The Love Affair(Good Wife Better Mistress)

Family Ties

Nicole stares at Gabriela at a temporary loss for words. If she rejects Gabriela's offer, she'll look petty and childish. Gaby has all the skills of an award-winning actress, and the guests are eating out of her hand. They whisper back and forth, praising her generosity and sweetness.

"Since Alex didn't hold a birthday party for you, I'll celebrate your birthday!" Alex announces.

Some guests begin to applaud her kindness, and Alex leads Nicole to a large pink cake. Gaby's statement has the intended effect, and the gossiping crowd murmurs again.

"How pathetic—her own husband won't even throw her a birthday party," some women whisper, "How dare she ruin Gaby's birthday party? She's so spiteful! Shame on her."

"Why did the Romano family ever choose her to marry Alexandro?" asks a man.

"I heard that they're on bad terms with each other and have already signed a divorce agreement," says another man.

"Don't talk about Nicole, like that," a woman whispers, "I can understand her. After all, Alex is away, and she must be feeling quite lonely without him on her special day."

Nicole holds yesterday's video recording and photos in her hand. Originally, she wanted to expose Gaby's attempt to kidnap her last night, but it seems Gaby has outsmarted her this time. Nicole worries that the crowd won't believe anything she says. She feels stuck and despair starts to rise in her chest.

"Who said her husband won't throw her a birthday party?" a loud voice shouts.

A man walks into the yard, followed by a large group of bodyguards. The man is handsome and arrogant and moves with the grace of a nobleman. When the ladies present sees him, their hearts all begin to palpitate with excitement. The guests fall silent as if they've been frozen in place, and they turn to stare at him with rapt attention.

The bodyguards behind him, escort two identical bearded men. They push and shove the men roughly as they walk. Nicole looks at her husband with astonishment.

Yesterday John wouldn't even tell me Alex's whereabouts," she thinks, "How is he here today?"

Gaby glances between Alex and the two kidnappers she hired. Her face flushes with panic and she begins twisting her dress in her hand. Mrs. Candela looks equally horrified.

"Alex, you are back so soon?" Candela asks in a weak voice.

"Come here," Alex commands, looking intently at Nicole.

Gabriela uneasily walks a few steps toward Alex, but she's frightened by his fierce eyes.

"Nicole, Come here!" Alex repeats.

Instead of waiting for her to approach him, he crosses the distance in a few short strides and wrapped her in his arms. 

"Mr. Romano, what about these two people?" John asks, limping behind Alex.

"Let them point out the person who wanted to hurt my wife!" Alex snarls.

He surveys the crowd aggressively and the people gossiping about Nicole lower their heads with guilt and embarrassment.

"Alex, I..." Gaby stutters, gnawing her lower lip.

"Are you scared?" Alex asks Nicole.

He presses his palm onto the back of her hand and folds his hand around hers. When he came back home, he heard from servants that Nicole was almost kidnapped. He immediately asked one of his bodyguards to investigate it. Nicole still hasn't recovered from the astonishment of seeing him and subconsciously nods her head.

"Don't worry," Alex whispers tenderly, "I'm here. No one dares to touch you now."

After feeling helpless and alone, Alex's presence fills her with warmth. She wants to lean into his embrace but reminds herself of all the times Alex has ignored her suffering in the past.

"What if the one who dared touch me is someone you're close to?" she asks him.

"There's no exception to what I just said!" Alex growls.

"Really?" Nicole asks, "What are you going to do to punish them?"

"Nicolette! You are such a devil!" Mrs. candela hisses, "Can't you show me some respect?"

"I never said it was you, Mrs. Romano," Nicole says, raising her head from Alex's chest, "But perhaps you're feeling guilty."

Mrs. Candela coughs with rage.

"Alex, it's none of Mrs. Romano's business," Gabriela says, stepping in front of Mrs. Candela, "It was all me! You can punish me or beat me, but Mrs. Romano is our elder, and I won't allow you to raise a hand against her."

"Alexandro Romano it's Gabriela's birthday today," Mrs. Candela Romano says, "We can talk about it later."

Mrs. Romano is desperately trying to control the damage to the family's reputation. She knows that this confrontation on the lawn will likely appear in every gossip magazine in the morning. She's terrified of making a fool of herself and ruining the family.

Alex's eyes sweep fiercely towards the two strong kidnappers who eye the bodyguards worriedly. Their legs seem to tremble in fear and they look at Gaby mournfully.

"Point to the person now!" John says, kicking them with his good leg.

"Miss Montez paid us to kidnap Nicole," one of the men whispers.

Moments ago the crowd lauded Gaby as a generous and caring woman, but their opinion turns quickly. They begin to whisper and exclaim over what a good actress she is.

"Alex, aren't you listening to me?" Mrs. Candela says in a rage.

"Nicole is my wife," Alex said, loud enough for everyone to hear, "From today forward, anyone who dares to touch her without permission will be kicked out of the Romano family."

He turns to glare coldly at Gabriela. Mrs. Candela trembles with rage. After a long pause, she clears her throat.

"I must have misheard you," she says, "Did you really just say that to me?"

Alex casts a condescending look at his grandmother.

"No matter who it is," he says coldly.

The guests gasp with shock. They can't believe he would dare to insult his grandmother for a woman.

"Alexandro Romano, have you forgotten that I'm your grandmother?" Mrs. Candela asks.

"Are you deaf or senile?" Alex asks wickedly, "Didn't you hear me clearly?"

Mrs. Romano almost faints with anger. Nicole regards him with surprise and confusion. She's been married to Alex for years, but he's never intervened on her behalf. He's allowed these people to humiliate and torment her for years. Just days ago she was locked in a cold, dark room and starved for three days.

Now she feels truly protected.