"You're going to Milan?" Killian looked at me with a frown on his forehead. He sat before me, leaning back in the chair, folding his arms and looking at me judgmentally.
I nodded, glancing back at the one showing Ace's learning progress report. Ace is in pre-kindergarten in preparation for his entry into the kindergarten school next year. So, as a mom, I've prepared him for many things. "My cousin, Regina, is getting married. I should come there." I said. "I can't be absent." "You know that your grandfather dislikes you a lot because of your divorce. You won't be able to escape his scolding and cursing. You could be kicked out again like five years ago," his heavy voice was full of factual statements. I closed my laptop and looked at him. "I'm sure I can handle it," I replied, shrugging my shoulders. "I'll stay at the hotel, and then come back here straight after the party is over." I continued. I didn't want to linger there either, especially when I realized the fact that my grandfather didn't accept Ace while he was still in my belly. Granpa would accept my son on one condition : I should return with Sebastian. I refused that, and he threw me out, saying that I wouldn't be welcome anywhere in his mansion. It's a painful memory, and I've told myself that I won't cross paths with him again. I won't care about whatever he says or does. "Then, what makes you sure that Sebastian won't come and destroy your and Ace's peace?" I tensed. "He could be anywhere. The world is too big for us to meet." I replied. "And what makes you sure that your grandfather still hasn't told him about Ace?" I opened my mouth and was dumbfounded. "Your grandfather was many things. An asshole is one of them. He's already seen your impudence and why would you think that he wouldn't act even worse realizing that you broke his rules?" I swallowed. "Grandma made sure of that." He squinted at me. "And you just believe it?" "I don't want to talk about this," Killian looked away with a snort. "Why so serious?" came Kate's voice, exclaiming excitedly as she sat beside me. "I'm going to Milan for Regina's wedding, and this man forbids me." I replied. "I'm not forbidding you I just want you to think about it a hundred times." Killian snapped. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. You're acting possessive right now, Buddy. Chill out. I'm sure Bella can handle it," Kate retorted. "Plus she's got her handsome male cousins, there's Vito, Max and that delicious looking young man...what's his name? Dall? Don?" "Damian." "Yes, Damian. They will protect the Princess and her frog son. You have nothing to worry about." She continued, giving Killian a sharp look. "What dont you just worry about your fiancé screwing up at the party at my brother's club last night?!" Killian raised an eyebrow and then closed his eyes while growling in annoyance. "What else did she do?" "She doused a waitress just because she couldn't give her a specially arranged bottle for a VVIP customer. She started showing off and swaggered about who her boyfriend was, which was you, and then said that she could pay for the woman's pride," Kate shrugged. "It's trivial, but Lynsey likes to stir up trouble. You'd better calm that woman down and tell her to apologize to my brother's staff because Beau isn't going to make this easy," Killian sighed. "Fine. Thank you for letting me know. I have to leave now before she makes more trouble." Kate and I just stared at his departure, and I couldn't get over Lynsey, Killian's fiancée, who was entirely out of her mind. I never liked that woman. She was arrogant, always talked like she was in the sky without looking at the earth, and treated everyone like her servants. But Kate and I couldn't judge Killian about that because we respected his choices. "He's weird," I said. "He has too much control over me, and insists on making me change my mind," I told Kate. Kate smiles. "Naturally, he's worried about you." I nodded slowly. I told myself that it wasn't something else because it was better. I don't want anything to get in the way of our friendship. __ This is suffocating. It almost made me lose control. I carried the sleeping Ace and stopped in front of the door of my grandparents' mansion. The fear of rejection and my grandfather's cynical words made me freeze in front of his door. My parents had arrived in Milan first because we had bought the ticket separately. "Let me carry him," Ace's nanny said gently. I handed Ace to Elizabeth while muttering, "Thank you." My arms were already aching because, as Ace always did, he was always restless when on a plane; he was afraid of planes. I didn't need to ask because his father had the same fear. Calming myself down, I braced myself to press the doorbell. I felt sorry for Ace's restless sleep but wouldn't stay here. I'd already booked the closest hotel to the church building for tomorrow's