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°°𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚊 𝚏𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚔
𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚎
𝙻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚜 𝚒𝚝 °°
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💕 𝙱𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚘𝚗𝚐 °𝚂𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕 𝙸𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚕𝚞𝚍𝚎°𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚆𝚎𝚎𝚔𝚎𝚗𝚍 💕
🌹𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 1& 2🌹
𝙇𝙄𝙆𝙀 𝘽𝙀𝙁𝙊𝙍𝙀 𝙍𝙀𝘼𝘿𝙄𝙉𝙂, 𝙍𝙀𝙋𝙇𝙔 𝙏𝙊 𝙈𝙔 𝘾𝙊𝙈𝙈𝙀𝙉𝙏𝙎, 𝙎𝙃𝘼𝙍𝙀 𝘼𝙉𝘿 𝘿𝙊𝙉'𝙏 𝙁𝙊𝙍𝙂𝙀𝙏 𝙏𝙊 𝘾𝙊𝙈𝙈𝙀𝙉𝙏
𝙉𝙊𝙏𝙀: 𝙄𝙉𝙏𝙀𝙍𝙀𝙎𝙏𝙄𝙉𝙂, 𝙉𝙀𝙓𝙏 𝘼𝙉𝘿 𝙎𝙏𝙄𝘾𝙆𝙀𝙍𝙎 𝘼𝙍𝙀𝙉'𝙏 𝘾𝙊𝙈𝙈𝙀𝙉𝙏𝙎.
𝙏𝙃𝙀𝙍𝙀 𝙄𝙎 𝘼𝙇𝙒𝘼𝙔𝙎 𝙎𝙊𝙈𝙀𝙏𝙃𝙄𝙉𝙂 𝙏𝙊 𝙎𝘼𝙔 𝘼𝘽𝙊𝙐𝙏 𝙒𝙃𝘼𝙏 𝙔𝙊𝙐 𝙃𝘼𝙑𝙀 𝙍𝙀𝘼𝘿
REPLY TO MY COMMENTS ABEG😔
✨ITALY ✨
She clutched the blanket tighter, pulling it over her head.
Every voice trying to wake her was like an annoying mosquito buzzing in her ears.
“Can you just go away?” her voice came out low, soft but filled with clear irritation.
“I told you, I don’t want to go to school. Can you just go tell my father that?”
She didn’t even bother peeking out from under the blanket.
Miss Michelle, the head maid, let out a breath and yanked the blanket off her.
“Look, Alessia, I can’t keep calling you. If you don’t want to wake up, your daddy will have to come on his own.”
Alessia sat up, her face crumpling in frustration.
“Etta! Why do you always try to annoy me all the time? What’s wrong with you always trying to piss me off every morning? I’m trying to sleep, and you’re busy dragging me out of bed like it’s your personal mission!”
Miss Michelle stood firm, hands on her hips.
Sometimes she swore this girl needed a little slap to reality but that would cost her everything.
She wouldn’t do that.
“Look, Miss, your father told me to wake you so you can go to school with him. He’s going to drive you today,” she said, her voice calmer now.
Alessia groaned, rolling her eyes dramatically before collapsing back into her blanket.
“Then you go to school! With him,Miss Michelle, this thing of you always shouting in the morning when I’m clearly not in the mood... just stop!”
Her voice cracked as she added, “I’m not in the mood for nonsense. My mom is there in the hospital, trying to fight for her life, and you’re here clearly annoying me.”
Miss Michelle closed her eyes for a second to collect herself.
Her heart softened. “I’m sorry for waking you, madam. But I’m just doing my job. It’s almost 9 o’clock, and you know your school starts at 8. Your father told me to come and wake you. Please go and bathe. Your bath is already prepared.”
She turned to leave, bowing slightly.
“I told you not to prepare my bath!” Alessia snapped.
Miss Michelle’s hand paused on the door handle.
“Why don’t you listen? I do my things on my own. I don’t want someone some maid ,to make my bed or pour water for me. I’m not sick. I’m fine. I want to do things myself. Why do I always have to explain this like I’m some freak or something?!”
Miss Michelle turned around, trying her best to hold a soft smile.
“I heard you, Miss. But I’m just doing my job
....”
“Doing your job?” Alessia cut her off, furious.
“You always say that! ‘I’m doing my job, I’m doing my job.’ Gosh, it’s so frustrating! Why did I even have to be born into a stupid De Luca family?!”
