trailed down from below her breasts, making its way towards her belly button. Just before I finally got there, I began to feel a small protruding pouch which lodged her belly button just above it. Our baby was growing really fast, and I couldn¡¯t help the small thrills of excitement that I felt about that. I could already hears softs sighs escaping her lips, but I didn¡¯t stop my hands from further exploring the delicate features of her belly.


    My hands continued to go down, until I felt the smooth mound of her private part. This was part of the sweet feelings whenever I was inside her. She was always smoothly waxed down there, and it made me want to¡­.. eat her out. That was something I had never done before, even with Francesca. Francesca had always wanted it, but it just didn¡¯t go down well with me. How was I supposed to put my head in between the thighs of a woman?! That was beneath me. I knew a lot of men who loved to do that, including Alexander, but I just couldn¡¯t fathom how they enjoyed to do that.


    ¡®But the women can suck on your dick, huh?¡¯, my subconscious mocked, and I rolled my eyes. Of course, why not? I shrugged internally.


    Wasn¡¯t it weird that I was suddenly feeling the urge to trail my tongue along the smooth heaven that was her pussy?This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± She released yet another soft sigh, making my fingers go lower. ¡°Manuel.¡± She sleepily called and I hummed in reply, before finally disappearing under the sheets. My middle finger made its way in between herbia and her body jerked in excitement. ¡°Manuel¡­.¡± She called again, the sleep already disappearing from her voice. I found her erect nipple with my mouth and began sucking it.  ¡°Ahhh¡­¡± Another low moan escaped her lips and I was already getting hard.


    My thumb gently rubbed against her clit, stimting her as my middle finger slowly made its way into her slightly wet hole. I increased the pressure of my thumb on her clit, and suckled more ardently on her nipple. Soon, she was dripping a lot more, and my finger was bing soaked with her juices.


    ¡°Aaarrhh¡­. haaa!¡± She maoned, losted in the haze of pleasure I was giving her. I loved to see her satisfied from the attention I gave. It was extremely gratifying. One look at her flushed cheeks and slightly parted lips, and I couldn¡¯t help it anymore. I had to be inside her already.


    ¡°Pretty head.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm?¡± She responded with yet another moan.


    ¡°I need to be inside you right now.¡± I begged with so much urgency.


    ¡°Yes¡­. please.¡±


    I removed my hand from her pussy and pulled off the duvet from our bodies, with my other hand that wasn¡¯t drenched in her juices. I guess the weirdest thing I had done was putting my finger that was drenched in her wetness, into my mouth. I just couldn¡¯t fight the urge to do so. She had seen me put my fingers into my mouth, and her eyes instantly darkened with desire. Standing up from her lying position to reach out to me, I moved faster and got to her midway. I was on my knees as I grabbed her waist and carried her onto my thighs.


    She naturally wrapped her legs around my waist, putting us in a very exciting position. My erect dick nudged against the smooth cheek of her ass, before I tightened my hold around her waist and lifted her up a bit, in order to position my dick in her weing and dripping hole. I gradually released my grip around her waist, making her slid lower onto my dick. The more my cock made its way into her warm pussy, the more her moans and sighs intensified.


    ¡°Ahhh¡­.¡± I sighed against her lips that was just a few inches away from mine. ¡°Please kiss me.¡± I muttered and she nodded, cing her soft and plump lips against mine. The moment my cockpletely buried itself in her pussy, she pulled my lower lip into her mouth and sucked on it so hard. As I thrusted into her, she wrapped her arms around my neck and tightened her legs around my waist, riding me as well. My knees sunk deeper into the plush mattress, and I was so thankful we weren¡¯t on the floor. My knees could have been hurting, considering the amount of energy I was expending during such erotic excercise. The faster she moved against my actively working groin, the more her breasts jiggled against my chest. I could feel her hard nipples brush across my chest with each jiggle, making me feel an electrifying sensation from the wide expanse of my chest, through my arms.


    ¡°Ahhh, yes¡­. please go harder.¡± She mumbled against my lips, with closed eyes, making me drive into her with much more force. ¡°Ahhh!!¡± She moaned.


    ¡°Hhhmmm!!!¡± I grunted in pleasure, trailing my lips from her mouth down her jaw line, and to that narrow bridge between her head and neck. Immediately I noticed that it was a sensitive spot for her, and I sucked gently on the skin there.


    ¡°Oh God!¡± She let out, scraping her fingers across my back. A wildcat indeed! The more I sucked on that sweaty spot, the deeper her nails sunk into my back.


    After a while of fucking in that position, I bent down, lowering her body onto the bed, her legs still wrapped around my waist, and my cock still fully buried inside her. Her back gently hit the bed, making it easier for me to take her tits into my mouth in that position. As I suckled her breasts, I resumed my thrusts into her sweet hole, my right hand difficultly making its way in between our bodies. Soon, my hand sessfully reached her mound and went a bit lower, finally able to y with her clit while I moved my cock into her. I was paying attention to her tits, clit, and pussy at the same time, making the pleasure too much for her to bear. Before I knew it, her body jerked and her eyes suddenly flung open, locking with mine.


    Her back naturally arched as she jerked upward, and she remained in that position for some seconds. Her lips opened, wanting to release a moan, but finding it difficult to make out any sound. Her eyes blinked furiously as she tried to hold back, but her orgasm overpowered her, making her body spasm violently. Her pussy walls clenched tightly around my cock, her fingers digging so deep into my neck, that I knew it was gonna leave a bruiseter on. I didn¡¯t even see iting when my own release came at me in full force, making me close my eyes shut as my body shook against hers. I lowered my body onto hers, hugging her tightly as I released my semen into her. After a short while, her pussy walls released my cock and she fell back to the bed, my body following hers in our hugging position. We stayed still for a while, before she spoke up, sounding so exhausted.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to work today?¡±


    ¡°I am.¡± I muttered, nuzzling my nose in the crook of her neck. I bit lightly and dropped a chaste kiss on the soft skin there. ¡°I was hoping we could have breakfast with my family though. It¡¯s been a while we did.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea.¡± She sighed, her hands ying with my soft mass of hair. ¡°We should go have our shower. I have to go see my parents today, and still hang out with Laura afterwards.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± I hummed in understanding.


    ¡°What says the time?¡± She asked, trying to get up and I reluctantly pulled away from her body. I looked down between our joined lower bodies as my limp cock slowly pulled out of her pussy, our mixed juices pouring out too. She had looked down as well, releasing a low sigh when she saw how my thick cum poured out of her pussy, trailing its way down to her thighs and clean ass crack. She licked her dry lips and locked eyes with me, lifting her body higher as her elbows dug into the sheets. The pose she took at that moment made my dick go semi hard.


    ¡°How about we go have our bathe now? Together.¡± I muttered, and the next thing she did, made my eyes bulge out of their sockets. She slid her right hand down her sweaty mound, before sliding her middle finger into her pussy. She wasn¡¯t fingering herself, no. She took out her finger drenched in our mixed cum, before putting it straight into her mouth. She held my eyes as she licked her finger clean, wearing a seductive smile on her face. God! This woman was surely gonna be the death of me.


    *


    *


    ¡°I¡¯m so d you both decided to have breakfast with the rest of the family today.¡± Mom grinned as she scooped some food onto Bianca¡¯s te. The chef had made some frittatas and green sd, and I frowned when I saw the green beans in the sd that had been put in Bianca¡¯s te. Before I could think my actions through, I began using my fork to pick out the green beans. I dropped them onto my own te with the help of my knife. ¡°Manuel, why are you doing that? It¡¯s hers.¡± Mom chided.


    ¡°I know. She doesn¡¯t like green beans.¡± I replied, still busy taking out the green beans from her te.


    ¡°And how do you¡­. know that?¡± Tommaso asked.


    ¡°I noticed.¡± I shrugged in reply, still picking out the beans. The whole table suddenly fell silent, making me look up at everyone. My mom most especially, looked very suprised. Did I do something wrong? ¡°What?¡± I asked, and they all murmured ¡®nothing¡¯. I nced at Bianca and could spot the pink blush on her cheeks. Was there something I did not know? Awkward.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± She muttered with a small smile and focused on the frittata before her.


    After we were done with breakfast, a call came into my phone and I looked at it to see it was Massimo. I answered immediately.


    ¡°Hello, Massimo.¡± I looked at Bianca who was still eating.


    ¡°Good morning Don. I have arrived for the Madame.¡±


    ¡°Oh, she¡¯s still eating and is yet to be done.¡± I said, and Bianca looked up at me immediately. She shook her head at me, and quickly wiped her mouth with a napkin. ¡®I¡¯m done¡¯, she mouthed, but I paid her no heed. ¡°You would have to wait a while.¡± I said to Massimo.


    ¡°That is no problem Don. Seems like you¡¯re still at home.¡±


    ¡°Yes, would be down with you in a moment.¡± I said, before hanging up the call. ¡°Thanks for such a nice breakfast mom.¡± I pushed my seat backwards and stood up. ¡°Pretty head, you should eat to your satisfaction before stepping out.¡± I had been requesting she did, but I guess it came out as an order. She didn¡¯t seem to mind as she nodded in agreement. ¡°Have a nice day everyone.¡± I said, walking out of the dinning room. Why were they still looking at me like I said something out of line? Nheless, I made my way downstairs to see Massimo standing beside Bianca¡¯s car.


    ¡°Morning Don.¡± He greeted immediately he saw me.


    ¡°Morning Massimo. Thank you for being so diligent in looking after my wife.¡± I truly owed him that appreciation. At least, no funny urrence had repeated itself in the past weeks he had been closely guarding her.


    ¡°It¡¯s my pleasure, Don. She is a wonderful woman as we¡­¡± He cut his words short, realizing he had spoken out of line. I tilted my head to get a better look at his face. My wife was a wonderful woman? I knew that, but how did he?


    ¡°Hmmmm¡­.¡± I released a low rumble, before nodding. ¡°She¡¯s a wonderful woman indeed.¡± A gave a tight smile. ¡°Have a nice day ahead.¡± With that, I walked to my car, hopped in, and drove off. I should let it slide. My wife was too wonderful to not be noticed after all.


    *


    *


    *


    The day was almost over and I couldn¡¯t be more thankful to leave work. It wasn¡¯t just because work had been so much today, it was also because I couldn¡¯t wait to get home to Bianca. I was already rounding up my work, when my phone rang out. I picked it up to see it was Massimo, and didn¡¯t waste any time before answering.


    ¡°Massimo.¡± I called out, but paused when I heard him breathing so fast. Immediately, every hair in my body stood erect.


    ¡°Don.¡± He exhaled.


    ¡°Msssimo what¡¯s happening? Is my wife home already?¡± I rushed out, wanting to be sure that Bianca was safe.


    ¡°No Don.¡±


    ¡°Did something happen?¡± I asked, standing up from my seat as more fear creeped into my mind.


    ¡°Yes. While she was out with her friend this evening, they were attacked.¡± Fuck!!!!


    ¡°Who was attacked?!¡±


    ¡°They tried to attack Miss Bianca.¡±


    ¡°How did the fucker get close to her? Who is he? Was he caught?¡± I picked up my phones from my desk and rushed out of the office, barely saying a word to Julia who called out to me in worry.


    ¡°They were two, Don. One had escaped, but I was able to apprehend the other. He is currently with I and some of our men.¡±


    ¡°Where is my wife?¡± I asked.


    ¡°She is currently at your Nonno¡¯s penthouse. She had been on a call with him when the failed shot was taken, and he managed to know what was happening.¡±


    ¡°A failed shot?! They shot at her?!!¡± Oh my fucking God!


    ¡°Yes boss.¡± He muttered in response. ¡°Your Nonno had sent some men for back up, and they safely took her to his ce.¡± I had kept thest dreary episode away from him, just because I didn¡¯t want so much tension arising. Now, he had gotten to find out eventually, and he was gonna be so mad at me. But then, that was truly the least of my problems. I was more worried about Bianca and her friend.


    ¡°Are you sure she got to him safely?¡± I asked again.


    ¡°Yes, Don. I called him to confirm.¡± Good.


    ¡°Massimo, share your location with me. I would be with you shortly.¡± I hung up the call and made my way out of the office. While on my way to go meet Massimo, I put a call across to Dito. He was the only one who could quickly supply me with the information I needed in that moment.

 CHAPTER 49

    BIANCA¡¯S POV


    I couldn¡¯t stop blushing whenever I thought about the fact that he had noticed my dislike for green beans. It felt nicer because I didn¡¯t even have to tell him, he was that observant. I looked through the tinted car window and smiled to myself. My visit to my parent¡¯s had been so enjoyable for me. I had already eaten to myplete satisfaction at home, as per Manuel¡¯s request, but my mama was still adamant on stuffing so much food into my belly. I had worn a bodycon dress that made no efforts to hide the small protusion of my belly. She and papa had been so excited because more than anything, it felt more real. They were expecting their second grandchild soon. Even I, was excited. I remember looking at my body so intently in the mirror yesterday, while I went to have my bath in the bathroom. I was too excited to see my baby grow, and I was more amazed by the creator. How else could I exin the fact that I was carrying another human within me, and I was gonna be responsible for him or her?


    ¡°Where to, madame?¡± Massimo asked as he drove the car further away from my parent¡¯s home.


    It waste in the afternoon already, and passed Laura¡¯s lunchtime, but I was still going to see her nheless. First, I needed to make a stop at Alexander¡¯s office. It still felt so weird addressing him by his name. Oh, how the universe works. One minute, he is my boss. The next minute, he is family.


    ¡°Massimo, we should head to A. RUSSO. I need to see Alexander and my friend; Laura.¡±


    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± He replied, and I smiled. Since he started apanying me wherever I went, we had be kinda acquainted. At least, I knew he was an orphan and had been working under Russo for the past 16 years. ording to him, Manuel¡¯s father had taken him in when he was just a teenager. He had been telling me the story of how he became Manuel¡¯s right hand man thest time we went out together. But he had not been unable to finish up before we got home.


    ¡°Massimo, how old are you?¡± He told me he joined Russo when he was a teenager, but I didn¡¯t know the exact age.


    ¡°28.¡± He replied without hesitation


    ¡°Hmm. So you joined Russo at the age of 12?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± He shook his head, trying to look back at me and still keep his eyes on the road. ¡°I joined at the age of 13. I would turn 29 tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Oh my goodness!¡± I squealed. ¡°You would be celebrating your birthday tomorrow!!¡± I danced dramatically on my seat, and caught a smile on his face.


    ¡°No, I wouldn¡¯t be celebrating it.¡± He said, making me stop my dance and frown at him.


    ¡°And why is that?¡±


    ¡°I have no one to celebrate with.¡± He replied and I rolled my eyes. He may have lost his parents at such a young age, and had no family, but what about his men?


    ¡°If I am speaking rightly, you currently have some men under your training right? Who says you cannot celebrate with them?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Well, I would definitely hang out with them, but it just doesn¡¯t feel like family.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have a wife or girlfriend?¡± I asked, and he shook his head. ¡°You really do not have a girlfriend?! A good looking man as you?¡± To be very honest, Massimo was a really handsome man and was soft spoken too. He also had a height and body build a lot of women would die for. So what was holding him back? He was very much of age already. ¡°What¡¯s holding you back? You live for just yourself which simply means you have umted a lot of money since you started working for Russo.¡±


    ¡°I may have gathered so much money, but it¡¯s not enough to impress some kind of women.¡± He muttered, sounding so dejected, and making me think deeply.


    ¡°You mean that it¡¯s not enough to impress the woman you like?¡± I asked, but he didn¡¯t give a reply this time. I guess I hit too close to home after all. Massimo was either in love with a woman who was way above his league, or a woman who wasn¡¯t contented with what he had to offer. I mean¡­. he is not a poor guy.


    ¡°So she wants more?¡±


    ¡°All her life, she has seen more. She was born in wealth, grew in wealth, and still lives in wealth. What could a man like me offer her? And she is currently in love with a man who doesn¡¯t love her in return.¡± He sighed. I found it really touching that he had somehow felt it was okay to discuss this with me.


    ¡°Hmmm, I guess we are alike in a way then.¡±


    ¡°How do you mean?¡± He asked, and I sighed deeply, wondering how to exin it to him, without telling him the truth of having been in love with Manuel for years.


    ¡°Well, I was also in love with a man above my league for years. And somehow, the universe brought us together.¡±


    ¡°Only to be put apart by another.¡± He said, and I chuckled. He thought I was talking about Anthonio? He clearly knew the situation surrounding my marriage to Manuel, and he thought my marriage to Manuel had pulled Anthonio and I apart. Suddenly, I felt there was no harm in being straight forward with him.


    ¡°No.¡± I shook my head, making him turn to me look at me for a split second, before looking back on the road. ¡°I did end up with the one above my league. I did end up with the one I¡¯ve always loved.¡±


    ¡°Whaaattt¡­.?¡± He muttered under his breathe, making meugh.


    ¡°This remains between us Massimo.¡± I said, to which he nodded stiffly, still very shocked.


    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± He replied. I was pushed to ask him not to address me as such anymore, but I guess that in the world of the Russos, certain rules had to be upheld in order to maintain order. This was also one of the lectures Emilio had given me in regards to thews of power. I couldn¡¯t ask him to call me Bianca just because I felt like it. He was now a part of my retinue, and was supposed to address me as such. Plus, I knew Manuel would not feel cool about it. Though it wouldn¡¯t stop me from being kind to him, he seemed like a really good man.


    ¡°I had to tell you this because even though I never believed having all I wanted was ever possible, I have watched my life slowly take unexpected turns. All those turns brought me to where I am presently. Where I have always wanted to be. Just don¡¯t lose hope Massimo. I do hope you make a move. You never know what happens until you make a move.¡± My own silly move had been losing my virginity to Manuel.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Anytime.¡± I gave a tight smile. The rest of our ride was silent, as we made our way to A. RUSSO. After we got there, I asked him to wait a little while for me, while I went up at talk with my bo¡­. with Alexander. I made my way up and said hello to a few familiar colleagues I came across. When I eventually got to Alexander¡¯s office, I knocked on the door and a feminine voice called me in. I walked in to see the newdy sitting on the desk. Thest time I had visited, she wasn¡¯t the one on seat. Weird.


    ¡°Hello.¡± I waved, and she looked up at me with a slight frown.


    ¡°Good morning ma¡¯am.¡± She replied dryly, but I brushed off her attitude in understanding. Working as an assistant to Alexander Russo could be really draining. He was a perfectionist, and like everything to be properly done, when they were supposed to be done.


    ¡°Please is your boss in? I¡¯d like to see him.¡±


    ¡°And who are you?¡± She asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m Bianca Russo, his sister inw.¡± Immediately, she looked up at me and forced a smile on her face.


    ¡°Please go in ma. He is in.¡± Oh, poor thing.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you inform him of my presence first? Clearly, I didn¡¯t fix an appointment.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­. oh!¡± She chuckled. ¡°Sorry.¡± She stood from behind her desk and knocked on Alexander¡¯s office. He asked her to go in, which she did. After some seconds, she returned and asked me to go see him.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± I smiled in appreciation, before making my way in.


    ¡°Ahhh!! Bianca.¡± Alexander grinned the moment I got in, as he came to hug me.


    ¡°Good afternoon Alex. How are you doing today?¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡± He nodded. ¡°Please have a seat.¡± He pointed towards the empty seats and I did. ¡°Your visit is quite the suprise.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± I smiled. ¡°I actually came because I have a little favour to ask.¡±


    ¡°Oh really? Please ask away.¡± He seemed so cheerful, making me feel very weed to ask.


    ¡°I was hoping if I could borrow one of your staffs for the rest of the dayyyy??¡± I dragged thest part, smiling sheepishly.


    ¡°Let me guess.¡± He raised his hand. ¡°You are here for Laura?¡± He asked, and I nodded in agreement.


    ¡°Fine then! But on one condition.¡± It was his turn to smile mischievously.


    ¡°Fine.¡± I sighed and scowled, not knowing what he was gonna ask of me now.


    ¡°Before I go further, congrattions on your new appointment. It is such a huge win for you, Bianca.¡± He pped.


    ¡°Thank youuuu.¡± I grinned.


    ¡°You are wee.¡± He nodded. ¡°So I have been wanting to ask you this for a while now. Though it became more necessary after Nonno appointed Be as the COO of the gold empire.¡±


    ¡°Oh wow!¡± I grinned, very happy for such a great news.


    ¡°I guess the old man wants his granddaughter inws to specially over see the project.¡±


    ¡°I know, right? That¡¯s so lovely. So what¡¯s the favour you want to ask of me?¡±


    ¡°Well, Be doesn¡¯t have a lot of friends¡­..¡± He paused for a moment. ¡°She really doesn¡¯t have any, save for our chef.¡± He chuckled. ¡°I would really love it, if you could get more familiar with her. Especially now that it is clear you both would be working closely.¡±


    ¡°But of course!¡± I grinned. ¡°I would love to get more acquainted with her.¡± I said, even before I could think. Growing up, I was always the kind of girl to like my own space but recently, I was beginning to seem a lot more extroverted.


    ¡°Perfect then!¡± He grinned. ¡°You both could probably do brunch together tomorrow?¡± He asked, and I nodded in agreement. More than anything else, I was d to be getting more familiar with her because she had been part of the reasons why I had made a decision to take things more seriously with Manuel, regardless of how the situations of things had been. I was d that I heed to her advice and now, Manuel and I were gradually getting there. He hadn¡¯t fallen in love with me yet, but I knew that he would in time. The signs were everywhere.


    ¡°So can I take Laura with me now?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± He smiled, and I stood to leave. I was close to the door when his next words stopped me. ¡°You¡¯re fast changing my cousin.¡±


    ¡°Sorry?¡± I turned back, and he grinned.


    ¡°All Manuel seems to talk abouttely, is you.¡± Oh God. I wasn¡¯t prepared for that! I was so sure that my cheeks and ears were red. ¡°He is always on and on with ¡®My wife this, my wife that¡¯. ¡®My wife knotted my tie¡¯. ¡®Oh, my wife made coffee for me already¡¯. ¡®Oh yeah! My wife  slept¡¯. Christ!!¡± At hearing thest instance he mentioned, I burst out inughter and he joined in. That was soooo exaggerated!


    ¡°Goodbye Alexander.¡± I shook my head in a mix of disbelief and amusement as I opened the door and stepped out.


    *


    *


    *


    ¡°No wayyyyyy!!!¡± Laura covered her mouth with her palm, as she giggled happily. ¡°You mean to say that you¡­.. licked your¡­. mixed juices?¡±


    ¡°Hmmm.¡± I nodded.


    ¡°Dammnnn! You dirty girl!¡± Sheughed.


    ¡°Trust me, we did a whole lot of other dirty things in the bathroom this morning.¡± I winked at her, making her eyes go wider.


    ¡°Interesting.¡± She nodded. ¡°I¡¯m so happy you both are finally getting ¡®extremely progressive¡¯ in your marriage. It¡¯s lovely!¡±


    ¡°I know¡­¡± I sighed in total satisfaction. I found I was happier these days.


    ¡°Should I be thanking God for the fact that you didn¡¯t end up with Anthonio?¡± She asked, making me go calm instantly. She noticed the change in my mood, and tried to exin further. ¡°I doubt you would have been this happy with him.¡± She muttered. I stayed silent for a while, thinking if she was right.


    ¡°Well, I would. Because then, I wouldn¡¯t have imagined things could be so nice with Manuel.¡±


    ¡°True. But you guys¡¯ rtionship truly suprises me. I never believed things were going to straighten up this fast between you both.¡±


    ¡°Enough about me. How about you and Ricardo?¡± I asked and she grinned. Truly, we had spent a better part of our time out, talking about my new appointment as CEO of gold empire, and the details of my rtionship progression with Manuel. It was time to talk about her, before night met us here. I didn¡¯t want Manuel getting home before me, because it could get him worried. I looked towards the table Massimo had sat on, as he waited for me to be done with my hangout. The poor guy seemed tired already.


    ¡°Well, Ricardo has¡­..¡± She had still been talking when my phone rang.


    ¡°Excuse me.¡± I muttered to her, before pulling out my phone from my purse to see it was Emilio calling. I never declined his calls. I would just have to pick up and tell him I was in a meeting.


    ¡°Hello Nonno!¡±


    ¡°Hello my angel! How are you doing today?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, and you?!¡±


    ¡°Doing great!! I would love you to apany me to a meeting with the boa¡­..¡± He was still talking when Massimo suddenly stood from his seat and yelled. ¡°Get down!¡± I hadn¡¯t been sure he was talking to me, but the intense emotions in his voice made me do so. I fell to the other side of the table almost immediately. I was so d I did because the next second, I saw the wine ss I had been sipping from, shatter to pieces as a bullet pierced through it. Oh my God!!!


    ¡°Nipotina!!! What¡¯s happening there?¡± That was when I realized I still held the phone to my ear, though my hands were shaking so bad and tears had clogged my eyes. I wanted to speak, but all my eyes could search for, was Laura. I sighed in relief when I saw her just underneath the other side of the table. She looked more worried, than scared. The entire restaurant was already in a state of pandemonium, as most of the people and workers had started running around. Just then, I heard another gun shot.


    ¡°Laura!! Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Nipotina? What¡¯s happening there??!!!¡± Nonno yelled into my ears once more, pulling my attention back to him.


    ¡°Nonno!!!¡± I felt the tears sliding down my cheeks. ¡°I just got shot at!¡±


    ¡°Dio mio!!! Where are you?¡±


    ¡°Be Italia!¡± I yelled out when I heard another gun shot, then another one, and another one. I looked around for Massimo, but all I could see from underneath the table, were just legs in active motion.


    ¡°Are you safe?¡± He asked, and I nodded frantically, forgetting he couldn¡¯t see me.


    ¡°Yes, I am. I guess. I am underneath a table with my friend.¡±This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Alright, remain hidden. Help ising immediately.¡± With that, the call disconnected. God knows I wanted to beg him to remain on the line with me, because I was so scared. My hands shook violently and my mind was already far away in thoughts, when Laura crawled over to me and held my shaky hands.


    ¡°Laura!¡± I cried out.


    ¡°Shhhh¡­¡± She muttered, hugging me tightly to herself. ¡°We would be fi¡­¡± She was still talking when we heard another loud gunshot. From then on, it was non stop. I held tightly onto her and hid my face in her bosom, while she patted my back gently. I should have been more amazed by the fact that she was so brave, but at that point, all I could think of was my baby and my husband. I wanted Manuel now.


    I don¡¯t know how long we stayed in our position before Laura stiffened behind me. Why did she suddenly go stiff?


    ¡°Someone just touched me.¡± She whispered into my ears and my breathe hitched.


    ¡°Mrs Russo, pleasee out from under the table.¡± The voice of the man that spoke was very unfamiliar. ¡°You grandfather sent us to get you.¡± Oh, Nonno!


    ¡°It¡¯s Nonno.¡± I whispered to Laura.


    ¡°Okay! Get up.¡± She said, but I found it difficult moving my legs.


    ¡°I can¡¯t move my legs.¡± I cried.


    ¡°Shhh¡­ it¡¯s okay.¡± She patted my arm gently. ¡°Please we need help here! She cannot move. She¡¯s still in a state of shock.¡± Laura called out to the man.


    ¡°Laurentino!¡± The man called someone else. ¡°Go under and help the madame out.¡± Just then, I felt a hand on my leg and kicked it off me immediately. I felt sorry afterwards, because I realized my adrenaline had made me kick the person who was supposed to help me out.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± I cried out.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay Bibi. You can do this without his help.¡± Laura muttered. ¡°We need to leave here before things get more messy. Now, just put your leg out there. You are putting it out to safety. For the safety of your baby okay?¡±


    Hearing her say it was for the sake of my baby, I found my legs moving voluntarily. We were literally taking baby steps until I was finally able to crawl out of the table. Immediately I was out, a few unfamiliar men closed up on me, and the one who seemed to be their leader swiftly carried me bridal style.


    My legs had been shaking, so I was more than happy I didn¡¯t have to walk. Laura followed behind until we got outside the restaurant and headed towards an opened car. Just before we got in, I caught sight of Massimo and he was literally in beast mode, as his knee kicked into the stomach of a strange man continuously. All I remember clearly was being taken into the car alongside Laura. After that, my brain went on a long and distant holiday. It was one thing to be shot at, and It was another thing to see your life merely saved by one swift movement. I could have died today!! Oh God.


    By the time the car came to a stop, we got down to see we were in front of the hotel. They had brought us to Nonno¡¯s penthouse. Just then, I saw Nonno rushing towards us and without wasting any second, I ran to him and flung myself onto his body.


    ¡°Nonno!!¡± I cried as he patted my back softly.


    ¡°You are safe now, my dearest. Come, let¡¯s go inside.¡± He pulled away from our hug and took my hand in his, before pausing. ¡°Is that your friend?¡± He asked, pointing at Laura and I nodded. ¡°Come my dear.¡± He waved at Laura toe over, and she slowly did. It seemed to be that it was now the whole incident was beginning to dawn on her. She eventually walked up to us and Nonno held her shoulders as we all walked into the hotel and made for his penthouse.


    *


    *


    *


    I snuggled deeply into the thick furred duvet, as I felt a feather light touch caress my face. Slowly, I opened my tired eyes to see who it was. The entire room was dark, but it wasn¡¯t enough for me to not recognize who it was. Manuel.


    ¡°Pretty head.¡± He whispered.


    ¡°Manuel.¡± I called, tears clogging my eyes. I suddenly felt more vulnerable at seeing him, and let my tears pour out freely.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry.¡± He whispered as he sat on the bed and pulled the duvet off my body. He whisked me onto his thighs and rocked me like a baby. ¡°Please do not cry, I¡¯m here now.¡± He muttered, dropping a chaste kiss on my forehead.

 CHAPTER 50

    MANUEL¡¯S POV


    With onest punch to the motherfucker¡¯s face, I spat out in disgust and turned to Massimo.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want the reurrence of what happened to Marco. He is now in our custody and that means he has to be alive until I decide otherwise. He is still adamant for now because we haven¡¯t broken him enough. I would give him a few more days.¡± I muttered, stretching out my hand for Phillippe to do me the honours. Immediately, he dropped a white handkerchief in my handp and I cleaned off the bloody stains all over my hands. I looked back to the man who had dared attack Bianca. He was already too weak as it was. He wouldn¡¯t be able to hold out for much longer. I felt a level of satisfaction, seeing how much I had disfigured his jaw, blood still trickling down his equally disfigured nose. His colleague had been lucky enough to have escaped, so he was gonna be the scape goat.


    ¡°Whenever he is ready to speak, let me know.¡± I said to Massimo. ¡°Coglione.¡± I muttered, before walking out of the dimly lit guard room. It was already the early hours of morning, and I wanted nothing more than to see my wife. I had spent most of the night in the guard room, waiting for Massimo to sessfully force out all I needed to know from the mouth of the fool.


    Dito had also called to inform me that he was going to find some information and send them to me by morning. I was still very much hopeful. For now, I had to make my way to Nonno¡¯s penthouse. Bianca needed me by her side.


    In no time, I had driven away from the barracks and gotten to the hotel. I made my way up to Nonno¡¯s penthouse house and pressed on the door bell a couple of times. After a while, the door opened to reveal Nonno¡¯s housekeeper. The moment she saw it was me, she gave a smile.


    ¡°Good morning sir.¡±


    ¡°Good morning Aggie. Where is my wife?¡± I asked impatiently.


    ¡°She is asleep in the spare room, sir.¡±


    ¡°Is my Nonno asleep as well?¡±


    ¡°He was, but your arrival might have woken him¡­¡±


    ¡°You brat!¡± I heard Nonno¡¯s voice and groaned internally. I knew I wasn¡¯t going to have it easy with him.


    ¡°Good morning Nonno.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only a good morning beacuse my nipotina was lucky enough to have not been shot dead yesterday. What the hell were you thinking?!¡± He suddenly yelled out in rage, making me release a long sigh. ¡°She had been attacked the first time and yet, you said nothing about it to me? Neither did Manuel or Mia!¡±


    ¡°That was because you were going to be extremely worried, just like you are now.¡± I muttered.


    ¡°And what is my work, if not to worry for my family? I need you to answer me?!!¡± He yelled out, making my head ache slightly. ¡°Don¡¯t make a mistake by thinking that if anything happens to Bianca, I would let it slide the way I let that of Rosa slide?¡± My heart fell to the pit of my stomach at hearing him say that. It was the first time in a long while he was mentioning that. All along, Alex had tried to make me feel like I was over thinking things any time I told him that Nonno was still yet to forgive me over that incident. For years, I had tried my best to avoid doing the wrong things, just because I didn¡¯t want to get on his bad side. For years, I had taken the blow he continually gave me, by getting more familiar with my other cousins, but drifting away from me, regardless of the fact that I was literally taking over Russo from him. I had tried so hard to impress him, all for nothing. He still thought about the incident many years ago. It was an ident, I had no control over it but somehow, I had taken the me because I had been the reason Nonna traveled to Russia in the first ce. All these while, the old man still held that grudge. And of all days to say something like that to me, it was on a day I had literally done all I could to ensure my wife and unborn child were safe.


    ¡°So you¡¯re yet to let go?¡± I whispered, not able to look at him in the eye. No, it wasn¡¯t because I was scared to, it was because I was hurt. For the first time in a really long while, I felt hurt. I felt that pain that came with a lot of confusing and frustrating emotions. ¡°No matter how long I try to show how sorry I am, you would really never forgive me.¡± I nodded in realization. ¡°Very well then.¡± I sighed. ¡°I would ept the brunt of your anger forever. I would ept that you would never forgive me for as long as you live. But you know what I wouldn¡¯t ept? I wouldn¡¯t ept you insinuating that my wife would die, and it would be solely my fault. I may not have been able to avert Nonna¡¯s ident, but I would do everything in my power to protect my wife and baby.¡± Without waiting for him to say another hurtful thing to me, I made my way upstairs where the rooms were located. I had been able to quickly identify the room Bianca was lying in. Gently, I opened the door and made my way into the room. There she was on the bed, snuggled under the thick duvet as she slept rather peacefully, oblivious to my presence in the room. It was still early in the morning, and the ce was still very much dark. But it did not make it impossible to outline her features. I stilled my movements in awe, as I came closer and clearly made out her face. Was it possible for one to be more beautiful as each day passed? Or was I just strangely delusional?  Bianca tended to look prettier with each passing day and it was truly mesmerizing.


    I bent down to stare at her face to my satisfaction, but didn¡¯t realize when my hand began moving over her face. I tried to make my touches light enough as to not disturb her sleep, but it seemed not to work because the next minute, her eyes fluttered open. She looked more relieved, than suprised to see me, and it made me feel so sorry. Bianca was really facing a lot since we got married, and I just kept hoping she wouldn¡¯t up and decide to leave one day. The threats against her life were bing too much.


    ¡°Pretty head.¡± I whispered.


    ¡°Manuel.¡± She replied, tears clogging her eyes. Oh God, no. I couldn¡¯t take it if she cried.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry.¡± I rushed out as I sat on the bed and pulled the duvet off her body. I needed to be able to feel her body directly, while I hugged her. In the blink of an eye, I whisked her onto my thighs and began rocking her back and forth, hoping it was gonna give her some form of calmness. ¡°Please do not cry, I¡¯m here now.¡± I begged, dropping a chaste kiss on her forehead as she locked her arm around my neck. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± I muttered, and her sobs slowly died down. ¡°We should leave now.¡± I said, not wanting to spend an extra minute in Nonno¡¯s ce. At least, seeing her had made me feel slightly better after my exchange with Nonno.


    ¡°Yes, we should go home.¡± She nodded, then looked at me in slight confusion. ¡°But isn¡¯t toote in the night to leave?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s almost dawn.¡± I chuckled at the sleepy head, hoping she wouldugh as well. I was working in the background to make sure that we find the mastermind of all these, and make him pay. If not for anything else, just so Bianca  could live without fear. I had been thinking that Francesca had something to do with all these and ever since ourst meeting, I had her tailed by one of my men. So far, he hasn¡¯t noticed anything unusual with her movements or the people she interacted with. At this point, I had cancelled the possibility that Anthonio had a hand in this. He wouldn¡¯t go as far as trying to kill Bianca. So who was¡­? Wait a minute. It is possible that Francesca may not really have a hand in this, but what about her father? What about Francisco? The man had been way too calm since after I disappointed his daughter and decided to marry Bianca. This looked like a thing he could do, now that I thought of it. I shook my head off the thoughts and forced a smile at her, only to see her staring squarely at me.


    ¡°What were you thinking of?¡± She asked, and I all but shrugged.


    ¡°Noth¡­¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t worry so much about me, I¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but you didn¡¯t seem fine when I saw you crying moments ago.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­.¡± She sighed. ¡°It¡¯s just the feeling that came with finally seeing you after the entire incident.¡± Oh God.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t get to you earlier than¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying you werete, Manuel.¡± She interjected. ¡°I¡¯m just saying that it ddened my heart to see you.¡± Oh?! That was what she meant?


    ¡°Oh.¡± I found myself muttering. Without even thinking about it, I closed the space between our faces and kissed her so deeply, but gently. When I pulled away, she let out a shudder. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°For what?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Thank you for tolerating all these. I know it¡¯s a new kind of life for you. One filled with violence and horrific experiences. But I promise that it wouldn¡¯t always be this way. I would protect you and our child through it all. Please bear with me.¡± Oh, Alexander. I feel the pain in your shoes now.


    ¡°I know.¡± She nodded and leaned in to kiss me again. It wasn¡¯t a deep kiss, just our lips feeling the plumpness of each other. ¡°We should go home now, you do not look like you had any rest all night.¡± She whispered. I guess what got to me the most was the fact that Bianca had clearly not gotten over the incidence yet. She was still very much shaken to her core. But then, she was putting up a great front just so she could be supportive to me. I knew I was very greedy for wanting her to hold my hands and tell me that all was well, even if it wasn¡¯t. This was her life we were talking about here. I was more amazed over the fact that she was actually being supportive. It was the first time I got to be cared for, in that manner. Had it been Francesca who was attacked in such a way, I wouldn¡¯t have heard the end of it. She would have continued showing her disappointment over the fact that she wasn¡¯t even safe with me. Bianca was different. ¡°Thank you for insisting that Massimo went everywhere with me. He had truly been useful. If not for him, I would have been shot dead.¡± Hearing her say that she would have been dead, made me feel chills all over my skin.


    ¡°Do not say that please. Nothing would happen to you or our baby.¡± I held her neck and pulled her closer again, dropping a chaste kiss on her forehead and nose. ¡°Let¡¯s go home.¡± I stood and pulled her up with me.


    *This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    *


    I opened my eyes but quickly closed it shut in irritation to the scorching sun rays. When my eyes had better adjested to the surroundings, I sat up on the bed and looked to see Bianca trying to fix her bracelet in front of the vanity.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t had enough sleep.¡± She muttered disapprovingly, making me smile. The first thing I was doing in the morning was to smile?! This woman was definitely Influencing me.


    ¡°Neither have you.¡± I countered.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve had.¡± She disagreed. ¡°I had more than enough sleep at Nonno¡¯s ce.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm.¡± I nodded, and she narrowed her eyes at me.


    ¡°You had a fight with him right?¡± She asked in an usatory manner and I simply shrugged my shoulders.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me he told you that.¡±


    ¡°Oh, wow. You really did have a fight with him.¡± She sounded suprised. I was wrong then. He didn¡¯t tell her.


    ¡°So he didn¡¯t tell you after all?¡±


    ¡°No, he didn¡¯t.¡± She sighed. ¡°I know Nonno very much. At least, I¡¯ve gotten so used to him in thest couple of months. His countenance hadn¡¯t been bright when we were leaving, and I know it¡¯s not about the attack. You both had a misunderstanding before you came for me, right?¡± She asked, looking into the mirror as she applied some lipstick on her mouth. A very bright red lipstick. It called to me.


    ¡°You look particrly beautiful this morning.¡± I smiled, making my way to her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to change the subject.¡± She turned to re at me, and I chuckled. She could be really cute.


    ¡°I¡¯m not doing anything.¡± I sighed and just stood by her side, watching as she prepared. Just after she applied a ck stuff with a round brush on hershes, she raised her hand to pack her hair, but seemed to be having a difficult time doing so. ¡°Heyyyy, let me help you.¡± I walked behind her sitting figure and took the unsessfully packed ponytail from her hand. She startedughing so hard, but didn¡¯t try to swat my hand away though.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± She asked in betweenughs, making me chuckle.


    ¡°Styling your hair.¡± I replied.


    ¡°And when did you suddenly be such a hair stylist?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say I am a stylist but at least, I¡¯ve seen my mom style Greta¡¯s hair numerous times. It¡¯s not such a hard task.¡± I replied. She probably decided to give me a try and went calm. I pulled off the hair ruffle from the unsessfully packed ponytail. ¡°Give me theb.¡± I requested, and she picked up theb on the vanity, and gave it to me. ¡°Thanks.¡± I proceeded tob her full hair and neatly packed it into a ponytail.


    I guess she was very suprised because she wasn¡¯t saying a word. She just looked at me through the mirror, an unreadable expression on her face. Pushing her ponytail to the side, I bent down and gave her a kiss on the neck.


    ¡°Where are you even headed by the way?¡± I asked, seeming to take her by surprise as she blinked her eyes furiously.


    ¡°I was hoping to apany Nonno for the meeting with Gold empire¡¯s¡­.¡±


    ¡°Alex mentioned that Anthonio got shares in thepany a few days back.¡± I blurted out before I could hold myself back. She slowly looked up at me, wearing a stoic face. Oh God! We were about to have a big quarrel, I guess. ¡°Look, I didn¡¯t mean¡­.¡±


    ¡°Meeting with the board members.¡± She gave a small smile.


    ¡°Sorry?¡±


    ¡°We are attending a meeting with the board members, not the shareholders.¡± She corrected, her smile getting wider. Oh, now I felt foolish. Standing to her feet, she picked up handbag and covered the little space between us. Her eyes twinkled so beautifully as she looked up, smiling at me. ¡°And even if it was a meeting with the shareholders, I wouldn¡¯t let hime close to me. Stop worrying yourself about Anthonio and kiss me goodbye.¡± Without thinking twice, I obliged and kissed her passionately, hoping I could convey the way I was feeling through the kiss. She hadn¡¯t hesitated to assure me of her stand, and that meant a lot to me.


    My hands slowly went behind and grabbed her ass. She moaned into the kiss before quickly pulling away.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯d have to take my leave now.¡± She whispered, breathing roughly. God, I knew I was already getting hard. Her hands went up to my lips, and she cleaned the red lipstick that had rubbed off on it.


    ¡°But do you feel safe going out now? Considering all that happened yesterday?¡±


    ¡°Manuel, I¡¯m fine.¡± She caressed my face and shed a small smile. ¡°I can¡¯t hide in forever because I almost got killed.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not forever. This just happened yesterday.¡± I said in disbelief, and she smiled.


    ¡°Trust me, I¡¯m fine. Very fine.¡± She added, before turning and walking away. I took that as my cue to get ready for work, and rushed in for a shower. The moment I stepped out, my phone rang out and I picked it from the beside table to see who it was. It was Dito, and he had given an infuriating information. ording to him, the man currently in our custody was someone who worked for Jacobo. I had thought Jacobo ran away for his life. What was happening now? Had he disappeared, to go be in close contact with X? I thought that ¡®X¡¯ saga was over. This only meant that Francisco Ferrari had no hand in all of this. Now, more than ever, I needed to find X.


    *


    *


    It was already past my closing hours from work, but I had so much work to do today. When I looked at my wristwatch to see that a lot of time had actually gone, I sighed and began packing up my stuffs. Just then, my door swung open and my hands quickly pulled out the gun lodging underneath my work desk, pointing it to the door. After a few seconds, a familiar figure stepped in and chuckled as she closed the door behind her.


    ¡°Calm down Manuel, it¡¯s just me.¡± Francesca. Julie had long retired home, so I wasn¡¯t suprised that Francesca had gotten in here.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± I asked in a mix of irritation and shock. ¡°I could have almost killed you.¡±


    ¡°But you didn¡¯t.¡± She smiled, catwalking closer to my desk. And what was that she was wearing? It barely reached her mid thighs.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± I asked her, and she simply shrugged.


    ¡°You, Manuel.¡± Her face instantly contoured in sadness. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about the way ourst meeting had ended. I didn¡¯t mean to re up in anger.¡± Wait a minute. Did she think this was the era of our silly rtionship, where we literally quarreled and made up at will?


    ¡°Francesca, you are yet to let me know your purpose for being here.¡± I stated matter of factly, no trace of amusement in my voice.


    ¡°Come on. Don¡¯t be so hard on me Manuel. I already stayed months without you, I can¡¯t take it anymore.¡± She pleaded,ing closer to cover the space between us. Just then, the door gently opened and Bianca stepped in. Oh my God! What was she doing here?

 CHAPTER 51

    BIANCA¡¯S POV


    It had been a smoothly going day for me. To be very honest, I was extremely scared to step out of home but then, I didn¡¯t want to get Manuel more worried. I knew he was putting a lot of efforts to ensure I was safe. I could only show support in my little way.


    I looked at Nonno who was giving a closing remark for the meeting, and shed him a grin. I was so happy and proud to be Nonno¡¯s little pet. It gave me the opportunity to reallye across wealthy and affluent people in the country. When we had arrived for the board meeting today, I had expected to be left outside the board room, but was suprised when Nonno took me in with him. The members of the board didn¡¯t even look suprised to see me, like they had already predicted he was gonna bring me along. Nonno made an official introduction between I and the members who already knew who I was. It was a sweeter feeling when they introduced themselves in return, and made it known that they were at my service to help navigate my new duties as CEO much easily.


    Seeing my grin, Nonno gave me a boyish wink that got me giggling. I quickly put my palm over my lips when some of the board members looked my way in confusion. I waited patiently for Nonno to be done with the meeting, so we could head back to his penthouse. I was giddy for a particr reason though. He had promised me a present, which I was much eager to see already.


    ¡°Ladies, gentlemen, we should call it a day.¡± Nonno announced, making me very excited. We were leaving already! The rest of the board stood to their feet as Nonno began making his way out of the room, stopping by my side, he stretched out his hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go Nipotina.¡± I quickly stood with my handbag and held his outstretched hand, before walking out together with him. The moment we stepped out of the doors, the bodyguards stationed there took an active stance. I had been suprised to see how many more men Nonno had added to his retinue this morning. He didn¡¯t have to say it, but I knew it was as a result of the incident yesterday. He was worried about me, so he literally trippled the number of bodyguards today. Sincerely, that action of his, made me feel a lot more safe.


    We walked out of the tall office building, and headed straight to Nonno¡¯s penthouse. When we got there, I was suprised to see two unfamiliar faces seated inside and waiting for us toe. Both men looked Asian, and it made me wonder why they were here. There was no need asking who they were because I was sure that Nonno wouldn¡¯t hesitate to introduce them to me.


    ¡°My dear,¡± He looked at me, then back at the men. ¡°I know you¡¯ve been particrly excited to know what suprise this old man has in store for you.¡± He said, pointing at himself. I chuckled lightly and nodded in agreement. ¡°Your suprisees in two. Let me introduce you to Yen Wei.¡± He said pointing at one of the men.


    ¡°Hello.¡± I waved, and the man gave a slight bow.


    ¡°Yen Wei here, is a very popr artiste in China. I had him draw a portrait for you.¡± When Nonno said that, the man walked to the centre table, and that was when I noticed arge frame on the table, wrapped up in a brown paper.


    ¡°I hope it is to your pleasure madame.¡± His english ent was far from being impressive, but I could still make out what he was saying. He carried the frame over to me and Nonno. One look at Nonno and he nodded his head in approval for me to open the frame. With a low sigh of anticipation, I gradually pulled the brown wrap off. When it waspletely removed, I looked into the frame and released a low sigh when I saw the painting. They were two women in the painting, who stood closely together. One was clearly me, and the other was a strange woman who looked a whole lot like me. I had never seen her before in my life, making my brain do a quick search. Even after I tried to rack my brain for any memories of the supposed woman, I couldn¡¯t find any. I bent down and decided to pay more attention to the portrait. She had coffee brown hair, pale skin just like mine, and her eyes were¡­.. totally identical to mine. It was then I finally realized who she was. Rosa.


    ¡°Rosa.¡± I muttered, tears clogging my eyes unexpectedly. She was indeed a spitting image of me. When Manuel¡¯s family had talked about how much I looked like theirte grandmother, I didn¡¯t really believe until now. I ced my hands on the ss frame and trailed my fingers through her perfectly sculpted face. ¡°Nonna.¡± I called out.


    ¡°You recognize her.¡± I heard Nonno squatting behind me, and quickly stood up. He wasn¡¯t supposed to be taking such postures, it could be bad for his knees.


    ¡°Yes I do.¡± I held his arms and pulled him up. For the first time since I knew him, he teared up. Before I could even think twice, I hugged him tightly, hoping it was enough tofort him. Now, I understood why he loved me so much. I finally could see the reason why I was so dear to him. He had truly seen histe wife in me. For some reason, I felt privileged to have identical features as that of thete Madame Rosa Russo.


    ¡°Thank you foring back to me.¡± He muttered. ¡°Thank you foring tofort me in my weak and frail phase of life. I would finally go to meet you, satisfied and contented when the timees.¡± He definitely wasn¡¯t talking to me.


    I let him hold me in his embrace for as long as possible, before pulling away from him. I couldn¡¯t help but stare at the potrait again. I waspletely mesmerized. How? Why?


    ¡°I knew Rosa would have loved you, had she been alive.¡± He sighed, walking to the empty sofa and lowering himself onto it. I quickly joined him there, while the two men just stared away, probably feeling like they were intruding in our private moment. To be very honest, I thought they were. More than anything else, I wasn¡¯t okay with the fact that they saw Nonno tear up. ¡°Now that I think of it, this is all her doing.¡± He muttered, looking down at my hand and taking it into his. ¡°Manuel was her favourite grandson, you know?¡± He smiled warmly. ¡°And in extension, he became mine.¡±


    ¡°He was yours?¡± I asked curiously. ¡°But you both do not really¡­¡±


    ¡°Flow well?¡± He asked, and I nodded.


    ¡°I have noticed the friction between you both for a while now. And you also had a misunderstanding early this morning.¡±N?velDrama.Org content.


    ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± He gave a tight smile. ¡°He tells you everything now. Heart warming.¡±


    ¡°No Nonno, he said nothing to me. I just figured it out myself. The countenance you both had on your faces this morning was enough to let me know. I had actually tried discussing it with him, but he kept avoiding the topic. It made me feel sad for a moment.¡± I sighed. Slowly, Nonno¡¯s face spread into a wide smile.


    ¡°Oh, my dear. You still love him.¡± He wasn¡¯t asking, he was stating facts. Shamelessly, I nodded in agreement.


    ¡°But he doesn¡¯t really love me¡­.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re changing him.¡± He cut me off, then looked up at the men who were still standing. For a moment, I had forgotten they were still here with us. ¡°Please gentlemen, excuse us for a minute.¡± He gave a small smile, before calling his housekeeper. ¡°Aggie?¡±


    ¡°Yes Sir.¡± She walked in from the kitchen immediately.


    ¡°Please escort these gentlemen to the drawing room. I would be with then shortly.¡± He said, and she walked up the men.


    ¡°Pleasee with me.¡± She muttered to them and they followed her behind.


    ¡°So back to what we had been talking about.¡± Nonno smiled at me. ¡°Manuel is changing. I am seeing those changes. His Nonna¡¯s n was the best after all. You are really the best person to handle him.¡± In truth, I could also see the changes. It had been gradual at first, but now it had be clearer. He wasn¡¯t the same man I knew in the beginning. But was I truly the one changing him? What if it was just because of our baby? ¡®Did he also kiss your neck today, because of your baby?¡¯, my subconscious mocked. ¡°No wonder she had brought you both to that ind.¡± He smiled.


    ¡°Manuel said she was buried there.¡±


    ¡°Oh? He told you that much?¡± He asked in suprise, and I nodded.


    ¡°Anazing.¡± He muttered to himself.


    ¡°I really want to know what went wrong between you both yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Did Manuel tell you how his grandmother got buried in Russia?¡± He asked.


    ¡°No.¡± I shook my head, wondering where all these was leading.


    ¡°Then, you should wait for Manuel to tell you about it himself.¡± Why did I have a feeling that there was a lot more to all of these.


    *


    *


    ¡°Happiest birthday to you Massimo.¡± I smiled, handing over the freshly baked cake to him. Trust me, I had done a lot of stuffs at Nonno¡¯s ce today. It had been sote in the afternoon when I remembered it was Massimo¡¯s birthday today. With the help of Aggie, I was able to do a simple cake for him. It was small, but better than nothing.


