"GIANNAA... DARLING." Ignazio softly called his daughter's name again. His lips, which had been sealed for so long, dared not utter that name. But now, he repeated it as if it were a mantra he had to memorize. "Forgive me, sweetheart. Forgive me, my dear." Ignazio spoke with quivering shoulders and tears that continued to fall. Gianna looked at Olivia with the typical puzzled gaze of a child, and Olivia responded to the unspoken question in those eyes with a smile. Olivia's hand lifted in a motion as if reciprocating a hug and stroking something. Gianna nodded and returned Ignazio's embrace, placing her little chin on his broad shoulder while gently patting Ignazio's back as if to comfort him. "I have forgiven you, Papa," Gianna said in her flat tone. "That's why, Papa, don't get sick again, so you won't leave me again." The child's complaint made Olivia, who was initially moved, burst into laughter. Ignazio seemed to be the same. His shoulders trembled, and Olivia heard a faint chu
The room, once used by Ignazio until he moved to a larger room that Meizar now occupied, still retained the decor that Ignazio and Meizar had chosen. It was truly masculine, with typical male furnishings, characterized by shades of gray, blue, black, and white. And now, the room had transformed into something very childish, even more so than the room Francisca had occupied before. Ignazio entered and walked towards the queen-size bed wrapped in a light pink bed cover. Olivia uncovered the bed, and Ignazio gently laid Gianna on it. Olivia sat at the edge of the bed and took off Gianna's shoes and socks before covering the girl with a blanket and adjusting the room's AC temperature so it wasn't too hot or too cold. Afterward, she stood, leaving Ignazio to gaze at his sleeping daughter. Olivia went into her room and left Ignazio alone. If Ignazio wanted to leave, she felt no need to accompany him; after all, this was Ignazio's home, and he knew the way out. But, in truth, Olivia hoped
IGNAZIO WOKE UP disoriented with the sense of time. For a moment, he suspected that he might be in a dream. How could he be in the room he had left years ago? But then he remembered that last night, without coercion and with a clear mind, he volunteered to escort Olivia and Gianna back to their parents' residence.Ignazio groaned. Why did he take such an impulsive action? Why didn't he think about the consequences of what he was doing? What should he do now? For the past five years, he had been running away. Instead of returning to apologize to his parents, he chose to hide. And now, for some unclear impulse, whether it was because of Gianna or Olivia, he found himself back at his parents' home. What should he do if he met his parents later? What explanation could he give them? What should he say to them? Could he face his parents without feeling ashamed or guilty after all the pain and disappointment he had caused?Gianna might be able to accept him and forgive him easily, but what a
The sound of footsteps behind him made Ignazio turn around. Olivia appeared in different attire than when she brought the clothes to Ignazio's room. If she was wearing pajamas before, now she looked very neat. She wore a long-sleeved white shirt covered with a soft pale yellow blazer that made her already fair skin appear even more radiant. She also had long blue jeans that made her look taller, paired with high-heeled shoes. Her long and beautiful hair cascaded down, and she seemed to have applied light makeup. As she passed Ignazio to sit on Gianna's right side, Ignazio could catch a gentle scent of Granny from her.Ignazio couldn't say anything. He couldn't deny that he was captivated by Olivia's elegant appearance in his eyes, but he wouldn't admit it easily.Olivia turned her plate over, took fried rice from the rice bowl, and placed grilled sausages on top. After taking a bite, she looked at Ignazio with a slightly furrowed brow."Don't you like your breakfast, Sir?" She asked w
Olivia almost arrived late to Kralligimiz. Somehow, during her journey, the car she was riding in suddenly got a flat tire in the middle of the road, forcing her to reluctantly order an online taxi to get to the office. Simon apologized multiple times and felt guilty about the situation, but what can you say—it's just bad luck.Upon reaching Lorraine's desk, Olivia was once again surprised when her boss suddenly introduced her to a tall, well-built, and attractive girl—quite sexy in Olivia's eyes—as her potential replacement. "Sabrina, this is Olivia. She'll be working with us here too," said Lorraine when introducing Olivia to her potential replacement.Olivia didn't want to admit it, but honestly, she felt uncomfortable with the judgmental look Sabrina was giving her. Was it just her imagination, or did her new colleague not like Olivia's presence there?Olivia also noticed the evaluating gaze Lorraine directed at Sabrina. From her observations, it seemed her boss wasn't entirely wi
