THE BRIDE CHAPTER 34

The Bride
Chapter 34

There is such a special sweetness in being able to
participate in creation.
-Pamela S. Nadav
Marco Orsini’s POV
“Signore! Signore…” Francesca’s loyal secretary
blocked my way again like the first time I went to her
office and asked the young widow to find me a
bride. “You can’t just barge in Signora Marcolini’s
office without appointment. Plus, my employer was
on the foul mood since she arrived. She’s out for
blood—your blood precisely.”
I raised an eyebrow in her direction while I ignored
her and continue to walk inside Francesca’s office. My
sole purposed was to see the woman who has the
habit of slipping out of my bed without waiting for
me to wake up. I want to have a word with her on
that matter.
I opened her office door and shut it firmly on the
secretary’s concerned face. “Francesca…”
I instantly ducked when an object flew straight in my
way. What was that? I asked myself silently as I tried
to calm my heart with the adrenaline that surged me.
This crazy woman nearly killed me if I didn’t bend. I
looked down at the shattered crystal paper weight in
the floor.
“What is wrong with you, woman!” I snarled at her,
while she stood behind her table with murderous
intent in her eyes. “You nearly fracture my skull with
this thing!”
“You are a monster.” She said throwing things—
whatever her hands could get in her table—towards
my direction. “You are a brute! I will kill you, Marco
Orsini. Just wait when I get my hands on you.”
“What’s with this icy welcome, my love?” I asked as
I dodged the object flying straight to me. “Only last
night you were so warm and cuddly. What
happened, my beautiful Francesca?”
“I should have had killed you last night when I have
the chance!”
I tried to give her a winsome smile once she’s done
tossing things in my path. She’s really heart-breaking
beautiful when she’s maddening angry with me, her
eyes sparks with fire. The love of my life. My
soulmate. “Before you murder me, darling. May I
know the reason what I am guilty about?”
She opened her drawer and pulled out something
and once again she threw it in my direction harshly. I
looked down at the small white rectangular thing on
the ground. Curious at what must be that thing I
picked it up and laughed.
Finally, every cell in my body sighed in relief as I
stared at this small object clearly announcing to the
world that Francesca is finally pregnant. I first
thought that there was something wrong with my
virility because I can’t create a child fast enough. But I
guess it takes time to see the result.
“Yours?” I blurted out like an idiot because I am
dumbstruck at the news that I am going to be a
father at last.
“No,” She said acidly, her pretty brown eyes
snapped with inferno. “That’s my secretary’s. You
made her pregnant.”
“Very funny, il mio amore.”
Francesca still glared at me intently. “You are a liar.
You promised me—promise, Marco! That I will not
get pregnant.”
I stared at the clear two blue lines in the object in my
hand. Trying to be sure that she’s really pregnant
with my child. “There are some risks when you have
unprotected s-x, my darling.”
She expelled a heavy breath. It seems that energy left
her body straight away. She leaned her bottom in
her heavy desk for her support and rubbed her
forehead. “I am so dumb to believe you that I will
not get pregnant. I always believed that you don’t
want to have an unwanted child with a woman who
was just having an affair with you.”
*
I want to come in her placed and take her in my
arms. But she wasn’t ready yet. She will just push
me away. I need to reassure her first that everything
will be alright if she will just trust me.
“Shh…” I reprimanded her tenderly. “Don’t say
‘unwanted’ our baby might hear you, Francesca.”
She gave me a strange look which I couldn’t
decipher. I hope that she wants to keep the baby as
much as I did. That is the proof of our love growing
inside her belly right now.
“Marco…”
“We have to get married now, Francesca.”
She looked straight at me in the eyes. “No.”
“What?” I asked in bewilderment. Trying to ignore
the pain my chest as of this moment by her rejection
to my marriage proposal. “You don’t want to marry
me?”
“We don’t have to marry each other because we will
have a baby now, Marco.” She replied squarely. Her
eyes told me her decision was resolute. “We can
raise this child without tying the knot.”
“Are you serious?”
She looked away from me. I knew from that
moment she’s lying. She couldn’t even look me in
the eyes for her answer. “Yes.”
“You want our child to be born illegitimate?” I decided
to play dirty with her. If I need I will use her
conscience to surrender. So be it.
“Do not say something like that.”
I moved where she stood. I need to handle this
situation with care. “Then what’s the reason behind
your refusal of marriage, Francesca.”
“I—I…”
“Is it about your previous marriage?” I prodded
when she hesitated to answer. “Don’t you trust me
enough to be your husband?”
“Marco…” She gasped. I could see her beautiful eyes
gleamed in the sunlight. “Don’t say something like
that.”
I stared down at her beautiful face. “I want our baby
to be born in wedlock. Time flies so fast nowadays,
Francesca. Before you know it this little guy will have
