Page 44 of Ruthless Rival

Adriano shot a glare at Marco, who shrugged and picked at his grilled chicken.

“The wedding wasn’t too long ago. Things are moving pretty fast, yeah?” Giulia asked me.

“Quite a track record when it comes to moving on,” Adriano muttered beneath his breath as he stared down at his plate.

I held back a sigh. I had a feeling that this would be heavy, sudden news for my children. They all missed their mother. I had spent years telling them how amazing Sienna was and how much she would’ve loved seeing them grow up. In the back of their minds, they probably thought that I would never move on, and I shared that sentiment for many years until I met Gabriela.

I couldn’t help that I fell in love again and so quickly, but I wanted my children’s support. They meant the world to me, but Gabriela and our child meant so much to me as well. If my family fell apart, I wouldn’t ever heal from that.

Gabriela placed her hand on mine. “It does seem fast, but I truly care about your father. That’s why I wanted to meet all of you. I know that you mean everything to him, and I’d never do anything to complicate that.” Gabriela looked around at everyone.

Giulia finally simmered down and nodded. “Well, I’m glad you guys found each other,” she said.

“Thank you. All of you,” Gabriela stated while smiling at me.

Well that felt like a win.

Her eyes then shifted to Adriano, who hadn’t said a word. She tensed slightly, eyeing him as well.

Other than that, far less tension existed at the table. My children talked about their day, and Gabriela chatted with my daughters about where she got her clothes. She laughed at my sons’ stories. Gradually, I watched a growing connection develop between her and my children as they shared memories and exchanged laughs. This warmed my heart more than anything else.

When plates were clean and wine glasses were empty, I rose to my feet once more, ignoring the slight jolt of nerves that I felt deep down. I had planned for this for a whole week, but the moment still didn’t feel real now that I was on the cusp of it. “I have an announcement to make,” I said, capturing everyone’s attention. “And it’s probably one of the most important ones I’ve ever made.”

Gabriela gave me a confused look when I took her hand and pulled her to her feet. “Alberto?”

I smiled at her and got down on one knee, gasps erupting from all around the table. I held her hand in mine as my heart raced, stroking her knuckles as we locked eyes. I never thought I would ever get down on my knee in front of a woman ever again, but this moment felt right. If Sienna knew how I felt now, she would tell me to go forth, to not let this moment slip away.

Gabriela could only stare at me in shock.

“Gabriela, trust and family are the most important things in my life. I don’t trust easily. I protect my family with my life. It’s hard for anyone to get close to me, but I trust you. I see you as family, and I want you by my side,” I told her. “Will you stay there for the rest of our lives and marry me?”

Gabriela’s eyes watered as I pulled out a black, velvet ring box. When I revealed the diamond ring with a silver band I had picked out for her, a tear rolled down her face. She pitched a look over at my children, who were so shocked that they couldn’t speak. She looked back at me, parting her lips to speak, but no words came out.

I frowned as I watched her eyes dart around like she was lost.

“She’s not replying to your proposal because she still has some dignity left,” Adriano commented in a cold tone as he got to his feet abruptly, causing the table and the contents on top of it to rattle. “Maybe there’s hope for you, Castillo.”

“Castillo?” Giulia questioned, her eyes darting to Gabriela.

Gabriela took a step back, all of the tension in the room crashing down on her.

Adriano took a step toward me, his eyes narrowed. “Look at yourself! What are you doing? Why are you letting her twist your mind into thinking that you want her?” he snapped, even startling his siblings.

I clenched my jaw as I faced my son, hearing all of the anger and hurt in his voice. When Sienna died, it had been like a crack had ripped through the earth for our family. Adriano took a huge blow from it and he held that pain in his heart for years. Seeing me with another woman and a Castillo woman at that was a strike that seemed to have knocked the breath out of him.

“Sit down, son. We all need to talk.”

Chapter Nineteen:Split in Half

Gabriela

Dinner fell apart in a way I never expected. Instead of awkwardness, I found myself in the middle of a violent storm.

“The Castillos are our enemies,” Lorenzo told his father with a perplexed look on his face.

“They want us dead!” Adriano gestured to me with disgust on his face. “Now, we have one sitting at our table?”

“Maybe let’s calm down?” Alessia suggested, shrinking back a little as she watched everyone tense up and react.

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