The Coldwell

Discovered?

Vanessa knew that Darius was furious, holding back from exploding against Dante. After all, her brother knew perfectly well that their engagement was fake, and that the Italian was taking advantage.

"Hey, calm down, you're flaunting in front of the less fortunate," exclaimed Daniel as he arrived with Diego and David.

"They're talking out of envy, brothers. Both Dante and I have found our partners, unlike you guys, but how are you going to do that if you want to have them all?" said Dina, before planting a passionate kiss on Darius.

Darius was surprised, but he didn't dislike that kiss. Dina's lips were sweet, and she was a very beautiful girl. From what he had noticed, she had a huge heart.

The day before, Dina had ordered enough extra dishes, the same food that the guests would be eating, for the employees. She didn't think it was fair for them to only see those delights and not be able to eat them.

"At that moment, Dante felt guilty for using her to get close to her sister.

"I like you, brother-in-law. Moreover, you fit in perfectly among us. I think you even resemble Dad a bit physically. He must have liked you, especially because of your last name. Welcome to the D team, the Damascus team. Vane, you're the only one with a name that starts with a different letter. From now on, I'll call you Danessa, Darmand and Danesa. Ha, ha, ha."

Everyone laughed at what Diego was saying, as their dad had a great obsession with the letter that started their names.

"So much so that my dad, whose name is Dionisio, calls my mom Claire 'Daire' affectionately. Ha, ha, ha."

"Ha, ha, ha, Dad is something special."

Dionisio and Claire came downstairs at that moment, pleased to see the kids getting along with their siblings' partners.

"Good morning, kids," Claire greeted with a smile.

"I don't know why, but I sense that they were talking about us. They went silent when they saw us," Dionisio, being very intuitive, didn't miss a thing.

"Ha, ha, ha, Dad, we just mentioned how much you like the 'D' in your name."

"That's right, everyone knows it. I've insisted to your mother to change 'Claire' to 'Daire' as a nickname so that it doesn't stand out, but she hasn't accepted, and I've tried for years."

"Ha, ha, ha, you're crazy. It's the name they chose with love, for me, my parents."

"So, daughter, if you want to make your father-in-law happy, change your name to Danessa. You'll be welcomed into the D team, the Damascus team."

"Thank you, father-in-law, I'll keep that in mind," the girl replied, unable to suppress laughter. Dante's father had just repeated exactly what his son had said.

"You see, you've heard it yourselves. You can't accuse me of being a liar," Diego clarified.

Shortly after, they went outside to gather in the garden, having breakfast while chatting animatedly. For a moment, Vane and Darius forgot the real reason they had approached the Damascus family."

"Buongiorno." Everyone turned to the cheerful voice that was greeting them.

"Alexa, my daughter, it's great that you're visiting us," Dante's mother stood up to greet the girl, and Dante immediately put on a displeased expression.

"I'm sorry I didn't attend the celebration yesterday, but you know my mother has f*******n me from getting close to you."

"I know, my dear."

"Then you shouldn't come; listen to your mother," Dante said disdainfully.

"Dante, don't be rude. Don't mind him, dear, but sit down and join us for breakfast."

"Thank you, Claire, but I have to go. I just came to leave this gift for the newlyweds." The girl placed a large box on a chair, said her goodbyes, and quickly left.

Darius turned to look at Vane, and she looked back at him. They had recognized the girl; she was Andrea's sister, Dante's ex-fiancée. Greta had been approached by Dante's mother to make him pay for what happened. Why was Alexa still in contact with the Damascus family?

"Not to offend you, son, but that girl still loves you. The poor thing doesn't realize that you are an impossibility. I've talked a lot with her, but she doesn't seem to understand."

Darius and Vane were surprised; they weren't aware of this.

"Don't feel bad about what you just heard, sister-in-law. Let me fill you in. That girl is the sister of Dante's ex-fiancée. After her sister died, she came here to confess her love to my brother. Unfortunately, she only managed to humiliate herself. She doesn't want to understand that Dante is not interested. So, don't worry; that girl doesn't pose any danger."

Dania filled Vane in, and Dante stood up furiously.

