Chapter 46 A new family.
Roger lifted himself slightly from the bed to a sitting position, still cuddling Karen, but his gaze turned serious. “Give me your conditions, and I promise to adhere to them.”
Karen was stunned, not expecting him to immediately accept it but thought it was because he had no idea about what her demand was going to be.
Why was he so different? This Roger made it hard for her to hate him like she planned, so what exactly happened to him? He didn’t even look at Tonia when he entered the restroom, and that was the girl he had been obsessed with all this while.
“First of all…” she was saying when a knock on the door interrupted her words, and they exchanged glances before Delanie’s voice sounded from outside the room.
“Roger, it’s time for breakfast, and everyone is waiting for you and Karen.”
Karen’s gaze traveled to the time on her phone before she realized that breakfast was going to be brunch.
“We’ve slept for long. Let’s talk later,” she tried to wiggle out of his arms again. Roger sighed before reluctantly releasing her. “Coming, Lani.”
He wanted her in his arms forever and couldn’t wait to take her to the mansion he prepared for her.
“How did I get into this?” Karen asked when she looked for a dress to wear. She was briefly staring at the floor-length mirror, and Roger used the opportunity to admire her flawless body.
She must have worked so hard on it, but Roger knew these changes were just bonuses. When he wanted her, it didn’t matter her body shape and size. His only problem was the eyeglasses, which were now non-existent.
Everything in the closet was men’s clothes, so Karen was frustrated. “Roger, I have nothing to wear,” she complained, wondering if he would let her out to get some real women’s clothes.
Roger combed his hair with his fingers, his gaze still pinned on her as he went to embrace her from behind. Karen stiffened in his arms as his hot breath fanned her ears.
“I changed for you last night because you were tired,” he revealed. Karen’s cheeks pinked, and she felt weird. “You what?” He must have seen her naked. It wasn’t the first time, but she couldn’t get over it. “You are my wife, so what’s so strange? I got you a dress from my sister.”
He moved his clothes to the side, revealing the simple yet gorgeous dress. “Thanks,” Karen smiled before disappearing deeper into the closet and hiding behind some of his clothes.
Roger shook his head. Surely, she would need time to adjust. By the time they reached downstairs, everyone was already seated. Karen was a little shy when all gazes pinned on her.
Declan was the first to speak. “Wow, such a lovely sister-in-law. You rocked that dress better than Lani.”
Everyone giggled as Delanie spoke from annoyance. “What are you saying? I haven’t even worn it before.”
“But I’ve seen you in it,” Declan argued. Delanie understood his point and sighed, “It was a similar one but not exact.”
“So, she rocked it better,” Declan mentioned again. Everyone laughed as Roger pulled a chair for Karen. It was close to that of Delanie, and the latter smiled at her.
“Hi everyone,” Karen smiled back, sounding a little shy.
Roger wondered if she was the same person he woke up with. She had appeared defiant, but here, her good girl mode was activated again.
“Karen, Vanni told me that you don’t have a favorite, so I made varieties. I hope they are to your liking.”
Karen was all smiles, though a little embarrassed to have slept too much. She should have woken up earlier to help Molly, and the aroma was just alluring.
There were different kinds of salads, toast, and varieties of beverages with different types of eggs. Some fried, scrambled, and even poached.
“Everything looks delicious. I will have a bit of all,” she shrugged, adding, “sorry I didn’t wake up to help out.”
Delanie sounded excited. “Just like me. I’ll have a bit of everything, and don’t worry. In this house, the first to rise does the cooking.”
Karen was slightly relieved to hear that, and they ate in silence, the sound of cutlery filling the air.
Roger would feed Karen in between. As much as she wanted to refuse, she didn’t want to embarrass him. “So, Karen, are you going to stay longer?" Declan asked with interest, but before Karen could respond, Roger did.
"No, we are leaving after brunch." He couldn't wait to show her their new home.
"Wow, Roger is so possessive," Delanie commented. Roger cleared his throat and wiped his hand and lips with a napkin, doing the same for Karen. His movements were so gentle that Karen was still stunned by it.
"You've already met my parents, Giovanni and Molly Dawson. These are my siblings, Declan and Delanie. They are twins."
Karen's interest piqued upon realizing they were twins. "Wow, how does it feel to have a twin brother or sister?"
"Trust me, it isn't extraordinary because we have a big brother to look up to," Delanie shrugged. Karen pursed her lips.
This house was so huge, bigger than Octavia's, and after finding out who Van was, she expected to see a complicated family full of guns and blood. But aside from a few bodyguards and maids, there was nothing dangerous.
The warmth and love emitted through them were also welcoming. The fact that Molly, a superstar, cooked for her made her want to gobble down everything.
What she had seen and heard so far indicated that this family was wrapped in pure love. There was nothing strange about them, and if she hadn't heard rumors, she would have never believed this was a mafia family.
Instantly, she felt at home. "Your family is amazing. You are lucky, Delanie, and thanks, Molly, for all the clothes you sent me through…" she didn't know how to address Van anymore, but he came through for her.
"Call me dad. No matter what, you shall be a daughter to me."
Karen's eyes were moist due to the gratitude she felt, asking, "Can I hug you?" She never got that chance because though Van was there for her, he sometimes appeared distant.
He stood up before she completed the sentence, and rising to her feet, she was met halfway as he gathered her protectively in his arms. "Thanks, dad, I will never forget this," she said with teary eyes. Molly stood up and embraced her too.
"And you can call me mom," she cooed. Karen embraced her tightly. "You have no idea what this means to me. I thought I lost everything when dad took me from Octavia, but now, I feel like this is the best thing to ever happen to me."
Roger was touched by his family’s generosity and spoke after they returned to their seats. “We can have the same, Kitten.”
But Karen got irritated by the pet name and drew his attention to it. “Roger, just call me Karen. I’m not a cat.”
Delanie was saddened, explaining it to her. “That name means a lot to him and it used to be mine. When he took it back, it saddened me, but seeing you don’t like it hurts.”
Karen realized the atmosphere had changed. The maids were clearing the table, and guilt welled up in her heart. “I’m sorry, but what’s so special about the name?”
She expected a response from Delanie, but it came from Giovanni. “When Roger was young, I trained him with wild animals he grew to love as pets.”
“It included a white snake,” Molly chimed in, and Karen was frightened. “Snake?”
“Yes, and he loved them so much,” Giovanni answered, adding, “There were others, but he began having nightmares, so Molly insisted that we take his pets away. It was hard, but Roger eventually agreed after some negotiations and coaxing.
“To compensate for it, we got him a kitten and a puppy. He loved them so much, he named them Pip and Milo. But sadly, they died at the same time Declan and Delanie were born, so he began to call Declan Pup and Delanie kitten.
Declan didn’t like it, so he stopped, but Delanie liked it, and that made him happy. For years, he called her that until he decided it was you or nobody else. That’s when he took it back and announced his identity.”
“His identity, like what?”
As Giovanni was about to continue, Roger’s voice cut through. “You said you had conditions. May I know them now?”
Karen’s cheeks whitened. “No, no, that is private.”
“Well, I was thinking that if you have something to tell me, then we could have them as witnesses,” Roger insisted. Karen took a deep breath. Was it right for her to mention her conditions in front of the whole family?