Mallory stepped into the office with Noelle behind her. Noelle was afraid to see her grandfather up close.
"You asked to see us" Mallory said as she was near the desk. Amancio stood up from his seat and walked towards them.
"I did" he said once he was right in front of them. "How have you been?" Amancio smiled at Mallory. "Great" Mallory responded. "Good" Amancio said before turning to look at Noelle.
Noelle was looking at the ground but as she felt Amancio looking at her she decided not to be intimidated and looked back at him. She was afraid but she didn't want to show it, at least not to him. "Noelle Cassidy" Amancio said.
"Do you know who I am?" He asked her.
Mallory frowned and looked at her grandfather. "Can't you just formally introduce yourself?" Mallory said making her grandfather look at her before looking back at Noelle.
"Amancio Kline, your grandfather" He said as he looked at Noelle. He saw her and all he could think about was how she looked so much like her mother.
"It's a pleasure to meet you" Noelle said. "You know I was planning to come the day the business was handed to Bellami but your grandmother returned to Milan with the surprise that our son had showed up. She spoke about him having a daughter. I had to meet the only granddaughter that doesn't carry my surname" Amancio said as he walked behind the desk to take his seat.
"Isn't she lovely?" Mallory smiled looking at Noelle. "You look a lot like your mother" Amancio said. "I don't know if that's a good or bad thing" Noelle answered. "Well that's for you to determine" Amancio said.
"Well I believe you've already decided the answer. I'm aware that you weren't a big fan of my mother" Noelle said. Mallory looked at Noelle without any expression. Mallory was bursting with joy to finally hear Noelle speak up and especially defend her mother. She knew what her grandfather was trying to do and was glad to hear Noelle respond.
Amancio raised his brows before smiling, "I had my reasons" he nodded.
"And I'm no one to contradict them but I can assure you that as much as I look like my mother, I'm not her" Noelle said.
"Good" Amancio nodded. "I'd like to have breakfast as family tomorrow to announce to you all some changes I've done on my testimony so that when I die it wont come as a surprise. I take that you'll put aside the differences between your father and you?" Amancio said looking at Noelle.
"To be the first day your here after years of not showing up you sure came very demanding" Mallory said to her grandfather.
"It goes for you to" Amancio said to Mallory. "Well I can't assure you anything from my part but I'll try my best if you sit my father away and I mean very away from me" Mallory smiled.
"You two act like the people who your siding with are saints" Amancio looked at both Noelle and Mallory. Noelle was about to speak but Mallory spoke first.
"Can you repeat that again but silently in your head. When you've got the hint that the phrase is directed to you too and you stop siding with murderers like your sons are then you can give us orders until then you are just another person giving and irrelevant opinion. Goes in this ear and out the other, see you for breakfast" Mallory smiled before getting up and taking Noelle with her.
Once they were out of the office Mallory apologized to Noelle for making her go in there. "It's fine. It gave me some value. I mean if I spoke to him the way I did I think I can look my father in the eyes now without being intimidated" Noelle smiled.
"So you want to do breakfast tomorrow?" Mallory asked Noelle. "Eight a.m?" Noelle smiled.
"Eight a.m" Mallory responded.
They began walking back towards the party. "I just can't believe how grandma could fall in love with someone like that" Noelle said.
"He's not as bad as he acts to be, it's just his way and belief that he'll raise strong people like that" Mallory shrugged.
They walked towards the balcony and were about to walk down the stairs when Noelle stopped because she spotted Nick with Ezekiel. "You miss him?" Mallory looked down at Ezekiel and Nick.
"It still hurts to see him, or even think of him. I mean what is he even doing here?" Noelle said not once taking her eyes off Nick.
"He's here with Matthew. The guy right there, he's a detective" Mallory said.
"As if he needed more evidence" Noelle said. "To put your father in jail? He needs lots, especially now that grandfather has put them behind his wings" Mallory said.
"Why can't we just speak up?"
"It doesn't work like that. If we spoke up they'd probably say something like for example that we did it because they didn't give us something we wanted or because were ungrateful. It's not easy" Mallory said. "What grandfather said wasn't all that incorrect. We've sided with them but they aren't saints, they've hurt us when we were just victims of our fathers actions" she added.
"I think the best option is to forgive them, forgive him. We're all going to hell either way. The only difference is that we're friends with devil and they aren't "
"Have you forgave him?" Noelle turned to look at Mallory. Mallory looked at Ezekiel and watched as he laughed. There wasn't anything she adored as much as his smile. She slightly turned to see Colton still at the bar. "If I forgive him I don't know what would happen. I'd probably want him and he's no longer available. I don't want to hurt people in the way just to get to him" Mallory gulped the tears.
"What if he wants you back?" Noelle asked. "Would you go back to Nick?" Mallory asked. Noelle looked at Nick. "I don't know" Noelle responded.
"It's not about them tonight, it's about us. Or so I think so" Mallory said before stepping away from the balcony and walking down the stairs. Noelle walked down the steps besides her.
"Hey, I brought her back" Mallory tapped Liams shoulder. "Mal" Devin said.
"Great to see you" Mallory smiled at Devin. "Why don't you guys join us for drinks?" Mallory asked them.
"I actually have to go, but I'll see you around." Devin said to Mallory.
"You're leaving me already?" Liam asked Devin. "Yeah it's a good thing you have company" Devin patted Liams shoulder before saying goodbye to Liam and Noelle. "Drinks?" Mallory looked at Liam and Noelle.
"We're actually going to hang out by the lake, if that's fine with you?" Liam asked Noelle who nodded. "We'll catch you up in a bit" Liam said to Mallory who nodded and walked away to find Colton.
