I stood up from my seat to wander around the venue and perhaps socialize. I found myself at the venue’s bar, choosing a cocktail.
“Is she Enrique Pearce’s daughter?” I overheard someone say.
I froze in the middle of choosing a drink when I heard that.
“Oh, dear! I heard that his father sold her to the Huff, but when the Huffs went bankrupt, they sold her to the Locatellis. What a desperate move. Well, what can you expect when their company was going under at the time.”
I clenched my jaw, but I didn’t look at them. I pretended I hadn’t heard a thing and didn’t care. They wanted my attention. They wanted to rub in my face what my father did, and I wasn’t going to give them the satisfaction.
“Luckily, she’s a beautiful daughter. It’s a good thing Attorney Agatone Locatelli agreed to let his son marry a girl like her, even though we know her family background isn’t great.”
The two women chuckled. I grabbed a cocktail before turning to look at the two elderly women who had been talking about me for a while now.
They grinned at me, but I gave them a sweet and affectionate smile. When they noticed my expression, their smiles gradually faded. One of them cleared her throat and pulled her companion away before they both disappeared from my view.
Some people approached me to introduce themselves. They saw me with Gio and were intrigued by who I was.
I managed to escape from the crowd, but I almost tripped because some of the guests were getting a bit rowdy.
Someone caught my hand, preventing my drink from spilling and me from kissing the floor. Three men stood before me, two of them with strange smiles while one had a broad grin as he supported me.
“Thank you…” I quickly withdrew my hand when I noticed he had been holding it for a while.
“Are you okay?” one of the men asked.
I nodded quickly before attempting to leave.
“I wouldn’t think of going back there. People are crowding you; you might get hurt again.” He was probably referring to my near-fall earlier.
I smiled politely. I was thinking of how to leave without coming off as standoffish. I’m not particularly good at conversing, especially with men. Plus, Gio was here, and I didn’t want him to see me talking to these men.
“By the way, we are the Vicenzio brothers, and you must be…”
“My wife.” I immediately felt a hand on my waist.
Even before I could turn around, Gio’s pleasant fragrance greeted me. He rested his chin on my shoulder. We were in a position that felt like Gio was claiming and marking his property, subtly implying that I belonged to him without uttering those words.
“G-Gio…” I couldn’t move properly. I felt frozen in place as I sensed Gio behind me.
“M-Mr. Locatelli, your wife, I presume,” one of the three men said. I noticed them stepping back when they saw Gio. Gio didn’t say anything; instead, he brushed my hair covering my neck and kissed it! He kissed my neck in front of those three men.
I was surprised by what was happening, but the three men seemed even more taken aback. One of them cleared his throat and quickly excused themselves before leaving us.
Dario, who was also at the party, hurriedly approached. “Sir?” he asked.
Gio held my hand, quickly pulling me away. I couldn’t protest because his demeanor had shifted once again.
If a person’s aura were visible, you’d see Gio’s as black right now.
I chuckled to myself. He was probably jealous again. I laughed at my own thoughts.
My smile faded when I remembered what the two women said earlier. I stopped walking, causing Gio to halt as well. He looked at me, probably wondering why I had stopped.
“Gio…” I looked directly at Gio and forced a smile. “Aren’t you regretting marrying someone like me? I mean, my father doesn’t have the best reputation with other people. While some in our company still respect him, a few know what kind of person he is. Aren’t you afraid that people might have a negative opinion of you because I’m your wife?”
Gio’s expression changed immediately. I was learning how to read Gio’s emotions, even if he didn’t seem to show any change.
“If I didn’t want to marry you, it wouldn’t have happened in the first place. I married you, and there should be no more questions about that. I have no regrets marrying you, Millie. Who gave you that idea, huh?”
I didn’t speak and just lowered my head. Gio gently pulled me closer to him.
“Tell me who they are, and let me handle them for talking shit about you and your family, Millie.”
I smiled at Gio, no longer in control of myself. I walked up to him and tiptoed to reach his lips. I kissed him lightly on the lips and then pulled away.
“Thank you, Gio.”
I was now sitting at our table with Kyrie, Valerio’s girlfriend and one of Gio’s cousins.
“How’s Gio as a husband?” Kyrie smiled at me. “You know, when I first met him, I was terrified of him. I couldn’t speak when he was around. Now, I’m still scared of him, but thanks to his help, I’ve come to terms with the truth.”
“Gio is okay,” I replied. “Why? What did he say to you?” I asked Kyrie.
“Before, I was shy and timid. My self-esteem was low, and I was too kind. I often got taken advantage of because of it. Gio told me that Valerio couldn’t be there all the time to save or protect me, so I needed to help myself. That’s when I realized he was right. So, I trained myself, and here I am now.”
Kyrie continued to share her story with me. I was pleased to hear about her life after getting to know Valerio. We were alike in many ways. The only difference was that her stepfamily hurt her, while I had my own father. But we were in the same boat, both craving our fathers’ love. I was glad to hear that she was finally finding it.
However, there were differences between the two of us. She learned to fight and be strong. She had become a completely different person, and that was all thanks to Valerio and Gio.
I glanced at Gio, who was deep in conversation with Taddeo. They were so serious that it seemed nothing could disturb them. I thought to myself that I wanted to change. Change was something I was afraid of. I feared that stepping out of my comfort zone would expose me to more opportunities for pain. But Kyrie had proven that to me tonight.
My life had changed. I was Gio’s wife now. I couldn’t remain imprisoned in my past and live in perpetual fear of it. It wasn’t something that could be overcome quickly, but I needed to take action to defend myself.
I was going to talk to Gio about it. In addition to the emotional and mental support he provided, I wanted to be physically fit to be worthy of staying by his side. I wanted to be able to protect myself when he wasn’t around, to not be a burden forever.
I bid farewell to Kyrie, and she did the same. I was approaching Gio when we both heard a loud gunshot, and a hostage situation unfolded.