BIANCA’S POVHe seemed pleased that Luca looked like him, but he didn’t say anything to confirm or deny what I had just said.“I feel like I need to shove a paternity test in his face,” I said again. The waters I was trying to test were not moving in my favor yet.“I’ll make a public statement for him to back off our Luca,” Alessandro assured me, moving to remove his phone from his shorts’ pocket. I stopped him. He had lost his memories, and Matteo was a cunning piece of shit. If Alessandro joined the fray as he was right then, he had the chance to be manipulated.“Wait, let’s not go after Matteo until you get back all your memories,” I said, bringing his hands forward. It seemed a little excessive, but I had him swear not to. It wasn’t actually excessive since it was Alessandro—he was as stubborn as a mule.“Do you remember when we had Luca?” I changed the subject with a smile. If my suspicions were correct, then he was my one-night stand five years ago. I had thought Luca was Matteo
ALESSANDRO’S POVGetting used to being with Bianca was far too easy for me. I responded to her touch and her voice without even thinking about it. And when my body gave me time to think about it, I always held myself back from smiling, wondering how I could have forgotten what led to us being so intimate.It had been a week since Bianca came over to the Villa, and I would be meeting Luca again later in the evening. I had gotten the staff to prepare what Bianca said he liked, and on the whole, life was going pretty well.The only person that seemed as happy as I felt was Giovanni. Frankly, he was getting on my nerves. I supposed he thought he was too grown for Spain, but if he continued, I would find a way to ship him off.According to Bianca, Giovanni and her friend Darren had literally only met once before they decided to get down together. I didn’t know what kind of cruel joke life was trying to play on me, but making my brother so cool that he got his crush the second time he met h
BIANCA’S POVGetting Luca ready to go out was always such a hassle because he never liked whatever outfit he first put on.“Mommy, I haven’t seen Daddy in a bajillion years! I can’t wear black!” he said snootily, sounding exactly like Darren. I supposed letting him hang around the office when people were bringing new designs for us to implement was my fault. Ever since I fired Maria, I had a lot more time with my baby. But he was a sponge, absorbing all the things around him and coming back to spout them at his mama like an adorable little brat.Fashion week was coming up, and my designers had been working around the clock trying to get this year’s line out. As a general company rule, the line model was always the person with the most perfect body for trying out the outfits and the sharpest mouth for critiquing the flaws before making the ones the actual models would wear.Darren was that person in the main branch. As such, Luca got a front-row seat to Darren at his sassiest. He insul
LUCA’S POVMommy had told me that Daddy was sick and couldn’t remember all the times we’d hung out together. I was super worried, but she told me he would get better if we hung out again. She said he was still the same Alessandro, but I knew I couldn’t call him Daddy until he felt better, so I wouldn’t scare him away.I was super nervous about what to wear. Mommy dressed me up most times, and she said I looked cute no matter what I was wearing, even if it was a silly yellow raincoat, so I could not trust Mommy’s opinion.Uncle Darren wasn’t here yet, and I didn’t want to bother him while he was still dressing up. What if that made his fashion disappear? I couldn’t risk it. I really wanted to impress Daddy so he would want to be my Daddy again forever as he promised.Daddy and I used to talk a lot about important business. One time, he asked me if my dinosaurs were different from real evil dinosaurs that ate humans, and I told him no. Later, I thought about it too hard until I became s
ALESSANDRO’S POVTo say I was surprised by the child-like voice coming through my phone was an understatement. I hadn’t even known he had his own phone number, but when the first thing he did was to assure me he wasn’t a dinosaur agent, a part of my heart I didn’t know existed tickled. I couldn’t believe a kid that came from me could be this adorable. Bianca’s genes really came in clutch for Luca.Gio and Leo had paused their needling to put their ears on my phone, prompting me to swat their heads away, but it was to no avail—they were both nosy as hell. “Daddy, what are we co-CEOs of again?” he asked tentatively like he was sad. I didn’t want that tone from someone so cute, and I frankly never expected to be called “Daddy” by anyone in this lifetime. I hadn’t done enough good things to be blessed with such positive karma, but I would make sure I deserved it.Choked with strange emotions, I had to clear my throat before I answered. “Is it the Morretti Enterprise?… Daddy forgot too.”
BIANCA’S POVAfter taking several million photos of my adorable fashionista in his outfit, Darren arrived. He wore a white shirt and black trousers with his signature suspenders dangling around his waist. His hair was styled to ultimate perfection, and he had three rings on each finger. He looked ready for a day at an orchard, a walk down the red carpet, and evening tea with the queen all in one. I pitied Giovanni with a small smile; what had he done to deserve the punishment of having someone so good-looking within his reach yet so far away from him?The drive to the villa was filled with Luca talking about his ‘Uncle Gio’. The sneaky little twat had apparently called his father just before I left, and any worries I had that they were going to be awkward, since Alessandro was technically meeting him for the first time due to his memory gaps, dissipated.I could see Darren’s disappointment because Luca couldn’t provide more information than the fact that they were both funny in the sa
ALESSANDRO’S POVIt was funny how holding Luca made my anger subside so quickly. The staff lady was recommended by my eldest brother. He told me she was the daughter of someone important in witness protection. Apparently, they were still in hiding, and their daughter has been working here for three years.They would have to take her along with them when they surfaced. Anyone who had the audacity to talk back to Bianca—anyone at all—would face my wrath. Because of my brother, I would let her leave without scars.Daddy, your flowers are agents,” was the first thing my son said to me. This was the first time I could remember meeting him, but he smelled so familiar—like strawberries and something that reminded me of babies. I hugged him closer and stood up from my crouch.“Who told you their secrets?” I asked with a serious face. He shot a glance at Darren and looked back at me with the air of a man asked to protect the president.Uncle Darren did,’ he said. I held back the urge to bite h
DARREN’S POVMy need for gossip was strong, but I wasn’t completely deaf to environmental cues. I knew when I wasn’t wanted, so I decided to wander off in search of the excited little man who had gone running through the maze. I found him quickly enough, in the arms of his “Uncle Gio,” who was currently kneeling in the grass with pristine brown pants. I winced. The material of his outfit was too precious to be casually in the grass. I had expected that he’d dress up, and he didn’t let me down. His shirt was simple and white, but it molded to his body like he knew I’d get even more infatuated. I had to make my presence known and rescue Luca from the tank holding him down. I couldn’t let Luca get a favorite uncle that wasn’t me, after all.“Looks like someone doesn’t want to play in fountains anymore,” I said, throwing a teasing glance at Luca, who gasped and squirmed in Giovanni’s hold. “I wanna play in the fountains,” he shrieked, laughing as Gio began a tickle assault on the poor