"I didn’t expect you to return here, let alone to visit my daughter-in-law," Alekis said, his gaze steady as he watched Evelina across the room. He brought a cigar to his mouth, lighting it with a flick before taking a slow drag. Smoke curled around him as he continued, "What’s brewing in that mind of yours?"
Evelina’s expression was unreadable, but a glint of tension showed in her eyes. "You already know what concerns , Alekis," she replied, crossing her arms. "You’ve given Lucius so much freedom that he’s beco nearly unstoppable. I only wanted to warn Layla, hoping she might steer him clear of any... dangers he’s so eager to embrace."
Alekis looked at her with a piercing gaze as he exhaled another puff of smoke, letting it drift between them. "If you truly cared for Lucius, Evelina, then why did you leave him all those years ago?" he asked, his tone laced with a restrained bitterness. "Do you think he befriended a mafia heir and began unleashing his anger for no reason? You left him to find his own way, and he did. At least now he has a taste of happiness, and that’s all I care about. If his choices make him happy, then let him live as he chooses."
Evelina’s face tightened, but Alekis’s gaze remained firm. He took another draw from his cigar, then placed it down, his voice turning colder. "Don’t ddle in their lives. Leave them in peace and return to England. Your husband and your family are waiting for you there."
Evelina’s lips parted as if to protest, but she seed to think better of it, instead casting her gaze downward.
"Why don’t you declare Lucius the next chairman of the De Salvo Group?" Evelina asked suddenly. "You’ve always loved your son from the first marriage too much to ever regard Lucius as truly yours."
Alekis’s gaze hardened, and he let out a slow exhale of smoke before placing the cigar down. "If I didn’t regard Lucius as anything, Evelina, I wouldn’t have looked after him all these years. He’s not my real son, after all," he said, revealing the truth, which was buried for a long ti.
Evelina’s eyes widened, shock flickering across her face. She had always assud her secret was safe, that Alekis never suspected the truth. "You... you knew?" she stamred, barely finding her voice.
Alekis’s gaze remained steady, almost pitying. "Did you truly think I wouldn’t find out?" he replied, his voice low and unyielding. "I married you because, at one ti, I did love you. And when you announced you were carrying Lucius, I was happy... until I learned the truth." He leaned forward, his eyes piercing hers.
"Lucius’s father was a drunk, a man of no integrity, and a danger to you. You ran away from him, ca to , seduced , and made fall for your lies. I don’t bla my heart for loving you then, but I bla you for what Lucius has had to endure."
Evelina’s expression wavered as she swallowed back her shock and sha. "Did you ever... tell him?" she asked, barely able to form the question.
"No," Alekis replied sharply, his tone final. "Lucius doesn’t know anything, and he must never find out. Despite everything, I have regarded him as my son. He is more capable than Roderick, more deserving of that chairmanship." He paused, and a flicker of sadness crossed his eyes.
"But a promise binds . My late son, Antoine... he never asked for it directly, but I gave him my word that his son would take the reins one day. It’s a promise I can’t break."
He straightened as he held her gaze. "So rember this, Evelina: stay away. Don’t co here again, don’t interfere in Lucius’s life. Go back to England. It’s what’s best for everyone."
Evelina stared at him, speechless, realizing the depth of her own choices.
"There’s one last question I want to ask," he said. "I know Lucius would never ask, but I want to know, for his sake. Why didn’t you co when Lucius and Antoine got into that deadly accident?" His voice tightened, as if the words themselves caused him pain. "I even asked you to stay here for a few months after it happened. Lucius needed you."
Evelina’s silence spoke volus, her eyes cast downward, unwilling to et his stare. Her hesitation only deepened Alekis’s suspicions, and his eyes narrowed. "Did you think Lucius might have... killed his own brother?" he asked, each word weighed with disbelief and a hint of accusation.
Her head snapped up. "No, of course not! Why would I ever think that?" she replied hastily, a defensive edge in her voice.
Alekis watched her intently, his expression hardening. "Because his father was a murderer," he said quietly, the words laced with unspoken history. "Did you think Lucius might have inherited that darkness?"
Evelina’s face tightened, and a flash of resentnt flickered in her eyes. "Don’t assu to know my thoughts, Alekis," she said, her voice thick with emotion. "I was... busy with my own life."
For the first ti, her composure broke, tears gathering at the corners of her eyes. She quickly blinked them away, her voice softening. "I won’t co back. Just... keep Lucius safe. If it’s possible, make him leave that world of mafia. I don’t want to wake up one day to news of him getting hurt... or worse." She swallowed hard, struggling to maintain her composure. "I hope you will always love him, as a father should."
She turned, not waiting for a response, and walked away with a hurried pace, her footsteps fading down the hall.
Alekis stood in silence, watching her leave. "Lucius will never listen to ," he murmured.
Evelina quickly entered the car, which was waiting for her outside and asked the driver to drive to the airport. Her head rested against the window as she recalled the past. She should have co to Lucius that ti, but she was stuck.
Reviews
All reviews (0)