Chapter-23

Chapter-23

Annabelle Piccolo's POV

"What happened, Papa?" My heart is beating so fast that I can hear it in my ears. Tension fills my nerves. I feel like tears might threaten to leave my eyes any minute now. Lucas's hand on mine calms me down.

"There are some pictures of Lucas and you that have been sent to me. They are not being published, I got it under control. But I need to know what happened." That's when I remember. In the past there was some dirty articles written about Mama and me. Once Mama died they wrote some bad stuff about me. Papa made sure that I never got to read them, but once I got on hands on one article and it really affected me. Since then he made sure no news came out about me, at least not in that way and if they are going to publish anything official about me, it was ran through Papa first.

My eyes meet Lucas's, who looks very cool. He meets my worry eyes and gives me an assuring nod before kissing my temple.

Together.

I know, but I don't want to hurt Papa.

"Bell, dear, what happened? Are you fine?" His voice pulls me out of my thoughts.

"Yes, Papa." I pause and start speaking. "I went out with my colleagues last night and we met Lucas there." I look at Lucas and he nods telling me to continue. "I got very tipsy and since Lucas was there, he helped me get home." That last past is a lie and I close my eyes. I can't believe I am lying to him. I am sorry, Papa!

"How are you feeling now?" His voice comes out with worry.

"I am fine now, Papa. It was my first time drinking and I got a bit out of control. That's it. You don't have to worry." I try to assure him. There is a pause before he speaks.

"I guess my little Bell is growing up and I have to live with that now." I smile at his words. "I want you to have fun. I want you to have friends. I know that now you will start being more careful and I don't want you to do that." I frown. What? Lucas just has a knowing smile on his face. "You have always been a well behaved one. I want you to live life without worry. Don't stop having fun because of this."

"Papa-"

"I will not stop worrying. But I want you to break some rules too. I want you to live how you always wanted. That's what your mother would have wanted for you, my Bell." Tears prick my eyes. "I would do anything for you if it means you will be happy. I want you happy."

"Papa." A sob chokes me and Lucas wiped the tears away from my face. I look at Lucas as he holds me close by my waist.

I want to tell, Papa. I bite my lip as I telepathy him and he nods his head.

"I want to tell you something, Papa." I can't lie to him anymore. I know I have been waiting for his health, but I can't keep hiding this anymore. I have to trust him. Then I remember the pills and look at Lucas. He is there supporting me every day through everything and standing by my side protecting me. I can't introduce my boyfriend to my father like this. He deserves more. He is the man I wanted.

"Anything." His voice is a promise.

"Are you free for dinner tomorrow?" I ask.

"Of course, Bell." I knew his answer. My eyes meet Lucas asking him.

Are you free? I ask with my eyes and he nods. His lips press against my forehead.

"I will make a reservation for us." Papa offers.

"Sure. I am bringing my boyfriend too. I want you to meet him." I need him to meet him. Once I tell him, I can love Lucas as much as I want without any thoughts.

"Really? I will finally get to meet the guy that's dating my little Bell! I am not going to be easy on him though." He sounds determined and Lucas shakes his head. I laugh. He leans down and places a kiss on my lips. "He is taking half of my time with you. This guy better be good."

"Trust me, Papa." My eyes meet his deep green ones. "You will love him." A smile appears on his lips and anything in the world is worth it.

"I better. See you tomorrow, my Belle." He bids goodbye.

"Bye, Papa." I cut the call and look at Lucas. He sighs.

"I am in for a treat, aren't I?" He asks teasingly and I giggle.

"Together." I lean my forehead against his as I speak. My love for him keeps blooming every minute and every second.

Don't be nervous, Angel. I got it all sorted. No one other than the ones who saw us there knows.

I sigh once I read his text as I enter the elevator for my floor in the office. I am very nervous. I have to face them now and if they ask, I decided to tell them the truth.

Thank you.

