32

32
Emilia’s POV
I was standing behind Francesca, brushing her hair into a bun when the door of her room pushed open. She raised her head slightly. “Hi dad,” she greeted before shifting her gaze down to the barbie cartoon she was watching on her tablet.
“Sweetie,” he said in acknowledgement. I looked at him as I eventually wrapped Francesca’s hair into a bun and held it in place with a rubber. He and I have barely seen each other since two days ago when I had requested for him to follow me to the hospital. I had wanted Matteo to see that he was not as bad as he thought, but that was a very stupid mistake on my part. I didn’t know why I thought I’d be able to change Matteo’s mind. If I was stubborn, Matteo was even worse than I am.
The way Alaric kept staring at me made it clear that he had something he wanted to say to me. And he didn’t want to say it in front of Francesca.
I kissed her cheek, my hand lingering on her shoulder for a little while as I started moving towards him. He turned around and walked out the door. I followed suit, shutting the door behind me.
“Do you need something, Mr Castillo?” I asked when he kept staring at me with crossed arms and cold, calculating eyes.
He remained quiet, his eyes on me for a few more minutes before he said at last. “I’ve gotten an apartment for your brother.”
My brows furrowed in confusion. “We have an apartment,” I reminded him. An apartment which he hadn’t let me set foot in since I started working here.
“I’ve gotten an apartment for your brother,” he repeated, as if he couldn’t care less about what I just said. “And we’re going to check it now.”
I didn’t know what to think. I hadn’t requested for him to get an apartment for Matteo, yet he did anyways, even after Matteo had been so disrespectful to him two days ago. I swallowed. “Thank you.”
He only gave me a nod and turned around, motioning that I follow him.
The drive to the apartment was silent, with only the hum of the car and the occasional turn signal filling the quiet. Alaric sat next to me, eyes fixed on the road, his face unreadable.
When we pulled up to the apartment complex, I felt a strange flutter in my chest. I couldn’t help but feel some sense of relief. Matteo had been through hell, and now, finally, he’d have a place of his own where he could feel comfortable, not that small excuse of a house we lived in before.
Alaric parked the car, and we stepped out into the brisk evening air. He motioned for me to follow, leading the way with his long, confident strides, as if he’d already memorized the layout of this place. I trailed behind, feeling very grateful to him.
We reached the door of the apartment, and Alaric handed me the key without a word. I took it, fingers brushing his for the briefest moment, but he barely seemed to notice. I turned the key in the lock, and we stepped inside.
The apartment was modest but tasteful-simple furniture, clean lines, and a view that looked out over the city. It was just the kind of place Matteo would have wanted, nothing too flashy, just safe and comfortable. I walked in slowly, taking it all in, the weight of the moment settling over me. Alaric stayed near the doorway, hands in his pockets, looking out of place but entirely at ease. For a second, I imagined what it must be like to live in a world where he could just snap his fingers, make things like this happen.
I turned to face him, feeling a bit nervous. “Thank you, Alaric. Really. This wasn’t necessary, yet you did it anyway. So, thank you.”
His gaze remained fixed somewhere over my shoulder, almost as if he were avoiding looking at me directly. “It’s nothing,” he replied, his voice as flat.
I bit my lip, uncertain of what else to say.
“You didn’t have to do this,” I continued, trying to reach him, even just a little. “I mean… I know you don’t usually go out of your way for people like this. Especially for someone like me.”
He finally looked at me, his gaze hard but unreadable. “Matteo is your family. You wouldn’t be able to focus on anything else if he wasn’t safe or comfortable. This is just… practical.”
The words stung, even though I knew he probably meant them as reassurance. Practical. Everything about him was so meticulously controlled, so calculated. And here I was, caught up in emotions I didn’t want to admit to feeling. Still, I nodded, trying to accept his explanation, to remind myself that I was just an employee, and he was my boss. That was all.
“I just… I want you to know I’m grateful.” I forced myself to meet his gaze, hoping he could see that I meant it.
He gave a slight nod, an acknowledgment, but his face remained as impassive as ever. “Your brother’s been through a lot,” he said quietly, his voice softer, almost as if he were speaking more to himself than to me. “This place will give him what he needs to get back on his feet.”
“Thank you,” I said again, my voice barely more than a whisper.
He shifted, his gaze flicking away from mine. “It’s fine. You don’t need to keep thanking me.”
After a moment, he cleared his throat, his posture growing even more rigid. “I’ll have Allesio check in on him from time to time, make sure everything stays in order.”
The words brought me back to reality. Of course he’d have someone watching. Alaric never left loose ends untied. Even this, this generous act, came with strings attached. It was silly of me to expect anything less.
“I appreciate it,” I replied, forcing a smile that didn’t quite reach my eyes. “Matteo will, too.”
He gave a short nod, and the conversation seemed to hit another dead end. I glanced around the apartment, letting my gaze linger on the small details, the ones I imagined would bring Matteo comfort. He’d never say it, but I knew he’d be grateful. For him, this place would be a new start, a chance at stability.
Finally, I turned back to Alaric. “I’ll let Matteo know to expect Allesio. He’ll understand.”
Alaric’s eyes flickered with something unreadable before his expression hardened once more. “Good. Make sure he does.” He paused, as if considering his next words carefully. “This isn’t… permanent. It’s just to get him settled.”
I nodded, a part of me oddly disappointed by the reminder. “Of course. I wouldn’t expect anything else.”
The words tasted bitter, but I forced myself to say them, to remind myself where we stood. This wasn’t some fairy tale where the dark, mysterious figure swooped in and saved the day. This was Alaric’s world, a world of pragmatism and control, where emotions had no place.
Still, as he turned to leave, I couldn’t shake the strange pang in my chest. I watched him walk toward the door, wanting to say something to him, wanting to say a lot of things to him but I found myself holding back. It would only be useless.
Before he reached the door, he glanced back, his eyes meeting mine for a fleeting moment. “I’ll send a car over to pick you up when you’re ready to leave. But you should be back before night because Francesca would get restless if you don’t.”
“Yeah, I will,” I replied with a nod, grateful that he was giving me some time to get myself together. He opened the door and walked out, shutting it silently behind him.
I held my breath for what felt like minutes, but when I was sure that he wasn’t coming back, I let go of that breath. And tears came with it.