    ¡°My God.¡± He whispered, looking at me in disbelief.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry it¡¯s so small. But I just couldn¡¯t stay without doing something for you on such a special day.¡± I gave a small smile.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not small.¡± He sighed, looking down at the cake in my hand.


    ¡°Take it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± He muttered, finally collecting the cake from me. ¡°I think you should take the night off.¡± I said. ¡°Miguel and Andrew can see me off home safely.¡± I pointed at the two bodyguards Nonno had newly assigned to me. The stood behind me, watching every corner like hawks. I didn¡¯t me them, it was night already.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I have to safely see you home Miss B.¡± I frowned at his words and he released a sigh. ¡°Or I could take you to the Don¡¯s office.¡± Was Manuel yet to leave work?


    ¡°My husband is still at the office?¡±


    ¡°Yes ma.¡± He nodded. Wow, that was unusual.


    ¡°Is all well?¡±


    ¡°He probably just has a lot of work to tend to.¡± Massimo replied. Suddenly, a better idea struck my mind. How about¡­.


    ¡°Okay then.¡± I grinned. ¡°You can take me to his. We both would go home together.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s totally fine.¡± He nodded. We all walked towards the car and I hopped in, Miguel and Andrew following behind in another car. The ride to Manuel¡¯s office had been suprisingly short, and I wasted no time to go into the office building. I made straight for his office and when I got there, I noticed Julia had closed for the day. So should Manuel. I was gonna try to pull him out of whatever work he was doing and if he refused, I would have no choice but to stay back with him, until he was ready to retire.


    I walked towards the connecting door and for a second, I thought I heard the voice of ady. It seemed Julia was still around after all. With a small push, I opened the door and made my way in. The person I had seen inside with Manuel, was clearly not whom I had expected. What was his ex doing here?


    He looked to be in shock as he saw me, and it made me wonder if I disrupted something ¡®important¡¯. I begged my brain not to jump into conclusions just yet.


    ¡°Bianca.¡± He muttered, his eyes staring directly into mine.


    ¡°Good evening.¡± I tried my best to put on a bold front. ¡°I thought it would have been nice to have dinner at some fancy restaurant tonight.¡± I said, walking towards the table where he stood, with Francesca mere inches away from him. ¡®Do not jump into conclusions Bianca¡¯, my subconscious reminded me. Right. ¡°Or are you busy?¡± I asked. Now, it was time for him to prove my thoughts right or wrong.


    ¡°Of course not!¡± He rushed out, before looking at Francesca who just stood like a pir. ¡°Francesca was just leaving.¡±


    ¡°Was she?¡± I asked, and he looked at her again.


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Just then Francesca turned and started walking out, brushing my shoulders so roughly as she walked past me. The moment she was out, I turned to Manuel. We stared at each other for a while, not knowing what to say. Eventually, he broke the silence and spoke first.


    ¡°It¡¯s not what you think.¡±


    ¡°It sure isn¡¯t.¡± I chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s sote in the night by the way.¡± I added, passing my message. What were the both of them doing alone in his office, sote at night? If I hadn¡¯te, what would have happened?


    ¡°I swear, nothing happened.¡± He walked up to me and held my hands in his. ¡°I would never cheat on you. Please don¡¯t let Francesca ruin what we are trying to build.¡± Hmmm¡­ Why did his words sound so familiar? ¡®It¡¯s because you have said the exact same words to him before, silly!¡¯, my subconscious helped juggle my memory. That was true. The night he had seen me with Anthonio. Slowly, a smile made it¡¯s way to my face and I held onto his tie, pulling his face closer to mine with it.


    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± I shook my head and he released a low sigh, a smile making it¡¯s way to his face.


    ¡°Your presence is such a wonderful suprise.¡± He muttered.


    ¡°Oh, now is it?¡± I chuckled.


    ¡°Absolutely! What do you have for me?¡±


    ¡°A lot.¡± I whispered, our faces still very close to each other¡¯s. ¡°A whole lot. But first, you have to sit down.¡± I slowly pushed him backwards, until the back of his knees hit one of the chairs. ¡°Sit.¡± I ordered, and he obeyed. His tie slipped away from my hand as he did, and I went on my knees before him. He looked down at me in suprise, wondering what next I was going to do. My hand reached out for his belt and I began unbuckling it. ¡°No doubt that it would be a mouthful, but I¡¯m particrly curious about how good its gonna taste.¡± I locked eyes with him as I pulled down his zip and took out his hard cock from his boxers. I hope this turned to be as pleasurable as M had said.


    *


    *


    The moment I joined him in bed, he pulled me closer to himself and sniffed my neck.


    ¡°You always smell so good.¡± He whispered into my ears.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± I smiled even though he couldn¡¯t see my face in that position. I sighed in exhaustion, waiting for sleep to eventuallye. We were both so tired. After the marathon sex we had in his office, we had returned home to still have sex while having our bath together. My thighs ached so badly and my pussy felt sore in a good way. I would dly be sore everyday, if Manuel was the reason why. Most of all, I was very happy I had satisfied him so well today. I had given him a blowjob and he had groaned so loudly as he released into my mouth. I had not seen iting, so I swallowed it even before I realized. Now, I understood why M said it was pleasurable. I guess it was the feeling that came with giving your partner so much pleasure. His grunts, growls and low sighs had been more than enough to get me wet. It was satisfying indeed.


    I listened as his breathing calmed down, and decided it was now or never. I had to talk to him about his strained rtionship with Nonno. What intrigued me the most was the fact that he used to be Nonno¡¯s favourite. So how did theye to this? What happened?


    ¡°Please¡­¡± I exhaled, making him turn me to face him.


    ¡°What is it?¡± He asked, and I blinked furiously.


    ¡°I really want to know. Please tell me what happened between you and your grandparents. Nonno said you¡¯d be in the best ce to tell me everything.¡± At my words, he released a low grunt and gently pulled away from me. My face fell in disappointment. He was definitely not going to¡­.


    ¡°It¡¯s one of my biggest regrets in life.¡± He suddenly said, making me look up at him immediately.


    ¡°We all have regrets.¡±


    ¡°Trust me, mine is a very unforgettable mistake. I know I delude myself into thinking that I deserve Nonno¡¯s forgiveness but truly, I do not.¡± He sighed.


    ¡°What did you do that could have been so bad?¡± I frowned, mainly at his unkind words to himself. How could he think he didn¡¯t deserve forgiveness for whatever?


    ¡°I killed her.¡±


    ¡°You killed who?¡± I asked, furrowing my brows in thought of why he could have said such a figurative statement.


    ¡°I killed my Nonna. I killed his wife.¡±

 CHAPTER 52

    BIANCA¡¯S POV


    ¡°I killed my Nonna. I killed his wife.¡±


    My eyeballs literally fell to the bed.


    ¡°That¡¯s not true.¡± I rushed out, shaking my head in disbelief. I wouldn¡¯t believe what he had just said. ¡°You would never do something like that.¡±


    ¡°But I did.¡± He nodded, sitting up on the bed and resting his back on the head rest.


    ¡°What happened?¡± I asked, strongly believing there was a reasonable exnation to what he said.N?velDrama.Org content.


    ¡°What happened?¡± He chuckled bitterly. ¡°I was a rebellious teen. That¡¯s what happened.¡± How else was I going to convince this man to speak to me. There was clearly a whole lot of other things he wasn¡¯t saying.


    ¡°I¡¯m all ears.¡± I sat up as well, facing him directly. He looked at me and my heart fell at seeing his eyes already red.


    ¡°I had been weirdly addicted to illegal car racing at theter part of my teenage years.¡± He started, and I curled up my legs, adeptly listening to what he had to say. ¡°It was prohibited in the family. Prohibited for me especially. But then, I had always been stubborn. I believed no one understood me and my love for cars. For driving.¡± He sighed. ¡°My father had particrly tried to let me know that I could have any car I wanted, and loved cars, without having to risk my life by going for illegal car races, but I was too stubborn to listen. The price to be won was never really my problem. I had started seeing a lot of money from a very young age. There was this particr thrill that rushed through my veins whenever I drove at such a high speed, trying to win my opponent.¡±


    ¡°The fact that Alexander; my closest cousin had recently traveled to attend a military training academy at Russia, only made me feel more lonely. There was hardly anyone else I deeply connected with, and Greta was also preparing to leave for an all girls boarding school. I felt alone and strangely gotfort from racing. I would always sneak my way out of the estate and attend these car races. On a fateful night, I had gone for another racepetition when something went wrong with my brakes. I had lost control and ended up hitting one of the other wealthy kids who hade to watch the race.¡±


    ¡°Oh my goodness!¡± I gasped worriedly. ¡°Did he die?¡±


    ¡°She.¡± He corrected. ¡°She didn¡¯t die, but was in a very critical condition. Her parents pressed charges against me and I had been arrested from hometer that day. It was the first time a Russo family member was being arrested, and Nonno was so furious.¡±


    ¡°I can imagine.¡± I muttered.


    ¡°He had prohibited everyone from going to see me, or bail me out of jail. For one week, I remained in cell and all that went through my mind was how much my family hated me. I was the least bit sorry for what I had done, or the innocent girl I had harmed. I foolishly thought to myself to disown them whenever I could find my way out of the cell.¡± He paused and chuckled. ¡°Such a stupid thought. I was a foolish teenager indeed.¡±


    ¡°So what happened?¡± I asked, wanting to know where the story was headed.


    ¡°What happened was that after a week, my parents came for me. They had noticed my countenance and tried to apologize for noting earlier, but I was too angry to even listen. Everything they said had fell on deaf ears, except the fact that Nonno had ordered everyone not toe for me. It made me so angry towards the man.¡± He scratched the tip of his nose. ¡°I had been his favourite, but he chose to treat me in such a manner. Like amon criminal. That was what I foolishly thought. When we got home, everyone was already at our home, waiting for me to return. Nonno had walked up to me and given me such a resounding p that made every other person flinch. After which he told me that as discipline, I was going to leave for a military training academy at Miami. His punishment wasn¡¯t sending me to the military academy. Moreover, I had always been Alexander¡¯s spare.¡±


    ¡°How do you mean?¡± I asked in confusion.


    ¡°I mean that, Alexander was originally the mafia heir. I never was.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± That was suprising. There were really a lot I didn¡¯t know.


    ¡°Yes. Alexander¡¯s father was the previous Don after Nonno. After which Alexander took over, but stepped down after a very unfortunate incident. That is a discussion for another day.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± I nodded.


    ¡°So, I was actually supposed to attend the same academy as Alexander a yearter, but Nonno decided to punish me by sending me away to Miami, where I had no family or friends. I was gonna be alone for years, before finally returning home. Normally, it wouldn¡¯t have hurt so much. But when I saw how much he was willing to punish me for a mistake I had made, I was enraged. Our Nonna tried talking him out of it, but he wasn¡¯t paying heed to anyone. Even her.¡± He released another sigh. ¡°That night, I did the unthinkable. I ran away from home, leaving just a small note under my pillow. I had run off in the next avable flight to Russia. The n had been to locate my Nonna¡¯s home and beg her family to take me in.¡±


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t the best decision.¡± I muttered, to which he nodded in agreement.


    ¡°I know. I had been there twice during my early childhood, and had somehow forgotten what the ce looked like. But I carried an old paper with the address written in it. The paper had been inside my smaller bag that ended up getting lost somehow.¡±


    ¡°Oh no.¡± I rushed out.


    ¡°I thought I knew the town at least, but I was gravely mistaken. All I knew was the fact that Nonna¡¯s family stayed in Moscow. I ended up getting lost in Russia. I had run off under such a short notice, so I wasn¡¯t able to take as much money as necessary. My phone and bank card had been in the bag that got lost. It was safe to say that I was stranded. I couldn¡¯t find my way to Nonna¡¯s family home, neither could I find my way back to Italy.¡±


    ¡°So how did you scale through?¡± I asked in worry, forgetting this event had already taken ce.


    ¡°All I just remember, was walking until I came across a familiar ind Nonna had always brought me to, whenever we visited Russia. I recognized the ce as where she described as her favourite ce in the world. I sighed in relief at finally seeing somewhere familiar. I had little cash on me, so I was able to buy some food and water from one of the vendors on the busy ind. That night I slept on the soft sand, hoping I would be able to find my way to Nonna¡¯s family home.¡±


    ¡°So did you?¡±


    ¡°It was so disappointing that I had spent five days roaming around, unable to locate Nonna¡¯s family. For five nights, I slept on the sand of the ind. I had already run out of the little cash I had on me. Seeing how impossible it had been for me to keep being stubborn, I broke down and cried for a while, before begging one of the people who have visited the ind, for her phone. I had tried calling my father, but he wasn¡¯t picking up. So I called my mom who eventually answered. She was so happy to hear it was me. She had asked where I was, and I was too tired to even speak. I was able to describe the ind, and she promised that Nonna wasing for me, before hanging up the call. I thanked thedy for her phone, and waited patiently for help. It wasn¡¯t up to half an hourter when Nonna showed up. I found myself crying at seeing someone familiar. My favourite person. She had told me they had been looking for me, and asked how I had gotten there. I narrated my ordeal to her. Apparently, my bag had been stolen, not misced. That was how they had found out I was in trouble. After they read the short note I left at home, exining where I was headed, Nonna had reached out to her family to enquire if they had seen me, but was given a negative reply. She didn¡¯t waste any time to fly down to Russia, regardless of Nonno¡¯s disapproval. For days, my family had all been looking for me, until I finally called.¡±


    ¡°Thank goodness.¡± I whispered.


    ¡°Nonna had tried convincing me to return to Italy, but I was very scared of my Nonno¡¯s wrath. She was very understanding, and agreed we stayed back in Russia for a little longer. We returned to her family house, and remained there for a couple of days. After much persuasion, I agreed to return to Italy, but insisted we went to see Alexander in the military academy before leaving.¡±


    ¡°Did she oblige?¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± He nodded stiffly, tears clouding his eyes. Oh no! This was the part where things go south. ¡°She did. We visited Alexander who was very happy to see me, especially after learning I had gotten lost. When it was time to go, we stepped out of the huge gates of the academy and were crossing over to the other side of the tarred road when a car drove in full speed towards us. I screamed her name and ran to the other side, thinking she had followed behind me, only to turn and see her body on the floor, as she bled from every part of her body.¡± Oh my God. A lone tear dropped down his eyes and I was hugging him before I knew it.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m so sorry.¡± I patted his back as he sobbed into my neck. We stayed in that position for a while, until I pulled away from him.


    ¡°Look at me.¡± I muttered, and he managed to. His eyes were so red and it hurt me because this was the first time I was seeing Manuel in such a state. ¡°You never killed her. You didn¡¯t know what was even going to happen. Hell! You would have been killed as well.¡±


    ¡°Can we not talk about this anymore?¡± He sighed deeply, looking away from me. I knew there were still a lot of things to be said, but he had said enough for one night.


    ¡°Of course.¡± I nodded in agreement. ¡°Of course.¡± I pulled away from him andid on my own side of the bed. ¡°Come here.¡± I called out to him, and he looked at me in slight confusion. ¡°Come.¡± I called again, and pulled him by his arm. He was finallyying beside me when I softly tapped on my chest. ¡°Lay your head here.¡± I said. He looked at me for a while, reluctant to do so, but eventually did. We stayed that way all through the night, even until the next morning, not moving in our positions. It was a veryforting position.


    *


    *


    A FEW DAYS LATER


    It was weekend and particrly a day of rest for me. Manuel and I had slept in, until the early hours of the morning. Once I woke up, I made my way into the bathroom for a shower. I was unusually feeling so hot. After my bathe, I stepped out of the bathroom to see that he was no longer in the room. He had probably gone down to join the rest of the family for breakfast. I was particrly hungry as well, so I quickly dressed up and walked out of the room. I could already hear giggles in the living room and hastened my steps. When I stepped in, I was very suprised to see Kyle there. I hadn¡¯t seen him ever since thest time he had been here. The day that Manuel has spoken up for me. I shrugged internally. There was no way I would totally avoid him forever. He was family now, and I was definitely going to bump into him every once in a while.


    ¡°My darling.¡± Mia called out to me with a sad smile. ¡°Alexander¡¯s family came visiting.¡± She said. I knew she was trying to exin the reason why Kyle was here, knowing I didn¡¯t like to be around him.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± I managed a small smile, but was shocked when Kyle suddenly spoke up.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not.¡± He stood and walked towards me, making my eyes widen in shock. ¡°It is totally not fine. I have been such a mean and rude ass. Please forgive me.¡± He muttered when he finally got to me, making me blink my eyes.


    ¡°Did Manuel put you up to this?¡±


    ¡°No, pretty head.¡± I looked up to see Manuel walking into the living room, with Alexander and his wife following behind. A few other familiar faces followed as well. ¡°He decided on his own, to be a lot more sensible.¡± He walked towards Kyle, smacking him behind his head. ¡°I d you both are best of friends now.¡± He grinned at the both of us, causing Kyle to chuckle. ¡°And be very careful.¡± He muttered to Kyle. ¡°My wife may have sent you a love note in high school, but she¡¯s off limits to you. Understood?¡± Manuel asked, and Kyle nodded. ¡°Good.¡± He grinned and me and pulled me closer for a kiss. At that moment, I knew he was jealous. The man easily got jealous, now he was kissing me in the presence of everyone.


    ¡°Manuel!¡± I whispered. ¡°They are watching.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± He whispered against my lips, before kissing me again. I could hear the rest of the family cheer loudly, making my face go red. Jeezz! This was embarrassing, especially when I wasn¡¯t even sure this man loved me yet. ¡®You are his wife, and that is more than enough¡¯. My subconscious was weirdly aforter today.


    After Manuel pulled away from me, he joined a grinning Alexander and they both walked off to his study. Next, Be waved her hand at me and I rushed to her. We both went over to the dinning room at sit and talk. Her belly was very heavy now, making me look down at my own small bump.


    ¡°It¡¯s scary right?¡± She chuckled.


    ¡°Not really.¡± I grinned sheepishly, realizing she had caught me. ¡°How are you Be?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m good honey. I should be asking how you are. Alexander told me about the attack on you the other day. I¡¯m so sorry. I hope you feel better now?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely.¡± I grinned. ¡°Manuel has been helpful.¡± I added, making her smile.


    ¡°I¡¯m truly happy for you both sweetie. I can remember how your countenance had been only two months back.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s two months already!¡± I sighed in disbelief. We were two months in marriage already.


    ¡°And your marital progress is impressive.¡±


    ¡°Very impressive.¡± Another person said, and I looked up to see Mia. She pulled out a seat and joined us. ¡°I¡¯m truly happy as well, Be.¡± She said, before turning to me. ¡°My dear, Manuel is changing drastically. Positively!¡± She added. ¡°Right from the minute Nonno told us you were carrying his child, I knew you were the only one who could tame him. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean when you say ¡®tame¡¯?¡± I asked, at loss.


    ¡°Trust me, he is now everything he wasn¡¯t when he was seeing that Ferrari girl. You are best for him. Or haven¡¯t you noticed that he is changing?¡± Nonno had thought so too. Even I, thought so as well.


    ¡°I do.¡± I nodded affirmatively.


    ¡°Good. So thank you.¡± She patted my hands, and my phone started ringing. I pulled it out of the pocket of my jean shorts, to see it was a video call from M. Oh wow!


    ¡°It¡¯s my cousin, M.¡± I grinned at both women, who smiled in return. Immediately, I answered the call and positioned the phone on the dinning table, waging it behind with a juice pack.


    ¡°Heyyyyy Mimi!!¡± I yelled in excitement.


    ¡°Hello Bibi!!!¡± She replied in equal excitement. ¡°We¡¯re gonna be having a girl!¡± She said happily and tears clogged my eyes.


    ¡°That¡¯s a good news love. My baby boy would be having a little sister soon.¡±


    ¡°Trust me, he is the most excited over this. He and Carter haven¡¯t been able to beat down their excitement.¡±


    ¡°I am excited as well.¡± I grinned. ¡°Talking about Carter, how is he?¡±


    ¡°Talking about Carter!!!!¡± She yelled out, making meugh. My cousin was sooo in love. Even after 5 years. I hoped my case turned to be that way with Manuel. ¡°Talking about Carter, are you in a private space?¡± She suddenly whispered and I shook my head, knowing what this was about. She was about narrating a very nasty ordeal with him.


    ¡°My mother inw and sister inw are here!¡± I rushed out, my cheeks going red as Mia and Beughed, already understanding the reason for my difort.


    ¡°Your husband is here as well.¡± I felt Manuele up behind me, as he kissed my neck and looked into the camera. Okay, my face was extremely red.


    ¡°And her brother inw too!¡± Alexander waved his hands at M who was just grinning, as he made his way to Be and sat beside her.


    ¡°Is that him?¡± M pointed at Manuel who still had his face in the crook of my neck, and I nodded. ¡°Oh my goodness, Bibi! He is much more handsome than in the pictures. I can bet he looks better physically!¡± She grinned.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Manuel smiled. ¡°You are really pretty too. I guess all Bianchi women are.¡±


    ¡°Awnnn! He is so sweet Bibi!¡± M cooed. Oh my goodness, this was so embarrassing.


    ¡°Where¡¯s my boy?¡± I tried to change the subject and she bought it. ¡°I would love to see his face.¡±


    ¡°He should be with his auntie. I would just go downstairs to them. Give me a moment!¡± I couldn¡¯t make out anything clearly for the next one minute or so, until she got to where Ethan had been. I was suprised Manuel was waiting alongside me. ¡°Here we are!¡± The phone became a lot more stable, and I could see them clearly. He was with Peggy indeed. Peggy was Carter¡¯s sister.


    ¡°Oh my love!!¡± Peggy waved at me and I waved back with equal enthusiasm.


    ¡°Auntie Bibi!!¡± Ethan called out in tion, putting his head into the phone screen, and making Manuelugh. ¡°Who is this uncle?¡± He asked, and I grinned.


    ¡°The uncle is my husband.¡±


    ¡°No way!!!¡± He giggled, making everyoneugh


    ¡°That must be one sweet little boy.¡± Mia smiled and I nodded.


    ¡°He is very handsome too.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Mia asked, and I nodded again. Immediately, she tapped Be and asked her to go look at Ethan. ¡°Go look at the boy! That way, you¡¯d have cute babies as well.¡±


    ¡°Oh Goddd! Mom you don¡¯t believe in that superstition right?¡± Manuel and Alexanderughed, but Mia could care less. She kept nudging Be who seemed particrly excited to see Ethan. She stood up from her seat and rounded the table, making her way to where I sat.


    ¡°Hello!!¡± Be grinned as she looked into the phone, but her smile dropped almost immediately. I noticed Peggy¡¯s eyes flung wide open as well. What was going on?


    ¡°Be?!¡± Peggy suddenly yelled out, catching everyone by surprise. She knew Be? Howe?


    ¡°What is it Peggy?¡± I heard M say, though I couldn¡¯t see her face.


    ¡°Be. M, it¡¯s Be!¡± Peggy looked so shocked, and that was when I looked up to see Be¡¯s lips also quivering in shock and fear. The next thing she did was rush out of the dinning room, slightly pushing Manuel aside as she walked away so quickly, her big belly making it difficult for her to run.


    ¡°Be!¡± Alexander called out to his wife in worry, as he stood up and followed her behind. What in God¡¯s name was happening?

 CHAPTER 53

    THIRD PERSON¡¯S POV


    She rushed out of the dinning area and made her way towards the entrance of the mansion. It had finally happened. What she had dreaded for a very long time had somehow happened. The mistake she had made was to tell a lie. A lie that she had to go on covering up for years. Ever since she got married to Alexander, they had made this promise of never keeping the truth away from each other. But this very lie was something she had told even before they made that pact of truthfulness. Now, she had literally been exposed and she more scared, than shocked. Quite alright, suddenly seeing her little sister that she hadn¡¯t seen in over 7 years was such a shock, but what she dreaded more was Alexander leaving her. How was he going to react when he found out that all along, she had a family but lied that she didn¡¯t? All the while, she had cut contact with, and abandoned her poor mother and sister. The decisions she had made in life were not solely based on her personal decisions. Most were decisions she had been forced to make.


    ¡°Be!!¡± She heard him call her name as he followed her behind. Her legs failed to run at a faster speed because of how heavy her baby made her feel. Nevertheless, she increased her pace with all the will strength she could gather. Why she was running away? It was because she doubted she had what it took to look him in the eyes after such deception. She personally knew how bad he had felt on her behalf, over being alone in the world, and always promised to be her family andpanion for life. Now¡­. ¡°Stop walking away this instant!¡± He suddenly growled, making her automatically stand still in her spot. She knew how serious he was, when he sounded like that. He covered the distance between them and turned her to face him. ¡°What¡¯s this about?¡± He asked, carefully gauging her face to see her reaction. He didn¡¯t need a soothe sayer to tell him that a huge secret of his wife had just been discovered. She hardly talked about her dead family, but at least, he had heard her mention the name ¡®Peggy¡¯, as that of herte sister.


    If indeed her family were dead, she was supposed to be the suprised and curious, not running off like a thief. She was supposed to stay back and want to understand what was happening. At that point, he already knew that his wife and greatest love of his life had been deceiving him for a very long time now. But he didn¡¯t believe it was possible. He didn¡¯t want to believe it, and that was why he was giving her the chance to tell him none of his assumptions were actually true. That it was all a stupid thought in his head. That being a mafia had made him too calctive most times.


    ¡°Alexander¡­¡± She muttered, her lips quivering as she shuddered with great fear. ¡°Alexander please.¡± Tears welled up in her eyes and she tried holding him, but he pulled away, tears clogging his own eyes as well. It was true then. His wife had been heartless enough as to have abandoned her family for years?


    ¡°You¡­ you actually left them?¡± He was only able to make out that question, shaking his head in disapproval. ¡°You left your parents and little sister? All for what?¡±


    ¡°Please Alex, I c.. ca¡­. I can exin.¡± More tears poured out of her eyes as she held tightly on his shirt. At that moment, all he could see was a liar, not his wife. Gently, he pulled his shirt out of her grip and walked towards his car. This was crazy. For months, he had worried about her. Worried about how much not having her family with her, was probably telling on her during her pregnancy. What had she nned to do? Keep her children away from them as well? Only God knew how much her family would have been hurt, over not being able to reach out to their daughter for years. He just couldn¡¯t take it, he needed some space to think. He needed to clear his head. Walking to his car, he hopped in and drove away. Be fell to the ground in tears as she watched her husband drive off. What was going to happen now? Was he going to leave her when he finally found out the real truth? The actual reason she had done all that she did? They had already found this one out, it wasn¡¯t gonna be long before they found out about the other. And the other was worse. Alexander would surely leave her then. She hated herself more than ever now. She hated herself for truly falling in love with the man over the years. She hated herself for deceiving someone she had imed to love that way.


    ¡°Be!¡± She looked up to see Mia and Kyle running towards her. She looked at them and the looks they gave only meant one thing. They knew the first truth already. ¡°Where is Alexander?¡± Mia asked, walking up to her and holding her hand in support.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry!¡± More tears rolled down her spotless face onto her red coated lips. ¡°Please Kyle, help me talk to him.¡± She held onto Kyle immediately, crawling over to where he stood.


    ¡°Oh my God! Auntie Be, no!¡± Kyle yelled out in disapproval, trying to pull her up on her feet. ¡°Please, please, please! I cannot afford to lose him now.¡± Her cries increased.


    ¡°Be, I think you should get inside. We all need to talk. Please.¡± Mia muttered, pulling her towards the entrance of the mansion. Be followed them with putting up any resistance.


    Now, she wondered who she had to face. Was Peggy still on that call, waiting for her to be brought back in, for a discussion? She walked into the living room to see everyone seated, her husband¡¯s parents inclusive.


    ¡°Sit down love.¡± Mia whispered into her ears and gently pushed her down to the plush sofa. After that, Manuel walked towards her and squatted to her level.


    ¡°Be, we have to talk. You have to tell us what¡¯s going on? Peggy told us something very shocking.¡± He said, and gave a small smile when he noticed how agitated she had be. ¡°Not to worry, we put her off the line for now. It is your decision to speak with her when you see fit. But as your family, we deserve to know what¡¯s happening.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me everyone.¡± Mia excused herself and walked out of listening reach. She had an intent, and that was to call Alexander back. He shouldn¡¯t leave her alone in such physical and emotional conditions.


    ¡°Be, you need to tell us if what Peggy said is true.¡± Bianca muttered, joining her on the sofa and holding hands with her. ¡°Is Peggy truly your sister?¡± Tears clogged Be¡¯s eyes once more as she bowed her head, ashamed to look at the people she called family. The people she had been deceiving for years. Speaking to them about this only meant one thing. She¡¯d have to tell the real truth eventually, and that was something she wasn¡¯t really prepared for. But it did not seem like she had a choice at that moment.


    ¡°Yes.¡± She finally nodded in agreement. ¡°Yes, she is my sister.¡± The tears left her eyes and trailed down her cheeks. What bothered her the most was how fast everything was escting.


    ¡°That means, Felicity is your mother.¡± Bianca said, and she nodded in agreement.


    ¡°But why did you abandon your family?¡± Alexander¡¯s father finally asked, making more tears pour down her face. ¡°What did you stand to gain by doing so?¡± Initially, Alexander¡¯s parents never liked her, particrly because she had been a drug addict when Alexander had found her and literally saved her. To them, she wasn¡¯t fit to be a part of the Russo family, but thankfully, their Nonno had supported Alexander and given them the go ahead to be married. Oh, how her husband¡¯s father was going to gloat in her face after the confession she was about to make. She knew she had to confess the truth, but just hadn¡¯t gathered the guts to say word at the moment, and it only seemed to aggravate the man¡¯s temper.


    ¡°You should really understand the fact that you stand to lose more by not speaking up now.¡± He spoke harshly, making her choke on more tears. She was so pitiful at the moment.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± She managed.


    ¡°Then show that you are, by letting the family know why you have deceived us all these while. With all that Alexander has done and sacrificed for you, he doesn¡¯t deserve to be lied to in such a manner. And most of all, I would not believe that you lied about your family for no reason.¡± The man had always been a smart man. He knew there was more to this. She didn¡¯t want to lie because they would eventually find out her secret in time, the same way this one had unexpectedly happened. Added to that, she was tired of carrying it in her heart all these years. Even up until now, she was still being haunted by her worst nightmare, and she just couldn¡¯t remain quiet anymore. What if God had made things happen this way, so she would have the guts to finally face her fears and tell the truth?


    ¡°I was¡­. I was trafficked down to Italy.¡± She finally spoke out, everywhere going silent immediately. ¡°You all already know that I had been an addict before I met Alexander.¡± Unknowingly to her, Alexander had just stepped into the living room, quietly standing by the corner and listening to what she had to say. Everyone else except Bianca and Be had been aware of his presence, but chose to be quiet in order not to scare Be from speaking further.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t a new thing.¡± She continued. ¡°I used to live in Newyork with my mom, my younger sister, and my foster brother; Carter. I had gotten a good job after graduating with an excellent result, and was doing so well. That was until I came across Patawan.¡± She said, making Manuel¡¯s ears stand in attention.


    ¡°By Patawan, you mean Tawan?¡± Manuel asked, wanting to be sure he was thinking right, and she nodded in agreement.


    ¡°I met Patawan during a party I had apanied a work colleague to. Work was bing extremely demanding and an infuriating when my boss started trying to harrass me sexually. So after one of my busy days at work, I followed my work friend to a party hosted by Patawan. My friend introduced me to him and we hit things off immediately. He asked me to join him for a drink, which I did. I didn¡¯t know what happened in the party, but I only remember waking up somewhere strange the next day. Apparently, my drink had been spiked. I had been so furious when I woke up and stormed out of his apartment. I was more disappointed because I thought he was a really cool guy, only to be disappointed by morning. A weekter, he showed up at my apartment with a bouquet of flower and apologized for his behavior. I epted his apology, and he asked me to go on a date with him. Initially, I was skeptical, but I finally gave in.¡±


    ¡°We had continued to see each other for few weeks, before a asked me to apany him for a party on a certain night. I ended up being convinced to test out coke for the first time in my life. I had passed out and Patawan had taken me to his den in Newyork.¡± The entire ce was as calm as a grave while she spoke. ¡°When I woke up the next morning, I felt so different. I was weirdly unbothered about where I was, and just wanted to head to my apartment. The Euphoric feeling was still very much in my system. It was my first time feeling that way, but I felt strangely whole. When I attempted to leave the room, he walked in an asked me if I loved the feeling of being strung out, and I didn¡¯t answer. Coke was something I knew was wrong, and was somewhat displeased about how good it made me feel. I was more displeased at myself because I was falling for the wrong guy. At the time, I didn¡¯t know how maniptive he was. He had convinced me that he only made me try it out because he honestly wanted me to have a lot more fun, nothing more. I had gotten hometer on and while taking out my clothes forundry, I found a little amount of substance in my jean pockets. I knew what is was and I could have thrown it away but for some reason, I didn¡¯t. I just kept it inside my drawer.¡± She sighed.


    ¡°The following week had been really crazy for me. Not only was I finding it difficult to get over the feeling the coke had given me, I was finding things difficult at work with my boss. I had also tried to give Patawan space, but was finding it difficult to do so because I was already bing emotionally attached. On a certain night, I returned home after my boss had unsessfully assaulted me again. For some reasons, I decided to have another taste of the substance I had put out in my drawer, hoping it could relieve me a bit. That was how it all began.¡± She quickly cleaned away the tears that made it¡¯s way down her cheek once more. ¡°Before I knew it, I was the one looking for more. I had found my way back to Patawan and asked for more substance. He told me that it was no longer free and that I¡¯d have to pay the person who supplied him. The price was quite exhorbitant, but I didn¡¯t mind. I just always wanted to feel so good. Gradually, I bought and bought and bought until I cleared all my savings. I approached my boss for a sry advance which he was reluctant to give me, but finally did after much plea. He was probably thinking his assistance was gonna make me sumb to his sexual requests, but he was wrong.¡±


    ¡°A few weekster, I had finally exhausted the advance sry I had collected, and began skipping work. I normally went over to Patawan¡¯s ce where we would party and get strung out on coke. I guess my boss had reached out directly to my foster brother concerning my absence at work, and he decided toe see me and know why I hadn¡¯t been at work. Unluckily, I had passed out from excess inhtion of substance that day, and was on the brink of death when my mom and brother got to my apartment and rescued me. I had been so ashmaed because they were so disappointed in me. My mom insisted that I got detoxified and put under therapy, as she was worried taking me to a rehabilitation home would be quite extreme. After a couple of weeks, I got myself and I resumed work. It wasn¡¯t long before Patawan began paying me visits again. At first, I would always tell him I wasn¡¯t interested but soon, I finally sumbed. My hunger for drugs became worse this time, because it felt like my system was finally getting what it had been deprived off, all the while.¡± Bianca squeezed her hand in encouragement as she spoke.


    ¡°There were days I¡¯d go to Patawan and plead with him so much, after which he¡¯d give me some substance, letting me know that he had vouched to his supplier that I¡¯d be able to pay for itter. That was how I began umting debts. Soon enough, my family found out that I had gone back to doing drugs, and insisted I went to a rehabilitation home, especially because it had sucked me up so dry. After my first two days in the rehabilitation center,  Patawan came for me and broke me out of the facility. I truly wasn¡¯t willing to go along with him, but I didn¡¯t like the feeling up being locked up and hungry for substance either. I foolishly thought he hade to rescue me, but didn¡¯t know I was about to see the real side of him. When we got to his den, I met several other girls; mostly teenagers, who were lined up there. That was when I realized I was in deep shit. He told me I owed him a lot of money that I couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine. Apparently, he had been the one who supplied the drugs to me, not someone else. It would take me a lifetime to work and offset such a huge debt. I couldn¡¯t believe that he had deceived me into falling in love with him, only to be using me. He had given me the choice of paying back, or killing me to offset my debts. With a gun pointed to my head, I ended up agreeing to the worse thing I should have ever agreed to. He was taking me with him to Italy, where I would get a better job and work to offset my bills. I was so ashamed and disappointed in myself because my mother had been a single mom who struggled so hard to put my sister and I through school. How could Ie up and tell her I had incurred a huge debt and didn¡¯t know how to pay it off?¡±


    Alexander¡¯s father grunted impatiently, wanting her to get to the point of her whole story already, but the rest of the family seemed very much hooked on her story to be bothered about its slow pace.


    ¡°So because of that, I cut off all contacts with my family, only calling them with unknown numbers once in every six months. I always called to check up on them, but never stayed on the line long enough to be asked where I was. My mom had been so broken by my disappearance, but I convinced myself I was doing this for her good. Meanwhile, Patawan had brought me into a kind of life I least expected. It waster on that I realized what he had done to me. He had trafficked me. He had sent me off to the Russo drug factory, where I worked day and night shift for him. He was caring the least bit for me and I was slowly bing a shadow of myself, falling into the pool of addiction all the more. One day, I had cked out during an inspection on the factory, and that was how I met Alexander. He was the Don at the time, and had been the visited for a special inspection. For Alexander, he was just concerned about the woman who had passed out from excess coke in her system.¡±


    ¡°He always came over to the factory to check up on me and it was weird that a man who oversaw arge scale cocaine factory such as that of the Russos, was bothered about an addicted woman. But I guess it gradually turned into something more as time went. Somehow, Patawan heard about it and decided to use it to his advantage.¡± She suddenly paused, tears cloud her eyes once more. In that moment, everyone knew this was the part they had all been waiting for.


    ¡°Go on.¡± Alexander¡¯s father urged impatiently, and she nodded.


    ¡°He told me that Alexander was beginning to fall in love with me, and that it was going to be beneficial to him. I was heartbroken because he seemed so okay with the fact that another man was interested in me. I asked him what he wanted, and he told me to y along and act like I loved Alexander as well.¡± She couldn¡¯t hold back her tears anymore and just let them flow out freely. ¡°I wanted to refuse.¡± She choked out in between tears, as everyone¡¯s eyes widened in shock. ¡°I never wanted to hurt Alexander deceiving him about my feelings for him, like Patawan had done to me. But Patawan threatened that he would hurt my family if I didn¡¯t do as he asked. Alexander was going to be his cash cow and he couldn¡¯t pass out on the chance.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Alexander whispered in shock from where he had silently stood all the while, making Bianca and Be look up at him in shock. Be was more shocked when she realized that he had been there with them.


    Apparently, after Alexander drove off in anger, he hadn¡¯t even gone far off when he had a change of heart and reversed his car to get back to his crying wife. He thought he overreacted, and felt remorseful. When Mia called and asked him to return to the mansion, it turned out he had already gotten there. He walked inside only to see Be talking, and decided to be patiently listen to all she had to say. If only he knew that her confession would break him this way, he would not have returned here. Tears clogged his eyes as he looked at the woman he had always loved. The woman who created a lot of beautiful memories with him, and made him take jumps he never believed he was capable of. She made him do crazy things for the sake of love, like he never imagined. Now, he just realized all the years they had spent together was all built on lies and deceit. He felt his heart shattering to pieces as her teary eyes locked with his.


    ¡°So¡­¡± He managed to say, praying for the mental and emotional strength to say the rest of what he had to say. ¡°You never really loved me?¡± He asked, hoping she would tell him that he heard wrongly. He knew he heard right. She had been in love with Patawan, and was most certainly still in contact with him until now. Was she the reason he had returned to Italy? Had they been seeing each other?


    Immediately she stood from the sofa, not minding how difficult it had been with her protruded belly, and rushed towards him, falling to her knees when she got there.


    ¡°That was initially!¡± She cried. ¡°No. You were such a wonderful man, Alex. You were just so good to me and I couldn¡¯t help but fall in love with you as time went. Please forgive me!¡± She pleaded, her eyes and pale skinpletely red. Her face had gotten blotched in a short period of time.


    ¡°I was such a wonderful man yet you deceived me.¡± He muttered disdainfully. ¡°Now I understand what has been going on.¡± He chuckled bitterly. ¡°Were you really actively funding the Saint Francisco orphanage, or you were busy giving out my money to Tawan? You even begged me not to kill him after he tried to hurt you. Now I understand it all. He had been enraged you had gotten pregnant for me, after wanting you to just suck money from me. You were even probably cheating on me with him.¡± He whispered thest part.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    That particr realization made Alexander go crazy and before he knew it, a tear dropped. Manuel¡¯s heart ached so much for his cousin, but he was also shocked by all he was hearing.


    ¡°No no no!!¡± She raised her hands up. ¡°No, I never cheated on you. I was very much faithful to you, please.¡± Her whole neck was drenched in her tears at that point.


    ¡°I would be a fool to ever believe a word you say again.¡± He muttered in disgust as he grounded his teeth in internal agony, and walked out of the mansion. Be felt such an excruciating pain in her heart that made her wail out so loudly.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t leave me!!¡± She fell to the floor in tears, as Bianca and Mia quickly reached out to her. This had been her greatest nightmare. The truthing out, and the one true love of her life giving up on them.

 CHAPTER 54

    BIANCA¡¯S POV


    I walked into the bedroom after my bath, and put on my night wear. After that, I walked towards Manuel who was very much awake on the bed.


    ¡°Heyyy.¡± He called out to me the moment I sat on the bed. He held my shoulder and turned me to face him. ¡°You seem sad.¡±


    ¡°I should be the one telling you that. You look much more worried than I am.¡± I sighed. ¡°I¡¯m so worried for Be.¡±


    ¡°Same here. I am so worried about Alex. I haven¡¯t been able to reach him ever since he left home this morning. He must be so heartbroken.¡±


    ¡°I know right?¡± I nodded in agreement.


    ¡°Totally.¡± He sighed. ¡°I have never seen Alexander as in love as he had been with Be, with another woman. He cherished her. I feel sad that things are taking such an unexpected and scary turn for them. Never in my wildest imaginations would I have thought Be and Patawan had a sort of thing.¡±


    ¡°But I could totally rte to Be though. You know, we never know how the shoes of another hurts, until we wear them.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not trying to make Be look like the bad one here, but she shouldn¡¯t have lied to Alexander. Not only did she lie, she deceived him in regards to the emotions and feelings that made him take the significant step to marry her. Ah! He did a whole lot of crazy things just for Be.¡±


    ¡°How do you mean?¡± I asked inquisitively. Ever since thest time we talked about his Nonna, I had refrained from enquiring about any more personal family matters. I was very much willing to wait for him to tell them to me himself.


    ¡°You remember what I had told you a few days back, about Alexander being the original Don?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do.¡± I nodded, giving him all my attention.


    ¡°Well, he had stepped down from his position as Don, because of Be.¡±


    ¡°Really? Why?¡±


    ¡°There had been an attack against her.¡± He sighed. ¡°So, it turns out that Tawan had actually informed Alexander that Be was his property, and she worked for him. Alexander had willing paid a huge amount of money to offset Be¡¯s debts to Tawan, before finally tying the knot with her.¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute.¡± I shook my head in slight confusion. ¡°I thought Be said Tawan used her to milk Alexander off his money?¡±


    ¡°We were equally suprised to hear that today. Left to us then, we saw Tawan no more than the guy who she owed debts to. It made no one think for a second that she was in a rtionship with him.¡±


    ¡°She wasn¡¯t.¡± I corrected him.


    ¡°But she loved him.¡± He shot back. ¡°And most of all, he seemed to like her as well. That could only exin the reason he tried to kill her then. It¡¯s even now that everything seems a whole lot clearer to us. Then, Patawan had been connected to a group who tried raiding the cocaine factory. Be had paid a visit to the factory, same day it was raided. She had been shot in the belly and had almost died.¡±


    ¡°Oh my God!¡± I yelled out in disbelief.


    ¡°Her baby had died, but she survived. It had traumatized both she and Alexander for years. Then, Alexander stopped at nothing to find the people who had dared to raid our factory. He found out that somehow, Patawan had been involved in the raid. Alexander had gone as far as killing off a lot of men in rage. That was one of the craziest moments in Russo.¡± He smiled as he thought back to the time. ¡°When Alexander had informed a recuperating Be that he had Tawan in his custody and was gonna kill him for trying to hurt her, she pleaded on his behalf and reminded him that he was a major reason why they had both crossed paths in the first ce. Alex had ended up sparing his life after taking one of his arms.¡±


    ¡°By ¡®take¡¯, you mean?¡± I asked in confusion, not wanting to believe it was what I was thinking.


    ¡°One of his arms was cut off aspensation for the child Be had lost.¡±


    ¡°No way!¡± My eyes were the size of saucers.


    ¡°Yes way.¡± He chuckled dryly. ¡°Now it all makes sense. Tawan had purposely tried to hurt Be out of spite or jealousy. He probably couldn¡¯t believe Be had let Alexander get her pregnant.¡±


    ¡°Such a psychopath! What was he expecting when he pushed her into a marriage with a man that loved her?¡±


    ¡°A psychopath indeed. Tawan had been banned from setting his foot anywhere close to Italy anymore.¡±


    ¡°So he left?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he did. After that, Alexander decided to step down from the position of Don. ording to him, he would only end up incurring more enemies in that position. He was scared they¡¯de after the lives of his wife and children in the future.¡±


    ¡°Oh myyyyy¡­.¡± Alexander was a really thoughtful and nice man. Most of all, he truly loved Be.


    ¡°But now, there is information that Tawan is back in the country, being backed up by a certain person we are yet to apprehend.¡±


    ¡°You mean he is here in Italy?! If so, Be isn¡¯t safe.¡± I reasoned, and he slowly nodded in agreement.


    ¡°We have to ensure she is safe because right now he seems to be back for the wrong reasons. We have to act before he does.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± I nodded in agreement. ¡°Please you have to find a way to get through to Alex. Be is going through a lot of pains at the moment. Do you know the courage it would have taken her, to have confessed all these in the presence of everyone? She overlooked the scrutiny and judgementalments your uncle had made. All she cared about was finallying out clean to the man she had grown to love. I was much more amazed over that fact.¡±


    ¡°True. We do need to find Alexander. I don¡¯t know why, but I feel the next couple of weeks would be crazy.¡± He muttered, making me feel chills on my skin. Why did I feel like he was right as well? Little did I know we didn¡¯t have to wait for weeks. A lot of crazy things were about happening real soon. It seemed to be that with the Russos, one was always in for a new suprise everyday. ¡°Come here.¡± He pulled me to himself as weid on the bed. He gave me a soft kiss, after which I closed my eyes in total exhaustion from the day. I was about to finally sleep off when a question came to mind.


    ¡°Manuel?¡±


    ¡°Pretty head.¡± He responded.


    ¡°Would you give up your position as Don, to ensure that I and the baby are safe?¡±


    ¡°Bianca, familyes first before any other thing.¡± I liked his answer, but it would have felt better, had it said it another way. It would have felt better if he told me I was more precious to him than a mere position. I guess we still hadn¡¯t gotten to that phase of our rtionship yet. I¡¯d be patiently waiting until we get there. Finally, my eyes closed in slumber.


    *


    *


    I woke up quite early the next morning because I was so eager to see Be. She hadn¡¯t returned home with Alexander¡¯s family yesterday, because the tension between them had just been so much. My mother inw was such a nice woman. When she noticed Be wasn¡¯tfortable returning home with them, she insisted Be stayed back with us, until Alexander came for her. Alexander¡¯s father had huffed in a way that showed he doubted his son was gonna want to have anything to do with Be anymore. I could tell that it broke her heart. But good enough, she looked better this morning. Not so much though, but better than yesterday. After I stayed to speak with her for a while, I told her I was stepping out and asked if she¡¯d love to join me, but she declined, wanting to just remain in all day. I perfectly understood her mood.


    I returned to my bedroomter on, only to find that Manuel was gone already. He had left a small note at least, exining he had a very important meeting he couldn¡¯t afford to miss. It was even best for me because I was tired of lying to him everyday, when I was about leaving for Nonno¡¯s.


    So the things is, the other day, Nonno¡¯s second present to me, had been a professional martial  arts teacher. The man was sooo worried that more incidents woulde in the future, and he wanted me to be able to protect myself to an extent. Due to the fact that I¡¯m pregnant, my lesson were limited to certain body movements. That was the reason Nonno asked me not to tell Manuel the actual reason why I frequently visited his house these past few days. Manuel wasn¡¯t going to be pleased about the fact that I was doing any strenuous activities in my condition, even though Doctor Luigi had approved that certain exercises were even good for the baby. So also, Manuel¡¯s pride would be hurt. He would feel like I thought he wasn¡¯t capable of protecting me and the baby.


    I was happy though. My teacher said I was a fast learner. At least, I knew how to aim and give a clean shot with a gun now. I also knew a few basic karate defense moves. I only knew a few because my condition limited me from doing high impact exercises. But I was most d because now, I would be able to protect myself and my baby to a certain extent. I wouldn¡¯t just be a push over.


    After having my bath and dressing up, Massimo, Miguel, and Andrew apanied me to Nonno¡¯s penthouse. For days now, I noticed he had this smile and glow on his face all the time. I wanted to really ask how things were going with him, but refrained from doing so. I didn¡¯t want to be intrusive in anyway. We had gotten to Nonno¡¯s penthouse eventually, and I got to work with my martial arts instructor. All the while, Nonno sat in the practice room and watched as I learned. Whenever he thought my instructor was getting too intense, he¡¯d always be quick to call it a wrap. It was so funny.


    After I was done at Nonno ce, I had a quick shower and changed out of my exercise outfit. Massimo and the others prepared to take me back home, but I had a different n. I wanted to go see Manuel at his office, so we could have lunch together. Weirdly, I was missing him so much today, and couldn¡¯t wait until evening to see him. I was just a hopeless lover girl, wasn¡¯t I? As per my instructions, Massimo drove to Manuel¡¯s office and I found myself rushing up to see him. I got to his office and Julia was on seat.


    ¡°Hello miss Bianca!¡± She grinned at me, and I gave a wave.


    ¡°Hello Julia, how it is going?¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡± She nodded. ¡°Are you here to see Mr Russo?¡±


    ¡°Ahhhh¡­ yes.¡±


    ¡°So sorry, but he is currently not on seat.¡± She sighed. ¡°But you could wait for him.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Would he be back soon? What sort of engagement did he have?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not so sure, but I think he got a call from miss Ferrari.¡± She whispered thest part, and my ears stood erect.


    ¡°By ¡®miss Ferrari¡¯, you mean Francesca?¡± I asked, and she nodded in affirmation. Why did I feel jealousy tug against my heart? They were done, right? Why did it not seem that way? At least, that was how they were making it to be. Just then, I received a message from Manuel¡¯s number. He was asking to meet him at a particr hotel not far from his office, so we could have lunch together. I felt a small smile make it way to my lips and I looked at Julia.


    ¡°Thank you so much Julia. I would be taking me leave now.¡± With that, I walked out of the office and told Massimo my next location. It wasn¡¯t even up to 10 minutes and we got to the hotel. The ground floor was a restaurant and I went inside, hoping to see him. I was suprised when I didn¡¯t see him anywhere around. Just then, a waiter made his way towards me and Miguel was quick to act out.


    After making sure the man wasn¡¯t posing any threats, they let him speak freely with me.


    ¡°Hello ma¡¯am. Are you Bianca Russo?¡± He asked, to which I nodded, unsure where this was going. ¡°Your husband asked that you joined him room 211.¡±N?velDrama.Org content.


    ¡°Sorry?¡± I muttered, not catching on.


    ¡°He has a suprise nned out for you.¡± The waiter said, making me narrow my eyes at him. Why did it feek like there was something fishy? I called Massimo¡¯s attention and asked the waiter to repeat his statement, which he did. Massimo suggested there was no harm in going to the room, since his boss had personally texted me toe to the hotel. If it was so, then he could actually been nning some sort of suprise indeed. I decided to quickly text Manuel and see what he says. He indeed confirmed that he was the one who sent the message, and I shoulde up already. Massimo, Miguel, and Andrew escorted me there. To be very honest, a little part of me had began getting excited. What had he nned?


    We had passed a lot of rooms and were finally able to locate room 211. We walked to the door and Massimo stood beside me while I knocked. It wasn¡¯t up to a secondter, when the door was flung open and I saw what made my heart stop.


    There, was Francesca, stark naked as Manuel was hastily buckling his belt. My eyes locked with his immediately, and he looked so shocked, only proving one thing. They just had sex.


    I couldn¡¯t hold back the tears that dropped down my eyes. How I felt? Heartbroken and betrayed. I thought he was beginning to love me. Oh, Bianca. How foolish you were, to be twice bitten.

 CHAPTER 55

    MANUEL¡¯S POV


    I left home without seeing Bianca because I had a very important meeting to attend. When I got to the office, Julia was already there, and she let me know that Francesca had already been here earlier. It sounded really weird to me because I thought she¡¯d never show face around me anymore, considering the way things had ended thest time she was here. Couldn¡¯t she just get the point that we could no longer be together? I had been so worried when Bianca had walked in on us the other day. I didn¡¯t know why, but I just wanted to thoroughly assure her that nothing went on between Francesca and I. I was so relieved when she had epted my exnation and further went on to give me great pleasure. It was at that moment I realized I wasn¡¯t ready to ever let go of her. She was mine.


