Everyone was in a state of panic. Gio quickly pulled me aside, making sure I was safe. A waiter was holding a woman hostage. I stuck close to Gio, fearing that the hostage-taker might consider shooting us.
“G-Gio, should we do something?” I asked, holding his arm and looking at him. “Save her-”
“Not my job,” he tersely replied, checking his wristwatch while I struggled to believe what he just said.
The hostage-taker was still being convinced when he suddenly collapsed to the ground, releasing the woman. The rapid turn of events was so swift that if I hadn’t seen the blood on the hostage-taker’s head, I wouldn’t have believed he was dead.
My face must have turned pale, as I stared at the man who still had his eyes open but was no longer alive. Gio covered my eyes to shield me from the sight. I looked at him, and it seemed like he’d been watching me for a while.
I glanced at his cousins, especially when Raffaele arrived and his cousins questioned where he had been. That’s when I realized he had disappeared during the hostage-taking.
Due to that incident, our gala was canceled. Gio and I left immediately. Surprisingly, I was getting used to this kind of life with Gio.
Days passed by as usual. I’d go to work, come home with Gio, and sometimes, we’d visit his family. When we visited my dad’s house, Gio made sure I was with him, or it was even better if my dad wasn’t there. I wanted to see Sienna because I missed my little sister.
“Do you know, sis, someone’s courting me!” Sienna giggled, and I widened my eyes.
Gio was with me, and we were at my dad’s house. My Aunt Elsie and Dad weren’t around because they were on vacation. Sienna didn’t join them because she was studying.
“Sienna, focus on your studies for now, but I’m not saying you can’t entertain suitors. Just know your priorities,” I advised my sister.
“I know, Sis! He’s just courting me. I told him if he can wait until we both finish college, then maybe we can be together.” My sister laughed. “For now, I want to concentrate on my studies. I want to graduate with Honors like you, Sis!”
I was surprised by what Sienna said. “Don’t aim to be like me, Sienna. You’re the opposite of your older sister. You’re cheerful and have many friends. I want that for you. I don’t want you to be like me.”
“Of course, Millie! I idolize you,” she hugged me, and I was overjoyed to feel her embrace.
“You are being sweet, huh? What do you want? You must want something,” I teased her, even though I was genuinely thrilled that she said that. I truly appreciated that she looked up to me.
“Nothing really, sis! I just missed you!” She broke away from our hug, and I playfully squeezed her. “But… can I ask a favor, if it’s okay?”
I gave Sienna a skeptical look, and she smiled at me, trying to be charming.
“Maybe I could stay with you for a while, sis. I’m all alone here, and it’s been days since Mama left. It’s kind of lonely! I only have the maids to keep me company during the day, and at night, I’m alone in my room.” Sienna held my hand. “When I need help with my assignments, I have no one to ask. They’re mostly about accounting,” she added.
“Well, I can’t really help you with accounting,” I said, as it wasn’t my field of study.
“Maybe Gio can help!”
My eyes widened, and my sister grinned at me.
“I might even get an ‘A’ on my major homework if that happens, sis!”
“Sienna!” I scolded her before looking at Gio, who couldn’t hear our conversation because he was engrossed in his laptop.
“Gio is said to be smart, you know! Dad says he graduated Summa Cum Laude in college! Wow! And he even completed his Juris Doctor with a thesis!” Sienna exclaimed.
I sighed in frustration.
“But kidding aside, sis, I just want to be with you. It’s been a while since you visited here, and I can’t go to your place. Now that I have the chance to be with you, I want to seize it.”
I have a soft spot for Sienna, so in the end, I couldn’t refuse her.
“I’ll have to ask Gio for permission first, okay? If he agrees, I’ll agree. If not… no.”
Sienna and I reached an agreement like that. I approached Gio, who was now on the phone, waiting for him to finish his call before talking to him about my sister’s request.
“Sienna wants to stay here while Aunt Elsie and Papa are away. Is that okay with you?”
Gio looked at me and paused what he was doing. He took longer to respond, so I quickly followed up on my initial statement.
“She says she’s alone here.”
“Sure,” he said curtly. “You don’t have to ask me. You are the co-owner of the house, Millie. It’s your home too.”
When we decided to go home, I was delighted that Sienna would be with us. Carrying a bag, we left that house. Sienna was extremely excited and talked non-stop in the car. At times, I felt like covering her mouth, fearing Gio might get annoyed with her.
Sienna praised the entire house when we entered. I gave her a tour and showed her the prepared room for her.
“Thank you, sis!” She approached me, and I hugged her again. “Can you sleep here tonight?”
“Sienna…”
“Okay, just kidding!” She broke free from the hug. “I wouldn’t want to keep you from Gio. It’s good as it is; who knows, we might have a niece or nephew anytime soon.”
Sienna’s joy was evident, especially when she mentioned the possibility of having a niece or nephew.
She went into the walk-in closet, and I observed it for a while. Suddenly, the thought of children resurfaced. It had slipped my mind, but now Sienna had reminded me. Gio and I couldn’t have children. Not because we couldn’t, but because he didn’t want to.
I shook my head and tried to clear my mind of the negative thoughts. We could still be happy without children, right? I believed Gio had his reasons for not wanting them, even though he hadn’t shared them with me yet.
I sat in the living room, watching TV. Sienna was resting in her room, and Gio was in the study room, busy with work.
The news came on the screen. I lazily watched it, even though I wasn’t particularly interested in what was being shown.
“Huff Inc. already filed for bankruptcy.”
I sat up straight when I heard that news. Huff? The place where Marion Huff, who was supposed to be my husband before Gio came into the picture, was from? Marion was the son of a close friend of my father, and they had arranged for us to get married. However, we later heard that their company had suffered sudden losses and the market had crashed, so my father canceled our wedding. I couldn’t believe that their company was now bankrupt.