"Just come in first," he gently ordered. Olivia reluctantly stood up from her seat and walked into the room ahead of Rayyan, letting him close the door behind them.For some reason, Olivia felt like she was entering a den of thieves.Meizar, Claire's youngest son, was seated in his large chair. Behind him, leaning against the wall where a large window was located, Luca—Gian and Joanna's youngest son—had both hands folded in front of his chest, his gaze directed at Olivia.Then Zello—Letizia and Fabian Giuliano's eldest son—sat on a single sofa right in front of Meizar's desk, facing the door.And Geremia, the first son of Altezza and Adaline, who was also Rayyan's brother, sat on a long sofa on the left side where Zello was sitting.Olivia couldn't describe their visual presence in detail, but she felt like a servant entering the royal prince's chamber."What's going on?" Olivia asked nervously because somehow, everyone's gaze seemed to be directed at her. Moreover, Rayyan behind her
A FEW DAYS after the office conversation, Meizar, Luca, and Rayyan intentionally visited the penthouse. The three men purposefully pressed the doorbell as a notification instead of entering directly using the passwords they had. Feeling nervous, they exchanged glances in front of the door until it was finally opened, and Ignazio emerged from inside with a confused look directed at his brother and two cousins. Seeing Ignazio in person for the first time—since they had only seen him in photos until now—left the three men stunned. The current Ignazio was clearly larger than five years ago, and his disheveled appearance with long, tousled hair prompted all three to exclaim, "Wow..." loudly. Rayyan stepped into the penthouse, shaking his head. "Your style is truly eccentric," he commented while patting Ignazio's bicep and squeezing it gently. "Muscular too," he added with wide-eyed amazement. "After disappearing for so long, he reappears as the city's Tarzan," Luca chuckled, following R
"Why are you sulking? That's the reality." Rayyan said, moving away and hiding behind Zello. "You drive away guys trying to get close to Lorraine, but you yourself won't step up. What's that? Not very gentlemanly. "Where's Lorraine's awareness that you like her while you're not making any progress? "All she sees is you running away because you're bored and tired of dealing with your girls who, once upset, act like demon genies." He said mockingly. "Genies can't be demonized; they're demons," Luca interjected, making Rayyan grumble. "That's just a metaphor," Rayyan replied. "Anyway, Bro needs to return to Kralligimiz soon. If he really cares about her. Poor Lorraine, if she keeps working there, she'll be forever single because she won't realize it." "What do you mean?" Meizar asked, confused. Rayyan shrugged. "He'll be back soon," Geremia spoke with his usual flat tone. Five heads turned towards Geremia, who was standing at the doorway of Ignazio's room. Unbeknownst to them, Ge
"OLIVIA IS SOUND ASLEEP on Ignazio's chest, her naked body covered only by a thin blanket on the top of the sofa. Ignazio smiles, lowers his head, and gazes at his young wife's face, gently brushing aside the strands of hair covering her face. He tenderly kisses Olivia's forehead, causing the young woman to snuggle even closer, seeking a comfortable position in the not-so-spacious place.Ignazio and his desire. Days without touching Olivia have evidently tormented him. Olivia's body has become his addiction; Ignazio can't imagine anything else when he looks at his wife, except for touching her. Keeping a distance from Olivia these past few nights has been truly agonizing for him, even more so than before they were married.Ignazio spends his nights restless. He chose to separate himself from Olivia, but he is the one suffering. Countless times every night, he leaves his workspace and intentionally goes upstairs just to see Olivia peacefully asleep. Ignazio wants to touch her, unveil t
"WHAT SHOULD I do now?" Olivia asked desperately to her sister, Rianna, as she dropped off Gianna, who wanted to visit her cousin after school.Olivia finally told Rianna about Ignazio, who asked her to return to work at Kralligimiz as his personal assistant, which Olivia refused, citing that there was no one to take care of Gianna if she spent her time working.Olivia was truly confused. She thought that when the issue of the Mama's call was settled, her matters with Ignazio were also settled. But Olivia was wrong.When Gianna enthusiastically talked about having a new mom to her friends and teachers at school, Ignazio behaved coldly toward her. Two nights had passed since their return from Kralligimiz. In front of Gianna, Ignazio acted as if their relationship—Olivia and Ignazio—was fine. He smiled warmly and even chatted with Gianna whenever they were in the same room. However, when they were alone, Ignazi
Before more accusations could come from Ignazio's mouth, Olivia quickly covered his mouth with both of her hands. "Not like that," she said, half whining.Ignazio still looked at her with merged eyebrows, making Olivia feel afraid. The demanding gaze of the man made Olivia's heart pound rapidly due to panic, while her mind was working hard to find the right words to say to Ignazio without offending or angering him.Olivia couldn't afford to lie to him because if she uttered one lie, she would have to weave more lies."So, what is it? Explain," said Ignazio coldly, demanding after Olivia released her hands from his mouth."I..." she began, confused. "I'm not ready to have a child," Olivia answered honestly."Why?" Ignazio demanded, not satisfied."Zio, I'm still too young to have a child," she continued nervously.Ignazio sighed. "And I'm
