My Ex-Boyfriend's Dad Wants Me

"Can we meet at 5 pm this afternoon?" Bella asked her boyfriend, Gabriel. "No, my mom and dad are celebrating their wedding anniversary today." Bella just nodded and then kissed Gabriel on the cheek. "I love you. See you tomorrow at college," Bella said with a small smile. "I love you too; tomorrow, I will bring you a lot of chocolate as my apology." They then parted ways in front of the campus building. Bella smiled as she remembered she had dated Gabriel Costa a few months ago, and she was one of the lucky girls. Her name was Bella Louisa, an innocent girl with glasses and curly black hair. She wasn't a popular girl but was lucky to get Gabriel a star in college. While stepping onto the bus stop, Bella kept texting Gabriel with their romantic words. If other people saw her, then Bella would be considered a crazy person for laughing at herself. Suddenly, her focus changed. She remembered that she had to go shopping to fill the empty fridge, so she got off the bus stop and ran to the nearest supermarket. "Bread, vegetables, sugar...." Bella memorized what she had to buy. She went inside the supermarket and picked up what she had to buy according to her stepmother's wishes; otherwise, she would be scolded by the old lady. "Okay, I've bought it, and I have to go home right now," Bella said as she adjusted her glasses. She walked out of the convenience store with her shopping bag in hand, then took the bus to the home of her foster parents, who had been taking care of her from childhood. Her fate was not as fortunate as others. She was adopted by a simple family in the suburbs of Milan, and they always brought up the costs they incurred while Bella lived with them. After arriving home, Bella found her parents arguing again, this time while breaking electronic items. She then decided to go through the back door, which was directly connected to her small room, which could not be called a room but a warehouse. "Why are you paying for her to go to college when we can use the money to pay our debts?" Bella's stepmother, Maria, asked. There was another slamming sound, and Bella rushed into her room. She put all her groceries on the floor and fell silent, tears starting to fall from her blue eyes. "Hahaha... I'm sick of the commotion in this house. If they don't like me, why did they adopt me as a child?" At the same time, Bella's cell phone rang; it was Gabriel. "Hello, babe." "Hey, what's wrong? Are you crying?" asked Gabriel from the phone. "As usual, my parents are fighting." "You have to be patient. After we graduate from college, I'll marry you soon and take you out of that hellish house," said Gabriel, giving Bella great hope. "That sounds nice, and I can't wait to marry you," Bella said as she wiped away her tears and replaced them with her sweet smile. "Oh, of course. We'll be the happiest couple ever and have the cutest kids." "Hahaha... enough hallucinations. I have to end the call," Bella said and then looked at the wall clock, which seemed to be moving fast. "Bye, I love you." Bella smiled and turned off the phone. Her hand moved to grab the thick jacket behind the door; Bella put it on and decided to get out of the house until her parents stopped fighting. It's not that she wanted to run away, but it was better for Bella to avoid being the tantrum of her stepmother, who often hit her if she was angry. When the situation was safe, Bella ran through the back door and headed to the cafe for a hot chocolate. She took the bus to get there, where she often spent time if she had too many problems at home. Arriving at the cafe. Bella chose a seat near the table, and the waiter knew what she would order and quickly recorded her order. While waiting for her hot chocolate to arrive, Bella opened a romantic novel and started reading it. The doorbell rang, signaling someone entering the cafe; Bella didn't see it because she was still focused on her book. "I'd like to order Tiramisu," the girl said. "Give me hot coffee with granola on top." The last voice made Bella look in their direction. s**t! It was Gabriel, and a beautiful girl, and an expensive bag was on the table. Bella didn't seem to be with what she saw; her boyfriend was with another girl who was even more beautiful than Bella and looked classy. She was still silent, thinking they were just friends, and continued to watch them. "Honey, when do we meet your daddy? Are you serious about this relationship?" the girl asked Gabriel. "Alice, you have to be patient. My daddy is a very busy man, and after my mother's death, he became even busier with his work." Unexpectedly, all this time, Gabriel lied to Bella about whether his parents were still complete. Even earlier on campus, Gabriel refused the invitation to meet because he said he wanted to attend his parents' wedding anniversary party. Suddenly, there was a sound of table banging. All the cafe patrons looked at Bella. Gabriel was surprised that Bella was there. Bella ran out of the cafe with tears already coming out of her eyes. "Bella! Bella!" Gabriel tried to catch up with Bella, but he grabbed her hand. "Wait, Bella!" "Let go of my hand, Gabriel!" "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have lied to you. Alice and I were meant to be." "Then why did you ask me out if you already have a future wife? You even gave me sweet words and took me out of my parents' house of hell," Bella said as her breath caught. Gabriel smiled mockingly. "An ugly girl like you should be self-aware. You're not a Cinderella who's going to get her prince." "What do you mean?" "Who would want to marry you? Even the bums out there wouldn't want to marry you." Bella slapped Gabriel, and her eyes stared intently at the man. "Thank you for making me realize myself," Bella said and ran away from Gabriel. This heartache would never be healed. The sweet romance she had always longed for became an illusion. Her feet continued to run, even the cold she didn't care about. Unbeknownst to her, Bella accidentally bumped into a man dressed in a neat suit and looked very expensive. Bella felt all the muscles of the man in front of her so hard. Without thinking, she chose to run away instead of dealing with the creepy man who had brought several bodyguards behind him. "Mr. Louis, do we need to go after that girl with no manners?" "No need." Footsteps could be heard approaching, and his breathing was also labored. "Daddy! Why are you here?" Bella, who seemed to hear Gabriel's voice, then looked back and was surprised when Gabriel called the man father—the famous mafia man and billionaire throughout Italy.