With that, she stormed off into the bathroom.
Slamming the door behind her.
Miss Michelle just shook her head quietly and walked out of the room.
Another morning with Alessia being grumpy.
✯✯✯✯✷✷
**
Downstairs
Antonio De Luca stood downstairs in his crisp navy suit, pacing slightly with a coffee mug in hand.
The steam swirled up as he checked his watch again. 9:07.
“Where the hell is she?” he muttered.
The sound of Miss Michelle’s careful footsteps made him turn.
“Well?” he asked, not even waiting for her to speak.
“She’s awake, sir… but not happy.”
Antonio groaned, running a hand through his neatly styled hair.
“When is she ever happy?”
“She mentioned her mother… again,” Miss Michelle said gently, glancing away.
That hit him.
His jaw clenched, and he sighed.
“Alright. I’ll go up.”
He walked briskly through the hall and up the stairs.
He didn’t bother knocking ,just pushed the door open.
Alessia was sitting on the bed now, still in her pajamas, hair wild, her eyes puffy but proud.
She didn’t look at him.
“You’re late,” he said.
She scoffed. “You’re annoying.”
“Good morning to you too, Sunshine,” he said, walking in with his usual calm authority.
Alessia folded her arms.
“I said I’m not going.”
“Alessia. Enough. Get dressed.”
“I don’t care if the whole world is going to school. I’m not going today.”
Antonio sat on the edge of the bed and looked at her.
“What’s wrong?”
She glanced at him, her lip trembling, but quickly rolled her eyes to cover it.
“Nothing.”
“You yelled at Michelle again.”
“She wakes me like I’m five. I’m not five. And I’m tired.”
“Because of Mom?”
Silence.
He exhaled, rubbing his forehead. “I know it’s hard. But she’s going to be okay.”
“You don’t know that,” she snapped.
“And I’m tired of pretending that everything’s fine when it’s not!”
His eyes softened. “I’m not asking you to pretend. I’m just asking you to keep going. For her. For me. For yourself.”
She looked at him her fierce De Luca glare mixed with all the hurt of a little teenage girl missing her mom.
Then she whispered,
“Can we just not do today?”
He stared at her for a moment, then stood up
“Fine.”
Alessia blinked.
“We’re not doing today. Get dressed. I’m taking you out.”
Her eyes widened. “Out… where?”
“Anywhere but school,” he said with a rare smirk.
“Maybe breakfast by the lake. Maybe ice cream. Maybe something stupid and fun. But only if you’re ready in 15 minutes.”
Alessia jumped off the bed like lightning.
“Deal!”
He raised an eyebrow. “And wear something warm. It’s cold out.”
She disappeared into the bathroom, already picking outfits in her head,.
Antonio smiled softly.
Before he walked out
**
✯✯✯✯✷✷
**
Antonio paced back and forth near the grand staircase.
His hands behind his back, already losing patience.
Alessia was supposed to be down in 15 minutes, but it had been almost an hour.
His jaw tightened as he glanced at the clock, then up the stairs.
“What is taking her so long?” he muttered, voice low and deep, face as unreadable as ever.
Miss Michelle stood nearby, hesitant to speak.
She was just about to turn and excuse herself when the sound of footsteps echoed.
They both turned.
Alessia finally appeared at the top of the stairs,a small handbag in hand.
She wore a short brown skirt, knee-high boots, and a black coat that barely reached her thighs.
Antonio raised an eyebrow immediately and crossed his arms as she descended slowly, nonchalantly.
“Sunshine,” he said, voice steady but firm,
“I thought we agreed you'd wear something warm. Isn’t that what you told me?”
She smirked, then shrugged. “I am wearing something warm. It’s not even cold outside, Papa. So I don’t think I need to walk around like I’m a wrapped-up mummy with my legs trapped.”
Miss Michelle looked down, trying not to roll her eyes.
'God, how dramatic this girl can be,' she thought.
Antonio didn’t argue.
Instead, he gently pulled Alessia in for a hug, kissing her on the forehead and stroking her hair.
“I still think you should’ve worn something thicker, sunshine. It’s cold out there...”
“Papa,” she said, cutting him off.
“I’m fine. These clothes are comfortable. And I’m a girl, remember? I need to show a little leg once in a while. Not walk around in a blanket like you.”
Antonio sighed but didn’t push.
