CH-6

Lorenzo’s POV

“Good morning.”

We all looked up at the sound of a bright, cheerful voice that seemed to fill the room with unexpected warmth.

“Oh, my… my.”

The girl walked toward Zara and Zen, our two-year-old twins, who were sitting in their baby chairs and happily smearing mashed potatoes all over their tiny hands and faces. Beside them sat Lio, our eldest son, who was carefully eating his breakfast with a seriousness far beyond his seven years.

“Hi, I’m Gia,” she said softly, bending slightly to their level.

Zen paused mid-bite, his spoon hanging in the air as he stared at her with wide doe-like eyes. Zara tilted her head curiously, studying Gia’s face with deep concentration as if she were trying to read her soul.

For a moment, the twins simply stared.

Then, slowly, their small faces lit up with smiles.

I could not help but notice it.

Children have a strange instinct. They understand only one language—love. And somehow, they sense sincerity far better than adults ever could. If someone carries even the slightest trace of falsehood, children react immediately.

But Zara and Zen had accepted her instantly.

That meant something.

“She is my sister, Zara,” Lio announced in his usual calm tone, pointing toward the tiny girl beside him, “and he is my brother, Zen.”

His expression was almost comically serious.

I could not stop the faint smile tugging at my lips.

There it was again—my genes.

That same quiet composure.

That same habit of observing before speaking.

Sometimes I wonder if I should be proud of it or worried about it.

A part of me does not like seeing him so reserved at such a young age. Children should be loud, careless, playful. But then again, some things cannot be changed.

Nature has its own design.

My gaze shifted back toward Gia.

She crouched slightly beside the twins, wiping a bit of mashed potato from Zen’s cheek with a tissue while laughing softly. Zara had already grabbed her finger, as if claiming ownership of her.

Gia did not seem uncomfortable at all.

In fact, she looked completely natural around them.

She spoke to them in that soft, playful tone that children instinctively trust.

I silently observed her.

She had already made a good impression on the rest of the family, but one opinion mattered to me above all others.

Aria’s.

“My queen,” I said calmly, rising from my seat, “I want to see you in my study.”

Without waiting for an answer, I walked away.

Grandfather and Uncle were already engaged in a serious discussion about politics, and Gia was completely absorbed with the children.

Moments later, Aria entered the study.

“Alpha.”

She stood before me with that graceful confidence that had always captivated me.

“Come here.”

I motioned toward her.

She walked closer, and I lifted her gently, making her sit on the edge of my desk.

The moment she settled there, I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her closer.

The familiar warmth of her body immediately calmed something restless inside me.

For a moment, I buried my face against her, breathing in her scent.

God.

Even after all these years, this woman still felt like my peace.

“Alpha,” she whispered softly, pushing lightly against my shoulders, “leave me now. Someone might come.”

“No one would dare disturb their king when he is with his queen,” I murmured.

Her cheeks flushed faintly.

“After so many years,” she sighed, shaking her head slightly, “I still wonder what kind of obsession you have.”

“It’s not an obsession,” I replied quietly.

“It’s my peace.”

I rested my forehead against her shoulder, letting the warmth of her presence steady me.

She sighed softly, but I could see the faint smile she tried to hide.

“You are impossible,” she murmured.

“And yet,” I replied lightly, adjusting her scarf back into place, “you married me.”

“Some mistakes are irreversible,” she said, though her eyes sparkled with affection.

“Gosh,” I muttered dramatically, stepping back slightly, “you will be the death of me one day, my queen.”

She shot me an amused glare.

But I knew her too well.

“Be ready for a cold shower tonight,” she warned teasingly.

My confident smirk disappeared instantly.

“My queen,” I groaned dramatically, taking her hand, “do not be so cruel.”

She laughed softly before pulling her hand away.

“We’ll discuss your crimes later,” she said calmly. “Now tell me why you called me here.”

That was one of the many reasons I loved this woman.

She always knew exactly when to switch from playfulness to seriousness.

“What do you think about Gia?” I asked.

Aria did not hesitate.

