The sound of the slap reverberated through the silent hall and Alice wondered how anyone could still be in shock that Lucy had done that, after the way that idiot had treated her for the last four years of their marriage. Even so, it was with an immensity of wide-open gasps and astonished looks that scoundrel took a step back, holding his own face as if a knife had been stuck in his cheek.
“What the…!” Christopher cursed, with a mixture of fury and disbelief “How dare you…!”
“I always knew you were a pig, but today you went too far!” Lucy growled, and, although Alice could see trembling fists clenched behind her back, her voice came through with every word “I want a divorce!”
“What the fuck are you talking about?!” he snapped, clearly not expe
"Someone call the police right now!” Kendra shouted, louder than ever, seeming hopeful that the desperation in her words might rub off on others “This man was trying to force himself on my daughter and needs to be stopped right now!”“Shut the fuck up!” Christopher barked, approaching Kendra and Amber as if he wanted to kill them “You think you're going to make me look like i'm the only one in the wrong in this story, just to save your precious daughter's skin?!”“She won't, because no one here is stupid enough to believe in something like that!” Lucy spoke again and, as much embarrassment as there was in her voice, there was also some relief “Christopher and Amber can make up whatever lies they want, but everyone here saw what they were doing and the things they said! The fact that you two are t
“Christopher!” Lucy's mother screamed, rushing to support her beloved son-in-law, even though not even his own father seemed very willing to interfere or try to defend him when Casey kicked his chest.“You’re going to pay me dearly for this, you piece of shit!” Amber’s ex-fiancé growled, furious “If you think the Dawsey companies are broke, just wait to see what I can do with that shitty real estate office of yours!”“And what are you going to do?” Christopher laughed and coughed, even though the pain was clear in his voice and he was holding his ribs like one of them had come out of place “Are you going to throw sugar on me? Or thank me for keeping Amber’s bed warm while you were busy cooking?”“You will find that leaving you
“Let’s go.” Alice smiled gently at her best friend “You've had enough of this ridiculous scene.”“I… I want to leave, but…” Lucy hesitated, her eyes not needing to travel far until she found Ruby still standing there, her usually unreadable gaze now full of expectation.“If that’s what you want to do, then go.” Alice murmured, happy to finally be able to say those words “You're free now.”“Yes… Free and without a home to return to, right?” Lucy sniffed, although she seemed more relieved than saddened by that fact.“You know you will always have a place with your true family…”“Yes, she does.”
“Let’s go.” Micah encouraged softly, placing his coat over Alice’s shoulders, as if to protect her from Kendra’s gaze “The last thing I want is for this crazy woman to decide to involve you in her show too.” he sighed, but Alice could tell he had enjoyed it all as much as she had.“I’m sorry about tonight, Dad.” Alice sighed, as the security guards formed a protective wall to escort them towards the exit “Ruby may have done Casey and Lucy a big favor by exposing those two cheaters, but you didn't get to present your project. Now everyone will be busy talking about gossip instead of the prototype you wanted to sell…”“Don’t worry about it, honey. Sometimes it takes a little chaos to put things in their place.” Micah smiled at her, keeping his voice low even as they w
Massimo thought he had overcome his habit of feeling frustrated when his house was filled with other people's joy. However, as he stood on the back porch, watching as Thea, Alice and even Millie prepared everything for this little birthday party to welcome Micah Griffin, he couldn't help but feel... Angry.He wasn't blind enough not to admit that his animosity with Griffin was starting to become ridiculous. At first, after so many years facing that old business crook, Massimo's fear that he might be trying to manipulate Alice was true. But, after all the positive DNA tests, Griffin's total absence from the decisions of the Bianchi Group and all Alice's joy at being around him lately... It was becoming difficult to keep his suspicions alive and use them as justification for not wanting one of the greatest enemies he'd ever had to become part of the precious family Massimo had built...
“Hello.” Millie said, still a little shy, but also smiling “Are you my grandfather? You look like mommy.”“Yes, Millicent. I am your grandfather.” Griffin smiled even wider and, as he bent down to Millie's height, Massimo could see his eyes shining with unshed tears “It's so good to finally meet you. You look exactly like I imagined your mother looked when she was your age.” he sniffed, seeming to try to contain his choked voice “I hope you can consider me part of your family from now on.”“I always wanted to have a nice grandfather! And mommy said you are very kind.” Millie took a step away from her mother, towards him “It's true that you lived far away, where people eat raw fish?”Micah’s response was to say something that Ma
“You know, Bianchi…” Micah broke the long seconds of silence between them, when Alice was no longer around to hear them “Continuing to look at me like you want to burn me alive won’t make your wish come true.”“Don’t act like you wouldn’t be treating me the same way, if I was the one who had meddled with your family like that.” Massimo grumbled, wondering if Alice and Millicent would be too disappointed if he just turned around and left Griffin with no one to annoy.“You seem to have a very possessive notion of what a family is.” he sighed, and his condescending tone, as if he were talking to a child, only infuriated Massimo even more “I don't think you realize this, but that's not a good example for a child.”“My
“Here, Dad. Don't forget the cake. I asked Thea to separate a large piece with the pistachio filling that you liked so much.” Alice remembered, handing the glass jar to Micah.“Oh, look at that. I have never had any problems with diabetes until today, but if you keep pampering me like this, I think that will change soon.” Micah laughed, putting the dessert in the glove compartment.“Don’t even joke about it. You will remain very healthy from now on, if it’s up to me.” she snorted “Besides, Thea’s sweets are the kind that are worth enjoying from time to time. I’m sure you were able to realize that today.” Alice joked."Yes. I confess that I still had my doubts about the things you told me about her, her husband and her son. But now, I'm hap