Page 46 of Ruthless Rival

The next week, I moved into Alberto’s plantation house with him. It was a sudden decision, but it made my heart burst with joy. We could have a nursery and spend more time together as the weeks went by. It was time for us to start building our lives together, even if there was still some tension between me and his family.

It pained me to see Alberto and Adriano at such odds, especially since they were so similar. Fighting with each other was like them fighting with themselves. They were both so headstrong and passionate about what they cared about. The last thing I wanted to do was upset the balance.

I did my best to get along with the ones who could actually stand me. Adriano didn’t even come to Alberto’s weekly dinners, but at least the others attended.

As we all sat at the dining table, I brushed my ankle against Alberto’s under the table as an unseen touch from the others, noticing that he’d been at Adriano’s empty seat. When his tired eyes found mine, I gave him a small smile. Things were tense, but I was there for him.

Alberto smiled back slightly and slipped his fingers under my hair, caressing the back of my neck as he had done so many other times. He rubbed gentle circles with his thumb before pulling his hand away.

“We should go into the city one day and do some shopping,” Alessia told me from across the table.

“That sounds amazing,” I said with a glowing smile. It meant a lot to me that Alessia put in the effort to get to know me. Maybe she mostly did it to please her father, but she was also the warmest soul in the family.

“Careful. You should keep inventory of what’s in your closet. If something goes missing, you know who took it,” Marco commented as he smirked at his sister.

“Liar!” Alessia laughed.

Lorenzo cracked a smile before sipping on his wine. He was polite to me, but I figured that was mostly out of respect for his father.

I hoped that everyone would like me and respect me just because they wanted to. Not because they felt like they had to for Alberto. That would come down the line, though. For now, I was happy with what I could get as I focused on taking care of my health for my baby and keeping in touch with Ignacio. Things were tense in the cartel. He didn’t have all the details, but there was a storm building.

“Giulia, you should go with them. Have a girls’ day,” Alberto suggested with a hopeful gleam in his eye.

I looked over at Giulia with a small smile. “I’d really love that,” I said.

Giulia let out a faint sigh and nodded. “Sure,” she replied, making Alessia throw her arms around her sister in joy. She smirked and shook her head.

A warm, homey feeling settled in the dining room. I found my eyes brimming with unshed tears as I gazed at everyone huddled together, eating and talking. I never had something like this before and I couldn’t be happier that my baby would be born into such a tight-knit family.

“Are you okay, amore?” Alberto asked me.

I turned to him and nodded. Not wanting to interrupt the chatter at the table, I leaned close to his ear to whisper to him, “I just have some more ideas for the nursery. Can we talk about them after dinner?” I asked. I never had anyone to talk to about baby things before, so it felt so good to approach parenthood with a partner.

“How about I make you some raspberry leaf tea and we sit out on the porch and talk about them?” Alberto asked as he gave me a warm look. “It’s raspberry leaf tea you told me about, right?”

My cheeks flushed pink as I nodded. He actually remembered some of the things I’d mentioned since I broke the news that I was pregnant. “Yes, that sounds perfect,” I told him, feeling my heart flutter as I leaned forward and pecked him on the lips.

Alberto placed his hand on the back of my neck, keeping me from pulling away for a second longer. His lips slightly curled up in a smile as his fingers slipped away from my neck.

I sank into the sweet moment, capturing it in my head while never wanting to lose it, but it only lasted for so long.

Heavy footsteps sounded from the doorway of the dining room as Adriano walked inside, making all conversation go quiet. He lingered by the doorway, his eyes sweeping over me and his father. He cleared his throat.

“So, you’ve finally decided to show up,” Alberto commented as he placed his napkin down on the table. The room got so quiet everyone could hear the subtle flop of the fabric.

Adriano stood as rigid as a statue. He eventually nodded. “I just talked to the governor,” he said.

Alberto straightened up. “Did you?” he asked, slightly narrowing his eyes.

Adriano nodded again. “He’s quite receptive to our business now. He won’t be on our payroll, but he’ll give us some leeway to do what we need to do without running into as many obstacles,” he said before looking over at me. “He just wanted that night in the hotel to stay a private matter.”

My shoulders relaxed as the corner of my mouth curled up slightly. It looked like part of my plan worked after all.

“That’s good to hear,” Alberto said. “You can thank Gabriela for that.”

Adriano merely nodded to me.

The nod was all I needed though. I could sense the gratitude, even if he didn’t want to plainly show it. “I’m always happy to help,” I replied, hoping they took my words seriously. I was carrying Alberto’s baby, so I had to be more careful, but I still wanted to help in any way I could. I still wanted justice.

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