“My king,” she said thoughtfully, “if you are asking for my advice, I would say yes.”

“She is perfect for Vincenzo.”

I frowned slightly.

“Don’t you think she’s… too forward?” I asked carefully.

“And Vincenzo is too closed.”

Aria smiled gently.

“Opposites attract,” she said.

“Look at us.”

I could not argue with that.

Still, my chest tightened slightly as I walked toward the window.

“Vincenzo has had a very difficult life,” I said quietly.

My reflection stared back at me through the glass.

“And now… I just want happiness for him.”

The guilt I had buried for years stirred again.

Vincenzo never blamed me for anything.

But that didn’t erase the fact that he had suffered because of the mistakes of others.

Because of our family.

Because of decisions he never asked for.

“Do not worry,” Aria said softly behind me.

“She is the one.”

I wanted to believe her.

But I also knew Vincenzo.

He was not the man people saw on the surface.

What he showed the world was carefully controlled.

The real storm lived much deeper.

“He won’t accept her easily,” I said quietly.

“Maybe not at all.”

“And I don’t want to destroy this cheerful girl’s life.”

Aria stepped closer and touched my arm.

“Sometimes,” she said gently, “the right person doesn’t destroy your life.”

“They rebuild it.”

I exhaled slowly.

“Send Gia,” I said after a moment.

Aria nodded and left without another word.

She always understood me without explanations.

A few minutes later, there was a knock.

“Come in.”

The door opened, and Gia stepped inside.

“Sit,” I said, gesturing toward the chair.

She sat comfortably, looking directly at me without nervousness.

“Queen told me you wanted to speak with me.”

I studied her carefully.

“Do you know who Vincenzo is?”

She shrugged slightly.

“I know he’s your brother from another mother.”

For a moment, I simply stared at her.

That single sentence filled me with unexpected satisfaction.

For the first time, someone had described our relationship exactly as it was.

Not stepbrother.

Not half-brother.

Just… brother.

I nodded slowly.

“Vincenzo’s life was not easy,” I said seriously.

“He has seen too much at a very young age.”

“I am proud of him. Everything he has built—his company, his reputation—he achieved through his own hard work.”

“But the world has shaped him into the man he is today.”

Gia listened quietly.

Then she spoke.

“Alpha,” she said calmly, “nothing is permanent.”

“Not the past. Not the future.”

Her voice carried quiet conviction.

Before she arrived, I had already investigated everything about her.

Her education.

Her work.

Her travels.

Her reputation.

She was not pretending.

Her words came from her heart.

“Why do you want to marry him?” I asked directly.

“You know life won’t be easy with him.”

She met my gaze without hesitation.

“I want to be someone’s need,” she said softly.

“I want to be someone’s desire.”

Then her lips curved into a small smile.

“And I won’t lie.”

“Vincenzo is my desire.”

The determination in her eyes surprised me.

She wasn’t dreaming of a crown.

She wasn’t chasing power.

She wanted him.

Just him.

“The one who understands someone’s pain,” I said quietly, “is often the one who can heal it.”

She nodded.

“I just need you to guide me,” she said.

“The way you guided Vincenzo.”

That caught my attention immediately.

“How do you know about that?”

“Papa told me, “She replied.

“He said you once asked him to reconsider Vincenzo’s company’s price quotation before rejecting it.”

“There was a time when people wouldn’t even read the proposal because it came from Vincenzo Accardi.”

She smiled sadly.

“He had to fight twice as hard just to be taken seriously.”

Silence filled the room.

At that moment, I knew.

She understood him.

Maybe… more than most people ever would.

“Then start practicing calling him your king,” I said with a smirk.

Her cheeks flushed instantly spreading from her face down to her neck.

At least she still blushes.

Otherwise, she behaves like a fearless tomboy.

As she left the room, I leaned back in my chair.

One brother is calm like the ocean.

Deep.

Quiet.

Dangerous.

The other…

She is a storm.

Bright.

Fearless.

Unpredictable.

Their journey will not be easy.

But it will definitely be interesting.

Now comes the most difficult task.

How do I convince Vincenzo to come to Brussels?