wedding because I didn't want Ace to get any snide words from Grandpa. "We'll greet them quickly, and then go to the hotel." "Why don't we stay here?" asked Elizabeth. Elizabeth was the new nanny my mom had chosen because the previous one was my and Belle's nanny; of course, she was old and decrepit. I always cringed when I saw her carrying chubby Ace. And she didn't know why I always chose to stay at the hotel instead of spending time here. "Something." I smiled at her. "You'll know." The door opened and revealed Grandma's face. Her eyes were wide with enthusiasm. She smiled happily at me and hugged me quickly. "I missed you, Bambolina." She said in Italian. "Me too, grandma." I replied. She then turned to the sleeping Ace. "My baby." She murmured softly. "Don't carry him, Grandma. He's heavy." I said earnestly. Grandma sighed. "I'd like to say I'm offended, but you're right. I am old." She replied. She kissed Ace's forehead and stroked his hair. "He looks a lot like Sebastian." I would have glared at her if she was not my grandma, but this was my grandma. All I could do was stare at her dazedly. "Ace is his son. That's a fact I can't dispute," even though I hated him. I smiled at my grandmother, who looked back at me gently. "Let's go inside. Ace should sleep in a comfortable bed. He can sleep in my bedroom." I froze. "Grandma..." She raised an eyebrow. "Your grandpa won't do or say anything. Trust me." I looked at her with disbelief. "I remember very well. The last time you said that, he kicked me out of this house," a tightness hit my chest. Five years ago, I officially became Ace's father's widow. I still remember Grandpa's words and expression when he threw me out of there. I didn't want to repeat that a second time. Especially since Ace is four years old, even though he doesn't understand, he knows what's happening around him. The actions that Grandpa might do to me would make him wonder and assume wildly. I didn't want to make him overthink. "Forget about that, then." She looked at me with a gentle smile. "Let's put that behind us. He won't say anything to you or do anything bad like he did five years ago. All you can do now is trust me." "But I don't want Ace sleeping in your bedroom. He'll sleep in the guest room I used to use." She sighed as if resigned. "And we'll stay in the hotel," There was disappointment on her face, but I wasn't afraid to give in to it. Grandma, Grandpa, or anyone else should understand that wounds don't go away that easily. I've moved on from my dark past, but that doesn't mean I'm going to forget everything that happened. I've just accepted everything and moved on with my life. "Do as you please, as long as you don't leave this country before Regina's wedding." She said. "Let's go have lunch. Everyone is waiting for you inside." >>. Lunch went smoothly. Fortunately, there was only my uncle, aunt, my parents, Belle, Regina and her future husband, then grandma. My grandpa was at the office with my other uncle, Alberto. Grandma said there was a meeting. I don't know if it was true or not because I had my own thoughts that it was just a tactic to avoid me. I looked at Ace, who was sitting next to Grandma. He was sitting in his own chair, eating the special meal I had prepared for him while Grandma was talking to him, telling funny things about her childhood, while I was blankly busy with the laptop in front of me. I saw nothing but the progress of my cafe's website, where there were no visitors, no one ordering online or just browsing. I sighed softly, staring at my phone that was on because of the notification from the email from the bank that my instalment payment was approaching the due date. I closed my eyes in frustration and pressed my head with my fingers. In my head, I imagined someone coming up with a lot of money and rescuing me from this hell hole; it would be fantastic. All of this darkness would be gone, and I wouldn't have to worry about where the money was. The problem was that it only existed in my imagination. "Hey," Regina's voice snapped me out of my reverie. I looked at her, who had just entered the back garden room. She pecked Ace's cheek before coming closer to me. "There's something I want to talk to you about. It's urgent." I raised an eyebrow. "What is it about?" "Come on," she pulled my hand to stand up, and I immediately followed her after closing my laptop. We stopped in an open space next to the swimming pool. She looked at me with apparent anxiety and sadness. "Is something wrong?" Regina sighed softly. She looked away and rubbed her face in frustration. "Yes, and I don't know how to tell you." "What is it about?" She looked at me without speaking for a few seconds. Like there was some indecision there. I squinted, starting to get annoyed at this obscure woman. "Say it quickly. I don't have time. I have to get back to the hotel before night." Regina