Chapter 147

“I haven’t been here in ages.” I sighed as I stared at the home where it all started. Dario stood beside me and surprisingly behaved the entire ride. He probably knew about Christian and I getting back together, but he didn’t say a word because that was typically Dario. He had to hear it from my mouth.

“So, this is where you grew up?” Dario asked. Regardless of the circumstances, I was still glad to do something good and wanted to make the best out of everything.

“You’re the first person to visit,” I confessed. “My parents, Beau and my friends have never been here.”

I wasn’t jumping at the idea of being alone with Dario, but we had collected toys and essentials for the children, and I did not want to miss out on that opportunity, even if it had to be with him.

Whenever he looked at me, all I could see was a liar. He lied to me, and he used me, and I was going to get him back for it. From now on. I would stand behind Christian.

“You must’ve been very popular.” Dario joked as he opened the trunk. “You’re beautiful, funny-I dare you to tell me it isn’t true.”

“It isn’t,” I spoke to his surprise. “I had a few friends, but I wasn’t that popular.”

“That’s surprising,” Dario commented. It honestly wasn’t, and the only one who could see right through me was Christian. There used to be a time when Christian would joke about me not being that popular. but moments like these made me realize how well he knew me. I didn’t know him, but he seemed to know everything about me.

“I actually got bullied,” I spoke as we unloaded the boxes. If I was going to try to get closer to him, I might as well try it now. “Not here though, the kids and I were very close-it was at school.”

“Bullied?” Dario spoke, worried, and stopped whatever he was doing to look at me. “How come?”

“I personally think it was because they used to see me as a threat,” I spoke. It was a bold statement, but it was true. It was why Isobel and all the other girls, including the girls at the club, initially didn’t like my presence.

“I didn’t know you were that confident.” Dario laughed. “So I suppose you never really liked school?”

I was bothered because all of this was a way for him to open up to me, but he wouldn’t budge. He was so secretive, and it seemed impossible to break through to him. “It was. I got expelled more times than I could count, and it was only because I fought back.” I told him.

“I was only defending myself and meant no harm-but for some reason, they thought I was the devil.

Strange, right?”

The smile on Dario face had vanished, and it became clear to me that I had finally pushed a button.

“I know the feeling,” Dario sighed. I could see the anger through his eyes and wanted to ask him more, but I had to follow Christian and Marc’s instructions. Dario was not stupid and would probably notice my intentions.

“We should probably go inside!” I suggested and linked my arm with his. He looked down in surprise and grew a smile on his face. I was deceiving him the same way he deceived me, but he deserved it.

“For how long did you live here?” Dario wondered. It was strange how he had no problem asking me questions but did not like it whenever it was the other way around. “I left at eighteen, I lived with a lot of families in between, but none of them really worked out.” I shared as I looked him in the eye to observe his reaction.

“I’m sorry.” Dario apologize. I could see the same rage behind those eyes and was curious as to why he didn’t want to share anything with me, until I suddenly realized the reason. He couldn’t trust me because he knew I went through his office.

“Serena!” A familiar woman called out as she opened the door and pulled me into a hug. “I heard you were coming, and I was so shocked. I haven’t seen you in like four years!”

“I know, I missed you.” I pouted. “Dario, this is Kim-she’s known me ever since I was a toddler.” I introduced her to him. It was the same woman who I accused of making my life miserable, but only years. later, I realized that she and all the others were only looking out for me. If I could only go back and time and treat them with the respect they deserved.

“I suppose you don’t have any baby pictures?” Dario asked. He was once again digging into my personal life. “I do.” Kim smiled. “Serena was like the main child of this home. We were all devasted when she left.”

“I know.” I smiled. All the others might’ve been sad, but it was the happiest day in my entire life. It was the day I finally got a taste of freedom. A lot of the children were here for different reasons, but I never truly fit in. The only reason why I ended up there was because I had no where else to go.

“We brought a lot of boxes with blankets, toys, food, and so much more.” I smiled at Kim. “I heard all about it, and I’m so proud of you.” Kim sighed. “The others said you were going to end up in jail, but I told them you weren’t. Wait here for a second!” She spoke in a hurry before she disappeared.

“Jail?” Dario laughed. “I thought you said you were a sweet child.”

“I was.” I frowned. “It’s just an inside joke, I never stole anything, lied, or bullied anyone.”

“I only lived here because I had nowhere else to go.” I shrugged. “One woman adopted me, and she gave me her surname, she took really good care of me, but after she passed away, I had nowhere else to go and got send back here.”

I observed the look on Dario’s face, but he was still not opening up. Christian’s words had once again crossed my mind and I wondered if they were right. Perhaps he would open up if I told him the truth about snooping through his office.

“Look, I brought some help!” Kim spoke as she returned with four guys behind her. “Are you guys still here?” I smiled at the familiar faces. “Yes, I had no idea you were able to get even uglier, but here you are.” One of the guys spoke. They were the same little annoying kids I used to live with and even though their appearance changed a lot, they were still the same.

“You and the kids were all very close, I see,” Dario whispered in my car while I gave him a nudge against his shoulder. It was difficult to dislike him, and I couldn’t tell whether he made me feel uncomfortable or at ease. I couldn’t like him anymore.

“You two can come inside. They’ll carry the boxes.” Kim decided and pushed us in. “It’s exactly how I remembered it, only really quiet,” I commented as my mind went back to the old days, when I used to come back to school only to enter a loud house, I couldn’t concentrate or study and we all made the poor supervisors miserable.

