Chapter Sixty-Eight

As the days turned into weeks, Alless and Scarlet returned from their honeymoon, tan and relaxed yet wary of the challenges that awaited them. The city greeted them with celebrations and feasts, but beneath the surface, tensions simmered.

Scarlet’s reunion with her children was a beautiful thing.

On first sight of them, Elizabeth and James exclaimed excitedly, “Papa! Mama!” and struggled to be let down from the arms of their nannies to run on their pudy legs to their parents, who picked them up. 

“I have missed you so much,” Scarlet told Elizabeth, hugging her closely while the little girl continued to whisper “Mama, mama,"  her violet eyes twinkling excitedly. 

While mother and daughter were hugging each other, father and son looked at each other intently. Alless winked at his son secretly. "How are you doing, buddy? Have you been good? "Alless asked in their mind link. James rolled his eyes literally and kept quiet, refusing to answer his father. “James, I am talking to you,” Alless told James in a soft but commanding tone.

James looked over at his mother and sister, ignoring his father. “Look at Mama; she only seems to care about my sister. She didn't even give me a hug. Doesn’t she love me?” James complained in a little boy tone, all traces of maturity gone. 

“You can’t say that, son. Look, I didn’t hug your sister, and I don't think she is complaining.” Alless explained it to his son patiently. So promise me never to think that, okay?" "I promise, Papa." James said, hugging his father. No one would believe that the father-son duo had been engaged in such a conversation. Alless hugged his son back and kissed him on his cheek. "Now go to Mama." He told him, and James walked on his little legs to where his mother and sister were. 

Hugging her legs, he said, "Mama." Scarlet was so surprised that she bent immediately and picked him up on one arm. "Oh, my dear son, how are you? I missed you so.” James only smiled, resting on his mother’s bosom, and told his father to come get his daughter. 

“Okay, coming, you little tyrant. I know what you are trying to do. You want your own sweet time alone with your mother, don't you?” Alless laughed out loud, and Scarlet looked at him quizzically. “Careful Papa, we don’t want anyone finding out our little secret, do we?” James said , keeping a straight face but smiling inwardly. Alless did not respond to this but walked to Scarlet and got hold of his daughter. "Come, darling, I missed you.”And so the little family spent the greater part of the day until the twins fell asleep. Alless and Scarlet went in search of the other members of the family.

On the other side of the mansion, Sabrina and Edwardo were engrossed in their conversation. After a long talk, they came to an agreement that they would give their relationship a period of three months to see how everything worked out. They promised to be open to each other, and once again, they renewed their promise with a bout of thorough lovemaking, which they had missed in the heat of the wedding preparations of Alless and Scarlet. 

Alless resumed work after a long time, though the company could run itself since it was ahugge conglomerate. Plans began immediately to merge Rossi and Montegomery empires to be run by Alless as the head and Marion as the next in command since Scarlet had already decided to not get involved in business. 

Although Leonardo and Antonio were the figureheads of both companies, they had taken a back seat to allow their sons to run things since everything belonged to them as a matter of fact.

Scarlet and Sabrina began their medical practice in one of the general hospitals in Verona, and this time, they were truly happy. They were together again, and Sabrina found a loving family. She became a second daughter in the lives of the Montegomerys and the Rossis. They agreed so wholeheartedly that they didn't want to hear of her moving to her own apartment. Life became meaningful for Sabrina, and all her childhood loneliness flew away.

As for Lorenzo who watched from afar, his plans slowly took shape once more. He knew he had to act swiftly before Alless could consolidate his power further. The firelights of the basilica were still vivid in his memory, a reminder of his failure but also a beacon of vengeance.

As Alless and Scarlet resumed their normal duties, Lorenzo's shadow grew darker. He had allies now—disgruntled clan men who saw in him a chance to reshape the clan's destiny. His disfigurement became a symbol of defiance, a testament to his resilience in the face of adversity.

The stage was set for another confrontation, a clash of ambitions and loyalties that would test the bonds of love and power. Alless knew that the honeymoon was over, not just in the literal sense but in the metaphorical one as well. The peace they had briefly tasted was shattered, replaced by the looming storm of political intrigue and personal vendetta.

And amidst it all, Scarlet stood by Alless's side, her unwavering support a pillar of strength. Together, they faced the challenges ahead, determined to protect their love and their kingdom from those who sought to tear them apart.

But Lorenzo's shadow loomed large, a reminder that the past could not be easily erased and that the gods were indeed fickle in their favor. As Alless and Scarlet prepared for the battles to come, they knew that their honeymoon had been just a brief respite in a stormy sea of uncertainties and dangers.

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