Chapter 71 Smile
Giovanni’s POV
It felt good to have Molly see me as a friend, even though I almost crossed the line. She didn’t notice that I almost kissed her, but it was hard to let go of what we had after searching for her all these years.
To get her to open up about her past relationships, I had to make a deal and ended up sharing a few things about my relationship with Octavia.
Octavia would be upset when she finds out Molly knows the truth, but I couldn’t keep up the facade when I saw how much it hurt Molly.
I couldn’t keep my promise to Octavia when Molly needed me so much. She was determined to be strong enough to protect herself, and I couldn’t deny her that.
Hank would have helped her, as he had been doing for Roger, but I still couldn’t quite decipher the uneasiness I felt whenever he stared at Molly. Now, she wanted to know why I had to leave that night and didn’t want anything to interrupt our conversation.
I picked up my phone, silenced it, and showed it to her. “Alright, tell me everything. Any guy you had a crush on, or the ones who had a crush on you for as long as you can remember.”
She nervously stared at me. “Now you sound like you're interrogating me, as if my life is in danger or I pose a threat to someone.”
It warmed my heart whenever she spoke so cleverly. Perhaps the pain of betrayal was making her wiser.
“If you can trust me, then I will trust you and start sharing more with you. There are more people after you than just Wesley, and if I know this, I’m sure I can figure out who the person is,” I replied honestly, but her question caught me off guard.
“Is it mom?”
“Wait, where did you hear that?” I asked, as she reminded me of the bodyguards my mother had sent, and the fact that I had mentioned her in front of Molly.
I had never stood up to my mother because I never felt the need to, but that was the exact reason she began to abuse her power. Not anymore.
“That woman is my mother,” I revealed, the shock in her eyes startled me a little. “I think I need that water.”
I went to get her some water, and as soon as the drinking glass touched her lips, it was empty.
“Like I said, there is a lot you don’t know about me. When we dated, I tried so hard to be a normal guy. However, what matters now is for me to figure out how to protect you, so please start talking,” I encouraged her.
The color drained from her face, and she looked paler and paler, but the truth could not be hidden any longer.
“When I was just a kid, I had a liking for our neighbor’s son because he was always so sad that I always found ways to brighten his day.”
Why did I feel jealous? “What’s his name?”
She smiled faintly. “I don’t know. I used to call him ‘Smile’ just so he would smile and not always be sad. I never knew his real name, even when he wanted to tell me. I thought that whatever name he had made him sad, so ‘Smile’ should be the best,” she concluded.
Something inside of me wanted to see that special boy who earned her giving him such a special nickname.
However, I wondered if that boy was still alive and possibly looking for her, so I asked her.
“Have you seen him recently?”
She shook her head. “Even if I do, I won’t recognize him. That was almost eighteen years ago.”
It was understandable, so I had to keep in mind the nickname ‘Smile’ and any other features.
“Can you describe him?”
“Yes. He had dark grey eyes and long curly hair. He never had a haircut since I knew him,” she revealed. Only one person came to mind. A person can change their hair, but not their eyes unless they wore contact lenses.
Hank had dark grey eyes, but his hair had undergone a lot of changes which didn’t fit her description. Still, from the way he always stared at Molly, I should find a way to question him about it.
“Who else?” I asked. She sighed and narrated more, but after getting through six, the seventh caught my attention.
“This guy was a typical bully. He asked me on a date in high school. With his gangster behavior, I never wanted to associate with him. But during prom, he asked me to be his date in front of the whole school. My friends kept insisting that I should because he was rich and had the girls drooling over him. A playboy who could have all the girls he wanted.” She paused midway, and I felt I might just have the face behind Don Black.
“Did you accept it?" Perhaps due to peer influence, she must have accepted, but her answer stunned me. "You should have known by the time we dated that I wasn't a pushover. With my family backing me, I was a goal-getter, but life happens. Stardom messed me up and reduced me to what I am now, so no, I didn't accept him," she said with pain in her eyes.
Our dating period was just a few months before I left, and no matter how long you live or know someone, it was just impossible to know everything about the person.
"Did he try to attack you or anything?" She nodded. "Yes, but I wasn't afraid of him. He told me that one day, I would beg to be his maid, and I told him, "never."
Now I felt like I had my culprit, and she continued to speak.
"Then I met you during my senior year because I didn't want to date anyone. The college guys kept betting on who would pop my cherry, so when I heard the gossip, I made a solemn vow until I reached my final year and met you."
Her confession only increased my respect for her and left me speechless. "Then you left me, and I met Wesley. It took time for me to trust him, but when he stood by me during my lowest moment, I thought he was the one, and you know the rest."
A depressed look settled in her eyes as I realized I was her first love, but so was she. My first in everything, and as they say, first love never dies.
Now, I had to find the culprit who messed up my life the night I left Molly and it was this bully she just talked about.
The heck of him thinking she would be his maid. I would make sure he kisses her feet like I did to Wesley and his family.
"So, this bully in high school. Do you know his name?"