She was already stressed enough her mother being in the hospital wasn’t easy on her, or any of them.
“Okay,” he said quietly.
“So, are we good to go now?”
“Yeah.” She turned to Miss Michelle and walked toward her.
“Miss Michelle, I’m sorry for how I talked to you earlier,” she said, voice softer now.
Michelle blinked, surprised.
So did the other maids nearby.
“I didn’t mean to shout at you. I was just upset. That wasn’t right. I’m sorry,” Alessia added.
Miss Michelle looked touched and quickly responded, “It’s okay, Miss..”
“No. Please. Don’t call me Miss. I’ve told you before. Just Alessia. I don’t like all this formal stuff.”
Michelle nodded. “Alright… Alessia. And thank you. I appreciate the apology.”
Alessia smiled briefly, then turned back to Antonio and looped her arm around his.
“Let’s go, Papa. Time to show your daughter what this day holds.”
Antonio chuckled at her sass as they made their way toward the grand entrance.
The guards were already waiting outside beside the convoy of black SUVs.
“I want to go without bodyguards today,” Alessia said, her smile fading.
Antonio sighed.
“Sunshine, you know that’s not possible. It’s too dangerous.”
“But Papa, you know how much I hate them,” she groaned, mood instantly shifting.
“I know,” Antonio said calmly, guiding her to the car, “but you're a De Luca. And De Lucas don’t go anywhere unprotected.”
The bodyguard opened the car door.
Alessia sighed loudly, tossing her head back like the world was ending.
Her father settled in beside her, phone in hand, already typing something to his assistant.
For a while, the silence sat between them.
Alessia finally spoke.
“Where are we going, exactly?”
Antonio looked up.
“Just for a drive. I thought we could get breakfast together first. Then… we’ll visit your mother.”
Alessia looked down at her hands.
The moment he said “your mother” her chest tightened.
She nodded slowly.
“Okay.”
Outside, the city was slowly waking up.
The traffic was lighter than usual.
A cold breeze skimmed the windows, and she was suddenly grateful for the coat even if she’d complained about it earlier.
“You’ve been strong, sunshine,” Antonia said quietly, breaking the silence again.
She didn’t answer at first.
“Have I?” she finally muttered.
“Because I don’t feel strong. I feel like I’m… pretending all the time.”
He turned to her, eyes soft for once.
“Sometimes pretending is what gets us through the hardest days.”
She blinked fast, swallowing back the sting in her throat.
“I miss her,” she whispered.
“I do too.”
They didn’t say anything else for a moment.
The car rolled forward, smooth and silent, until it pulled up outside a quiet café.
“Just five minutes,” Antonia said.
“You need to eat.”
They stepped out.
The bodyguards followed behind them, careful and quiet, dressed in black.
Alessia gave them a look but didn’t argue.
She was too tired to fight anymore.
**
✯✯✯✯✷✷
The restaurant was quiet one of those exclusive places where silence was luxury, not absence.
The soft clinking of cutlery and the distant hum of conversation filled the air like background music.
Antonio De Luca sat across from his daughter, calm and composed, yet his sharp eyes never left her face.
Alessia pushed a piece of bread around her plate before finally speaking, her voice barely above a whisper.
“Papa… are we still going to see Mama?”
Antonio looked up from his untouched espresso, his expression unreadable at first.
Then his eyes softened just slightly only enough for someone really paying attention to notice.
“Yes, Sunshine,” he replied with quiet assurance.
“We’ll go.”
Alessia paused.
She tilted her head, sensing the hesitation in his voice.
“But what, Papa?” she asked, her voice a little firmer now.
“I just want to see her. To know if she’s okay.”
Antonio leaned back in his chair, folding his hands on the table.
“It’s not that I don’t want you to see her,” he said carefully.
“I just… want to make sure you’re ready. The hospital isn’t a place for softness. And your mother… she’s still recovering. It might not be easy.”
Alessia met his gaze directly. “I don’t care if it’s easy. She’s still my mom.”
He watched her, proud and cautious at once.
She was growing sharper.
Braver.
Just like her mother.
Finally, Antonio gave a slow nod. “Okay. We’ll go,” he said, his voice deep and firm.
“I promise.”
Alessia offered a small smile and returned her gaze to the window beside her, but her whole body seemed lighter now.
Antonio signaled the waiter with just a subtle lift of two fingers, then looked back at his daughter, the hint of a proud smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
She was strong.
