Chapter 34

Chapter 34
34

Luciano

I fetched my phone from my breast-pocket, dialling Charles' number. He picked on the first ring. "Good evening, Charles speaking, what can I help you with?" He asked as the line connected.

"This is Bernardi..." I informed. He must have recognised by now which Bernardi he was speaking with. My voice was enough.

"Master?" The tone changed.

"Yes, Luciano Bernardi," I further made it easy for him.

"It has been long hearing from you. I thought you left it all behind..." He spoke without giving any thinking first.

When I gave him silence, he realised the embarrassment. His tongue stopped working for seconds, "I'm sorry. Are you looking for any reservations?" He asked.

"Yes, I would like to make a dinner reservation for sixty-seven," I informed him, nonchalantly. Dinner reservation meant asking for the disposal of dead bodies. Mario counted the corpse that died in the shootout. Three of them were our men.

"I'll be pleased to serve. Your amount is two dollars," He replied, meaning he will be coming in two hours to wind up the mess. I cut the call and walked out of the building that was Sofia's late step-sister's farmhouse.

There were Mario and Martin following me to the cars while others were cleaning evidence of the shootout. "Master, Mrs. Russo has received death news of her step-kids," Martin informed. Ginevra Russo—Sofia's Stepmother—who cared none about her step-kids once tried to battle with me.

After Sofia's father's death, this woman tried her best to defraud Sofia and Killian's share in inheritance. I helped them gain their shares back. So, she was aware of what kind of man I was and she would never want to mess up with me again. After all, nothing was dear to her than her son's wellbeing, that I could take in a snap.

"Master, Audrey informed me my lady is being examined by the doctors at home, they say she lost an immense amount of blood that can be dangerous for both; mother and the baby," Martin spoke, slipping the ground under my feet. I settled inside the backseat of the car.

I felt suffocated for a minute. Losing any of them was the worst thought I could ever have. I needed both of them in my life, I was not ready to live without her, nor I wanted my dream of creating a family to exist in my head only.

Mario sat on the driving seat, "Take me to Mrs," I commanded and saw him nodding through the rear mirror. It took us an hour to reach home. She was in the family mansion even though I commanded them to take to my loft—I didn't want my family to bombard girls with their harsh questions.

Mario pulled the brakes in the porch, stepping out, he opened my door, I stepped out and strode straight to the medical room—where most probably my strawberry would be. It took me two minutes to reach there. I took a turn and saw people standing.

There were grandmother, Giovanna and all the young girls and boys outside the medical room, waiting for someone to inform them of some kind of news.

Grandmother saw me approaching with my men, her eyes shone with an uptight glint, "Lucian," She lightly put her hands on my chest as I stopped near her. Her face was mixed with perplexity and trepidation. "Andranno bene entrambi? (Are they both gonna be okay?)," She asked and that very question brought an arcane feeling. I didn't want to imagine any wrong.

"Andrà tutto bene, nonna. Staranno entrambi bene, (Everything will be fine, grandmother. They both are gonna be okay)," I told her, slightly pulling her closer to my chest and wrapping my arms around her. She let out a weep.

"Non sono due ma tre, sono preoccupato per quella poveretta che non è nemmeno nata, (They are not two but three, I'm worried for that poor soul who hasn't even born yet)," She whispered sobbingly, blooming my heart in a beat. Nothing could feel nicer than hearing such supportive words from my well-wishers.

"Non preoccuparti, nonna, ho le loro spalle, (Don't worry, grandmother, I have got their backs)," I tried to sound strong but inwardly I was ripped apart the second I saw my strawberry dampened in her blood. The look on her face panicked me but I remained the blank-faced Luciano as much as I could.

"Yeah, like they're the only ones who have your back," It was Giovanna. I turned my eyes to her, finding her rolling her eyes in frustration.

"Mainly because they don't like to stab their blood behind their backs," I spat out, hard. I never thought Giovanna could go from slandering our baby sister to provoking someone to strangle her.

"I didn't hurt her. We were only arguing," She gritted.

"I'm not talking about that, G. I'm talking about what you did to your sister and my wife this time," She was the one who informed Sofia about their lunch date. My security team traced the calls and collected enough evidence.

I could feel her skin burning up and she was going to create a hype for saving herself from the guilt. "Look, I didn't play any role in turning them into this. Find someone better who can easily take credits for their condition," Again, rejecting the truth.

"I am impressed by your acting skills but I am forced to mention I have a chip attached to your phone that proves your confidence is fake," I paused to catch pale shade overtaking her face.

