“Who are we waiting for here, Gio?” I asked him. Even though Gio and I had sorted things out, we decided to stay on the island for a few more days to make the most of it before heading back to the city. It was Saturday, and we didn’t have any work, so Gio and I might return to New York tomorrow night.
However, earlier, Gio received a call and immediately had the four rooms in their house on the island prepared. He still hasn’t told me who’s coming.
“Here they are,” Gio said before looking up at the sky. I spotted two choppers.
My lips curved into a smile as I waited to see who the passengers were. Gio’s expression reverted to its usual coolness as if he had never learned to express emotions. I chuckled. I always enjoyed seeing his expressive side, but, as I said, you wouldn’t see it when other people were around.
I was surprised to see that the chopper passengers were Gio’s male cousins, each with their respective girlfriends or wives. I saw Kyrie, who waved at me as soon as she spotted me. I smiled back and noticed that they were accompanied by their children.
“Hi, Millie!” Kyrie greeted me. “Laureine, say hello to Aunt Millie.”
Laureine quickly approached me. I squatted to her level, and she kissed me on the cheek before saying hello.
I also greeted Chloe and Raffaele, accompanied by their child Tobias. Like Laureine, Tobias also greeted me and planted a kiss on my cheek.
I noticed that there were more than just two kids here. Taddeo had another young boy with him. I gasped when I saw a pair of eyes identical to Taddeo’s.
On the other side of Taddeo was a beautiful woman who was looking at me with a smile that suggested she was thrilled to see me.
“This is Beatrice, my fiancee,” Taddeo introduced his companion. Beatrice immediately approached me and took my hand. I was taken aback but decided to go along with it.
“Finally! I’ve been looking for you through Gio, but… he said you were sick or not feeling well!” Beatrice glanced at Gio, who was standing behind me. “You’re so secretive, Gio! Your wife is so beautiful; you shouldn’t hide her like that!”
Beatrice’s comment about Gio surprised me. I never thought I’d hear another woman speak to Gio this way, aside from his sister. Even Kyrie and Chloe never talked to Gio like this. It was as if the two of them were afraid of my husband.
Taddeo pulled his fiancee close and whispered something to her, making her laugh.
“Anyway, this is Lucian, our child.”
I looked at the child again. He was staring at me as if he was studying me closely. When Beatrice noticed this, she quickly approached her child.
“That’s your Aunt Millie, Lucy,” Beatrice introduced me, as it seemed the child wasn’t keen on approaching me.
“What Aunt? She’s our cousin!” Raffaele interjected, and Valerio chimed in, and they both high-fived.
“Both of you, stop it!” Chloe scolded, but she was clearly amused too.
“Is it true, huh? Beatrice is Gio’s aunt. When Bei and Taddeo get married, Gio will also be Taddeo’s uncle. So, Lucy is Gio’s cousin, not his nephew!” Raffaele added, unable to contain their laughter. Now, I could see her easy-going side. The last time I saw her, she was such a serious person.
When Gio glanced at the two of them, they immediately covered their mouths.
“Don’t mind them,” Beatrice said.
I squatted in front of Lucian and greeted him. At first, I thought he wouldn’t acknowledge me, but he mustered a timid hello.
“Where’s Arcel?” Gio asked.
“He didn’t come. He said he’s busy. Busy chasing after someone,” Valerio and Raffaele laughed as they referred to another cousin, Arcel.
We all entered the rest house together. I walked beside Gio and couldn’t help but chuckle. His mood shifted so quickly. Just a while ago, when it was just the two of us, he was incredibly expressive, but now, you couldn’t discern any emotion on his face.
“How did Beatrice become your aunt?” Beatrice and I were almost the same age, or maybe she was a few years older.
Gio groaned, clearly not wanting to discuss it.
“Dad and her father are first cousins. My grandfather, Lolo Reuben, and Beatrice’s dad are siblings.”
I pondered that for a moment. Did it mean…
“So, is Taddeo her nephew? How…”
“It’s complicated, Millie. Let’s stop talking about other people’s lives.”
Gio held my hand and we walked into the house. I fell silent too because it seemed Gio didn’t want to discuss it.
I learned that they wanted to go on vacation and were originally planning to go to a beach. When they invited Gio, he told them that we were vacationing on their private island, so that’s why his cousins gathered here instead. I was fine with it; I wanted to get to know them as well.
We decided to set up near the beach and have our meal there later. Valerio and Raffaele were running near the shore with their child. Lucy sat quietly, observing his uncles and cousins. Kyrie and Chloe were taking pictures not too far away. Gio, Beatrice, Taddeo, and I were preparing the table and setting out the dishes prepared by their staff. There was an abundance of food, and it all looked delicious. I was getting hungry already.
“So, how are things between you two?” Taddeo asked Gio, looking at him as he inquired. I noticed Gio’s expression darkening even more.
“Huh?” Beatrice and I said in unison before turning to Taddeo with a meaningful grin on his face.
“I heard that you and Gio had some issues, Millie. Have you resolved them? Isn’t that why you’re here on the island? To work out your problems?”
I glanced at Gio. Did he actually tell Taddeo or just hint at it? Maybe Taddeo just assumed we had a problem. I couldn’t help but smirk to myself, thinking about teasing Gio a bit.
“Oh, yeah. We’re actually getting an annulment,” I said.
Beatrice’s eyes widened as she looked at me. I also noticed the surprise in Taddeo’s eyes. I looked at Gio, with a smile playing on my lips that widened when I saw the reaction I wanted on my husband’s face. I wanted to burst out laughing but managed to hold it in.
“What? Seriously?” Beatrice asked me. I had only just met Beatrice, but I immediately felt comfortable around her. She was easy to get along with, and I liked her… she was the only one who could respond to Gio without him getting angry. It was clear she wasn’t afraid of him.
I nodded at Beatrice with a smile. I was on the verge of bursting into laughter, especially every time I saw Gio’s annoyed expression.
Taddeo cleared his throat and approached Beatrice. He wrapped his arm around her waist.
“I think it would be better to take Lucy around the island. Let’s go, Beatrice.”
Beatrice clearly didn’t want to leave, but Taddeo pulled her away. I couldn’t stop laughing as I was left alone with Gio, and his darkened expression was evident.
“What was that? I thought you were going to drop the annulment,” he said.
“What if I don’t want to, Gio?” I said, teasingly.
He immediately pulled me closer. He embraced me tightly while I laughed, knowing that my husband was getting annoyed again.
“Drop it, Millie,” he said in an authoritative tone.
“Drop what?” I asked innocently.
“About the annulment,” he replied.