If you wanted to kiss me

Nicole felt extremely annoyed by Bruno's childish behavior. She didn't find it funny at all. She stood up and approached him curtly.

"I don't see the humor anywhere."

Bruno seemed stunned by her reaction. "I'm really sorry. It was very amusing to me to see your face and Dante's. They were worthy of a photograph, hahaha. It was truly epic."

"Why did you call me then?" she asked, sternly. He tried to compose himself.

"There will be a meeting tomorrow, and I will introduce you to the executives. So, be prepared because you will speak in front of them, and they will probably bombard you with questions to make sure you are qualified for the position. I know perfectly well that you are, but you need to prove it to them."

"Alright, I'm very good at speaking, so I don't consider it a problem."

"Perfect, then I'll see you tomorrow. I'll come down for a while with my son before you leave." He desperately wanted to win Santi's love.

Nicole still wasn't used to Bruno referring to Santi as his son. Until recently, he was solely hers, and in a way, she resented sharing him with Bruno. She knew she had to come to terms with it, even if she didn't like it.

She went to her office and started organizing some papers she would need for the presentation to the executives. After a while, she headed to the nursery. Upon arrival, she leaned against the door, silently observing how Bruno was doing as a father. She noticed that Santi had already developed trust in him, allowing Bruno to tickle him. Santi didn't like being touched by just anyone, but apparently, he felt secure with his father. Seeing this scene, remorse invaded her mind. Maybe she was wrong to keep them apart despite what Bruno had done. Seeing them like this, she realized her heart might not be as hardened as she thought.

Bruno felt like his chest could explode from the emotions stirred by seeing his son starting to trust him. He wished he could turn back time and act differently.

Nicole approached him, standing still as she searched her bag intently. When she found it, she offered it to Bruno.

"What's this?" he asked, puzzled.

"Take it. It's photos and videos of Santi since his birth. All his special moments are stored in there." She fell silent for a moment.

"Is something wrong?"

"I'm not sure if you'll like some of the videos and photos," she said, nervously tapping her foot. "I thought about removing them, but then you would miss out on important moments."

Bruno immediately understood what Nicole meant. Leandro had been present in all those moments. He made an effort to hide his displeasure and spoke in a calm tone.

"Don't worry, thank you for sharing those memories with me," he said, attempting to conceal his sadness. The thought of his son and Nicole being happy with Leandro caused a lump in his throat.

"Santi, it's time to go. You have school tomorrow, and if you stay up late, you won't want to wake up."

"I promised Santi I would tell him a bedtime story. Would you mind if I go to your house for a while to be with him?"

"Come on, Mom. I want Dad to tell me a story like Uncle Leandro used to."

Seeing the excited expression on her son's face broke down all of Nicole's defenses. The little one pouted, knowing that his mother wouldn't refuse in that state.

"Fine, let your father take you home. The nanny is there, and I'll arrive a bit later."

"You're not coming with us?" Bruno asked, completely disappointed.

"No, I made plans with Sophie and Max to go to a bar for a while."

"A BAR!" he exclaimed loudly, unable to contain himself.

“That's right, Bruno, we're going to a bar, I'll go up to my office to change, and then I'll come down to say goodbye to Santi.”

Bruno's brain was working at full speed at that moment, trying to come up with something that would make Nicole stay and not go out with Max. 

It was obvious from a distance that Max was in love with Nicole, the way he used to look at her, it wasn't just as friends.

Santi touched his forehead, and Bruno noticed and did the same.

“You're a little hot, do you feel sick? I think you have a temperature.”

Santi shrugged his shoulders to indicate that he didn't know, his little face was turning red.

When Nicole came down, Bruno looked her up and down, she looked beautiful, but too flashy for his taste. The tight dress she was wearing, although not showing anything inappropriate, did highlight her well-formed curves.

“Mom, I think Dad likes your dress, he can't stop looking at it.”

Nicole blushed and Bruno immediately looked away, embarrassed that his son had noticed the way he was looking at his mother.

“It seems that Santi is sick, I touched him and I think he has a fever.”

Nicole approached and touched the little boy's forehead with her hand, noticing that two big red circles had appeared on his face, which worried her.

"It's true, I think I'll call the pediatrician to see if he can see him."

The pediatrician scheduled an appointment for the following morning and provided instructions on what to do to normalize his temperature.

"We should leave now. I'll stop by the pharmacy to buy the medications prescribed by the pediatrician."

"Let's go in my car so you can be with Santi and make him feel more at ease."