"You're invading my privacy!? Are you crazy in your head or what, you fucker?!" She screamed, stepping closer to me with raging eyes. I seized her jaw the moment the cuss word escaped her mouth.

"You said what?" I gritted lowly.

"You're sick!" She spat loudly.

"Yes, I'm and I can. I'm your elder brother and I have every right to know what you are up to," I argued back. "I have recordings of your calls. Clearly, you asked her to give both of them a painful death," I fetched out my phone and played the recording.

Hearing her voice from the speaker, grandmother turned around to glare at her but she didn't even budge. "Questa è una follia, Giovanna. Cosa farò con voi due? (This is insane, Giovanna. What am I gonna do with both of you)," Grandmother scolded. Nikola and Giovanna were a test for our family.

"She has to change for good in order to remain one of us. Otherwise, we both know how far things can go," It was a threat on a lighter note.

"Look who says, a killer-maniac himself," Her eyes turned colder.

"Potete fermarvi entrambi, possiamo avere questa discussione un'altra volta, (Can you both stop, we can have this discussion some other time)," Grandmother scolded, turning back to me. "Per ora, Lucian, vai. La tua famiglia ha bisogno di te, (For now, Lucian, go. Your family needs you)," I smiled warmly, hearing those words made me feel at home.

I went inside, there were monitors beeping. I didn't care if doctors would stop me from being here. I was the one to command them, not them. I saw a team of doctors circling around both of them. "Malinda," I whispered, she turned around and saw me step ahead.

"Master," she bowed.

"What's the update?" I enquired, keeping my face as pensive as possible, but deep down my heart pained watching her motionless with needles attached to her veins.

"Miss. Bernardi has severe bruises. We have given her painkillers and cleaned the wounds. She will take a month to fully recover..." She mumbled politely.

"And Mrs. Bernardi?" I spared her a stern look. She gulped fearfully.

"We are trying our best to save the baby but we can't promise..."

"I need them safe! It's your job, either you save her or your generations will pay for my loss," I gnashed, my eyes flared up, making her tremble.

"Y—Yes, master," She stepped back and jogged to the beds while I stood a few feet away, witnessing them perform medical procedures.

It had been three hours now and they still weren't done with the medical procedures. Many asked me to have rest but it was not an option for me to leave her here all alone. I had to be here when she would open her eyes. So, I refused every time.

Finally, after six hours of the surgery. Doctors took off their masks and successfully saved our heir. I heaved a relieving sigh then. Malinda came to me saying both were stable but they had to observe her overnight.

"When will she wake up?" I asked composedly, deep down I was jumping like a toddler who couldn't stop sobbing because his toy was broken.

She glanced at the drip-stand and then my strawberry, "It would easily take two to three hours, or maybe earlier than this," She was doubtful.

"Malinda, do I look like a man who accepts anticipations? One more time and you are fired for this non-serious behaviour," I kept my voice as mute as possible. I couldn't let my strawberry endure more pain anymore, even by the tiniest thing.

She apologised and got back to her work.

It was now four in the morning and now I was only in the room with strawberry. I shifted Natasha to her room, she was being observed by the medical staff while I looked after my wife. It had been four hours since I had been sitting beside her, watching her sleeping like a newborn, she looked that pure and innocent. I felt this desire to hide her in my heart and keep her safe there until she's a grown woman; for me, she was a baby. This feeling gave birth in me recently.

I wished there could be a way where it would be only me who could see her, adore her, love her, provide for her everything she would ask, even with my life. I was ready to devote my whole self to this one fragile girl.

I want to be her one. Forever.

Strawberry's face made a movement, I noticed. I moved her hand close to my face and kissed her again, wondering if it's time for her to wake up. I was desperately waiting to talk to her.

Her lips parted, she breathed deeply. I sat steady. "W-Water," She muffled, I almost read her lips and immediately fetched water for her and held it closer to her lips to which she sipped and grunted.

She slowly opened her eyes and the foremost thing I wanted her to witness was me—which she did—I wanted to observe her reaction this time to ensure I wasn't wrong about her falling for me a little. Cause back in the building, her eyes sparkled in hope glancing at me, she was glad I came as her saviour. She actually counted on me.

"L-Luciano," Strawberry looked at me, in pain, but deep down there was still a ray of hope laced in her voice, that was enough to stabilize my curious heart.

"Yes, strawberry," I bent closer to her, brushing my fingers on her scalp, I knew she enjoyed my touch.

"Am I a—alive?" She gasped. I felt in awe of her.

