Chapter 40: The smart Caruso’s

-4 years later-

Gisella has been upset with Nicolo since last night, she decided not to talk to him. They all sit down together at the dining table.

"Mama, Why are you not talking to our Papa?" Maria's small voice interrupts the bad glare that Gisella was giving to Nicolo.

Nicolo puts down his coffee and looks at Gisella with a smirk. "No, that's not true," He reaches out his hand to remove a strand of hair from Maria's face.

"Then why did you sleep in my room if you love our Mama," The grumpy shade of Nicolo speaks. Marco Is a bit strict with everything.

Gisella's eyes and Nicolo's widened in shock hearing such words from the four years old Marco Caruso.

"That's true, Marco," Maria intervenes. "Why did Mama sleep in my room last night, instead of sleeping together with Papa," she added.

"I've warned you to stop calling me Marco. I am your elder brother, call me Brother Marco," Marco raises his voice at Maria.

"Common, " Maria flings her hand in the air, rolling her eyes. "We came into this world together," she mouthed with her broken teeth.

"I am still older than you because I am two seconds early than you sorellina!" Marco smirks at Maria.

"Don't you f*cking dare call me your kid sister," Maria groans.

"Don't you dare use the F-word again," Marco warns Maria?

Gisella's words in her month vanished. Nicolo was just staring at Marco who was busy eye beating his younger sister. Maria frowns at him. "Or else what?" she asked.

"That's enough for both of you. " Nicolo interrupts the sibling's word fight. "I and your Mama are on good terms," he added with a smile as he rubs the top of Gisella's hands.

Gisella furrows her eyes at him and smiled back at Marco and Maria. "We are on good terms," she says in between grinding of teeth.

Marco and Maria look at each other and smirks. They look back at their Papa and Mama. Gisella Mama was just looking at them over the table, with a stunning face of how grown these two had become. Nicolo smiles sheepishly as he leaned forward and then started kissing her forcefully.

"Grandma, what are they eating?" Marco asks Signora Molinero. "I want to eat too," he added with a drooling mouth.

"Let me go," Gisella says in between the kiss.

"It's nothing, don't look at them ragazzino!" Giada Molinero covers Marco's eyes with her left hand and Covers Maria with her right.

"Grandma," Marco groans. "I am feeling like a third wheel, I am also a man and I demand to eat too," Marco announced his annoyance in a strict tone.

"Let go of my eyes grandma, I am not interested in such things," Maria grumbles.

"freak, teasing me in front of everyone," Gisella pushes Nicolo slightly away from her sitting position looking at her mother with wide eyes seeing how she covered the kid's eyes.

Giada let go of their eyes. Maria furrows her eyes at her mother who was trying to clear away the blushes escaping from her cheeks. "Mama, what you and Papa did now is disgusting. So I will inquire from you two never to do that in front of me ever again," Maria warns. She rolls her eyes at Marco and continued eating.

"Maria, you know what that is?" Marco asks with a grin.

Maria rolls her eyes at him. "That shit happens on TV,"

Gisella looks from her stunned mother to her husband who opened his mouth in shock. Gisella looks back at the still tiny Maria. "And what movie is that?" she questions Maria as she acts seriously. But seriously doesn't scare Maria but seriousness Miffeds her.

"Maybe It was Vince who does that in front of her with Shelly," Marco smirks looking at the upset Maria.

"Don't you dare to mention that name at me ever again?" She warns.

"Who is Vince?" Nicolo asks Marco.

Marco rolls his eyes from Maria's killer glare back to his father. "Papa, Vincenzo Santoro is a three years old boy in my class. Maria and Vince don't get along well,"

"Vincenzo Santoro?" Gisella's voice lowered in disbelief as she looks from her Mama to her husband and back to Maria and Marco.

Maria stands up from her chair as her little four years feet touched the ground, she looks at her mother and father. "Mama, Papa, Grandma. Don't worry, I know what is going on. I know the hatred that you and Vince's Mama and Papa shared so I won't make that happen,"

Gisella was miffed. "And... and how did, I mean, what did you know?" she stammered as she looks to her husband.

"What are you talking about?" Marco asks Maria confusingly.

"I am way smarter than you anyways, Marco." She glared at Marco as he rolls his eyes at her. "I've heard it from the time when you and Zia Leonora e Zia Tiziana were discussing it, it was then I know that Neil is their son,"

Gisella swallows hard. "Why are you so smart?" Marco curiously asks Maria.

"To be smart, you just need to learn from grandpa Guiseppe and learn courage from grandpa Molinero's and also a little attitude from uncle Diego, and a piece of a fightback from aunty Leonora," She picks up her used dishes.

"You learned all this from the people around you?" Gisella asks still amazed. "Then what did you learn from me, your papa, and grandma?" She asks.

"You should surely ask Marco because he is romantic and grumpy like Papa, Loving and strict like grandma, and Naive and brave like Mama," she carried her used dishes. "Excuse me!" she walks away leaving everyone stunned.

"Mama," Marco called.

"Ye... yes my boy," she answeres not wanting Marco to start his drama.

"Why is Maria so intelligent and she even sounds like a dictator," He looks at Gisella confusingly.

"I... I.. don't know," Gisella looks at Nicolo for help, but Nicolo dished her by looking at his Rolex watch.

"I've to go to work," he says as he gets up and rubs Marco's long hair that was held in a bun like the one of his papa. "You're smart my boy. You just have to focus the way your sister does. I love you a lot," he added with a smile.

"I will, Papa," he smiles back at Nicolo. "I promise, I will be very intelligent," He added as he hugs Nicolo's legs. "Bye papa,"

Nicolo pecks Gisella's cheeks and hugs, grandma Giada in her sitting position. "Mari... Mari..." Nicolo calls Maria as Gisella stands and knots his tie.

"It's Maria, Papa, and not Mari," She yells back as she walks slowly with her small legs down to the dining room.

"I'm sorry, my princess," He smiles at her. "Be a good girl when I am gone, and also, don't quarrel with your elder brother. Be nice to him," He added.

"I'll be a good girl, Papa," She smiles and hugs his leg. "But for not quarreling with Marco-" she grins. "I can't promise you that," she added.

Nicolo carries Maria in his arms. "Just do it for your Papa's sake. You know how Marco loves and cares for you right?"

"Yes!" She squirms.

"I love you, Maria," Marco added as he hugs Maria Immediately Nicolo puts her down.

"I hate that word, Brother Marco," She groans. "Just tell me you hate me to symbolize the word you've just said," she added with a smile.

Gisella was scared of the way Maria is growing up. She is so controlling and never understands her brother. she is strict but lovable, she doesn't even know how to express her love to someone but I know when she grows up, she will understand others. What I am scared of is that Viola and Pietro's son is in the same class as them. God help my kids because I don't want any trouble with the Santoro's. she thinks.

"Okay then, I hate you, Maria," Marco's small voice brings Gisella from her thought.

"Then I love you too," Maria teases.

"But you just said that you don't like the word, why did you say it to me," Marco frowns.

Maria giggles. "I can never hate you, brother Marco, because you are nice. But you can hate me because I am rude to you," her voice became sad.

"I don't hate you, Maria, I've never and will never hate you. I will protect you, "Marco held Maria's hand.

"I love you too," They both hugs each other. Gisella's eyes were already teary. Nicolo was just staring at them in awe, Grandma Giada smiles and so did Zeta who came in three minutes ago to drive them to school.

"Bye Papa, bye grandma, and Mama," They both wave at them as Gisella planted kisses on their forehead and Zeta took them away.