I text back and the elevator dings opening the door. I take a deep breath. Stay strong, Annabelle! Walking into the office, I find everyone there. They were all talking but once they see me coming, they all slide into their seats and look at their computer screens.

I feel a shiver run down my spine, but I walk up to my desk and pull out my chair before sitting down in it. I bite my lip. Usually, we all greet each other in the morning. But today there is nothing like that. The fact that they all saw me kissing Lucas and Lucas kissing me is causing me to turn red. I never expected that I would have to face this situation. I look at Aria who is looking at me but quickly looks away.

"Good morning, Aria!" I greet her shyly and she looks at me surprised that I did. I give her a polite smile.

"Um... Good morning, Annabelle!" She greets back with a polite smile. I don't like that. Annabelle?! No! They call me Anna! I look at Nicole who quickly looks away too.

"Hey, Nicole!" I smile again politely.

"Hey!" She just gives a tight lipped smile. Alessandro, Micheal and Daniel don't even look my way. Daniel, I understand. But Micheal and Alessandro would definitely at least give a smile every day. Did I lose my friends?! No!

I go back to doing my work. They will need some time to adjust to this and I can't expect them to be okay with this. I feel their stares as we work and I try not to be distracted by them. I can feel the questions in their mind. It's all so disturbing. I look up and look at all of them, they all go back to doing their work.

They are my only friends outside the palace. They are all so sweet and really got close to my heart in such a short amount of time. I can't be like this with them. They are all still looking at me through the end of their eyes.

"I know you guys have questions and if you want something to ask me about last night, just ask or say it." I speak loudly. I know Lucas is there behind the closed doors. He can't hear me, but I can't expect him to stand here with me. They are my friends and this is my battle. "About last night." I complete and they all look shocked that I spoke so openly. They know I am shy. Everyone knows.

All of them look at me including Daniel. But they don't say anything. They just look at each other. I bite my lip.

"You guys are my friends so please don't try to avoid the topic. It happened and I know that you all are curious. Let's just talk about it." I offer. Daniel gives me a smile and I feel Aria's hand on mine.

"We are sorry. We thought it's best if we didn't bother you with questions." She tells me with her smile.

"Yeah. I don't know how to approach this." Micheal admits and shrugs.

"We didn't want to hurt you." Nicole smiles sympathetically. "The Devil made clear of that." She rolls her eyes and her eyes widen. She just realised she called my boyfriend Devil in front of me. "Don't tell him that." She whispers and all the laughs break lose. I smile.

"He already knows." I tell her and they all now stop laughing and look scared. "But, it's okay. He doesn't care." I want to laugh at the expression on their faces.

"It was a shock to us." Alessandro confirms and I nod. I can understand that. We never spoke in front of them. We only started speaking recently and I have been busy with Papa and work. Once we have time for each other since the last few days, we keep getting caught everywhere. So much has happened in the past two days.

"I know." I reply.

"How long have you been dating?" Aria asks. Now everyone slides their chairs closer and lean in. Oh, there are my nosy friends! Strangely, I like this. Talking about my boyfriend to my friends feels normal. I feel happiness burst in me.

"A couple weeks now." I murmur and they nod their heads. Micheal is frowning.

"I always felt a vibe between them now that I think about it." He wonders and everyone agrees with a "yeah" and "yes." I blush and they chuckle.

"Why was he there last night though? Did you tell him?" Nicole enquires.

"We were... um..." I don't know how to say this. It's out now, there is no point hiding. "Together when Aria called." Aria gasps at my words. Micheal and Alessandro just nod. Nicole gushes and smiles.

"Oh my God!" Aria shakes her head like she can't believe it.

We are all friends again. There is no awkwardness anymore and I love this.

"Let's get ready for the meeting guys. We have to be there in five minutes." Daniel informs and gives me a nod before grabbing his stuff to go to the conference room. Everyone gets up and I feel a little nervousness. Lucas will be there and I know they will be looking between us both through the meeting. I sigh. It's going to be a long meeting.

