Writer's Note The story is slowly undergoing edits.
Althaia“I’m going to miss you so much!” I hugged Cara tightly.“Me too! It’s going to suck without you.”“Ghee, thanks.” Arianna faked an offended expression.I couldn't help but let out a laugh as I turned to embrace her tightly. It was going to be so weird to be away from them for so long when we had spent so many days together.“Now we can all get some sleep at night without you fucking like crazy every night.” Rafaelle started, and I gave him a blank look.“Don’t you ever get tired of your own stupid comments?”“Never!” He grinned and gave me a bone-crushing hug that I returned. He was going to be missed. His comments, not so much.I gave them one last goodbye and even shared an awkward goodbye with Lorenzo, where I patted his shoulder as a farewell. I didn’t know why I still felt awkward around him, but I did. Probably because of the number of times I have humiliated myself in front of him. I guess he kind of felt the same about me too, because he awkwardly patted my head as a go
AlthaiaIt has been a week since I got home, and even though I miss the others terribly, it was good to be home and spend time with my mother. It has been crazy busy at the boutique, and I felt terrible seeing how exhausted my mother looked. I was happy to return to work next week, letting my foot rest so it could heal faster.I was sitting on the couch in the living room as I watched the Seven Deadly Sins while eating a bagel with cream cheese for breakfast. Just as I took a big bite of my bagel, the doorbell rang. I let out a noise of annoyance, trying to chew faster as I made my way to the front door.Who would be coming at this hour, anyway?I brushed away any crumbs around my mouth and quickly made sure I looked decent enough to open the door.“Delivery for Miss Althaia.” The man said and handed me the biggest arrangement of red roses I had ever seen.“From... who…?” My voice died down as he was already making his way back to his car.I stared in awe at the huge flower arrangement
AlthaiaThings at work had calmed down. I was taking a lot of stress off my mother’s shoulder now that I was back because, other than her, I was the only one skilled enough to sketch customers’ wishes. We had seamstress workers, not always in the boutique with us, but present when it got busy.Time was going by so fast and before I knew it, three weeks already went by. It felt like time was going by even faster because as soon as I would get home from work, I would pass out as soon as my head hit the pillow.I haven’t been talking to Damiano as much, only squeezing in a text message here and there. He called me last night, and I was so tired that I fell asleep while talking to him, but he knew how busy things have been. I felt guilty that I barely had any time for him when he always made sure to have time for me. And he was the one with multiple businesses and running a Mafia.Lately, I was feeling like I couldn’t get enough sleep, even though I was sleeping for over eight hours. It wa
AlthaiaWe were slowly making our way back to the house. I didn’t want to go back, but I had to if I was going with the excuse that I was in the shower because I knew he would call again. I just had to calm down entirely and make sure my voice didn’t sound off when I talked to him. Hopefully, I could end the call by saying I’m too tired to talk just to keep it safe.“Do you think he will be mad, or…?” I asked them quietly while keeping my eyes down. Maybe they would be able to prepare me for his reaction when I get the courage to tell him.“Why would he be mad?” Luca asked, and I shrugged at his question.“I don’t know… It’s not like this is planned.” I murmured. Hell, I didn’t plan to fall in love with a Mafia Boss either.“I don’t think he would be mad.” He said, thoughtfully. “He’s not allowed to be mad when he was the one who got you pregnant.” Luca tried to lighten the mood. He even got a pathetic chuckle out of me.“Damiano as a father… Shit, I didn’t think I would live to see th
AlthaiaI quickly sat up and wrapped my arms around his neck. Damiano held me tightly in his body with his strong arms as I sobbed into his neck.I couldn’t believe he was here. Right in front of me and holding me.He caressed my back as we were in each other’s arms. Something I had missed so much for the past three weeks. Something I desperately needed right now,“Althaia…” Damiano spoke softly and had me look at him. He cupped my face, wiping the tears away. He looked around my face with concern before meeting my eyes. “Tell me what’s wrong.”I looked at him with teary eyes, not knowing how to even tell him. Where do I even start? This whole thing had gotten out of control, and I didn’t know what to do.“I -” I bit my lip when my voice cracked and I looked down, trying to breathe before I continued. “I had a fight with my mom…” I decided to say, and I let out a breath before I looked back at him.He looked at me with furrowed brows, waiting for me to elaborate, but I didn’t know how
DamianoI couldn’t stop smiling as I continued to gaze at her as she slept in my embrace. Finally, after so long, she was back where she belonged, in my arms, where she fit so perfectly.Althaia went to sleep after I made sure she ate something, and I made sure she ate enough. Another thing I noticed was her decreased appetite. She could barely finish her plate.One of the things I adored about her was her love of food. Her eyes would dance with excitement every time she was about to savor something she loved. The way she would close her eyes and wear an expression of sheer joy when it exceeded her expectations.It never failed to bring a smile to my face. And, fuck, it frustrated me endlessly that she hadn’t been looking after herself, whether she knew about the pregnancy or not. But I was here to take care of her now and make sure she was safe and happy. Not like how I found her.I had to take a deep breath to calm down as I remembered that phone call.“Luca.” I said as I accepted hi
Althaia“Trust me, Damiano. I’m fine to go to work. I’ve even slept so much that I’m awake this early.” I said as I got dressed in a pair of black leggings and one of his t-shirts.I had to get back home to grab clothes for work because what Damiano packed was not work-appropriate. We didn’t have a dress code per se, but we definitely needed to be properly dressed as it was still a high-end boutique.“Keep it closed.” Damiano had a frown on his face as he sat at the end of the bed, watching me get dressed.“You’re a businessman. You, out of all people, should know that it’s bad for business if I just keep it closed.” I raised a brow and walked towards him. I stepped in between his legs and his hands rested right on my ass.“I will write a check for your losses. Keep it closed.” He insisted.“Look at you; throwing money at the problem.” I laughed.“Usually works.” He smirked.“Yeah? Well, it doesn’t work for me. People have their orders ready, and I kind of need to be there to hand them
AlthaiaAfter staying in bed for two days, I could finally get the boutique open. Damiano wasn’t happy about it and insisted on covering any losses so I could stay in bed and rest.Guess who won that round?Then Damiano insisted on staying with me in the boutique, and that started another round of discussion. I couldn’t have him or my assigned bodyguards in the boutique because I knew they would make my customers feel uneasy. I had to remind him he looks scary as fuck to other people.“Good.” He said.“Good for you, but not for my business. Don’t you have a Mafia to run or something? Go do that so I can work in peace.” I told him.That may or may not have resulted in him spanking my ass until it was as red as a cherry, saying I need to be fucked into obedience. A reminder that I was also dealing with a Mafia Boss.Damiano chose to do some work, while Luca and Giovanni stayed close, but not too close to the boutique to not look shady. I promised I would call if I needed anything.Luckil