took a breath and let it out softly. "About your ex-husband." My heart jerked. My chest was tight. Apparently, I'm still not used to it. I swallowed before answering. "What's wrong with him?" "Bahms and Sebastian have been best friends since college." She paused. "And they're very close. Tomorrow, Sebastian is coming. He was personally invited by Bahms." The ground beneath me seemed to crumble. I opened my mouth, but no words came out. "I'm sorry. I really didn't know they were close. If I had known earlier I would have stopped him from inviting Sebastian." Regret really appeared on her face, her eyes glazed over at me. "He just said it this afternoon, and... I came straight to see you." I still couldn't find the words to reply. My head was completely empty of words, only filled with images of what if Sebastian met Ace and then took him. "I'm not coming tomorrow." Regina magnified. "What? No..." I shook my head frantically. "I can't come if he's around..." My breathing was so irregular that I thought I was going to faint here. A large rock seemed to be sitting on top of my chest, blocking the smooth flow of my blood and breath. "I-" Regina shook her head. "Calm down, Bella." She touched my shoulder with one hand, stroking me gently. "Bahms said that he'll come in the evening. You can go back to the hotel at that time." I shook my head. "No. I can't believe in assumptions. What if he comes during the day? What if he sees us and..." I bit my lip and stepped onto a small chair to compose myself. "I shouldn't be scared like this." "You have someone that belongs to him too. It's only natural for you to do so." She said as she sat down on the chair next to me. "I'm scared when he sees Ace." I looked down, supporting my head with two hands. She shook her head, hugging my shoulders. "He won't. We'll keep Ace away from him if he comes while you're still at the party." She said. "I'll handle this." She sighed. "It's not my intention to make you anxious like this, Bella. I just want you to be aware." We were silent for a while. I tried to calm myself down, and Regina tried to calm me down. "Are you still...still afraid of meeting him? Do you still have feelings for him?" "No, Regina." I shook my head slowly. "I'm just afraid that if he meets Ace, and..." I sighed. "he took him." "So, you're completely over him? You don't care if he shows up with someone?" "I'll be fine." "What if he comes after you again?" I let out a squeal of disbelief at her. "He won't. His past actions already tell me that he never liked me, he was so crazy about Reina. I'm sure he doesn't even care about me. I bet he doesn't even remember me being in hislife before," He always did not care. But he will when he sees who comes between us. And then all my world will come crashing down. Regina looked at me with a slight nod, understanding me. "Hopefully you won't meet him tomorrow," Yeah, I hope so."Momma, what is marriage?""Marriage is uniting two people who love each other into a family.""Has you ever been married?" Ace asked innocently.I opened my mouth, wondering what to answer. But then I decided to be honest with him. "Yes. I was married. That's why you exist." I lightly pinched his full cheeks.His blue eyes looked up at me. "Momma married Poppa?" he tilted his head, his expression thoughtful. "But why didn't I ever meet Poppa?" it was a tricky question for a four-year-old. But I knew Ace was a bit more advanced than other kids his age."I told you that Poppa is at work." I said. "To buy you lots of toys and cars, and bring a lot of mony so you can pay your debt to Princess Belle." Princess Belle was the nickname he gave to my sister.Ace blinked his eyes a few times and then gave a slight nod, his eyes sparkling. "I will buy a lot of cars later. Colourful cars!" He exclaimed enthusiastically. "Why hasn't poppa seen me yet, Momma? I want a car!"I raised an eyebrow and
Night had fallen, and I had replaced my previous dress with a black, leg-length, tight halter-style neckline. Ace was already asleep after my mom and I struggled to get him to sleep. He was cranky from being in a foreign country and whined about going home. I had to give him extra effort and do everything I could to get him to stop whining and sleep. Now that he was fast asleep, I rubbed his hair and face, which looked peaceful.Now, I'm really amazed about his resemblance to his father.In their sleep, it was apparent. Ace is like a clone of Sebastian. And it makes my heart ache.If things were different, I would... I would what? I don't know.I sighed softly and chased away all my evil thoughts to avoid messing up. Now, I had to do what my grandpa told me to do, or he would carry out his terrible threat. If only I had power, I would just protect Ace from him, but right now, I don't even have anything, so the weapon to protect him from Sanchez is to do whatever he wants. That's wise.