    ¡°The note left by miss Francesca is on your work desk sir.¡± Julia supplied, to which I nodded. Indeed, I saw the note on my desk when I walked in, but I really wasn¡¯t in the mood to open it yet. What else would she say, if it wasn¡¯t to let me know how much she missed me?


    Picking my files and walking out, I made my way to the boardroom. My human resource manager and the rest of the officials were already seated and waiting. I apologized for my tardiness and we kick started the meeting. After much hours of suggestions and deliberations, the meeting came to an end and I rushed to my office, wanting to call Bianca on the phone and hear her voice already. On getting there, I was about picking up my phone and putting a call across to her, when Julia knocked on my door.Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    ¡°Come in.¡± I muttered. The door opened and she stepped in.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry sir, but miss Ferrari is on the line.¡± I found myself doing something I didn¡¯t usually do. I rolled my eyes.


    ¡°Let me have it.¡± I demanded, and she brought the telephone to me. Reluctantly, I picked up the phone and answered. ¡°Manuel Russo on the line.¡±


    ¡°Oh, cut it out Manuel.¡± Francesca sighed. She sounded like she had just woken up from sleep, and her voice sounded drowsy.


    ¡°I¡¯m cutting it out then.¡± I muttered. ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°Nothing much. Just a lunch date with you.¡±


    ¡°Francesca, you really have to understand that nothing can ever happen between us again. I¡¯m married now.¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t say that Manuel.¡± She exhaled, purposely making it sound like a moan. Oh God.


    ¡°I¡¯m hanging up now.¡± I announced, and was about ending the call when her next words stopped me.


    ¡°I have an information you¡¯ve been looking for.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I asked, slightly confused. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Wellllll¡­..¡± She dragged out, making me impatient. ¡°What I mean is that, you¡¯ve been trying to find the person who wants to hurt Alexander¡¯s personal assistant right?¡± Wait a minute. She meant Bianca?


    ¡°You have information about that?¡± I rushed out.


    ¡°Yes, I do.¡± She whispered yfully, making me ground my teeth against each other.


    ¡°So you had a hand in it all along?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t! But I know who did.¡± She chuckled.


    ¡°Tell me, who did?¡±


    ¡°Not too fast now, baby. You would give me something in return.¡± I just knew this wasn¡¯t gonna be good. What was she possibly going to ask for now?


    ¡°And how do I know you¡¯re not lying about having supposed information?¡±


    ¡°Manuel, just like you, I also have my ways. I¡¯m a fucking mafia princess, you¡¯re quick to forget that. A much better option than that weak assistant of Alex.¡± Her statement made me so angry and I released a grunt before I could hold back.


    ¡°She is my wife, and It is my duty to protect her! Now tell me what you want, or get the hell out of my phone!¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t yell at me, Manuel.¡± She suddenly sounded so cold. ¡°At least, if you¡¯re really concerned about your wife¡¯s safety.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± I released a tired sigh. ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t sound oblivious now, you know what I want. I want you Manuel.¡± Immediately she said that, I gave a signal to Julia, asking her to leave me alone. Once the door shut close behind her, I resumed my conversation with Francesca.


    ¡°In your dreams Francesca. I belong to another woman now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to sleep with me Manuel.¡±


    ¡°Then what are you asking?¡±


    ¡°That you just go to lunch with me. That¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°And what do you stand to gain from lunch with me?¡±


    ¡°It gives me the opportunity to convince you that I should be in your life instead.¡±


    ¡°We already know how that would turn out. You can¡¯t change my mind.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t act like that woman is enough for you to resist my charms.¡± She whispered sultrily, making me hold back a chuckle. She couldn¡¯t bepared to my pretty head when it came to that.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Francesca, but you can¡¯t have a hold on me.¡±


    ¡°Then prove it. Come to the location on that note that I dropped off at your office earlier in the day.¡± She said, and I smirked. I knew what she was trying to do. She had ns and I wasn¡¯t going to fall for it. I had to be as careful as possible.


    ¡°I would be with you at the said location, in thirty minutes. Don¡¯t keep me waiting.¡±


    ¡°You know I won¡¯t.¡± She chuckled. I knew that I had to be very careful around her, but that didn¡¯t change the fact that she had information about Bianca¡¯s predator, and I had to find out. I was too desperate to let such a potential opportunity pass me by.


    I got busy doing some other works and when it was 15 minutes to the agreed time, I made my way out of the office, purposely letting Julia know my destination. Just in case. Nobody could be trusted these days, and definitely not a Ferrari. ¡®Even the woman that saved your life?¡¯, by subconscious asked, making me sigh. Yes, even her. Because I¡¯m no longer the man she saved. I am the man who broke her heart.


    On getting to the location, I could see Francesca already seated on one of the tables. I quickly made my way to her and took the seat opposite her. Now I was thinking if leaving to go see her without some form of protection, was a wise decision. I should have called at least, two of my men to tail me. I was graduallying to the realization that Francesca couldn¡¯t be trusted anymore. How she had information pertaining Bianca¡¯s attacker is still a discussion I would have with myselfter on. There were two things involved. Either she was an aplice, or she truly used her sources to get information on that. But then, that was something even Dito was yet to do.


    ¡°Hello my love.¡± She grinned at me, licking her lips as she sized me up and down. ¡°You look particrly yummy today.¡± She whispered sultrily, making me roll my eyes. I looked at the dress she was putting on and as usual, it wasn¡¯t qualified to be called a dress. It was such a mystery how that didn¡¯t unnerve me when we were still together. It was a kind of dress Bianca would wear and I would be filled with rage. Even thinking about Bianca wearing that dress at the moment, made me scowl. All eyes of every man would be on her. On my property. Bianca did show some skin every now and then, but it was always moderate. Something that would leave a man wondering how much more he could see.


    ¡°Hello Francesca.¡± I cleared my throat, keeping my eyes out on the watch, like a hawk. I couldn¡¯t let her y a fast one on me. She seemed to have noticed because the next minute, she chuckled.


    ¡°You know I would never do anything to hurt you Manuel. You¡¯re that important to me.¡± She smiled. ¡°Plus, I can¡¯t risk worsening the feud and bad blood between the Russos and Ferraris. So please, just calm down.¡± She smiled widely at me.


    ¡°Alright.¡± I nodded. ¡°So who is the person that¡¯s after my wife?¡± I went straight to the point, causing her to frown a little.


    ¡°Seriously? You think I would give you the information that is the only reason why you are here, so quickly?¡±


    ¡°We had an agreement Francesca.¡± I gritted out, my anger slowly rising.


    ¡°We did. But I would be a fool to make our deal non beneficial to myself. I would certainly give you the information you seek, but that would be when you have spent at least, one hour with me. That way, none of us loses.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± I muttered. ¡°How have you been?¡± I asked, wanting to speed up the process. God! The things I found myself doing for Bianca.


    ¡°Come onnnn¡­¡± She giggled annoyingly. ¡°Always in a hurry, are we? We should share of few sses of wine.¡± She muttered, pushing the already opened bottle of wine to me. I scoffed internally. Who did Francesca think I was? A boy that didn¡¯t know his left from his right? This was such an old trick. I very well knew that the drink was spiked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll pass.¡± I said, staring deeply into her eyes. She seemed unfazed for a moment and I smirked. I was right after all. But then, I didn¡¯t want to outrightly use her in order not to make her angry. So I thought of a better approach to it. ¡°Water would be fine.¡± I took the sealed bottle of water on the table, opened it and gulped it down until I was satisfied. I had actually been thirsty.


    ¡°Fine.¡± She red at me. ¡°I would tell you about thest sexual encounter I had then.¡± She suggested, making me scoff. As she started telling her story which weirdly seemed to be real event, she didn¡¯t stop outlining her nipples with her index finger, and biting her lips. I looked around to be sure no one else had been paying attention to us, and seeing her do all those embarrassing stuffs.


    Halfway into her story, I started to feel weird. I suddenly began to see her in twos, then threes, and then, I lost count of how many Francescas  were in front of me.


    What was happening to me? This had never happened before.


    Soon, my eye lids began to droop and I fought so hard not to sleep. When I knew it was bing something I couldn¡¯t manage on my own, I gathered all my strength and stood up from the seat. But before I could even take two steps further, I was falling to the floor, scattering the unupied table just beside us, in the process. Fuck! After a few seconds, I felt Francesca¡¯s hand on my cheeks as she screamed for help. I guess the waiters began running towards us, but before they could get to us, I felt her lips around my ear.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any information you need. Sorry Manuel.¡± She giggled, before raising up her head once more and yelling for help. What the fuck?! It was then I realized what had just yed out. It wasn¡¯t the wine that had been spiked, it was the water. FUCK YOU FRANCESCA!! I thought I yelled that out loud but apparently, it was only so loud in my own ears. What was her aim?


    *


    *


    My head felt like it was about to split into half, the moment I opened my eyes. After taking a few minutes to get used to the ufortable feeling, I looked around my environment. I was in a decent looking room, but it wasn¡¯t my own room. That was weird. Immediately, I felt the weight of someone else beside me.


    ¡°Pretty head.¡± I called out, before turning my head to see apletely different person. I guess what shocked me to my bone marrow was the fact that the particr woman was stark naked. What was Francesca doing on the same bed with me? Even naked! Oh my God! I quickly jolted up from the bed only to see that I  had only my boxers on. Shit! shit! shit! Noooo!!!!


    ¡°Come on, stop acting like you didn¡¯t enjoy it too.¡± Francesca muttered and it was then I started recalling the episodes from earlier. Before I could hold myself back, I was rushing towards her in anger, and grabbing her neck so tightly. She started to choke and slowly, tears began to well up in her eyes. ¡°So you want to strangle me?¡± She managed to say. ¡°Because of her?¡± The look in her eyes showed so much disgust.


    ¡°Yes! She is enough to make me act out!!¡± I yelled in pure anger. Slowly, her pupils began to dte as more tears rolled down her eyes.


    ¡°You love her.¡± She whispered, making me release my grip immediately. ¡°Manuel, you have fallen in love with her!¡± What was she saying now? I quickly walked away from her, and got busy scanning the room for my clothes. I needed to get dressed and leave this ce as soon as I can. I found my clothes neatly folded on the bedside table and without wasting any time, I began throwing them on. I was already done putting on my clothes and was still trying to buckle my belt when a knock came on the door. Immediately, Francesca walked to the door in her nudity, and opened it. I had been concentrated on fixing my belt quickly, but when I heard a low whimper, I looked up. I could swear that my heart flew out of my chest. Oh no! Massimo was also behind her and he seemed unnerved for a second. Even he, didn¡¯t expect such from me. I was so ashamed.


    When I saw the tears drop down her eyes, I felt like someone had just bashed my head against the wall.


    ¡°Bianca.¡± I called, but she just looked at me for a few more seconds, before smiling and shaking her head in disappointment. The next minute, she was walking away with Massimo following her. I quickly took my phone from the bed and ran after her, not paying attention to whatever Francesca had the guts to say. ¡°Bianca!!!¡± I called out as I ran behind her, but her steps were faster. Before I could get into the elevator with her, it shut close, leaving me with no other option but to use the stairs. Luck wasn¡¯t on my side because when I finally got to the ground floor and outside the hotel, I saw her car drive away with so much speed. Not wasting any time, I hopped into my own car and followed her behind. I needed to exin myself, it wasn¡¯t what she was thinking.


    I knew Massimo was the one driving, but the speed at which he drove made me know he was equally angry. Had they really gotten so close for such a misunderstanding to piss him off this way?


    My car finally came to a stop inside our gates and just as Bianca was stepping out of her car and rushing into the house, I did same.


    ¡°Bianca please wait.¡± I begged, but she seemed to not be listening. I was actually stupid for thinking she should. The moment we got into the living room, my parents, Tommaso, Matteo, and Be were seated there. I quickly covered the space between us, and pulled her by the arm. I was scared she¡¯d lock me outside the room if I let her go up.


    ¡°Listen to me, I can exin!¡± I desperately rushed out.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Mom was the first to ask, but I didn¡¯t answer her.


    ¡°You have lost the right to request anything of me.¡± Bianca replied coldly and my heart lurched at the sight of her red eyes and runny nose. I felt like I had been continually punched in the gut for a whole minute.


    ¡°It¡¯s not what you think.¡± I said, and she pulled her arm out of my hold aggressively.


    ¡°It¡¯s not what I think?! What do you take me for? A fool?!¡± She yelled out, more tears streaming down her eyes. Suddenly, she chuckled humourlessly and nodded. ¡°Actually, I think you do take me for a fool. Who wouldn¡¯t?¡± She sighed.


    ¡°No no no.¡± I shook my head vigorously. I have never been so scared in my entire life.


    ¡°Yes!¡± She nodded continuously. ¡°I am a fool. I am a fool!!¡± She affirmed loudly, her cries increasing and making me more worried. ¡°Because it¡¯s only a fool who would love a man unrequitedly for 4 whole years.¡± She chuckled amidst her tears. ¡°It¡¯s only a fool that would work so hard just so she could bag a job as the personal assistant of Alexander Russo. Why?¡± She asked,ughing hysterically. ¡°Just so she could get to see Manuel every once in a while!¡± My eyes widened in shock, and I could hear whispers from my family members. ¡°It¡¯s only a fool like me that would let you sleep with me, even when I knew you loved another woman. It¡¯s only a fool that would leave a man who loves her, and marry the one who doesn¡¯t. It¡¯s only a fool like me that would keep hoping as each day passed, that you¡¯d begin to love me too¡­¡± She cried harder now, the smile disappearing from her face. ¡°So, you¡¯re right.¡± She shrugged. ¡°Feel free to think that I¡¯m a fool. Because I truly am.¡± Her shoulders slumped in exhaustion as she turned and walked away. I guess I was more shocked by everything she just said, to even try and hold her as she walked away.


    What just happened here? Oh God! I felt my knees give up on me as I finally realized it all. It was me?! It had been me all along!! The Russo man who made her struggle so hard to get a job with Alex¡­.. was me. I was her first love. Bianca loved me. I felt so foolish and stupid. I was the fool, I was the fool, I had always been the fool!!


    My parents had not stopped asking what was going on, but I wasn¡¯t even in the mental or physical state to say a word. I tried making my way to my study, but my shaky legs couldn¡¯t even carry me. Matteo was quick enough toe to my side and support me, and all I could think of was the fact that I didn¡¯t even deserve his help.

 CHAPTER 56

    MANUEL¡¯S POV


    I woke up to an empty bed, yet dark room. That was weird. Whenever Bianca woke up before me, she always put the lights on. I sighed in mental exhaustion as I thought about the possibility of speaking with her this morning. A lot of things had influenced me, not being able to speak with her and let her know the truth about what she saw yesterday. Irregardless of the fact that I was drugged, I did sleep with Francesca and I guess that was were most of my guilt came from. Also, after hearing Bianca talk about her feelings for me, it felt like I couldn¡¯t breathe anymore. For the life of me, I never thought possible that the man Bianca had spoken about on the ind was me. It was me! Oh, how she would have felt when I suggested that Francesca and I raised our unborn child together, after she bore it. I was such a pathetic and unfeeling fool. I don¡¯t know why the new information that Bianca loved me, made me feel extremely lucky and special. So it wasn¡¯t even Anthonio? Neither was it Kyle. It was her damned husband all along. I was supposed to have treated her better.


    ¡®But you did!¡¯, said my subconscious. Did I? I tried to treat her kindly, but I know I could have done better. I really need to exin myself to her, I feel like I¡¯m slowing dying inside of me. ¡®Then what are you waiting for? Go look for her already!¡¯. Okay, yes! I shouldn¡¯t waste anymore time. I don¡¯t care if she continues to yell at me, or if she hits me, or curses at me, all I know is that I must exin myself to her.


    I hurriedly hopped down the bed and turned on the bedsidemp. I would have failed to see the note there, if not for my extremely active senses at that point. I gave a small frown before pulling the note from underneath themp. I very well knew it wasn¡¯t a random note, because we didn¡¯t just casually drop notes in our bedroom. Why did I feel scared looking at it? Was I beginning to get paranoid? Why did I feel like Bianca just did something that was going hurt me real bad? No no no. I wouldn¡¯t open this note, I¡¯d have to look around for her first.


    ¡°Bianca?!¡± I called out, walking towards the bathroom, and opening the door. I looked inside to see no one there. Okay, she had gone for a pee. She was definitely fully awake then, maybe downstairs eating some food. I rushed out of the room, the note still in my hand as I made my way to the living room. Just as I got there, I was suprised to see my parents and our security guard. What was going on?


    ¡°Bianca! Where is Bianca?¡± I asked my parents who seemed too calm for my liking. I was more irritated when all they did, was to stand and look at me. ¡°Can any of you answer me please?!¡±


    ¡°Good morning Don.¡± Emiliano, the security guard greeted. ¡°The madame left during the mid hours of this morning.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me? What do you mean she left?¡± I asked in a mix of confusion and in irritation.


    ¡°This morning, she drove out of the residence.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I muttered to myself, before I opened the note in my hand to see what was written in it. Oh no, oh no!! I was right, she had left me. Oh God, no! ¡°And you let her leave?!!¡± I thundered in annoyance and frustration. I was already frustrated and deep within, I knew it was just the start of my frustration.


    ¡°Asides the fact that we really do not have the rights to stop her, we received a call from Mr Anthonio.¡±


    ¡°Anthonio? My cousin? What did he say?¡±


    ¡°He told I and the other guards on duty, that she was leaving under the instructions of your grandfather.¡±


    ¡°Nonno?¡± I asked, looking at my parents who just remained silent. I guess what annoyed me more, was the fact that I didn¡¯t understand the reason for their silence. How could they be calm in such a situation? Was it as a result of the shock, or did they not just care that my wife had decided leave me?


    ¡°Why did Anthonio have to call then? Can you both just say something already?!¡± I directed my question to my parents.


    ¡°What can we say?¡± My father asked, finally looking worried. ¡°We are just as shocked as you are. You both came back and had what seemed to be a huge fight yesterday, and you¡¯ve refused to say anything to anyone. It¡¯s more shocking to see things turning out this way.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Manuel be calm.¡± I found myself whispering, as I made my way back to my bedroom. I looked at my phone to see that it was still the early hours of morning. If she went to Nonno¡¯s ce, then I could as well go and plead with her to return home. I quickly went through our wardrobe and thankfully, her clothes were still there. There¡¯s hope.


    I went into the bathroom for a bath, before rushing out. I had to be in Nonno¡¯s ce as soon as possible. At least, I felt a lot better knowing she was with him. In the blink of an eye, I was already dressed and making my way out of the mansion. Luckily, the road was still very unupied, making it easier for me to get to Nonno¡¯s ce without any traffic dy. As soon as I got to the hotel, I was literally running out of my car like a rat being chased. I just couldn¡¯t push away the thought that Anthonio was the one who had called, for my security guards to let her leave. ¡®Calm down Manuel¡¯.


    The moment I was up at the penthouse, I punched on the doorbell. I guess I pressed on the poor doorbell like 5 times in 10 seconds, which made Aggie to quicklye for the door and usher me in.


    ¡°Bianca!! Bianca!!¡± I yelled, making my way in, not even remembering to greet Aggie. ¡°Bianca pleasee out and talk to me.¡± I pleaded.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± I heard my Nonno say as he made his way down the stairs. I had expected to see Biancaing after him, but when I didn¡¯t see her, my heart did a little flop. ¡®Patience Manuel¡¯.


    ¡°Nonno.¡±


    ¡°And to what do I owe this early visit?¡± He asked, looking indifferent. Oh, I forgot for a moment that we had an exchange thest time, and hadn¡¯t really beenmunicating since then.


    ¡°Please, I just came to see Bianca.¡± I went straight to the point.


    ¡°Bianca?¡± He asked, making me frown slightly.


    ¡°Nonno, please I just want a minute with my wife.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that? Is my nipotina supposed to be here?¡±


    ¡°Wha¡­.. but you¡­. she wa¡­¡± I found it difficult to make a sentence as more fear creeped into me. I guess it was more disturbing because he didn¡¯t look like he was jesting. In fact, he looked concerned.


    ¡°What¡¯s with all the stuttering? Is my angel okay?¡±


    ¡°Wait? She¡¯s not here?¡±


    ¡°My question again! What is all these about?¡±


    ¡°Oh my God!¡± I whispered to myself as my eyes widened in shock and realization.


    ¡°Is my nipotina missing?¡± He asked, walking closer to me. ¡°Answer me!!¡± He thundered, and I found it difficult to say another word. The only emotion that filled my mind at that moment was rage. Where the hell had Anthonio taken my wife to?


    ¡°Fuck!!!¡± I rushed towards a wall and punched my hand against it continuously. ¡°Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡± Nonno thundered, making me look back at him in exhaustion. ¡°Where is she?¡± He asked again.


    ¡°Anthonio took her.¡±


    ¡°Why? How?¡± He asked again. Scared to tell the man that she thought I cheated on her, because he may not let me even exin myself before biting my head off, I decided to say something else.


    ¡°We had a misunderstanding Sir.¡± At hearing my words, he narrowed his eyes towards me and shook his head in disappointment.


    ¡°I am giving you until the end of today to find her!¡± He thundered. ¡°I don¡¯t care if Anthonio took her, make sure you find her! If you fail to, do not show your face around me, because you wouldn¡¯t like the oue. I warned you! I warned you Manuel! You rotten child, I warned you never to hurt her!¡±


    ¡°But I swear it was a¡­¡±


    ¡°Another word from you, and I may forget the fact that you¡¯re an adult. Get out of here this instant! And don¡¯te back until you¡¯ve found Bianca!¡± He yelled out his orders, before turning back and making his way upstairs. God, I¡¯m fucked!


    Not having any other choice, I walked out of the penthouse and went into my car. I turned on the car and drove off immediately.


    I wasted no time in calling Alex, who wasn¡¯t picking up. Not now, I needed his help. I kept calling and calling until finally, he picked up.


    ¡°What the fuck man?¡± He muttered into the phone, sounding almost inaudible. ¡°Calling my phone 17 times because of Be won¡¯t¡­.¡±


    ¡°Alexander, Bianca has left me!¡± I yelled out, cutting him off. His brain seemed to have taken half a minute to reboot, before he finally spoke up.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°My wife just left me this morning. I can¡¯t find her, don¡¯t know where she is.¡±


    ¡°Calm down, that¡¯s not possible. Bianca wouldn¡¯t do such, are you serious right now?¡± He chuckled. ¡°You got me, alright!¡± Heughed all the more. ¡°Your prank is actually the first thing making meugh in a couple of days.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not joking Alexander!¡± I was so busy yelling, making it impossible for me to see the iing vehicle in front of me. I had missed that vehicle by a thin stroke of luck. ¡°Fuck!¡± I violently stepped on the car brakes and came to a halt in the middle of the road.


    ¡°Manuel? What¡¯s that chaotic noise? Are you alright?¡± I was still in so much shock, and tried to calm down. Did I almost have an ident right now? I could hear a few cars horning behind me, making me slowly drive to the corner of the road and park there. ¡°Manuel, don¡¯t get silent on me now. That didn¡¯t sound good.¡± Came Alexander¡¯s worried voice.


    ¡°I nearly got into an ident a moment ago.¡± I rushed out.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening? Where are you?¡±


    ¡°Alexander,¡± I sighed. ¡°What¡¯s happening is that Bianca left home this morning.¡±


    ¡°Bu¡­ but why?¡±


    ¡°She caught me cheating yester¡­.¡±


    ¡°What the fuck?!¡± He caught me off.


    ¡°I promise, it¡¯s not what you think at all.¡± I rushed out.


    ¡°You just told me that you cheated on Bianca. What am I supposed to think?¡± His voice finally raised a notch higher since our call began.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t really cheat, Alex. Please believe me. It was all a misunderstanding.¡±


    ¡°Did you sleep with another woman or not?¡± He went straight to the point.


    ¡°Francesca drugged me.¡± I answered.


    ¡°Francesca?! Great!¡± He hadn¡¯t expected it would be Francesca. ¡°Manuel, it¡¯s hard to believe you¡¯d fall for such a cheap trick. What was the reason you were even in a close proximity with her?¡±


    ¡°She told me she had information on Bianca¡¯s attacker? I had¡­.¡± I paused my words, releasing a deep sigh. ¡°Look¡­.¡±


    ¡°Manuel, where are you?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know.¡± I looked around to see where I actually was. Where had I been driving to then?


    ¡°I am at your apartment,e meet me there.¡± He said, before hanging the call. So that was where he had been all these while? The apartment I went to, whenever I needed a break. That was the same ce I had gone to after my wedding. Immediately, I kickstarted my car and made my way to the location.


    *


    *


    ¡°This is crazy.¡± Alex muttered in disgust. ¡°Francesca is such a¡­.¡± He sighed, not having the right word to describe her.


    ¡°I feel the same way too.¡± I grounded my teeth against each other. Francesca was gonna feel so much pain for the pain she was currently causing me. But that was going to be after I found Bianca.


    ¡°But, did Bianca drive out on her own? I thought you made Massimo her personal bodyguard?¡±


    ¡°If Massimo had been with her, Emiliano could have mentioned it.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± He sighed. ¡°Have you tried checking with her parents? It¡¯s possible she¡¯s over at theirs. If she isn¡¯t with Nonno, and she isn¡¯t with Laura like I have already confirmed, then she should be home with her parents.¡±


    ¡°I doubt. Anthonio wouldn¡¯t get involved in this, just to escort her home to her parents. Moreover, she wouldn¡¯t have left the mansion at such ungodly hour, just to go home.¡±


    ¡°We should turn every card please. I¡¯m worried about Bianca as well, and these are the only people she would have possibly been with. Also, it is courtesy to let her parents know of the fact that their daughter left home.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my fear.¡± I shook my legs against each other in worry.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Her parents would certainly think I¡¯m not fit to be a part of their daughter¡¯s life. And you know her father never really seemed to like me. I also heard Greta say the man used to really like Anthonio. They may probably think it¡¯s best for Bianca to be with Anthonio after all.¡±


    ¡°My goodness.¡± Alex smiled at me, with tears in his eyes.


    ¡°Oh God! Alex, I¡¯m sorry for bringing my problems to you, when you¡¯re actively dealing with yours.¡± I muttered in remorse. ¡°I haven¡¯t even asked how you¡¯re coping.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly Manuel. Finding Bianca is more important than anything else at the moment. And it¡¯s my work to worry about you.¡± He lightly pped my shoulders in support. ¡°And as for whatever the case is with Be, I¡¯m slowly getting used to the realization of things. I would be fine.¡±


    ¡°But you know Be loves you right? She may try to act strong in the presence of everyone, but she¡¯s slowly bing depressed. And the present situation with Bianca and I, seems to have her more worried.¡±


    ¡°After all she¡¯s done to me, isn¡¯t she supposed to be worried?¡± He smiled, but it clearly didn¡¯t reach his eyes. At that moment, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder why we were all fucked at the same time. I was literally going insane, and the day was yet to be over. ¡°I¡¯m more concerned about the fact that you have finally fallen in love with Bianca.¡± Immediately he said that, my heart did that silly flip again. I wanted to ask what he meant, but something within me told me that would be a foolish question to ask. It was hard to believe, but Alexander may have been right. ¡°You have no idea how much this pleases me Manuel. I¡¯ve always wanted you to know what that emotion feels like.¡±


    ¡°She loves me too.¡± I muttered, looking down at my shoes.


    ¡°I know. I noticed that thest time I saw her. She had this glow in her eyes when we spoke about you¡­.¡±


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t understand.¡± I shook my head slowly. ¡°I mean to tell you that Bianca has always loved me. For years now.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    **********


    We walked into the Bianchi¡¯s residence, and I was literally holding my heart in my hands.


    ¡°Breathe.¡± Alexander gave me an encouraging smile, making me nod in understanding. ¡°You were never this worried about meeting Francesca¡¯s father.¡± He teased.


    ¡°I never really loved Francesca.¡± I muttered underneath my breathe, my nerves not getting any better.


    ¡°Wow! Never had I imagined a day, when you would admit that you never really knew love until you met Bianca.¡± He smiled at me, but I wasn¡¯t really paying attention to him. ¡°I would ring the doorbell.¡± He muttered, before pressing on the doorbell. He didn¡¯t have to press on it a second time, before the door flung open. I was suprised to see who was there.


    ¡°Laura?¡± Alexander called.


    ¡°Good afternoon, Mr Russo.¡± She gave a small smile, pulling the door open for us to step in, but we remained in our spot. She didn¡¯t even look at me one bit, and I could tell she knew everything already. All I had done was have Alexander call her and ask if Bianca was with her. She had said no. So how¡­.? ¡°After our call, I had to put a call across to Bianca. I was worried.¡± She directly her statement and attention only to Alexander, now making it clear that I annoyed her. Clearly. She thought I intentionally hurt her friend, so why wouldn¡¯t she hate me?Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Alexander muttered. ¡°So were you able to reach her?¡±


    ¡°No. But she did send a text message after I tried calling, letting me know that she is fine, after her husband cheated on her.¡± She turned to me and eyed me angrily. I deserved that. ¡°She also asked me to assure her parents that she was safe.


    ¡°It¡¯s not what you think.¡± ¡°Her parents know?¡±


    Alexander and I said at the same time.


    ¡°Yes, her parents know.¡± She nodded towards me. ¡°You shoulde in.¡± She said, before turning and walking further into the living room. Oh, fuck! That invitation sounded so much like a threat. Alexander took the first step through the door, and I followed behind. The moment we got in and shut the door behind us, I regretted my decision to walk in. My eyes had locked with that of Bianca¡¯s seething father. Never have I ever been so scared. My wife was truly the origin of fear in my life. Manuel Russo was never the fearful type. Now, look at me.

 CHAPTER 57

    MANUEL¡¯S POV


    We both locked eyes for a couple of seconds, before he pulled his eyes away and made his way towards me.


    ¡°Oh no! Tesoro!¡± His wife called out to him, but he seemed to have exceeded his limit on patience. He closed the space between us with a huge blow to my face. The only thing that resounded in my ears was a question Bianca had asked me on the ind five months ago. ¡®Have you met my papa?¡¯ I have met him now, and he is tougher than I expected.


    ¡°O!!!¡± I yelled out in pain, very much shocked that the man had indeed lifted his hands on me. What the fuck! The entire left side of my face was burning hot.


    ¡°That is for breaking my daughter¡¯s heart!¡± He yelled out, beforending yet another punch on the other side of my face. Goodness gracious. ¡°And that is for making her disappear for a second time.¡±


    ¡°Christ! Tesoro!¡± Bianca¡¯s mom ran towards him and pulled hisrger arms. ¡°Stop it already! You¡¯re hurting the poor boy.¡± She sighed. Me? A boy?! I was a full grown man of 29.


    ¡°My daughter is the poor one here. She ended things with Anthonio who adored her, just to be with this scoundrel that hurts her all the time. How dare he cheat on her?!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t cheat on Bianca.¡± I managed to say, still busy massaging my aching jaw. I felt a pair of hands on my shoulders, and looked up to see that it was Alex who was trying to pull me up. Wait a minute¡­ I was on the floor?


    ¡°Oh well, that seems to contradict what hade into her line of vision.¡± Laura narrowed her eyes at me.


    ¡°The nerve of you toe into my house and lie to me.¡± Bianca¡¯s father bit out.


    ¡°I¡¯m not lying!¡± I finally yelled out in annoyance, the moment Alex helped me up. I was literally the victim here.


    ¡°He is actually saying the truth.¡± Alex muttered. ¡°It was a veryplicated misunderstanding.¡±


    ¡°Uplicate it!¡± Bianca¡¯s father howled out, as his wife released a tired sigh.


    ¡°The thing is¡­ someone has attempted to hurt Binaca a couple of times already, and Manuel got an unverified info¡­.¡± Before Alex could finish speaking, Bianca¡¯s mom cut him short.


    ¡°Pardon! You mean to say that Bianca¡¯s life is in danger?!¡± She asked, and the whole ce fell silent. That was excluding her father who was still seething in anger.


    ¡°I knew it deep down, that something wasn¡¯t right about these people.¡± The man muttered to himself as he paced the length of the room. ¡°So my daughter¡¯s life has been in danger?!¡±


    ¡°I was going to fix that, when I got set up. I was drugged¡­. an.. and Bianca got a call toe to the location. And she saw me there with a naked woman¡­¡±


    ¡°Your ex fiancee, you mean?¡± Laura cut me off.


    ¡°My ex fiancee was the one who had supposed information about Bianca¡¯s attacker!!¡± I yelled in her face.


    ¡°The point is¡­.¡± Alexander started. ¡°This was truly a misunderstanding, and Manuel would never intentionally do anything to hurt his wife.¡± I could hear Bianca¡¯s father scoff at Alexander¡¯s words


    ¡°Please¡­¡± I begged. ¡°Can you just tell me her whereabouts? Please I need to speak with my wife!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t yell in my house, except you want me throwing another punch at that pretty face of yours, before throwing you out.¡± He growled, making me gnash my teeth in anger. I was taking all of these humiliations just because he was Bianca¡¯s father. ¡®Or because he truly scares you?¡¯, my subconscious mocked. I wasn¡¯t going to answer such a silly question. ¡°All I know is that she is off with your cousin, which seems to be best for her.¡± He muttered.


    ¡°Tesoro, don¡¯t say that now!¡± His wife whispered in chastisement.


    ¡°So you think I should just fold my arms and watch Anthonio take Bianca away from me?!¡± I had lost it now.


    ¡°I want my daughter to be happy. At least I¡¯m sure Anthonio cares for her more than you do.¡± He gritted out.


    ¡°Pay him no heed my dear.¡± His wife walked towards me. ¡°I believed you when you said that it was all a misunderstanding, but I¡¯m afraid it would take a lot of conviction for Bianca to think the same. Most importantly, we haven¡¯t be able to reach her directly, so we really cannot speak to her yet.¡± She exined, giving me a sympathetic look that made me feel like a boy indeed.


    ¡°Even if we can reach her, I certainly wouldn¡¯t speak in your favour. You don¡¯t¡­.¡± Her father was still talking when his wife gave a loud irritated hiss. It came as a suprise to us all, when she turned and red at him.


    ¡°I think you should get some rest, Tesoro.¡± She muttered and to my amazement, he turned and walked up the staircase. Oh wow! She didn¡¯t even have to scream or yell at him? Such a stubborn man?


    She turned to look at me and gave a small smile. ¡°Whenever we find it possible to reach her, I would call and let you know, okay?¡±


    *


    *


    *


    ONE WEEK LATER


    I walked out of my room, nothing seeming pleasant before my eyes. Normally, I wouldn¡¯t have even stepped out of my room, but seeing that I had run out of water and some snacks, I had to go down and get some.


    ¡°Christ! Manuel.¡± I tiredly looked to the side to see mom walking towards me. They hadn¡¯t really seen much of me for some days now, and it was as a result of my semi depression phase. I was still walking towards the kitchen when she pulled me by the arm. ¡°What is happening to you?¡± She asked in worry. Was she really asking me that? They all knew my wife had run off with Anthonio, but still seemed cool about it.


    ¡°Mom let me go.¡± I muttered.


    ¡°You are not walking away until we are done with this discussion.¡± She bit back.


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to have that conversation, trust me.¡± I chuckled dryly and slightly pushed her to the side.


    ¡°You would never repeat such an action towards your mother again.¡± I had my dad say, making me sigh and roll my eyes. Everything seemed alright for him, because he had his wife here with him.


    ¡°My apologies mother.¡± I said, before making my way to the fridge and taking out 4 bottles of water.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t stepped out of your room in days. You haven¡¯t even been to the office for over a week now.¡± Mom said. Was she being serious right now?


    ¡°Stop! Just stop it!!¡± I couldn¡¯t help my outburst. ¡°You all imed to love Bianca so much, yet she¡¯s been missing for over a week now, and nobody seems to care!¡±


    ¡°Maybe we would have cared more, if you hadn¡¯t been unfaithful to her!!¡± She barked, taking me by surprise.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t unfaithful! I never for once cheated! She was the only reason why I had epted that damned lunch invite from Francesca.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re ming her now?¡± My father asked, pushing me into more frustration.


    ¡°I never said that!! I¡¯m going insane here!!¡± I threw the bottles on the table and held my aching head in my hands. ¡°I was drugged! How many times do I have to say that for you all to believe me? How do you all except me to function properly without my wife?!!¡± I sighed, willing back the tears that threatened to drop, just at the thought that Anthonio was with her. Was she really going to leave me? Would she let him touch her like I do? Was she doing this to get back at me? We were expecting a baby for crying out loud.


    ¡°Calm down.¡± I heard mom whisper to me, as she took my bigger arm and made me sit on one of the seats around the dinning table.


    ¡°But how can I?¡± I sighed, the tears finally dropping from my eyes. I had never cried over anything since my Nonna died. This was the first in a long while.


    ¡°Oh, Manuel.¡± She hugged me against her body and released a gasp almost immediately. ¡°Oh myyy! Your head is sooo hot, you¡¯re running temperature.¡±


    ¡°What? Is he okay?¡± Dad rushed towards us and touched my head.


    ¡°Please can I breathe?¡± I groaned. ¡°I need some space.¡± I tried getting up, but fell on my buttocks almost immediately.


    ¡°You don¡¯t feel well Manuel. Remain calm, I¡¯ll call the doctor.¡± My father said, before walking away. Slowly my head began to feel too heavy for my head, and it felt like I was gonna ck out soon. True to my thoughts, I cked out the next minute.


    I opened my eyes to see everyone¡¯s worried eyes hovering around me.


    ¡°Manuel.¡± I looked to the direction of the voice to see Doctor Luigi.


    ¡°Doctor? What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°You passed out earlier in the day, and your parents summoned me.¡±


    ¡°I did?¡± I asked in suprise. ¡°What seems to be the matter?¡±


    ¡°Just a little fever which came as a result of too much stress. Mental, and probably even emotional stress. It would be advisable for you to rx more.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± I muttered after he was done with his diagnosis. I definitely wouldn¡¯t tell the man that it would be quite the impossible task not to stress myself mentally.


    ¡°Always weed. You¡¯re very fine now, but just make sure you rest.¡± He smiled, before picking up his briefcase and walking out of my room. The moment he was out, it seemed like all my siblings had something to say at once.


    ¡°How do you feel?¡± Greta¡¯s voice was able to overshadow that of Matteo and Tommaso.


    ¡°I feel like shit.¡± I replied dryly.


    ¡°Enough, you guys.¡± Mom shut them up, before looking at me. ¡°Honey, about Bianca¡­.¡± She started, grasping my attention effortlessly.


    ¡°What about Bianca? Have you found her?¡± I looked at she and my father, who shared a look. What was that about?


    ¡°I think you should call your Nonno.¡±


    ¡°He said he doesn¡¯t want meing close to him, if I haven¡¯t found her.¡± I released a defeated sigh.


    ¡°Well, you could go to his penthouse for a start.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear what I just said?¡±


    ¡°We did.¡± Mom smiled. ¡°And we are working under the instructions of your Nonno. He has asked that you go see him. That is, if you really do miss your wife.¡± Oh God! There was good news, then. Nonno has found her. I found myself standing up from the bed and rushing into the bathroom, not caring that my family were literallyughing behind me. They probably couldn¡¯t believe what I had be as a result of my love for this woman. My feelings and emotions were very foreign, but I loved it. There was definitely no way I wouldn¡¯t love the idea of loving Bianca. That was the most sensible feeling to have.


    The moment I was done bathing, I stepped out of the bathroom to meet my room empty. They had all gone. I wasted no time in dressing up and rushing out of the house, my siblings foolishly cheering me on as I walked out of the living room. Rats!


    After a short ride, I had gotten to Nonno¡¯s ce and rang on the doorbell. A few minutester, Aggie came for the door.


    ¡°Hello Aggie.¡± I smiled.


    ¡°Good afternoon Sir. Pleasee in.¡± I stepped in and she closed the door behind me. ¡°Your Nonno left a message for you.¡± She supplied.


    ¡°He¡¯s not in?¡± I asked in suprise.


    ¡°He¡¯s not been around for a while now.¡±


    ¡°When would he return?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really know. Probably next week.¡±N?velDrama.Org content.


    ¡°Pardon.¡± I muttered, suddenly feeling confused. ¡°When did he step out?¡±


    ¡°Oh, he didn¡¯t step out. He hasn¡¯t been in Mn for the past one week. He went to join your wife at his mansion in Sicily.¡± I went silent for some seconds, not able to believe what Aggie¡¯s statement was implying.


    ¡°You mean to say that he has been in Sicily with Bianca? For the past week?¡± I asked in shock.


    ¡°Yes sir.¡± She nodded in agreement. It suddenly dawned on me. Bianca had been away, but not with Anthonio. She had been with Nonno in Sicily. No wonder he asked me not toe close to him except I had found her. He knew I wasn¡¯t going to find her, because she was with him, while making me believe he was also at loss in regards to her whereabouts. And because I couldn¡¯te to his penthouse, I didn¡¯t realize he was away all the while.


    ¡°Oh wow.¡± I muttered, smiling to myself. This man had just put me in a very unbearable state of mind for a whole week. I released a deep sigh in exhaustion. God, I was sooo tired. Was this his way of making me feel pain for all that happened? Because it worked.


    ¡°Your Nonno has asked that you join them in Sicily tonight.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± I found myself grinning in disbelief. Was there a possibility that my parents knew about this as well? They clearly did. It was now I understood why they hadn¡¯t been so disturbed about Bianca¡¯s disappearance. They knew she was safe, and were acting under Nonno¡¯s instructions. They really did y a fast one on me.


    *


    *


    It was already night when I arrived at Nonno¡¯s mansion in Sicily. It had surely been a while I was here, but the staff hadn¡¯t forgotten who I was. Either that, or they had been pre~informed about my visit.


    ¡°Good evening Sir. Your Nonno awaits you in the garden.¡± The butler said, before giving a slight bow. I didn¡¯t need directions to find the garden, I very well knew where it was. It was myte Nonna¡¯s garden. With slow steps, I made my way to the beautifully illuminated garden, and just in the middle, was a round wooden table with two curved benches around it. On one of the benches, sat Nonno and¡­.. my wife. I released a deep sigh at finallyying eyes on her after a whole week. I didn¡¯t mind that she was currently sleeping, with her head on Nonno¡¯s shoulder and couldn¡¯t see me. She looked¡­ so pure and angelic¡­.. and so beautiful as she inhaled and exhaled softly. Oh God! She was my everything.


    ¡°Good evening No¡­¡± I was about greeting him, when he gave a signal for me to shut up. He didn¡¯t want me waking up Bianca, and that was very understandable.


    We both locked eyes for a moment, before he pointed at Bianca¡¯s sleeping form and signaled me to take her. Without wasting any time, I stepped closer and gently pulled Bianca¡¯s body out of Nonno¡¯s embrace. Then moment I carried her into my arms, she unconsciously buried her nose in my chest and sniffed my scent in, her arms tightening around my neck. I turned to Nonno and at that point, all I felt towards him was gratitude. I was so grateful that he had insisted on binding Bianca to me several months back. Now, I couldn¡¯t imagine my life without her in it. ¡®Thank you¡¯, I mouthed and for the first time in a long while, the old man smiled at me. An actual genuine smile, before waving me off to leave.


    I made my way back to the entrance of the mansion, where the butler ushered me inside and asked one of the maids to escort me to Bianca¡¯s room. I ascended through the staircase with Bianca still sleeping soundly in my arms. Once we got to her room, I smiled at the maid in appreciation, before making my way in. With my leg, I kicked the door shut behind us and walked to the bed where I gently dropped her. She sighed satisfactorily as her head hit the pillows, and I found myself smiling delightfully. Oh, how I missed my pretty head. I pulled off my clothes and hopped onto the bed in just my boxers. After covering our bodies with the duvet, I pulled her closer to me and drifted off to sleep.


    In the middle of the night I felt Bianca¡¯s body moving against mine, and my eyeszily fluttered open. I was suprised to see that she was already awake, looking at me.


    ¡°Manuel.¡± She whispered, and I felt myself melting under the scorching heat of her gaze.


    ¡°My angel.¡± My hand caressed her cheek softly. ¡°I missed you.¡± I muttered sincerely. She went silent for some time, before suprising me with her own words.


    ¡°I missed you too.¡± She sighed and leaned into my touch. Hearing her say that she had missed me as well, made my heart leap for joy. I didn¡¯t even think before leaning closer to her and cing my lips onto hers. I wasn¡¯t kissing her yet, because I wanted her to give me the go ahead to do so. It wasn¡¯t even up to a few secondster, when she stuck out her tongue and licked my lips, indicating that she wanted me to kiss her.


    I smiled inwardly and pulled her lips into mine for a passionate kiss. Finally, I felt alive again.

 CHAPTER 58

    BIANCA¡¯S POV


    ¡°Hello my darling.¡± I heard Nonno¡¯s voice behind me, making me tear my eyes away from the beautiful scenery. This garden had been my ce of solitude for days now. I came here everyday, praying to God that this pain and burden in the form of anger, got lifted from my heart. I felt so miserable and hurt. It had already been 6 days since I left home, and had still not gotten over the pain of his betrayal. I knew he didn¡¯t love me, but didn¡¯t we agree to remain faithful in our marriage? Or did he say all of that to me, just so I would open my legs to him?


    ¡°Good afternoon Nonno.¡± I forced a smile on my face as I turned to look at him. The moment he looked at me, his face fell.


    ¡°Bianca, when you¡¯re hurting, I¡¯m hurting as well.¡±


    ¡°I really want to get it off my chest, but it¡¯s just not working.¡± I sighed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t expect you to so easily forget the fact that your husband cheated on you, my dear. But then, you have not spoken to anyone in days. Your friend and parents are worried about you. Your new family would have been equally distraught but thankfully, they know you¡¯re here with me.¡±


    ¡°But why do you even bother with this n of yours?¡± I sighed. ¡°Making Manuel jealous by using Anthonio, wouldn¡¯t make me feel better. The only thing that makes me feel better these past days has just been my trainings.¡±


    ¡°Which is part of my worries.¡± He sighed. ¡°Your belly is getting bigger, and I do not want you overwhelming yourself just because that foolish grandson of mine decided to cheat on you. And in respect to Anthonio, I¡¯m not trying to use him to make Manuel feel jealous. I just want Manuel to feel the pains of being defeated. The thought that Anthonio must have taken you with him, is enough to make him mad with anger and rage. He ought to feel the same pain you¡¯re feeling.¡± He ground his teeth. ¡°I spoke to Mia today.¡±


    ¡°You did.¡± I nodded. ¡°So how is she?¡±


    ¡°She is okay, knowing that you are with me. She also let me know that Manuel has been locked up in his room for days now.¡±


    He has?


    ¡°He has?¡± I muttered, to which Nonno nodded. ¡°He hasn¡¯t been going to work?¡± I asked again.


    ¡°ording to Mia, he hasn¡¯t since you left. And that is all I am after. I need to make sure he feels worse pains than what he has made you pass through.¡± He sounded really petty saying such, and it made me give a small smile. ¡°I would discipline and punish him as much as nessary my dear. All I¡¯m just asking is that you don¡¯t leave him.¡± He pleaded.


    I inhaled and exhaled deeply. It was weird, but the thought of leaving Manuel even after finding out that he cheated on me, had never really crossed my mind. I definitely knew it was going to take a long while for me to get over what he did, but I didn¡¯t really think of leaving him. Now that I think about it, shouldn¡¯t I just leave? For the sake of my child. My baby deserves to be born in a family filled with love.


    ¡°Also, there is something else Mia told me.¡± He sighed, making me look up at him.


    ¡°And what could that be?¡±


    ¡°Well, she said Manuel had been insisting that he didn¡¯t cheat. She wants to talk with you.¡±


    ¡°Nonno,¡± I sighed. ¡°I¡¯m sincerely not ready to speak to anyone just yet. I really hope you understand.¡±


    ¡°I do understand you my dear. I do.¡± He nodded.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± I gave yet another fake smile. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, I would be in the sparring room, just incase you need me.¡±


    ¡°Go easy on yourself please.¡± He rushed out. ¡°Don¡¯t put so much strain on your body.¡± He ordered, to which I nodded in obedience. I walked away from the garden and made my way to the very room that had literally absorbed my anger and wrath for the past five days.


    After I had boxed with the dummy for about half an hour, I began to feel tired and took it as my cue to leave. I walked to my room and was very happy to soak myself in the jacuzzi filled with warm water that made my muscles rx. I don¡¯t know for how long I remained in the bathroom, but I eventually stepped out and dabbed my body dry. I looked at my naked body in the mirror and realized I had changed a whole lot. I was very pregnant at the moment, my belly protruding much more. I stayed in my position for a couple of minutes, asking myself what to do. Or rather, asking my baby what to do. Should I pick up my phone and talk to my parents or¡­. Maybe I should justy in bed and sleep instead. I was still in my train of thoughts when a knock came on the door. I quickly put on my robe and went to get the door. It was Nonno. He held his phone to his ears as he looked at me.


    ¡°Nipotina, Martina said you were back in your room.¡± Martina was one of the maids working in Nonno¡¯s mansion.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± I nodded, opening the door wider for him toe in. Instead of walking in, he shook his head in negation, and pointed at the phone he held to his ear.N?velDrama.Org content.


    ¡°Alexander wants to speak with you. He says it¡¯s urgent.¡± I knew I already made it clear that I didn¡¯t want to speak with anyone, but considering the situation of things between Alex and Be before I left, I felt the need to actually take his call. Most importantly, I wanted to know how he was faring because finally, I could understand the way he felt.


    ¡°Alright, let me have it.¡± I stretched out my hand and collected the phone from Nonno, who walked away immediately.


    ¡°Bianca.¡± I heard Alex call, and I released a sigh. ¡°How are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Not so differently from you.¡± I answered honestly.


    ¡°Hmmm. You¡¯re not supposed to be feeling the way I feel.¡±


    ¡°But why not? We both are passing through the pains of getting betrayed by our spouses, not so?¡±


    ¡°Well, I think that is where you are getting it all wrong.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I muttered, already thinking if I made the right decision by epting to speak with him.


    ¡°First of all, promise me you wouldn¡¯t hang up the call. Please.¡±


    ¡°I cannot guarantee that.¡± I said.


    ¡°Fine then. But just let me speak for a moment. There is something you really ought to know.¡±


    ¡°If Manuel asked you to¡­¡±


    ¡°Trust me, I haven¡¯t seen Manuel in days. He isn¡¯t even speaking with anyone.¡± I didn¡¯t know how I felt, hearing that particr information from him. It seemed more believable. ¡°So can we talk?¡± He asked again and I nodded.


    ¡°Yes.¡± I said when I realized he couldn¡¯t see me nod.


    ¡°Great! So the actual truth is¡­..¡± And that was how our conversation began.


    *


    *


    ¡°So when are you returning home?¡± Nonno asked me, and I couldn¡¯t even say a word. I probably felt stupid for being too quick to make assumptions. After my conversation with Alexander yesterday, I finally felt myself getting better. For the first time in a whole week, I slept soundly.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡± I whispered, avoiding eye contact with him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you feel embarrassed now?¡±


    ¡°I definitely feel embarrassed Nonno.¡± I admitted. ¡°I truly hadn¡¯t given Manuel a benefit of doubt. I didn¡¯t even let him speak before flying off to Sicily.¡±


    ¡°But it isn¡¯t entirely your fault. Indeed, all you saw were too real to be a lie. Anyone would have acted that way as well.¡±


    ¡°But he went through all of that, just to make sure I don¡¯t get hurt in the future. I have put him through so much pain, just as I have caused myself this whole week. Alexander says he hasn¡¯t had any solid food to eat ever since I left.¡±


    ¡°Stop ming yourself.¡± Nonno smiled warmly at me. ¡°If we are going toy mes, then I deserve to be med as well. I should have tried to hear him out as well, after you called me that morning.¡±


    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have just called Anthonio and made it seem like he had taken you. It¡¯s unlike me to just make drastic decisions like that. But that¡¯s exactly what it means to care for someone. The slightest thought that you were hurt, had made me equally hurt.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Nonno.¡± I hugged his sides and muttered my thanks. Truly, no one else took care of me as much as the man did. A week ago, when I had gone into the bathroom in the mid hours of the morning and called him, he had been worried to hear me crying. After narrating all that happened, he simply told me he had a n, and asked me toe over to his penthouse immediately. I had done exactly as he asked, not bothering to call Massimo. I was very suprised when I got to the estate gate, only for the security guards to almost pose as an obstruction. I couldn¡¯t me them though. It was weird for me to be driving out of the estate sote at night. I was about calling Nonno when Anthonio¡¯s call suddenly came in. At that point, I wondered why Anthonio was in the picture, but I definitely trusted whatever n Nonno had.