his crush at his play school. When that time comes I
don’t want people to question his paternity.”
“School?” She asked with a laughed. “Aren’t you
thinking ahead of yourself? In addition, we were
being sidetracked with the real issue here.”
“So what’s the problem, my darling?” I asked gently.
“Maybe you don’t love me enough to agree in
marrying the man made you pregnant.”
She glared at me. Her eyes filled with hurt. “I love
you so much that I think my heart can’t bear it.”
“Then why?”
“I’m scared, Marco.” She confessed finally her reason
of refusal. “I’m scared that we are moving faster in
this new chapter of our lives. What if you wake up
one day and realizes that you feel trap in our
marriage I don’t think I can bear it.”
“Oh, darling…” I tucked her in my arms. The most
precious thing in this world for me is in my arms. I
will protect this treasure with my life. “You are the
love of my life, Francesca. The very air I breathe
without you I can’t breathe.”
“Truly?”
“Yes,” I smiled at her. “So you will agree to marry
me, darling?”
*
Where’s the ring?” She asked with a smile.
I smiled ruefully. I should have bought her the
engagement ring long time ago. “Actually, I don’t
have it with me now. The last thing I expected when
I went here was to propose to you, Francesca. But I
promise you I will buy you a ring.”
She laughed wholeheartedly. “I am just kidding you.”
She said. “I don’t mind if I don’t have an engagement
ring but does this mean we are now officially
betrothed?”
“Not yet.” I said as I kissed her nose affectionately.
“Not yet?” She repeated with a frown.
I shook my head. “Not until I buy you a ring and
give you the proposal you deserve.” I placed my
palm on her still flat belly. “Are you sure you are
pregnant, il mio amore?” I want to be sure.
She eyed me dryly while an odd blush crept to her
cheeks. “I have at least half a dozen pregnancy test in
my drawer do you want to see them?”
I grinned at her. Oh, how love her tart mouth. “I’m
going to be a father, at last. I want our first baby to
be a girl with her mother’s pretty eyes then we’ll
have a boy after two years. I don’t want this baby to
grow up as an only child.”
“Marco—”
“I love you, Francesca.” I said before I dipped my
mouth to kiss her squarely in the lips.
The next morning unknown to Francesca I left the
country for a very important appointment with one
of the most important person in her life. According
to my secretary this where that woman reside with
her second husband.
I stared at the magnificent chateau, the wealthy
French banker named Alain Broussard owned. I
walked slowly at the marble foyer that leads to the
grand receiving room where the maid ushered me. I
took slow measured breath. I am so nervous
meeting this woman she’s Francesca’s mother and I
have to ask her something. I dressed carefully for
this day I wore my best suit.
“Please, wait here while I call madam.” The maid said
in slightly accented English.
While she ascended on the grand staircase I left alone
to admire the grandeur of the castle like home of the
Broussard.
After a while I saw a fashionably dressed woman in
her late forties descending regally on the staircase. I
stood from the sofa and took a deep breath.
“What can I do for you, young man?” Now I know
where Francesca got her beauty.
I can do this, I reassured myself silently once
Francesca’s mother stood a few feet away from me.
“I—I…” I swallowed hard and cleared my throat. “I
came here, madam, to ask for your daughter’s hand
in marriage.”
Lianna Broussard eyes lit with naughtiness. “About
time I finally meet you. I’ve been waiting you for
months since my dear daughter took unexpected
visit here…”
Alfonso Orsini’s POV
“If you keep staring at those baby clothes they are
liable to vanish one of these days.” I commented
dryly when I saw my wife looking at her personal
memory box where she hides Marco’s baby clothes.
“Time flew so fast, Alfonso dear.” She said with a
quite smile on her face, she run her hand on the
decades old garments. “It felt like it only happened
yesterday when Marco still fit in these clothes. I
remember it clearly when I first held my grandson in
my arms.”
It never failed to set my heart to accelerate when
she’s like this. The gentle woman I have fell head
over heels in love with her more than fifty years
ago…
*
“I wonder what took them so long to create a child
for me.” Her outlook changed instantly. The tender
woman I saw in our bedroom reminiscing the past
was instantly replaced by this impatient lady who
was cunning with her matchmaking skills. “You hit
the target with astonishing clarity when you made
me pregnant with our Alessandro. Why Marco
seemed having a difficult time?”
I looked away from her as I fought the stain that
wanted to spread in my cheeks. “I don’t know what
are you talking about, mia moglie.”
“I am starting to lose my patient in waiting for my
great-grandchild.” She said tucking away the baby
clothes of Marco. “When I see them again I will hint
that I want to see my great-grandchild before I die.”
She’s really frightening when she wants to be.
If I were you, my boy. I will start making babies for
your Nonna. She will not stop until you presented
your first child to her.

To be continued