Chapter 62: Family Stays
The next day when Dora woke up, somehow it felt like she had only slept for half the hours she had laid on her bed.Yawning, even as her body felt heavier than it should, she scrambled out of bed and hurriedly went ahead to take a shower and get ready for the day.She had no plans, and in the movie she had been in, her character was dead, so there was no reason to head there. The only place she needed to go was the hospital, which would be bad if she didn’t show up at.
Her stepmother was still very much injured since her leg had been cut away—an injury even Dora herself wouldn’t wish on her worst enemy.Maria was bound to be awake and in an even grumpier mood, but Dora knew that she still needed to go, something she dreaded almost as much as having breakfast with Dante.
Still, she got dressed, making sure to pick out a muted color for her dress as she headed out of her room and straight to the dining area.
Not surprised to see Dante already eating, she greeted him while internally hoping within herself,
Please don’t mention anything pregnancy-related! she thought to herself—a topic that was slowly beginning to get on her nerves every time it was mentioned.
She was relieved when she sat down and began to eat, with Dante focusing more on the food and the paperwork that had been placed right beside him.
Dora was relieved as she also focused on her food, and soon time passed. Dante finished eating and got up to leave even as Dora waited with her mouth full for him to do so—making sure that with food in her mouth, she wouldn’t have to speak.Pretending that whatever happened between them the day before was nothing more than what it was.
Only to find out that indeed she didn’t have to, as she heard him speak as he got up from his chair—something that was slowly becoming a habit.
"My grandfather keeps asking about you. We should visit tomorrow if you have nothing else planned," he said, and just when Dora was on the verge of drowning, a smile broke out on her lips.
Dante’s grandfather was someone she actually liked and knew she would have no problems getting along with.
Although Dante is cold, he’s actually easygoing! she thought, thinking that he probably took that part of his personality from the old man.
Dora instantly raised her head and nodded since her mouth was still too full to respond, even as she watched Dante nod in response before heading out of the dining area while Dora returned to her food.
She didn’t take too long before she was done eating, relieved that the incident that happened when she first got there with the maid and the poisoned tea was simply a one-time episode.
I’m sure Dante would have ensured that such a thing would not happen again! she thought to herself even as she got up, with Guilla already waiting for her by the door.
"I understand that your family is injured and you have to take care of them, but keep in mind that most of the classes will continue—especially the acting ones!" Guilla reminded her.
"You are Mrs. Bellini now, so you are expected to have a famous personality to match the money you will be seen spending! It would also be good if people knew your character!" Guilla explained to her, even as Dora understood that she couldn’t just stay home and do nothing.
She had to give the appearance of being hardworking to match the level of wealth she would be known to have and show.
Dora nodded, a wild smile spreading across her face, aware that it was a good thing since it meant that even after she gave birth and left Dante, she would have a high-paying job and more money to fall back on.
Dora left the estate with Ettore and the usual number of guards that followed her, more than aware that the last thing she would ever do was leave even one of them behind.
The idea that whatever happened to her stepmother happening to her would practically be the end of her life—even if she was bearing Dante’s child—was something she couldn’t shake off.
Aware that he would rather she get rid of it since appearances mattered a lot to them from what she had seen.
It didn’t take long for her to get to the hospital, where she instantly headed straight to her stepmother’s room, not surprised to see Elisa and her father there sitting by her bed.
Maria was awake even as Dora took a deep breath and approached with a smile that didn’t reach her face, holding some gifts she had bought on her way.
"This is for you," she told her in a low whisper, dropping the basket by her bedside and not surprised to hear a loud hiss even as the woman looked at her with nothing but hatred in her eyes—something Dora could understand. She nodded her head and stepped back, choosing to find a seat a few feet away and simply sit silently in a corner.
"Thanks, Dora," Luca, her father, spoke to her, even as Elisa also thanked her before asking more questions about what had happened.
"Was Dante able to find any trace of who did it?" Elisa asked, a pale expression on her face that showed her intense fear—something that was already obvious by the bodyguard behind her wheelchair who never seemed to leave her side.
But the words were barely out of Elisa’s mouth when Maria snapped in a loud and heated voice.
"...Who did it? Who did it? Of course we all know who did it!" she snapped, her face flushed, showing just how mad she felt. But Dora simply pretended not to hear it as she responded to Elisa in a calm voice, completely ignoring Maria, which seemed to piss her off even more.
"Not yet! They are still looking, but all the evidence they left behind was faked," Dora said, even as Elisa quietly nodded before settling into silence.
Maria was also silent, but her eyes said enough to convey how much she would like nothing more than to rip Dora to shreds since clearly she blamed her—and only her—for her current situation.
I’ll hand you over to them if I can! her eyes screamed—something all of them dutifully ignored as they continued to keep her company.
They were family, and this is what family does, Dora thought to herself, forcing herself to sit when all she would rather do was leave.