    On getting to the penthouse, there was already a driver waiting to take me to the airport. Nonno had convinced me to leave for his mansion in Sicily, promising to join me there the next day. I was very relieved to not see Anthonio, but felt sad that he already knew that the choice I made instead of him, had broken my heart into a thousand pieces. The next day, Nonno joined me in Sicily just as he had promised. He informed me that he was going to stay with me for as long as I wanted to be away. I couldn¡¯t be more grateful, knowing I had his support in every situation.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± He cooed into my hair. ¡°But you have to return home to your husband and sort things out. You both were wrong in one way or the other, so it isn¡¯t entirely one person¡¯s fault.¡±


    ¡°Hmmmm.¡± I smiled, hoping to be with Manuel soon. ¡°Tomorrow then. I should be home by tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Great! That sounds just great!¡± He grinned. We were still in ourfortable embrace when Nonno¡¯s phone rang out. Immediately, he picked it up and smiled. ¡°Your mother inw.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm.¡± I nodded and pulled away from his embrace. He answered the call and put the phone to his ear. I was very surprised when he narrowed his eyes and frowned. ¡°Is anything wrong?¡± I muttered, but he seemed to be more interested in whatever Mia was saying at the other end of the line. I just hoped all was well.


    ¡°What do you mean by that? How?¡± He queried, his forehead creasing into lines. Okay, something wasn¡¯t alright. ¡°Call Luigi immediately.¡± He ordered, before nodding at whatever Mia had said in return. Luigi. By Luigi, did he mean the family doctor? Something was definitely not fine, making me worry all the more. He was on the call for some more minutes, before finally hanging up.


    ¡°Nonno is anyone hurt?¡± I asked the moment he dropped the phone on the table in front of us. He released a tired sigh before looking at me.


    ¡°My dear, I think I may have gone a bit too far this time.¡±


    ¡°How? What happened?¡±


    ¡°Manuel passed out just this morning.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I muttered, my heart falling to the pit of my stomach. ¡°W.. what is the matter with him?!¡± My heartbeat elerated. ¡°Please I need to get back home now.¡± I said without even thinking, standing to my feet immediately.


    ¡°Calm down.¡± He stood as well and held my shaky hands in his. Why I was so scared? Manuel had always been my definition of a strong man.


    For him to have passed out, only meant it was something serious. My husband wasn¡¯t alright and here I was in another side of Italy, doing what??!!!


    ¡°He would be fine. You shouldn¡¯t panic that much in your condition.¡± He adviced. ¡°Doctor Luigi is already with them and has confirmed Manuel would be just fine. So calm down, okay?¡±


    ¡°Hmmm.¡± I nodded, slumping onto the bench. ¡°But what happened to him?¡± I asked in evident worry.


    ¡°Apparently,¡± Nonno sighed. ¡°He has been mentally and emotionally stressed, which led to him having a strong fever. But he is very stable now.¡± He patted my back. He was mentally and emotionally stressed? That was unlike Manuel. What was I supposed to make of that? Was he that way because of me? ¡°We should be able to fly to Mn tomorrow.¡± Nonno assured. ¡°For now, you should get some rest. I need to take care of a few businesses.¡±


    ¡°You are stepping out?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Hmmm.¡± He nodded. ¡°But I¡¯d be back before you know it. You want anything?¡± He asked, and I managed to sh a small smile. He knew just how to make me feel like a baby.


    ¡°Ice cream.¡± I muttered and he chuckled.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine then. I would just call Martina to escort you to your room¡­¡±


    ¡°I can manage on my own.¡± I quickly rushed out. Nonno couldn¡¯t keep treating me like a fragile ss. He eyed me closely for a moment before speaking.


    ¡°If you¡­.¡±


    ¡°I insist.¡± I cut him off again and he startedughing. ¡°See you when I return Nipotina.¡± He waved and walked away, before suddenly turning to me again. ¡°Make sure you don¡¯t worry about Manuel. He is fine now.¡±


    ¡°I hear you.¡± I sighed and waved at him. ¡°Bye Nonno. Come back quickly.¡±


    ¡°I would be out and back before you blink!¡± He yelled out as he walked further away.


    ¡°Seriously?!¡± I chuckled.


    *


    *


    My consciousness returned, but I was suprised to feel someone¡¯s arms around my waist. That was very unusual, but there was just something about the way this person held me. It felt very familiar. On a normal day, I would have screamed for help, but I remained calm. At least, the steady breathing of this person made me realize he or she was fast asleep as well. I inhaled deeply, taking in the extremely familiar scent as well. Oh God! Now I was dreaming too. I had spent the entire evening with Nonno, hoping for tomorrow toe already, just so I could go see Manuel. Now, I had woken up in the middle of the night, literally dreaming that he was here with me. But someone was definitely in my bed with me, that wasn¡¯t a dream.


    Slowly, I opened my eyes and turned to whomever it had been in my bed. My breathe hitched the moment I saw him. Manuel? ¡­. how? This wasn¡¯t real. I stretched out my hand to feel his face, and I realized he was truly here in the flesh. When?! Just then, his eyes fluttered open, making me hold my breathe in tension. We looked at each other for sometime, but he wasn¡¯t saying a word, making me question my senses, if he was truly here with me.


    ¡°Manuel.¡± I called, wanting to see if he was going to respond. I was shocked when he did.


    ¡°My angel.¡± He whispered, his hand caressing my cheek softly. He was truly here with me! ¡°I missed you.¡± He muttered, looking deeply into my eyes and making it difficult for me to say a word. I had started to feel those tingles all over my body. I just couldn¡¯t help the way I loved this man.


    ¡°I missed you too.¡± I finally found my words, as I leaned into his sweet touch. He looked so suprised when I said I missed him as well. Well, I did. The next thing he did was to cover the space between our faces, and ce his lips on mine. I wondered why he wasn¡¯t making any moves to kiss me. I had missed having him so close, and thest thing I wanted was for him to tease me now. Our breathing intermingled with each other¡¯s and when I couldn¡¯t take it anymore, I stuck out my tongue and licked his lips, hoping he got the message I was trying tomunicate to him. He did, because the next minute, he was pulling my lips into his in a sizzling kiss.


    We both sighed into the kiss, probably going through the same emotions at the same time. I suddenly pulled away when it ured to me that he was ill just this morning.


    ¡°How are you?¡± I rushed out, as I gathered as much air as I could.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± He sighed, rubbing the tip of his nose against mine, and making me close my eyes in pleasure. I missed him sooo much. ¡°But I¡¯m better now that I¡¯m with you. Please do not ever leave me again. I¡¯d go crazy if you do.¡± He pleaded, capturing my lips for yet another kiss. My hands pulled against his hair as our kiss intensified. The emotions I had been feeling initially seemed to have doubled after hearing thest words he said to me. Now, I felt like my heart was about to burst from excess love anytime soon. He climbed atop me, not breaking off the kiss as his hands explored every part of my body. I noticed he was trying to be as gentle as possible, and I knew why. My belly was now getting a lot more bigger, and he was scared he¡¯d suppress the baby. Wanting him to rx during the next couple of minutes, I gently tapped his arm.


    ¡°Hmmm?¡± He asked, breaking off our kiss.


    ¡°Get off me.¡± I rushed out, but quicklypleted my statement when he frowned slightly. ¡°I want to be on top of you.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± He whispered, quickly getting off me and sitting on the bed, in a way that his back rested on the headboard. ¡°Come.¡± He held my hand and pulled me closer.


    He brought me closer and carried me onto his thighs. I was now straddling him, but couldn¡¯t make any other move as we just locked eyes for a while.


    ¡°You came.¡± I whispered, tears clogging my eyes.


    ¡°That is because I couldn¡¯t stay for another day, without you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Manuel.¡± I cupped his cheeks and leaned in to kiss him again. He brought out his tongue to deepen the kiss and before I knew it, the short gown I had been wearing went off. I also didn¡¯t realize when his boxers had gone off. The only thing I remember was his cock gently sliding into me.


    ¡°Oh God!¡± I moaned out. ¡°Oh myyyy God!¡± I yelled out in pleasure as I whined my waist atop his cock. How was it possible that this feeling always felt new and better?


    ¡°My pretty head.¡± He groaned into my neck as he thrusted into me from beneath.


    ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± I hummed in response, my arms tightening themselves around his neck.


    ¡°My¡­ world.¡± He groaned out again, making my feet tingle, as well as my belly. His thrusts, only making the physical and emotional pleasure unify.


    ¡°Ahhh!!!¡± I yelled out in ecstasy, my pussy movement atop his cock bing faster. I was about cumming, and I couldn¡¯t hold back.


    ¡°Bianca¡­ Bianca¡­¡± He reached for my face and pulled me downwards, so we could share a kiss. ¡°I love you.¡± He whispered, before capturing my lips in a gentle kiss that was in contrast to how fast my pussy was going against his groin. His words had me feeling like my world had just been tilted.


    ¡°Oouuu!!¡± I squealed, tears seeping out of my eyes as my brain registered what he had just said to me, over and over again.


    ¡°Please¡­¡± He whispered against my lips as we both chased our orgasm. ¡°Tell me you¡­.¡± He paused his words all of a sudden, releasing a loud groan. ¡°Bianca tell me you love me too¡­.¡± My brain seemed to have gone on a long vacation because the next second, my pussy was clenching his cock, and our bodies violently shook against each other as we had our release.


    It took a couple of minutes to get off our high. After I became calm, I looked up at him and cupped his cheeks with my palms, leaning in to give him a sound kiss. A kiss that was definitely able to portray how much I felt towards him. ¡°I love you too.¡± I muttered after breaking off the kiss, and we smiled at each other. God! This was one experience I wasn¡¯t going to forget in a while. The man I love, loved me back!

 CHAPTER 59

    BIANCA¡¯S POV


    I was still asleep, but the sweet feeling I kept getting down there slowly pulled me out of my slumber. God, why was it feeling sooo good when I wasn¡¯t doing anything? Was I horny in my drean or what? I was already awake, right? My hand immediately reached down there, but instead of touching my pussy, I was touching hairs, then¡­ a head? I needed no one to tell me what was going on at the moment. My eyes fluttered open, and I looked down to see Manuel literally eating my pussy.


    ¡°Oh God!¡± I released a moan as his tongue continued to flicker against my clit. His lips were actually french kissing my vulva, and that action made me want to faint from excess pleasure. How was it possible that it could feel this good? Was this how good he felt when I sucked him the other time?


    He looked up at me, our eyes locking, while his tongue continued to give me sweet pleasure. I couldn¡¯t even hold his eyes long enough, before cing my head back on the pillow and closing my eyes as I revelled in the ecstatic feeling. He didn¡¯t have to keep on for long, before I felt myself high up in the clouds in no time.


    ¡°Ahhh!! Yes!¡± I moaned out. ¡°Oh God, I¡¯m cumming!!¡± I groaned, unconsciously picking up a pillow and covering my face with it as I had my release. I felt all my energy drain out of me after that. When my breathing became stabilized, I took the pillow out of my face and looked around. It looked like it was already morning. Probably the early hours of morning. I turned to my side to see Manuelying beside me and staring.


    ¡°Good morning pretty head.¡± His husky voice resounded in my ears. My cheeks definitely went red in embarrassment. That was definitely a mindblowing way of waking your wife in the morning. He slid closer to me and ced hisrge arms on my waist. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± What was he sorry for??! There was nothing to be sorry for! ¡°I just couldn¡¯t help it when I saw your cleeaannn pussy.¡± He dragged, making me chuckle as my face got my redder.


    ¡°I liked it.¡± I muttered shyly, looking everywhere else but at him. I felt his hand on my chin, pulling my face towards his.


    ¡°What I like is how innocent you are, yet a wildcat in bed. You satisfy me greatly. I¡¯m d you enjoyed it, was worried for a moment.¡± He sighed


    ¡°Worried?¡± I asked, making a confused face.


    ¡°Hmmm.¡± He nodded. ¡°You see, I¡¯ve never really done this before, annnndddd, I was quite skeptical if I would do it to your liking.¡± No wayyy!


    ¡°You¡¯ve never done this before.¡± I repeated.


    ¡°Yes. Why do you sound like you don¡¯t believe me?¡± He queried.


    ¡°Welll¡­ for starters, you dated Francesca Ferrari.¡±


    ¡°Anddd?¡±


    ¡°And she is a literal sex appeal. You both would have tried out a lot of things while you dated. I heard you were together for 4 years.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t the person who gave you this piece of information, also tell you if I had given her a head before?¡± He asked, making meugh. ¡°Listen, Francesca and I may have dated for years, but she hasn¡¯t been able to satisfy me the way you have done for just 5 months. Did I tell you that when we left the ind, I would always imagine making love to you, while with her?¡± My eyes widened at his revtion, and he smirked. ¡°Trust me, you had me baaaad.¡±


    ¡°Just when did you start to love me?!¡± I red up. How could he have felt this way about me since then, yet felt it okay to let me go after our stay at Moscow?


    ¡°Calm down babe.¡± He chuckled, pulling me closer by my waist. ¡°The thing I am beginning to realize is, I actually started developing feelings for you since our first time together.¡±


    ¡°When you say ¡®first time¡¯, do you mean the day you strode into Alexander¡¯s office unexpectedly, making me act like a creep?¡± I gave him a side re and he bursted intoughter.


    ¡°No, not that! But we would definitely have a conversation concerning that!! Now I understand your reaction towards me that day. You had been soooo happy to be seeing your celebrity crush for the very first time!¡± Heughed, kissing me all over my face as I tried to push him away in fake annoyance.


    ¡°Get off me!!¡±


    ¡°And I turned out looking wayyyyy hotter in person.¡± Heughed, making me roll my eyes at him. Was he being serious right now?


    ¡°I¡¯m hot too, you know?¡± I mumbled and he pulled his face away from my body, then shot me a warm smile.


    ¡°Of course you are, baby.¡± He bent, pecking me on the lips. This was just so unreal! I still couldn¡¯t believe Manuel was here, and that he was being so sweet and professing his admiration for me. It pushed me to ask him again.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t told me when you started liking me though.¡± I sighed and he nodded in agreement.


    ¡°True.¡± He muttered. ¡°Back to our pre~existing conversation, I meant the first time I was inside you.¡± He whispered thest part, looking into my eyes. ¡°The fact that you were a virgin had literally thrown me off bnce. I couldn¡¯t believe it.¡±


    ¡°But you were rather very eager to tag our moment together as ¡®casual¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Jeeezz!!¡± His eyes literally popped out of their sockets. ¡°Are you being serious right now?! I was about asking you to date me, but you cut me off with those silly words of yours, and I quote. ¡®I have a boyfriend!¡¯ Boom!¡± He yelled into my face, making my own eyes go wide. Was he being serious at the moment?Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    ¡°You wanted asking me to date you?¡± I asked in total suprise.


    ¡°Hell, yes! Do you have an idea how I felt? Not only did you hurt my pride, you left me more hungry for you, and I hated it!¡±


    ¡°And why did you hate that?¡±


    ¡°I never for once believed you would be able to make me want you more. I was MANUEL RUSSO. I literally had women fawning over me. I wasn¡¯t used to be the one who was fawning!¡± He pouted, making him look so cute. Iughed. ¡°What is funny?¡±


    ¡°The fact you are pouting, and when you said you ¡®were¡¯ Manuel Russo. What are you now?¡±


    ¡°Okayyyyy¡­¡± He grinned, covering the space in between our lips and dropping a chaste peck. ¡°I am Bianca Russo¡¯s husband.¡±


    ¡°Hmmmmm, I like the sound of that.¡± I smiled widely, equally giving him a kiss on the lip.


    ¡°We are deviating again.¡± He chuckled. ¡°So I wasn¡¯t used to being the one to want a woman so badly. There were days I¡¯d hope you just showed up at my office under the guise that Alex had sent you on an errand, but you never did, making me slowly go crazy. I was always asking Alex about his personal assistant, until it began to feel weird.¡± Heughed and I released a forced chuckle. No, this was too good to be happening.


    ¡°Why does this feel too nice to be happening?¡± I blurted out before I could stop myself. We both went silent and it became awkward.


    ¡°I do feel like it¡¯s too good to be true as well.¡± He finally broke the silence, but his calm voice contradicted the statement he just made. ¡°I never really believed I was capable of falling in love, until I met you.¡± He whispered.


    I truly didn¡¯t know how to feel at that point. Was it that look of sincerity in his eyes, or was it the deep meaning of his words? I couldn¡¯t tell which it was.


    ¡°And why?¡± I whispered as I kept my eyes locked to his, readjusting my position on the bed. He simply raised my leg and dropped them onto his thigh, still keeping eye contact.


    ¡°Welll¡­.¡± For a moment, I thought he was hesitant to speak, but he finally let it out. ¡°I had deluded myself into thinking I did not deserve love.¡± He sighed. I was about asking why, when he beat me to it. ¡°We didn¡¯t really finish our discussion pertaining my Nonna¡¯s death, you know?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know. I knew there was a lot more you wanted to say to me.¡± I replied. ¡°And I know it may still be difficult for you to tell me, but I just wanted to let you know I¡¯m willing to wait as long as you want, before deciding to speak about it.¡±


    ¡°Bianca, I want to tell you all about it now.¡±


    ¡°Then, I¡¯m all ears, love.¡± I whispered, not even realizing when my hand held his. I was d when he caressed the back of my palm with his thumb.


    ¡°So thest thing I told you was about leaving the military academy after seeing Alex, and Nonna getting hit by an iing vehicle, right?¡±


    ¡°Hmmm.¡± I nodded, and he took a deep breathe.


    ¡°So after she fell to the floor, the car quickly reversed and drove off with so much speed. I turned to my Nonna who was looking so well and alright one minute before, and I couldn¡¯t believed it was her bloodied body on the ground before me. I cried out in so much anguish and called for help. Almost immediately, the academy gates flung open and Alexander came running towards me with some of the security guards. Alexander¡¯s face had been as white as sheet. One of the security guards quickly checked her pulse and confirmed she was still alive.¡±


    ¡°She was?!¡± I asked in suprise, and he nodded positively.


    ¡°I had felt my hope returning, and silently prayed for nothing to happen to her. She was rushed to the students infirmary in the academy, and was attended to immediately. After about an hour of Alex and I, crying in each other¡¯s embrace as we waited for the doctor toe with news, a nurse finally showed up.¡±


    ¡°She informed us that Nonna was now stable, but we couldn¡¯t go in to see her yet. Then she asked if we were her only family, and we quickly told them otherwise. Somehow, I was able to go through Nonna¡¯s phone and got her sister¡¯s number. Not up to 30 minutes after we called, her sister and her brother inw showed up. I truly didn¡¯t know between Alex and I, or Nonna¡¯s sister and brother inw, which of us were more of a mess. There was literally no one to console the other.¡± He sighed and I ced my second hand over his hand that was on top of mine. ¡°After some hours, they announced we could finally go to see Nonna, which we did. Mind you, Nonno and our other rtives had been calling her, but weren¡¯t getting any answers. When we walked into the room to see her, she looked so weak and a few machines were connected to her body.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a good thing an infirmary had such facilities.¡± I muttered.


    ¡°It was a military school where a lot of students were learning to be military surgeons, so it was understandable. I wouldn¡¯t really call it an infirmary because they had a lot of medical professionals.¡± He exined. ¡°So back to what I was saying.¡± He sighed, readjusting his position in a way he sat up, morefortably.


    ¡°We all asked how she was feeling and the other usual questions one would ask an unwell person. After she managed to mutter her response, the nurse came in and asked us to leave. When we stepped out, Alexander and I hugged each other, the tension within had slowly started to disappear. It was already evening and very clear we were going to sleep over at the infirmary. Alexander suggested we called our parents at the very least, and let them know what was going on. I was very skeptical at first, because there was no way we would inform them, and the rest of the family wouldn¡¯t find out. But to be on the safe side, we went ahead to call our parents and informed them. They were all shocked and asked us not to call Nonno. ording to them, the man had been worried Nonna had not answered his calls since afternoon. So they were actually concerned about his health, and didn¡¯t want to risk him breaking down as well. After the call, Alexander ran back to his hostel to get us some change of clothes. He had exined things to his hostel officer, who relieved him of any other duties for the day.¡±


    ¡°As expected.¡± I nodded.


    ¡°So we had both slept off, only to jolt awake from our sleep in the middle of the night. There was a loud noiseing from one of the machines in Nonna¡¯s room, and the doctor and nurses were rushing into her room. Panic filled Alexander and I. We both prayed nothing was gonna go wrong. Nonna¡¯s sister had also woken up and was in a state of panic as well. After a while, the noises for the machine stopped and one of the nurses stepped out, asking for ¡®Manuel¡¯. I quickly rushed in and Nonna was literally too calm for someone who supposedly just had a crisis. The only words she said to me was that she wanted not to be taken away from her home. She wanted to be buried in Russia. In her favorite ce.¡± He sighed. ¡°I¡¯m sure you already know where that is?¡±


    ¡°Hmmm.¡± I nodded as realization set in. Oh myyyy¡­. That was how Nonna got buried on the ind.


    ¡°The next second, the machine was beeping again, and her body started to jerk. I held her hands calling for help, but when my eyes locked with her fixed one, I knew she was already gone. The nurses rushed in and tried pulling me out, but I kept resisting. Eventually, they were able to take me out, my face filled with tears. Oh, how much I had cried that night. That was eventually thest day I cried. Until yesterday when I couldn¡¯t take your absence anymore.¡± He muttered, not able to hold my eyes.


    I knew he was the one who needed my support, but I found myself tearing up.


    ¡°Manuel.¡± I muttered as I squeezed his hand in mine. I knew this was a very touchy topic of discussion for him, but I was grateful he was finally opening up.


    ¡°I stepped out and it was chaos from her sister and brother inw. Alexander had cried like a baby. In a way, he had med it all on the fact we hade to visit him. But then, I knew I was the one to be med. If I hadn¡¯t run down to Russia without a concrete n, all these wouldn¡¯t have happened.¡± He bent his head and looked up at me once more. ¡°So I was left with no choice than to tell Grand aunt Maria thest thing Nonna had said to me before she died. The woman was adamant about doing as Nonna had said. I also couldn¡¯t find it in me to refuse my dying grandma¡¯s wish. Immediately, we called my father to tell him the news about Nonna. That was the first time I was hearing my big man cry. It made me feel more terrible, knowing the pains I had caused him and the rest of the family.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that.¡±


    ¡°He hung up the call midway through his tears, but called early the next morning. He apologized for not being strong enough, and let me know he had informed the rest of the family, asides Nonno. I told Dad about Nonna¡¯s wish to be buried on the ind in Moscow, and I told him I couldn¡¯ty my Nonna to rest in such a public space. I didn¡¯t want her memory being descrated, and her grave being yed on, every single day. Even after all that I had said, he insisted that I did as histe mom wished. Then and there, he made a deal with me. He was going to lend me a very huge amount of money. It was my first time handling such an amount. I was going to buy off the ind and make it my private space. But in exchange for such an investment, I had to and be new and better. Even if it meant traveling alone to Miami, to join the academy. He was ready to take the fall for me, when the time came to tell Nonno the truth.¡± He released a hot breathe. ¡°Of course, I epted, feeling so much guilt. It felt like I had matured in just one day. My Nonna¡¯s death had taught me a whole lot, and I vowed never to put my loved ones in harms way again.¡±


    ¡°Fast forward to a few dayster, Greta called with my father¡¯s phone to inform me that Nonno had cosped due to shock. I had instantly gone scared, and asked why. She said he found out about Nonna. Suddenly, the line went off, and I wasn¡¯t able to connect to her anymore. I rushed back to Alexander¡¯s academy in panic, and informed him about the turn of events. He had to take an emergency pardon from school, and with the help of Nonna¡¯s sister, we headed for Italy the next day. Alexander and I headed home, where the house staff had informed us what hospital Nonno had been taken to. Apparently, the entire family were there. Long story cut short, I found out that my cousin had been the one who told Nonno about Nonna¡¯s death, leading to his heart attack.¡±


    ¡°Which of your cousins?¡± I asked.


    ¡°A particr one that had always wanted everything I had since we were kids. He had always envied me for being the favourite grandchild of Nonna and Nonno. He probably felt that telling Nonno about histe wife was gonna make him more loved. How could his thinking be so messed up? He was a grown teenager for crying out loud! That was themest thing family had ever done to me. And that was the day my hatred for Anthonio solidified.¡±


    I¡¯m sure my mouth hung open in shock. Now it all made sense.

 CHAPTER 60

    MANUEL¡¯S POV


    ¡°What?¡± She whispered in disbelief.


    ¡°Yeah. That was the reason I had always hated him. Anthonio had let his jealousy make him do something as wrong as that.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s truly sad.¡±


    ¡°It was. Not just for me, but for the entire family. It took days for Nonno to get resuscitated. When he finally came around, I hadn¡¯t been around the hospital premises. So you can imagine my shock, when I returned to find everyone looking brighter, and telling me that Nonno requested to see me.¡± I sighed. This was the part of my story that I always dreaded. Whenever I thought about it, I felt cold shivers all over my body. ¡°My father patted me on the shoulder and encouraged me to go in. He muttered into my ear to remain quiet and not breakdown, no matter what Nonno said to me. When I got into the room, the first thing that happened shocked me to no end.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± She was very curious to know what.


    ¡°He threw a ss vase at me.¡± I muttered, blinking my eyes a couple of times. I still didn¡¯t believe Nonno had tried to hurt me in such a manner.


    ¡°Oh no!¡± Bianca gasped and flung her palm across her lips, her eyes widening in shock.


    ¡°I hadn¡¯t even seen iting, and managed to dodge it by just a stroke of luck.¡± I revealed, and she released a sigh of relief. ¡°Not withstanding, the vase had shattered against the wall and a small piece of it had flown towards me and gave a cut on my forehead.¡±


    ¡°Jeeezzz!¡±


    ¡°I know, right?! After hearing the noise of ss shattering, the rest of the family pushed the door open and rushed into the room. As soon as they realized what had just happened, Nonno barked at everyone to leave. They all adhered, though my father remained there, looking at my bleeding head in shock. Nonno repeated his words and asked Dad to leave, but the man stood his ground. I remember him telling Nonno he wasn¡¯t going to let him harm me. That was when all hell let loose. Nonno yelled out in anger, asking if I had been so considerate after pulling his wife to Russia, where she died and was buried in a cold ind, like a woman without love or family.¡±


    ¡°He had said a lot of things I really cannot recall. Dad had broken down midway, and was pretty much crying. That was when Nonno said the words that shattered me, and I quote. ¡®The same way you have deprived me of my soulmate, may you be forever deprived of yours¡¯. ¡®You will never find love, because you are not deserving enough, to have that in your life¡¯. ¡®You would live all your days without love, and die without love in your heart¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Oh God!¡± Bianca let out a whimper as she shook her head, refusing to believe that Nonno had indeed said all of that to me.


    ¡°Then amidst my teary eyes and regrets, he asked me to leave, and that he never wanted toy eyes on me ever again. Of course, I scampered out of his room, knowing fully well my Nonno had just disowned me.¡±


    ¡°Oh my God.¡± Bianca whispered and hugged me tightly, making me pause for a moment. ¡°The fright that would have put in you as a mere teenager.¡±


    ¡°For real. I was so scared, but tried not to show it. Even after I had sessfully ran out of the hospital with Alexander following me behind, I refused to let my tears drop.¡±


    ¡°Nonna was literally my favourite person as well, and I had just lost her. My young heart truly couldn¡¯t bear the thought of another loss. Being disowned by Nonno, simply meant that I was going to lose my family as well. Even up until today, it¡¯s so suprising how I had been able to hold on without crying. Alexander and I got home and no matter how much he tried to make me speak, I couldn¡¯t utter a word. I was still in shock.¡± I swallowed. ¡°Later that day, Dad and the rest of my family returned home. Mom was literally devastated, and the twins were just looking at everyone in confusion. Alexander asked Greta how things had gone, and that was when she revealed that after I left, Nonno had another attack. Even after he had just disowned me, I was so scared to lose him. I knew I wouldn¡¯t be able to bear the guilt if he died, and my extended rtives were going to cast me out of the Russo family for real. Greta went ahead to confirm that they had stayed back at the hospital until he became much stable again. I looked at my father who looked like aplete opposite of his usuallyposed self. Deep down, I knew it wasn¡¯t the best time for him to talk about anything. But then, I still hoped he could say the least word to me.¡±


    ¡°When I saw him walk away with my mom in tow, my heart broke all the more. I wondered if they had actually decided to do as Nonno had done. To disown me as well. Alexander hugged me and told me everything was gonna be fine. That day, he didn¡¯t return to their mansion, he remained with me in my room. I had stayed up all night, not able to sleep because of I was scared for my fate. Very early the next morning, Dad came knocking on my door. I stepped out and he took me to the balcony in the living room. He told me that sadly, he hadn¡¯t been able to sort things out with Nonno because he copsed. Then he asked me to do exactly as Nonno had asked. To leave. I was so scared, I quickly told him I had nowhere else to go, but he hugged me and told me I was going to enroll in the military academy sooner than expected. He said he wasn¡¯t going to let me go to Miami, and asked if I would love to return back to school with Alexander. It truly seemd like a nice idea. Indeed, it was what I had always wanted. But the difference was that I was leaving without trying to amend things with Nonno.¡±


    ¡°Father convinced me to leave, and that whenever Nonno was ready to see me again, they¡¯d send for me. That was how I enrolled for the academy and returned back to Moscow with Alexander. We had both trained for 6 years, but in all those years, I had never for once returned home alongside Alexander for the holidays. For 6 years, I awaited Dad¡¯s message for me toe back home, but never received it. Apparently, after I graduated with flying colours from the academy, Alexander insisted we traveled home together. I was a bit hesitant, so I refused and asked him to return to Italy without me. I stayed back in Moscow, at the home of a friend whom you¡¯d already know by now.¡±


    ¡°Alexa.¡± She muttered, and I nodded in agreement.


    ¡°I had remained with Alexa¡¯s family for over 3 months, before Dad finally called me and asked me to return home for the leadership training every grandson was supposed to have with Nonno, before taking over their father¡¯s part of the Russo empire. It was time for me to step up to my father¡¯s position as CEO, but I had to undergo my training first.¡±


    ¡°So you finally got to see Nonno? What was his reaction?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡± I shrugged in honesty. ¡°When I had showed up at home, my siblings and other rtives were definitely excited to see me. My father insisted that I started my training with Nonno immediately, as he wasn¡¯t always in Mn anymore. I already knew that ever since Nonna died, he permanently moved to Sicily. The next day, I showed up at Nonno¡¯s penthouse and he treated me like he would aplete stranger. He was on first name basis and it hurt me so much.¡± I clenched my jaw. ¡°Nheless, I remained faithful in attending my short sessions with him. Slowly, I started to get used to be around him, despite the fact he was yet to losen up around me. On a certain day, he put a call across to the head manager of M. RUSSO, telling him I was very ready to take over as CEO. Had he stopped at that, I wouldn¡¯t have thought much about it. But then, he had taken his time to emphasize on how brilliant and dedicated I was, asking the manager to be of great help when I finally started working. Without thinking my actions through, I chuckled in happiness and called him ¡®Nonno¡¯. I was like, ¡®Thank you for all the positivepliments Nonno¡¯. His countenance changed almost immediately.¡±


    ¡°What did he say?¡±


    ¡°That I still do not have the right to address him as that. And that he would never forgive me.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± She sighed.


    ¡°You can imagine.¡± I chuckled dryly. ¡°I felt the pain of 6 years just weigh down on me. I had been alone and grieved for 6 good years, but it didn¡¯t make the slightest difference to him. He still didn¡¯t regard me as his family.¡± I shook my head in displeasure as I recalled the incident. ¡°So after my training session was over that day, I drove all the way to the cemetery. I had visited Nonna¡¯s grave immediately I returned to Italy, and I found myself going back to the cemetery over and over again. Once I got to the cemetery, Iid on the gravestone that had been carved out in honour of Nonna. I just knelt down there and remained unmoving for hours. I wasn¡¯t saying anything, but I hoped she could hear my heart cries. I just wanted her to make everything right again. After staying there for hours, it¡¯s started showing signs of a heavy rain. I walked out of the cemetery and made my way into the car. My heart had been so heavy, coupled with the heavy downpour which started after I got into my car. I didn¡¯t realize when an iing vehicle wasing at me in full speed, and drove into it unfortunately. The next minute, I cked out.¡±


    Her eyes were literally wide. She held onto my hand more tightly, and shook her head vigorously.


    ¡°I¡¯m here and alive.¡± I whispered, wanting her to feel better.


    ¡°Wha¡­. how?¡± I felt sad to see her eyes were clogged with tears. ¡°How were you¡­.?¡±


    ¡°Someone saved me.¡± I supplied. ¡°I remember opening my eyes to see a younger version of Francesca hovering over my face.¡±


    ¡°Francesca?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Francesca had been the one who saved me. A Ferrari. It was too unbelievable. Nothing was stopping her from just taking advantage of the opportunity. It waster on that I even realized she had made sure no one including her father, had an idea she had rescued me. I woke up in the office of a vet.¡±


    ¡°A vet?! What happened to a hospital?¡±


    ¡°She imed the veterinary was closer to the site of incidence, and she was too scared I¡¯d die before we got to the hospital.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. And also, Doctor Larry would have been in trouble.¡±


    ¡°Doctor Larry.¡±


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s the name of the veterinary doctor who saved my life. He only had a license to treat animals, not human beings. So he would have been in trouble if I insisted on going to the hospital after I became conscious. And to be honest, he had done a very good job in resuscitating me. I would have been quite the ingrate if I turned on him after he saved my life. So that was how I remained in the veterinary, and Francesca nurtured my wounds for a few weeks, until I was finally okay to go home to my family who all thought I had died.¡±


    ¡°They thought you had died?¡± Bianca asked in shocked. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine how much tension would have been in your family.¡±


    ¡°All they had seen was my destroyed car in the middle of the highway. You can imagine the spections around my missing body. They had even put up a search as well.¡±


    ¡°Very much expected.¡±


    ¡°It was quite a relief when I returned home after 3 weeks of being missing. Thankfully, they were yet to carry out a funeral. But then, before Francesca had let me go, she made a request.¡±


    ¡°What request?¡±


    ¡°She said she had fallen in love with me, and wanted us to be together. I truly hadn¡¯t been suprised because through those weeks, we had bonded really well. Though I didn¡¯t really see her in such light, I only saw her as a friend. Most of all, I was wary because our families didn¡¯t see eye to eye.¡±


    ¡°I assume you went ahead to date her then?¡± Bianca muttered dryly, making me smile.


    ¡°Yes. But I didn¡¯t do so because I loved her equally. I sincerely just did so, because I felt indebted to her for saving my life, despite being my family¡¯s enemy.¡±N?velDrama.Org owns this text.


    ¡°Makes a whole lot of sense now. I understand why you said you never really loved her.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm.¡± I nodded, bending my face to hers. ¡°But I¡¯ve ever truly loved you.¡± Slowly, a smile made it¡¯s way to her face and she sighed in satisfaction.


    ¡°I love you so much.¡± She sighed contentedly.


    ¡°I love you too my pretty head.¡±


    *


    *


    ¡°Don¡¯t do that now!!¡± She giggled as she ran around the bed. ¡°Please!!!¡±


    ¡°I would still get ya! Come here!!¡± I mimicked the voice of a clown. She was about taking to her heels again, when I jumped like a monkey and grabbed her by the waist. We both fell onto the bed and she let out a whimper. ¡°Did I hurt you?¡± I quickly asked, palpating her tummy in worry.


    ¡°Got ya!!¡± She giggled and made to stand from the bed, but before she could even do so, I pulled her closer by the waist and proceeded to tickle her sides.


    ¡°Hahahahahhah!!!¡± She released a bout ofughter, before inhaling deeply and begging me. ¡°Please Manuel. Please let me go.¡±


    ¡°What did you just call me?¡± I frowned, not relenting from the sweet pressure I put on her sides.


    ¡°Sorry!¡± She choked out in betweenughter, making me chuckle. ¡°I meant ¡®baby¡¯! Baby please let me go!¡±


    ¡°But you know that would never be possible my pretty head.¡± Iughed and released my wicked grip on her. ¡°It¡¯s you and I forever.¡± I sighed and fell to the other side of the bed.


    ¡°Oh, God!¡± She exhaled and turned her head to look at me. Suddenly, her face took on a serious expression. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You have made these past few days so wonderful for me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only been 6 days my love. We have forever to go.¡± I grinned. Never had I ever imagined being so enthusiastic to live the rest of my life for another person. Now, all I really just wanted to do, was anything that would make my wife happy. I guess the fear that came with the thought of losing Bianca had changed a lot about me, without me even realizing it. We had both bonded a lot during these past few days, and Nonno¡¯s mansion seemed like the perfect vacation spot for us. I guess we were finally having that honeymoon we never had. Just then, my phone rang out and I released a frustrated sigh. I hated it whenever my personal time with Bianca was interrupted. Nheless, I stretched my hand and picked up the phone from where itid. It was Alexander. Now I didn¡¯t feel as upset as I had been initially.


    ¡°Alex!¡± I grinned.


    ¡°So I take it that you and Bianca are not returning home anytime soon?¡± He asked, making me roll my eyes. The call was on loudspeaker, so Bianca could very much hear all Alexander was saying.


    ¡°Are you missing us?¡± I teased. ¡°Moreover, Be is there for you.¡± I released a chuckle that turned into a frown when he remained silent.


    ¡°Alex?¡± Bianca was the one who spoke this time. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you are yet to go get your wife from our home?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s funny you¡¯re not even home, but already tired of having her at your home.¡± He chuckled humourlessly.


    ¡°Now, that¡¯s unfair. How could you have left her for so long?!! It¡¯s already getting to 3 weeks. I thought we agreed you were gonna go for her 3 days back?¡±


    ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t find it in me to do so anymore.¡± Alex muttered. Why had he chosen to punish himself this way? We all knew how much being away from Be had affected him. Why couldn¡¯t he just¡­.


    ¡°Alex you have to forgive Be. She is your wife! The mother of your child. Do you know all the emotional trauma she has been going through?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d you both are fine and happy. I was just calling to check on you both.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t change the subject Al¡­¡± Bianca was still calling when he disconnected the call. ¡°Did he just hang up on me?¡± She had this look of disbelief on her face. ¡°He needs to know that to be finally okay, he should be willing to let things go. He¡¯s just left poor Be hanging onto hope for weeks now. I feel for her.¡± She looked so worried.


    ¡°Calm down.¡± I sat up on the bed and rubbed her arms. ¡°All Alex needs is just time. Do you know the trauma thates with finding out the woman you have cherished for years had been fooling you?¡±


    ¡°When you put it that way, it sounds like she didn¡¯t fallen in love with him after all. I can see it in her eyes, and even you cannot deny it. Most importantly, she never cheated on him with the Tiwin guy.¡±


    ¡°Tawan.¡± I corrected, and she just waved it off. My wife could be so funny atimes.


    ¡°Talking about time, I think you have taken as much time as you need. It is also time for you to settle your issues.¡±


    ¡°With who?¡± I frowned, not liking where our discussion was headed.


    ¡°Nonno and Anthonio.¡±


    ¡°Wh¡­.¡±


    ¡°And before you decide to protest, I would love to make it known that whatever had ensued between you and them, isn¡¯t something that can¡¯t be forgiven.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± I pouted. ¡°About Anthonio, he sure does deserve my forgiveness. And I am willing to forgive him because if we are being honest, I also never made the best decisions as a teenager. But when ites to Nonno, it¡¯s him who hasn¡¯t brought himself to forgive me.¡±


    ¡°Then why not make him?¡± She sat up as well, and held my hand in hers. ¡°Your Nonno loves you.¡± She whispered, looking into my eyes. ¡°You may not know, but he is your biggest supporter. He has always wanted nothing but the best for you.¡±


    ¡°And how do you know that?¡± I sighed.


    ¡°For starters, I am currently the most important person to him. But he thought you worthy enough to have me. Nothing was stopping him from making me marry Anthonio instead.¡±


    ¡°He just didn¡¯t want things gettingplicated.¡±


    ¡°Did he also beg me to never leave you, when we all thought you had cheated on me, just because he didn¡¯t want toplicate things?¡± She asked, making me go speechless. He did? ¡°He did.¡± She nodded, reading my mind. ¡°And that was because of how much he wanted the best for you. You may have wronged me, but he was ready to punish you as much as nessary, just so I wouldn¡¯t leave you. Please you have to settle your differences with him before we leave Sicily, my love.¡± She pleaded, giving me those puppy eyes. I knew I couldn¡¯t turn her down then.


    ¡°Fine.¡± I muttered. ¡°I would do as you wish.¡±

 CHAPTER 61

    MANUEL¡¯S POV


    ¡°What a delight!¡± Nonno chuckled the moment he sighted using towards the garden. Instantly, I developed cold feets, but Bianca was quick to hold my hand.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± She smiled at me and I nodded like a robot. It was indeed fine. This was what I was supposed to do. I definitely couldn¡¯t leave Sicily without patching things up with my grandfather. ¡°Good afternoon Nonno.¡± Bianca waved before detangling our hands nad making her way towards where he sat. The moment she got to him, she bent down for a hug.


    ¡°Hello my sweet.¡± He grinned, then looked up at me. ¡°For a moment, I was wondering if all my favourite people were gonna do was¡­.¡± He trailed off, realizing he just referred to me as a part of his favourite people. That was clearly a slip. He nced at me quickly, before his eyes fell on Bianca again. ¡°So when are you both leaving?¡± He asked. Instead of Bianca to answer his question, she pulled away from his embrace and walked up to me.


    ¡°When are we leaving honey?¡± She asked, blinking her eyes a couple of times. ¡°You care to enlighten Nonno when?¡± I already knew what she was up to, and in as much as I was a bit tensed, her behaviour made me chuckle.


    ¡°When are you both leaving?¡± Nonno asked again.


    ¡°Come on, Manuel.¡± She nudged me by the arm. ¡°Tell Nonno what he needs to know. I think I forgot my phone inside and I need to go get it.¡± Before I could say a word, she was walking away and leaving Nonno and I to ourselves.


    ¡°Why do I feel like nipotina has something up her sleeves?¡± He narrowed his eyes at me.


    ¡°Not really.¡± I shrugged.


    ¡°Not re¡­.¡±


    ¡°Nonno please can we talk?¡± I blurted out. He eyed my for a few seconds, before releasing a sigh and making a gesture to the empty space beside him on the bench.


    ¡°Make yourselffortable.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯ll just stand.¡± I muttered, before thinking  my statement through. ¡°Sorry, I would sit.¡± I walked closer to him and lowered myself onto the bench. ¡°Thank you.¡± I muttered.


    ¡°I hope there is no problem between you and nipotina?¡± He asked sternly, and I shook my head immediately.


    ¡°Not at all. Didn¡¯t you see us a moment back?¡±


    ¡°Fine then. What do you want to talk about?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about us.¡± Why did I sound like we were lovers? I chuckled subconsciously, making him narrow his eyes at me. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°So, what is it about us?¡±


    ¡°I¡­. We¡­ You and I are¡­.¡± I had rehearsed this with Bianca the whole of yesterday. Why was I stuttering now? ¡°It is quite a sensitive topic for us to talk about.¡± I sighed.


    ¡°Then get on with it already.¡± He shrugged non chntly.


    ¡°I just want to say that I¡¯m sorry.¡± My voice wasn¡¯t as firm as I was hoping. Why did I sound like a child about to cry?


    ¡°I was angry before, but not anymore. At least, not after we found out you really did not cheat on¡­.¡±


    ¡°No, not that.¡± I shook my head in disagreement. ¡°Not that. I wasn¡¯t apologizing for that.¡±


    ¡°Then what are you making an apology for?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m apologizing for something I realize I¡¯ve never really been able to apologize for.¡± I seemed to have gotten his undivided attention now, and it made me more nervous. ¡°I¡­.. made a very huge mistake some years back, and it ended up destroying your¡­. happiness.¡±


    I could feel his eyes digging holes into my face, but I couldn¡¯t raise my head to look at him.


    ¡°Manuel.¡± He muttered and I managed to steal a nce at him. The water that clogged his eyes was enough to knock me off. It only proved to me that this was indeed a very touchy topic of discussion.


    ¡°Please Nonno, I am deeply sorry. I¡¯m sorry for¡­ for everything.¡± Shoot! I hated the fact I was getting teary eyed now. I knew this wasn¡¯t the best idea. There was no way Nonno and I could have this conversation sanely. If I was already close to tears at this point, what did I expect him to do? He was the hurt one here. I took another look at him, and his eyes were getting red. I was getting so deep into the whole thing, that I didn¡¯t even realize when I stood from the bench and went on my knees. But he did deserve such gesture. ¡°Please forgive me.¡± I whispered, bowing my head in remorse. ¡°If there was a thing I could do to bring Nonna back to life, I wouldn¡¯t hesitate to do it.¡± The tears finally slipped down my eyes when a thought crossed my mind. The thought of losing Bianca. It was a thought I couldn¡¯t even stand, so I could only imagine how much pains Nonno had, and is still going through.


    This was a woman he had done life with. Hell! They already had grandchildren who were so grown, when she died. And I think what hurt him the most is the fact that she had died in such a cheap way. An unknown vehicle? God!


    ¡°Rosa.¡± He finally whispered after a while of silence. ¡°My Rosa. She didn¡¯t deserve that.¡± He sniffled and that was when I looked up at him. God, he was crying. I guess it made me cry all the more because in truth, this ¡®hard¡¯ and stubborn man was still very hurt, even after so many years. His old heart still grieved the loss of my Nonna. ¡°This was our favourite ce to be.¡± He waved over the mansion and I sighed. ¡°I had decided to permanentlye here after her death, hoping it would ease the pain. But still, nothing changed. In fact, it hurt more than ever because every corner of this ce reminds me of her, and the fact that I would never see her again.¡± He managed to say in between loud sniffles.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry.¡± I muttered. ¡°You can go forever without recognizing me as you grandson, but I just hope you can forgive me.¡± I pleaded. To be very honest, that was truly the way I felt. Nonno could go on, never rting with me as his grandson, but I just hoped he could find a ce in his heart to forgive me.


    ¡°You think I never recognized you as my grandson?!¡± He suddenly flipped, making me shudder in my spot. I didn¡¯t mean to provoke him that way. ¡°I neved treated you fairly, considering what you had done against me?¡±


    ¡°No, that wasn¡¯t what I meant.¡± I choked out.


    ¡°Then what did you mean?¡± He queried, his eyes looking pointedly at me. ¡°Do you mean that I wasn¡¯t kind enough for letting you take over my empire, after your cousin stepped down as Don?! Even if I made a promise never to associate with you as a member of my family?! Or did you think I didn¡¯t think Anthonio was a way better option to be with nipotina?! Or did you think¡­¡±


    ¡°How was I supposed to know?!¡± I suddenly yelled out, shocking even myself. ¡°How was I supposed to know that you had changed your mind about disowning me? I had been involved in a very ghastly car ident, missing for weeks! What did you say when I miraculously returned home?¡± I asked. ¡°You just looked at me and said¡­ ¡®you were tougher than I imagined¡¯. Were you hoping I was going to die too? Was that going to be enough atonement for the death of Nonna?¡±


    ¡°What rubbish are you even spitting?¡± He red at me, but I could really care less. I¡¯m so sure I looked stupid at that moment. Yelling at the very same man I was kneeling before. ¡°Do you know the scare you caused me for weeks?!¡± He asked, but I didn¡¯t give a response? ¡°And you think I said that because I was sad you returned? I said that because I was relieved nothing had happened to you?!¡± A tear slipped down his face. ¡°I was relieved you were tough enough to scale through that difficult time. God, you cannot even imagine the heartache you caused me when I thought I was going to lose you just like your Nonna! I may have been mad at you for being the reason I lost Rosa, but at least, I wanted you to stay alive and bear the brunt of my anger!!¡± He grabbed my shoulders and shook me, as if shaking his words into my brain. I was a huge man, and it was insane how much strength Nonno had, to shake me that way.


    ¡°And I survived. I stayed alive! Why didn¡¯t you pour the brunt of your anger onto me!! That way, I would have felt better knowing you still gave a damn about me. Even though it was your hatred. But you didn¡¯t even act like I existed.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you may have let me take over Russo from Alexander, but you did not show up at the ceremony! You never even gave a call to acknowledge my new position as Don. It would have even been better if you had disyed the slightest bit of concern, even if it was to show your disapproval of the family¡¯s decision to make me Don. I became the heir to your empire, but didn¡¯t even feel like one. Everyday I was worried you¡¯d just stand up and give my position to your favourite grandson. Anthonio. And I wasn¡¯t worried because I¡¯d lose the wealth and power that came with the position. I was worried because that was honestly the only thing giving me the hope that I was still a member of your family.¡±


    ¡°You say Anthonio is my favourite?¡± Nonno asked, chuckling dryly. I scowled my face at his reaction, wondering what seemed humorous. ¡°Do you know the pains your cousin had gone through as well?!¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I muttered, truly at loss.


    ¡°Oh? You think I am a fool? You think I did not realize the reason why Anthonio had gone ahead to break the news of your Nonna¡¯s death to me, even after the entire family had agreed to be silent about it?¡±


    Okay, now I was a bit confused. Did Nonna know what Anthonio¡¯s intention had been all along? And what did he mean when he said Anthonio had gone through pains as well?


    ¡°After you left to go be with Alexander in Russia, Anthonio was sent out of Italy as well.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by ¡®sent out¡¯?¡±


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s something no one had told you yet, huh?¡± He muttered. ¡°I sent Anthonio away. I sent him away from his family at such a tender age. He was only 16 when I sent him off to Miami. I was very mad that he didn¡¯t mind the consequences his behaviour was going to cause my health. All he had cared about was himself, and what he stood to gain by shitting on you.¡± Oh, wait a minute. I remember Anthonio making mention of this once. A few months back, I guess. That was when he had been asking for my help to get thest slot for hispany to join the national car race championship event. He had told me he had been away from home for many years. And he asked if it wasn¡¯t enough to atone for his sins. Then, I felt he was just bluffing, but now I realize he wasn¡¯t. Indeed, he had been away from home for a reason. Nonno had sent him away. I wasn¡¯t the only one who had been away from home because of Nonno.


    ¡°You actually sent him away for 9 years?¡± I asked in disbelief.


    ¡°I hope that makes you realize that I never really had other favourites. It remained you! I had worked in the background just for you! Do you know how many problems I have helped deal with, since you became Don?!¡± What was going on? This man kept confusing me. ¡°Dito works for me.¡± He said, not breaking eye contact with me. I¡¯m sure my eyes had gone as wide as a saucer. Tell me he was joking.


    ¡°No.¡± I shook my head in disagreement. ¡°Dito works for me. I recruited him as a part of my team a few months after I became Don.¡±


    ¡°My dear boy, I sent Dito to you.¡±


    ¡°How? I said I recruited him myself.¡±


    ¡°Who do you thinkpiled that list for Massimo? Huh? The list of the best hackers in the country. I personally had Ditopile that list, and then I sent it to Massimo to submit to you.¡± Christ! ¡°And before you begin to frown your face in disappointment, that was the only time Massimo had ever taken direct orders from me. So do not think he betrayed your trust.¡± He huffed.


    ¡°And while you were away in Moscow, nning a suprise wedding for the Ferraridy, I was in Sicily¡­ busy taking care of the mess you couldn¡¯t tend. Dito had informed me first hand, abour the attack from¡­.¡± He paused, as if trying to remember something. ¡°Mr X, right? I heard that was the name you and Alexander gave the unknown man who has been trying to attack us.¡± Oh my fucking God! To say I was suprised, was an understatement. I felt extremely foolish! While I was out here, thinking I was on top of things, Nonno actually was. ¡°Do you think I was secretly being so supportive because I was bored? I was being so supportive because I knew your new position came with a lot of enemies. I had already gone through the pain of losing you before. Now, I wanted to personally watch out for you.¡±


    ¡°Nonno.¡± I whispered in disbelief. How could a man be so caring, yet distant? ¡°How could you have been so unfeeling towards me, yet took care of me this much?¡± I whispered thest part.


    ¡°How do you expect me to act towards the boy I genuinely loved, but was hurt by?¡± He asked, making me tight lipped. ¡°I had been sad for so many years! I wanted you to¡­.¡± He trailed off, probably not having an idea on how to ry his feelings anymore. But I did understand him though.


