"Oh, my God..." The praise came along with a hug around her shoulders. Adaline could only stand still as she was pulled by a middle-aged woman who looked beautiful in front of her. "Darling, look who Altezza brought." She said emotionally. Her chubby hands framed Adaline's face, and then both of her cheeks were kissed so quickly.
"You disobedient child. So, you intentionally let me scold you back then, even though you already planned to bring her here?" The woman directed a series of punches at Altezza. Instead of dodging by running away, he held both sides of Adaline's body and took cover behind her, using Adaline as a living shield.
"I told you that I would find anyone on the way and bring them to you, and this is the person." He said while advancing Adaline towards his mother.
"You disrespectful brat! So rude!" The woman in front of him yelled again while trying to hit Altezza. "How could you pick up such a beautiful woman on the street! Darling! Look at your child's behavior."
"It's your fault for not asking and just giving a verdict right away, Darling." A man's voice responded, and Adaline couldn't tell who it was. Because in front of her were three middle-aged men now staring at her, Altezza, and his mother.
"This is your son's fault. He always says that finding a woman is easy, just pick here and there." His mother hit him again, although Altezza tried to dodge. The woman's breath began to pant, and finally, she gave up hitting her son. "Alright, let the child of his father behave however he wants," she said again. She hooked her arm around Adaline's elbow and pulled her closer to the table where everyone was. "What's your name, dear?"
"A-Adaline, ma'am," she stammered.
"You, calling me ma'am. Call me Momma!" she gently commanded.
"Y-Yes, Momma. My name is Adaline."
"A beautiful name," she praised sincerely. "And my name is Delila," she added. "Where did you meet his son?"
"S-Sir Altezza?"
"You call him that?" The woman asked in surprise. Adaline nodded. The woman shook her head. "What kind of call is that?" she mumbled softly but still audible to Adaline. "This is Altezza's father. Benjamin. You can call him Padre or father. This is his aunt, like me, she's American, her name is Aunt Brianna, and her husband is Arthur. Altezza calls them Uncle and Aunty.
"And these are also Altezza's uncle and aunt. Aunt Gianetta and Uncle Gabrielle. And their children. Letizia and her husband Farhat. And Letizia's younger brother who teased you earlier, Gian. And this is the king today, Antony."
Antony raised his head and greeted Adaline with a nod.
"Sir," Adaline said with a shy smile. And for the first time, he smiled back at her. She was quite surprised to see his handsomeness up close.
"Don't try to steal her attention, Cousin. You'll be proposing to another woman this evening," Altezza, who had been silent until now, spoke up.
Antony just shrugged and returned his focus to his tablet. Altezza's mother invited Adaline to sit next to her, with Altezza sitting on Adaline's left. It was clear that Altezza intentionally sat very close to prevent his cousin, Gian, from taking any sneaky opportunities to get closer.
Casual conversation flowed during breakfast. As predicted, questions from the family revolved around the relationship between Altezza and Adaline.
"Where did you two meet?"
"How did your first encounter happen?"
"How long have you been together?" and other typical questions asked to a new couple.
Adaline let Altezza answer all those questions. She chose silence over misspeaking and potentially causing problems later.
"Why are you willing to be in a relationship with him? He's even much older than you. How old are you now?" A barrage of questions came from Gian's mouth.
"Twenty-five," Adaline whispered.
"See, the age difference between you two is already ten years. Instead of continuing your relationship with him, it's better to be with me. I'm only twenty-eight. Our ages aren't that far apart." The man's words were met with a cold stare from Delila Quirino and a growl from Altezza. Not to mention punches from the man's brother and mother.
"You! Why do you always like to bother Altezza? Just find another woman out there! Don't tease my Adaline." Delila scolded loudly.
"Aunt, you know very well that my face is not as handsome as Antony and Altezza, so it's hard for me to get a beautiful woman. It's better if Altezza looks for another one out there. He's more handsome than me and surely will find a replacement for Adaline more easily." Gian replied, not wanting to be defeated. "Ye-ye-yes. Do you want to be with me?" he said with a pleading expression. Mrs. Delila threw fruits at him from the table in front of her.