"You didn't have to inform Vanessa about my past life. In any case, if she had to find out, it was my responsibility to tell her."

Dante hit the table and then walked away, completely furious. He walked quickly through the garden until he disappeared among the olive and almond trees in the distance.

All eyes of the Damascus family were on Vane, as if expecting her to follow him.

"I'll be back," Darius felt the urge to stop his sister. She didn't have to go after that man, and it shouldn't matter to her so much, but he remained silent.

Vane walked along a hillside, looking for her fake fiancé. She had no idea where he had gone, but she saw a clearing, and at the edge, a massive tree. She could make out Dante's figure.

"Hello, sometimes family isn't what one would wish."

Dante turned to look at her; he was sitting on a log. Vane sat down next to him, and she immediately heard him take a deep breath.

"My family doesn't understand that I want to bury the past. Also, they can't talk about my life as if I'm not present. The events that happened are not for them to narrate."

"Complicated, but I think they haven't done it to annoy you."

"While we're here, tell me about you, please. Let's not risk someone overhearing."

"Okay, I will, Dante." He fell silent, and his name sounded very well pronounced by her lips.

"I know, but my family tends to be very communicative, even about things that don't concern them."

"I think that happens in all families, even when they love us, and they don't do it to hurt us."

"I went through a complete hell; I've f*******n them to talk about it, yet it seems not to matter."

"I don't know what has really happened, but I truly am sorry."

Vanessa felt a strong urge to hug him. She stopped, thinking he would be annoyed, not realizing he also wished for it.

Shortly after, when Dante felt calmer, they returned to the villa. The family was still gathered around the table in the garden, visibly concerned.

As they approached, Dante took Vane's hand, brought it to his lips, and then gave her a warm kiss.

"Brother, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have talked about that."

Dina stood up to hug her brother, followed by their mother.

Dante hated such effusive displays of love, but he truly needed that hug at that moment, so he accepted it without rejecting them, as usual.

"Well, how about playing a volleyball game to aid digestion? I hope Armand and Vanessa are good at this; if not, sorry, we'll see you sadly lose," Diego, as always, sought to lighten the mood.

"We'll see about that," Darius replied.

"Then say no more; let's change. Mom, Dad, will you play with us?"

"Of course, why wouldn't we?" Dionisio replied.

"For the fragility of your bones."

"Are you calling us old?" Claire asked in a feigned upset tone.

"I just worry about you," Diego replied, smiling.

"Let's change, my love. We'll show our children how old we are." Claire took her husband's hand to go change.

"Let's go, my beloved Daire." The woman rolled her eyes; Dionisio knew she disliked him changing her name.

Shortly after, the family gathered around a court, formed teams, and Claire, standing next to Dionisio, said, "Vanessa and Dina will be on our team."

"So, Diego, Daniel, and David, with me," Dante exclaimed.

Darius stood in the middle, watching as he seemed to be left out of those teams.

"We'll flip a coin; the winner gets to keep Armand," said Daniel.

"Sounds perfect," Dina replied.

"I choose heads."

"Don't be a sore loser, little brother. Ladies first, but fine, I choose tails."

Daniel tossed the coin into the air, caught it in his hand, immediately closed his fist, and when he opened it, the tails of the coin were facing up.

"Perfect, Armand will be on our team," Claire said, smiling.

"It's not fair; we'll be four against five."

"Sorry, you lost," Dina said while laughing.

They spent a pleasant afternoon playing, and everyone ended up tired and sweaty. The score was in favor of the team where the girls were.

"It's not fair; you won because you had more players," Dante grumbled.

"And that's how your parents have shown you that we're not as old as you thought," Claire exclaimed.

Everyone headed to their rooms to freshen up. While Dante was showering, Vane went downstairs for a fruit juice. On the staircase, she ran into Darius.

"Vane, make up something to distance yourself. You shouldn't be socializing with his family; you only had to do it with your target."

"I know, but he deceived me. I thought the trip was for work."

"I have a feeling that things aren't right; nothing good will come out of all this."

"What won't go well? What do you mean?"

Upon turning, the siblings noticed an annoyed Dante; it was evident that he had overheard them.