We all sit around the table and my phone pings. It's Lucas.

Sent the pills to the lab. We will have the results my tomorrow. Are you okay?

I smile at his concern. When he dropped me home today morning, I gave him the pills and the prescription. We decided it's better to travel separately since we are almost caught by the media yesterday. They will only be waiting for more chances.

Thank you. I am good. Waiting for you in the conference room.

I want to face palm myself once I send the message. I can't believe I said that I am waiting for him. In reality I have been waiting for him for the past few years. The way I yearned for him brings back all the memories. I sigh and bite my lip.

"Is that him?" Nicole asks all grinning and I can't help my grin. "Oh my God! It is?!" She smiles.

"Aww!" Aria chuckles smiling beside me and Micheal rolls his eyes. Alessandro shakes his head. Daniel is busy preparing the presentation for the meeting.

The man from financial department is here too. He walks up to us and gives us a smile. He is never usually flirty.

"Hey Nicole, Aria!" He greets them and they greet him back.

"Hey Robert! How have you been?" Nicole asks.

"Good. Hey Anna!" He greets.

"Hi!" I smile politely. He chuckles.

"How are you, Anna?" He asks.

"I am good." I keep the conversation minimum. I have so many things on my mind.

"Listen, um..." He trails off looking at Nicole and Aria whose eyes widen. What was that? "I just wanted to ask you something." He tells me.

"Sure. What is it?" Does he want the report on the new oil company? I have already sent it.

Before he can speak, my phone pings and I look at it. It's from Lucas again.

You are killing me! You don't have to wait long.

The door opens and he walks in all bossy. My eyes are only on him. I don't notice Robert sitting beside me.

His eyes meet mine and I bite my lip looking down. Everyone except for Robert see the small exchange we just had. I fight my smile and look down at my lap. Lucas is looking at me to make sure I am okay. I look up and give me him a very tiny nod and he gets the message.

The meeting starts and Daniel explains everything. Micheal and Nicole take over after. Lucas asks them a few questions and Robert talks to me. I smile as he makes a few friendly jokes. Aria though, looks at me and shakes her head at me with her lips in a thin line. I frown.

"What?" I mouth her and she juts her chin towards Lucas who is looking like he might lose his patience any minute now. The smile on my face immediately drops. What is he angry about? He clenches his jaw and concentrates on the meeting. I try not to speak to Robert anymore.

"That was good. Proceed with it." Lucas orders and we all nod. We all get up to go out, but Robert stops me.

"Hey Anna!" He calls and I look at him. Aria and Nicole are talking and look back at us. Micheal and Alessandro are already out the door. Daniel is doing something on his laptop as Lucas asked him something.

"Yes." I smile.

"Are you free after work?" He asks out of nowhere and I look at him in shock. "Maybe we can grab a coffee or something?" He asks sweetly. I feel Lucas's gaze on my back. This is not good!

"Um... Not today. Maybe some other time." I politely decline. I feel sweat running down my spine. I can't believe I am being asked out with Lucas still in the room.

"Sure. Maybe next week." He offers and I don't say anything but smile awkwardly. I move around him to go to the girls who look like they might faint any minute. I look at Lucas who looks like he might combust any minute. Suddenly I feel a hand on the small of my back. It was respectful, but this is not the right time. That's the last strike.

I rush out of the room and walk past the girls before going to sit in my chair. I don't want Lucas to lose patience and strike out at Robert. If he knows, the word will soon go out. Once I tell Papa tomorrow, all can go without any hiding or sneaking.

Nicole and Aria come to sit at their desks. I hear footsteps behind and look up to find Robert coming my way. Lucas and Daniel are behind him. Lucas's eyes are trained on me.

Robert comes to me and holds out a paper.

