“It’s not that, Millie. I know you can, but I just feel like you might be reckless if you continue. You’ll rush into situations without properly assessing if you can handle the danger or not because you think you can protect yourself. Not because you can, you need to jump into situations that you shouldn’t.” Gio let out a deep sigh. Nevertheless, his expression remained the same. At first glance, you’d think he was still angry. “If you promise me that you’ll never involve yourself in situations that could put your life in danger, I’ll allow you to continue your training. I’ll even monitor and facilitate your training along with Gianna.”
My face lit up. What a twist! I never expected Gio to help me with my training, especially after everything he’d said to me.
I raised my hand in agreement. “I promise!” I approached him and hugged him. I’m not sure why I did it, maybe I was just overwhelmed. “I just want your family to fully accept and acknowledge me as your wife, Gio. I don’t want them to think that I’m just relying on you and being a burden in your life.” I let my head rest on his chest as I spoke.
“They accept you, Millie. They accept everything about you just as much as I do. Don’t overthink it. My family acknowledges you.”
“Gia doesn’t.” I remembered that I still needed to prove myself to his sister.
“She does. She’s not good with her words.”
I raised my gaze to him. “Aren’t you used to me by now? Gianna and I have the same way of speaking.”
He chuckled at what I said. So, he acknowledged that they both had a way of speaking that could be harsh?
After my conversation with Gio, he held my hand and led me towards the training ground where Gianna was waiting. He needed to talk to her again.
“Is that how you and Gianna always communicate? You both seem to give sarcastic remarks to each other,” I asked while walking. I remembered how Gianna had spoken to Gio earlier. Normally, Gio would get irritated by that, but I couldn’t see any hint of annoyance on his face when he was talking to his twin.
“That’s just how Gia and I are. Sarcasm is our way of showing affection,” Gio shrugged. “We’re not often seen talking to each other by other people, and we usually appear quiet, but when it’s just the two of us, we always talk a lot. We always have each other’s back.”
I was dumbfounded by Gio’s words. I already knew that. I knew that the reason Gianna came to see me was to find out who had married her twin and whether her brother was in good hands. Maybe Gianna was just worried about Gio. However, they both lacked a filter on their words, so if you didn’t understand their personalities, their comments could be hurtful.
The siblings had talked, and they were both okay with the new arrangement. There were times when the two of them didn’t agree, especially when Gio wanted me to rest but Gianna didn’t want me to waste my time since I was still capable.
~*~
Monday comes, I didn’t go to the office because my body was really sore. I told Gio that I could handle it, but he insisted. He said he was my boss, so I should listen to him. Well, I couldn’t argue with that.
I had run out of pain relief patches for my sore muscles, so I decided to go out. The house staff tried to stop me, but I insisted on buying them myself. I also wanted to enjoy some sunlight today. I had been lying in bed all morning with nothing to do.
I drove to the mall, even though I was only heading to the pharmacy. I also did a bit of shopping for things I thought would be useful. Gio left me his card, but I didn’t intend to use it. I had my own money.
On my way back home, I was comfortably seated inside the car when something caught my eye on the side of the road we were passing.
“Stop!” Those words automatically came out of my mouth. I asked the car to stop on the side of the road and got out.
I quickly walked towards the familiar figure I had seen standing on the side of the road.
I was out of breath by the time I reached him. He still hadn’t noticed me, so I called out his name.
“Marion?”
He turned and his eyes widened when he saw me.
“Millie.” He walked towards me and hugged me gently.
I was still in shock and couldn’t believe I wasn’t dreaming. It really was Marion Huff, my ex-fiance!
~*~
I distanced myself from Marion’s embrace and observed him closely. His appearance was vastly different from the times he used to visit our home, and from the last time I saw him before learning about the cancellation of our wedding and the sudden downfall of their company.
“What are you doing here? Where’s your car?” I never imagined that the person I used to see riding in luxurious cars would be here, walking along the side of the road.
Marion shrugged at me. “I’ve sold my cars. You’ve probably heard about what happened to my family, and my father’s sudden passing due to a heart attack. My mother got hospitalized. We had a lot of expenses, and the remaining money we had wasn’t enough, so I had to sell some things.”
A heavy feeling settled in my chest, but I nodded at him. “Do you have somewhere to go? Would you like to come with me? I can drive you home. Come on.”
At first, he seemed reluctant to join me, but in the end, I managed to convince him. Both of us got into the car, and I asked him where we should head.
Marion gazed around our vehicle and grinned before looking at me. “Wow,” he said. “I’m speechless. I never believed you’d marry into the Locatelli family. They’re known for hating arranged marriages, but I guess Uncle Enrique is really good at convincing. He forced a laugh, while I managed a forced smile.
“How’s Aunt Matilda? I heard she was in the hospital. Has she been discharged yet?” I wasn’t super close to Marion, but he wasn’t a stranger either. We had casual conversations in the past. Maybe it was my own social awkwardness that made me think we weren’t close. Still, we had shared experiences.
“She’s fine. She’s in stable condition and resting at home,” Marion reassured me. I breathed a sigh of relief, at least hearing some good news from him.
“What are you doing there? Are you waiting for someone?” I tried to look at Marion, but quickly looked away. I didn’t want him to notice that I felt sorry for him. No one wants to be pitied by others.
“I’m looking for a job,” he replied, sighing. I couldn’t help but steal a glance at him. “But it’s been tough. I’ve been rejected everywhere. Even though I’m qualified, some won’t hire me because of my family’s issues. Besides the bankruptcy, some people think we’re scammers. We never did anything wrong, and I don’t know how we ended up like this.”
I felt the weight of Marion’s problems. I could see the pain and sadness in his eyes as he went through his family’s current struggles. I also knew how difficult it was to lose one’s parents because I had lost my own mother. Although I don’t have many memories of her since I was still young, I understood the pain of losing a parent.