Adopted – Episode 37

ADOPTED – Episode 37

© Happy William

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Emilio

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I lifted my eyes up and scanned all the faces of the board members. They were all doing one thing or the other, trying to hide their guilty expressions.

The feeling to just round them all up and put a bullet to their knees and watch while they writhe in pain was too strong, but I overcame it.

I took a deep breath that seemed to bounce off the walls in an echo that was loud in the current state of silence.

“Who commissioned it—the partnership?”

“It was done in your name,” somebody said.

“My name,” I spat and cast an eye on Castillo.

“So, what do you say? I was going to suggest that if you introduced this year’s Victory wine, you could do it alongside —”

“Let me see the documents,” I cut Castillo off with all the calmness I could muster.

“Here.”

Without reading the bullshit, I let my eyes roam down to the signature’s dash…..and laughed lowly at what I saw.

“Seriously, guys? Dante, this partnership is null!” I flung the papers to them. “You used my signature stamp. Not my penmanship. Which is equivalent to saying that I didn’t sign that thing.”

The signature stamp is a stamp with my signature on it, I use that one intraoffice to pass out bills and minor issues.

One of my staff must have been so smart to have offered that instead.

It’ll be none other than Glen, my secretary.

The woman was as loyal as a dog.

She stood in the corner now, watching the proceedings with a blank expression.

“W-what do you mean null? It’s your signature here!” Castillo grinded out.

“No, it appears to be,” I replied slowly as if I was explaining things to a six year old..

“Now I want a list of all of you who felt it necessary to take a decision as major as that without informing me first.”

An e-mail popped up on my phone.

“Teresa Windmill

” Gordon Savonelli

“Daniel DeLuci

” Miguel Cosmos

“You’re hereby stripped off your duties, as well as being a board member or an exco of SVEW.”

Their gasps and pleas filled the hall.

“You can’t!” We were acting in the best interest for the company!”

“You’re a heartless piece of sh*t.”

“I’ve got kids to take care of!”

I didn’t batt an eyelash at them until they left.

“Now let that be a lesson to anyone who thinks they are in my head to know what I’m planning for this company. Dante Castillo, I’ll refund every single dime you loaned out to you. We can do it nicely and quietly. Or we can do it uglily and publicly in the presence of a lawyer. Italy will know how fraudulent and greedy Castillo Ventures is. Your call.”

He sighed heavily and shot me a death glare. “Fine,” he grumbled.

I grinned, and frowned back. “So in the absence of any other development, schedule the ball to hold this Saturday. This meeting is adjourned.”

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Glen was at her table on my way out.

I stopped by her desk.

“I know I don’t usually say this, but thanks.”.

She nodded with a slight smile. ” Anytime, Signor. I figured you were…. quite busy attending to…. other stuff.”

“Stuff like…?”

She smiled widely.

“Just… I’ll be delighted to meet the girl soon.”

I groaned and placed a palm on my forehead.

“Glen you’re way too perceptive for your age. Your kids suffer from boredom.”

”You guessed right!”

Her eyes widened. I wasn’t one to chitchat with employees.

But I owed it to her.

With a nod in her direction, I left.

When I was in the comfort of my office, I propped my legs up on the desk, crossing them at the ankles. I loosened the tie, then changed my mind and pulled it off completely, and unbuttoned the first three buttons of my shirt after doing away with the suit jacket.

The action reminded me of that morning when we were on our way back to Italy.

I’d noticed the way Anne’s eyes lingered on my chest and how a cloud of disappointment clouded her delicate features. She’d wanted to speak up, I knew. But she was shy.

I chuckled.

Funny how much I missed her in just about seven hours. Hell, they felt like seven years.

I picked up my phone and put a call through to her.

“Hello?” her voice came in, tiny and breathless.

“Amora.”

“Emilio! Hi—is something wrong?”

“Quite the contrary.”

A pause.

And then her lovely laugh filled my ears.

“I see now,” she said, ”You missed me!”

“Yup, I did. Feels like we’ve been apart for so long. I want to see the way the blush creeps up your cheeks and how your eyes light up when you think of me. Like it’s doing now.”

I don’t know when I became one for romantic talks, but I’m loving every moment of it with her.

“You’re flattering yourself,’ she said. But I could imagine the blush.

” Emilio you’re staying away too long, ” she said after a pause in a small voice.

I leaned back in my seat and grinned, though she couldn’t see it. “Miss me?”

“No, I’m just wondering if you’re in calling from the netherworld… you know… spooky thingy.”

I laughed. “You can coat it all you want amora, but it still rem—”

A sharp knock on the door, and Glen came in, escorting Dante.

“Gotta go. See you later. Wait for me?”

She giggled. ‘”Always. ”

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Anne

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I put the phone down and grinned at Sophia, who was already smiling widely.

“Emilio?”

I nodded.

“Ah, so you two are already being romantic eh?”

I laughed. “We’re in the same boat,” she added. ” I’m in love with Felipe, he’s in love with me… mamà has already accepted him. So has Seraphina, that is, after he got her a bar of chocolate and a huge dollhouse which she sleeps in now.”

“No way! She does?”

“Yeah. So, mamà is convincing papà. He’ll come around. Now I’m dreading meeting his parents and what they’ll think of me.”

“They’ll love you,” I said and placed a reassuring hand on hers.

“Things are going rosy for you two,” she said.

I nodded.

“He told you he loves you?”

“I’m not sure about that —”

“Oh bummer! I knew it. That guy could be stubborn about things like that even when we were kids.”

I laughed, mostly because the thought of Emilio loving me too was the happiest I’ve ever had, after finding my parents.

” So what was his childhood like? ”

“Nooo. .he’ll skin me alive if I tell you of his embarrassing moments!”

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Cosima

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I sat beside Augusto in a spacious bar nursing a glass of orangey martini.

We were running over the details of how chicken-ish Sergio looked when he thought he was a ghost.

And that was just the beginning.

We were waiting for Emilio to get here.

Once he did, and the revenge plan was completed, they’ll regret ever taking me for a ride.

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Portia

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I was about to go out when Sergio walked in looking hassled and breathing rapidly as if he was being chased by a ghost.

“Mamà…. ghost…..”

To be continued

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