"You're so bold asking him to find another woman out there. Do you think making Altezza bring a woman home is easy? I had to wait for thirty-five years until he finally did that."
"Well then, Aunt, wait for another thirty-five years."
"You foolish nephew! That's the same as telling him to stay single for a lifetime!" Mrs. Delila threw lightweight objects at Gian again.
"Dear, that's enough. Aren't you ashamed in front of Adaline?" A gentle voice came from Altezza's father.
"Why am I being blamed? It's your nephew's fault." Delila grumbled irritably. Altezza, on her side, held back a laugh.
"Just think of it as watching kids fight over toys." Altezza whispered in her left ear. Adaline turned and saw him wink mischievously. "Where's my nephew? I haven't seen him since earlier." Altezza shifted his attention to Antony.
"He went jogging with his potential cousin-in-law." Brianna Quirino answered gracefully. "Seeing the recent changes in Flavia, I'm really happy. Claire and Abigail have truly made a positive impact."
"Claire?" Adaline whispered and looked at Altezza in confusion. Altezza nodded. "Claire who works at the Kansas branch?" she whispered again.
"Do you know Claire?" Altezza also whispered back. This time, Adaline nodded.
"We went to school together. She used to live in Manhattan. If I'm not mistaken, she has a twin brother named Gladwin." Altezza nodded again. "So, what about Claire..?"
"She's our boss's future wife." Altezza nodded his head towards Antony.
"How can that be?!" The exclamation made everyone look at Altezza and Adaline alternately.
"What's going on?" Delila asked, looking at Adaline and Altezza in turns.
"Adaline asked how Claire could become Antony's future wife." Altezza said flatly. Adaline pinched the man's waist, which seemed to have no effect at all and instead was met with a grin from him.
***
The days passed quickly. After a quite chaotic breakfast, Altezza's mother and the women never let go of Adaline, always having questions they wanted to ask her. Adaline couldn't avoid answering, except for the matter of her contract with Altezza, of course.
After lunch, they all prepared to go to Claire's house. Sir Antony, who previously seemed charismatic, now appeared even more positively charged. A smile that Adaline rarely saw on his face was continuously present. Was this the expression of a man about to propose to his beloved?
Adaline couldn't help but glance at Altezza. He was no less handsome than his boss. His muscular body was now clad in a shirt matching Adaline's dress. Adaline herself didn't know when he bought clothes for her or how he knew her size.
She was now wearing a brocade dress with sleeves that reached half of her arms. The upper part of her dress formed a half-circle that accentuated her collarbones and elegant neck, complete with an A-line skirt that covered her calves.
As for makeup and hair styling, the Quirino family deliberately called a makeup artist to their house. The result was a minimalistic makeup for Adaline and her hair beautifully arranged with a lovely pearl hairpin at the back.
She was quite amazed when she saw her reflection in the mirror. The girl staring back at her looked stunning and elegant. Her cheeks were rosy, her eyebrows neatly shaped, and her eyes adorned beautifully. Then, her petite lips were coated with peach-colored lip cream, making her look even fresher.
Gian's whistle when Adaline and Letizia exited the room made her blush. Not to mention Altezza's gaze, which seemed reluctant to blink when looking at her, made her chest feel increasingly uncontrollable.
"Aunt! I really want Adaline! Aunt, ask your son to find another woman!" Gian's echoing shout made the plump woman run out of her room in a hurry.
"You foolish nephew!" she shouted loudly, holding a shoe ready to throw at Gian. Gian laughed and chose to hide behind the groom.
"Honey, calm down." Altezza's father comforted her while embracing his wife's shoulders. "We're leaving in five minutes. Hurry up and finish your makeup." The middle-aged man urged again.
Meanwhile, Altezza, who walked towards her, made Adaline even more nervous. "Mrs. Altezza Quirino, you look absolutely stunning this afternoon," the man praised sincerely. Adaline bit her lower lip inwardly due to embarrassment.
"I can't wait to see you in a wedding dress. You'll surely be even more beautiful than this," he continued. His index finger gently traced Adaline's face. Each touch from the man sent strange shivers through Adaline's body. If it lasted any longer, Adaline wasn't sure if she could still stand or not.