"Hey, where have you been?" Belle greeted me first after I walked into my hotel room. Her mouth dropped open when she looked me up and down and then she shook her head again. "You-"I brushed past her and entered the bedroom, saying, "The flies will come in if you don't shut your mouth." I cut her off and looked into Ace's room, but he wasn't there. I turned to Belle, who had her mouth shut but was blinking rapidly. "Where's Ace?""He went with Vito and Max to the mall. They're going to buy him ice cream." She replied. "Seriously, where have you been? You didn't come home last night, and now you come in your party clothes from last night, and without your shoes." She chuckled. "What have you become? Cinderella?""Is Ace whining? Is he crying?" I changed the subject.Belle shook her head. "He didn't. He was just looking for you and when I said you were still taking care of things, he asked for ice cream.""He had breakfast?""Mom made it," she replied. "Stop changing the subject. Answ
"It's not good," Belle, sitting on the bed beside me, shook her head as she stared at her phone, a pen between her left fingers, and a paper in front of us with our cafe's revenue calculations. In front of us was a laptop lit up, showing our website, which was empty of visitors.I sighed, my head throbbing as I leaned against the headboard. "Yeah, I think we're going bankrupt."My sister disagreed. "Don't be such a pessimist." She said. "We have some things to fix and add." She tilted her head, thinking hard. "We can look for trending coffee flavors and modify them."' Joy, 'The café we built together was still busy, but not like the last or two week after another trend-setting café opened up a few blocks from our kafe. Plus, they seem to have come up with some interesting menus because it's only been two weeks since they've almost won over my loyal customers.I don't blame them. Maybe it's just because we're not up to date with current coffee trends. This wasn't a one-off, and normal
I spent some time meeting some people from my college alumni who could help with my appeal for a fair outcome. Yes, I looked for more investors for my cafe, but it ended in uncertainty. It ended with me sitting in front of my computer and staring blankly at the park behind my cafe. Everything was completely abstract and chaotic. I didn't know the future or darkness I would face.I should have closed the café before everything went wrong because I was stalling for time, and I couldn't keep raking in my savings because I had Ace to support. It was his future savings, and I really had to give him the best.On the other hand, some people depended on me. Some people would lose their jobs if I closed the cafe, and there were my parents who would be disappointed in me. Now I'm really stuck.My head throbbed roughly. I massaged it and stopped when there was a knock on my door. I closed my eyes briefly and calmed myself before speaking, "Come in," I said.Elle, my sweetest employee, appeared a
His gaze was fixed on me. My heart raced as a whirlwind of emotions flooded my mind.My pulse quickens, and my stomach tightens with worry and nostalgia. Seeing Sebastian after so long stirred up memories I thought I had buried deep in my heart. There's a flash of vulnerability hidden behind the veil of calmness I'm trying to maintain.The air crackled with tension as I prepared myself for whatever was happening next, and I tried to calm myself with that."What are you doing here?"Sebastian wasn't the same, and how stupid was it that I thought he would be kinder and gentler? What happened was the exact opposite. The man was looking more and more dangerous. More... charming and deceptive. Maturity radiate better in him. Everything about his physique was already very alluring from the first time I saw him, and it had increased many times over. However, I knew that it was just a mask. A deliberate facade to attract more victims, to cover up all the rottenness inside him.I should have k
I was wearing a t-shirt, jeans and a leather jacket as I left my house to head to the Club after spending an hour getting Ace to sleep. He didn't want to be separated from his legos and was eager to invite anyone to play with him.Elizabeth even fell asleep in the playroom, hugging the lego while accompanying Ace to play in the playroom. Ace is good with time limits, though. He stopped when he saw Elizabeth was bored and then he would rest too. It is only when he is exhausted that I can put him to bed.Now I was in front of Kate's older brother; Beau's Club, and of course with Kate because I never dared to come here alone. Beau's Club is one of those expensive clubs with a clientele that doesn't mess around, and I'm just afraid of looking like a lost woman if I show up alone.A large bodyguard blocked our entrance. Kate widened her eyes and snorted. "Seriously! You don't know me?" with her chatty voice, she started to scold the man, but then the man next to him whispered, and his ster
"Thank you for today." Dante Romano's words made me stop as I entered my house."You're welcome. It was a good show anyway," I smiled at him."Really? I didn't expect you to like it. You were silent throughout, making me think that you don't like those kinds of social events.""Ah, no. I was just tired.""Take a rest, then. I'm sorry, today I seem to have been very troublesome for you." He said with a guilty look.I could only nod my head and smile slightly. I was still standing in the courtyard when the Italian President's son's car drove away and disappeared behind the fence of my parents' mansion. I immediately took off my smile, turned flat, and breathed a sigh of relief that I was free from the damn fake attitude that I had to wear for the past two hours. It was exhausting, it wasn't me.This must all be because of my grandfather. A few hours ago, Vito and Stella-his girlfriend just come from Milan to Boston on business, and they were with the President's son, which surprised me