Just like a De Luca.
✯✯✯✯✷✷
Alessia stood still at the edge of the hospital bed, swallowing the lump in her throat.
Her eyes burned as she looked at her mother,so small, so fragile, like life was slipping through her fingers.
She coughed lightly, trying to push down the knot of grief rising in her chest.
She turned to her father.
Antonio stood beside her, tall and composed as always.
But Alessia could see it, beneath the calm mask, his eyes carried the storm.
Pain. Fear.
A silent heartbreak he didn’t want anyone to see.
“Look at her,” Alessia said, her voice hoarse and trembling.
“She looks so tiny... so skinny. It’s scary. She’s dying, Papa. Why did they have to cut her hair like that?”
Antonio clenched his jaw.
He had seen the change too.
He just didn’t want his daughter to see him break.
“Sunshine,” he said gently, “Mama’s going to be fine. We’re doing everything we can, I promise you that.”
Alessia shook her head, her voice rising.
“You’ve been saying that for months. Everyone keeps saying that. But nothing’s working, Papa. Nothing. Look at her! She’s hooked up to all these machines, she can barely breathe... what am I supposed to do if I lose her?”
Her voice cracked.
Antonio pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly.
She sobbed against his chest, shaking.
“I know, I know,” he whispered into her hair.
“But you have to trust me. We haven’t given up. There’s still hope.”
Alessia pulled back, wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her coat.
“Then take her somewhere else,” she pleaded.
“Anywhere. China, Korea,I heard they have better doctors. Please, Papa. We can't just sit here and watch her die. Please.”
Antonio didn’t reply right away.
His fists were clenched at his sides.
He stared at the machines,the beeping, the wires, the oxygen tube running to his wife’s nose.
Her body so still, her head bare where soft hair used to be.
He wanted to fix it.
But this time, it wasn’t a fight he could win with money or power.
Finally, he exhaled, voice low and tight. “Let’s go home.”
Alessia stared at him in disbelief.
“Now?” she asked, voice flat.
🆃.🅱.🅲
🅲🅾🅼🅼🅴🅽🆃, 🅻🅸🅺🅴 🅰🅽🅳 🆂🅷🅰🆁🅴
🌺𝙿𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚌𝚘𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚊𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚎 𝚝𝚞𝚘🌺
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𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚎
𝙻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚜 𝚒𝚝 °°
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💕 𝙱𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚘𝚗𝚐 °𝚂𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕 𝙸𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚕𝚞𝚍𝚎°𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚆𝚎𝚎𝚔𝚎𝚗𝚍 💕
🌹𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 1& 2🌹
𝙇𝙄𝙆𝙀 𝘽𝙀𝙁𝙊𝙍𝙀 𝙍𝙀𝘼𝘿𝙄𝙉𝙂, 𝙍𝙀𝙋𝙇𝙔 𝙏𝙊 𝙈𝙔 𝘾𝙊𝙈𝙈𝙀𝙉𝙏𝙎, 𝙎𝙃𝘼𝙍𝙀 𝘼𝙉𝘿 𝘿𝙊𝙉'𝙏 𝙁𝙊𝙍𝙂𝙀𝙏 𝙏𝙊 𝘾𝙊𝙈𝙈𝙀𝙉𝙏
𝙉𝙊𝙏𝙀: 𝙄𝙉𝙏𝙀𝙍𝙀𝙎𝙏𝙄𝙉𝙂, 𝙉𝙀𝙓𝙏 𝘼𝙉𝘿 𝙎𝙏𝙄𝘾𝙆𝙀𝙍𝙎 𝘼𝙍𝙀𝙉'𝙏 𝘾𝙊𝙈𝙈𝙀𝙉𝙏𝙎.
𝙏𝙃𝙀𝙍𝙀 𝙄𝙎 𝘼𝙇𝙒𝘼𝙔𝙎 𝙎𝙊𝙈𝙀𝙏𝙃𝙄𝙉𝙂 𝙏𝙊 𝙎𝘼𝙔 𝘼𝘽𝙊𝙐𝙏 𝙒𝙃𝘼𝙏 𝙔𝙊𝙐 𝙃𝘼𝙑𝙀 𝙍𝙀𝘼𝘿
REPLY TO MY COMMENTS ABEG😔
✨ITALY ✨
She clutched the blanket tighter, pulling it over her head.
