The Bellingerre Series Book #1: The Billionaire & The Trophy Wife

Chapter Nine: Seriously, Gardener or Billionaire?

A/n: New Chapter
Marc Anthony's POV
I was timid when I was a little boy. Being bullied by Raymond and the absence of my father's affection hardened me. When I met Nick, he taught me how to be aggressive. Nick was just the kind of person to do one of two things. Verbal confrontations or physical altercations. The latter was dominant. Still, he taught me how to hold my fists up. At that young impressionable age, I found myself attached to a man who later on turned out to be my older brother.

Wayne Bellingerre and Marianna Balotelli once had an affair and the result was me. Wayne always told me that she abandoned me. I grew up with that disappointment at the back of my mind. So when he told me is was my mother, I was angry at both if them. Initially Marianna for supposedly abandoning me and later on Wayne because he lied about everything.

Wayne ripped me from my mother's arms yo punish her. The Bellingerre superpower is holding grudges. They still don't speak to each other. Mom doesn't even try.

I don't regret ever meeting Nick. He asked Marianna to take me in. Wayne didn't mind. Now I understand why he just have me away like that. She wasn't a stranger. They both knew and neither one if them said anything until Wayne decided to ruin her first.

"Will you keep stirring your tea?" She bent a little low to peek at my face through the large Gucci sun glasses. My mom is the most fashionable woman I know. She always looks her best even if it's a lazy day in the house.

"I'm afraid I am not hungry."

"Is it the wedding? Do you want me to raise hell?"

"No. Bea isn't that bad... I think I like her. But marriage is not my cup of tea. Bellingerres don't marry."

"You have a point." She agreed. "Why is that? Why don't they marry?"

"That's just how it is."

"Tony, figlio mio, you don't have to follow the trend. It's brave to be your own person in a world full of trends. You are allowed to be different from the test of the Bellingerres. Fall in love, marry and have children." She squeezed my hand. "And don't let what happened to Nick ruin love for you."

"Thank you mother. That's sound advice. I'm not opposed to taking an interest in Bea. The problem is she is not interested in me like that."

"Do you remember when you were boys and you told me that Nick gets the girl and you don't?"

"And nonno taught me how to pick up girls?" I laughed. Nonno is smooth with the ladies. It's effortless for him.

"He told you that you have something Nick does not have. You are smooth with the ladies."

We shared a brief laugh. "o you realize that nome of you are married? Not nonno. Not Nate. Not you. Not Nick. Not Wayne. It's sort of hard for me to imagine myself married."

"Like I said, be your own person. When are you introducing me to Bea?"

She changed the subject swiftly. She doesn't believe in marriage but she's trying to convince me.

"It's too soon."

"Too soon? Haven't you met her family already?"

"On day one."

"Exactly! Introduce me! Tell her to join us for lunch."

I cringed at the idea. Mom and Bea will not get along. I can already tell. She was all over Kei and she practiced restraint. She didn't want any more trouble with Nick. She's protective of her boys. Rightly so, especially me because I haven't exactly made the best choices.

One of those choices was Brianne DeLatour. She is the ex my mother never liked. When they first met, she asked Brianne if her hair is fake. I have come to realize that she doesn't like red heads and she is not sorry about it. They never got along and of course, it couldn't work. She asked me to choose between my mother and her. It's not anything to think about. I chose my mother. The relationship ended. She reached out to me a few days ago but I didn't answer.