"Call me when you are free." He adds and I hear sound of someone chocking to see Alessandro chocking on the water he was just drinking. A sharp intake of breath is heard from Micheal. I have to keep this normal. I think of a polite way to turn him down again, but he takes my hand and puts the piece of paper in my hand.

"Robert!" Lucas's voice booms. My heart stops a beat. Everyone around us freezes. Robert looks scared. "I don't think I am paying my employees to flirt with each other!" His voice sounds strict. He is trying to look calm. I feel my fingers tremble. He is looking scary.

"No, Mr. Alberto! I just-" He is cut off immediately.

"Get back to work. Now!" His voice sounds dangerously low. The air around us suddenly feels cold.

"Yes." Robert gives me a nod which I return and he leaves to get to the elevator.

I sigh and meet Lucas's gaze. He looks at the paper in my hand and before I can throw it, he stalks towards me and grabs my wrist tightly.

"Come with me." He tugs my hand no so gently and I follow him. I don't think denying him now would be a good idea. My friends look at me with worry.

Once we are in his room, he quickly locks it still holding my hand with the other and pulls me along to the desk. I lean against it. He is looking so angry. His grip on my wrist is so tight. I make sure to not a make a sound though. He finally let's go and take a step back. His fingers run through his hair and he paces in the room. I stand there silently. He looks at me.

"You make me fucking crazy!" His eyes land on the paper in my hand. He snatches it and throws it in the bin nearby. "Why the fuck-Shit!" He curses and I actually feel scared. I have only ever known him to be a gently man and this side of him is new and scary to me. "He fucking touched you!" He yells. I hope the people outside didn't hear him.

"Lucas, please." I whisper and he stops pacing and comes to me. He leans down and puts his face in my neck breathing. His hands are around my waist and his lips are grazing my neck. I wait for his kisses, but they never come. He is breathing in my scent. That doesn't seem to calm him down much. He jerks his head up and his furious gaze meets mine.

He doesn't speak but takes a step back and turns me around before grabbing my hands holding them in one of his. I feel scared, but excited at the same time. What is he doing?! His lips graze my ear as he whispers. "Bend." He orders roughly. Every sense in me obeys him. I lean forward and put my cheek on his cold glass desk. I freeze as his lifts up my blue pencil skirt and he kneads my butt cheek.

"Lucas."

"Fuck! You make me crazy mad!" He grabs my ass cheek roughly as he says that and I close my eyes. "You are so soft!" His palm smoothly glides over me. I gasp as I feel his erection between my ass cheeks. Thank God! He is still clothed! The feel of him through his pants has my eyes rolling into the back of my head. "You feel that, Angel?" I nod. "You do that, you know?"

I do?

"You make me want to fuck you!" I blush. He leans down and kisses my cheek. Is this really Lucas? Not that I don't like him this way. This is the Devil! This is what everyone is talking about. He presses his erection down on me hard and I bite my lips from the knot in my stomach. He leans down on me. "You are mine, Angel!" His hot breath fans me.

I nod my head. Yes, I am!

"Say it!" He demands.

"I am yours, Lucas." My voice is barely a whisper.

"Fuck! I want to tattoo my name on your forehead!" He moves off me and gently lifts me up before turning me around. His eyes meet mine and there is an animal behind them. It nearly scares me. He grabs my face with his thumb and fingers. I gasp. He is rough. My eyes widen. His breath falls on my face. "Why did you take his number, huh?" He asks. He sounds so angry.

"Lucas." He is scaring me. He softens soon. He finally seems to calm down and see that he is scaring me a bit. He lets me go and runs a hand through his hair leaving a breath. I watch as his body flexes. How can my Duke be so perfect all the time?

"Fuck!" He yells and looks at me. I bite my lip. The anticipation of what he might do builds in me and I feel shy to say that I am liking it. He kneels down and grabs my thighs before kissing my inner thigh and gently biting me at the place where he kissed me. He looks up and I meet his eyes. The hunger in his eyes is clear. My insides melt. I lose control of myself as he kisses me and I throw my head back.