    ¡°And when nipotina came into the picture, I felt revived. I was in shock at first, then I was in denial, before I finally learned to ept the miracle. There was nothing anyone could tell me, for me not to believe your Nonna hade back to me. When I learned she was dating Anthonio, I was quite d because that would mean her truly bing a part of Russo. But on a certain day, she spilled the beans about being stuck on the ind with you. She talked about how infuriating you had been, how much unfeeling you had been, and how you parted ways with her like your stay together for 3 weeks didn¡¯t make a difference to you. She didn¡¯t say a word about you both actually having quite the tumble in bed, but from how hurt she sounded, I knew there was more to it. I had pressed on, and she revealed she had loved you since her early college days. As days passed and we spent more time together, I realized that Anthonio may have been a rebound to her after all. She always seemed happy whenever she spoke about her rtionship with Anthonio, but every once in a while, she found a way of chipping in the fact that you were getting married to Francesca soon. I didn¡¯t want her to shy away from the truth about her feelings for you, so I never spoke to her about it. All I prayed and hoped for, was that you both ended with the right people for you.¡±


    ¡°And it happened.¡± I whispered.


    ¡°Hmmm.¡± He nodded I agreement. ¡°And I milked every opportunity I could, when I learned she was pregnant for you. Firstly, I had been very suprised you both had gone as far as having sex. It only meant one thing. That the attraction was present. And when you both went ahead to have your petty quarrels in the presence of everyone, it strengthened my resolve to make sure you both ended up together. I was a clear as day, that Bianca was the only woman you needed in your life. They all wouldn¡¯t have seen it, but I did. She was the only woman who could challenge you, and that simply meant one thing; she was definitely going to be the only woman capable of taming you. To truly know and feel the weight of love, one has to be tamed. I am d she finally did.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± I found myself saying. I was truly thankful that he had made it possible for Bianca not to slip out of my hands. Had it not been for his persistence, I would have ended up getting married to Francesca and making a mess of things. We both looked at each other for a while, before he said the words that finally sent the guilt I had felt for years, packing.


    ¡°This conversation is something I have long awaited. I forgive you, my boy.¡± He sighed, making another tear fall off my eyes. It was out of gratitude.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± My voice broke. ¡°Thank you so much.¡± I took his hand and kissed the back of his palms.


    ¡°And don¡¯t you ever think for one moment, that I do not love you. You are the most important person to¡­.¡±Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    ¡°Now, that¡¯s cheating.¡± We both turned to see Bianca walking towards us. The smile on her face and tears in her eyes were enough evidence that she had been eavesdropping on our conversation the whole time. ¡°I thought I was your favourite.¡± She pouted at Nonno, making himugh heartily.


    ¡°Of course, you both are! But I am afraid that child in your belly may steal all the love I have for you both.¡±


    ¡°He has every permission to steal it.¡± ¡°He can steal it!¡± Bianca and I said at the same time. We eyed each other for a minute, before bursting intoughter.


    ¡°I can see you both have carried out a test to know the gender already?¡± Nonno asked, unsure.


    ¡°No.¡± ¡°No.¡± We both shook our heads.


    ¡°Then why¡­?¡±


    ¡°We just said it.¡± Bianca chuckled, before covering the distance between us, and making herselffortable on Nonno¡¯s thighs. ¡°Come here.¡± She beckoned to me, and I literally crawled to them both. She yed with my hair and then, leaned down to kiss me. ¡°Nothing makes me happier than this.¡± She sighed in satisfaction. ¡°My best men are good again.¡±


    ¡°You are a blessing to me, nipotina.¡± Nonno whispered.


    ¡°Likewise you both, to me.¡±

 CHAPTER 62

    BIANCA¡¯S POV


    The moment we got to Mn, I instantly missed being at Nonno¡¯s mansion in Sicily.


    ¡°I miss there too.¡± Manuel muttered beside me, and I released azy smile in agreement. It was the way he had the ability to always read my mind, that got to me the most.


    ¡°Do you have an idea when Nonno is returning to Mn?¡±


    ¡°You think he would tell me when he didn¡¯t let you know?¡± He chuckled in disbelief. ¡°He said nothing to me.¡±


    ¡°Really? That means the gold empire project would be put on a hold until he returns.¡±


    ¡°I doubt.¡± He shrugged. ¡°Nonno doesn¡¯t nessary have to be present for activities to continue. Moreover, this is the part of the project where he isn¡¯t really needed much. It¡¯s the human resource manager that has to work more now.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm.¡± I nodded, but couldn¡¯t help the unsettling feeling in my stomach. ¡°Are you sure it was best we left him all on his own?¡±


    ¡°Biancaaa¡­¡± Manuel chuckled, shaking his head in amusement. ¡°You have really grown so used to taking care of that old man. He is fine, Bianca. He has always stayed in Sicily alone. Don¡¯t be worried. You should worry more about the baby.¡± He frowned, making me release a sigh. He was right to be worried about our baby.


    For the past 3 days I had been spotting a lot. It was even Manuel who noticed it first, and called my attention to it. At first I told him not to worry because it was part of the things I had suffered earlier in the first trimester of my pregnancy. But then, the spotting got heavier and it worried even me as well. He informed Nonno, who insisted we returned to Mn immediately, so I could go see the Doctor. These men could be extremely dotting.


    ¡°The baby is fine, my love. Don¡¯t worry so much.¡± I ced my hand on his, trying to be strong.


    ¡°Hmmm.¡± He nodded. The rest of the ride was very short, because it didn¡¯t take us so much time before we got to the hospital. It didn¡¯te as a suprise to me that the minute wended Mn, Manuel had insisted we go see Doctor Luigi before heading home. The moment we got to Doctor Luigi¡¯s office, Manuel knocked so eagerly, making me release a chuckle. The man was really worried.


    ¡°Come in.¡± The doctor¡¯s voice resounded from inside the office, and we took it as our cue to step in.


    ¡°Ahh! Manuel.¡± Doctor Luigi grinned widely the moment we stepped in. ¡°And Bianca¡±. He added. ¡°Wee. You didn¡¯t say you were gonna be stopping by.¡±


    ¡°So sorry if we may have caused you a bit of inconvenience, but it is an urgent matter on our end.¡± Manuel responded.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. I was actually about retiring for the day. I over extended my shift for the day, and it¡¯s a good thing you caught me right on time, before I stepped out.¡±


    ¡°Great then!¡± Manuel grinned, putting his hand on the small of my back and leading me to the seats opposite Doctor Luigi. The moment we sat down, Doctor Luigimenced interrogation.


    ¡°So what¡¯s going on?¡± He asked, and before I could even say a word, Manuel beat me to it.


    ¡°Yes, about that Doctor¡­.¡± This was so awkward. Having Manuel here was very awkward, jeeezzz! I didn¡¯t know if I was supposed tough, or cry out in embarrassment. But what I sure knew was the fact that my husband was extremely cute when he was worried for me. After a few minutes of dwelling in my own thoughts, I zoned back in on the conversation between both of them. ¡°¡­. yes. So, it¡¯s got me all worried and stressed out. Please I want to be sure that my wife is just fine.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Bianca.¡± Doctor Luigi called to me with a small smile on his face.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°You would have to tell me exactly how you feel and answer a few questions, as I cannotpletely rely on the things your husband just told me.¡±


    ¡°Understandable.¡± I nodded. The next second, Manuel was holding my hand in his. Wasn¡¯t this man being too sensitive at the moment? I wanted to burst outughing at his behaviour, but didn¡¯t want him feeling bad.


    ¡°So, when did you start seeing these spottings?¡± Doctor Luigi asked, keeping his eyes fixed on me like I was gonna lie. Why did everything just seem funny today?


    ¡°Three nights ago.¡± I said. ¡°Manuel and I were about having our bathe together, when I went to pee in the toilet. Immediately I got off the toilet, he noticed the bloodstains on the seat of the toilet.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm.¡± He hummed, looking deep in thoughts. ¡°Okay.¡± He nodded. ¡°So, did the spotting get lighter or heavier as time passed?¡±


    ¡°Heavier.¡± I answered.


    ¡°Have you been on any kind of medicationtely?¡±


    ¡°Of course, not.¡± I shook my head in slight confusion. ¡°I only take the normal hormonal supplements that you prescribed months back.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm¡­.¡± He nodded as he wrote whatever it was on his notepad. That was when I even noticed he had been jotting things down. Slowly, I started getting worried. I hope this wasn¡¯t as serious as Manuel was thinking it was? ¡°So, have you both been sexually activetely?¡± He asked, eyeing Manuel and I.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Manuel was the one who answered.


    ¡°Okay. So whenst did you both have sex?¡±


    ¡°He stopped touching me since the spotting started.¡± I blurted out. It was something I never really felt the need of talking about with Manuel, but I felt hurt when he suddenly started refusing my advances. Neither had he tried making advances towards me. It hurt my pride because more than anything, I thought he was¡­.


    ¡°I stopped because I didn¡¯t want to hurt you.¡± He said to me. ¡°You were already spotting and whether you like it or not, I definitely cannot help but feel you are going through pains. I would be a fool to consciously add to it.¡± He gritted out, making me release a sigh.


    ¡°But you should have told me all of that, before pushing my hands off your bodyst night, and the night before. And the night before that.¡±


    ¡°Bianca, you should know by now that I don¡¯t need you to make the first moves. I am that addicted to your bo¡­.¡± He trailed off and looking at Doctor Luigi, who just watched us to his own entertainment. For a moment, we had forgotten he was here with us. ¡°You didn¡¯t even tell me this was a problem.¡± Manuel whispered to me, causing me to roll my eyes.


    ¡°Really?¡± I gritted out. The funny part of it all was the fact that we were still holding each other¡¯s hand.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± He muttered, making me go soft immediately.


    ¡°Sorry to interrupt your rather cute session, but we must continue our¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s totally fine, Doc.¡± Manuel nodded. ¡°So sorry for the interruption.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s alright. So, I take it that you both haven¡¯t had sex since you discovered the spotting three nights ago?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Manuel and I chorused.


    ¡°Before I go further, I mustmend you Manuel. It was a very brilliant decision to discontinue sex with your wife. Not a lot of men are that sensitive to things.¡±


    ¡°Thank you Doc.¡± Manuel gave a small smile. I so felt good as well, knowing he had stopped touching me not because he was disgusted, but because he was worried.


    ¡°Yes. So, my next question is specially for you Bianca.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± I nodded.


    ¡°It¡¯s safe to say that you and your husband had intercourse the day before you noticed the spotting, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± He took down some notes on his notepad. ¡°So did you experience any kind of difort or pain during yourst time together, or the times before that?¡±


    Welllll, this was the moment of truth.


    ¡°That was only during thest time we had sex. Before we noticed the spotting.¡± The way Manuel had detangled his hand from mine, had me drowning in a mix of sadness and amusement. Was he being serious right now?


    ¡°Are you being serious right now?¡± He asked the exact question in my head. ¡°You were in pains and didn¡¯t think it right to let me know?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say I was in pains per say.¡± I shrugged. ¡°It was just a slight difort that I ruled off, as being sore.¡±


    ¡°Did we have a lot of sex that day?¡±From N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Well¡­. no. But¡­¡±


    ¡°Exactly my point!¡± He cut me off. ¡°How could you be sore when he didn¡¯t even go at it a lot of times. You¡¯re hurting my feelings.¡± He muttered thest part.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± I said, giving him that puppy dog eyes, and just a few secondster, he was smiling.


    ¡°Wow.¡± Doctor Luigi sighed in clear exhaustion. We were tiring him out, and it was funny to me.


    ¡°So, that means you would have toe with me for further examinations, in order to ascertain the sole cause of this. Spotting during the second to third trimester of pregnancy is not so usual, and can be due to several factors.¡±


    ¡°Am I okay?¡± I blurted out, fear quickly taking over.


    ¡°Calm down, Bianca. At least, you are not bleeding, which is encouraging. After the test, we would ascertain what the problem is, and deal with it squarely.¡±


    *


    *


    Cervicitis. That was what Doctor Luigi diagnosed as the problem. My cervix was inmed, but he said it wasn¡¯t something a few doses of antibiotics couldn¡¯t take care of. I was particrly relieved because of the many things I had already imagined as the problem with me.


    ¡°You¡¯d be fine baby.¡± I looked up to see Manuel smiling at me, and my heart literally lurched. How was I going to stay for days or even weeks, without having this man touch me? That was demoralizing on it¡¯s own. The doctor insisted that we didn¡¯t have sex for a while, until the spotting ceased. ¡°Let¡¯s just get home fast, so you can have some rest.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± I muttered and looked out the window of the car. We were already on our way home, and truly, all I justed wanted to do was rest.


    It wasn¡¯t so long before we finally got home. Almost everyone was out, leaving just Mia, who was sitting in the living room and watching the television when we stepped in. She seemed to be very ted when she saw us walk in. I missed her too. We literally hadn¡¯t seen each other for 3 weeks, and it was so much time to be apart.


    ¡°Oh, my darling!¡± She whined. ¡°I thought for a moment that you both might have decided to take Sicily as your new residence.¡±


    ¡°But of course not.¡± I chuckled. ¡°I missed you so much.¡± I went into her warm embrace and sighed contentedly. I missed my mom as well. And my papa. Before I could even think twice, I asked Manuel. ¡°My love, could we go see my parents any day within the week?¡±


    ¡°But of course, baby.¡± He smiled.


    ¡°Hmmmm¡­¡± Mia¡¯s eyebrows danced in happiness. ¡°I love the change of titles. It¡¯s really cute and for the life of me, I cannot believe this is really happening. You both are together!¡±


    ¡°We have been together for almost 3 months now.¡± Manuel muttered.


    ¡°No!¡± His mom shook his head. ¡°You have been together in marriage, but not love. I¡¯m so happy how you both have nurtured your rtionship and grown together. There would definitely be a lot of obstacles on the way, but you have to remain steadfast. I¡¯m d you both were able to sort out your misunderstandings.¡±


    ¡°Thank you mom.¡± I smiled, and she quickly shared a look of happinesd with Manuel.


    ¡°Hmmm¡­ ¡®Mom!!¡¯.¡± She giggled excitedly. ¡°I see I have a change of title as well. I love it.¡±


    ¡°I love it too.¡± I leaned down to give her a kiss on the cheek, after which I started walking towards the staircase. Just before I got there, I remembered something important.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± She asked, noticing the little frown etched over my face.


    ¡°Has Alexander been here all week?¡± I asked, and her a sad smile came on her face.


    ¡°Not since you both left, dear.¡± She supplied.


    ¡°So, where is Be?¡± I asked.


    ¡°She is upstairs. She barely steps out these days, and she is really losing a lot of weight. I do not want the baby getting affected.¡± She said in worry. I was worried as well. Why was Alexander doing this?


    ¡°I should give Alexander a call.¡± Manuel muttered. ¡°This is getting out of hand.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d you are finally seeing things that way.¡± I muttered.


    ¡°I never said he was right to stay away from Be.¡± He defended.


    ¡°But you did say he needed time.¡± I shot back. ¡°You no longer think he does?¡±


    ¡°You two have to understand that the things of the heart takes time.¡± Mia said, sitting on the couch and gesturing for us to sit as well. We obliged and took the empty sofa just beside her.


    ¡°Alexander naturally needs time to get over the heartbreak and everything he must be feeling. But then, that is why we are here in his life. To shorten that time he think he needs. We have to make him realize that on the long run, all the time he has spent, trying to get everything, is just time wasted. The stage of his marriage isn¡¯t a stage where he has the liberty to take as much time as he needs. His marriage is in a very critical stage, which means he should spend more time trying to patch things up, than the other way around. He woulde to realize that making efforts to make things work, would help him get over the heartbreak he feels.¡±


    ¡°This makes soooo much sense.¡± I nodded in agreement.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Manuel agreed.


    ¡°You both already know that Alexander¡¯s parents do not really¡­..¡± She paused, thinking of the right word to describe the situation.


    ¡°They do not give a damn.¡± Manuel bluntly said, making me chuckle. ¡°But for real. Uncle Alexander most certainly doesn¡¯t want things to end up well between Alex and Be.¡±


    ¡°Which is why we have to help them.¡± Mia said. ¡°Manuel, you have to put a lot of pressure on your cousin. I know the young man is having it bad, but it¡¯d be worse if he doesn¡¯t fix things up with his wife.¡±


    ¡°Alright. I would call Alexander now.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make it seem like you are calling him toe see Be.¡± I rushed out. ¡°Just tell him that we are back and¡­¡±


    ¡°I understand. Let me just call him now.¡± He said. He quickly took his phone and dialed Alexander¡¯s number. There was a moment of silence, before he finally spoke out. ¡°Hey man.¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    ¡°Yeahhhh. We just returned today. Wouldn¡¯t youe to see me and your dearest ¡®assistant¡¯?¡± He nced at me mischievously, and I chuckled.


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. We would be expecting you then.¡± And he hung up.


    ¡°He said he¡¯sing?!¡± I asked enthusiastically.


    ¡°I am equally suprised.¡± Manuel smiled. ¡°He said he¡¯d be here by evening.¡±


    ¡°Ahh!¡± Mia groaned. ¡°My boy just misses his wife.¡± She shook her head sympathetically. ¡°He just wants an opportunity to see her, which makes me wonder. Why is he holding back?¡±


    ¡°Because we haven¡¯t made an effort to push him.¡± I smiled.

 CHAPTER 63

    THIRD PERSON¡¯S POV


    He frowned at himself for being so excited about going to his cousin¡¯s ce.


    ¡°I¡¯m not excited.¡± He muttered to himself. ¡°I just want to go see my favourite cousin whom I haven¡¯t seen in weeks.¡± ¡®Whatever makes you sleep well at night¡¯, his subconscious mocked, making him scoff. He went ahead to fix up his cor, then buttoned the sleeves of his shirt. ¡®So much effort to button a shirt that woulde flying off tonight?¡¯, his subconscious grinned mischievously.


    ¡°Just shut the fuck up!¡± Alexander yelled in annoyance at his inner voice. He hated the fact that even if he tried to maintain his ground about not going to see Be at Manuel¡¯s ce, his subconscious knew the truth. Okay, he would eventually stop lying to himself and ept the fact that he did miss his wife. Maybe just a little. But what was the point of loving unrequitedly? He didn¡¯t want to be so pathetic. Even if she had kept repeating the fact that she had fallen in love with him after all, he couldn¡¯t help but feel her love for him was as a result of empathy. He didn¡¯t want to be pitied for any reason, worse still, love.


    The moment he was donebing his hair and spraying his cologne, he took his car keys and stepped out. Why did he feel like it was gonna be a long night? The ride to his cousin¡¯s ce was normally short, but for some reason, it seemed long today. Why was that?


    When he finally got to the mansion, he quickly got out of the car and made his way into their home. The moment he walked into the living room, he was met with the curious and amused gazes of his other cousins, likewise his aunt and uncle.


    ¡°Hello everyone.¡± He waved awkwardly.


    ¡°If it isn¡¯t quite the delight to have you here.¡± Greta grinned, beforeing over to him for a hug.


    ¡°You came indeed!¡± His Aunt Mia eximed in disbelief. For a moment, he wondered what was actually going on? Had everyone been waiting for him to¡­.? He was at loss.


    ¡°Greta!¡± He released a sigh and returned his cousin¡¯s hug.


    ¡°I would have said you look sick, but your haircut and properly shaved beards beg to differ.¡± She gave that knowing chuckle, making his face burn in embarrassment. Yes! He went as far as having a haircut, just toe say hi to Manuel.


    ¡°Brother!¡± He looked up to see Manuel walking out of the corner where his study was located. ¡°Good to see you.¡± They shook hands and hugged.


    ¡°You don¡¯t look bad.¡± Alexander muttered, and Manuel eyed him squarely, that very mischievous grin on his lips.


    ¡°And I must say you look¡­.¡± Manuel paused, thinking of the right word. ¡°What a lot of women might express as ¡®eidible¡¯.¡±


    ¡°I just came to see you.¡± Alexander rushed out, his heart beating so fast. For a moment, he wondered what he was so worried about. ¡°I just came to see you, and also say hi to Bianca, as well as the entire family.¡±


    ¡°Oh really?¡± Manuel grinned. ¡°Then you are very weed, dearest cousin of mine. Please make yourselffortable, while I go get Bianca.¡± He muttered, gently pushing Alexander onto the sofa. After that, he made his way to the room to inform his wife of their cousin¡¯s presence. The moment he pushed open the door, he was suprised to see Be and Bianca in the room together. The words that had almost tumbled out of his mouth, hid themselves carefully. He had almost revealed that Alexander was around. Thank God he decided to look inside before speaking.


    ¡°Heyyyy¡­. Be.¡± He grinned, walking towards the duo and dropping a chaste kiss on the cheek of the one who wasn¡¯t his wife. ¡°Don¡¯t get jealous baby.¡± He winked at his wife who chuckled. He scanned the both of them to see they were casually dressed. ¡°Are thedies stepping out?¡±


    ¡°Yes. We could do with a walk around the garden, since you have been too busy for me all day.¡± Bianca muttered dryly.


    ¡°Come on now, baby.¡± Manuel chuckled as he made his way towards her. ¡°But you know I have a lot of work to tend to. Work that had piled up on my desk for the past three weeks. You would have to manage without me tonight.¡± He sighed, before leaning down and capturing her lips in a passionate kiss. Be on the other hand, scratched her ear nervously, harbouring a slight feeling of jealousy. Manuel seemed to have noticed because he quickly broke off the kiss with his wife, and regained his focus. ¡°Are you guys about leaving for your walk now?¡± He asked, to which thedies nodded in agreement. ¡°Alright. If you both could just spare a few minutes for me to take a pee. After that, I would escort you to the garden.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t need a third wheel.¡± Bianca shot back, but he simply shrugged.


    ¡°I don¡¯t n on remaining with you both in the garden. I would leave after we get there.¡±


    ¡°Fine then.¡±


    He quickly rushed into the bathroom for a fake pee, after which he stepped out a minuteter.


    ¡°Shall we?¡± He asked, and thedies nodded in agreement. They all walked out of the room and made their way down the long staircase. Manuel particr felt blessed to be in the midst of two expectant mothers. He looked at Be¡¯s belly, then released a sigh. She was sooooo heavy. His mother was right after all. Their marriage was in a very critical stage, and Alexander was only wasting a lot of time.


    The moment they got to the end of the staircase and Be saw Alexander, she released a loud gasp, looking very shocked.


    ¡°Oh wow! Alexander is here? I hadn¡¯t an idea.¡± Manuel grinned as he walked towards Alex. ¡°Wee brother.¡± He greeted, making everyone except Be chuckle. Bianca quickly left Be¡¯s side and walked to where her husband stood.


    ¡°Hello Alex. It¡¯s been a while.¡± She gave him a hug, which he almost didn¡¯t reciprocate, because his attention had been on Be the whole time. She didn¡¯t stay long in his embrace, before moving to her husband¡¯s side, where they all watched the scene unfold between Alexander and Be.


    ¡°H.. eeyy?¡± Be muttered, unsure whether to wave or not. Alexander on the other hand had been more concerned about the way his wife was looking. She looked drained, had lost a lot of weight, and her eyes were sunken. For a moment, he felt a pang of guilt within him, but reminded himself he was going through the exact same phase as well.


    ¡°Hey!¡± He breathed out, ying with the button of his sleeve.


    ¡°Uhhhmm¡­.¡± Mia started. ¡°Don¡¯t you both need your space to talk?¡± She asked, but seeing the uncertainty on Alexander¡¯s face made her hit hard on it. ¡°You could both go up to Be¡¯s room. You could have all the privacy you need there.¡± At Mia¡¯s suggestion, Alexander and Be stared at each other for a while, before Alexander finally spoke up.


    ¡°Thank you Aunt.¡± He muttered, looking at his grateful wife. ¡°If you could¡­. lead the way?¡±


    ¡°Yes! Of course.¡± She nodded and started walking up the staircase. Everyone shared a look when Alexander quickly reached out and assisted his wife by holding her waist as they both walked up together. He may have been mad as hell, but he hadn¡¯t forgotten his manners.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± She whispered as they walked out of sight from everyone. The moment they got into Be¡¯s room and closed the door behind them, Alexander gradually released a breathy sigh. They both stood together in the room, unable to say a word to each other.


    ¡°I¡­. ¡± Be tried making a statement, but couldn¡¯tplete it. Immediately, she locked eyes with Alexander who seemed eager to hear whatever she had wanted to say. He leaned back and rxed onto the closed door, thinking of the best way to start a conversation with his wife whom he had missed so dearly. He was suprised when she took slow steps towards him, but he remained unmoving in his position.


    When she finally got to him, her hand made its way up his face and caressed his cheeks. He hated the fact that he was leaning into her touch, but he couldn¡¯t help it. This woman was literally like water to him, and God knows he had been thirsty for so long. He ced his hand on hers and slowly pulled it to his lips. She released a sigh when he dropped a chaste kiss on palm, making tingles run all over her body.


    ¡°I love you.¡± She choked out, instantly making him drop her hand. A frown etched onto her face, and her eyes got teary.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say those words when you don¡¯t mean them.¡± He gritted out, before pulling himself from the door and walking towards the bed.


    ¡°But I mean them.¡± A tear drop down her eyes.


    ¡°Or you are just saying that to me because you cannot afford to lose your cash cow?¡±


    ¡°What are you even saying?¡± She choked out, furiously cleaning the tears that continued to pour down her face. ¡°You have never been that to me. I only did all I did because I didn¡¯t want Patawan to hurt my family.¡±


    ¡°If you could try not to say the name of your lover to my face.¡± Alexander grunted, making her frown.


    ¡°He is not my lover.¡± She whispered. ¡°I thought 4 weeks was enough for you to forgive me?¡± She asked, unable to hold his eyes as more tears poured out of her eyes. ¡°And I¡¯m not saying that you should just forgive me because I hope you would. I just¡­..¡±


    ¡°You just what?!¡± Alexander cut her off.


    ¡°I just want you to know that I know I made a great mistake! A mistake I¡¯m ready to spend my lifetime correcting. But please, don¡¯t leave me.¡± She cried out. ¡°I would die of heartbreak Alex. You have be the center of my world and now, I do not even know how to cope without you.¡± She said, falling to her knees as more tears poured out her eyes. The moment she fell down, Alex joined her on the floor. He may have been so angry as to have walked out on her thest time, but not anymore. He definitely wouldn¡¯t sit still and watch his heavily pregnant wife stress herself that way. How great was her mistake that she had to go that far? Immediately, his heart softened. Not just as a result of her actions, but the effect her words had on him. She said he had be the centre of her world, and she¡¯d die of heartbreak if he left her. Could it be that his wife truly loved him as well?


    ¡°Are you being sincere when you say that you love me?¡± He muttered, his eyes getting redder.


    ¡°Oh, Alex.¡± She shook her head, a sad smile on her face. ¡°I would be a fool not to. I started loving you, and I didn¡¯t even realize it. I questioned myself to know the reason why, but I just didn¡¯t know why.¡±


    Alexander thought about her words for a moment. In truth, he heard that it was true love, when the person in question didn¡¯t have a reason why they loved you.


    ¡°I just love you, and I cannot help it. Whenever I see you, I feel like my heart wouldbust the next minute. You are the first thing I think of when I wake up, and thest thing I think about before I sleep. Whenever you¡¯re hurt, I feel hurt as well, and I feel worse when I am the cause of your pain. I have never imagined grooming a child with any other man but you. It¡¯s only you that I need. No other man makes me¡­.¡± Before she couldplete her next statement, he captured her lips in a hungry kiss. The way he eagerly suckled on tongue was enough to show how much he had missed being so close to her. She grabbed his hair without even thinking, deepening their kiss as their tongues fought a battle of dominance. They were very much still kneeling, but didn¡¯t really mind. His tongue left her lips and trailed down her neckline, leaving wet kisses here and there.


    ¡°Ahh!¡± She moaned out, the moment his lips suckled on the hollow and sensitive spot between her neck and shoulder. His hands gently took hold of her breasts, massaging them through the thin silky gown she was wearing. All he really wanted to do at that moment, was tear off her dress and suckle on her nipples.


    Immediately, he disconnected their lips and helped her up, alongside him. He began unbuttoning his shirt so fast, that one might think he was in a sort ofpetition. At the end of the day, he had proven his subconscious right. Be on the other hand, had started pulling down the flimsy strap of her gown. The moment the both straps came down her hands, they fell to her belly, exposing her perky breasts to Alexander who was left in just his boxers. Without thinking twice, he bent andtched his hungry lips onto her right nipple, suckling on it so gently.


    ¡°Aaahh¡­¡± She released a quiet moan, her hand pushing his head closer to her breasts. The next minute, he fell onto the bed on his back, and Be hovered over him, settling herselffortably on top of him. Her hands quickly made a grab for Alexander¡¯s hard length, underneath his boxers. It went in and swiftly pulled his cock out, making Alexander sit up a bit. Thankfully, she had been wearingce panties, which was quite easy to push to the side. Without further contemtion, she raised her weight and slid down on his waiting cock. They both released a gasp when hepletely filled her. Oh, how she missed this feeling.Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    cing both hands onto his chest for support, she started riding him.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± He breathed out, sweat breaking onto his forehead.


    ¡°Oh God!¡± She sighed, sweat equally trickling down her face, to the valley in between her breasts. This felt so good, after so many nights of needing her husband and he wasn¡¯t there. The next minute, he was sitting up in the middle of the bed and joining his head with hers.


    ¡°I fucking missed this.¡± He released another satisfied sigh, holding each side of her waist and assisting her ride him easily.


    ¡°Me too.¡± She moaned, leaning forward to kiss him. Their tongues romanced each other as she continued pushing herself onto his cock. She was incredibly wet, making the pleasure hit them both differently. ¡°Please don¡¯t ever leave me again.¡± She begged in between kisses, before cing her hand on each side of his face and grabbing a fistful of his hair.


    ¡°Never!¡± He groaned out, moving his waist against her pussy much more aggressively.


    ¡°Ahhh!!¡± She released a loud moan, making him capture her mouth for yet another kiss. He didn¡¯t want his family listening in on them now. It was going to be so embarrassing when they finally stepped out. He began plunging into her faster, obviously getting to his climax. But then, he didn¡¯t want to cum before her, so he slowed down his pace.


    ¡°No please!¡± She rushed out. ¡°Faster.¡± She begged, making it clear to him that she was close to her release as well. As per her request, he fastened his pace once more and within a minute, she was groaning, moaning, and scratching his back with her nails. All of those actions, were what finally brought him to his release. He had ended up cumming before her, but not long after, her pussy clenched his cock and she shook against him, her eyes blinking continuously. After a short while, she recovered from their just concluded exercise and looked at him.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± He shook his head in disagreement. ¡°Thank you. For loving me and being so patient.¡± Her eyes became clouded with tears and she leaned in to kiss him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t deserve you.¡± She muttered as he cleaned the tears that had dropped from her eyes.


    ¡°You are deserving of every good thing, wifey. Every good thing.¡± He repeated, engulfing her in a warm but sweaty hug. In that moment, all Be could do, was thank God. For weeks, she didn¡¯t feel okay. She thought she was probably going to die from so much crying and heart ache. She couldn¡¯t thank God enough for bringing him back to her. He was her everything.


    ¡°I love you so much.¡± She whispered into his ear.


    ¡°And I love you more.¡± He whispered into hers.

 CHAPTER 64

    THIRD PERSON¡¯S POV


    He woke up and gave azy smile the moment he saw her. She looked so beautifulying beside him. In that moment, he realized there was probably nothing he couldn¡¯t do for the woman. She justpleted him. He hadn¡¯t woken up, feeling so refreshed in weeks. Not wanting to wake her up, he carefully stood from the bed and made his way into the bathroom. Due to the fact that he had spent the night at his cousin¡¯s, he was left with no other choice but to use his wife¡¯s skincare products. He particr loved her shampoo, so it wasn¡¯t much of a bother.


    Immediately he was done having his bath, he dabbed his body dry and stepped out of the bathroom. Be was still very much asleep, so he put on his clothes and checked his phone to know what the time said. It was already 9am! Had they slept in that long? Without thinking further, he made his way out of the room and headed towards the living room.From N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Good morning Aunt Mia.¡± He greeted his aunt, who was curled up on the sofa, going through her phone. His face contoured into a frown when he noticed she wasn¡¯t looking alright.


    ¡°Hello Alex.¡± She replied weakly. ¡°I bet you had a splendid night with your wife, aye?¡± The fact that she was trying to still tease him when she was clearly not alright, only made him chuckle.


    ¡°You do not look fine.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing serious, honey. I just have a slight headache. I would be fine after some hours of rest. Meanwhile, I¡¯d appreciate a warm cup of tea. Just tell Anna to make¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to disturb any of the maids, when I can handle it by myself.¡± He smiled.


    ¡°Thank you so much.¡± She sighed, and he made a turn towards the kitchen. There, he said hi to the two maids he had seen, and got busy trying to make some tea for his auntie. Immediately he was done, he took it to her.


    ¡°Would you like anything else?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°Manuel and Bianca?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I guess they are sleeping inte today.¡± She gave azy shrug in herying position.


    ¡°Alright.¡± He nodded. ¡°I wanted to make breakfast for myself and Be, but since it seems like they are also yet to eat, I¡¯d make some food for them as well.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s so thoughtful of you. Though, there is a leftover in the fridge, from the sd we ate this morning.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± He muttered. ¡°Fine then. I would just squeeze out some fresh juice and make pancakes.¡± He walked to the kitchen and started his business. It wasn¡¯t up to half an hourter, when Manuel showed up with Bianca.


    ¡°Hnmmm!¡± Manuel hummed behind him, looking very amused.


    ¡°Good morning to you too!¡± He chuckled.


    ¡°Good morning Alexander.¡± Bianca yawned tiredly and got closer to give him a peck.


    ¡°Good morning Bianca.¡± He grinned.


    ¡°I can see Be had you so bad, that you woke up to make breakfast for her today.¡± Manuel chuckled.


    ¡°That is a normal gesture every husband should be able to give.¡± Alexander shot back as he rolled his eyes.


    ¡°Exactly! But is it really expected from a man who imed to have onlye here to say hi to my wife and I?¡± Manuel taunted, making Bianca burst out inughter. ¡°Had a great night, huh?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Alexander shrugged indifferently, not wanting his cousin to know how he had literally begged his wife to tell him she loved him.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Manuel muttered, his face sinking a bit. Did that mean things didn¡¯t really go well between his cousin and Be? Just then, Be rushed to the kitchen, worry etched over her face. Bianca and Manuel stood at the entrance, making it impossible for her to see or walk in.


    ¡°Bianca, he has gone!¡±


    ¡°Who has gone?¡± They all asked at the same time. Be could definitely identify her husband¡¯s voice anytime of the day. She gently pushed Bianca asides and walked into the kitchen to see her husband holding a spat in his hand and wearing an apron. Okayyyy. Now she felt extremely embarrassed.


    ¡°Are you okay, babe?¡± He quickly dropped the spat into an empty bowl and made his way towards her.


    ¡°I thought you had left me.¡± She whispered, her eyes getting teary. He quickly hugged her and released a small sigh.


    ¡°I would never do that, my love.¡± He muttered onto her head as she held him tightly. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t, okay?¡±


    ¡°Hmmm.¡± She bobbed her head up and down.


    ¡°If I leave you, where do I go?¡± He asked, making her chuckle in between sniffles. He pulled her head upwards and leaned down for a deep kiss.


    ¡°Oh wow.¡± Manuel let out, grinning at the both of them. For a moment, he had actually thought things hadn¡¯t gone fine between them. But with the how passionately they were currently kissing each other, it was safe to say that they were just fine.


    After Alexander pulled away from the kiss, he softly patted her cheeks and exined the reason he was out of bed when she had woken up, even if it was clear enough for her to see.


    ¡°I just wanted to make us some breakfast.¡± He pointed at the already made pancakes lying in a pile atop a t te.


    ¡°I noticed.¡± She muttered.


    ¡°What are your ns for the day, Alex?¡± Bianca suddenly asked.


    ¡°Well, I do not really know. I would probably remain here with my wife for a few more days, before we head back home.¡±


    ¡°Then it looks like you would be spending your day with Manuel.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Both men asked in confusion.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s because I am to apany Be for her regr antenatal checks today. She is supposed to be told her expected date of birth today.¡±


    ¡°Then I should go with¡­¡± Alexander was still talking when Be cut him short.


    ¡°We are just fine, love. You would enjoy your day with manuel.¡± She gave a small smile and looked at the te of pancakes once again. ¡°We should go eat.¡±


    ¡°But why?¡± Alexander whined, wanting to spend as much time as possible with his wife today. He hadn¡¯t seen her arrangements with Biancaing.


    ¡°Bianca and I, made it a date.¡±


    ¡°Fine then. Whatever you want.¡± He mumbled, making Manuel and Bianca chuckle. It was so clear to everyone that Alex would happily let them put him into his wife¡¯s purse, if that meant he would be with her at every given moment.


    ¡°I hope Massimo has been informed about your outing?¡± Manuel asked his wife, eyeing her closely. He couldn¡¯t afford a repitition of what happened thest time.


    ¡°Yes, he would be here soon.¡±


    ¡°Miguel and Andrew?¡± He asked. ¡°Those are their names, right?¡±


    ¡°Miguel and Andrew are currently unavable. And I do not me them because I didn¡¯t inform them about my return to Italy yesterday.¡±


    ¡°I do not want you both going out on your own without enough security. I could call a few men to escort you¡­¡±


    ¡°But Massimo does his job perfectly.¡± Bianca cut him off. ¡°Plus, we would be visiting the hospital. You don¡¯t want us making the other patients tensed. Massimo is enough for today. I promise to take the others with me, when next I¡¯m stepping out.¡±


    ¡°Fine then. Just be careful, and don¡¯t dy to call for help if you notice anything suspicious. I just want you both and our babies to be safe.¡± He muttered.


    ¡°I know.¡± She sighed. ¡°And thank you.¡± She smiled and leaned towards him for a kiss, but Alexander was very quick to interrupt their mood.


    ¡°Let¡¯s eat!!¡± He yelled out, purposely wanting to disrupt them. Manuel threw him a re that got everyoneughing.


    *


    *


    ¡°I¡¯m excited!¡± Bianca giggled as she held Be¡¯s hand in hers. They were on their way to the restaurant, just after stepping out of the hospital. Be¡¯s expected date of birth was a week from now, and Bianca truly couldn¡¯t contain her happiness.


    ¡°I¡¯m excited as well.¡± Be grinned, caressing her big belly. ¡°But Alex would be more excited. He has awaited this for the longest time.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm.¡± Bianca nodded, a sad expression making its way to her face as a result of Be¡¯s words. Truly, she understood the pains Be and Alexander had probably gone through after losing their first child. It wasn¡¯t something she had ever experienced, but she definitely knew how painful it could be. She couldn¡¯t imagine losing this child in her belly. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry about your first child. Manuel told me about it.¡±


    ¡°He did.¡± Be nodded, her eyes seeming far off as she probably relieved the experience. ¡°It still remains the worst phase of our lives.¡± She sighed. ¡°It wasn¡¯t just about the child we lost. I had almost lost my life and my ability to give life. This baby¡­¡± she softly patted her tummy. ¡°¡­ is nothing short of a miracle.¡±


    ¡°Oh, my.¡± Bianca gasped. Manuel hadn¡¯t told her that part.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Be nodded. ¡°And everything only happened for me to know how much of a blessing that Alexander remains in my life. Even after we found out that there were chances I would never be able to have any other children, he stood by me.¡± Tears clogged her eyes. ¡°He reminded me every day that I was all he needed to be happy.¡± Bianca quickly cleaned off the tears that had dropped down her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m so thankful for your husband and his family. It¡¯s not a secret that Alexander¡¯s parents have never really approved of me. Ever since he married me, your new family where the ones who truly treated me as a part of them. And Nonno.¡± She smiled at the mention of Nonno, equally bringing a smile to Bianca¡¯s face. ¡°I rarely got to see the man but whenever I did, he was always so kind and gentle. A huge contrast to what Alexander¡¯s family may have painted him to be.¡±


    ¡°He is actually a kind and sweet man.¡± Bianca nodded in agreement. ¡°But he shows that side only to peoeple he really takes a liking to. I guess that was the reason he chose we worked together for the gold empire project. Do you know the original owner of that project was ourte Nonna?¡±


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t.¡± She gasped in suprise. ¡°Are you for real?¡±


    ¡°Totally!¡±


    ¡°Woah! Then he must really adore you like everyone says.¡± She grinned.


    ¡°You bet, he does!¡± Bianca winked at her. Just then, the car came to a stop and she quickly looked out the window. They had gotten to their destination. ¡°Thank you Massimo.¡±


    ¡°Always weed ma¡¯am.¡± He turned back to her and gave a small smile.


    ¡°You can stay back in the car while we¡­¡±


    ¡°Not at all.¡± He cut her off before she could say more. ¡°I was sternly instructed by the Don, to not leave your side, no matter the situation. Except, the situation entails me leaving your side to protect you.¡± He recited the words like a written manual.


    ¡°Great!¡± She gave a sarcastic smile, before stepping out of the car with Be. They walked into the restaurant and sat on one of the empty tables, while Massimo took a seat at the table behind them. A waitress appeared and took their orders, before bringing a pack of juice for them to sip on, while their order was being processed.


    A few minutester, a man in a ck hoodie stepped into the restuarant. Bianca could clearly see him from the angle which she sat, but not Be. For some reasons, Bianca couldn¡¯t help but feel something off about the man.


    She couldn¡¯t clearly see his face because of the hoodie he was wearing, but she noticed he kept looking towards them. A waiter had walked up to him and taken his order, but immediately the waiter walked away, he turned his gaze back to them. Bianca tried to not make it obvious that she was staring at him, and only hoped Massimo had noticed the weird man as well. She was tempted to tell Be about the man, but she really did not want to scare the poordy.


    ¡°I should take a pee before our meal gets ready.¡± Be excused herself and quickly walked away before Bianca could respond to her. But then, Bianca was particrly happy the otherdy had left, because if at all her hunch was correct and this man was here to cause mishap, she wanted her to be away and safe. Bianca noticed that the weird man¡¯s gaze followed at Be until she disappeared out of sight, before putting his phone to his ear and talking to someone. It wasn¡¯t up to 15 secondster when another man in a hoodie walked into the restaurant and made straight for the restroom. Just as if a bucket of cold water had been poured on her, she quickly realized what was going on. This man wasn¡¯t here for her, but Be! Immediately, she took her phone and texted Manuel. Her hands shook vigorously as she quickly typed away. ¡®Send Help! Just shared my location.¡¯


    The moment Be had relieved her heavy dder off the excess urine in it, she released a sigh. Not in any hurry, she took her time cleaning herself up with some toilet wipes, before pulling up her panties and unlocking the door. Just as she stepped out, she ran back into the restroom almost immediately. But before she could sessfully run in and shut the door, the man that had caused such a fright within her, dragged her out so roughly. She whimpered in pain as he pulled onto her hair so tightly. She was sure a few strands had fallen off in the process. She wondered how a man with just a single arm, acquired so much strength.


    ¡°Ahhhh¡­¡± He chuckled in his rich Italian ent. ¡°Long time, no see baby girl.¡± He whispered into her ear, making her shudder.


    ¡°Patawan please.¡± She whispered, her lips shaking in fear. Tears had already gathered up in her eyes because she knew a meeting with Patawan wasn¡¯t going to end well.


    ¡°What are you begging for baby?¡± He whispered, licking her ear lobes as she shivered in disgust. ¡°You want me to take you here in thedies restroom? I can do that much.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± She yelled out, tears finally dropping down her face. ¡°Please, no.¡±


    ¡°I fucking thought as much!!¡± He yelled in anger, pulling at her hair more roughly. ¡°You unfaithful slut!¡± He cursed. ¡°You had been up there, opening your legs to the wealthy dude, huh? Yet, nothing for me?!! You never had anything for me ever since you married that bastard that was supposed to be my cash cow. Isn¡¯t it amusing that you haven¡¯t funded my ount for a couple of months now? Or do you think I wouldn¡¯t make do on my promise?¡±


    ¡°Patawan, please let me go. You¡¯re hurting me.¡± She whispered, making him release his grip a little. She sighed in relief, more hot tears falling from her eyes.


    ¡°You dirty little slut.¡± He spat. ¡°You are pregnant again.¡± He chuckled humourlessly. ¡°I guess all you are to him is a child making machine, after all. Does he fuck you like I used to? Huh?¡± It was quite a hassle to bit down the urge of screaming at the bastard, letting him know he wasn¡¯t qualified to bepared with her Alexander, when it came to that. ¡°Does he fuck you like the slut you are? Or would he begin to do that, when I let him know how you didn¡¯t really marry him because you loved him? How the only reason you have remained with him is just for his mon¡­?¡±


    ¡°He knows already!¡± She yelled out, unable to hold herself. He had gone quiet for a moment, slowly realizing that he had no hold over her anymore.


    ¡°Fine then.¡± I grunted. ¡°You really fell in love with the bastard, hmm?¡± He turned her head to himself andnded a heavy p across her face. She could feel her entire face burning up as blood rushed towards the side of her cheek that had just been assaulted. Before she could tell what was happening, hended yet another p to the other side of her face, and she fell to the floor of the restroom. Hot tears stung her eyes, and her eyes turned continuously. ¡°Since you were foolish enough to go against me, I would make you regret it.¡± He spat out. ¡°Before I go ahead and kill off your sister and mother, I should kill you first. Don¡¯t you think so?¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t hurt my family!¡± She rushed out, her hand reflexly resting on her belly. ¡°Please.¡±


    Her pleas fell on deaf ears as he pulled out a small knife from his pocket. Christ! Her heart flew out of her chest.


    ¡°Bianca!!!!¡± She yelled out in fear as the man she had once loved, leaned down towards her with a sharp looking knife.


    ¡°There is no need calling your slut sister inw. She may probably not make it out of here alive.¡± He shrugged, making her release a gasp. ¡°My men have surrounded this premises.¡± Just then, a gunshot was heard, making her go stiff in her spot. ¡°You see?¡± He smiled. ¡°So what do you think?¡± He asked, ncing at the knife in his hand. ¡°My arm was taken for your sake. How about we get even?¡± He grinned devilishly and grabbed her arm.


    ¡°Oh God!!!¡± She yelled out. ¡°Please!!! please!!! Please don¡¯t do that to me!!¡± She was still screaming at the top of her lungs when she felt the sharp edge of the knife slicing into her right arm.


    ¡°Calm down baby. I would make it slow and painful.¡± He chuckled. Just then, she felt a sharp contraction in her lower abdomen, as warm liquid trickled down her thighs. Oh no.

 CHAPTER 65

    MANUEL¡¯S POV


    After Bianca and Be left for the hospital, Alexander and I got busy ying snooker. It was funny how two grown up CEOs decided to just stay at home and wait for their wives to return. Midway through our games, a notification popped on my phone and I looked at it to see that it was from Massimo. I quickly opened it, and it read;


    ¡®Good morning Don. This may be a false news, but I think we are being trailed.¡¯


    ¡°Fuck!¡± I gritted out Immediately I read the message. Not again. This had been my fear all along! They weren¡¯t even out for long, yet this was happening.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Alexander quickly asked, making me release a frustrated sigh.


    ¡°It¡¯s Massimo.¡± I informed, dropping the snooker stick I had been holding in annoyance. ¡°He thinks they are being trailed.¡± Just then, I sent him a message, asking him to share his location.


    ¡°What?!¡± Alexander yelled in shock, dropping his stick as well. Before I could blink, he had pulled out his phone and ced a call to one of our most trusted men. ¡°I¡¯m going crazy!¡± He yelled out as he paced to and fro. ¡°Leonardo, muster some of our men. As much as you can. You¡¯d head to the location I send to you, under the instructions of Massimo. The Don and I would be without you shortly.¡±


    I dialed Massimo¡¯s line and got answered within the next couple of seconds.


    ¡°Massimo, share your location to Leonardo. We just sent some men. We would be with you shortly.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not very sure about my observations Don, so I would rather we act dumb. That way, our attackers do not see our defense and counterattacking. We get to capture them as well.¡±


    ¡°Are my girls safe?¡± I grunted.


    ¡°Yes. They are still in, with the doctor. Once they are done, we would head out.¡±


    ¡°Great. Keep your location on, Alexander and I would be with you and the men shortly.¡± With that, I hung up the call and gave Alex a knowing look. We went to our rooms and quickly dressed up with the speed of light. I picked up my phone to see that Massimo had dropped some more messages.


    ¡®The men have arrived¡¯. After which he sent another. ¡®Just left the hospital¡¯.


    I quickly rushed out of my room and met Alexander already waiting for me in the living room.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± I rushed down the stairs and tugged against Alex¡¯s arm.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Mom who had beenying on the sofa the entire morning whispered, sounding very weak. I could see she wasn¡¯t okay, but the situation at hand didn¡¯t give me the liberty to stay and check up on her.


    ¡°Bear with me mom, I would be back soon.¡± I bent to drop a kiss on her cheek, but noticed how much she was burning up. Fuck. Nheless, I gave her a kiss and pulled Alexander out with me. We were still walking out when I put a call across to my father. After some rings, he finally picked up.


    ¡°Dad, your wife is not fine!¡± I didn¡¯t mean to yell at him, but I just wasn¡¯t in the right state of mind at that moment. I trusted Massimo to keep the girls safe, but in a world like ours, nothing was ever certain. A hero could fall at any time.


    ¡°What do you mean? And haven¡¯t I told you never to rai¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Dad.¡± I rushed out, finally getting to the car. I threw the car keys at Alexander who easily caught them and opened the car. I stepped into the front passenger¡¯s seat, while he got into the driver¡¯s seat. ¡°But mom is seriously ill. Please get home to her immediately.¡± Just then, a thought crossed my mind and I wondered how I forgot to just do that.


    The maids were very much on duty. I should have asked Anna or any other maid to look after her. God! I was extremely disoriented and confused.


    ¡°Are you for real?!¡± Dad asked and I nodded, temporarily forgetting that he couldn¡¯t really see me.


    ¡°Yes.¡± I rushed out. ¡°Please go check up on her. Alexander and I are off to protect our wives. Please ensure that the rest of the family remains alert.¡±


    ¡°Oh God!¡± He sighed in disbelief. I was tired of the recent constant troubles as well.


    ¡°Stay safe.¡± He said, before I hung up the call. I couldn¡¯t remain on a call with him much longer, knowing that Massimo may probably be trying to reach me.


    ¡°I just found their new location.¡± Alexander muttered after a while of silently driving.


    ¡°Where?¡±N?velDrama.Org owns this text.


    ¡°La Dolce Vita. A few minutes from here.¡± He supplied. Just then, Massimo¡¯s message came in and I grimaced when I read it.


    ¡®I was right. There is someone tailing us, but he is yet to make a move.¡¯


    ¡°He just confirmed it. They are actually being followed.¡± I informed Alexander who hit the car steering in anger.


    ¡°Thought as much.¡±


    A few minutester, we were driving into the destination to meet quite the scene. A few men were shot dead on the ground, and some of our men were trying to make their way into the chaotic restaurant. Alexander and I quickly got out of our car and made our way towards the wide doors of the restuarant.


    ¡°Don!¡± Leonardo yelled out the moment he spotted I and Alexander. He was on a ck mask, but I knew it was him.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± I asked, walking closer to the doors.


    ¡°The intruders.¡± He pointed to the bodies on the ground, then parted a way for us to pass through. They followed behind us as we walked into the restaurant. The next scene that yed out was shocking. There, was my pregnant wife, standing with her legs slightly ajar and deeply rooted to the ground, as she shot at a strange man without looking fazed. It just wasn¡¯t the right time for me to start feeling proud, because the scene that just yed before my eyes was iconic. When she had told me Nonno got her a professional martial arts tutor, I didn¡¯t realize she was this serious.


    I had also expected her to panic after shooting a man, but she didn¡¯t look like she was worried at all. I looked around to be sure there was no other threat around her, before another thought struck me. Where was Be? Just as the thought crossed my mind, I saw Massimo walking out of what seemed to be the restroom area, with a screaming Be in his arms. Oh my God! Was that blood on her arm?! I was running towards them, and Alexander was doing the same as well. But I halted my steps the moment I saw a familiar figure being pulled like a sack of potatoes through the floor. Tawan. What the hell?


    ¡°Be!!! Be!!!¡± Alexander yelled out in fear the moment he got to her. ¡°Oh God! Who did this to you?¡± He took hold of her bleeding arm, before he finally noticed Tawan behind Massimo.


    ¡°Alex!¡± She yelled out in obvious pain. ¡°Our baby! Our babyyyy¡­.¡± She cried out. Oh sweet lord! Now??!!! He looked like he was about to cry, but held himself.


    ¡°Please take her to the car.¡± He rushed out his order to Massimo, who hastened his steps out of the restaurant. I could see Bianca running towards them from my peripheral view. I watched as Alex walked closer to Tawan who had the guts to re at him. But then, this was really not the time for this. Be was inbour, and our men had gotten hold of Tawan alre¡­.