Every voice trying to wake her was like an annoying mosquito buzzing in her ears.
“Can you just go away?” her voice came out low, soft but filled with clear irritation.
“I told you, I don’t want to go to school. Can you just go tell my father that?”
She didn’t even bother peeking out from under the blanket.
Miss Michelle, the head maid, let out a breath and yanked the blanket off her.
“Look, Alessia, I can’t keep calling you. If you don’t want to wake up, your daddy will have to come on his own.”
Alessia sat up, her face crumpling in frustration.
“Etta! Why do you always try to annoy me all the time? What’s wrong with you always trying to piss me off every morning? I’m trying to sleep, and you’re busy dragging me out of bed like it’s your personal mission!”
Miss Michelle stood firm, hands on her hips.
Sometimes she swore this girl needed a little slap to reality but that would cost her everything.
She wouldn’t do that.
“Look, Miss, your father told me to wake you so you can go to school with him. He’s going to drive you today,” she said, her voice calmer now.
Alessia groaned, rolling her eyes dramatically before collapsing back into her blanket.
“Then you go to school! With him,Miss Michelle, this thing of you always shouting in the morning when I’m clearly not in the mood... just stop!”
Her voice cracked as she added, “I’m not in the mood for nonsense. My mom is there in the hospital, trying to fight for her life, and you’re here clearly annoying me.”
Miss Michelle closed her eyes for a second to collect herself.
Her heart softened. “I’m sorry for waking you, madam. But I’m just doing my job. It’s almost 9 o’clock, and you know your school starts at 8. Your father told me to come and wake you. Please go and bathe. Your bath is already prepared.”
She turned to leave, bowing slightly.
“I told you not to prepare my bath!” Alessia snapped.
Miss Michelle’s hand paused on the door handle.
“Why don’t you listen? I do my things on my own. I don’t want someone some maid ,to make my bed or pour water for me. I’m not sick. I’m fine. I want to do things myself. Why do I always have to explain this like I’m some freak or something?!”
Miss Michelle turned around, trying her best to hold a soft smile.
“I heard you, Miss. But I’m just doing my job
....”
“Doing your job?” Alessia cut her off, furious.
“You always say that! ‘I’m doing my job, I’m doing my job.’ Gosh, it’s so frustrating! Why did I even have to be born into a stupid De Luca family?!”
With that, she stormed off into the bathroom.
Slamming the door behind her.
Miss Michelle just shook her head quietly and walked out of the room.
Another morning with Alessia being grumpy.
✯✯✯✯✷✷
**
Downstairs
Antonio De Luca stood downstairs in his crisp navy suit, pacing slightly with a coffee mug in hand.
The steam swirled up as he checked his watch again. 9:07.
“Where the hell is she?” he muttered.
The sound of Miss Michelle’s careful footsteps made him turn.
“Well?” he asked, not even waiting for her to speak.
“She’s awake, sir… but not happy.”
Antonio groaned, running a hand through his neatly styled hair.
“When is she ever happy?”
“She mentioned her mother… again,” Miss Michelle said gently, glancing away.
That hit him.
His jaw clenched, and he sighed.
“Alright. I’ll go up.”
He walked briskly through the hall and up the stairs.
He didn’t bother knocking ,just pushed the door open.
Alessia was sitting on the bed now, still in her pajamas, hair wild, her eyes puffy but proud.
She didn’t look at him.
“You’re late,” he said.
She scoffed. “You’re annoying.”
“Good morning to you too, Sunshine,” he said, walking in with his usual calm authority.
Alessia folded her arms.
“I said I’m not going.”
“Alessia. Enough. Get dressed.”
“I don’t care if the whole world is going to school. I’m not going today.”
Antonio sat on the edge of the bed and looked at her.
“What’s wrong?”
She glanced at him, her lip trembling, but quickly rolled her eyes to cover it.
“Nothing.”
“You yelled at Michelle again.”
“She wakes me like I’m five. I’m not five. And I’m tired.”
“Because of Mom?”
Silence.
He exhaled, rubbing his forehead. “I know it’s hard. But she’s going to be okay.”
“You don’t know that,” she snapped.
“And I’m tired of pretending that everything’s fine when it’s not!”
His eyes softened. “I’m not asking you to pretend. I’m just asking you to keep going. For her. For me. For yourself.”
