His daughter

His daughter
Ben’s POV

I didn’t mean to see it.

I wasn’t looking for anything.

I was just sitting on the couch with Alessia curled up beside me, her small legs draped over mine as she laughed at SpongeBob SquarePants playing on the screen. Her laughter was light and carefree, the kind that made everything feel normal for a moment.

Like nothing was wrong.

Like my life wasn’t slowly unraveling.

Then my phone buzzed.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

I frowned, reaching for it absentmindedly.

And that’s when everything fell apart.

The first headline made my stomach drop.

“NEW WAY GROUP HEIRESS AT CENTER OF SHOCKING LOVE SCANDAL.”

My breath caught.

“No…” I whispered.

My fingers trembled as I tapped the notification, my heart already racing.

Then I saw the next one.

“FATHER AND SON ENTANGLED WITH THE SAME WOMAN INSIDE THE REBEL FAMILY SECRET.”

The words blurred instantly as tears filled my eyes.

“What…?” My voice cracked.

I kept reading, even though every part of me screamed to stop.

They twisted everything.

My relationship with Nolan.

Ambrose.

They made it sound disgusting. Shameful. Like I was some kind of woman who thrived on chaos and scandal like I didn’t have dignity, didn’t have boundaries, didn’t have a heart.

A sob tore out of me before I could stop it.

“Mom?”

Alessia’s voice.

Small.

Confused.

I hadn’t even realized I was crying until my vision blurred completely, tears spilling uncontrollably down my face.

“Mom, what’s wrong?”

I tried to answer her.

I tried to be strong.

But the words wouldn’t come.

How do you explain something like this to your child?

How do you tell her that people are saying horrible things about her mother… about her family?

You don’t.

So I shook my head, forcing a broken smile that didn’t reach anywhere near my eyes.

“I-it’s nothing, baby. I’m okay”

A sob betrayed me.

And that was enough to scare her.

Alessia sat up immediately, her little face tightening with worry. “You’re not okay.”

I turned away, covering my mouth as another wave of tears hit me.

I hated this.

I hated that she was seeing me like this.

Weak. Broken. Helpless.

“Mom…” she whispered, climbing closer, her small hand gently holding my arm. “Did someone hurt you?”

My chest shattered.

“No,” I choked out. “No one hurt me.”

But it felt like they had.

Every headline. Every word.

Alessia looked at me for a long second… then something shifted in her expression.

Determination.

Before I could stop her, she grabbed her tablet.

“Alessia, what are you doing?”

She didn’t answer.

She was already tapping the screen.

My heart dropped.

“Alessia”

The call started ringing.

And then I heard his voice.

“Pronto?”

Ambrose.

“Papa!” Alessia said quickly, her voice urgent. “You need to come now. Mom is crying.”

My breath hitched.

Papa.

That’s what she called him.

Not because she knew the truth…

But because they had a strong bond.

Sometimes I caught it the resemblance. The same eyes. The same way their brows furrowed when they were worried.

It was subtle.

But it was there.

And one day… she would notice.

“Alessia?” Ambrose’s voice sharpened instantly. “What happened?”

“I don’t know,” she said, her voice trembling now. “She’s really sad. Please come.”

A pause.

“I’m on my way.”

The line went dead.

I closed my eyes, fresh tears slipping down my face.

I didn’t want him to see me like this.

I didn't want him to see how badly this had broken me.

But it was too late.

It didn’t take long.

It never did with him.

The door opened so suddenly it made me flinch.

“Ben.”

His voice filled the room deep, controlled, but laced with urgency.

I looked up.

And there he was.

Ambrose.

His eyes found me instantly, scanning my face, taking in the tears, the way I was barely holding myself together.

And just like that… I broke all over again.

“Ambrose…” I whispered.

Alessia ran to him immediately.

“Papa!”

He caught her in his arms, holding her tightly.

“I’m here, tesoro,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to her hair.

Then he pulled back slightly, studying her face.

