“I thought maybe after being away from people for so long you could have learned to be a little nicer…” Christopher mumbled, his frown lines becoming even deeper because of the grimace “But, I see that no. You shouldn't be in the hospital, getting shots or something..."
“And shouldn’t you be looking for someone stupid enough to be your client?” Massimo cut him off, merciless as if Christopher’s opinion was worth the same as an insect to him “If you want to grieve over the bankruptcy of yet another of your law firms, then do it in front of your father, not with me.”
“That’s just a rumor.” Christopher hissed angrily, his face painted red, before he turned to the beautiful woman who was with them “You see, Miss. Bennett, it's hard to control this kind of nasty intrigue. The only r
“What a ridiculous thing!” Christopher cut off his wife, between his teeth “No one ever tried to intimidate Massimo! We were all just kids playing. Now, as I was saying...”“I'm always so happy to know someone thinks the same as me.” Miss. Bennett smiled, her once cold features changing completely as she turned to Lucy, acting as if Christopher wasn't there “I also suffered from exclusion from my classmates when I was a child, as I was the only scholarship student in my class. What worried me most was that none of them seemed to really understand why they were wrong. It’s rare, but also very good to realize that not all people born with money are like this.” With that bright smile, Ruby leaned forward a little towards Lucy, eliminating the centimeters of height difference between her, making Alice's best friend blush.
“Thanks, Josiah.” Alice sighed in pure relief as she set foot in the mansion's living room, feeling as if she had spent an entire week at the Bianchi mansion, rather than just a few hours "I'm sorry if we woke you up..."“It’s fine. Massimo always leaves these parties early anyway. So, I went to a drive-thru burger place on that road.” The old man laughed “Just don’t tell Thea. At this time she is probably in bed, but not yet asleep. If you want, I can ask her to prepare two hot baths.”“Thank you, but she has already done a lot today. Let her rest.” Alice asked, plopping down on the sofa “If Massimo needs anything, I can help him.”“Are you offering to give me a bath?” he raised an eyebrow, so serious that Alice gasped in embarrassm
“What?!” Alice gasped, her blood running cold.“A heart-warming family reunion, isn’t it?” Massimo laughed contemptuously “But oddly enough, this was positive for me. I learned from day one that I wasn't welcome by anyone in that house, other than my father. He had hopes that things would change as time went by, but my mother and I knew the truth. That same night, I begged her to we go back home, but... She was honest with me. She told me that, soon, my father would be the only family I would have, so I needed to be strong and not allow those people to destroy me. Four months later, she died.” He revealed, making Alice's eyes become heavy with tears “My father tried to help her, but it was too late. Tuberculosis led to several widespread infections, until she could no longer resist. As she told me would happen, all I had was my father.”
“My parents... Did something similar happen between you and Millie’s father?” Massimo asked, but his curiosity disappeared the moment he noticed her body tensing “Forget it. I know my father was one in a million. I how many cowardly sons of bitches there are out there, incapable of assuming their own flesh and blood.”“I... I always thought that Millicent and I would never fit into his life. When I found out I was pregnant, I was sure my baby would be a shock and a hindrance for him.” Alice admitted, although every word was like a stab at her, with her mind begging her to stop “There was a lot at stake, especially on his side, and I knew how it feels to be an unwanted child. It seemed like the best choice was to keep his life as it was, so that's what I did. A lot of things have changed in the last almost 5 years, but...” she sniffed “I don't thin
If one day someone had told Massimo that he would be supervising a children's party with the same care he used to oversee his company's projects, he would probably have laughed for hours. Yet, there he was, standing in the middle of his farm's garden, watching as all the workers finished assembling the toys, stocking the food carts, and decorating every inch of his property for Millicent's birthday.“Is that Millie’s new daddy?” a childish and frightened voice asked, and, from the corner of his eye, Massimo noticed three children who had already arrived for the party watching him, close to their mothers, whispering to each other “Why is he sitting on a chair that has wheels? Is it because he likes riding in cars?”“Can I have a nice chair like his, mommy?” another little girl asked, grabbing her mother's skirt.
“Uh... Honey, why don't you go talk to your friends?” Alice suggested as she approached them, her smile trembling “They're right there. I'm sure they missed you.”“Yes, go, Millie.” Massimo placed her on the floor “So I can give your gifts in a few moments, before you and your friends can play and eat.”“Yey! Lily, Mark, Cassidy! Massimo will give me gifts!” Millie screamed, running towards the other children, while Alice leaned towards Massimo.“Massimo, don’t get me wrong, I’m very grateful that you did this for my daughter, but…” she chewed on those full lips that had been starring in his dreams since the day they had kissed “Don’t you think that Is this all a bit... Too much? I mean, how much did that must have
“How are you, Petunia?”“No, Massimo!” Millie scolded him, causing Massimo to lower the blonde doll he was holding onto her bed, where several other toys were scattered at a tea party “Beth doesn't have such a deep voice.”“Uh... Not even if she was sick for today?” he tried to dodge “That way, after the tea party is over, we can take her to the hospital.”“Then we can have a tea party at the hospital!” she said, excitedly, but approached to hold Massimo’s arm and try to lift the doll close to his face “But you have to start by giving her a kiss and telling her that it will pass. It’s like mommy always does!”"Everything will be fine." Massimo said, touching his lips to the to
“Mommy? Can’t we go home?” Massimo murmured, trying to warm his cold little hands on the scarf full of holes that was around his neck.“You’re home now, honey.” His mother spoke with a smile on her pale and tired face “And, soon, your father will take you to see America, too. Isn’t that exciting?”“But, you’re going with me, aren’t you?” he practically begged, something bad squeezing his chest as they approached on foot that huge house, the biggest he had ever seen, just ahead.“I…” Giulia hesitated, making Massimo sure that things weren’t as right as she was saying “If I’m feeling better, then I certainly will.”“So why can’t we go to the