    ¡°Bastardo!¡± Alexander yelled out in anger and the next thing I knew, Tawan was falling limply to the floor, blood trailing out of the bullet hole in his head. ¡°I do not have time to waste, my wife needs me. Clean this mess up.¡± He muttered, before walking away. I followed him behind, still shocked at the turn of events just seconds ago. No, I wasn¡¯t suprised about the fact that Alexander had shot Tawan. I was suprised because I thought Alexander would have rather kept him alive and tortured him for a while, before finally killing him. How could I forget so easily? Alexander could hardly think straight when he was mad. Especially when it had to do with his wife. Alexander had started running off before I could even realize it, making me say a silent prayer for our Be. The injury on her arm was enough to show that if we hadn¡¯te earlier, Tawan would have caused more harm to her. Alexander quickly hopped into the car beside Be, while I joined Bianca and Massimo in the other car. We all made our way to the hospital and the moment we got there, the nurses scampered around as they helped her onto a wheelchair and took her away. Bianca had been following them behind, but I had to pull her back and beg  her to remain with me. We had to wait here for the good news. It just had to be good news. Bianca was extremely worried, and it irked me to no end.


    *


    *


    ¡°Oh christ!¡± Bianca sighed in relief as we stepped out of Be¡¯s hospital room. ¡°She scared the hell out of me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay babe.¡± I rubbed her back soothingly. ¡°More than anything else, we should be thankful that Be and the baby are fine.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± She looked up at me, a smile making its way to her face. ¡°He¡¯s so beautiful.¡± She whispered, tears in her eyes. Truly, Alexander and Be¡¯s son was a very handsome. I felt like my heart was going tobust the minute Iid eyes on his. I knew right at that moment, that he was going to be my favourite nephew. The way his tiny fingers firmly clutched my index finger was so endearing. ¡°I¡¯m in love.¡± Bianca chuckled, tears still in her eyes.


    ¡°So am I.¡± I nodded in agreement, a huge smile on my face. ¡°We should get going now, you need as much rest as you can get. We woulde back to see Be and the baby tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm.¡± She hummed, snaking her hand around my waist, as mine rested over her shoulders. We were still making our way out when we sighted Massimo standing at the entrance of the unit. ¡°Massimo is still here?¡± Bianca gasped.


    ¡°I¡¯m suprised as well.¡± I muttered. ¡°Massimo.¡± I called out. ¡°Still out here?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t feel inclined to leave just yet, Don. I would escort you and miss Bianca home.¡±


    ¡°Thank you Massimo.¡± Bianca rushed to him and held his hands in hers, making me frown. ¡°God bless you. For today, and every other day. For a moment, I had thought I was the one who notified Manuel about them, but he told me about how you had let him know about the threat, even before we got to the restaurant. Thank you for taking your job of looking after me so seriously.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my job ma¡¯am¡­.¡± He cleared his throat, unable to hold my eyes. Gently, he pulled his hands away from Bianca¡¯s, and managed a small smile. ¡°¡­ and it¡¯s always my pleasure.¡± Bianca gave him a nod before returning to my side. I couldn¡¯t help but keep ring at Massimo, until Bianca cleared her throat to grab my attention.


    ¡°Shall we?¡± She asked, and I nodded halfmindedly, unmoving from my spot. ¡°Let¡¯s go, you jealous man.¡± She whispered, pulling me along with her. So she knew I was jealous. Did she try to make me jealous on purpose, then?


    ¡°No. I didn¡¯t try to make you jealous on purpose.¡± She gave me that knowing look, making me chuckle. We all walked out of the hospital and hopped into the car, before making our way home.


    *


    *


    I woke up with a smile on my face as I felt Bianca¡¯s body snuggly cuddled into mine. She moved against me, making it clear that she was about to wake up as well.


    ¡°Good morning my pretty head.¡± I sniffed her hair which smelled of strawberries, and sighed contentedly.


    ¡°Hello my love.¡± She inhaled and exhaled deeply, before turning to look at me.


    ¡°You look particrly beautiful today.¡±


    ¡°Hmmmm.¡± She gave azy smile. ¡°Just like Be¡¯s son. I dreamt of him the whole night. Now, I cannot help but wonder what our own son is going to look like.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s definitely going to look like me.¡± I wiggled my eyebrows in pride, and she gave a loud scoff.


    ¡°He would definitely look like me. Be¡¯s son looks like her.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not true.¡± I frowned in disagreement. ¡°He looks like Alex.¡±


    ¡°No, he looks like¡­¡± She was still talking when we heard a knock on our door.


    ¡°Who is there?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s your mom.¡± The door flung open to reveal mom who was fully dressed. Oh wow. Mom hardly went out, except it was for shopping. What was the assion?


    ¡°Good morning mom.¡± Bianca greeted and let out a yawn.


    ¡°Good morning darling.¡±


    ¡°Mom are you stepping out? What¡¯s the asion?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Seriously?¡± She asked, eyeing me squarely. ¡°Your cousin just put to birth. What other assion is needed? I thought you both agreed to go visit Be alongside the rest of the family today?¡± Oh my God! How could I forget that? I definitely remembered I and Bianca were to go see Alex and Be today, but I totally forgot we were going with family.


    ¡°Jeeez! We totally forgot.¡± Bianca sighed and pulled away from me, as she carefully made her way out of bed. ¡°Is everyone ready?¡±


    ¡°They are all downstairs, waiting.¡± Mom replied.


    ¡°But I thought we agreed to go see them by 12 noon?¡± I asked.


    ¡°And what do you think says the time?¡± She shot back. My jaw dropped in shock, unable to believe that Bianca and I had slept in that long.


    ¡°So sorry mom!¡± I rushed out. ¡°We would be down in the next twenty minutes. Please spare us a little time.¡±


    ¡°Please hurry up.¡± She muttered before closing the door shut.


    ¡°You think she¡¯s mad?¡± Bianca asked in worry, and I simply shrugged.


    ¡°I doubt. Let¡¯s just go have our bathes already.¡± We both rushed into the bathroom together and washed each other¡¯s bodies. I was fast getting used to being cleaned up by my wife. It is so funny that for the longest time, I thought that the only form of intimacy between a man and woman was sex. But everyday, I was learning and unlearning. So far, I had explored a whole lot of ways to be intimate with my wife, asides sex. Truly, love was a thing. A real thing. It wasn¡¯t just lust. It was a soul to soul tie and connection with someone. I had that tie with Bianca.


    We quickly had our bathes and stepped out of the bathroom. After we dressed up, we made our way downstairs, only to meet a very unweing sight. My entire family were silently seated in the living room, while my mom stared daggers at the unwanted guest. What was Francesca doing here?


    ¡°Manuel.¡± She walked up to me the moment she noticed my presence. What was she wearing now? I could almost see her nipples through the dark gown. My God.


    ¡°Francesca what are you doing here?¡± I asked, a bit worried about how Bianca was gonna react to her presence in our home. What was this crazy woman doing here again?! I had decided to let her previous stunt slide, but enough was enough now.


    ¡°I¡¯m here for you baby.¡± She grinned devilishly.


    ¡°I am not your baby!!¡± I yelled in her face, making her flinch for a second.


    ¡°But you are.¡± She insisted, trying to maintain eye contact with me, but I wasn¡¯t even having it.


    ¡°He is not your baby.¡± Bianca calmly said, snaking her arm around mine and staking im on me. It felt good, but it would have been better if Francesca wasn¡¯t in our space.


    ¡°And who do you think you are?! Manuel loved me first!¡±


    ¡°Hmmmm¡­¡± Bianca sighed. ¡°I¡¯m d you said he loved you ¡®first¡¯. Well, he loves me now, so deal with it.¡± I love how calm and unbothered Binaca sounded at the moment. ¡°And as for your initial question. You really do not know who I am?¡± She asked, a small smile on her face. ¡°I would make it easy for you, honey.¡± She chuckled, making Francesca¡¯s re be harder. ¡°I am the onlydy who can have his head in between her thighs. Now, do you understand?¡± She asked, making me and the rest of my family chuckle. I never knew Bianca could pback this hard. Wow! I was proud of her short introduction.


    ¡°This Ferraridy really has no self respect.¡± Mom whispered and gave a scoff. Francesca was clearly humiliated but instead of leaving, she remained there. Was she being serious right now?


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s time you left, Francesca?¡± Greta asked as she walked towards where we stood. Suddenly, a little smirk appeared on Francesca¡¯s face, and that was when I knew all wasn¡¯t well.


    ¡°That is after I say what I actually came to say.¡±


    ¡°Then spit it out already, and leave.¡± Greta replied sharply, not an atom of amusement on her face. Francesca shrugged her shoulders before looking at me squarely in the eyes.


    ¡°Manuel, I¡¯m carrying your child.¡±

 CHAPTER 66

    MANUEL¡¯S POV


    ¡°Manuel, I¡¯m carrying your child.¡± She said.


    I blinked for a couple of seconds, unsure of how I was actually feeling at that moment. The fact that she had neither stuttered, nor blinked her eyes in fear, was more than enough to let me know all was not well.


    ¡°That has got to be a sick joke!¡± I yelled, not able to help the negative way I felt about her words. How was that even possible??! ¡®How isn¡¯t it possible¡¯? Oh God! This was definitely not the right time for my subconscious to act smart.


    ¡°You sure know that I wouldn¡¯te all the way, just to tell a lie and leave.¡± She shrugged, that annoying smile spreading over her face once more. Right then, all I could think of was Bianca, and my hand reflexly tightened around hers. Oh God. What the hell had I gotten myself into? When Bianca squeezed my hand in support secondster, I feared my knees would give out in relief. Thank goodness! She definitely didn¡¯t believe this crap that Francesca was speaking. ¡°Why do you even sound confused? We both had sex, not right?¡±


    ¡°Point of correction, you drugged me!¡± I cut sharply. ¡°You drugged me, then did whatever you did with my unconscious body. I me myself for thinking you would have wholeheartedly given me leads on my wife¡¯s attacker, if you had it.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m sorry honey. But then again, you did.¡± She grinned, not a single trace of amusement in her eyes. ¡°Unconscious or not, we both had sex and you are now responsible for this pregnancy.¡±


    ¡°I refuse to believe tha¡­¡±


    ¡°Is that how much you hate me, Manuel?!¡± She suddenly yelled out, catching me off guard. I looked around to see the expression of my family, and they all looked confused. All of them, except Bianca. She looked unfazed as she just calmly stared at Francesca, probably forcing herself to believe that this wasn¡¯t happening. Even I, couldn¡¯t believe it was. Why did this always have to happen to me? Why could I never just knowplete happiness? It was always one trouble or another. True! The life of a mafian was one with a lot of troubles, but all I was asking was for an opportunity to love my wife in peace. To love her like she deserved. To love her like I wanted to. We were already getting there recently, until now. I am expecting another child, which means more baggage for Bianca to carry and tolerate.


    She had tolerated being forced to marry me, despite being in a rtionship with Anthonio. We scaled through that phase because all along, we¡¯ve truly just loved each other. She tolerated being the target of a blood thirsty enemy, and we are still trying to sort that out. Now, she has to tolerate her husband having a child outside their marriage? This was a whole lot.


    ¡°Oh wow.¡± Francesca muttered, trying to get me to look her in the eye. ¡°You can¡¯t even say anything.¡± She whispered, before leaning forward to grab my chin with her hand. It happened like sh because the minute her hand was reaching up for my chin, Bianca¡¯s was swatting it away angrily.


    ¡°Now, I would look past a whole lot of inappropriate behaviors from you. But you know what I wouldn¡¯t over look?¡± She asked rhetorically. ¡°You thinking that for some stupid reason, you have the right to put your hands on what¡¯s mine!¡± She growled, making Francesca visibly flinch. ¡°Of course! You should cower like that when I talk.¡± She smirked. ¡°Now get out of my premises, before I finally lose it.¡±


    ¡°How dare you?! After seducing my fiance and getting pregnant with his child, you finally have hisst name, thinking you have the right to send me out of his house?¡±


    ¡°Now, I love the statement you made.¡± Mom sighed. ¡°She carries hisst name now. And the moment she married him, she automatically became thedy of this mansion! In order not to further infuriate her or any other member of this family more than you have already done, make your way out of our premises immediately!¡±


    ¡°Francesca, please leave.¡± I said. Just then, I noticed Massimo at a corner, close to the entrance of the living room. When did he arrive? The way he looked, it was clear he heard everything that had taken ce a moment ago. Why did the look on his face feel familiar? That was the same expression he had on, when he and Bianca had walked in on me allegedly cheating with Francesca. I wouldn¡¯t totally say ¡®hurt¡¯. It looked like abination of hurt and disappointment to me. Wait a minute¡­.. oh God. I knew I wasn¡¯t supposed to be having these kinds of thoughts in such a critical moment, but you can¡¯t me me. The signs are bing to ring for me to ignore. Was Massimo falling in love with my wife?! What the hell?! That could be the only exnation as to why these things that were supposed to bother Bianca, bothered him as well.


    What was he thinking? That he would suddenly rescue my wife from the bad marriage she had found herself in?


    ¡°Massimo.¡± Bianca called out to him the moment she noticed his presence.


    ¡°Miss B.¡± He responded, tears clouding his eyes. That was when I lost it. What the fuck was going on here? The next thing I knew, I was charging towards him like a mad dog and throwing hard punches over his face. I kept hitting him and hitting him, but he didn¡¯t move a muscle in retaliation.


    ¡°Oh my God!!¡± Bianca cried out in shock. ¡°Manuel! Stop! Stop it this instant!¡± She yelled, making her way towards us. My father and brothers had gotten to me before her, sessfully preventing me from causing more harm to Massimo.


    ¡°Stand up and fight me, you prick!!¡± I yelled out in anger. ¡°Since you suddenly thirst for my wife, you should as well be ready to best me!¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Bianca rushed to me and hugged me tightly. ¡°Stop it now.¡± She whispered against my chest, making my rapidly beating heart regte slowly.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sure my wife would never give off the wrong signals to you or any other man. So why in God¡¯s name, did you start to hunger for what¡¯s mine?! I fucking trusted you! Enough to protect her!¡±


    ¡°Manuel please stop all these!¡± My Dad thundered, and I released a deep sigh.


    ¡°So this was the reason you have been eagerly protecting her?! Not because of loyalty, but because of your lust for her?¡± I asked, but he couldn¡¯t even look up at me. With shaky legs and a bleeding nose, he rose from the floor, so much tears still in his eyes. I knew he wasn¡¯t gonna let any tear drop down his cheeks, he wouldn¡¯t go that soft now. I guess what pained me the most, was the fact that he wasn¡¯t even saying any word in response. He just remained mute.


    ¡°Take the Ferraridy and leave this instant!¡± I barked out my order. ¡°And don¡¯t ever show your face here until you hear from me again. Get out.¡±


    Calmly, he walked towards Francesca who was pretty much in tears already. She probably couldn¡¯t believe I had gone berserk out of jealousy over my wife. She had toe to terms with the fact that nothing I shared with her, held as much passion as what Bianca and I share.


    ¡°My apologies ma¡¯am, but it would be great if you made things easier for us both, by letting me simply escort you out.¡±


    Without ncing him at him, she silently walked out of our living room, with him following behind. Good riddance.


    ¡°I cannot believe all that happened within thest five minutes. Chaotic.¡± Matteo muttered and Tommaso chuckled. That was my problem with Tommaso. He didn¡¯t know when one was serious. What was funny about anything that just took ce? I threw him a re and he visibly shivered.


    ¡°Sorry.¡± He muttered. I thought as much.


    ¡°Chaotic indeed!¡± Mom yelled in exasperation. ¡°This is not a matter to be treated trivially. We all need to talk.¡± She said. ¡°As a family.¡± She added after a few seconds. ¡°That is when Bianca feels much better, of course.¡± She waved towards Bianca who seemed to be lost in a world of her own. It seemed like my mother¡¯s statement and the searching eyes of everyone, had made her snap out of her thoughts.


    ¡°Yes¡­. mom.¡± She gave a smile that didn¡¯t reach her eyes. ¡°We would talk when we return from visiting Be and Alexter in the day. For now, we should make our way out to the hospital. That was the initial n, and it still seems great.¡±


    ¡°Fine then. We would do as you wish.¡± Dad said. ¡°Let¡¯s leave already guys.¡± He announced and we all moved out of the house in a single file.


    On our way to the hospital, a lot of thoughts roamed through my mind. I still couldn¡¯t believe that Massimo was capable of betraying my trust that way. Were all the women in this world not enough for him to fancy? Why did it have to be my wife? It truly pained me because so far, Massimo had be more than just ¡®one of my men¡¯, to me.  The fact that even now, I didn¡¯t trust Bianca with any other person as much as I trusted Massimo, was a great problem. Now I had to look for someone else who would protect Bianca like it was his life¡¯s duty.


    Throughout our ride, I also realized Bianca seemed to be in a world of her own, and wasn¡¯t really speaking to me. I was more hurt when I tried to hold her and she reflexly pulled away from my touch.


    Tommaso and Greta had joined us in our car, making her actions towards me very embarrassing.


    ¡°Sorry.¡± She muttered to me, trying to salvage the situation, but it was already toote. The deed had been done. I simply nodded in understanding, as there was nothing else I could do.


    When we got to the hospital, Alexander¡¯s family were there already. They suprisingly looked bright and genuinely worried about Be¡¯s health. I guess that was as a result of the attack on her yesterday. It must have given them a scare. We all got busy having random discussions and admiring their baby, that no one remembered to inform them of the incident that had just ured before we came to see them. Or maybe, they didn¡¯t forget. They just didn¡¯t feel like speaking on it. Me too. To be very honest, Alexander and his wife had a lot on their tes already. There was no point adding to it. I could always speak to Alexander about it when Be and the baby have been discharged from the hospital.


    We literally spent the entire day at the hospital, before finally making our way back home. The moment we stepped into the mansion, I went straight to my study and Bianca went to the room.


    There was this heart ache that came with her silence, and I knew I wouldn¡¯t be able to take it if I stayed in the same space as her tonight. Bianca provoked feelings in me that I wasn¡¯t used to, and now it left me feeling so vulnerable. I knew I was getting weaker by the day, but it wasn¡¯t a feeling I really wanted to shy away from. Before we left Sicily, Nonno had told me that the best love stories held a lot of heartaches. But then, mine hurt a little too bad. Maybe I felt so sad because I expected Bianca to understand that none of what ured today was really my fault. But then again, she had every right to feel bad. I wouldn¡¯t try to steal that away from her. She was hurt too. Who knew that my unconscious intimacy with Francesca was going to lead to this? If indeed she was pregnant, then I truly have no other choice than to take responsibility for it. I would never abandon any child that came from my loins. But then again, I hoped Bianca¡¯s response would be positive as well. On the long run, her wish would be mymand.


    *


    *


    I didn¡¯t realize how long I had stayed in my study. When I stood up to leave, it was already 11pm in the night. At least, I wouldn¡¯t meet her awake if I walked into our room now. It was better that way, because I couldn¡¯t take her silence.


    I walked up the stairs and when I got to my room, I gently pulled open the door in order to not wake her up. I walked inside and closed the door, only to turn and see her sitting in the middle of the bed and staring at me. I would have jumped in shock, if not for the fact that her stare was kinda warm? There was this softness in her eyes that made my insides melt away.


    ¡°You¡¯re back.¡± She muttered. Why did she sound slightly offended. I left the room because¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± I found myself saying, but she shocked me further my shaking her head in negation.


    ¡°No, Manuel.¡± She whispered, before gently hopping off the bed and making her way to me. ¡°I am sorry.¡± She sighed. ¡°For acting like a bitch.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say tha¡­¡±


    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have pulled away when you tried to touch me earlier today.¡± She said, cutting me off. ¡°And, I shouldn¡¯t have just remained silent in anger, knowing that none of what happened was your fault. But I just couldn¡¯t help it. I don¡¯t want to share you with anyone else.¡± She choked out, tears in her eyes, but she quickly blinked them back. I felt my heart constrict with my chest. God, I loved this woman. I didn¡¯t even think it through before pulling her closer for a kiss. It was gentle at first as I nibbled against her lower lip but soon, we were roughly eating each other¡¯s faces. Before I knew it she was tugging against my shirt, and that was when I pulled away. It took all the restraint within me, but I had to. I couldn¡¯t go on, after remembering what the doctor had told us. We shouldn¡¯t be intimate for a while.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± I whispered against her face, our hot breathe fanning against each other¡¯s faces.


    ¡°Why?¡± She whispered, desire still evident in her eyes.


    ¡°Doctor¡­. he¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± She whispered in realization. A few secondster, a silly grin spread through her face and before I could ask what was going through that silly head of hers, she was pushing me towards the bed. Inded on my buttocks, and she was quick to go on her knees and reach for my belt.


    For a moment, I was worried she was gonna hurt herself in that position, but the smile on her face told me otherwise.


    ¡°But babe¡­¡± I called out weakly, the temptation within bing too great for me to handle. ¡°We¡­ we can¡¯t.¡±Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    ¡°Who said we would?¡± She asked, sessfully unbuckling my belts and zipping down my trousers. I was such a weakling for lifting my waist to enable her pull off my trousers much easily, but I just couldn¡¯t help it.


    ¡°Then why¡­?¡±


    ¡°Shhhh¡­¡± She put her index finger against her lips, and gave a seductive smile. After that, her hand found its way into my boxers and she pulled my hard cock out. ¡°Just let me please you.¡± She whispered, her pupils dting as desire filled her eyes. ¡°At least, you deserve that much after the stress you¡¯ve been put through today.¡± The silly grin remained on her face and the next minute, she bent her head and took my cock straight into her warm mouth. I thought I was going to pass out from the excitement that rushed through my body in that moment.

 CHAPTER 67

    BIANCA¡¯S POV


    ¡°Oh my fucking God!¡± He released a loud sigh as his head fell back to the bed. His chest heaved high and low as he tried to regte his breathing. ¡®That was one interesting session¡¯, my subconscious said, and I couldn¡¯t help but agree. I felt so satisfied from the joy of pleasuring him to his own satisfaction.


    I stood from my kneeling position with a little sting of pain in my knee cap, but it wasn¡¯t something too serious. Hopping onto the bed to join his presumed tired figure, I was suprised when he reached out and pulled me to himself.


    ¡°Babe.¡± He muttered, sniffing my neck and dropping wet kisses along the slender curve of it. Oh God.


    ¡°Manuel¡­ we can¡¯t, remember?¡± I muttered.


    ¡°Who said we have to?¡± He giggled like a boy, making me smile. What was he up to¡­. or rather, down to, now? He kept going lower and that was when I realized what he wanted to do, regardless of the fact that it had been my move just moments ago.


    ¡°Manuel, no.¡± I whispered with great difficulty, truly wanting to feel his tongue down there again, after a while.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°You do not have to return the favour.¡± I sighed.


    ¡°And you did me a favour?¡± He queried. ¡°I would tick that off, as a grammatical error. But then, who says I can¡¯t satisfy my wife because I truly want to?¡±


    ¡°But then¡­¡±


    ¡°But what?¡± He cut me off once more.


    ¡°What if¡­¡± I muttered, feeling a little too embarrassed to talk.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± He asked, his face contouring in worry almost immediately.


    ¡°I am!¡± I rushed out. ¡°I just don¡¯t¡­. I just don¡¯t want you to go down on me and have my blood in your mouth.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re still spotting?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­. no. But, it¡¯s not been up to a week since it stopped. Let¡¯s just¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just have fun baby.¡± He smiled. ¡°I don¡¯t mind if I have your blood in my mouth.¡± He shrugged, trying to raise my night wear up to expose my pussy to him. Was this man crazy?! I wanted to smile and cry at the same time.


    ¡°But I mind. I am embarrassed.¡± I muttered.


    ¡°And I owe you the respect of backing off when you begin to feel that way.¡± He sighed, a small smile of understanding on his face. ¡°I would just go have a warm bath, and return to cuddle you to sleep.¡±


    ¡°You are too good to be true.¡± I grinned. ¡°Actually, you are too good to be Manuel.¡±


    ¡°You are too good to be true.¡± He leaned down and gave me a chaste kiss on the lip. ¡°You¡¯re too wonderful to be Manuel Russo¡¯s wife.¡± He grinned equally, before hopping down the bed and heading towards the bathroom. He remained there for some minutes, before eventually stepping out with a towel, wrapped too low around his waist. Why did this man love to tempt and be equally tempted?


    ¡°You could bore a hole into my body with those eyes of yours.¡± He smiled to himself.


    ¡°Your towel could fall off your waist, don¡¯t you think so too?¡± I asked, making him finally burst intoughter.


    ¡°No.¡± He said, shaking his head in disagreement. ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just a liar.¡± I gave a scoff and turned to face the other side of the bed. I remained that way until he was done dressing up and joined me in bed.


    ¡°Can we talk?¡± He whispered into my ears, making me turn to look at him.


    ¡°What about?¡±


    ¡°Ws shouldn¡¯t just pretend that nothing happened today.¡± He sighed.


    ¡°We¡¯re not pretending.¡± I shrugged. ¡°Well, I am not pretending. It¡¯s not even something we can pretend didn¡¯t happen. I am just waiting for you to want to talk about it. I¡¯m giving you the liberty of choice. You should be the one to decide when you want to speak about it.¡± I exined.


    ¡°But I thought we were already speaking about it earlier on?¡±


    ¡°No, we weren¡¯t. I was simply apologizing for keeping silent on you.¡±


    ¡°Well, I want to talk about the current issue on ground now.¡± He shrugged. ¡°With you.¡± He added.


    ¡°Fine.¡± It was supposed to be a statement, but it came out as a question. I truly didn¡¯t know how I felt about this issue. I was scared. Yes, I know I was scared.


    ¡°Babe.¡± He held my hand in his, and caressed the back of my palm with his thumb. ¡°Picking another over you, is simply impossible. That could never happen.¡± He ced his hand underneath my chin and raised my head to look at him. ¡°And I¡¯m particrly ttered that you do not wish to lose me to anyone else.¡± He smiled. ¡°That feeling is very much mutual, I¡¯m sure you know already.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm.¡± I nodded, a small smile on my face. I was d Manuel had been all possessive over me earlier today, but I really wasn¡¯t happy about the fact he had hurt Massimo. And what was it with him thinking that Massimo had feelings for me? I also didn¡¯t understand the reason why Massimo failed to correct his notions. Massimo had told me about his love interest before, and I didn¡¯t fit into that description. What was going on? ¡°About¡­ Massimo.¡± I began.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you knew all along?¡± He said tly.


    ¡°I think you¡¯re getting it all wrong.¡± I muttered. ¡°Massimo isn¡¯t in love with me.¡±


    ¡°I know what I saw Bianca. The man was close to tears when I looked at him. All the while, his eyes had been on you.¡±


    ¡°Something isn¡¯t right here.¡± I shook my head, trying to make a meaning out of it all. I wanted to tell Manuel that Massimo and I have had that discussion about his love interest before, but I didn¡¯t want to rile him up. He was already on the edge, thinking Massimo had betrayed him.


    ¡°Something definitely isn¡¯t.¡± He shrugged. ¡°Of all women, why did Massimo want you?¡±


    ¡°That is a secondary issue, let¡¯s face the main issue here.¡± I muttered, and he sighed. ¡°Are you going to marry Francesca?¡±


    ¡°Are you crazy?!¡± He blurted out in a mix of shock and amusement. ¡°Bianca?¡± He looked at me, but I quickly looked away. ¡°What¡¯s going on in that head of yours?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know?¡± I rushed out.


    ¡°That¡¯s crazy. Your thoughts are crazy. Why would I even contemte marrying her? I have a wife already.¡±


    ¡°I know!¡± I rushed out, feeling stupid for my assumptions. What was I even thinking? Pregnancy hormones got me overthinking things. Manuel would definitely never do that to me.


    ¡°Bianca,¡± He softly called out to me. ¡°Calm down.¡± He chuckled, which only annoyed me. I was trying to be calm here! ¡°I could never marry Francesca, when I have you. Also, I want to know your own thoughts, before going ahead to take responsibilities for the child she is carrying.¡±


    ¡°Manuel, no!¡± I rushed out. ¡°I would never ask you to abandon your own child. Never.¡± I sighed. ¡°I just don¡¯t want to share you with another woman. I know another child that is not mine, would be a difficult change to adjust to, but I¡¯m ready to do so. Those are part of the challenges thates with marriage, I guess. I am ready to ept him or her into this home, and do my best to show him as much love as I would show my own child. I am saying this, not because I n on taking Francesca¡¯s child away from her, but because I assume no Russo child would be trained outside Russo.¡±


    ¡°I understand you.¡± He nodded. ¡°Your assumptions are not wrong though. But things may turn out to be a little different in this case. Francesca also belongs to a strong mafia family like ours. Her father may not let his grandchild be taken out of their home. More so, to be trained by a family he detests.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh¡­¡± My mouth took the shape of an ¡®o¡¯.


    ¡°Yes.¡± He nodded. ¡°That may even be better off for us. That way, Francesca¡¯s drama would be far away from our home. If the child stays here with us, it simply means she would always be here as well. And you know what that means.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm.¡± I nodded. I also didn¡¯t want all of her drama. ¡°But you know you have to speak with her about this at the end of the day, right? And you have to do it on time, so she doesn¡¯t begin to think that you rejected the baby.¡±


    ¡°True.¡±


    ¡°But why does Francesca¡¯s father hate Russo? What scores does he have with you guys?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a long story babe.¡± He sighed.


    ¡°And I¡¯m all ears. I really want to know as much as I should know about my new family. That way, I feel like I¡¯m really a part of everything.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm.¡± He nodded. ¡°I would tell you about a lot of things tonight then. But let¡¯s start with the first. The rival between the Russos and Ferraris. Or rather, the reason the Ferraris hate the Russos.¡±


    ¡°So Russo doesn¡¯t hate them as well?¡± I asked, slightly confused.


    ¡°We actually don¡¯t. But we do not love them either, and that is because we cannot ignore the fact that they hate us. A saying goes.. ¡®You can¡¯t be allies with your enemies¡¯.¡± He shrugged. ¡°So the whole thing started many years back.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± I muttered, my whole attention on him.


    ¡°Yes. So it happened that my uncle; Dante¡­.¡±


    ¡°You mean your cousin; Dante¡¯s father?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Well, you already know that all first sons were named after their fathers. Just like my father and I, Alexander¡¯s father and him, Anthonio¡¯s father and him¡­.¡± He trailed off. That reminds me, he was yet to speak with Anthonio. But I knew this wasn¡¯t the best time to talk about that.


    ¡°Yes, so?¡±


    ¡°So, uncle Dante fell in love with a certain upperssdy. Her name was Maria Rossi. Maria was caught in a love triangle between my uncle and none other than Francisco Ferrari.¡±


    ¡°My goodness!¡± I rushed out in suprise.


    ¡°Yeahhh.¡± He drawled. ¡°She obviously liked uncle Dante more, but somehow fell pregnant for Francisco.¡±


    ¡°Goodness. Uncle Dante would have been so heartbroken.¡±


    ¡°You bet, he was. They had already started dating when he found out she was pregnant for Francisco. She was forced to marry Francisco for the sake of their child. It was just like the case of we and Anthonio, but the difference was that Maria truly loved uncle Dante more. And I guess that always remained a problem in her marriage with Francisco, even after uncle Dante got married to auntie Annalise. Maria was still in love with my uncle.¡±


    ¡°So that is why there is friction between both families?¡± I asked, the whole thing sounding so petty in my head.


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not all. Something more happened. Many yearster, Maria and auntie Annalise had a serious altercation during an event both families had attended. It was clear that Maria still loved uncle Dante, even after 9 years in marriage. Uncle Dante had ended up taking his wife¡¯s side, as he was supposed to. He warned Maria never toe close to auntie Annalise again. Francisco had been angry as well, and he got into a physical fight with uncle Dante.¡±


    ¡°Are they children?! Oh God! Behaving like yourself and Anthonio.¡± I shook my head in disbelief and he chuckled.


    ¡°Well, something tragic happened the week following their fight.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Maria died.¡±


    ¡°Oh my goodness!¡± That was a shocking turn of event. My mind was harboring so much thoughts in that moment. ¡°And Francisco thinks Dante did it? He would never do that to a woman he once loved.¡± I shook my head in disbelief, hoping that Manuel was going to confirm my thoughts.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s bes moreplicated than that because she died in a car ident. Another car had driven straight into hers. Guess whose car had smashed into hers?¡± He asked, but I wasn¡¯t quick enough to give an answer, before he answered his own question. ¡°One of the men working under Russo.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± My hand went over my lips. Now, that was asplicated as could be.


    ¡°Yes.¡± He nodded. ¡°And since then, Francisco has hated the Russo family, iming that uncle Dante killed his wife because he couldn¡¯t have her.¡±


    ¡°But Dante loves auntie Annalise, right?¡± I asked, hoping he would give a positive response.N?velDrama.Org content.


    ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t really say so.¡± He shrugged. ¡°Though they had an arranged marriage, they have stayed together for long. That is until a while back, when they tried to file for a divorce. But given that Nonno is too strict about marriage, they haven¡¯t been able to. So, I can¡¯t really be sure that uncle Dante loves her. Plus, I¡¯m not as close to him, as I am with uncle Alexander.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm. This is quite a case.¡±


    ¡°I think there are a lot of things we should talk about as well. Many things you are yet to know about Russo. I should let you know about them. We may not be able to talk about it all tonight, but I would tell you as much as I can.¡±


    ¡°Great!¡± I smiled widely, feeling my heart go warm. I was really a Russo now. ¡°So where do we start?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s start with a certain unknown enemy, whom has caused us a lot of problemstely. We call him ¡®X¡¯.¡±

 CHAPTER 68

    MANUEL¡¯S POV


    ¡°Don¡¯t goooo!!¡± She whined, making me smile. ¡°I miss you alreadyyyy.¡± My wife could be a big baby sometimes.


    ¡°I would be back before you know it.¡± I smiled. ¡°Come here and give me a kiss.¡± I walked closer to the bed and bent down for a kiss. She pouted in mock annoyance, before finally giving in and kissing me. While she kissed me, her hands snaked around my neck, holding me very close to her. We broke off the kiss and she still refused to let go. ¡°Babe?¡± I muttered. ¡°I need to leave now, don¡¯t want to keep my men waiting.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± She pulled away, looking a bit distraught. ¡°I don¡¯t even know what is wrong with me. Crazy hormones.¡± She sighed.


    ¡°But I do not like the way you look. If you insist I should remain home, then I would.¡±


    ¡°No no no!¡± She rushed out. ¡°Not at all. You don¡¯t need to do that. All you just have to do is go ande back to me in one piece. I¡¯m just naturally worried because nowhere seems safe for us anymore, and my senses feel more heightened due to my hormones.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± I nodded, before squinting my eyes in thoughts. ¡°Is this about the discussion we had about ¡®X¡¯st night?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± She shrugged. ¡°Maybe.¡±


    ¡°Then do not worry babe, I would be fine. Moreover, I think we are very close to finding him out. Patawan was clearly working together with Jacobo and this ¡®X¡¯ guy. Once we hear from his men that we had been able to seize alive, we should know who the unknown bastard is.¡±


    ¡°Alright, but just be careful.¡±


    ¡°Rx babe.¡± I smiled warmly, rubbing her arms to give her some form of calmness.


    ¡°Is Alexander going with you?¡±


    ¡°No, love. I asked him not to bother. I really do not want him leaving Be¡¯s side in her frail state. It¡¯s just an interrogation with the men, nothing I can¡¯t handle. Now, have some rest and wait for me to return.¡± I urged and dropped a chaste kiss on her forehead. We had discussed into the early hours of the morning, and were not really able to have enough rest. I wanted her to rest now, because we still had more things to discuss once I returned from the interrogation session with my men.


    ¡°Alright.¡± She managed a small smile and fell onto the middle of the bed, covering herself with the duvet. ¡°See you soon.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm.¡± I nodded and walked away. Why was this nudging feeling my my chest? I felt this strong urge to stay back home with my wife, but I had no other choice but to leave. The earlier I found out who exactly this man was, the better for us all. Russo was no longer safe, and I had to ensure the situation changed. That was my responsibility.


    Once I got out of the house, I made for my car and drove out of the estate. It took roughly 45 minutes to get to the Russo barracks and immediately I got there, I headed to the private dungeons. I got to the dungeons to see my men in there, surrounding the culprits and quite busy with their funny method of torture.


    ¡°Don!¡± They all yelled out in chorus the moment the noticed my presence.


    ¡°Any progress?¡± I went straight to the point, folding up my sleeves as I did. I had a feeling it was gonna be a long morning. Looking around the room, four different men were chained to the metallic seats. I could see cuts all over their bodies, and it made me miss Massimo for a second. He had a better way of handling these kinds of people. I definitely would not expect them to spill by giving them cuts with pocket knives. That was such ame thing to do! I was almost tempted to make a query and know which of my men was supervising this interrogation process before I arrived. They did a shit work out of it. Couldn¡¯t these men just get it right without Massimo?!


    ¡°None of them have agreed to say a word, Don.¡±


    ¡°I seeee¡­..¡± I drawled, a smirk on my face. ¡°How about I speak to them in anguage they¡¯d definitely understand?¡± I asked rhetorically. ¡°Get the hot coals and branding irons. Let¡¯s do it like in the days of the old.¡± I smiled to the man sitting on the chair directly before me. I could see the obvious fear in his eyes, making me wonder what my men were really thinking for not taking things seriously from the beginning. They were only slowing down the entire process of catching ¡®X¡¯. I didn¡¯t me them though, they weren¡¯t really my best men. These ones were still under training.


    After a few seconds, the doors opened and one of my favourite men; Wolfe, walked in through the door with arge metal bucket containing hot coals. Immediately, Patawan¡¯s men started struggling in their seats and it only made me give a humourless chuckle. Were they really being serious right now? What made them think that they could escape now, when they couldn¡¯t do so when they had been captured. It was an obvious lost cause, if they thought they could run now.


    ¡°Alright then.¡± I took the long branding iron from Wolfe and stretched my hands widely, in mock tion. ¡°Gentlemen, shall we?¡±


    *


    *


    I found myself driving at such high speed, unable to believe what I had just learned. It was him? All along? What the fuck? Immediately, I put a call across to Alexander, wanting to tell him my findings already. How could I not have seen this all along? I was sooo blind and tactless, and it was quite unusual.


    I tried his number for the fourth time, but he still wasn¡¯t picking up. What was happening? Where was he? I dropped my phone by the passengers seat in defeat, hoping to get home already and put actions in ce to¡­.


    I hadn¡¯t seen iting when another car came at me in such full speed, making it impossible for me to dodge the eventual ident. Then next thing I knew, my car was somersaulting and I went light headed, hanging upside down in my squashed up car. The feeling of a deja vu rushed through me, and I instantly realized this had happened before. It was the exact same way it had happened five years ago, only proving the information I had gotten today very urate.


    I was gradually slipping out of consciousness, but tried to keep my eyes open. I could see the legs walking towards my car, and I knew I was in danger. Fuck! I was already losing energy and the only thing I could think of doing at that point, was reaching out for the minute device in glovepartment and turning it on, hoping it would serve it¡¯s purpose in due time.


    ***


    ***


    BIANCA¡¯S POV


    I gave a small stretch the moment I woke up, and stepped out of bed. Heading for the bathroom, I peeled off my night dress from my body and made my way inside. A warm bath was just what I needed right now. After taking my time to wash up, I walked back to the bedroom and that was when I looked at my phone to see the time. It waste afternoon already, yet my husband wasn¡¯t here. Or maybe he had returned home, but was downstairs with the rest of the family. Feeling thetter was the case, I hurriedly dressed up and walked out of the room to go be with him. On getting to the living room, I was disappointed to see everyone else in the living room, except him.


    ¡°Bianca dear, you are finally awake.¡± My mother inw called out to me with a small wave.


    ¡°Yes mom. Manuel isn¡¯t back?¡± I asked, and she shook her head in negation.


    ¡°No, not yet. You miss him already?¡± She grinned, making me smile.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Why did my heart keep constricting painfully? Why was I missing Manuel so much today? I had felt the same way when he was leaving this morning. But then, I had expected him to be back already. He said he wasn¡¯t gonna stay long with the men, and now it was almost evening.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much. Just join us here and wait for him to return. He should be here anytime soon.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± I released a sigh and walked towards where she had been sitting with my father inw. I squeezed myself in between them both like a sandwich, groaning in frustration. Everyoneughed in amusement, but it was far from being amusing to me. No one understood how I felt. I was terribly missing my man.


    We remained in the living room for a while longer, before a call came into my father inw¡¯s phone and he pulled away from me to answer the call, leaving me to rest on his wife¡¯s shoulders.


    ¡°Hello? Dito.¡± He muttered, but my attention wasn¡¯t even on the phone call until he stood up in shock. ¡°What?! When?¡±From N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Mia softly asked, but got no response from the clearly agitated man who was still on the phone.


    ¡°Dad what¡¯s happening?¡± Greta asked in concern, but the man was too shocked by whatever news he had gotten, to even say a word.


    ¡°Inform the rest, I¡¯m on it.¡± He said, visibly grounding his teeth against each other.


    ¡°Sweetie, you don¡¯t look okay. What did Dito say?¡± Mia pressed.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s¡­¡± He turned to look at me, a sympathetic expression on his face. Immediately, I knew something was wrong.


    ¡°Where is Manuel?¡± That was the only person on my mind, and I was extremely disturbed.


    ¡°Calm down.¡± He whispered as he walked closer to me and held my shoulders.


    ¡°But I cannot calm down when I¡¯m not sure my husband is okay.¡± I reasoned. ¡°Is he fine?¡± I asked, but the older man remained quiet. Just great! Now, I was very sure all wasn¡¯t well. ¡°Dad please tell me what¡¯s going on.¡± I pleaded, that painful constriction happening in my chest again.


    ¡°Your husband is¡­. missing.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Greta and I said at the same time. What did he mean by that statement? I felt my heart giving up on me, but tried to remain on my feet.


    ¡°W.. wh¡­ what happened t.. to him?¡± I stuttered, my breathe rapidly increasing.


    ¡°A repeat of what happened a few years back. His car was found squashed up in the middle of the road, but his body wasn¡¯t inside. Just his phone and suit jacket.¡± Right then, it felt like someone had pulled my heart out of my chest and continuously stomped on it. Oh God. I was feeling light headed already and almost fell on my back, but luckily, my father inw held me firmly.


    ¡°Please be strong my dear. I promise to search through the entire expanse of this earth, and get your husband back to you in one piece.¡±


    He gently lowered me onto the sofa, and Mia enveloped me in her arms immediately. My head started getting pulled into that hole where I couldn¡¯t hear a word any other person was saying. All of their voices just sounded like distant echoes. I didn¡¯t even know if I was already crying, but I knew for a fact, that I was far from feeling alright. The only thoughts that went through my mind was if Manuel was going toe back to me, and when it was gonna be. I remained in Mia¡¯s embrace for a while, as literally everyone was walking all over, trying to do one thing or the other regarding the situation on ground. A lot of calls were being made at the same time. My mind continued to waver in uncertainty, and I was already feeling sorry for myself. I would never be able to cope if anything happened to him.


    ¡°Can I go to my room?¡± I whispered, and Mia contemted her response.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I can¡¯t leave you on your own.¡± She muttered. ¡°I don¡¯t want a repitition of what happened thest time. It¡¯s clear we are no longer safe, and I wouldn¡¯t dare to put you in harm¡¯s way.¡±


    ¡°I can go up and stay with her.¡± Greta suggested, making me nod in appreciation. I just wanted to sleep and wake up to realize this was all a terrible dream.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Mia said, making Greta give her a confused look. ¡°What? You don¡¯t expect me not to remain with her, do you?¡±


    ¡°Fine. We should ask for some of the security guards to be stationed around the room as well.¡± Greta muttered.


    ¡°I¡¯ve done that already. They would be up any moment from now.¡± Matteo supplied, giving us the go ahead to go up.


    I opened my eyes, only to see myself sandwiched in between Greta and Mia on the bed.


    ¡°You¡¯re up.¡± Mia muttered, and I nodded. I looked around, hoping to see Manuel in the room, but my face fell when I realized it was real after all.


    ¡°It is not a dream.¡± Greta whispered into my ear, making me nod as I fought so hard to hold back my tears. God! I hated this feeling!! It was now it dawned on me all the more. My husband was missing, and there was no assurance he would return any time soon.


    ¡°Please do not cry.¡± Mia rubbed my back soothingly, but I wasn¡¯t having any of it.


    ¡°But how can I not?¡± I choked out in tears. ¡°H.. how?¡± More tears poured out from my eyes and all I really just wanted was for Manuel to appear and console me. For him to tell me it was all a silly joke, and he wasn¡¯t going to repeat such stunt ever again. Oh, my baby. I didn¡¯t even know if he was fine out there. Was he conscious? Was he hurt? Was he safe?!!! God, I was going crazy here!!!


    ¡°Stop pulling your hair.¡± Greta gently released my hair from the firm grasp of my fingers. ¡°Manuel would be fine, you just have to be strong. We all have to be. Manuel isn¡¯t the type to give up easily. He is too tough to go just like that.¡± At her words, my mind stilled instantly, and I began to wonder what exactly I was thinking. What was I doing? Was I always going to be so weak and pathetic? Would I just breakdown and cry at every slight opportunity? I had no idea were my husband was, but I had to remind myself that he is the actual leader of this family. Was I supposed to be wallowing in pain, or was I supposed to stand strong in his stead? My next action took them unawares, and Mia looked worried. I stood up from the bed with so much strength, not minding my belly or the remnant tears in my eyes.


    ¡°Bianca!¡± They both called out. The next second, the door flung open and two hefty men rushed in. They looked at me closely, before looking at the two otherdies on the bed.


    ¡°She is fine. We are fine.¡± Mia rushed out, and both men nodded, before making their way out of the room.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± I sighed, patting my belly lightly. ¡°I would be fine.¡± I nodded affirmatively. ¡°Because I would get to the bottom of this mess. But first, I have to be sure Be and the baby are fine. Has Alex shown up here since¡­.¡± I trailed off, realizing I didn¡¯t even know what time it was. ¡°What time of the day is it?¡± I asked, looking around for my phone. They were both still looking at me like I had horns on my head, unable to understand my quick change in mood. How do I exin to these women that I just realized I was supposed to be strong for them? I was Bianca Russo; wife to Manuel Russo, the Don of the Russo family. I wasn¡¯t supposed to be weak! I finally found my phone lying on the table in my room, and picked it up. It was 2:47 am in the morning?!


    ¡°It¡¯s almost 3?¡± I muttered in disbelief.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Greta nodded, eyeing me closely.


    ¡°You both haven¡¯t had any sleep?¡±


    ¡°Because we had to make sure you were fine.¡± She reasoned, making my heart do a little flip in my chest. I wasn¡¯t supposed to make them so worried. Now, I didn¡¯t even know how I felt. Sad? Grateful? I was really touched by the way these people cared for me.


    ¡°Okay.¡± I took a deep breathe, before asking my initial question again. ¡°Has Alex shown up here since yesterday evening?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he has.¡± Mia supplied. ¡°But he left almost immediately. The situation is very confusing and everyone is on the tip of their toes, trying to make sure Manuel is safe andes back in one piece.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± I muttered. ¡°Nonno? Does he know of the recent development yet?¡±


    ¡°ording to Alex, they haven¡¯t been able to reach him yet.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± My eyes widen in a mix of shock and worry. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°We are not really sure, but my husband thinks Nonno isn¡¯t safe as well. We have also tried reaching out to his personal body guard, all to no avail. We called the mansion in Sicily, only to be told he had been away for a couple of days now, unaware of his present location. We called Aggie at the penthouse, but she supplied that she hadn¡¯t seen or heard from Nonno ever since he left to go join you at his mansion in Sicily.¡±


    ¡°Fuck.¡± I cursed out, unable to hold it in. Immediately, I took my phone and tried putting a call across to Nonno. It was ringing, but he wasn¡¯t answering. I tried for a second time and was suprised when the call was answered. ¡°Nonno!¡± I rushed out, grasping Greta and Mia¡¯s attention as they hopped down the bed and made their way towards me.


    ¡°Nipotina!¡± That was definitely Nonno. I sighed in relief at the knowledge that he was okay.


    ¡°Nonno, what¡¯s going on? We have been trying to reach you for hours.¡±


    ¡°That, I can see.¡± I released a sigh. ¡°I just turned on my phone, it has been switched off the entire day.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± I queried.


    ¡°Because it¡¯s Rosa¡¯s memorial today. So I thought to pray for her soul yesterday.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Nonna¡¯s memorial today?¡± I whispered, and he hummed in agreement. Why did something feel off here?


    ¡°Is there a problem?¡±


    ¡°Yes, a big one. Nonno where are you?¡± I asked, and was quite suprised by his answer.


    ¡°I¡¯m in Moscow. I went to see Rosa.¡±


    ¡°Nonno, you have to return immediately.¡± I rushed out. ¡°Manuel has been abducted, and no one has an idea who took him.¡± His end of the line went his silent after I told him thetest development. ¡°Nonno? Are you there?¡±


    ¡°When did this happen?¡± The tone of his voice had changed as expected.


    ¡°Just yesterday. I¡¯m not sure when, but it happened yesterday.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± He whispered.


    ¡°Nonno you have to return as soon as possible. Be and the baby are not safe here, and I would be more relieved if she goes with her baby, to stay at the masion in Sicily. That is why you have to return immediately.¡± The fact that today was Nonna¡¯s memorial left a strange feeling in my heart. There seemed to be a major coincidence, and I was going to unravel the puzzle here.


    After supplying some more information to Nonno, I hung up the call and put another call to Alex, informing him of my ns to have Be and the baby in Sicily. Apparently he had also been trying to reach out to Nonno for that same reason. I let him know that Nonno was going to be in Sicily before the end of today, and that he should make ns for Be to be there with Nonno. That was the only ce I could be rest assured that she¡¯d be safe. Nonno¡¯s security team were too good to be easily overridden. I was d he thought my n was great and promised Be and the baby would be away before the end of the day. I was still pacing up and down, thinking of my next mode of action, when another call came in through my phone. Immediately I reached out for the phone, hoping it was information about who had Manuel. I was suprised to see it was Massimo.


    Considering the way things had ended thest time he was here, and given the time of the day, I hadn¡¯t expected to see his call. Greta and Mia looked at me, wondering why I was looking at my phone, but not answering it. I didn¡¯t want them getting all suspicious now, especially after Manuel had made everyone think that the man had some sort of feelings for me. So I simply answered the call, and said his name out loudly.


    ¡°Massimo. I wasn¡¯t expecting your call.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry for calling you sote, Miss B. I heard of the Don¡¯s disappearance yesterday, and there¡¯s something I must tell you.¡± He sounded unsure, making me more certain that I needed to speak with him. What he had to say was very much likely to be important. ¡°Please could we have a discussionter in the day?¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± I rushed out, hoping that whatever he had to say would help with tracking down who had taken Manuel. ¡°I would inform the security to let you into the estate.¡±

 CHAPTER 69

    THIRD PERSON¡¯S POV


    He spotted her the moment she stepped out of the gigantic gates of the Ferrari mansion, walking towards his car in that skimpy skirt that didn¡¯t go lower than her mid thighs. The designers crop top she had been putting on, did little to hide the slender curves of her waist. He hated that other men had to see her this way as well, but could do nothing about it. He wasn¡¯t her fiancee, neither did he have any right to question her dress sense. He had been pretty much swallowed by his thoughts that he failed to realize when she had gotten to the car. Her tap on the window ss had pulled him back to the present. He quickly unlocked the car doors, making it possible for her to pull open the front passenger¡¯s seat and hop in.


    ¡°Good afternoon Miss Francesca.¡± He greeted.


    ¡°Hello Massimo.¡± She gave him a small smile that made his heart do a silly flip. He quickly pulled his eyes away from her and focused back on the road as he drove off. The Don had asked him to bring her along, since she ¡®insisted¡¯ on weing him from the airport. ¡®Insisted¡¯. That was the exact word the Don had used.


    For the longest time, he knew his boss never really loved miss Francesca, and it hurt him every time. Why didn¡¯t he just go ahead and break up with her, instead of settling and treating her less than she deserved? Massimo knew that even if things didn¡¯t work out between Manuel and Francesca, she would never settle for a man like him. But at least, she would end up with someone better. Someone who would love her better, and she wouldn¡¯t have to force things with. At least, she would be happy.