“Listen to me,” he said gently, switching to Italian. “Vai nella tua stanza for a little while, okay?”

She hesitated. “But Mom”

“I’ll take care of her,” he said softly. “She just needs a moment.”

Alessia looked between us, still unsure.

Then she nodded slowly.

“Okay…”

He pulled her into another hug.

“Brava ragazza.”

“I love you,” she whispered.

“I love you more.”

I watched them, my chest tightening not just from the pain, but from the truth sitting right in front of me.

A truth she didn’t know.

When Alessia finally disappeared down the hallway, the apartment fell into a heavy silence.

And then he turned to me.

Everything about him changed.

The softness?

Gone.

Replaced with something darker.

“What happened?”

I couldn’t speak.

I just handed him my phone.

He took it.

Looked down and as he read his entire expression hardened.

“This is a lie.”

His voice dropped, cold and controlled.

Tears slipped down my cheeks. “I know…”

“They twisted everything.”

“I know.”

“They’re making you look like…”

“I know!” My voice broke. “I know what they’re doing!”

The pain spilled out of me, raw and uncontrollable.

“I didn’t do anything wrong,” I whispered. “I didn’t deserve this.”

His gaze snapped to mine.

“I know you didn’t.”

No hesitation.

No doubt.

Just certainty.

And somehow… that made everything hurt even more.

Because I wanted the whole world to believe that.

“I can’t do this,” I said, shaking my head as fresh tears fell. “I can’t have people looking at me like I’m some cheap whore.”

“Hey.”

He was in front of me in seconds.

Closer.

Grounding.

His hands cupped my face, forcing me to look at him.

“Look at me.”

I did.

“You are not what they say,” he said firmly. “Do you understand me?”

My lips trembled. “I’m trying…”

“I will fix this.”

The way he said it and it wasn’t just reassurance.

It was a decision.

“How?” I whispered.

His expression darkened.

“Leave that to me.”

Before I could question it, he pulled out his phone.

“Matteo.”

His tone shifted instantly.

Colder. Sharper. Dangerous.

“I want every article taken down,” he said. “Immediately. Every platform.”

A pause.

“And find out who’s behind it.”

Another pause.

His jaw tightened.

“They just made a very big mistake.”

The call ended.

A chill ran through me.

There was something in his voice…

Something final.

But before I could ask, he turned back to me, his expression softening again like nothing had happened.

He sat beside me and gently wiped away my tears.

“You’re shaking,” he murmured.

“I’m scared.”

The words slipped out.

He didn’t hesitate.

He pulled me into his arms.

“I’ve got you,” he said quietly. “No one is going to hurt you like this.”

I clung to him.

“Promise?”

“I promise.”

And for the first time since I saw those headlines…

I believed someone.

That night, he didn’t leave.

He stayed.

For Alessia.

For me.

For the storm we were standing in.

I stood by the doorway as he tucked Alessia into bed, pulling the blanket over her gently.

“Mom’s going to be okay, right?” she asked softly.

“Yes,” he said without hesitation. “She just had a bad day.”

Alessia nodded.

Then she looked at him for a moment longer.

“You look like me,” she said suddenly.

My breath caught.

Ambrose stilled for just a second.

Then he smiled faintly.

“Do I?”

She nodded sleepily. “Your eyes.”

A beat.

“Maybe that’s why we get along so well,” he said softly.

She smiled.

Satisfied.

And closed her eyes.

I stood frozen.

Because one day…

That wouldn’t be enough.

When he stepped out of her room, his eyes met mine.

Too many unspoken things passed between us.

He walked over and sat beside me.

“You should rest,” he said quietly.

“I don’t think I can.”

He nodded.

Then gently pulled me closer until my head rested against his shoulder.

“Then don’t,” he murmured. “Just stay.”

So I did.

And for the first time all day…

I felt something close to safe.

Even if everything else was falling apart.

Because tonight…

I wasn’t alone.

And neither was my daughter.

Even if she didn’t know the truth yet.