Nicole's car remained in the parking lot as they got into Bruno's car and headed to the pharmacy. Through the rearview mirror, he observed how Nicole interacted with Santi. There couldn't be a better mother for their son.

Rina was thinking about her daughter. She didn't feel at ease after moving houses, even though Sara was with her. She lived in constant fear that Sergio could harm her. They kept a close watch on her all the time, even though she had requested them not to. They pretended to agree, but she noticed men following her from a distance.

That day, Gío invited her to have dinner at a nice restaurant. Since their reunion, they couldn't be apart. Whenever he was at his company, she would always go to have lunch together. The place was crowded, and after a while, Rina got up to go to the restroom. 

As she was washing her hands, she heard the door open and then quickly close again. She didn't think much of it and continued with what she was doing. Suddenly, she felt a hand cover her mouth, and the voice she heard sent chills down her spine.

"Hello, Rina. You're still as beautiful as ever," the man smirked sinisterly.

Rina gathered all her strength to push him away and remove his hand covering her mouth. She immediately began screaming as loud as she could to ask for help. Sergio covered her mouth again, but this time she bit him hard.

"You're still the same wild one," he said while rubbing his hand.

"This time everything will be different, De Santis. I will take away everything that belongs to my daughter."

"Haha, poor crazy woman. I will have you locked up in the psychiatric hospital again, and this time I'll make sure it's forever."

Gío became worried when he noticed that Rina was taking too long. He headed towards the restroom and as he approached, he heard an argument. He recognized Rina's voice but not the man's. He decided to enter, as it was clear that something was happening.

Translation into English:

"Hello, Rina. You're still as beautiful as ever," the man smirked sinisterly.

Rina gathered all her strength to push him and remove the hand covering her mouth. She immediately began screaming as loudly as she could to ask for help. Sergio covered her mouth again, but this time she bit him hard.

"You're still the same savage," he said while rubbing his hand.

"This time everything will be different, De Santis. I will take away everything that belongs to my daughter."

"Haha, poor crazy woman. I will have you committed to the psychiatric hospital again, and I'll make sure it's forever."

Gio became worried when he noticed that Rina was taking too long. He headed towards the bathroom, and as he approached, he heard an argument. He recognized Rina's voice but not the man's. He decided to enter, as it was clear that something was happening.

Upon entering, he immediately recognized De Santis, and anger consumed him as he saw him holding Rina by the neck.

"Release her immediately," he wanted to destroy that man.

"Well, well, your knight in shining armor has come to rescue you," Sergio sneered.

Sergio became even more furious, knowing that Rossano was the one responsible for Rina no longer loving him.

Gio couldn't take his cynicism any longer. He lunged at Sergio, delivering powerful blows. Sergio tried to defend himself, but Gio was clearly stronger. At that moment, two security guards entered to separate them.

Sergio was seething with anger, trying to contain the blood coming from his nose. Rina was as pale as a ghost, and Gio struggled to break free and continue giving him what he deserved.

"This won't go unpunished, De Santis. You will pay dearly for everything you've done. Don't you dare lay a finger on my wife or my daughter again, because if you do, I will become your worst nightmare. Consider yourself warned," Gio trembled with the fury he felt. He wanted to end Sergio's life right then and there.

The guards escorted both men out of the restaurant. They were both important individuals, but so were all the customers at that place. Sergio quickly got into his car, while Rina and Gio got into theirs.

"I'm sorry," Gio said as he approached her to wipe his face with a handkerchief.

"You don't have to apologize. It's that damn man who should feel sorry. This is war. I will make him pay for all your suffering."

At Nicole's house, Bruno insisted on being the one to give Santi his medication. After doing so, he gave him a warm bath, just as the doctor had instructed. He laid down next to him and told him a bedtime story. The child fell asleep immediately, and Bruno drifted off to sleep beside him.

When Nicole went upstairs, she found the scene heartwarming. She decided to take a photo of them, then turned around and headed to her own bedroom. She had already informed her friends that she wouldn't be able to join them at the bar.

She also fell asleep immediately. Later, she woke up to give her son his medicine. When she entered the room, Santi was still asleep, clinging to his father. She gently tried to move Bruno, attempting not to wake him. Suddenly, Santi made a sudden movement, causing Nicole to lose her balance and fall onto Bruno. Their mouths ended up being too close to each other, and at that moment, he opened his eyes and smirked.

"Mmm, it's lovely to wake up like this. If you wanted to kiss me, you could have just asked."