    He wasn¡¯t trying to say the Don was not a nice man. Hell! The man clearly didn¡¯t know that he wasn¡¯t in love with miss Francesca. He was that oblivious when it came to the things of love. Ladies didn¡¯t freak the man out, making it more than obvious that he wasn¡¯t gonna look elsewhere. Manuel was going to marry Francesca at the end of the day, and may probably never learn to treat her right. If only wishes were horses. If only he wasn¡¯t born into a poor home, maybe then, he could have stood a chance to be in the beautiful Francesca¡¯s life.  He couldn¡¯t even remember when he started loving her. He remembered the first time he ever met her. Then, she hadn¡¯t met Manuel yet.


    She had apanied her father for a business meeting, and he had gone as an undercover agent under the instructions of Mr Emilio Russo, to get information about a different other businessman present at the same meeting. He continued to trail the man until he lost sight of him at a point. Feeling confused with the turn of events, he calmly pulled out of the conference hall and made his way towards the men¡¯s restroom, only to be attacked from behind by a certain youngdy. She couldn¡¯t have been more than 20, but the firmness of her grip on his arm made him think otherwise. She pushed him towards the wall, his face kissing the cold tiles. ¡®Are you tailing my father?¡¯ That was the very question she had asked.


    Massimo didn¡¯t even realize he had started smiling, until Francesca called his attention.


    ¡°What has you smiling that way?¡± She asked, and he shook his head, putting his focus back on the road.


    ¡°N.. nothing.¡± He stuttered as she eyed him closely. ¡°Nothing serious.¡± He released a nervous chuckle, before locking eyes with her. She never remembered who he was. He really didn¡¯t expect her to remember him, because they never met again until a yearter. She had clearly forgotten his face, but he never did.


    ¡°Hmmmm Massimo.¡± She drawled and raised one of her legs, putting it above the other. He found it difficult to focus with the smooth fair skin of her thighs on disy. He knew he was harbouring the wrong thoughts, but that was what it was ever gonna be. Thoughts. He definitely wouldn¡¯t betray the Don, by trying to y silly games with Francesca, regardless of the fact that the man didn¡¯t love her. He swallowed hard, before peeling his eys off her thighs. What he didn¡¯t realize, was the fact that thedy had noticed him looking at her. She always had, which she found particrly funny. She understood though. She was a rich, hot, and sessful heiress. Even the men who didn¡¯t stand a chance would still hope that they did. Massimo was one of those men. It was just a shame that he would be more hurt when she eventually married his boss. She tried to steal a nce without him noticing. Hisrge biceps, his clear skin, and full hair. There wasn¡¯t a doubt that the man was a fine specimen, but he would always remain ¡®just¡¯ a bodyguard.


    They had gotten to the airport and Massimo didn¡¯t miss the indifferent look on the face of his boss. Manuel was supposed to be happy to see his fiancee after 3 whole weeks of being away in Moscow, but the man didn¡¯t seem to be. Instead, Manuel¡¯s eyes hadn¡¯t stopped stealing nces at thedy whom he recognized as Mr Alexander¡¯s personal assistant. Massimo knew quite well that even Francesca had felt threatened by thedy and had tried to be bitchy towards her, but it clearly didn¡¯t sit well with Manuel. At that moment, Massimo knew that what seemed impossible had finally be possible. His boss had taken interest in a different woman, and he only hoped the interest was strong enough to lead to something more between them. If that ended up happening, Francesca wouldn¡¯t have to spend a lifetime with a man that made her feel as insecure as being a bitch to ady who hadn¡¯t even done anything wrong to her.


    *


    *


    Several months down the line, and things had really turned out like he had thought. The Don had gotten married to miss Bianca, and she was a sweet soul. He had almost found himself opening up about his age long feelings for Francesca, to her. More than anything, he hoped that Francesca was finally going to let Manuel and Bianca be. It pained him so much that the woman he loved, kept embarrassing herself, trying to make a man want her by all means. He hated himself for loving a woman who didn¡¯t even see him, but such was life. Currently, he was walking out of the office building after dropping Bianca off at the Don¡¯s office. The moment he hopped into the car, his eyes caught the cute cake she had given him just some moments back. Today was his birthday, and she had been the only one who had told him as much as a ¡®happy birthday¡¯. Even his men had all forgotten it was his birthday, and he wasn¡¯t going to remind them. He gave a small smile, tears clouding his eyes. A lot of people saw him as a tough guy, but he was far from that. He never really nned to live such a life. The life of a bodyguard. Always being in the face of danger, and never having time for himself. He was tired of being alone and lonely, and he could make do with some kindness and show of love on a day like this.


    A lone tear dropped down his cheek as he thought about his parents. Lately, he had been having difficulties picturing what they looked like. He had to go home already. He would spend the entire night looking at their pictures, while eating the cake that Miss Bianca had gifted him. Just when he kick started the car and was about driving off, he noticed a familiar figure walking out of the office building, towards the parking lot. She seemed unstable as she walked and fell to the ground eventually. Without thinking, he rushed out of his car and made his way to where sheid on the cold ground. That was when he noticed she had been crying, and he didn¡¯t need a soothsayer to tell him what had just transpired between she, Manuel, and Bianca. What was she doing at Manuel¡¯s office sote in the night? Why couldn¡¯t she just bring herself to let the man go? Immediately that thought crossed his mind, his subconscious quickly reminded him that he was yet to let his own feelings for her go. Fair enough.


    ¡°Miss Francesca.¡± He muttered, before picking her body off the ground. She was too distraught to even say a word, and let him take her to his car. When he finally got into the driver¡¯s seat, he looked back at her and asked. ¡°The Ferrari residence?¡± And she simply shook her head ¡®no¡¯. ¡°Where would you like me to take you ma¡¯am?¡± He asked, and she shot him a bitter smile.


    ¡°Is that a cake on the seat?¡± She asked, and he slowly nodded in response.


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s my birthday today.¡± He muttered thest part, making her smile more genuinely. It was a small smile, but a genuine one.


    ¡°Happy birthday Massimo.¡±


    ¡°Thank you ma¡¯am.¡± He smiled, too shy to keep an eye contact with her. She noticed it and thought it was cute.


    ¡°Uhmm¡­ I want to go to my apartment. Could you be kind enough to take me there?¡±


    ¡°Definitely.¡± He nodded and kick started the car once more. He drove out of the parking lot and within 15 minutes, they made it to her apartment. It was somewhere he had been more than a couple of times, but had never made inside. Little did he know that he was going to get inside her apartment that night, and they were going to do unforgettable things.From N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Massimo.¡± She called out, sounding much serious. He looked up at her in response. ¡°How about you call me Francesca for today? Birthday privileges.¡± She smiled and he reciprocated it. ¡°Thank you for helping me Massimo, but I think I sprained my ankle.¡± She muttered, causing him to get worried immediately.


    ¡°You sprained your ankle?¡± He asked, opening his door to go check her leg at the back seat. Indeed, her ankle seemed a bit swollen. ¡°Let me help you inside your apartment.¡± He offered. ¡°That is if you don¡¯t mind.¡± He quickly added, and she nodded in agreement. He quickly scooped her into his arms and made his way up the flight of stairs. When he finally got to what seemed to be her apartment floor, she pointed the door of her apartment to him. They got there and she punched her password into the customized lock. The next second, the door lock clicked open, and Massimo pushed his way inside the partially dark room. He gently dropped her on the nearest couch in the living room, and tried to look around for some sort of light switch. She pped her hands twice and immediately, the lights came on. ¡®Nice¡¯, he thought to himself. Looking around the room, to see that the entire ce was very organized and neat to the detail.


    Her unrequited love for Manuel asides, she was actually a smart and hardworking businesswoman. The only woman in the tech business world currently. They were actually a lot of other business women who oversaw techpanies, but Francesca was truly the only one who stood out. It was no surprise that she was quite organized.


    ¡°You should have a seat.¡± She offered, pointing at the empty sofa just beside where she sat. He slowly shook his head in disagreement, but she quickly waved off his refusal. ¡°We should celebrate your birthday with a ss of wine at the very least.¡± She shrugged, standing to her feet with little difficulty. She limped towards the mini wine bar at the other end of the living room, and returned with two wine sses and a bottle of wine. Massimo knew he wasn¡¯t supposed to remain there, but he found himself sitting on the sofa beside her. She very easily opened the wine and while she did, he took note of the skimpy gown she had been putting on. If she made the mistake of sitting wrongly, he would be able to see her panties. He looked at her creamy thighs for a moment, before pulling his eyes away. She seemed to have caught him staring at her, and he noticed she had. He swallowed hard, blinking his eyes in mild embarrassment.


    She refrained from make any remarks concerning the fact that he had been staring at her, and just went ahead to film the empty wine sses with some wine.


    ¡°Here.¡± She handed one of the sses to him, and he epted it.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± He muttered, before taking a sip. The atmosphere had been kinda awkward because they just kept taking sips from the cups, without actually saying a word to each other. Finally, Francesca broke the silence and asked him a very obvious question.


    ¡°Massimo, do you like me?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± He rushed out, almost choking on his wine. She locked eyes with him and release a sigh.


    ¡°I know you do.¡± She muttered, reclining into the sofa she had been sitting on. She looked at him, azy but sleazy grin on her face. ¡°Tell meeee¡­ do you want to see what kind of panties I¡¯m wearing underneath this gown? They arece and cute.¡± She giggled, making his heart do a clean somersault inside his chest. This couldn¡¯t be happening.


    ¡°Uhhhmmm¡­¡± He cleared his throat, his ear and neck going hot. ¡°Miss Francesca, I think I have to go now.¡± He muttered, before standing up to leave. She quickly stood up and well, cing her hand on his suit jacket and sighing lightly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go now.¡± She whispered. ¡°I know how long you have imagined being in between my thighs. Today is your chance.¡± Her hand trailed down his abs, before reaching his cock and squeezing it lightly. He couldn¡¯t believe what she was doing, and couldn¡¯t help the way his body reacted to her. She was like a drug he needed so badly. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to fuck me so hard that I forget your boss? I know you want to.¡± She whispered sultrily, squeezing his hard cock again and leaning up for a kiss. Her words made him wonder the possibility behind them. Could she really stop pinning for Manuel, and begin to want him instead? The moment their lips touched each other¡¯s, that was it. Massimo lost every form of self control. He cupped her cheeks and kissed her soundly, their tongues fighting for dominance. The need to be inside her became more urgent and he saw himself hoisting her up, while she instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist. He loved the mild and sweet scent of roses that wafted through his nostrils. God! How he had dreamed of having this woman in such a position for soooo long. It was finally happening and he wanted to engrave this moment in his heart forever. She could finally see him now, could she?

 CHAPTER 70

    MASSIMO¡¯S POV


    I woke up sote in the morning, feeling extremely tired. There wasn¡¯t a doubt that the recent happenings had really drained a lot of strength from me. I hadn¡¯t even had the time to see Francescately. West saw each other about a week ago, when she said she was going to be at her father¡¯s ce for the next week. That simply meant seeing her was going to be much difficult. I groaned in frustration, realizing she was the first person I thought about after waking up. And it drove me crazy because, I couldn¡¯t even tell what we were doing! Our rtionship wasn¡¯t defined and  I didn¡¯t want toin about the fact that she was showing me any form ofmitment, because I was scared I would lose herpletely. If being in this undefined rtionship was what worked best for her, I¡¯d try to work with it. But for how long? I didn¡¯t know how long I was gonna be able to keep hiding what we shared. I knew we both shared something, we were beginning connect with each other, and our little time together has only made me realize that she wasn¡¯t really as rude and ill mannered as a lot of people thought.


    She tried to put up a bitchy facade and all that, but I could very well see through all of it. She could be really sweet when she wanted to be. With miss B and the Don being away recently, I had less work to do, and more time to spend with Francesca. She always called me over whenever she was home alone, and we ended up doing a lot of nasty things. I have been celibate for a few years now, and it was because of my line of work. As a professional bodyguard and a part of the Russo group, I couldn¡¯t afford to sleep around. I knew and held a lot of information about Russo, which was definitely sought for, by a lot of enemies. I had always just wanted one woman to settle down with, and make a family. But then, all the while I waited, no woman who could take Francesca out of my mind showed up. Or maybe they did, but I was just too busy with work and pinning away for Francesca to have realized it. Now that I finally had what I always wanted, I couldn¡¯t help but feel like she was only using me as her boy toy. Or was I overthinking and misreading things?


    It was always just sex for her, and whenever she found herself talking and connecting too deeply with me, she was quick to pull away. Even though she didn¡¯t speak much about it, I could put a few things together, to know she was actually a hurt and lonely child deep inside. I have overheard a few calls between she and her father, and I knew for a fact that she had literally lived her whole life trying to please the man. I guess dating Manuel Russo was the first thing she ever really tried to do for herself, without caring what her father thought. It was clear that the journey of her rtionship with the Don wasn¡¯t a smooth one, due to her father¡¯s meddling. She had been finally able to buy the man over, before her rtionship with the Don fell apart. I knew she was a hurt woman, and there was more to it. I truly wished she could just let me in. I wanted her to heal from all the things that had contributed to  making her such an aloof and distant woman. It was a week already, and I was hoping she was going to return from her father¡¯s residence to her own apartment today. I have already made my peace with the fact that I wasn¡¯t going to pressure her, and just let things go at her own pace. I probably had been hoping that things would develop so fast between us, because I had loved her for the longest time.


    But now, I realize that love was actually something that took time to grow and be nurtured. Moreover I enjoyed the sex with her, and how much she matched my energy. She was a literal sex appeal and many times, I wondered how the Don could actually pick another over her. I knew she wasn¡¯t perfect, but she could be, if she healed from her pains and traumas. I remember walking in on her crying in the kitchen once. She had acted like I heard wrongly, and quickly shooed me away. There were other days where she seemed swallowed up by thoughts, and would literally forget where she was. I knew a lot of things weighed on her mind, but she just needed tomunicate. Or maybe she didn¡¯t trust me enough? If that was the case, what could I do to change her thoughts regarding that? I was going to think of something but for now, I just hoped she returned to her apartment today. I missed her. I missed kissing her, driving myself so wildly into her, and cuddling her on some rare asions. Some times, she could seem so vulnerable and other times, so distant.


    I hopped down my bed and made my way into the bathroom for a cold bath to help with my boner. It was always this way for me now. It wasn¡¯t difficult for me to get hard, just thinking about her. I wonder how it was actually possible for me to have been celibate for a couple of years now. When I finally gave into sex with Francesca, I realize I couldn¡¯t hold back anymore. I was always needing it, anywhere and anytime. But only with her.


    Immediately I stepped out of the shower, I picked up my phone to see that I had actually put a reminder for the day. Today was supposedly the day I took miss B to go see her parents, but I wasn¡¯t sure she was game anymore, seeing as she hadn¡¯t called me to say anything about it. But then, I couldn¡¯t be so sure, maybe it skipped her mind. It was best I took a short trip to the estate, and know if she wanted my services today. Yes. That was just what I was gonna do.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    After dressing up and fixing my hair, I walked out of my apartment and made my way to the Russo estate. It took a while for me to get there because my cab had arrivedte, and when I eventually did, it was already noon. Gosh, I was sote! Unlike me. I took slow steps inside and halted my steps at the doorstep of the living room, when I noticed there was quite a drama going on. The moment I spotted Francesca in front of the Don, my heart fell to the pit of my stomach. I thought this wasn¡¯t going to happen again? After thest time miss Bianca and I had walked in on her and the Don in a hotel room, I thought that was going to be thest time she¡¯d try to get back with him. What was happening now? The expression on everybody¡¯s face told me that all wasn¡¯t well. A few secondster, I began paying attention to what was being discussed, and I eventually heard something that threw me off bnce. What did Francesca just say? She was pregnant?


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m sorry honey. But then again, you did.¡± She grinned at the Don, which made my stomach twist in pain. ¡°Unconscious or not, we both had sex and you are now responsible for this pregnancy.¡± She was pregnant for the Don? But that couldn¡¯t be¡­ I felt my head spin for seconds, wanting to wake up from this dream.


    ¡°I refuse to believe tha¡­¡± He was quick to counter, not a trace of amusement in his eyes or voice. ording to her, she had gotten pregnant after she had drugged him thest time. But then, we had both been having sex with protection, a good number of times, before she pulled that stunt with the Don at the hotel. My mind was reeling with so much thoughts, and the most prevalent which nudged at my mind, was too harsh to be true.


    ¡°Is that how much you hate me, Manuel?!¡± Francesca suddenly yelled, catching me and everyone else off guard. What was this? What was she doing?! My mind kept yelling at me and telling me that the ring truth was in front of me, but I didn¡¯t want to break my own heart by epting it. I didn¡¯t want to believe that Francesca was pregnant, and that the child in her belly was mine. I didn¡¯t want to believe that she would be capable of trying to pin my child on another man, all because of her obsession for him. ¡°Oh wow. You can¡¯t even say anything.¡± She whispered, before leaning forward to grab his chin with her hand. Immediately her hand touched the Don¡¯s face, his wife swatted it away.


    ¡°Now, I would look past a whole lot of inappropriate behaviors from you. But you know what I wouldn¡¯t over look?¡± She asked rhetorically. ¡°You thinking that for some stupid reason, you have the right to put your hands on what¡¯s mine!¡± She growled, making Francesca visibly flinch. ¡°Of course! You should cower like that when I talk.¡± She smirked. ¡°Now get out of my premises, before I finally lose it.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what made me more sad at that point in time. Was it the fact that she was fighting so hard for the love of a man who didn¡¯t want her, and humiliating herself this way? Or was it the fact that it just dawned on me that she was pregnant with my child, and tried to take him away from me? God, I was such a fool! I could feel my eyes sting with tears and suddenly, whatever they were saying wasn¡¯t so coherent to me any longer. That was until a familiar voice called me, and I looked up.


    ¡°Massimo.¡±


    ¡°Miss B.¡± I replied, so much tears in my eyes already. Francesca looked shocked to see me, and more than anything else, it confirmed my thoughts. Indeed, the baby was mine. I hadn¡¯t even seen iting when the Don had charged towards me burning in rage, and threw a hard punch at my face. I fell to the floor from the impact of his punch, little blood dripping from my nose. My entire face felt like it was on fire, but because of how numb I felt in my heart, I couldn¡¯t bring myself to stop him or protect myself. I just remained on the floor, while he kept on hitting.


    ¡°Oh my God!!¡± Miss B cried out in shock. ¡°Manuel! Stop! Stop it this instant!¡± She yelled, making her way towards us. The Don¡¯s father and brothers had gotten to him before her, sessfully stopping him from hitting me more than he already had.


    ¡°Stand up and fight me, you prick!!¡± The Don yelled out in anger. ¡°Since you suddenly thirst for my wife, you should as well be ready to best me!¡± Oh God! If it was in a different situation, I would haveughed out loudly in disbelief. But it wasn¡¯t a different situation, so I remained quiet as he continued to yell. I wanted to say something, but I didn¡¯t even know how to, as I focused on not letting the raging tears fall from my eyes. I couldn¡¯t let that happen in the presence of everyone here.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Miss Bianca rushed towards her husband and hugged him tightly. ¡°Stop it now.¡± She whispered against his chest, and I could see how he tried to regte his rapid breathing at her request. That reminder that he had something so beautiful with his wife, only made me feel more pathetic. Here I was, collecting punches because of a woman who didn¡¯t care about me, as much as giving my baby to another man. The very man who hit me so badly.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sure my wife would never give off the wrong signals to you or any other man. So why in God¡¯s name, did you start to hunger for what¡¯s mine?! I fucking trusted you! Enough to protect her!¡± He yelled at me again, and freshed tears brimmed up in my eyes.


    I wanted to yell back and tell him this wasn¡¯t about his wife, but thedy he never really loved. But then again, that would be too much effort for a woman who didn¡¯t love me.


    ¡°Manuel please stop all these!¡± His father thundered, and he released a sigh.


    ¡°So this was the reason you have been eagerly protecting her?! Not because of loyalty, but because of your lust for her?¡± The Don asked, but I couldn¡¯t even look up at him at that point. I was already exhausted. With shaky legs and a bleeding nose, I stood up from the floor and gave Francesca a quick nce. She looked to be in tears, and I didn¡¯t know why. My best bet would have been that she was scared I¡¯d spoil her ns and expose whatever we had going on between us. Little did she know that whatever we had, was dead to me now. I was a kind man, and I know I didn¡¯t deserve this. ¡°Take the Ferraridy and leave this instant! And don¡¯t ever show your face here until you hear from me again. Get out.¡±


    I took slow steps towards Francesca whose eyes had already gone red.


    ¡°My apologies ma¡¯am, but it would be great if you made things easier for us both, by letting me simply escort you out.¡± I tried to sound as normal as possible, without showing any emotions.


    Without as much as a nce at me, she silently walked out of the living room and I followed behind. Immediately we got outside she walked straight to her car and hopped in. I, on the other hand, tried ordering a cab toe pick me up. I noticed she was still inside her car and wasn¡¯t driving off, but I told myself she wasn¡¯t my business anymore. I waited patiently, and once my cab arrived outside the gates, I walked away.

 CHAPTER 71

    FRANCESCA¡¯S POV


    5 YEARS AGO


    ¡°I miss you mom.¡± I sighed deeply, my hands on the gravestone that had her name boldly encrusted on it. ¡°I miss you so much, even if it¡¯s been so many years already. I feel so alone all the time, hoping someone would finally fill that space.¡± I sighed hopefully. Maybe one day, I would finally have such a person in my life. That person who would never be okay seeing me shed a tear. That person who would always be there for me, no matter what. That person who would love me unconditionally. Seeing that I was already thinking far off, I sighed and gave an apology. ¡°I¡¯m sorry mom.¡± I smiled. ¡°I know that today is just supposed to be for us to spend quality time together. Here.¡± I dropped the chrysanthemums on her gravestone. ¡°I brought your favourite flowers, freshly picked by the florist just this morning. It¡¯s afternoon already, so it is not soooo fresh anymore.¡± I chuckled at my own words. This felt lonely, but satisfying at the same time. I sighed and sat on the grass around her grave. ¡°I have a lot to tell you today.¡± I sighed, tears clouding my eyes. ¡°Papa has been so cruel to me. Oh!¡± I chuckled humourlessly. ¡°It isn¡¯t something you don¡¯t know already.¡± I gave a shrug. ¡°As you know already, yesterday was my birthday and¡­.¡± That was how I started a tale of how much I cried on a day that was supposed to be memorable for me. I remained with my mama for hours and when I finally decided to make my way back home, I saw a very familiar face. He was too familiar for me to not know who he was. Manuel Russo.


    The first time I had ever seen him was in a picture on the desk in my father¡¯s study. It was a case of instant attraction, and I liked him immediately. It was easier for me to stalk him on the inte because my father had his name written at the back of the picture. I had crushed on him for a couple of years now, but I couldn¡¯t try to reach out to him. He was a Russo man, and Ferraris didn¡¯t associate with the Russos. And that had always made me wonder what father was doing with his picture years back. I was sure as hell that it wasn¡¯t to harm him, if not he still wouldn¡¯t be alive. But then, I was also very sure it was for the purpose of admiring him. So why?


    Now, I was finally seeing him in reality for the first time, and my heart lurched at the sight of him. He seemed very disturbed and I could see how red his eyes were. What was the matter with him? My heart called out to him and I hid behind one of the gravestones, expertly tailing him behind until he got to one of the gravestones in the cemetry. I sat down a distance away from him, watching and waiting for him to be done with the conversation he was having with whomever it had been.


    Soon, the cloud began to get darker and I knew it was about to rain heavily. It seemed to be his wake up call, because the next minute, he was standing to his feet and jogging out of the cemetery. I followed behind him, of course. Just when we got into our cars, the heavy downpour began. God! I couldn¡¯t even see clearly. Nheless, I drove behind him diligently. We had only driven for a while before I heard a loud crash. I had literally heard the crash before even realizing that it happened just before me. Reflexly, I stepped on my brakes and my car came to a halt. I quickly took my face towel from my bag and wiped the fog off my wind shield, hoping to see more clearly. The only thing I had seen, was a familiar figure walking away from Manuel¡¯s wrecked car. I sat still in my car, hoping he didn¡¯t turn back and notice that it was me, and I had seen him. The next minute, he hopped into his car which was just behind the other car that had run into Manuel, before driving off. Fucking hell!


    What had just happened? I thought¡­? I thought Papa had no such ns against Manuel? Why then, was Bernardo here?


    ************************


    PRESENT DAY


    The moment I looked at the pregnancy test kit in my hands, I released a very hot breathe, so much tears clouding my eyes. Someone should just bash my head against the wall already. God no! Not now. My hands shook badly, the test kit falling into the bathroom sink.


    ¡°Youngdy! Step out of that bathroom now!¡± At hearing my father¡¯s voice, I felt tears sting my eyes painfully. What was I going to do now?! His hunch was right, and he was going to be so mad.


    ¡°Papa¡­¡± I called out, trying to rid every trace of worry in my voice. ¡°Give me a minute.¡±


    ¡°It seems to me that you do not realize what it means if you¡¯re pregnant. Step out of that bathroom now!¡± His voice thundered, and I flinched in my spot. He was quite sure about it then. He only just wanted me to run a test for evidence sake. But how¡­? Swallowing hard, I pulled open the door and took slow steps out to the room. He was sitting on my bed, looking as angry and disappointed as could be.


    ¡°Of course!¡± He sighed, throwing his hands up in the air. ¡°This was what you were busy doing for the past month, huh?!!¡± He yelled out in anger. Oh God, please. ¡°You good for nothing!!¡±


    ¡°Papa please!¡± I choked out, going on my knees immediately. I had already started to regret my actions. How could I have been so stupid and careless with Massimo? God!! ¡°Papa please do not disown me, you¡¯re all I have.¡± I begged, tears streaming down my face.


    ¡°Oh?!! I am all you have??!! Were you thinking about that while you were busy spreading your legs to that Russo bodyguard?!!¡± At his words, my eyes widened in shock. Oh, how stupid I really was. Did I really think my father would not have his men tail me throughout the weeks I decided to stay away from home? ¡°You had been sofortable making a huge fool of yourself, not so?¡± He asked, his face holding nothing but disgust and disappointment. ¡°Do you think I do not know what you have been up to. I gave you weeks to put yourself together, but you only ended up showing me how right I was about you. Just like your mother. An ingrate! A slut!¡± The next thing I knew, I was falling to the floor as a result of the impact from his p. The entire left side of my face stung in pain and I squeezed it so hard, hoping it would make the pain go away as more tears poured from my eyes.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°That bodyguard¡­. amon bodyguard? You stooped that low Francesca?¡± He chuckled humourlessly. ¡°He is responsible for your pregnancy, not so?¡± He impatiently tapped his foot against the floor. ¡°Hmmmm¡­. he is soooo dead.¡± He smiled widely, a huge contrast to the deathly re in his eyes. I knew it wasn¡¯t ame threat. I recognized that look in his eyes. It was¡­. he was going to make do on his word. Oh God! Massimo. No, not him. I couldn¡¯t let that happen to him. I knew he was strong and tough, but when my father sets his mind to do something, he was going to do it no matter what it took. Not Massimo.


    ¡°Massimo?¡± I muttered, my lips quivering as I braced myself to tell a very great lie.


    ¡°That isn¡¯t the name of the bodyguard? Sad.¡± He chuckled. ¡°I thought that was the name I saw on the file Bernardo gave to me yesterday?¡± Of course, Bernardo. He was the one who always did my father¡¯s dirty works.


    ¡°Massimo is his name.¡± I sniffled back my tears. ¡°But¡­. he is not responsible for my pregnancy.¡± I muttered, gaze to the ground.


    ¡°Oh wow!¡± He groaned loudly. ¡°Sluttier than I imagined. Which other man could you have snuck around with, that Bernardo failed to tell me about?¡± He ced his hand on his chin, feigning obliviousness. ¡°And who is responsible?¡± He asked, catching me off guard. I looked up and swallowed hard.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ it¡­ it¡¯s Manuel.¡± I let it out, shutting my eyes tightly.


    ¡°You dare to tell me a lie?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not a lie.¡± I rushed out. ¡°It¡¯s not a lie, Papa. Manuel is the father of my baby.¡± I cried. ¡°Ma¡­ Massimo and I always used protection.¡± I rushed out between cries.


    ¡°Oh? Then does it mean that your stupid and desperate stunt on Manuel may havee to this? Is this a result of drugging the Russo bastard?¡± He asked, his face as stoic as ever.


    ¡°Yes.¡± I lied once more. I knew I was doing something so wrong, but I couldn¡¯t let him hurt Massimo. My father was a very dangerous man and when I thought about all the things that I know he had done, it always made me feel horrible. Massimo has been the only reason I found it possible to feel sane these days. I wouldn¡¯t forgive myself if anything happened to him on my ount.


    ¡°I¡¯m giving you a day to have him ept that child in your belly, and offer for your hand in marriage. Failure to achieve that, then I might make do on my n that you had spoiled 5 years back.¡± My heart fell to the pit of my stomach and I watched in silence as he walked away.


    ¡°Papa please. Please can we stop all this?!!¡± I yelled out in a mix of anger, desperation, and frustration. For five years, I walked on edges in my rtionship with Manuel, because I was always scared. I was scared that my father would try to kill him again at any given opportunity. I was scared that he would find out about the fact that I knew my father was the one who had tried to kill him 5 years ago. But what was I supposed to do, after seeing Bernardo that fateful day?! Rush back home and leave Manuel to die in his squashed up car?! No, I didn¡¯t have the courage to do that to him.


    ¡°Stop what?¡± He turned back, giving me that oblivious look. It made me feel like going crazy.


    ¡°The killings. The Russos have suffered enough loss already. Because of you, their Nonna died, and their Nonno still mourns up until now.¡±


    ¡°It is not enough to pay for the death of your mother!!!! If you weren¡¯t such a useless daughter to me, you would have helped me avenge your mother¡¯s death, not save the man.¡±


    ¡°But none of them are the reason why mama is dead! Even if you want to me anyone, it should be Dante Russo, and not the other innocent members of his family.¡±


    ¡°I would be the judge of that. And just so you know, if all thesees to me killing Manuel, then you cease to be my child. So whatever you do, make sure he epts that child in your belly.¡±


    ¡°How can you do this to me? You have continually made my life a living hell!¡± I stood up from the floor, so much tears pouring from my eyes. ¡°I am your child.¡± I whispered in disbelief. ¡°You have made me live in pains, fear, humiliation, and heartbreak for the longest time. When is it all going to end? Do you not care about me? I am your daughter!!¡±


    ¡°No.¡± He shook his head slightly. ¡°You are your mother¡¯s daughter.¡± He spat in disgust. ¡°I had only taken pity on you, after thatst stunt you pulled, trying to kill yourself. I finally agreed to give you and that boy a chance, but what did he do?!!¡± Heughed at me. ¡°Cheat on you and marry another woman in your stead! You have just one day to make him take responsibility for that child, by offering to marry you.¡± He sneered.


    ¡°But it doesn¡¯t even make any sense. I would never be happy, knowing he would never love me. I would never feel at peace and satisfied.¡± I tried to reason with him.


    ¡°And that is just what you deserve.¡± He muttered, before walking out of my room and banging the door shut behind him.


    Life with Manuel may have been something I had always hoped for and wanted, buttely, I realized I didn¡¯t want it anymore. Instead, I found myself thinking of what life with Massimo would be like. I knew it was never going to work because of my father, and that is why I tried not to let him so close. I tried my best to not connect with him emotionally, no matter how much I felt myself getting vulnerable around him. I thought that having just his body, was more than enough. But now, I realise that I thought wrong. Needing his body so badly has put him in danger. I would have pushed him away. I would have stopped seeing him, but damn my body and the desires that sparked within me whenever I thought about him. It was all messed up, and all I know is that I¡¯m gonna do anything to make sure he is safe. Even if it means lying about his child. I also couldn¡¯t let my father kill Manuel, regardless of where we both stood in each other¡¯s lives now.

 CHAPTER 72

    BIANCA¡¯S POV


    ¡°Massimo.¡± I muttered in disbelief. How??? How was all he just told me possible? I thought he¡­ I never knew that thedy he talked about was Francesca. Oh, my world! I felt soooo sorry for him. How could a human being be so unfeeling and selfish? How could she think to keep Massimo¡¯s baby away from him and try to pin it on my own man?! I was literally going crazy here.


    ¡°I know! I messed up and I¡¯m sorry. But I couldn¡¯t keep it inside anymore. The guilt was eating me up, and after the attack on my life yesterday, I¡­¡±


    ¡°Massimo, you are not guilty of anything!¡± I yelled out, hoping I would be able to put that deep into his senses. ¡°You are not guilty!¡± I repeated. ¡°You fell in love with a woman who doesn¡¯t value love or bond. For all we care, Manuel was no longer with her when you finally acted on your feelings for her, and that was only because she seduced you. And what is this attack you just spoke of? Massimo, is all well?¡±


    ¡°How can all be well?¡± He looked like he was about to yell out in frustration, but tried to keep himself together. ¡°I am heartbroken and in regret. Not only did she try to keep me away from my child, she sent someone to¡­. kill me.¡± He whispered, sounding shocked and looking so¡­. disappointed. It made his statement sound like a question. He couldn¡¯t believe it. Even I, couldn¡¯t.


    ¡°What?!¡± I stood from my seat in shock and walked around my seat in a mix of anger and disbelief.


    ¡°And that is the major reason why I am here. I really didn¡¯te to give you a pathetic story of how I stupidly fell in love with a woman that could never be mine. I came to talk about something more important, but it could not be discussed without letting you know the genesis of it all. I think the Ferraris might have a hand in the abduction of the Don.¡± He seemed reluctant to spill, but did nheless.


    ¡°You do?¡± I asked, my attention being pulled so easily. God knew how despearate I was to get my husband out of that hell hole he found himself.


    ¡°Yes.¡± He sighed. ¡°Yesterday, I was attacked during the early hours of the morning. I had almost been killed because the coward hade at me in my sleep.¡± He sighed in irritation. ¡°Thankfully, I got up before he had the opportunity to suffocate me with a pillow. We fought for a while, after which I finally overpowered him and shot him dead. Thanks to the pistol that alwaysid at the headboard of my bed.¡±


    ¡°Thank God.¡± I whispered.


    ¡°The shocking thing though, was that I recognized this man who hade to kill me.¡±


    ¡°What? You know him?¡±


    ¡°I suppose.¡± He shrugged, his eyes pinned on the wooden desk in Manuel¡¯s study. ¡°It¡¯s a man I had seen around the Ferraris quite often. He works for Francisco Ferrari.¡±


    ¡°Francisco¡­.¡± I muttered his name, my guts nudging me that something was just not right. I had this strong feeling in my heart, that this had a lot to do with the man; Francisco. God help me! ¡°Massimo.¡± I called.


    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°Today is our Nonna¡¯s memorial.¡±


    ¡°Oh? It is?¡± He asked, clearly wondering what that had to do with anything.


    ¡°Yes¡­.¡± I trailed off, trying to arrange my thoughts. ¡°She died as a result of a car ident, same with my husband, several years back.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± He replied.


    ¡°Then, my husband gets missing again after his car got into another ident, not so?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°And Maria Rossi,te wife of Francisco Ferrari died in a car ident that was allegedly nned by the Russos. This incident is what was recorded as the main cause of the feud between the two families.¡± Now! It was starting to make sense now!! Oh God, how could we have all been sooo blind? Massimo¡¯s eyes widened in realization and he tapped on the desk furiously. ¡°Are you thinking what I am thinking?¡±


    ¡°I am!¡± He answered immediately, standing from his seat.


    ¡°So what¡¯s going on guys?¡± The door flung open and Alexander walked in, eyeing the both of us carefully. He had probably just gotten here, and the rest of the family must have told him about the private meeting I was having with Massimo. I knew the look Alexander gave me, and I was a bit disappointed that he would have the slightest thought that I would betray my husband that way. I didn¡¯t me him though, Manuel would have filled his head with a lot of wrong notions. This issue of Massimo allegedly being in love with me, was going to be trashedter. After my husband had been rescued. For now, he had to focus on catching the rat we had probably sniffed out already.


    ¡°Alex.¡± I managed a small smile. ¡°Massimo and I just stumbled upon an extremely coincidental truth.¡± I said and he heaved a sigh, probably realizing the situation was far from what he may have painted in his head. Thest thing I was gonna do was to get busy talking about whatever with Massimo, when my husband was out there suffering.


    ¡°Same here.¡± He blew out some air, before making his way towards me. The next minute, he raised up a little device for us to see. At the moment, another thought came to my mind and I raised my hand up.


    ¡°Hold up. What about Be?¡± I asked, wanting to be sure she and the baby were safe now.


    ¡°Nonno just confirmed she has safely gotten to him in Sicily.¡± He supplied, making me release a sigh of relieve.


    ¡°Great. Please go ahead.¡± I pointed to what he was holding. ¡°What¡¯s that device in your hand?¡±


    ¡°It was one of the new devices that Dito had newly designed some timest month. He had given a pair of it to Manuel and I.¡± He looked at me and noticed that I wasn¡¯t quite following.  ¡°Thises as a pair. This particr designes as pairs. The full kites with a body installed chip. Now, this single one I am holding and the one that Manuel was given, are already linked to each other. It is a tracking device that makes it possible to know ones location, with the help of the body chip being installed on our arm.¡±


    ¡°Really?!¡± I asked, hope filling my mind. ¡°Really?¡± I asked again, but frowned when I saw how disturbed he looked. This was supposed to be a good thing, right?


    ¡°Well,¡± He cleared his throat. ¡°Dito is our high profile hacker, and he has always had the ir for designing tech devices. Though he has really done well as a profile hacker, the sess rate of his designs for the past years have never really crossed 50 percent.¡±


    ¡°So there is a possibility this device may not serve its purpose?¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± He nodded sadly. ¡°Although, my own device has been beeping since yesterday. That is how I knew something wasn¡¯t right. He had most certainly turned on his device to notify me he was in danger, and it worked. That counts for something right?¡± He asked, a hopeful smile on his face and I nodded in agreement. It does count for something. ¡°But even if it doesn¡¯t work, we would do everything we can to find and rescue Manuel.¡± He assured me, a new look of determination on his face. That really encouraged me.


    ¡°Yes, we would.¡± I nodded stiffly, trying my best to hold back the tears that threatened to spill from my eyes. ¡®No space for weakness¡¯, my subconscious reminded me and I nodded in agreement, blinking back my tears. ¡°Actually, we may have found the person we have been looking for.¡±


    ¡°How do you mean?¡± He asked, not breaking eye contact with me.


    ¡°I mean, we may have found X.¡± His eyes widened the moment I called the name which was probably familiar to only their men.


    ¡°The love smitten bastard.¡± He chuckled sadly. ¡°Manuel told you everything he could. Please, who is your finger pointing at?¡±


    ¡°Fracisco Ferrari and probably his daughter.¡± I muttered, unsure deep down.


    ¡°Ferrari?¡± He asked, looking a bit surprised. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Here¡¯s why. Or rather, part of the reasons why.¡± I said. ¡°Several years back, his wife Maria was allegedly killed by a Russo man, through a fatal car ident. This solidified the feud between both families. Some years down the line, our Nonna dies after being hit by an unknown driver. 6 years after that, Manuel is involved in a car ident and disappears for weeks. Coincidentally Francesca Ferrari hade to his rescue, after which he started to date her out of sympathy. Five years down the line, he cheats on her and marries me instead. She tries to get him back, but fails. Then she announces that she is pregnant for him.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Aunt Mia had mentioned that to me just today. Crazy.¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t want to believe the child is hers, and asks her to leave. What does she do next? She tries to have him killed in the same pattern she had allegedly saved him from years back. The same pattern that had killed her mother and our Nonna. The car ident pattern.¡± I finished, and they were silent. Alexander looked like it was all starting to make sense to him, but Massimo looked like he was finding it difficult to believe. It was actually possible that there was some sort of loophole in my attempt to connect the dots.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe how much this makes sense.¡± Alexander whispered, not really looking at anyone.


    ¡°Did I forget to add that I just found out the baby isn¡¯t Manuel¡¯s?¡± I asked, and Alexander jaw fell.


    ¡°For real? How do you know? And how sure are you?¡±


    ¡°Because the actual father of the child, just let me know a few minutes before you walked in.¡± We were all really in for a lot of suprises today. Alexander¡¯s expression was second to none. He looked at Massimo in disbelief and I quickly shook my head in disapproval. ¡°Don¡¯t do that now, Alex. He fell in love with her, and that isn¡¯t a wrong thing.¡±


    ¡°But she was Manuel¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Ex!¡± I cut him short. ¡°And they both didn¡¯t start having sex until Francesca and Manuel ended things. So Massimo did nobody wrong! Infact, we all owe him an apology for the humiliation Manuel caused him the other day, thinking he had some sort of feelings for me. But then, that is a discussion for when Manuel returns home. To us.¡± I added, feeling so much energy drain out of me. I was suprised when Alexander went soft and asked the next question.


    ¡°Have you had anything to eat? You have been so busy since the early hours of the morning, making calls and trying to put things in order. You should rest.¡± I went tight lipped as a result of the unexpected show of care.


    ¡°No.¡± I finally found my voice. ¡°Yes, I have eaten something this morning. And no, I wouldn¡¯t have any rest until Manuel returns home safely. Please.¡± I added, not wanting us to have an argument concerning that. ¡°So Massimo, what do you think? Your expression is enough for me to know you aren¡¯t in agreement with my thoughts. Where do you think I got it wrong?¡± I quickly changed the subject. He looked at me for a moment, contemting whether to speak or not, but he finally did.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think miss Francesca is actually guilty¡­.¡± He was not able to finish when Alexander cut him off.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get emotionally sentimental Massimo.¡± He muttered.


    ¡°I¡¯m not being sentimental.¡± Massimo sighed. ¡°I just think it¡¯s absurd to think she may have had a hand in your Nonna¡¯s death. She was just a teenager when your Nonna died, for crying out loud. What would she know about¡­¡±


    ¡°True!¡± I rushed out. ¡°But what would you say about the fact that she was the one who coincidentally rescued Manuel after his own ident?¡±


    ¡°Exactly my point! If she was in alliance with her father, then she wouldn¡¯t dare rescue Manuel. What would be the point of trying to kill him then?¡± He asked, and I couldn¡¯t help but agree to that. God, I was slowly going crazy here.


    ¡°You know what, this is all getting crazier, but I have a n. We would be able to confirm if the Ferraris have any involvement indeed.¡± I said.


    ¡°I think they do though. ording to the sources from Dito, Patawan had been spotted a few times with Jacobo, who is currently awol. But then, I remember a certain incident where our men had tried to attack Jacobo and his men after theymitted a grievous offense against us¡­.¡± Alexander was still talking when Massimopleted it.


    ¡°And the mission had been jeopardized because the Ferraris had coincidentally been in the same restaurant. We had to retreat for the fear of causing a greater fight with the Ferraris, who had almost been affected by our attack.¡±


    ¡°You definitely remember.¡± Alexander muttered. ¡°Then, we thought Jacobo was a slimy bastard who got away from our wrath by positioning himself in the same location as the Ferraris. But then, what if it had been a nned thing? Jacobo knew he was eventually going to die by our hands that day. So it was either we killed him, or Ferrari saved him. Ferrari¡¯s way of making Jacobo indebted to him.¡± His evaluation really held a lot of water, but it still ended as a loose end. We still weren¡¯t sure if it was correct.


    ¡°Look, we just have to go ahead with my own n, so we don¡¯t keep making assumptions. There is no time.¡±


    ¡°But then, if miss Francesca is involved, she still wouldn¡¯t be in this city. She would have fled already.¡± Massimo intervened and I simply rolled my eyes. The man was being sentimental after all. He was losing his sense of judgement.


    ¡°It seems to me you have already checked if she is still in town¡± I gave a sad smile, which he definitely found hard to reciprocate. ¡°She would only run away if she thinks she would be found out, Massimo. In this case, I think she didn¡¯t expect we would find her out so quickly, seeing as they have always gotten away with their previous attempts.¡± I reasoned.


    ¡°Even after she may have sent someone to kill me?¡±


    ¡°She probably thinks he was sessful in killing you. If you are already dead, why should she bother?¡± I shrugged, and his face dropped. He really just hoped she wasn¡¯t a part of all these, and I understood just how he felt. But then, life was a bitch most times. ¡°And for our next line of action to work out as nned, she has to be brought here. At all cost.¡± I added. ¡°Even if she has no idea of her father¡¯s businesses, she would be used as a bait to lure him out. We need her today.¡± I looked at him. ¡°Assign some of our men to carry that out. I cannot be stupid enough to let you handle that. Neither do I want to put you in a spot where you be disloyal to your boss.¡± I muttered, before another thought quickly rushed through my mind. ¡°Massimo.¡± I called out, releasing a sigh. ¡°I promise that no matter what, I wouldn¡¯t let anyone hurt her. Whether or not she is involved. This is for the sake of your baby. But then, we have to get her because we have to find Manuel. I give you my word, that she wouldn¡¯t get hurt.¡±


    I looked at him and he nodded stiffly, trying his best to be strong. I knew this was hard for him. It was also hard for everyone else. What if she ended up being innocent? This was going to be a hard experience for her as well. But what had to be done, had to be done.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ve heard you ma¡¯am.¡± He said.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± I said genuinely. ¡°Alex, the second thing I need you to do is¡­.. get Dito here immediately. We have to try and reach out to Manuel. There is a great chance that the sess rate of this device would be more than you think.¡± I was hopeful. ¡°Let Ditoe, and let¡¯s see how we can trace Manuel¡¯s location together.¡±


    *


    *


    We were all waiting in the office as we watched Dito doing his thing. ording to him, the entire process took time and we had to be patient. The young man seemed quite confident in his designs, so why should we not?


    While we were still waiting for him to be done, one of the men knocked on the door of the study, and we invited him in.


    ¡°Sorry for disturbing, but miss Ferrari is here.¡± He announced, making us look up to see her calmly standing at the door. Oh? Now this Francesca was a huge contrast to the Francesca I knew. No shouts? No curses? Why was she so calm? Did she know what this was all about? Why wasn¡¯t she asking questions about why we had taken her? Or was I expecting her to react so quickly? I attentively watched her, and I saw as she locked eyes with Massimo. For a moment, I stilled in shock when I saw that look in her eyes. I know I¡¯m not mad, I really saw the look. She was in love with him! I wanted to scream in confusion, because I didn¡¯t understand what was going on anymore. If she was in love with Massimo, then¡­.


    ¡°Please have a seat Francesca.¡± Alexander offered, to which she suprisingly obeyed. Okayyyy, this was really weird now. ¡°There is a situation on ground.¡± He said, to which she nodded calmly. She was almost acting like she was scared. She did know something then! We were right all along! Alexander and I shared a look of suprise and just then, Dito yelled out in happiness.


    ¡°I did it!!¡± We all turned to looked at him in suprise.


    ¡°By that, you mean¡­..?¡± I asked, unsure. Hope flickered in my heart as I closed my eyes, with so much faith and took a deep breathe.


    ¡°I mean that I have sessfully connected to the Don¡¯s location.¡± He replied, making Alexander grin widely and give him an encouraging smack on the back.


    ¡°Thank goodness!¡± I whispered, my mind calming down.


    ¡°Thank you Dito.¡± Alexander whispered, releasing a deep sigh. ¡°Thank you. So where is he?¡± He asked, and Dito went silent for a moment as his eyes diligently scanned the screen of hisputer.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I got him.¡± He rushed out after a few seconds.


    ¡°Where?¡± Alexander and I asked at the same time.


    ¡°The Bari warehouse.¡± He supplied, making me go confused for a moment, until Alex exined to me.


    ¡°The Bari warehouse.¡± He muttered in abination of realization and anger. ¡°It¡¯s owned by Francisco Ferrari.¡±


    The moment he said that, my heart dropped to the pit of my stomach. So it was true after all. He was the enemy. Immediately my eyes fell on Francesca who bowed her head and just remained silent, not showing any form of emotions. She knew we had caught onto their games already, but she remained calm.


    ¡°Francesca¡­.¡±


    ¡°Please.¡± She whispered, cutting me off. ¡°I don¡¯t have a hand in this.¡± Tears clouded her eyes at that point.


    ¡°Oh, really?!¡± I asked in annoyance and disbelief. How could she have imed to love Manuel so much, yet¡­


    ¡°I got it.¡± Dito said, breaking my thoughts and grabbing all our attention. What did he get again? I thought he found where my husband was already?


    ¡°What?¡± Alexander asked.


    ¡°I have been able to hack the chip.¡± He replied.


    ¡°By that, you mean?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I mean that we can hear everything going on within close range of the Don.¡± Wow.

 CHAPTER 73

    MANUEL¡¯S POV


    I blinked furiously as I came back to consciousness. I looked around the dark room and frowned. Where was I? The next minute, I tried to get up and walk, but nothing. Rather, no movement. Why the hell couldn¡¯t I move my body?! I wanted to talk, but realized I couldn¡¯t. Nothing was shutting my lips, I could feel it. So why then, couldn¡¯t I talk? Slowly, the events of earlier flooded my mind, and I found my anger intensifying. What the fuck was this about? Who had taken me, and what did they want?


    I continued trying to struggle in the dark room, but to no avail. I literally couldn¡¯t even move my muscles, I felt like a vegetable. Fuck! I was in deep shit, because that was when I realized what was going on with my body. I may have been shot a high dose of sedative, now I couldn¡¯t feel my body. The moment I realized what situation I found myself, I quit struggling and waited for whomever had taken me, to show up. I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep, waiting for the bastard to wake me whenever they were ready to converse.


    I may have slept in for a few more hours, after which I heard the creaking sound of a door being opened, and heavy footsteps following after that. The footsteps kept getting closer and closer, until I could literally feel someone above my lying figure.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± I finally found it possible to speak, though my words sound quite slurred. I half expected the person to answer me, but all he did was grab my weak figure from where Iid on the cold floor, before lifting me and dropping me on what felt like a chair. A metal chair. With the way the person inhaled and exhaled, I was so sure that my heavy weight must have put a toll on him. ¡°I said, what do you want?¡± I asked once more, still got no response from him. Just then, the door creaked open again, and white blinding lights came on, making me squint my eyes sharply. What the hell?!


    The next second, a few men walked into the room. One of the men caught my attention, and I released a sigh when I realized it was indeed him. Jacobo? What stupid game did he think he was ying? I should have known all along, that this was the work of X. So I spared Jacobo¡¯s life, only for him to turn back and hunt mine?! Did he think that Russo wasn¡¯t going to catch onto hisme ns and finish him?


    ¡°Wipe that cocky look from your face.¡± He bit out, making me automatically throw him a re. What I had truly not expected, was for him tond a hot p on my face with the back of his palm. I recognized the metallic taste of blood on my tongue, and gnashed my teeth in anger. How dare he? ¡°If you think you can fight, then get up and do so!¡± He yelled into my face, looking into my eyes. That action of his, only made me start toughing. Oh God, so hrious. Jacobo¡¯s family was far from being as industrious and powerful as that of the Russos and many other founding mafia families in Italy. To us, he was like a little boy who came to y. A servant basically. It was no suprise how much seeing me incapacitated and unable to put him in his ce, made him feel. Powerful? Victorious?


    Well, the victory was for only but a short time. I didn¡¯t know the current situation of things outside here, but I trusted my family to already be fighting tooth and nail, looking for a way to get me out of here. My family. How was Bianca doing? I hope she wasn¡¯t worrying so much about me? She probably was, and it only intensified my need to get out of here!


    ¡°Enough of your hanky panky Jacobo.¡± I heard a familiar cold voice, and I looked up to see who it was. I guess they expected me to jump in shock, but I didn¡¯t. Because I actually wasn¡¯t. Francisco. I had found out he was X, just before his men ran into my car. Well, I guess my shock was actually piling and waiting for me, because the things I was about to hear, were quite infuriating. ¡°I see you are slowly getting out of the mild vegetative state that I put you in. How about you go in again?¡± He asked, and I threw him re. ¡°Okay, fine!¡± He chuckled like a kid. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do that now, because I need you to be very conscious for the torment that is about toe. I see you are not suprised to see that it¡¯s been me all along, huh? Francesca must have told you already.¡± He shrugged.


    ¡°So she knows about this?¡± I muttered, actually feeling sad. I know we were both no longer together, but I had trusted her with my life to a certain extent. Everyday, there was a new reason why a mafia was supposed to be less emotionally attached.


    ¡°Oh boyyyyy¡­¡± Heughed out loudly. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that you feel sad now? Don¡¯t worry, she didn¡¯t really know as much as she was supposed to. And the little she did, I used against her for the longest time.¡±


    ¡°Then why did she save me five years ago?¡± I felt my anger rising to the surface, and the effect of the drug in my system, slowly fading out.


    ¡°Oh dear, you were just lucky!¡± Francisco sighed, before signaling one of the guards to bring him a seat. The seat was positioned before me, and he made himselffortable.


    ¡°Why are you doing this? What do you stand to gain?¡± I asked, truly confused.


