All Chapters of The Mafia's Nanny : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

12Emilia’s POV I woke early, as usual, with sunlight barely filtering through my window. I stretched, mentally preparing myself for the day ahead. Today felt different, though. The past few days had been a blur. I was still grateful to Alaric for helping me with Matteo’s bills. Despite his rough exterior, he’d been willing to help a stranger like me, something I hadn’t expected from a man like him—a man with power, influence, and a reputation that usually spelled danger. I’d thanked him, of course, and though he’d been stoic, I thought I’d seen a flicker of something softer in his eyes.I got dressed quickly and headed straight for Francesca’s room, as I did every morning. It had become a routine, a comforting one. I loved the little girl’s innocence, her bright smile, and how she lit up at the smallest things. She’d become the highlight of my day, and it felt like my purpose here was becoming clearer by the day.As I approached her door, I heard quiet murmurs from inside. Curious,

14Emilia’s POV. I woke up to the dim light filtering through my window, making the room look soft. It was quiet this morning, peaceful even, but a knot of nerves tightened in my stomach. I was going to see Matteo today. My heart raced as I thought about it. The relief, the anxiety, and all the things I wanted to tell him…all of it built up winside of me like a tidal wave ready to crash. But first, I had to get Francesca ready.I moved as fast as I could, washing my face and throwing on some comfortable clothes. I ran a brush through my hair before leaving the room. I walked down towards Francesca’s room. Pushing the door open, I found her awake, already seated on her bed with a sleepy smile across her face. I grinned at her.“Good morning, Francesca,” I greeted her, crossing the room and sitting on the edge of her bed.“Good morning, Mommy!” she replied, reaching her arms up for a hug. I froze for a moment. She still hadn’t stopped calling me mommy. And no matter how much I told her

16Emilia’s POV Alaric Castillo was the perfect definition of hot and cold. Nice and caring one minute, cold and dismissive the next. I didn’t even know what to make of it.When he first came to my room yesterday, I thought maybe he wanted to console me. He acted like it. And I think he actually wanted to, until he started speaking so coldly to me like he couldn’t care less that I was human and I had my own fair share of problems and emotions to deal with.I frowned, sitting up on my bed and staring at the standing mirror. My eyes were a bit red rimmed and puffy from all my crying yesterday, and I was in very low spirits right now but I had to find a way to brighten my mood before going to Francesca’s room. That was the downside of being a nanny to such an happy, bright girl, I guessed. I needed to always be in a good mood.I bit my lip, running my hands through my hair before picking up an headband which I had discarded on the bed yesterday. I put it over my hair before dragging mys

18Emilia’s POV “Emilia?” Allesio’s voice rang out while I quickly braided Francesca’s hair and pulled her dress over her head. She was ready for her lessons now.“Yes?” I called back. Maybe he didn’t know I was here. I picked up the bags containing her books and held her hand, leading her to the door.Allesio met me at the door.“Are you ready to go?” He asked.“Go where?” Francesca asked before I could even answer him.“I’m going to the hospital to see Matteo,” I explained to her and her eyes brightened.“Really? Can I come with?” She asked eagerly.“No, sweetie,” I replied with a shake of my head.She tugged on my sleeve with that pleading look I was coming to know so well.“Please, Mommy?” Francesca pouted, stretching the word out like it would change my mind. “I want to meet him! He’s your family too.”I knelt down and brushed a loose curl from her forehead. “I know, sweetheart. But this isn’t a visit for you, okay?”Her face fell, instantly making me feel bad. It would have bee

20Emilia’s POV I walked out of Emilia’s room, tying my hair into a bun and rubbing my eyes sleepily. I was so tired. I had barely had any rest today because Francesca had been hyperactive.I turned around the corner leading to my room and stopped in my tracks, my eyes widening a bit at what I saw and my breath catching in my throat.I wasn’t sure why I felt so strange. Standing at the end of the hallway, I could just make out Alaric and the woman he was leading toward his room. She was laughing, her hand lightly touching his arm. He looked… relaxed, something I haven’t saw in him. Her laugh echoed softly, and the sight of his calm expression hit me in a way I wasn’t prepared for.My chest was hurting and it felt like my airflow had been cut off. I couldn’t breathe. I haven’t felt like this every since my parents death, and the day I found out Matteo had a kidney failure.I turned away quickly just as his head turned to where I was standing, pretending I hadn’t seen anything. After a