Alexander pov.
“Seriously? The first thing you do when you wake up is kiss her? Are you out of your mind, Alexander, or have all those bullets finally messed with your already deranged brain?” Daniel scolded, dressing my wound with a mixture of disbelief and anger.
“Aw, Uncle Daniel, don’t scold him,” Julian interjected from across the room, smirking as he glanced up from his phone. “Uncle Alexander wasn’t exactly normal to begin with, so why are you surprised?” He leaned back, his voice casual. “Do you know what everyone in Italy calls him? Creatura delle tenebre – ‘creature of the darkness.’ He’s the same man who wiped out an entire mafia clan just because they betrayed him.”
I tilted my head to the side, my cold gaze sweeping over him but of course, the dumb idiot didn’t even realize.
I was already in a bad mood, angry at myself for doing something so foolish. I had kissed her, thinking she was Emily, and before I even realized what I was doing, I had followed my urge. The worst part was, I didn’t hate it. This was the second time I had let my guard down, the second time I found myself not despising her touch.
Damnit.
“Ah yes, or the time he shot the yakuza leader dead because he made a sexual joke about madam Emily. Boss really isn’t normal, I agree with that” Sebastian added as he handed the scissors to Daniel.
Julian and Daniel nodded in agreement.
“Tsk, I often wonder how on earth Alexander and I ended up as twins. It’s like having a devil and an angel share the same womb. It’s a miracle he didn’t kill me before we even saw the light of day.”
“I know right! But wow, I really need to be strong like Uncle Alexander. Sometimes I feel like you’re not even human, you barely even flinched when you were shot, no wonder papa warned me never to cross you.”
The corner of my lips curled into a sneer as I shot him a glare. “And it seems you never listen, do you? Because if anything, you’re pissing me off right now,” I snapped, my voice louder than I intended. Almost immediately, everyone in the room froze, their eyes widening as they stared at me.
I knew exactly why- I wasn’t one to raise my voice, but hell, I was angry and needed an outlet. These three fools were the perfect targets.
“Uncle, I”
“I, what? You’re nothing but useless. You’re moving out of that hotel and coming to stay here, where I can keep an eye on you. You’ve barely been back for any time, and already you’re in another scandal with some actress. Do you have any idea what I had to do to keep that under wraps?” I interrupted him, watching as his eyes widened in shock.
“What?! How do you know? Are you having me watched?!”
I scoffed, narrowing my eyes with a dangerous glint. “Don’t kid yourself into thinking you’re important. If it weren’t for your father, I would have thrown you out of that window right now.”
Julian gasped and quickly leaned away from the edge.
“Alexander, that’s too harsh. Julian is our cousin” Sebastian started, but he faltered as my glare turned to him. He froze, swallowing nervously, and then quickly shifted his attention to Julian, his expression now stern.
“You bastard! How could you get involved in another scandal the moment you arrive? Can’t you see my brother”
“Oh, shut up,” I cut him off, sitting up straight as I reached for my shirt, completely ignoring him.
“Of course, haha. Don’t mind me, sometimes I speak without thinking,” Daniel chuckled nervously, leaning away from me.
“That is pretty obvious,” I remarked, putting on my shirt. Almost immediately, I heard Sebastian burst out laughing, only to quickly cover it up with coughs.
Before I could turn my attention to him, the door swung open, and Felix came running into the room, making me pause.
He skidded to a stop in front of me, narrowing his eyes into a glare, his lips pouting in an expression of anger. I raised a brow, studying his reaction.
Why did I have the feeling this kid hated me? It wasn’t like we had been close before, but lately, there was this strange hostility radiating from him. It almost felt as if… I were his enemy.
“Felix,” everyone called out at the same time, but I tilted my head and sighed as I watched him.
“Master Felix! Please don’t run, or you’ll fall!” Martha yelled as she came into view, her expression one of exhaustion and frustration.
The moment she saw me, her eyes widened, and she quickly cleared her throat, bowing slightly in respect.
“Sir Alexander.”
I casually nodded in response and watched as Felix stretched out his hand towards her, never breaking eye contact with me. It was ironic, really. This five-year-old boy was one of the few people who could do that without fear-the other… was that foolish girl. Even Emily couldn’t do it. I knew deep down when she was alive that she was scared of me.
Martha let out a soft sigh before walking over to hand him his note. As Felix scrambled to write down his thoughts, Daniel and Sebastian leaned in closer, eager to catch a glimpse of what he was writing. When Felix finished, they both read the note and exchanged a look of shock.
Felix turned his note towards me, and my frown deepened as I read it.
“Are you feeling better now? Why do you always get shot? Can’t you be more careful? Because of you, Mommy couldn’t play with me at all yesterday. She spent the whole day taking care of you, and now she’s in the kitchen cooking for you again.”
My eyes narrowed as I continued, a wry smile tugging at the corners of my lips.
“Anyway, mommy’s on her way with food. She went into the kitchen and made some porridge for you. But, honestly, if you ask me, it tastes terrible-no, scratch that-it tastes worse than broccoli. Like poison. But you have to eat it! And make sure to tell her it’s good, okay?”
This kid… he didn’t just hate me, he despised me.
“If it tastes that bad, then your daddy can’t have it,” Daniel was the first to break the awkward silence, causing Felix to look away from me, his eyes shooting a glare at him.
“Y-yes, master Felix, it would affect boss since he isn’t feeling well,” Sebastian added quickly, trying to smooth things over.
“I’m sure the kid is just exaggerating. It couldn’t be that bad, right?” Julian asked, but I noticed Felix shiver slightly before shaking his head and scribbling something on the notepad.
My eyes flickered to Martha, who was bowing her head slightly, a guilty expression on her face. I frowned, noticing her shaking her head and mouthing,
“Do not do it, sir. Do not eat it.”
Before I could respond, or Felix could finish writing, a loud, cheerful voice rang out, drawing everyone’s attention to the door. Felix’s eyes widened, and he quickly covered his note as Valentina walked in, holding a tray in hand. Her eyes sparkled as they locked with mine, causing my heart to involuntarily skip a beat.
Those eyes…
“Alexander! I prepared something for you! Daniel said you couldn’t eat solid food, so I made porridge for you,” she announced excitedly.
“Oh my God, I’m in trouble,” Daniel muttered under his breath as we all stared at the plate in horror.
Felix wasn’t kidding when he said it tasted like poison. How did I know that? Well, it was because it looked like poison.