She looked at him her fierce De Luca glare mixed with all the hurt of a little teenage girl missing her mom.
Then she whispered,
“Can we just not do today?”
He stared at her for a moment, then stood up
“Fine.”
Alessia blinked.
“We’re not doing today. Get dressed. I’m taking you out.”
Her eyes widened. “Out… where?”
“Anywhere but school,” he said with a rare smirk.
“Maybe breakfast by the lake. Maybe ice cream. Maybe something stupid and fun. But only if you’re ready in 15 minutes.”
Alessia jumped off the bed like lightning.
“Deal!”
He raised an eyebrow. “And wear something warm. It’s cold out.”
She disappeared into the bathroom, already picking outfits in her head,.
Antonio smiled softly.
Before he walked out
**
✯✯✯✯✷✷
**
Antonio paced back and forth near the grand staircase.
His hands behind his back, already losing patience.
Alessia was supposed to be down in 15 minutes, but it had been almost an hour.
His jaw tightened as he glanced at the clock, then up the stairs.
“What is taking her so long?” he muttered, voice low and deep, face as unreadable as ever.
Miss Michelle stood nearby, hesitant to speak.
She was just about to turn and excuse herself when the sound of footsteps echoed.
They both turned.
Alessia finally appeared at the top of the stairs,a small handbag in hand.
She wore a short brown skirt, knee-high boots, and a black coat that barely reached her thighs.
Antonio raised an eyebrow immediately and crossed his arms as she descended slowly, nonchalantly.
“Sunshine,” he said, voice steady but firm,
“I thought we agreed you'd wear something warm. Isn’t that what you told me?”
She smirked, then shrugged. “I am wearing something warm. It’s not even cold outside, Papa. So I don’t think I need to walk around like I’m a wrapped-up mummy with my legs trapped.”
Miss Michelle looked down, trying not to roll her eyes.
'God, how dramatic this girl can be,' she thought.
Antonio didn’t argue.
Instead, he gently pulled Alessia in for a hug, kissing her on the forehead and stroking her hair.
“I still think you should’ve worn something thicker, sunshine. It’s cold out there...”
“Papa,” she said, cutting him off.
“I’m fine. These clothes are comfortable. And I’m a girl, remember? I need to show a little leg once in a while. Not walk around in a blanket like you.”
Antonio sighed but didn’t push.
She was already stressed enough her mother being in the hospital wasn’t easy on her, or any of them.
“Okay,” he said quietly.
“So, are we good to go now?”
“Yeah.” She turned to Miss Michelle and walked toward her.
“Miss Michelle, I’m sorry for how I talked to you earlier,” she said, voice softer now.
Michelle blinked, surprised.
So did the other maids nearby.
“I didn’t mean to shout at you. I was just upset. That wasn’t right. I’m sorry,” Alessia added.
Miss Michelle looked touched and quickly responded, “It’s okay, Miss..”
“No. Please. Don’t call me Miss. I’ve told you before. Just Alessia. I don’t like all this formal stuff.”
Michelle nodded. “Alright… Alessia. And thank you. I appreciate the apology.”
Alessia smiled briefly, then turned back to Antonio and looped her arm around his.
“Let’s go, Papa. Time to show your daughter what this day holds.”
Antonio chuckled at her sass as they made their way toward the grand entrance.
The guards were already waiting outside beside the convoy of black SUVs.
“I want to go without bodyguards today,” Alessia said, her smile fading.
Antonio sighed.
“Sunshine, you know that’s not possible. It’s too dangerous.”
“But Papa, you know how much I hate them,” she groaned, mood instantly shifting.
“I know,” Antonio said calmly, guiding her to the car, “but you're a De Luca. And De Lucas don’t go anywhere unprotected.”
The bodyguard opened the car door.
Alessia sighed loudly, tossing her head back like the world was ending.
Her father settled in beside her, phone in hand, already typing something to his assistant.
For a while, the silence sat between them.
Alessia finally spoke.
“Where are we going, exactly?”
Antonio looked up.
“Just for a drive. I thought we could get breakfast together first. Then… we’ll visit your mother.”
Alessia looked down at her hands.
The moment he said “your mother” her chest tightened.
She nodded slowly.
“Okay.”
Outside, the city was slowly waking up.
The traffic was lighter than usual.
A cold breeze skimmed the windows, and she was suddenly grateful for the coat even if she’d complained about it earlier.
