Chapter 114 How I won his father's heart
Octavia’s POV
“What do you mean Gael is still alive? Mom, we buried him. I was at his funeral," I explained, just in case she was mistaken, but the seriousness in her eyes indicated otherwise.
Her gaze held a conviction, that sent a chill down my spine. "Mom, please elaborate on this,” I pleaded with her.
"Octavia, do you think I would let my son sacrifice himself for a stepchild?" she questioned, causing my eyes to widen with shock.
Vanni may be ruthless, but this woman was the true villain. If Vanni knew about this, he would surely eliminate her. Despite Vanni cutting me off, revealing this woman's intentions to him might give me a chance in his life again, right?
"Mom, please tell me you're joking. Gael is dead." I had moved on from Gael and shifted my affection to Vanni, so this revelation was unexpected, and I wasn't sure if I could love Gael the same way again.
"Gael is in London but will return in a few days. I provided him with a new identity."
Her words weren't enough to convince me. What if she had ulterior motives?
"Mom, I won't believe it until I see or speak to Gael. Why would he be so comfortable leaving and not keeping in touch if he hadn't moved on and found someone else?" I asked, she stared at me like a fool.
"Do you think Gio would have agreed to take care of you if I hadn't orchestrated the plan with the gang leader to stage Gael's shooting with a fake bullet? We did it so that Gio could marry you, but he declined, and all these years, you couldn't capture his heart."
I couldn't believe I had been a pawn in their manipulative game all this time. What should I do now?
"Mom, you haven't been fair to me, knowing Gael was the only man I loved. No wonder I couldn't win Vanni's heart."
How could I confess that I had been infatuated with Gianni since the moment I laid eyes on him?
"Listen, I don't care how you do it, even if you have to become his maid to catch his attention, you must make him fall in love with you."
"Not until you disclose everything," I stated firmly, crossing my arms. She sighed in frustration.
“Fine, but you have to promise not to tell Gio, or I would kill you," you warned. I was afraid, but not as much as I feared Vanni.
Nicole, who was tough and also Mom’s confidant, failed, just like Don Black, so who was I to succeed? I'd rather be a loyal dog to Vanni than deal with this vicious woman.
Who knows what else she has up her sleeve?
"Gio's father killed mine and took his millions because he was obsessed with Gio's mother and almost raped her. But so what? The woman deserved it anyway," she shrugged.
What a pervert her father was. He sure deserved losing everything but God, I can't believe Gio grew up with this evil woman, but I pretended to be on her side so she continued speaking.
"I was in Italy by then and had a two-year-old son, Gael, but I left him with my best friend and returned to take everything from the man who took it from me. With Gio's mother in the way, it was hard because his father wouldn't even look at me."
"So, what did you do?" I asked with interest, wondering if I could use the same means to win Vanni's heart.
"I waited until she was in labor and dressed as a nurse, giving her a wrong injection. She was supposed to die with Gio, but somehow, Gio survived. That's how I won his father's heart, by caring for Gio."
No wonder Molly won Vanni's heart. It was all because of Roger. From now on, I would try my best to win his heart too, but Beatrix was not done.
"When he fell in love with me, I told him not to tell Gio I wasn't his mother, convincing him that it would affect Gio's psychological health."
"Why? His mother was dead anyway?" I asked, but this woman was so cunning, it was as if her very existence was preplanned.
"Do you think I would have come this far if Gio knew I wasn't his real mother? I wiped every remembrance and image of his mother from this mansion. But I have to admit, it was difficult not to love him.
Gio was everything I wanted Gael to be, learning so fast and being his father's pride. I thought that by showing them my love and loyalty, his father would will the majority of his inheritance to me. But no.
Seventy percent was willed to Gio. By chance, I saw the will, and unfortunately, he had also found out about my son Gael and wanted to give a hundred percent of his fortune to Gio. That's when I arranged a heart attack for him." The family doctors were able to save him, but he was determined to tell Gio everything, so we killed him during the feud."
I still couldn't understand and asked, "You lived with him under the same roof. You could have easily killed him."
"No. Gio's father was very powerful with many trusted bodyguards. The slightest mistake would have led to my demise. That's why I came up with the second plan," she explained. I was genuinely afraid of her, and I felt a great deal of pity for Gio.
"So, how did you convince Vanni to accept Gael as a cousin and what was the next plan?"