“Yes, we went from fifteen to seven.” Kim smiled. “Other than the boys, only the three younger kids are here, and everyone else followed into your footsteps.”

“How about everyone who used to work here?” I asked, but Kim shook her head. “A lot has changed, but there’s one thing which remained the same-your room!”

“Really?” I gasped. At that moment, three little children came running down the stairs and made their way towards us. Dario knelt and grabbed the hand of one of the children. The look on his face seemed gentle and sweet. All I could think of was how this same man was apparently the devil in disguise. It couldn’t be possible.

I watched as Dario interacted with the children until Kim pulled me to the side. “I heard you were pregnant and that you found your birth family” Kim spoke. “I’m happy for you. You deserve it.”

“Thanks!” I spoke, excited. “I have a daughter, her name is Siena, and she’s five months old, really energetic, and she looks exactly like me-

“Wait”

“How did you know?” I asked, shocked. I knew word traveled fast, but it was something I didn’t share with anyone from my past. “That one guy told me a very long time ago. It was already a few months back.” Kim spoke, confused. “Christian? He told me the two of you were together.”

“Christian?” I chuckled as Kim nodded her head. “Yes, he donated a huge amount of cash, he gave everyone presents, and I have to admit, I’m really impressed by your choice of men.”

“He never told me…” I spoke, flustered. “Yes, I don’t think I was supposed to share this,” Kim stressed. “He told me he was curious about your life and that he didn’t want to bring up the past because he didn’t want to hurt your feelings.”

“He did?” I smiled. It did sound a lot like Christian. He was always so secretive, but deep down, he had the right intentions. “He thanked us for taking care of you and told us that he’ll do it from now on and that he plans on having a big family.” Kim laughed.

“That’s cute.” I cooed. Christian couldn’t stop mentioning a big family, and it made me feel terrible.

He wanted something, and I blatantly told him that I wouldn’t give it to him. He had surprising charms, and he obviously loved children. Maybe it was time for me to rethink that decision.

“What’s the deal with him?” Kim asked. “He also seems to like you.”

“Kim, please,” I begged her. “What?” Kim nagged. “When you were younger, we used to talk about this kind of stuff all the time. It’s not a crime for multiple men to like you.”

Right, if would count Vince, that would be one more person to the list.

“I don’t care whether he likes me or not. I’m not interested. We’re just business partners.” I clarified, but it felt like a lie. Did I still have a crush on him? No, definitely not, but I wasn’t like Christian. I didn’t hate him, and I didn’t want to get rid of him. I just wanted him to be behave.

“He’s good with kids.” Kim smiled. “They all seem to love him, and children can usually see through people.”

“They can.” 1 agreed. The children seemed to love Dario, and so did Siena. His kindness did not seem like an act, but it seemed sincere which made it all more confusing. What was he up to?

“Do you want to show him your old room?” Kim asked. “I’ll make you guys something to cat-you’re staying over for dinner, right?”

“Yes, sure.” I nodded. “When did I ever say no to free food?”

“That’s right. You loved food.” Kim laughed as she walked off. Dario looked at me as I called for him to come over. “Do you want to see my old room?” I asked.

“Yes, I would love to.” Dario laughed. We took a slight detour so I could give him a tour of the home.

“Boys were on the left and girls on the right-and there used to be a night guard to make sure we wouldn’t do anything crazy,” I explained. “Let’s just say he didn’t really do his job well.”

“And here I was, thinking you were innocent.” Dario judged me. “Where was your room?”

“There.” I pointed out and grabbed his arm. Even if it was just for a second, it seemed like everything was back to normal. I forgot about my true purpose and genuinely enjoyed my time with him, which was not my intention.

I opened the door to the room and smiled as all my memories slowly returned. It was just as empty as I left it, mainly because I took almost everything with me. “I think I pretty much lived here. I never really liked going outside.”

“I can understand.” Dario chuckled and sat down on the bed. “It seems quiet and peaceful.”

“Yes, it was-but only in this room.” I explained and waited for him to open up, but it still wasn’t working. which left me with only one choice. “So, Christian and I are back together,” I carefully mentioned. I had to get him to trust me.

“I’ve heard.” Dario chuckled. “Bad news travels fast.”

Dario had no problem letting his opinion known, that was for sure. “What do you mean, bad news?”

I asked. “We’re only back together for Siena. I want her to grow up with both parents.” I lied, but all of it wasn’t true. I was just doing what Christian told me to do.

“Really?” Dario spoke, surprised. He was falling for it. “Yes, he obviously still loves me-but I don’t think I feel the same way. I actually think I never did. He’s not that nice as everyone makes him out to be and he can be really demanding at times.” I told Dario.

“How come?” Dario asked.

“He said I couldn’t trust you, and he told me to look through your office, so I did.” I lied in his face and waited for his reaction. The satisfied look on Dario’s face told me everything I needed to know.

Just as Christian expected, he was already aware of it, and informing him of the truth could be a way to gain his trust.

“So what did you find?” Dario smiled. Even after admitting I broke into his office, he still had the same fake smile on his face. “I found out you have a wall full of weapons and are not as sweet as you appear to be.” I shrugged.

“That’s it?” Dario frowned. He probably expected me to ask about the vault, but it was not the time for that. Not yet. “That’s it.” I nodded.

“Well, thanks for telling me the truth,” Dario spoke, relieved. “I guess you were curious and wanted to know more about me, so I at least owe you the truth. So please tell me, what do you want to know?”