Page 27 of Angelo

"Do you miss her?" asked Elyse.

To the side, in a quiet, unobtrusive manner, Alessandro continued to translate for them. Sadness glimmered from Benedetto's dark eyes."Ogni giorno." Every day.

It was the only glimpse of sincerity Elyse had witnessed from her grandfather. His guard appeared to be down for a second. The tactful thing to do would’ve been to leave well enough alone and change the subject. But Gianna had been her mother. Elyse felt as though she deserved an answer. Somewhat recklessly, she dared to probe, "What drove her to do such a thing?"

"Voleva restare con tuo padre." She wanted to stay with your father.

"But you wouldn't allow it?"

"No,"Benedettoadmitted.

Elyse demanded, "Why not?"

Benedetto's features grew taut with displeasure."È scappata da me. Mi ha nascosto la sua gravidanza. Mi ha mentito per la prima volta. Tutto per un uomo inutile." She ran away from me. She hid her pregnancy from me. She lied to me for the first time. All for a useless man.

Frowning, Elyse tried to defendPapáeven though he was no saint, "My father may have his flaws, but he has a good heart."

It was as though she hadn't spoken. Benedetto didn’t pull any punches when he fired back,"Tuo padre era un giocatore d'azzardo. Gianna meritava un uomo migliore." Your father was a gambler. Gianna deserved a better man.

Try as might, she couldn't fault Benedetto’s criticism. His contempt for her father was, sadly, justified. Elyse could write novels detailing every single wayPapá'sgambling had fucked up her life.

Clearly, Benedetto hadn't wanted Gianna anywhere near Robbie Romero. Elyse couldn't help resenting him for it. By driving Gianna away fromPapá, Benedetto had also deprived her of a mother.

With a downcast expression, Elyse inquired, "When did you find out about me?"

"Ho iniziato a cercarti circa un anno fa." I started looking for you about a year ago.

"Even though my mother would’ve wanted you to leave me alone?”

“Sì.”

“Why did you go against her wishes?”

"Perché siete una famiglia,"Benedetto replied with a face of indifference.Because you are family.

Her grandfather's response left Elyse feeling cold. He spoke as though she was a possession to be collected instead of a long-lost granddaughter who needed his love and support. With a slight shudder, Elyse couldn’t help wondering how differently fate might’ve played out if Benedetto had found her before Alessandro.

Perhaps, Elyse thought anxiously, she’d be the one engaged to Gaspare right now instead of Valentina.

Her grandfather then turned to Alessandro and asked him to step outside for a few minutes. For some reason, Benedetto wanted a moment alone with her. Even though Alessandro didn't translate this part of the exchange, Elysemanaged to pick up the gist of it.

"No, rimarrò,"Alessandro grunted,"qualunque cosa tu voglia dire a Elyse può essere detta di fronte a me." No, I will stay. Whatever you wish to say to Elyse can be said in front of me.

Benedetto kept a serene expression on his face, but his voice sounded thick with emotion,"Ho un regalo molto sentimentale che desidero fare a mia nipote. Un regalo che apparteneva a sua madre. Ci vorrà solo un momento. Per favore." I have a very sentimental gift I wish to give my granddaughter. A gift that once belonged to her mother. This will only take a moment. Please.

Green eyes flitted between the two men. Was Benedetto telling the truth? He might be hiding something up his sleeve. With a deep, reluctant scowl, Alessandro agreed to her grandfather's suspicious request.

"Hai cinque minuti,"he grumbled.You have five minutes.

Her husband left the room. Elyse gulped as the door closed behind him. How was she supposed to communicate with Benedetto now?

Her grandfather's voice quickly cut through Elyse's concern, "I like that you are made of sterner stuff than Gianna. It will serve us well."

It took Elyse a minute to realize that the bastard had spoken in English. She narrowed her gaze accusingly. "You've been pretending not to understand me this whole time."

"Sì."

"What the fuck!"

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