    ¡°Oh, I see¡­¡± He grinned. ¡°So ready to hear it all, huh? I¡¯m not suprised though. You have always been the hyperactive and stubborn one. What else was a better way for me to get my revenge, if not through you?¡±


    ¡°Revenge for what?¡± I called out weakly. ¡°We were not responsible for the death of your wife.¡± I wanted to yell at him, but my body wasn¡¯t strong enough.


    ¡°Let me be the judge of that!¡± He snapped, and after a while, he regained hisposure. ¡°So, let¡¯s go down the memoryne.¡± He grinned. ¡°You see, I particrly have a thing for cars as well. Just like you used to do, 12 years ago.¡±


    ¡°And how is that any business of mine?¡± I asked, hoping to rile him up. But he seemed to have seen through me.


    ¡°Of course, it has a lot to do with you, my boy.¡± He pped my back, very not affectionately.


    ¡°I¡¯m not your boy.¡± I gritted out.


    ¡°But you are.¡± He shrugged, smiling widely in contrast to the scowl on my face. ¡°Not only are you are boy whenpared to me, you be MY boy when you proved useful to my ns.¡±


    ¡°And what stupud n of yours is that?¡±


    ¡°You remember the very ident thatnded you in a prison for the first time?¡± He asked, and immediately I held my breathe. The memories of many years ago flooded through my mind. ¡°The poor girl you had rammed your car into, while in a hyperactive mode during your illegal car race?¡± He asked, and I remained quiet. ¡°Well, to be very honest, I was hoping more blood would be on your hands, but it only ended up being a teenage girl who didn¡¯t even die.¡± He sighed, looking bored and I couldn¡¯t help but be shocked at how psychotic this man was. So it had been him?! He didn¡¯t need to say more, because I already understood his role in this story. He had tampered with the car I rode in that night, hoping I would cause an ident. That was an innocent girl! We were mafians, but we respected innocent lives!


    ¡°Oh, God.¡± Heughed maniacally. ¡°You endangered someone¡¯s life nheless, and you can¡¯t imagine the joy I felt when things went exactly as nned! Emilio had always been predictable. I definitely knew he wouldn¡¯t let you off the hook, and I knew that your delinquent ass was gonna feel wronged. Instead of fixing your mistakes, you would go on to create more! And then, when you create more, who better to pull you out of it, if not your mom or your grandmom?¡± He grinned, doing a little dance in excitement. I remained quiet because I felt like someone had poured a bucket of ice over me. ¡°I had always nned for it to be one of the Russo wives. You know, a wife for a wife.¡± He smiled. ¡°It¡¯s just so sad your Nonna was the unfortunatemb to be sacrificed. Oh, poor woman. She fought so hard, but the impact of that hit the driver had on her, was soooo fatal. She died eventually, leaving you crying like a lost puppy and eventually losing your family for how long? Six years?¡± My head was aching me now. I felt tears sting my eyes at his words. My Nonna didn¡¯t deserve all that. ¡°Oh, big man, don¡¯t cry now.¡±


    ¡°But she never did anything wrong!!¡± I yelled out with all the strength I could muster.


    ¡°Oh, but she did!¡± He raised his hand in disagreement. ¡°She have birth to your uncle; Dante. Do you understand now?¡± He smiled, making the tear finally drop from my eyes. ¡°And then!¡± He continued. ¡°You returned six yearster, after your exile.¡± He giggled. ¡°And I thought to myself, why not instill a little more pain in Emilio¡¯s heart? Hmm? At least, for being a father to Dante.¡± He shrugged. ¡°I would have just killed him, but how then would he feel the pain? So I thought to myself in my state of boredom. How else do I cause Emilio pain, if not to take away his favourite grandchild that had finally returned home after so many years? Hmmm?¡± He asked. ¡°Well, I thought it would hurt him more because you died before he was able to make amends with you. My n was going on well, and I ordered that epic hit on you!!¡± He yelled in victory, before robotically slumping his shoulders and wearing a childish frown. ¡°But then, your body disappeared, and it left me feeling confused for weeks. At least, that was until you came back from the dead, and I realized my stupid daughter had saved your sorry ass. Stupid, foolish, shameless, good for nothing Francesca. A slut, just like her mother. She was already opening her legs to you in a matter of weeks, huh? Opening her legs to a Russo man, just like her slut of a mother did!¡± I didn¡¯t see iting when hended a p on my face, his breathing intensifying as he battled with his anger.


    ¡°Well, I knew she knew something. She must have seen Bernardo at the ident scene or something. She definitely knew something, and that was why she didn¡¯t take you to a hospital where your safety could be further jeopardized by me. That was why she had taken you to that veterinary. Well, I would agree with her on one thing. That you are an animal.¡± Heughed out so loudly that his men visibly grimaced. ¡°So, I gave her two options. Tell your new boyfriend the truth and risk losing him. Also risk me probably dying at the hand of the Russos. You definitely know the other option. But then, the stupid stupid stupid girl.¡± He shook his head in disappointment and in that moment, I felt sad for Francesca. Was this all she had been putting up with? ¡°She didn¡¯t want to lose her papa, so she remained quiet and continued to date you in soooo much guilt that made me soooo happy. I told her I would kill you the day she tried to marry you. You all didn¡¯t deserve the happiness of love, when you stole mine away from me!!!¡± He yelled out in anger again. Maria Rossi was a touchy subject for him, I noticed. He was clearly obsessed with the deaddy. ¡°Little did I know I was doing you a favour, because you didn¡¯t even love her?!¡± He feigned sadness and wiped an invisible tear from under his eyes.


    ¡°Is that why you tried to kill my wife?¡±


    ¡°Well, yes.¡± He rolled his eyes. ¡°No Russo man deserves love, especially after tarnishing the image of the Ferraris, by dumping that daughter of mine.¡± He shrugged. ¡°You didn¡¯t deserve to be with thatdy that clearly loved you too!¡± He put his palm on his forehead, acting like the fact Bianca loved me, gave him a headache.


    ¡°I may not have loved your daughter, but I cared about her.¡± I muttered.


    ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± He nodded in understanding. ¡°But I don¡¯t really care who loves her or not. Why do you think I decided to still put her through a little bit of suffering? You know that child in her belly is not yours, right?¡± He asked, and I looked at him in shock. Fuck! This was all messed up, but it was really suprising. Deep within, I couldn¡¯t believe Francesca was pregnant for me.


    ¡°Then why did she have to lie?!¡±


    ¡°Because that was what I wanted! For her to lie that the baby was yours, and then make you marry her at all means. There by, causing you unhappiness and a rift in your love life. And causing her sooooo much unhappiness as well. There¡¯s nothing like being with a man who doesn¡¯t love you. Especially when you no longer love him too.¡± He grinned. ¡°But to be fair, she never wanted to do it. Had to give her a p or two, to make her align with the way things had to work. The ps? Nothing she wasn¡¯t used to. She has received worse tortures from me.¡± He shrugged. What the fuck?! ¡°Actually, she had yed right into my hands. She has no idea that I know the baby is yours. She outrightly lied about the paternity of the child, when I threatened to kill Massimo.¡±


    ¡°What has Massimo got to do with anything?¡± I asked in confusion.


    ¡°Everything!¡± He grinned, folding his arms in happiness. ¡°He is the father of her child, and her new love interest. You see, the girl has done a lot of crazy things for love. Something I was never bent on letting her have. Do you even know why I finally agreed to let you both get married? The stupid girl tried to kill herself.¡± Heughed out loudly. ¡°In a way, I knew it wasn¡¯t entirely because of you that she tried tomit suicide. It was her only way to get out of my grasp. She wanted to run away from meee!!! She wanted to die and leave meeee!!¡± Heughed in disbelief. ¡°But then, I had to do my fatherly duties, and not let her die.¡± He sighed, making me so¡­. I didn¡¯t even know how I felt at that moment. Shocked, disgusted, disappointed, sorry for Francesca.


    ¡°But she is your daughter!¡± I yelled in disbelief.


    ¡°Exactly why I had to do her the little favour. But that was until you messed it up by cheating on her and making a fool out of me.¡± He shook his head in disappointment. ¡°Arrrgghh! Why are we going back and forth? The story is supposed to move forward!¡± He pped in excitement. ¡°So where were we?¡± He asked, and I found myself responding.


    ¡°You tried to kill Massimo.¡±


    ¡°Awnnn¡­ yes, I did. I actually killed him, you know? Bernardo killed himst night.¡± What??? What the fuck?!


    ¡°Why?!!¡± I felt pained knowing that I wasn¡¯t able to tell him how sorry I was for everything I did. Now I understood it all. His reaction that day wasn¡¯t because of my wife, but Francesca. She tried to take his child away from him. ¡°But your daughter needs him now, more than ever.¡±N?velDrama.Org content.


    ¡°And do I look like I care?¡± He asked. ¡°She can¡¯t bring me shame by settling for amon bodyguard. So I had to do the needful, knowing the extent to which she would go for love.¡±


    ¡°You would pay for this. Massimo did not deserve to die.¡± I muttered.


    ¡°I know, but he was just¡­. a coteral damage.¡± He shrugged.


    ¡°My men, are not coteral damage. They are my family. Massimo was my family, and you would pay. For everything. For my Nonna. For what you did to my wife, for all you did to your poor daughter. For what you did to Massimo, and for what you did to Be. For all your crimes against the Russo family.¡±


    ¡°Oh please!¡± He waved off my words. ¡°You talk so boldly for a man who is about to die and be dumped in the sea!¡± He chuckled, hoping to elicit fear in me, but it didn¡¯t even faze me one bit. ¡°And about Be, I didn¡¯t want her dead. Tawan did. The fool almost jeopardized my ns by wanting so badly to inflict revenge on the pregnant hottie. I almost got caught because of hisck of patience. Now, he is dead.¡± He sighed. ¡°What was the point of supporting him and letting him gain ess into Italy again? He just got wasted over an American slut. Maybe it was worth it.¡± He shrugged. ¡°I heard their pussies taste better.¡± Heughed. What was funny about that? Oh, I almost forgot for a moment that the man was a psychopath. ¡°Back to my interesting moonlight tale. So I captured you to kill you, through the same car method again! The same car method that killed Mariiiaaa!¡± He sang her name in excitement.


    ¡°But my uncle didn¡¯t even kill Maria?¡±


    ¡°Ohhh? You sure sound like you are asking!¡± He chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re not sure.¡± He muttered. ¡°So what? You¡¯re finally letting me be the judge of that?¡± He asked, and for a moment I contemted it. What if it was true? What if Uncle Dante killed her? ¡°If you are, then let me tell you another story.¡± He smiled. ¡°Once upon a time, Francisco Ferrari loved a woman named Maria Rossi, who also had an interest in Dante Russo. Just after she started dating Dante, she realizes she had fallen pregnant for Francisco, before she started dating him. Of course, Francisco convinced her to marry him for the sake of their child. She marries Francisco, but it is clear that she never stopped loving Dante. Same as the Russo fool!¡± He gritted out.


    ¡°Dante goes ahead to marry Annalise whatever, and they remained in alleged harmony for years, giving Francisco a little peace of mind. Maybe as Dante had moved on, Maria eventually will.¡± He sighed. ¡°But what happens when both couples attend a public function and end up having a huge fight? Dante goes ahead to defend his wife, and warns Maria to stay away from his family.¡± He chuckled happily. ¡°Hmmm¡­ it seemed Dante had really moved on after all. Or was that what they wanted to have us believe?¡± He asked me. How was I supposed to know?! ¡°Francisco was happy deep inside because now, his wife wouldn¡¯t have a choice but to learn to love him. That was what he thought until his wife started acting funny. Some days, she¡¯d go out without having a tangible exnation of where she had been. Sometimes she¡¯d let her kid remain home alone the entire day, while she went out doing what?¡±


    ¡°Seeing Dante.¡± I muttered, finally understanding the story.


    ¡°Hmmmm¡­ really smart, aren¡¯t you?¡± He patted my cheeks. ¡°You can imagine poor Francisco¡¯s reaction when he eventually found out! The man was heartbroken and slowly dying in silence. All along, his wife had actually been sleeping with Dante, and after making it seem like they had be enemies after their huge public fight. Nobody¡¯s mind would ever think that the two were at it.¡± He sighed. ¡°So Francisco did what he thought was best.¡± He batted hisshes like a child. ¡°He paid a Russo worker to kill his wife, so it would implicate his wife¡¯s lover!¡± He chuckled, and my eyes widened in disbelief. Jeeeezzz! What the hell?! I could understand that the man did a whole lot of dreadful things. To others. That was his wife, for crying out loud!! ¡°But the Russo worker didn¡¯t carry out his job properly.¡± He sighed. ¡°He died in the process of killing Maria. So who was going to point an using finger at Dante, if not him? All Francisco could do was me Dante for the death of his wife, but he had no concrete evidence. And he had to avoid a thorough investigation, because it would only be traced back to him.¡±


    ¡°So all these while, you killed your own wife?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I did. I forgot to let you all know. My bad.¡± Was this psychotic idiot blushing at the moment?!


    ¡°Then why did you continue to do all you did? Why did you kill innocent people?!¡±


    ¡°Because they were rted to Dante Russo and Maria Rossi.¡± He grinned. ¡°Don¡¯t think your uncle would go scot free from this.¡± He shook his head in disagreement. ¡°The man has to die as well. I just wanted his to be thest. You know the saying. ¡®The best forst¡¯?¡±


    ¡°You are crazy.¡±


    ¡°Of course, you can feel free to say so before you die, because after you¡¯re dead, you can¡¯t anymore. And you would die pretty much at the same time with your uncle and his family.¡± He winked, making me squint my eyes in confusion. What did he mean by ¡®his family¡¯? ¡°There is a time bomb currently nted in their own side of the Russo estate. It goes off in about¡­. 15 minutes give or take. And that¡¯s the same time you would die.¡± He chuckled. I remained silent, feeling so shocked. I couldn¡¯t believe what would befall Russo within the next couple of minutes. No no no!! Uncle Dante¡¯s and his family couldn¡¯t all die like that! That was insane.


    ¡°Please, his family have done nothing wrong. Let them go.¡± I muttered my plea, and he onlyughed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t react lightly to appeals. It only makes me want to do worse.¡± He winked at me, stood up and walked away, Jacobo smacking my head before following him behind. The next minute, two of his men held me down as I could barely struggle, before piercing my skin with an injection needle. Before I knew what was happening, I fell limply to the floor, hitting my head so hard on the chair that Francisco had been sitting on, and nking out instantly.

 CHAPTER 74

    BIANCA¡¯S POV


    We were all silent for the next couple of seconds, everyone looking at each other. What the fuck did we just hear? We heard it all, and I couldn¡¯t for the life of me, understand how one person could be so evil. This was outright wickedness! I looked at Francesca and her face was as nk as sheet. I wasn¡¯t suprised. The poordy had been suffering in silence all these while. Meanwhile, the same man she called ¡®father¡¯, was responsible for her mother¡¯s death. How could a human being even have the heart to do such? To perpetrate such evil?


    ¡°There is no time to waste!¡± Alexander suddenly called our attention. ¡°The men I sent, would have probably gotten to the warehouse already. But as we can all see, there are more people we have to save. Please, we need to get to uncle Dante and his family right now.¡±


    ¡°Call him already.¡± I rushed out, sweat breaking out on my forehead.


    ¡°On it!¡± We all looked up to see Matteo and Tommaso by the doorstep. Tell me they had been here listening to us all along? Matteo raised up his phone to show that he was calling uncle Dante already. They both looked so worried, and it was understandable. ¡°Hello!¡± Matteo rushed out immediately the call was answered. ¡°Uncle Dante, you have to leave your house this moment.¡± Thankfully, the call was on loud speaker, so we could clearly hear uncle Dante¡¯s response.


    ¡°Matteo I¡¯m not home, and what is this about? I am out with your father and uncles. We had to get the CCTV footage from the road where¡­.¡± Oh, those men. We had failed to call and inform then that we had stumbled upon the solution to the issue on ground. We had been so engrossed, trying to connect the dots and solve the problem quickly.


    ¡°Uncle Dante!¡± I cut him short and snatched the phone from Matteo. ¡°This is Bianca speaking. We just stumbled upon the whole truth. Manuel is at the Bari warehouse, under the custody of Francisco Ferrari. We have already sent some men to rescue him, but your family are in danger, because Francisco nted a time bomb around your house. It could blow up any minute from now and¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh my God!¡± He yelled out in shock. ¡°Annalise! Annalise is the only one at home.¡±


    ¡°Uncle Dante, where are your children?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­. please .. .. Bi..  . .e.¡± The line went rough for a moment, before eventually going off. What did this mean now?


    ¡°I am already calling Dante.¡± Alexander said, holding his phone in his hand. Dante was supposedly their cousin, and uncle Dante¡¯s first son. We waited for some time, after which he released a sigh. ¡°He isn¡¯t picking up.¡± He stomped his foot angrily on the floor, causing my breathing to increase. I was so confused and worried. I wasn¡¯t even sure our men had rescued Manuel yet. They have o get to him before Francisco hurts him. Everything was just happening so quickly, because we hadn¡¯t even realized when Tommaso had disappeared from the study.


    ¡°Let¡¯s try and be calm.¡± Massimo muttered. That was the first time he was saying a word since Francesca stepped into the study. They had shared looks of longing between one another, throughout the time we listened to all Francisco had been saying when we hacked the chip. I still couldn¡¯t believe all these was actually happening! ¡°What we are supposed to do, is call their security guards, and make sure to get them all out before¡­.¡± Massimo was still talking when Tommaso rushed back into the study.


    ¡°We just reached out to the security guards and they confirmed no one was home, save for the house staffs, who are currently being evacuated from the building.¡±


    ¡°Really?!¡± I asked, feeling extremely relieved. ¡°Then where are they then?¡±


    ¡°ording to the guards, they are all on their way here.¡±


    ¡°Then that means¡­..¡±


    ¡°We need to call uncle Dante!¡± Matteo said. ¡°He is the one who is in danger now.¡± He tried putting a call across to the man, but it wasn¡¯t connecting. What the hell?!


    ¡°We have to go there now! uncle Dante would be in serious trouble if we¡­¡± I started, but Alexander cut me off.


    ¡°Bianca, we cannot! It is a time bomb and that means once it reaches the set time, it explodes. We could all be in danger as well. And it is worst because we have no idea where it was nted, so we wouldn¡¯t be able to deactivate it on time. All we can do is to keep trying to reach him.¡±


    ¡°Alexander is right.¡± Dito nodded sadly, and we all looked at each other.


    Francesca¡¯s eyes had gone red by now. She had been silently crying all the while, and I could see that Massimo was finding it quite difficult to not walk up to her and hold her. Thedy had been so misjudged and was mentally and emotionally tired. Now, I felt sorry for thinking the worst of her all these while. I tried to get Massimo to look at me and when he finally did, I wasted no time in signaling him to go to her. He seemed reluctant for a moment, which made me roll my eyes and walk up to her by myself.


    ¡°I¡¯m sooo sorry.¡± I whispered the moment she looked up at me. Before she could say anything else, I was enveloping her in my warm embrace, my big tummy acting as quite the obstruction from our bodies getting closer.  ¡°I really am.¡± I whispered into her ears as she cried all the more. There was indeed a lot of sides to one story. This was the first time I was seeing her being so vulnerable. She literally held onto me tightly, like she was holding onto dear life. So she had tried to kill herself before?


    ¡°We can¡¯t get across to uncle Dante.¡± Matteo muttered in worry. The next minute, Alexander led us all out of Manuel¡¯s study, to the living room where the rest of the family were.


    The entire ce was rowdy and Mia, Greta and our other cousins who were there already, tried to know the whole story concerning what was going on. It was indeed a hard pill for them to swallow, and it was harder for us all because we weren¡¯t sure our family members would be rescued alive. I particrly tried to be optimistic, but my energy was slowly dying, and I was only keeping it together because I wanted to be strong for the family, and for Francesca who still held onto me so tightly. Manuel just had to survive. I cannot do life own my own, it¡¯s unimaginable. He has to return to the love of his family. He had to return to see me bear our child. He had to return in order to see that Massimo made it alive. Oh God, please.


    ¡°It¡¯s already been eleven minutes.¡± Alexander updated everyone as he looked at his wristwatch. Just then, aunt Annalise and her children walked in through the doors, looking to be in panic.


    ¡°Is it true?¡± Dante asked, escorting his wife to an empty sofa by the edge of the wall, and gently pushing her down to it. His siblings joined her on the sofa, while he walked towards Alex.


    ¡°The security from home just gave a call. Apparently, a bomb had been nted in our home?¡± He asked in great disbelief.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Alexander nodded, confirming his thoughts. ¡°You guys are safe at least, but your father is not. We called him to let him know the turn of events, and all he did was shout ¡®Annalise¡¯, before the call went off. We have been trying to reach him, all to no avail. We tried reaching out to our other uncles who were with him, but weren¡¯t able to either.¡±


    ¡°Oh no!¡± Dante whispered. ¡°He may have gone back for mom. He knew we were all supposed to be here this morning, to know how the investigation to find Manuel was going. But then, mom was supposed to remain home because she isn¡¯t really feeling too well.¡± He exined. ¡°It was at thest minute she decided toe home with us. He most certainly went back for her.¡±


    ¡°Have you guys seen Dante?¡± We all looked up to see my father inw walk in together with Alexander¡¯s father, and another man who was certainly Anthonio¡¯s father.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Dante asked immediately.


    ¡°Well, we all went to the police station, trying to get the CCTV footage from the road where Manuel had gotten into an ident. Dante had gone to relieve himself at the restroom, but didn¡¯t return. I was scared he may be in danger, that is why I decided we rushed back home to check if anyone had seen him.¡± Alexander¡¯s father exined.


    ¡°But you should have called, Dad.¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t want to create tension on top of the already existing one, especially if it ended up being a false call.¡± He exined.


    ¡°Well, my father is not safe. He is on his way home!¡± Dante yelled in worry.


    ¡°You are not making any sense.¡± Alexander¡¯s father shot back.


    ¡°This is crazy!!¡± Mia yelled out in rage all of a sudden, tears running down her cheeks. Oh God. The men looked at her in confusion, carefully scanning the faces of everyone present in the room.


    ¡°Mom, calm down.¡± I begged, and she swallowed hard, nodding her head in obedience. Alexander seemed to have pulled the men aside, trying to exin what exactly was going on. Better.


    ¡°I¡¯m trying.¡± She sniffled. I didn¡¯t want to leave Francesca who was still holding onto me, so I shared a look with Massimo once more. This time around, he didn¡¯t waste any time to walk up to us. I pulled away from Francesca, and he reced my position beside her on the sofa. They both looked at each for a moment, before she eventually fell into his embrace, crying all the more.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± She whispered into his chest. He blinked furiously, trying to hold his tears foring out. Bending slightly, he ced a chaste kiss on her forehead, and pulled her closer to himself. Oh God! Everyone was just a mess. I made my way to where Greta and Mia sat, and as if Greta knew what I hade for, shifted away from her mom, so I could sit closer to her. Mia hugged me the moment I sat beside her, and I rubbed her back warmly. Greta took my second hand in hers, and squeezed lightly. I looked at her and we shared a sad smile.


    ¡°All will be well.¡± She muttered, and I nodded in agreement. Most definitely! All had to be well. We were still holding each other¡¯s hand when we heard a loud sound and the building shook furiously. Oh no! It just happened. The bomb just detonated.


    ¡°What the hell?¡± Alexander muttered in shock. It was as if everything seemed more real now. Manuel! What about Manuel? Francesca¡¯s father had said he was going to die the same time as Dante¡¯s family. Had he been rescued already? How about uncle Dante? Did he escape this? Oh lord!


    Just then Alexander¡¯s phone rang out loudly, and he pulled it out to look at it, before looking at us all. We knew it was an update on either men. What was it?


    *N?velDrama.Org content.


    *


    ¡°Bianca please.¡± Mia begged me, but I shook my head sadness buried deeply in my heart. ¡°You haven¡¯t had anything to eat all day. You should eat something, now that you know he is fine at least.¡±


    ¡°Fine? Did you say fine?¡± I looked at her in disbelief, before looking back at the unconscious body of my husband. ¡°He has been like this for days now. Not moving, not speaking to me. How do you expect me to feel alright?¡± Tears fell from my eyes.


    ¡°Oh dear.¡± She hugged me, patting my hair affectionately. ¡°Please dear, you have to look after yourself. How do you think Manuel would feel when he wakes up to see you looking so bad. You have so many dark circles underneath your eyes.¡±


    ¡°And so do you.¡± I sighed, and looked up at her. The ck gown she wore was a huge contrast to her pale and swollen face. These past few days really showed me how much the Russos valued family. The death of one, greatly affected all. ¡°How was the funeral?¡± I asked, and she released a loud sigh.


    ¡°Annalise still mes herself. If he hadn¡¯t thought she was in that house, he wouldn¡¯t have rushed in there for her. All the maids and security guard had run for safety, so there was no one to prevent him from going in. Oh Bianca, it hurts.¡± Tears clouded her eyes, and she blinked them back quickly. ¡°Annalise said they were just starting to get things right in their marriage. Dante may not have been the perfect husband, but he was a wonderful father and a good man. Genuinely kindhearted. It¡¯s all still like a movie.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± I nodded in agreement, before sparing Manuel¡¯s unconscious body a nce. ¡°How about Francesca? Have you heard from her?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Mia nodded. ¡°Today was her father¡¯s funeral as well.¡± She said, cleaning the dry tears off my face. ¡°I feel sad for the girl. The trauma she¡¯d have to live with for the rest of her life, knowing that her father killed her mother. It¡¯s so sad.¡±


    ¡°I am happy for her actually.¡± I sighed. ¡°It was more horrible to have him in her life. Who knows what other wrong things he would have done to her in the future? The sadistic man made her suicidal! I cannot even imagine it. More than anything else, I am so d she has a kind man as Massimo in her life.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Mia nodded in agreement.


    ¡°What about Nonno?¡± I asked in worry. I was literally oblivious about a lot that had been happening outside these hospital walls. Ever since Manuel was rushed here after being rescued by his men from Francisco¡¯s warehouse, I have not left his side. I literally bath here, and Greta brings new change of clothes for me every day. This was day 4 already.


    ¡°The poor man is heartbroken. He buried his own son who was killed by the same man that killed his wife. It was a hard pill to swallow. He looked so tired and frail, we were so scared he was gonna break down. He is having his rest at home though, and has asked for you a million times already.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh, I truly wish I could be with him right now and console him. But I can¡¯t leave Manuel¡¯s side.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s understandable. The rest of the family were supposed to be here, but the past few days have been really stressful. And after the funeral, they were all so emotionally drained. They¡¯d most certainly stop by tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°I totally understand.¡± I nodded. We both talked for a while, and she filled me in on other stuffs. When it had gotten sote at night, she made her way back home. I made myselffortable on the couch beside Manuel¡¯s bed, and ate the meal she had prepared and insisted I ate. After that, I fell deeply asleep on the couch.


    When I opened my eyes, it was morning, and I was suprised when I realized I wasying on a bed. But¡­.


    ¡°It seems she is awake.¡± I heard someone whisper, and I looked up immediately to see 5 different faces looking down at me. My parents, Nonno, Mia, and¡­. Manuel?


    ¡°Manuel!¡± I called out in shock, quickly standing up from where I realized was the hospital bed. The others gave us space as we ran into each other¡¯s embrace. ¡°You¡¯re fine.¡± I found myself crying, and he literally had to carry me and sit on the bed, making mefortable atop his thighs.


    ¡°Shhh¡­ I¡¯m sorry for making you worry so much.¡± He whispered. Just then, our family members walked out of the room, giving us the space we clearly needed.


    ¡°When did you¡­. when¡­¡±


    ¡°I woke upst night, and saw you asleep on that ufortable couch.¡± He tone held a sound of chastisement to it, making me feel like a little baby who was being subtly scolded.


    ¡°I am sorry.¡± I muttered, even though I knew I wasn¡¯t.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry as well.¡± He sighed, before leaning closer and pulling my lips into his for a deep kiss. My hands quickly ran through his hair, missing the way it felt between my fingers.


    ¡°Please, don¡¯t ever do that to me again.¡± I pleaded, and he nodded vigorously.


    ¡°Never.¡± He muttered. ¡°Never again.¡± He sighed, a small smile iming his lips. ¡°I am sooo proud of you. The entire family is. They haven¡¯t stopped talking about how you took the reins of authority and tried to organize things in my absence, regardless of how hurt and disturbed you must have felt. You are such a blessing to me.¡± He took my hands in his and ced chaste kisses on my knuckles. ¡°And I would never trade you for anything or anyone else in this world.¡±


    ¡°I love you.¡± I blinked back my tears, closing the space between us and giving him a sound kiss. ¡°Hope you feel better now?¡± I asked, the moment I pulled away from him


    ¡°I feel like nothing happened to me. As good as new.¡± He grinned, making me smile. ¡°And I love you sooo sooo much more.¡± He sighed, a small smile of appreciation on his face. ¡°These past weeks have been extremely rough for everyone. For us, most especially.¡±


    ¡°Very.¡± I nodded in agreement.


    ¡°We would leave for Moscow next week. After the dust from this terrible experience has somewhat settled.¡±


    ¡°Why are we going to Moscow?¡± I asked, truly at loss.


    ¡°To have an actual honeymoon. That was the ce, where this love between us was kindled. There would be no better ce to fall in love more and more with each other. To get to know each other much better, and to bond with each other. We would stay there for as long as possible.¡±


    ¡°Oh my goodness.¡± I teared up at how sweet this man could be.


    ¡°You like that?¡± He asked, caressing my cheeks.


    ¡°That sounds very nice.¡± I nodded in agreement. ¡°But what about thepany and every other thing you have to oversee here in Italy?¡±


    ¡°What else are my family there for? They would take care of things in our absence. I need to pamper my wife and get lost in love with her.¡± He grinned, before pulling me closer for a passionate kiss.

 CHAPTER 75

    MANUEL¡¯S POV


    We came back from the hospital, and I found it difficult to smile. That witch doctor; Luigi, just ruined our ns. What did he mean by ¡®she is not in the right state to travel long distance¡¯?


    ¡°Baby stop frowning. I¡¯m also not happy that our ns were spoilt.¡± Bianca pouted.


    ¡°So, we wouldn¡¯t be able to¡­¡±


    ¡°Is that trip more important than my health?¡± She cut me off, and I shook my head in negation. ¡°Exactly.¡± She sighed. ¡°We have to be more careful for the sake of our baby. After this baby is born, we would have many more weeks to elope together and spend some quality time alone. For now, we have to remain home with the rest of the family, taking care of this little angel.¡± She pouted, rubbing her bellyzily. I released a sigh and nodded in agreement. She was right after all. Our baby came first.


    After I got discharged from the hospital, we decided to wait two more weeks for the shock of uncle Dante¡¯s death to get lighter, before we travel to Moscow. When we informed mom of our ns to get away for some time, she insisted we saw the doctor, in order to be sure Bianca was fit to travel.


    Bianca was already approaching 7 months, so I thought it was a brilliant idea to have her checked at the hospital, before we left for Moscow eventually. What I hadn¡¯t expected was for Doctor Luigi to prohibit her from traveling. I felt my ns being shattered before my very eyes. But then, I had to put my wife¡¯s health first.


    I walked up to her, and assisted her onto the bed.


    ¡°God, babe I feel extremely tired.¡± She sighed, throwing her head to the side.


    ¡°I know my love.¡± I managed a small smile. ¡°Do you want me to make something for you to eat, before you sleep? Or would you rather¡­¡±


    ¡°I would rather have you inside me.¡± She cut me off, looking at me deeply in the eyes. God! I hadn¡¯t even seen thating. This woman was something else. ¡°Can I have that?¡± She said, pointing at my crotch. I could swear that my neck and ears had gone red. I never used to be this embarrassed, what was happening to me?


    ¡°Of course.¡± I choked out,ughing in the process. ¡°You can have it babe. It¡¯s all yours.¡± I walked closer to her, my erection just in front of her face.


    ¡°Could you help me up please?¡± She asked, and I agreed immediately. We hadn¡¯t really done this since ourst visit to the doctor¡¯s, that had us discontinue our intercourse. I had been so starved for weeks, and I was finally about to get it now. My joy knew no bounds.


    I took her hand and gently pulled her up. She then turned her back towards me, silently asking me to unzip her dress. I didn¡¯t waste time to do so, and shepletely pulled the dress off, left in just her bra and panties. I skillfully helped unhook her bra from behind, before kneeling down to take off her panties. Once she waspletely bare, I released a low sigh as I devoured her body with my eyes. I had never really thought a pregnant woman could be sexy, but my wife actually was. It wasn¡¯t only her belly that had grown bigger, her butt and hips had increased in size as well. She put her hand in the high bun atop her head, before pulling out a long hairpin from it. The next second, her full mass of hair came crumbling on her shoulders, down to her lower back. Some of the curls framed her face, and all I could think was ¡®angelic¡¯. The woman was a literal goddess.


    ¡°Don¡¯t stand there just staring at me, take off your clothes.¡± She whispered sharply, and I did as she had said. I quickly took off my shirt, before unbuckling my belt and taking off my shorts as well. I was left in just my boxers when she walked over to me. ¡°God, you¡¯re so hot!¡± She whispered, not breaking eye contact as her hot breathe fanned my cheeks. I was already very much aroused, and she seemed to have noticed that as well. She grabbed a fistful of my hair and pulled me down to kiss her. The moment our lips were just mere inches apart, she moved her face backwards. Oh no! She wanted to tease me, but the bulge in my pants wasn¡¯t in so much agreement with that thought of hers.


    ¡°Biancaaa¡­¡± I drawled.


    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡± She released a deep sigh that sounded like a moan, her hand going where I didn¡¯t even expect. She had grabbed my hard cock, rubbing it gently but still refusing me ess to her lips. Instead, she kept releasing her sighs and hot breathe on my face. We looked at each other, my restraint bing weaker as the seconds passed.


    ¡°Baby¡­. pleeaaaseee¡­¡± I whispered, but instead of letting me kiss her, she increased the speed at which she pumped her hand along my shaft.


    ¡°You like it?¡± She whispered, and I nodded.


    ¡°Oh God.¡± I groaned. Her fingers held the stic band of my boxers and she pulled it down, finally gaining ess to my cock. Oh, great! I couldn¡¯t help myself anymore when I pulled her hair, and smashed my lips against hers. She seemed very much eager to kiss me, which was a huge contrast to how much she teased me. I pushed my tongue into her mouth and she eagerly sucked on it. After a few seconds I disconnected my lips from hers, making my way from her cheeks to her neckline.


    ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± I left sloppy kisses along her neck. ¡°You wanted me so badly after all, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Your cock showed me just how much you wanted me too.¡± She moaned out, pulling on my hair softly. ¡°I want to feel it inside me. I want you to fill me with your cock and make me moan out in ecstasy. Moan out for everyone to know how good it makes me feel.¡± She whispered, breathing roughly. Oh wow, this was new. She wanted to do dirty talking now? I was very much up to it.


    My hand reached down to her mound with difficulty, her belly posing a little hindrance. My fingers made their way into her pussy and I could see how much she was dripping. I was quite suprised, because she was extremely wetn. ¡°I see how much your pussy wants me, huh? You¡¯re soooo wet, and it makes me just want top all of those juices with my tongue.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh, yes please.¡± She moaned out. ¡°My pussy is yours, you can do whatever you want with it. I am your personal slut.¡± Okayyyy, this woman kept suprising me tonight.


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s mine. YOU are mine. Now, do as I say.¡± I ordered, shifting to my dominant side. ¡°Sit on the bed andy on your back.¡± Immediately, she did as I asked. A little too slowly, but just fine. ¡°Spread your legs.¡± I ordered, and sheplied. I hopped on the bed, and went in between her thighs. I sniffed in the glorious scent of her pussy, wanting to stick my tongue in there already. Jeez!! If someone had told me before I met my wife, that I¡¯d be this crazy about eating out pussy, I would deny it tly. Yet here I was, pussy whipped. I raised up my head to see her already squirming in her position, probably anticipating the pleasure about toe. ¡°Now, say my name while I eat you out and give you the pleasure you deserve.¡± I ordered, and she nodded.


    The next minute, my tongue was attacking her clitoris and pping gently but fast against it.


    ¡°Ohhhh¡­ Manuel.¡± She groaned, satisfying me greatly. I wanted to hear more of her pleasure filled sounds, so I searched for her pussy hole and dipped my tongue inside, eating her out thoroughly. The faster her thighs vibrated by the sides of my face, the more her juices trickled out of her pussy.


    ¡°Ooohcchhh!!! Oh God! Manuel!!¡± She yelled out in pleasure. ¡°Yeeeesss!! Yes yes yes!!¡±


    When she pulled my hair so tightly, I knew that she was getting to the brink and about to have her release. Call me selfish, but I didn¡¯t want her to cum just yet. These days, Bianca was easily tired, and may probably be too weak to have sex after having her release. So it made me do what she hadn¡¯t expected I¡¯d do. I pulled my mouth away from her pussy.


    ¡°Whyyy?!!¡± She cried out, trying to pull me back in, but it only made meugh. I quickly stood up andpletely pulled down my boxers.


    ¡°Because your dear husband is very selfish.¡± I chuckled as I hopped on the bed and hovered above her. She blinked her eyes furiously, trying to clear the pleasure filled haze from her head and understand what I was actually saying.


    ¡°But what¡­.¡±


    ¡°Baby, could you go on your fours please?¡± I asked, ying with her nipple.


    ¡°Huh?¡± She blinked in confusion. ¡°Okay.¡± She nodded eventually, before sitting up and turning her back to me. Resting her hands on the bed, she raised her butts to me, taking that position I had imagined she would.


    ¡°Are youfortable?¡± I found myself asking, already worried she wasn¡¯t.


    ¡°Please juste inside me.¡± She begged. She didn¡¯t have to beg because I was having troubles restraining myself from just plunging into her. Immediately, I positioned myself behind her and gently slid in my cock into her wet hole. Her wetness was extremely slimy and the feeling it gave, made my brain go shut for a few seconds.


    ¡°Oh God!¡± I gritted out. ¡°Babe you feel sooo good.¡± I whispered and began moving inside her. She kept getting wetter, the same way my pace got faster. The mewling soundsing from her throatbined with the sounds of my thighs hitting her ass, and my cock mming into her slimy hole, and it only pushed me to the edge.


    ¡°Oo.. . hhh¡­ hh!!¡± Her moans kept breaking off. ¡°Yesss¡­. I love¡­ the way you¡­ aarrrghh!!!¡±


    ¡°Fuck! I think I¡¯m cumming.¡± I groaned, not wanting to have my release when she was yet to have hers. I was never this quick to cum, what was happening now?


    ¡°Me too!¡± She exhaled loudly. ¡°Please go faster.¡± She begged, and that was the only go ahead I needed, to finally lose myself. We were both close to our climax, so I didn¡¯t try to hold back anymore. I hit into her so hard that I was worried she¡¯d get hurt. Before I knew what was happening, her pussy was clenching my cock so tightly I thought I was gonna faint from the pleasure. Immediately, my cock shot its load into her warm hole, making me groan from the pleasure of my release.


    ¡°Aaahhh!!!¡± She yelled out in ecstasy, before settling on the bed. I quickly helped her position her body in a way that she wouldn¡¯t feel sore when she woke up. She was pretty much dozing off already. Not wanting to be anywhere else, Iid beside her and pulled her tired body into mine. I don¡¯t know why, but I suddenly felt sleepy as well. Maybe it was she effect of her bodily scent that attacked my nostrils. I released a satisfied smile, knowing that this was only going to get better between us. ¡°Thank you.¡± I whispered to her sleeping form, before closing my own eyes in slumber.


    *


    *


    I was awake, but still had my eyes closed. That was until I began to feel her eyes on me.


    ¡°Your hobby, huh? Staring at your sleepy husband all day.¡± I teased, opening my eyes to meet hers.


    ¡°I could do that forever.¡± She muttered, giving me that look that says ¡®I have a lot to say¡¯. ¡°I love you so much.¡± She whispered. ¡°It¡¯s crazy, but I do not think I could ever get tired of saying that to you. You have made my life sooo beautiful, and spiced it up with happiness. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± I sighed, truly at loss for words. Bianca sure knew how to make me speechless. I didn¡¯t even feel like I was doing enough, but my efforts never went unnoticed by her, and I was sooo grateful to have her in my life. ¡°For giving my life purpose.¡±


    ¡°Come here.¡± She whispered, pulling me for a really sweet kiss. ¡°What you did yesterday was very much appreciated. I know it took a lot from you, but it was necessary.¡± So yesterday, I had invited Anthonio home to settle our scores.


    To be very honest, I had wronged him as well. Whenever I imagined another man taking Bianca away from me, I felt this inexplicable pain in my heart. I couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine how much pain Anthonio would have felt when I got Bianca pregnant. I truly was sorry.


    ¡°It was necessary, like you said. And he is my family too. I really hope our rtionship bes better from now on.¡±


    ¡°Of course, it would.¡± She chuckled. ¡°Anthonio used to tell me while we dated, that he wanted getting close to you, but you always pushed him away. So, don¡¯t worry. He has always wanted to have that brotherly bond with you as well.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm.¡± I nodded, feeling happy that Anthonio genuinely wanted to make our rtionship better. Alexander had always tried to settle our issues, but was never really sessful. I guessed I was adamant about letting things go, because I still med myself  for Nonna¡¯s death, and was yet to have closure from Nonno. Now, things were different, and I found myself realizing how much time Anthonio and I had wasted. I remember when he was being mentored by me. I¡¯d always trying to make things more difficult for him. I was such a prick.


    ¡°That reminds me.¡± Bianca said, pulling my attention. ¡°When are Alexander and Be leaving?¡± Yeah! Alexander was on a mission to reunite Be with her family. ording to him, they were going to travel to New York for a couple of weeks. He was very much excited to meet her family as well. I felt really happy for him, because I know how much he used to wish Be hadn¡¯t lost her family.


    ¡°They would have left already, but Nonno is taken with their son.¡± I chuckled. ¡°He has dyed them from leaving, just so he could keep seeing Emilio.¡± Alex and Be had named their son after Nonno. It ddened the old man¡¯s heart.


    ¡°I¡¯m so happy Nonno ising around these days.¡± Losing uncle Dante had been so hard on him.


    ¡°A joint effort from baby Emilio and you; his little Rosa.¡± She giggled at my words. Bianca really was Nonno¡¯s little Rosa. ¡°Thank you for bringing him so much peace in his old age. The man had really suffered a lot after Nonna died.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm!!¡± She stretched her limbs and looked at me. ¡°Remember we have somewhere to be today.¡± She smiled and me, and I grinned in return.


    Of course, I certainly remembered! We were supposed to go visit her parents today. We had postponed our visit for a while now, but I insisted we went today. I really needed to settle all my issues with her papa. I wanted to know they have wholeheartedly epted me to be in their daughter¡¯s life, and a part of their family.


    ¡°I definitely haven¡¯t.¡± I sighed, hoping the day turned out fine. She seemed to have noticed my countenance, and didn¡¯t hesitate to encourage me.N?velDrama.Org content.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t worry so much my love. Everything would go fine.¡±


    ¡°I just hope you papa doesn¡¯t punch my face again today.¡± I sighed, a small smile on my face. ¡°Because, I¡¯d be able to do nothing else, than beg him.¡± We both looked at each other and bursted intoughter. Bianca had really brought fear into my life, and now, I realized it could be a good thing. It made me feel more human.


    *


    *


    We walked up to therge door of her home, and I took a deep breathe before arranging my clothe.


    ¡°Stop that.¡± She smiled. ¡°Everything would be just fine.¡± She held my hand and squeezed it affectionately, before using her other hand to press the doorbell. Her heartbeat increased, as my mind kept reeling with the thought of her father¡¯s rejection or eptance. I hoped it was thetter. I know her parents hade to visit  while I was at the hospital, but they had onlye to see their daughter and know she was fine. It wasn¡¯t because of me.


    Just then, the door was pulled open to reveal none other than her father. It was a weird feeling, but my heart fell to the pit of my stomach.


    ¡°Hello papa.¡± Bianca grinned at the man, who engulfed her in a bear hug. The moment he realized she was holding him too tightly, he quickly pulled away.


    ¡°Easy there.¡± He grinned, looking at her belly. ¡°I don¡¯t want you diforting my little one.¡± Sweet. Could he be sweet to me too? Just as I thought of that, he turned to look at me and I held my breathe in tension.


    ¡°Good afternoon, Mr Bianchi.¡± I managed. When he frowned at me, I released a low sigh of defeat. Same old. He was never going to¡­


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t call me that.¡± He finally muttered. ¡°Papa, would suffice.¡± He gave a small smile that made me want to disappear in excitement. ¡°Wee to the family, son.¡±

 EPILOGUE

    MANUEL¡¯S POV


    I watched as she yed in the soft sand, turning around so fast that I feared she was gonna get dizzy. Her hair shone so beautifully under the sun, making me want to run my hand through it. Oh, my wife was beautiful. I noticed she gently sat on the sand, but I couldn¡¯t really see her face. She was probably exhausted from all the fun.


    ¡°Baby!!¡± She called out to me, signaling me with her hand, toe over to where she sat. I stood up from the soft sand where I had been lying on, andzily walked up to her. My shirt waspletely unbuttoned and my abs were pretty much on full disy for her to see. I hoped she was going to see it though.


    The whole day, I had been trying to get her to notice me, but it didn¡¯t seem like she was. Instead she had been busy with the rest of my family, talking about God knows what. Now that she hade to this secluded part of the beach, I was hoping she¡¯d noticed me and we could run into one of these beach houses for a quickie, but it seemed to be that I had another thinging. Actually, another humaning. ¡°Babyyy!!!¡± She yelled louder, and that was when I knew all wasn¡¯t well.


    I rushed to where she was sitting and was shocked to seeing that her sundress had been soaked in pee. Or not? She looked to be in pain, and it only got me worried.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Babe, are you alright?¡± I rushed out, squatting to her level. She shook her head vigorously and held onto my shirt so tightly, that her knuckles had turned white.


    ¡°Nooo!!! My¡­. I think my water just broke!!¡± She cried out. Oh no! Before I could even think through my next actions, I was scooping her into my arms and rushing to where the rest of our family sat. The moment they sighted meing with her, they knew something was up.


    ¡°Oh my goodness!¡± Mom rushed towards us. ¡°Is she inbour?¡±


    ¡°Seems to be so!¡± I yelled in confusion and worry.


    ¡°Aahhh!!¡± Bianca yelled out, holding her belly in pain.


    ¡°She is having contractions!¡± Be said, rushing towards us. Alexander followed behind with Emilio in his arms. ¡°Let¡¯s take her to the hospital already.¡± She said, signaling us to go to where we parked our cars. Greta and the rest of our family began running around, and that was how our pic at Lake Como, ended.


    I was sooo confused throughout our trip to the car, and annoyingly long journey to the hospital. We had literally rushed into the hospital like crazy people, causing a hell of a scene, but I could care less. All I wanted was for my wife¡¯s pains to disappear. When the nurses came and assisted her onto a stretcher, taking her to the delivery room, I followed suite. I didn¡¯t want to leave her side for a moment, and she didn¡¯t let go of my hand either. The nurses and doctor got busy preparing her for delivery. When it was finally time to start, I didn¡¯t realize it was going to be the longest hour of my life.


    ¡°Baby, you can do this!¡± I kissed her sweaty forehead, as her fingers bore deep holes into the skin of my hand.


    ¡°Yes!!¡± She breathed roughly, before screaming out loudly and pushing out the baby with all the strength she could muster. ¡°Aaahhhh!!!!¡± God, I couldn¡¯t imagine her going through another one of these episodes. It was so much pain! The past hour was the most torturous one of my life, but I¡¯m d it finally ended with the loud cry of a tiny creature.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s over.¡± I breathed out in relief, as the nurses took the baby who was already a crying fit, and got busy cleaning it up. I looked at my tired wife who had fallen back on the bed, and couldn¡¯t be more thankful for her. She was a strong woman. ¡°Oh, my love.¡± I kissed all over her face. ¡°Thank you so much.¡± She caressed my cheeks and gave a tired smile.


    A few minutester, the nurses returned with our baby, and handed it over to me.


    ¡°Congrattions sir. It¡¯s a girl.¡± A girl?! Oh wow! My little princess. I took our baby from the nurse and looked down at her. I didn¡¯t know how I really felt. It was a mixed feeling. Positive mixed feelings. I felt like my heart would burst from so much love, seeing the human Bianca and I created. For the life of me, I couldn¡¯t believe how beautiful our little angel was. I bent and kissed her head, tears clouding my eyes.


    ¡°Baby, our little princess is here.¡± I cooed. Immediately, she stretched out her arms for me to ce our baby, and I did. Bianca brought her close to her bosom, tears falling from her eyes.


    ¡°She is so beautiful.¡± She sniffled, and I nodded in agreement. That was when I noticed the curls on the top of her head. A smile came on my face when I realized. ¡°She has your hair. Beautiful.¡± I said,pletely mesmerized.


    ¡°That, she does.¡± Bianca looked up at me and grinned, tears still in her eyes. ¡°Wee to the world, my beautiful Rosa.¡± She smiled. Wait, what? Rosa?


    A smile spread onto my face when I realized my daughter was going to be monopolized by Nonno. There was no avoiding it. Here I was, thinking Bianca was Nonno¡¯s little Rosa. Little did I know it wasn¡¯t even her.


    *


    *


    3 MONTH¡¯S LATER


    BIANCA¡¯S POV


    I looked around therge hall that was filled up to the brim. It was the official opening of The Gold Empire, and I was the most excited. I watched as a few members of the board gave their speeches, and silently prepared to give mine. I looked to my right and I almostughed when I saw Nonno busy with his nanny job, barely paying attention to speeches being given. Ever since we had Rosa, it felt like Nonno was both her mother and father. It was crazy, but the man could barely stay away from she and Emilio. This made Alexander and Be to always be in the same ce Manuel and I were. Because wherever we were, that was were Nonno and the kids were.


    ¡°Babe.¡± Manuel called my attention. ¡°Are you ready?¡± He whispered, and I smiled. I guess I was.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m a bit tensed.¡± I honestly said. ¡°But seeing Nonno so smitten with Rosa, makes me want to burst outughing.¡±


    ¡°I know right?¡± He chuckled. Just then, I was called to the podium for my speech and my heartbeat elerated. Manuel gave me a warm smile and rubbed my back gently. ¡°Don¡¯t worry baby, you¡¯d be just fine.¡± His words made me feel a lot better, and I released a sigh before standing and making my way out to the podium. The moment I got there, the crowd went up in an uproar and slowly my tension disappeared, reced with pride. My heart swelled, seeing everyone cheer so loudly for me. Even people I did not know. I looked around and I could see my parents smiling with so much pride on their face. Massimo and Francesca who sat beside them, waved at me. I shot them a smile, d they could make it. I also grinned at Laura and Ricardo, happy they were present to celebrate with me. They had weddedst month, and I wasn¡¯t sure they¡¯d return from their honeymoon, before the event. Lastly, I looked at my new family all seated closely amongst one and other. All I could see on their faces was immense happiness for me.


    I couldn¡¯t believe this was happening! Oh, Bianca! You made it. All my life, I have wanted to be a powerfuldy, to grow an empire, and to move with such great force. I was there now. I was achieving my dreams, and sess never felt better. I cleared my throat, making some people in the crowdugh.


    ¡°For as long as I can remember, I have had lofty dreams.¡± I started, and the entire ce went silent. ¡°Dreams that one might think too big for an ordinary girl like me.¡± I sighed. ¡°Dreams of being wealthy, dreams of being powerful. Dreams of touching lives and positively impacting the world atrge. It¡¯s been many years down the line, and a lot has happened. I may not be where I want to be yet, but life is indeed a journey.¡± I smiled. ¡°The Gold Empire is a project very dear to my heart, because it gives me the opportunity to carry on the legacy of a great woman¡­..¡± My speech went on and on, and when it was time to finally wrap it up, I locked eyes with an attentive Nonno.


    ¡°This project is dedicated to thete Mrs Rosa Russo, a woman dear to many hearts. I promise to fulfill her vision and carry on her legacy. I am Bianca Russo, CEO, Gold Empire. Thank you.¡±


    There was another uproar and just then, Manuel stood from his seat and walked up to me with a huge bouquet of roses. I grinned widely as he leaned down to give me a kiss. ¡°Thank you.¡± I whispered with teary eyes, feeling so many beautiful emotions.


    ¡°I¡¯m so proud of you my love. Always.¡± Manuel was always so supportive. I looked at him and couldn¡¯t believe how sweet life could be. My life wasn¡¯t perfect, and it didn¡¯t have to be. I was fine, as long as I had him and my family.


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