My eyes close as I feel him lick his way to the very inside of my thigh. Oh my God! What are we doing?! This is not me! But he makes me lose sight of right and wrong! The phone rings and I gasp opening my eyes gaining back my senses. I quickly step aside and he sighs before standing up and kissing my lips hotly and I blush remembering what just happened. He completely ignores the call.

"Don't go around collecting other guys numbers if you don't want them to get fired." He warns and pushes my hair away from my face gently. I nod my head meekly and kisses my forehead.

I move past him and unlock the door. He is leaning against the table watching me with his arms folded near his chest.

"Let's spend the night at yours." He declares and I nod before opening the door and walking out. Thankfully, he didn't touch my hair and everything is in it's place.

Going to my place, I find them all chatting. I have no doubt it's about us.

Why are they all so tensed?

"Anna." Micheal calls. I go to my chair and sit down. They all turn to me. "You can never break up with him." He tells me and everyone nods. I frown. "He will give us hell if you do. We are the ones that have to live with him every day in the office." He explains.

"I don't even want to imagine how bad it can get." Aria shivers like the thought scares her.

"I thought Robert would be fired today." Alessandro admits. I can't deny him. I thought the same.

"The guy has guts." Nicole goes back to work as she speaks.

"How do you deal with him? He is scary." Aria says. I shrug.

"He is sweet." They all scoff and laugh. I frown. He really is! Once they realise I am not laughing they stop.

"Only you will say that." Nicole says as she types furiously on her keypad. We all go back to working after that.

The day goes by quickly and before I know it, we are almost done with our work. It is a good day I would say. My friends were understanding and I even came to terms with telling Papa the truth. Now I will be spending my evening with Lucas.

We all had team lunch in the office cafeteria and I paid for them. Kind of like my treat. They have been such supportive and positive friends. I really love them.

After lunch, the day went by and it's almost time to go home. I am about to shut down my computer when Aria gasps looking at her computer screen. Her eyes find mine and there is panic in them. Everyone looks at her and I lean in to see what she is looking at. My heart stops for a second.

It is a picture of Lucas carrying me in his arms to his car from last night. The title is put in bold letters.

The Illegitimate Piccolo Daughter in the arms of the Duke.

I don't need to read the remaining. I know what it is about. Somehow it is finally out. I am surely feeling tensed how Papa will react, but the first thing that pops in my mind is what would Mr. and Mrs. Alberto be thinking about me. They have always been kind to me. Not that we talked much, but whenever we did talk, there is never any hatred.

My worry grows when I think of this might affect Papa's image. I always made sure to maintain a low radar and this... this is above all. I am drunk and almost unconscious being carried by the most popular, successful male of the country.

It is one article now and by tomorrow, the internet will be exploding with them. Why can't they hold off till I told Papa tomorrow?!

"It's okay, Anna!" Nicole tries to console me, but we both know this is not okay. I just nod my head and they all give me polite smiles.

"We should go. It's already five." I say collecting my things from my desk and my bag. I need to see Lucas.

"Yeah, we should." "Yes." They all agree and start shutting down the computer.

"Bye. See you guys tomorrow." I smile and wave them before going to Lucas's room.

I want to be in his arms. Only he can comfort me. I rush to his room and open the door without knocking. A gasp leaves my mouth as the smile leaves my face.

There is woman sitting in his lap and has her lips on his.

No. No! Oh please!

A/N:

Hey my cute dumplings!

So much has happened right? How cool are her colleagues though? If only people are that kind in real life. Lucas's possessiveness just keeps digging deep. Their news is getting out. What will happen? Now the kiss? Where will she start and where will it end?

Also, are you smiling as you read this chapter?

Do tell me. Because I was smiling as I wrote this. I really want to know.

Tell me what you think.

Please VOTE and COMMENT.