"Very much, strawberry. I can't let you die too soon," I tried to joke on a lighter note. She breathed calmly as if I said exactly what she wanted to hear.

"You're here," She whispered faintly, leaking a small smile and taking my heart out in her palms.

"Of course, I'm here. I have been close to you all this while," I cooed her, admiring every pore of her skin. She was simply a poetry. I wondered how she kept herself protected from these lusty wolves.

"T—Thank Y—You," I read her lips again. Thanks? For what? I would die for this girl and she didn't know this.

"You don't need to say that. It had to protect you at every cost," I told her, but I would not express myself, it was her turn to confess. "And that is because you are my lawful wife and carrying my baby," I had to sound a little cold when I knew she had finally seen my devotion toward her.

"D—Did you save m—me only b—because o—of t—this ba—baby?" Did my words hurt her? If yes, then I should pat myself for successfully making her feel something for me. Though this abduction brought many problems for me but it ended well for me as well.

"Maybe. Maybe not," I teased her and she threw her frail hand on me, grinning a little.

"Say the truth," She knew the truth but she wanted to hear from my mouth.

"You know I saved you because I love you, Jennifer, and it's the first time I am saying such words to a woman," I said with every bit of sincerity I contained in me. It was a zero humour attached confession. "I vowed to protect you with everything that I have and I will make sure you stay with me," I wanted to kiss her mouth so bad.

Her smile was pulling me toward her but she masked it before I could question it. that. That was my answer to every doubt I had in my heart. It was the first step toward our love journey. "I don't know but it felt nice to hear," she whispered. I could understand she said it to tease me... right?

"You don't believe in me?" I questioned, even though I knew her motive behind saying that but it kind of hurt me deep down.

"Maybe you're saying this only to save this baby," Was she even real? A second ago she admitted my passion for her and now, she chose to fight it. That's not fair.

"Maybe you're wrong," I defended myself.

"I'm not wrong, I know it. You marry me only to have this baby with pride. Otherwise, your family would have disowned him for being an illegitimate heir," Strawberry took a sharp turn all of a sudden. I wasn't expecting this but she was right. It was one of the reasons I married her

But most importantly, my intention was to have this baby with her so that she could never think of leaving me. I would simply use our son—who would also be a sign of my first lovemaking—to stop her from leaving me.

"After I will give birth to this baby and then you will divorce me," It felt like she mumbled it with a heavy heart. "...So, I can't trust your words. Maybe they are really true or maybe you are only trying to make me feel better for now..." I wanted to clarify her fuzzy notion but something inside me held me back, she was waiting for me to give an explanation and when I didn't, "You actually wanted an heir from me and that's only you need maybe," That's all she interpreted. I could sense her going from lively to downcast? "You made me a surrogate, why did you do this to me?"

"Look, if you want to terminate the contract, I can make it happen in a snap, you won't be a surrogate anymore," I offered her and it should be enough for her to consider my affection genuine for her.

"No. I like to keep it the way it is. I will have a divorce after a year," in your dreams, my strawberry

"What if I divorce you and take custody of our baby and never let you meet him. Would you be fine with it?" She took time to think over it.

"I don't know," these pregnancy hormones would be the death of me. These mood swings of hers were killing me.

"I thought you love kids," I pointed out her weak point. Now, it was time to emotionally grasp her in my palm.

"I do," She agreed.

"Then? What's stopping you from not fighting for him? And besides, he will be from your own flesh and blood,"

She took a pause processing this. Suddenly she started to blink. Her face was exposing her astonished expressions. "I never thought like this before," but now you do.

"But now you do. Think about it," I was smirking in my head. Maybe, she would stop fighting those feelings for me. She had to admit the first steps toward me. Be it this baby or the abduction but something had got her heart skipping a beat. "You have to face it someday,"

"Stop! You are confusing me. Stop," She whimpered and tightly shut her eyes and turned her face away from me—from the truth—but she knew it was impossible to avoid me. I would be everywhere to remind her who she belonged to.

This baby in your womb was enough to remind you.

"Alright then, strawberry. I will leave you to rest and recover. We will talk about this someday, we are not done yet," I whispered and stood up to kiss her temple. She hitched her breath when my lips contracted with hers. Again, that was a sign that I had started affecting her heart. "Keep your eyes closed and try to sleep," My lips stroke against her forehead's skin, her breath fanned over my chin, making me inwardly tremble for her.

I stood straight and walked closer to the switchboard, "Goodnight, Luciano," Strawberry whispered, I turned around, finding her looking toward me.

I smiled tenderly "Goodnight, strawberry," I said and turned off the light.