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Chapter 18 – Massimo
Massimo still remembered the first time he had laid eyes on Alice Dawsey, even though it wan more than six years ago.
Of course, with his father and her grandfather being much close friends, that was not the occasion on which they had met. A couple of times, they had ended up bomping into each other during Larcas Dawsey’s visits to Italy or during the parties that Tommaso promoted for his partners in the USA. However, that party at the Peterson house was the first time he actually looked at her, without the two of them being two children acting strangely.
She had just turned 18 and, hell, he even felt guilty about being 4 years older, but he still couldn’t take his eyes off her the entire night. Amber Dawsey was certainly in the most expensive dress and was much louder, but he wasn’t one of the dozens of men she managed to catch the eye of during the party. Even though he was 22 at the time, he had already lived long enough to recognize the cunning, greed–filled looks that were always on the faces of Mr. Dawsey’s daughter and his eldest granddaughter, Alice, however
She had always seemed special. With her dark hair always thrown over her shoulders and those warm chocolate eyes that always seemed happy to see him, although perhaps that was just Massimo’s mind showing what he wanted to see. He had heard other women comment nasty things about her appearance, even her own mother, especially about the small, almost invisible freckles scattered near her nose and her curvaceous shape, but, to Massimo, she looked just… Perfect.
Had Kendra Dawsey ever even imagined that it was her eldest daughter who had made him change his mind and accept his father’s proposal to make a Dawsey girl his wife?
Everything would be so much easier if Alice became his sooner….
Frowning, he tilted his head a little from where he was, hidden in the shadows at the back of the barn, wanting to observe the woman who was now his wife. She and her little daughter were sitting on a huge tablecloth, at the edge of where the grass of the garden ended and the dirt floor of the rest of the farm began.
It seemed to be a kind of picnic between the two of them and the various dolls that had been. spread around, but Alice certainly wasn’t showing the excitement that a game like that required. In fact, she had looked crestfallen and sad like that since the morning before, when Amber and that son of a bitch had invaded her house.
Remembering the scene he had encountered yesterday, it really seemed like she was trying to expel those two, uncomfortable with their presence, but…
Growling, Massimo interrupted that thought to dive further into the shadows, when he realized that Alice’s child seemed to have noticed him there. Feeling his arm hurt as he moved the chair back, however, only made him angrier. Before the fucking accident, he used to pick up 10 times more weight than the damn branch he’d thrown yesterday, but now even such a negligible effort was capable of making his body ache and his wounds threaten to open.
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Chapter 11-
That was why he couldn’t let his guard down for that woman. He was an easy target, sick, trapped in that wheelchair and with a fortune walling for whoever was by his side when the earth swallowed him. He couldn’t afford to be fooled by a pretty face, a provocative body and sweet words. As innocent and kind as Alice had once shown herself, trusting her now could be the final nail in his coffin.
As much as that piece of shit from the other day seemed like a useless coward… Now even a man like that would be a better choice than Masslino. And he knew it.
“Hello.”
At the sound of the child’s voice, he looked up, a little shocked to find Alice’s child standing there, looking equally scared and curious as she stared at him. She had certainly inherited many of Alice’s traits, but he supposed she also had a lot from her father, whoever he was. Massimo wasn’t sure, but it was probably someone he knew, since something about that child’s features wasn’t strange to him.
even
There had been a huge uproar in High Society when Alice had become pregnant without o
having a boyfriend. Not that she was the first young adult among all status families to slip up like that, but Massimo knew that most just paid for an abortion or for the child to be raised as far away as possible from the listening ears of gossipers. But, not Alice. She had preferred to stay away from the parties and let everyone gossip about her, rather than get rid of the baby.
And, as much as Massimo had never really been a child enthusiast, he had to admit that there was something very adorable about Millicent Dawsey, although he couldn’t explain what it
was.
Which didn’t mean he had to be nice to her.
“Go to your mother.” He stared into her big dark green eyes coldly “This is my property, so I was just passing by.” Massimo looked in Alice’s direction, only then realizing that she was a little further away in the garden, hunting for some things from the picnic that had been blown away by the wind.