“You’ve been strong, sunshine,” Antonia said quietly, breaking the silence again.
She didn’t answer at first.
“Have I?” she finally muttered.
“Because I don’t feel strong. I feel like I’m… pretending all the time.”
He turned to her, eyes soft for once.
“Sometimes pretending is what gets us through the hardest days.”
She blinked fast, swallowing back the sting in her throat.
“I miss her,” she whispered.
“I do too.”
They didn’t say anything else for a moment.
The car rolled forward, smooth and silent, until it pulled up outside a quiet café.
“Just five minutes,” Antonia said.
“You need to eat.”
They stepped out.
The bodyguards followed behind them, careful and quiet, dressed in black.
Alessia gave them a look but didn’t argue.
She was too tired to fight anymore.
**
✯✯✯✯✷✷
The restaurant was quiet one of those exclusive places where silence was luxury, not absence.
The soft clinking of cutlery and the distant hum of conversation filled the air like background music.
Antonio De Luca sat across from his daughter, calm and composed, yet his sharp eyes never left her face.
Alessia pushed a piece of bread around her plate before finally speaking, her voice barely above a whisper.
“Papa… are we still going to see Mama?”
Antonio looked up from his untouched espresso, his expression unreadable at first.
Then his eyes softened just slightly only enough for someone really paying attention to notice.
“Yes, Sunshine,” he replied with quiet assurance.
“We’ll go.”
Alessia paused.
She tilted her head, sensing the hesitation in his voice.
“But what, Papa?” she asked, her voice a little firmer now.
“I just want to see her. To know if she’s okay.”
Antonio leaned back in his chair, folding his hands on the table.
“It’s not that I don’t want you to see her,” he said carefully.
“I just… want to make sure you’re ready. The hospital isn’t a place for softness. And your mother… she’s still recovering. It might not be easy.”
Alessia met his gaze directly. “I don’t care if it’s easy. She’s still my mom.”
He watched her, proud and cautious at once.
She was growing sharper.
Braver.
Just like her mother.
Finally, Antonio gave a slow nod. “Okay. We’ll go,” he said, his voice deep and firm.
“I promise.”
Alessia offered a small smile and returned her gaze to the window beside her, but her whole body seemed lighter now.
Antonio signaled the waiter with just a subtle lift of two fingers, then looked back at his daughter, the hint of a proud smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
She was strong.
Just like a De Luca.
✯✯✯✯✷✷
Alessia stood still at the edge of the hospital bed, swallowing the lump in her throat.
Her eyes burned as she looked at her mother,so small, so fragile, like life was slipping through her fingers.
She coughed lightly, trying to push down the knot of grief rising in her chest.
She turned to her father.
Antonio stood beside her, tall and composed as always.
But Alessia could see it, beneath the calm mask, his eyes carried the storm.
Pain. Fear.
A silent heartbreak he didn’t want anyone to see.
“Look at her,” Alessia said, her voice hoarse and trembling.
“She looks so tiny... so skinny. It’s scary. She’s dying, Papa. Why did they have to cut her hair like that?”
Antonio clenched his jaw.
He had seen the change too.
He just didn’t want his daughter to see him break.
“Sunshine,” he said gently, “Mama’s going to be fine. We’re doing everything we can, I promise you that.”
Alessia shook her head, her voice rising.
“You’ve been saying that for months. Everyone keeps saying that. But nothing’s working, Papa. Nothing. Look at her! She’s hooked up to all these machines, she can barely breathe... what am I supposed to do if I lose her?”
Her voice cracked.
Antonio pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly.
She sobbed against his chest, shaking.
“I know, I know,” he whispered into her hair.
“But you have to trust me. We haven’t given up. There’s still hope.”
Alessia pulled back, wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her coat.
“Then take her somewhere else,” she pleaded.
“Anywhere. China, Korea,I heard they have better doctors. Please, Papa. We can't just sit here and watch her die. Please.”
Antonio didn’t reply right away.
His fists were clenched at his sides.
He stared at the machines,the beeping, the wires, the oxygen tube running to his wife’s nose.
Her body so still, her head bare where soft hair used to be.
He wanted to fix it.
But this time, it wasn’t a fight he could win with money or power.
Finally, he exhaled, voice low and tight. “Let’s go home.”
Alessia stared at him in disbelief.
“Now?” she asked, voice flat.
🆃.🅱.🅲
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