"But, Zio..." Olivia whispered softly as she felt Ignazio's kiss on her neck."Hmm?" Ignazio asked without moving his lips away from Olivia's neck, sniffing it as if savoring the scent of her body."Until when are we going to be here?" Olivia asked nervously. The remnants of her sanity began to make her anxious about what people might think of their relationship. She really didn't like it when people gossiped about her.Yes, they were already married. Even though their official papers hadn't come out yet, they were still halal to be together whenever and wherever they pleased.Nevertheless, Olivia wasn't ready to answer the questions of those who might see them. Just imagine what Ignazio's receptionist or secretary might think tomorrow when they saw Olivia leaving Ignazio's office in the morning, afternoon, or maybe evening without ever having seen her enter?Or wondering about h
OLIVIA WINCED SOFTLY. She felt aches all over her body. She wanted to get up, but the soreness in her body made her want to curl up longer. Her eyes slowly opened. The first thing she saw was a wide glass window with beautiful tiny rays of light.Is there a fireworks party outside? she asked herself. But those rays of light didn't move like fireworks usually do. Olivia tightened her blanket and chose to gaze at the scenery a little longer."Are you awake?" The soft low-toned question made Olivia realize that she wasn't alone. Memories flooded back to her instantly. Scene after scene she did a few hours ago made Olivia widen her eyes.She turned and saw Ignazio sitting behind her. The man was leaning forward, looking in her direction. His large hands slowly reached out and parted Olivia's hair."Awake now?" he asked again, touching Olivia's forehead with the back of his hand. "Thank goodness, your fev
"What should I call you?" Olivia asked, confused."We're clearly not role-playing as master and servant, are we? You're my wife, so call me by an appropriate term." Ignazio commanded firmly.Olivia fell silent, her mind seemed to be contemplating the right way to address Ignazio. Not wanting the girl to daydream any longer, Ignazio suddenly bent his knees, causing Olivia's body to be pushed, and she screamed, unintentionally calling out "Zio!" loudly due to the surprise."I like that term." Ignazio replied with a smile on his face. "I like it when you call me Zio.""W-what?" Olivia asked, confused."I like it when you address me with the term Zio." he repeated, making Olivia wide-eyed and blush.Another decision they successfully made today was to choose a nickname."So, aren't you going to continue?" Ignazio asked, casting his gaze on th
"M-Meaning?" Olivia asked, bewildered. Ignazio sat on the edge of the bed, smiling. "I mean, surrender yourself to me. Here, right now. I won't take your virginity, Olivia. You'll have to give it to me willingly," he said, still with his mischievous smile, leaving Olivia not only wide-eyed but struggling to swallow hard. "Surrender my virginity?" Olivia asked, confused. Ignazio nodded slowly. "I won't touch you, but you will touch me," he said with a sly smile. "Forget the conventional way where the husband usually takes the wife's virginity. This time, I want you to deflower yourself, with me," Ignazio continued. "B-But how?" Olivia asked, still confused. "I won't touch you, but you will touch me," he repeated, emphasizing his point. "Make love to me, in your own way," Ignazio continued softly. Hearing the word "make love" made Olivia's femininit
The man glanced at Olivia briefly, weighing the decision he needed to make. He then closed all the documents on his computer screen, switched the screen to sleep mode, took his phone, and excused himself from Olivia.Olivia grinned to herself. At least there was someone who felt more nervous and dominated by Ignazio than she did.Taking another deep breath, Olivia approached the door and knocked softly. After waiting for ten seconds without receiving a response, Olivia finally opened the door and found the room empty.Where is Ignazio? She wondered to herself. It couldn't be that the secretary lied to her, right?Olivia glanced at the right side of the wall, where there was a door leading to a special recording room for Ignazio. To outsiders, it looked like a normal wall, but behind one of the bookshelves was an elevator that would take her up to Ignazio's secret chamber.Olivia entered the elevator and pressed the button to go up after taking a deep breath to calm her nerves.The lif
OLIVIA STOOD right in front of the Kralligimiz building. Her head tilted upward as she gazed at the tall structure. It seemed like she had taken a deep breath and exhaled heavily several times. Now, standing in front of the building, her feet felt too heavy to take a step."This isn't right," she mumbled to herself while turning around, intending to walk towards the entrance gate. "But if not now, when else can I talk to Ignazio?" she questioned herself again, turning back to face the building."This is too impulsive," she continued, shaking her head and turning her body once more. "But I've traveled far enough to reach this office; I can't just leave without talking to Ignazio. They need to resolve this 'Papa's Wife' issue and reassure Gianna. Otherwise, Ilya might refuse to come home, especially since the little one's desire is strongly supported by Olivia's sister, Rianna.""If Gianna doesn't want to come back, just let her be. Luna is happy to have Gianna here. Recently, I can't a