“Hey my love, why are you crying? Did you miss mommy?” Athena whispers as she gently bounces Alessio against her.
“I think his back teeth are coming in, that’s why he has being fussy all morning.” Hendrik walked out of the room stark naked, shocking Athena and Dante.
“Dude what the hell? At least put some clothes on.” Dante laughs as he tries to cover Athena’s eyes.
“I told you to wait in the room.” Shouts Gisele as she runs behind Hendrik with a sheet to cover up his over exposed areas.
“Well excuse me for wanting to see my best friend.”
“Don’t you dare come near me naked Hendrik or I swear to God that I will punch you.” Dante exclaims as Hendriks moved towards him with arms wide open.
“First the woman I slept with tries to hide me and now my best friend doesn’t want to hug me, Athena why do I attract assholes?” Hendrik fakes a sniffle before being met with a comforting pat on the shoulder from Athena who looked to be juggling two babies now.
“Come here my nugget so that mommy can deal with uncle Hendrik, he’s being a bigger baby than you are.” Dante carefully removed Alessio from Athena’s arms and cradled him whilst gently blowing against his forehead.
As Dante rocked Alessio back to sleep, Athena took the opportunity to grill Gisele on what happened between her and Hendrik last night.
“He drives me crazy, to the point where I want to rip off his clothes and shut him up.”
“The sex must be wild then.”
“Let’s just say thank God Dante had soundproofed the bedrooms of this building.”
The two ladies continued their morning gossip session before being interrupted by Dante.
“Alessio is asleep, I put some bourbon on his gums to help with the teething.”
“Is that safe?” Gisele questioned.
“Yes, most paediatricians recommend doing it.” Athena answered.
“My father soaked my pacifier in bourbon and I turned out just fine.” Hendrik joked, interrupting the conversation.
“Okay, maybe we should be worried.” Athena quipped at Hendriks expense.
“I got to get to work, call me after lunch with your mother?” Dante voiced before kissing Athena on the cheek, she slightly nodded agreeing to his request.
“I love you.”
“I love you too.” Hendrik replied.
“I was talking to Athena you dick.” Dante laughed as walked out of the apartment.
“So dinner with your mother, this calls for some wine.”
The Mayor’s office
Dante had just settled at his desk and was enjoying the tranquillity of silence but this was short lived as Crystal barged into his office and locked the door behind her.
“What the hell is going on with you Dante? Did you even bother to read any of my text messages? The media is having a field day after you left the gala with another woman. Athena is a slut, she’s going to ruin your reputation.” Crystal screeched as she threw a local newspaper on Dante’s desk.
“Watch your tone Crystal, we may have fucked but that doesn’t mean I won’t hesitate to snap your neck if you ever disrespect Athena again. We’re done now get the hell out of my office.”
“Don’t come crying to me when she breaks your heart again.”
“Fuck, well that could have gone better.” Dante thought to himself as he started doing the job he was elected for.
Il piatto dei sapori
Two things immediately caught Athena’s eyes as she walked into the restaurant, first was the lack of customers along with wait - staff and second was a pair of eyes she had grown to hate.
Without haste, she turned around and to grab the door handle, only for some goon to step in front of it. Athena kicked the stranger in his groin before landing a solid punch on his jaw, the man stumbled aside allowing her to leave the restaurant but a taunting voice and the sound of a gun being loaded stopped her.
“Athena Ruiz, its being a while hasn’t it.”
There stood Pedro with a gun against his own son’s head, with Adrianna sitting contently across from him. Fernando looked at Athena with eyes full of sorrow, he had being bound to a chair and gagged much like she was just over a year ago.
“You might want to join us or else his death will be your fault, just like Allesandro’s was.” Pedro tapped his son on the shoulder before ordering his goon to search Athena.
“How could you?” Athena questioned with disgust as she was forced to sit next to Fernando while Pedro’s goon tied her hands together.
“You’d do anything for love my dear.”
“And what about the love a mother is supposed to have for her children?”
“You and your brother’s were mistakes I had to live with until Pedro set me free.” Adrianna stated before being joined by her beloved.
Fernando tried with all his might to loosen the rope around his hands to no avail, Athena saw this and brought her foot next to his, tapping against it gently letting him know everything was going to be alright.
“Remove his gag.” Pedro commanded and just like that Fernando was begging for Athena to be let go.
“Father please be rational, she’s innocent.”
“Innocent? She turned my own son against me. Imagine my surprise when I came across your phone Fernando and saw that you had being conspiring with my enemy for over a year. Everything I have done has being for you and yet the snake in my home is my own flesh and blood, you disgust me.”
“Then hate me, punish me but let her live.” Fernando pleaded once more.
“I will let her live…”
Fernando and Athena breathed a sigh a relief after hearing Pedro’s words.
“Only because I want her to suffer and lose everything she has, just like I have. You see at first I thought you had betrayed me out of your love for her and you know what I would’ve respected that but hearing that see crawled back into Dante’s bed the first chance she got just boiled my blood. I mean he may be the father of your child but he’s a bastard just like his father was.”
“He is not my son’s father nor is he a bastard, the only bastard here is you.” Athena spat in Pedro’s face.
Pedro laughed menacingly before wiping Athena’s spit off his face.
“Oh you poor child, I guess nobody told you the truth. Your father had the paternity tests switched out, Dante is your baby daddy. Gosh I feel like I’m on one of those 90’s TV shows.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“Go ahead son, tell her.”
Athena looked at Fernando for confirmation of this with tears beginning to build in her eyes.
“I wanted to tell you, but your father made us promise not to.”
“Us? Who exactly are you talking about?”
“Romulus and I.”
“Why would my father do that?” Athena tried to blink away her tears.
“Because he is an awful man. I saved your mother from him and maybe I can save you as well. Aren’t you tired of being controlled by your family? Don’t you want to live life by your own rules?” Pedro saw the anger and hurt in Athena’s eyes and knew he could use this to his own advantage, he gently wiped the escaped tears off her face which didn’t sit well with Adrianna.
“So what do you say?”