Mistakenly Yours: Contract Marriage With The Billionaire-Chapter 126: What kind of son are you?
Sara traced Luca’s sharp jawline, who was sleeping peacefully by her side. Her eyes moved with concern to his arm, around which the bandage was wrapped. ’We kept doing it the entire night that I didn’t even realize when we fell asleep. He was supposed to take his medicines too. But we ended up coming here,’ she thought guiltily.
Carefully, she moved out of the bed and went to the shower. As she turned on the tap, the warm water splashed over her head, washing away all the exhaustion. She moved her hands over her face, sighing when she suddenly felt Luca’s presence behind her.
She didn’t turn fully, but only tilted her head and found him staring at her with sleepy desire.
"Luca, wait for your turn," Sara replied, turning her head back, though a smile played on her lips. She gasped at his touch and turned to face him fully. "You soaked your arm again! Why don’t you ever listen?" she scolded, blinking rapidly as the water drenched him too.
"I cleaned you last night when you ended up falling asleep right in the middle," Luca countered softly, his thumb brushing her earlobe. He ducked his head into the crook of her neck and bit her hard there, playfully.
"Ahh! Are you a dog? Why are you biting me?" Sara complained, though the sensation sent a shiver through her. She firmly pressed her hands on his chest to shove him away, but couldn’t move him an inch.
"Mmm..." A soft moan escaped her mouth as his hands slowly traced her curves, reacquainting themselves with her body. One of them moved slowly down her back while his mouth planted kisses all along her neck. He reached up and turned off the tap, plunging them into silence just as he nipped the tender skin beneath her collarbone.
"Luca, what are you doing again?" Sara managed to ask, though her eyes had closed, her breathing turning ragged on its own as her nails instinctively dug into his chest.
Luca pulled back slightly and stared deeply into her eyes, which fluttered open. "Wanted to caress your body... with kisses and lovebites," he answered possessively. He reached for the body wash, took a generous amount between his palms, and made a rich lather of it before slowly moving his hand over Sara’s body.
She bit her bottom lip, trying to keep herself steady against the sudden rush of pleasure and intimacy.
"I-I can do it myself," Sara replied, her voice shaky.
"I know. But I wish to do it," Luca answered, turning her around and repeating the gentle, soapy caress on her back. His hand then moved to her hair as he applied shampoo, expertly lathering it into fragrant bubbles. Sara took this as encouragement and began to do the same for him. She, too, began enjoying the shared task, smiling as the bubbles formed between their hands.
Her back pressed against the shower’s wall, her hands wrapping around Luca’s shoulders. His nose brushed gently against the tip of hers, and he opened his mouth to ask a sudden, serious question:
"Sara, how much do you love me?"
"What kind of question is that?" she asked, surprised by the abrupt shift in tone.
"I—I never wanted to hear such a thing from you," Luca confessed, the water washing the soap from his hair. "Because, deep down, I genuinely thought my presence would be a burden in your life. Though I wanted to hold you close, I didn’t want you to truly love me. Can you believe that?"
He looked down, his expression heavy with regret. "You must have discovered this when we initially became a couple. I hurt you a lot, Sara. And I was completely trapped in my own ego," he stated, his voice barely above a whisper.
"What are you trying to imply, Luca? What happened to you so early in the morning?" Sara asked, her hands resting on his chest.
"I am revealing what I’ve truly felt all this time for you, Sara," he insisted, his eyes meeting hers with painful honesty. "And I’m telling you exactly what a jerk I’ve been. You got hurt because of me. I knew what was Asher upto, your sister upto, but I didn’t bother step in and save you. I let you cry."
"You told me you were messed up in your own matters," Sara replied, offering immediate understanding and forgiveness.
"Yeah, but I should have never let you get hurt," Luca answered, still regretting his past actions.
"Maybe it was necessary for me to grow up," Sara countered thoughtfully. "Look at us—we have ended up doing everything completely against the contract."
"I already tore it away," Luca admitted, a small, triumphant smile touching his lips. "A long time ago."
"Let’s start everything freshly then," Sara replied, sealing their new pact. "Promise me you won’t hide anything from me anymore. And when you’re ready, do tell me why you chose this path, where you have to be so cold and fearsome."
"Sure," Luca agreed readily, accepting the condition. He reached for the faucet and opened the shower tap again. The water splashed over them, washing the remaining lather from their bodies. She tiptoed and kissed him, her eyes closing tightly in the warm rush. He held her thigh, pulling it up, and kissed her back as fiercely and passionately as he could, the kiss signifying their true beginning.
~~~~
Paulina sipped her cup of green tea slowly as she read the morning newspaper, a daily ritual she strictly observed for years. Her eyes dropped to a specific article detailing an attack on her daughter, Sara, and Luca.
"Gosh, I completely forgot to ask her about it," Paulina muttered dismissively. "I need to find a way to get close to my daughter again. She is the only person who can truly help me regain my wealth and footing. After all, Mr. Montes, my late husband, was her stepfather too, and I deserve a better portion of that estate."
Suddenly, her phone started ringing, abruptly halting her opportunistic thoughts. She picked it up and answered the call, her tone immediately defensive.
"Joseph, why did you call this early?" Paulina demanded.
"Mother, have you forgotten the money you owed to me?" Joseph asked, his voice cold and devoid of affection. "You only have one week left to fill in the financial gap that you were unable to cover last month," he reminded her sharply.
"I know that! You don’t have to remind me all the time," Paulina questioned, exasperated. "Can’t you let me live in peace for a while? What kind of son are you, threatening your own mother for money?"
"I learned that particular negotiation tactic from you, Mother," Joseph replied and promptly hung up the call, leaving Paulina steaming with frustration.
"He’s merely twenty-two but I can’t believe he would be this cunning," Paulina mumbled, still simmering over Joseph’s call. She sighed, frustrated that she was currently unable to find Sara’s contact number. While she was juggling with her thoughts, she received another call, this time from an unknown number.
First, she frowned and immediately cut the call, not wanting to deal with any more unsolicited harassment. However, when the phone rang again immediately and the exact same number displayed, her curiosity and desperation won out. She answered it warily.
"Hello?"
"Good morning, Madam Paulina," a cool, smooth voice replied from the other side. It was Frida Falcone.
"Who are you?" Paulina frowned, suspicious of the polite, unfamiliar greeting.
"I am Frida Falcone, stepsister of Sara," Frida replied, deliberately emphasizing the relation.
Paulina arched her eyebrows, intrigued. "Why have you called me? And how did you even get my number?"
"It wasn’t tough at all to find your number," Frida answered, a note of superiority in her voice. "Can we meet today? I would like to tell you a simple way how you can see your daughter, and perhaps a lot more."
"I have already seen her recently," Paulina said, trying to maintain her dignity.
"But she must have discarded you like an old cloth, perhaps with a curt dismissal or a cold shoulder. Am I right?" Frida remarked.
Paulina clenched her fists tightly, furious that this stranger had seen through her facade so easily. "Since you have nothing productive to tell me, I’ll be hanging up now," she said with irritation.
"Wait!" Frida interjected quickly, sensing the hook was set. "I know you don’t truly love your daughter, Madam Paulina. Why don’t you take my help? You can send me the address where you would like to meet me. I’ve grown up watching Sara. I know her strengths, weaknesses, her vulnerabilities. I can tell you everything related to her. Every. Single. Thing. I know your daughter better than anyone."
Paulina furrowed her brows together, the temptation of gaining complete knowledge of Sara, and thus access to her wealth, warring with her caution. But she didn’t answer right away. "I’ll think about it. Also, I do love my daughter. So, don’t try to play games with me."
