In Italy, Deborah was in charge of taking care of Santi. Gradually, her behavior towards him began to change, and Sergio noticed that she was spending more and more time in the child’s room.


    “Well, maybe hyenas do have feelings after all,” he questioned himself.


    It didn’t suit him for that woman to be attached to the boy. He would talk to her about it.


    He had nned to get rid of her, just as she had nned to get rid of him. They were two of a kind.


    Deborah entered Santi’s room at night during an electrical storm. The boy had hidden under the bed and was lying on the carpet, covered with a nket.


    “Santi, you have toe out from there. Nothing will happen to you.”


    “I’m very scared, ma’am.”


    “I told you not to call me ma’am. Call me grandma, because that’s what I am. Maria isn’t, I am.”


    The boy wasn’t intelligent, but he knew he shouldn’t contradict her. She would get furious when he did.


    “I’ll stay here with you until you fall asleep. Come on, get into bed. I’ll tell you a story.”


    “Yes, grandma.”


    It was the first time he epted to call her that. Deborah felt a warmth in her chest that she had never felt before. She stayed with him until he fell asleep, then quietly left the room, with Sergio looking at her sternly.


    “What do you think you’re doing? You know you can’t be involved with that child.”


    “I’m not doing anything. I stayed with him so he wouldn’t be screaming because of the storm.”


    “Well, at first, you gagged him to silence his screams, and now you’re keeping himpany.”


    Deborah remained silent. Sergio was very intelligent and knew her perfectly, so deceiving him wasn’t easy.


    In the United States, Bruno had organized a romantic dinner in the Grand Hall of his house. He was determined to make Nicole fall in love with him again.


    He adorned the hall with hundreds of red roses, knowing they were her favorite. Fortunately, she didn’t remember the story of the roses and Leandro.


    He hired a violinist, a chef, and some trusted waiters to attend to them. He reinforced the security around the mansion to prevent any inconveniences.


    He dressed in a custom-made ck suit. Nicole had agreed to have dinner with him, and he wanted to see if it was possible to evoke even a little of the love they said she felt for him.


    And it’s not like they had forgotten about Santi. At least Bruno needed to distract his mind to avoid going crazy. They were still gathering evidence against Sergio, so they could eventually bring him down and reim everything he had taken from Nicole.


    She descended the stairs, and he awaited her downstairs. He was impressed. She was wearing the same red dress she had worn on the day of her graduation, thankfully unaware of what had happened with her sister that day.


    As she was about to step down thest stair, he extended his hand to take hers. When she did, she saw a smile on his face that stirred strange sensations within her.


    “You look beautiful.”


    “Thank you, you look very handsome.” She was willing to do her part to salvage the rtionship. After all, she didn’t believe her parents would lie about something like this.


    They entered the hall, and she was amazed by the decoration. As she observed Bruno’s hand over hers, she noticed small cuts on it.


    “Did you decorate the hall yourself?”


    “Yes, with some help, of course, but I did it with love. Did you like it?”


    “It looks beautiful. Red roses are my favorites.” He smiled as he saw her excitement.


    They dined by candlelight, and then he asked her to dance. She dly epted. They got up from their seats, and Bruno ced his arm around her waist. She didn’t know if the warmth she felt was due to the wine she had consumed or the proximity of Bruno.


    After a while of dancing and having a few more drinks, Nicole started feeling slightly dizzy and cheerful, as well as a bit warmer.


    “Thank you so much for this wonderful evening. I think I’ll go upstairs to sleep. I feel a bit lightheaded. I’ll apany you.”


    He took her by the waist to help her up the stairs. Nicoleughed as she climbed one step and descended two.


    “Hahaha.”


    “Wait, you must hold on or you’ll fall.”


    Upon reaching the front of Bruno’s bedroom, he kissed her, and she reciprocated the kiss.


    “Stay with me tonight.” In response, she kissed him.


    With one hand, he opened the bedroom door while holding her with the other. They approached the bed, he undressed her, and she did the same to him. For Nicole, it felt as if it were the first time she would be with him. Her hands trembled as she caressed Bruno’s chest and back. He smiled when he noticed it. He would have to be very careful because mentally, it would be her first time again.


    With calmness and tenderness, he caressed her entire body, kissing every part as he always did. The night seemed short to them, as they joined their bodies again and again until they were exhausted. They fell asleep embracing each other. In the morning, Nicole woke up first, feeling embarrassed by her naked body, and even more so by his nudity.


    She got up silently, covering her body with the sheet. She screamed because, in doing so, she uncovered Bruno’s body, revealing his erection.


    “Oh my God!” she eximed, covering her eyes with both hands, causing the sheet that covered her to fall to the ground.


    Her scream woke up Bruno, who found the scene amusing.


    “Hahaha, what happened?” he asked.


    Nicole, still covering her eyes with one hand, pointed to a spot between his legs. Bruno found it endearing and grabbed the sheet to cover himself.C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.


    “There you go. Now I’ll close my eyes so you can feel morefortable while you go to the bathroom, or if you prefer, I can shower with you,” he said,ughing.


    “No, no, I’ll bathe alone.” She ran towards the bathroom and locked the door.


    He took some clothes and went to another room to shower, giving her time to calm down. That situation brought back memories of when they were falling in love.


    Meanwhile, at Leandro’s house, Shelsy had realized that she was oveing her obsession with Bruno. She worried because she was falling in love with Leandro, and it was the same predicament all over again because, despite everything, much to her chagrin, she was still in love with Nicole. She wished there was a potion that would make her forget, that would make her heart understand that they were siblings.


    Shelsy kept her distance from him, afraid that if he found out she was falling in love, he would push her away. She couldn’t bear that. He had shown her what life was truly like, and she felt that she had matured by his side. She was no longer the spoiled girl who believed the world should revolve around her.


    Being with Leandro was her safe haven, the ce where she felt protected. She would do everything in her power to never be separated from his side.


    On the other hand, he felt desperate. He couldn’t get Nicole out of his stubborn mind, and knowing that Santi was in the hands of his father was driving him crazy. He had raised him as if he were his own son, and his father knew it. He would never forgive him for what he was doing.


    There were so many things they had experienced together with Nicole that he wouldn’t hesitate to give his life in exchange for either of them. He frequently spent time with Rina, and mother and son tried to make up for lost time. He felt loved by their side. His father was so cold that he had never shown him any affection, and he had longed for a hug, a kiss from his mother, but he had denied him that.


    “In Bruno’s office, Dante showed him the front page of a newspaper. Both of them looked at it in astonishment. The image depicted two men kissing, which wouldn’t be anything special if they didn’t know them very well. It was Máx and Amadeus.


    “Most likely, this is a photoshopped image. You know how the media can do anything to sell. These two have been hovering around Nicole,” Dante said.


    “As far as I know, Máx loved her. So, yes, I believe the photo is doctored. I’ll call Máx to rmend mywyer, and they can sue these media outlets who only seek profit regardless of who is affected,” Bruno replied. Dante and Máx had be very good friends since they met, although Máx had been losttely.


    “That’s the best course of action. This way, the media will learn that they should think twice before publishing this kind of content.”


    Nicole and Sophie invited Máx and Amadeus for lunch. They wanted them to feel weed. All that mattered to Nicole was that they were happy. Besides, the boys nned to talk with Dante and Bruno. They no longer wanted to hide their rtionship. They felt good with each other. It was their life, and they had the right to live it the way that made them feel best, without trying to please the world.