“Uh… Hello, Mr. Bianchi.” The little girl spoke, clearly trying hard to sound polite, rather than scared “Do you… Want to play with me, my mommy and my dolls?”
“Do
you
think I could sit on the grass with you?” Even though the anger inside him was great, Massimo tried hard not to be too harsh with that child who was not to blame for his situation.
“You can stay in your chair. Rainbow Dash loves heights, so she could sit on your lap.” Millicent just smiled and, despite having no idea what the hell a Rainbow Dash was, Massimo assumed it was one of the dolls scattered on the tablecloth nearby “It’ll be fun… Oh!” her mouth took a perfectly round shape “Or does your boo boo still hurt? Mommy said you’re sick…”
Yes, I am sick.” He can’t stop himself from giving a stiff smile “Sick of myself, actually.”
“Uh…
“Millicent blinked, clearly not understanding anything he said “Well, then maybe you
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Chapter 10–Massimo
can’t play. It’s boring. One time I got really sick and mommy didn’t let me go out to play even once. But then I got better when she started giving me my medicine and I never had to stay in bed again.” She said happily and, just as Massimo was about to ask if it had been a cold or something that had left her in bed, Millicent added “Do you also take medicine? Are they also bitter?”
“Yes. They are rubbish.” He shrugged, wondering if he should feel bad that a child seemed to be the only one who understood him.
“That’s the worst.” She made a face of pity “My medicines are bad too, but they’ve been worse. Mommy now buys me one that tastes like grapes. Have you ever asked your mommy try and find something that tastes better?”
“My mother… Is not here anymore.” Massimo leaned back, not wanting to show how much saying those words still hurt.
“I’m sorry. Blueberry, my school’s hamster, also went to heaven. We were all very sad…” she shrugged, with the most genuine expression of regret Massimo had ever seen, until an idea seemed to improve her mood “Wait a minute!” Millicent asked, darting back to where the picnic was.
As he watched her search for something he had no idea what it could be, Massimo found himself thinking that, despite everything, it would have been good to be a father. Thea would certainly be pleased to have kids running around that huge estate again, and even though being CEO of the Bianchi would certainly take up a lot of his free time, it wouldn’t be a sacrifice for him to find some time to spend time with his kids, especially if they looked like Millicent…
But, like everything in his life, that had been taken from him after the accident.
“Here!” An excited voice interrupted his thoughts and, when Massimo looked up, he realized that not only was the little girl back, but she also had two cookies in her hands “They’re red velvet cookies, my favorite! Mommy always makes them for me when I’m sad. Today she made it for the picnic, but maybe it will help you to be happy.” She smiled hopefully, holding
out the treat to him.
“I…” Massimo hesitated for a moment, but, something about how his eyes were shining stopped him from being rude like he usually would be “Thank you.” With a sigh, he took the cookies and bit into half of one “Hey, this is… Really good.” He blinked in surprise before starting to chew the other half.
“Mommy makes the best cookies!” she assured, happily “If you tell me what your favorite flavor is, I can ask her to make it for the next picnic.”
to
“That…” he started to speak, even though he didn’t know how he was going to respond, until a voice interrupted him.
“Millie?! Millie, where are you?!” Alice asked nearby, audibly concerned.
“Go to your mother.” Massimo ordered the child, moving the wheelchair as far as he could,
Chapter 18–Mayumin
trying not to sound so friendly this time “You shouldn’t be here. And… Thanks for the snack.” He ended up adding, the sweet taste on his tongue making him feel a little agitated.
“Bye, Mr. Blanchi.” The little girl waved as if they were miles away and not just a few feet “I hope we can play when your boo boo heals.” She wished, before turning around and running back to her mother, who greeted her with a hug and apparently also a speech about how worried she was.
And, as he watched those two, his wife and his stepdaughter, still with the cookie that was left in their hands, Massimo wondered if he was being very stupid to think that, regardless of whether Alice had married him forcibly or wanted his money… Maybe it wouldn’t be so unpleasant to have them around in the days to come..
