Chapter 119: He Made This Feel Real
Gianna’s POV
“Apologize to Gianna. Now.”
Selene’s face hardened, and for a long moment, she just stood there. Then, finally, she turned to me.
“I’m sorry,” she mumbled. The words were flat and had no sincerity.
Dante only nodded once before turning back to Ariel.
“Now apologize.”
Ariel’s eyes filled instantly, those angry tears threatening to fall. “I…”
“Apologize,” he repeated, firmer.
།
She looked down at her plate, rolled her eyes, then finally lifted her chin.
“I’m sorry,” she forced out.
“Louder,” Dante said. “And look at her when you say it.”
Ariel’s gaze rose to mine, red–rimmed and burning. “I’m sorry for what I said.”
I swallowed, my throat tight. “Thank you. And I’m sorry too. For everything!”
Dante turned toward me then, his hands coming up to cup my face gently.
“Are you alright?” he asked, searching my eyes.
The tenderness in his voice nearly undid me. But I didn’t yet have it in me to respond, maybe because I wasn’t sure how to respond.
His brows lowered with concern as his thumbs brushed along my cheek.
“We could skip breakfast.”
I was hurting. But seeing Dante’s affection and care toward me changed everything. His hands were warm and comforting, giving me the strength I needed.
I squeezed his hand, giving him a reassuring smile. “I’m fine. Let’s eat.”
Dante grinned, pulled out the chair beside me, and helped me sit before taking the head of the table. Once he settled in, he leaned toward me, his breath warming my ear.
“Tell me when you want to leave,” he murmured.
I gave a faint nod, and one of his hands slid over mine, his fingers curling around my own in a slow, reassuring
squeeze.J
Ariel tossed her napkin angrily, drawing both our attention. “I’ve lost my appetite. May I be excused?”
Selene stood as well. “I can’t eat either…”
“Selene, if you want to go, you can go,” Dante said dismissively. “But Ariel, you sit down. We are a family. We eat as a family.”
1/4
Chapter 19 He Mode This Feel Real
+25 Bonus
“But Dad…”
“Sit. Down.”
Arielle hesitated, then huffed and dropped back into her chair, crossing her arms tightly over her chest.
Selene, however, did not wait. She hissed, then stormed out.
Everyone was quiet for a moment, then Dante set down his napkin and finally nodded toward the table.
“Now that we have all realized our manners,” he said, his voice calm but commanding, “let’s eat.”
I looked around the table as everyone began. Arielle sat glumly, poking endlessly at her food, clearly upset. Dante, on the other hand, seemed fully satisfied with how the morning had unfolded, happily eating his breakfast as if nothing could touch him.
My appetite had been dampened by the earlier drama. I reached for a glass of juice and gulped it down, the cold sweetness doing little to calm the lingering tension in my chest.
Dante cleared his throat, drawing everyone’s, especially Arielle’s, attention once more.
“I thought I should inform you,” he announced, “that the wedding would be happening in a few days.
I felt Ariel’s eyes snap to us.
“Few days?” she repeated, her voice filled with disbelief. “You only just met her. Why the rush? Are you really that desperate to erase Mom?”
Dante reached for my hands, his fingers interlacing with mine. I could feel the warmth of his palm. He was holding me like I was something precious, something he was afraid to let go of.
This is just for show, I told myself, even as my heart stuttered.
“Ariel,” he said carefully, his thumb beginning to trace slow, delicious circles on the back of my hand. “I am not trying to replace your mother. You know how much I loved her. Your mother is irreplaceable.”
He rested his other hand flat on the table, his fingers splayed wide, but his eyes never left mine for a moment before he turned back to his daughter.
“You know what’s funny? You and Selene and everyone else have been telling me to move on for years. And now I finally am, and you’re questioning me?”
Arielle’s expression hardened, defiant. “Out of all the women you could have chosen. Out of everyone. Why her? Why the daughter of the man who killed Mom?”
Dante sucked in a slow, deep breath, his chest rising and falling as he fought to keep calm. “I understand how you feel, sweetheart. I hate the man, not the daughter. There’s a difference.”
God, he’s good at this.
My heart was racing so fast. I was afraid he could hear it.
He leaned forward, voice softer now but no less serious. “Arielle, I need you to be fair. To try to understand. Gianna doesn’t have to pay for his sins.”
“Why not?” Arielle interjected, cool and challenging. “It’s the same bloodline.”
“Because that’s not how this works, sweetheart.”
2/4
Chapter 119 He Mode This Feel Real
+25 Bonus
He paused, letting the words sink in. “Listen, would you want to pay for some of the bad mistakes I’ve made?”
Arielle’s eyes widened slightly. “That’s different. I know you well enough to know that you’re not just going to kill somebody’s mother or something like that.”
“You don’t know that,” Dante countered quietly. “You don’t know everything I’ve done. Everything I’ve had to do.
Ariel opened her mouth, then closed it again.
“Listen to me.” Dante’s voice strained, like he was holding back something. “Gianna’s been a victim in her own way. She’s dealt with her own pain. Lorenzo wasn’t a real father to her either.”
How did he know? My father was never physically or emotionally presen’t for me. I was practically raised by nannies and guards, not him.
He reached for Ariel’s hands, then mine, linking the three of us together.
“Whatever.” Her tone was sarcastic. “It’s pretty obvious Dad’s already made up his mind. Not like I have a say in anything anyway.”
“Ariel…” Dante started.
“I said I’d give her a chance, didn’t I?” she snapped, then turned that glare on me. “But just so we’re clear, Gianna, if you break my dad’s heart, I will make your life a living hell. You hurt him, and I promise you’ll regret it.
My breath hitched. She wasn’t bluffing. “I understand,” I managed.
“Do you?” Her eyes narrowed. “My dad has been through enough.”
The irony wasn’t lost on me. I almost let out a laugh, but I held it in. She was warning me not to hurt him, when the truth was… I should be the one afraid of him tearing me apart.
He was putting on a show for his daughter, but the way he held our hands and the way his eyes kept drifting back to me, soft, familiar, made it feel real enough that I almost believed it.
Warmth pushed through my chest, and I found myself leaning toward him without meaning to.
“I won’t hurt him,” I murmured, surprised that the words felt true as they left my lips. Suddenly, I wasn’t sure anymore who was really a danger to whom.
Ariel looked me over, her face tense at first. Then a tiny shift in her expression softened, like she wasn’t sure she could stay angry.
She huffed and leaned back. “Yeah, well. We’ll see.”
Dante smiled. “Thank you, Ariel. For trying.”
She rolled her eyes. “Whatever, Dad.”
But I saw it, the slight easing around her mouth, the way her shoulders loosened. She loved him with her whole chest. It was obvious. She was terrified of losing him, terrified of watching someone else break him again.
And somehow, that made me want to earn her trust.
“I know this isn’t easy for you.” My eyes met hers. “And you have every reason not to trust me.” I drew in a slow breath. “I can’t undo what my father did to your family. But I will never take your dad’s kindness for granted.”
3/4
CMH Made Then, feat Ders
+25 Bonus
Dante brushed my cheeks softly.
Ariel’s expression shifted again, less defensive now. “Do you actually mean that?” The edge in her voice softened.
“I do.”
She glanced at her father, then back at me. “Fine. I’ll give her a chance.”
Dante exhaled, relief flickering across his face. “Thank you, sweetheart.” Then he looked at me, and the way his eyes held mine made my pulse trip.
“And thank you, Gianna, for agreeing to make me the happiest man in the world.”
COIN BUNDLE: get more free bonus
Comments
+2
Support
Share
X
GET IT
4/4
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
