TOXIC (Dark Mafia Romance)

Chapter 22 (1 of 2)

OKAY, THANK YOU, Attorney," pasalamat ko sa kausap kong abogado sa telepono. "I hope everything goes well with your meeting with Riza's doctors."

Tinapos ko ang tawag sa abogado at itinaas ang tingin. Nakaupo si Alessio sa tabi ko sa loob ng luxury van habang nasa harapan namin si Lucio.

It turned out, the man really was Alessio's personal assistant. Tinulungan niya ako sa mga kailangan sa abogado at sa mga social workers. And now he was emailing some details to the lawyer about Riza's case.

I flicked my gaze to the man sitting beside me. Abala rin si Alessio habang nakatuon sa laptop, pero nagtaas siya ng tingin nang maramdaman ang titig ko.

The edges of his mouth curled. "What is it, Principessa?"

I felt my cheeks heating, and I tore my gaze away from him. "Nothing," I muttered.

Alessio chuckled and I felt my skin flushing more.

Itinuon ko uli ang atensyon sa phone. Thankfully, my mother hadn't contacted me again. I tapped the phone gallery and as expected, I was greeted with countless pictures of my baby sister. Pain gripped my insides as I stared at the smiling face of baby Amelia, but somehow, it wasn't as crippling as before. Somehow, the smile tugging the edges of my lips and the warmth filling my chest as I stared at the happy chubby face of my baby sister washed over the cutting pain.

I tapped one of the videos of baby Amelia and put on the wireless earbuds Lucio had returned to me along with my phone.

Baby Amelia giggled on the video and it made me smile.

"Ate! Look, look! I made a flower ring! Kuya Jojo helped me, Ate!"

Ngumiti sa kamera ang isang binatilyo at kumaway. "Hi po, Ate Antonia."

Ayaw ko man, pero nanigas ang tiyan ko nang makita ang teenager. I supposed it would always be like that. Jojo just looked too much like that evil man.

I watched baby Amelia blabber and dance with Jojo on the screen. And when it finished, I watched another video of my baby sister.

Marami nang tao nang makarating kami sa mansion ni Don Almeda.

Tita Natasha said it would just be a casual dinner with family, but from the large vases of flowers practically overflowing on the tables of the grand foyer and living area, I doubted it. I also saw the faces of business associates of the Almedas, so it was clearly not just a family gathering.

I carefully ran my hand down the side of my coral maxi dress, feeling relieved that I chose to dress up a bit for the occasion because as they said, being overdressed was better than being underdressed.

Alessio and I stepped under the arched doorway leading to the large courtyard where tables were set for the guests. Marami ring mga bulaklak at mga kristal sa mga mesa roon, at may himig ng biyulin sa hangin. The guests were not in formal attire, but like me, they were definitely glammed up with their dresses and jewelry.

"What's wrong?" Alesios' fingers flexed against my lower back as he fixed his gaze on my face.

"Nothing, I'm just glad I dressed up a bit."

"You're beautiful no matter what you wear, Principessa," he drawled in that roughened baritone that just made my pulse skitter.

I glanced up at him from beneath my lashes, and his mouth just curved.

"Come." He lightly pressed me forward. "Let's get you something to eat–"

Naramdaman kong nanigas ang lalaki sa tabi ko at agad ding napuno ng tensyon ang katawan ko.