Claimed By My Boyfriend’s Daddy

Chapter 15: Rest Well Wife

Emily’s POV

“Mmmmh”

The first thing I felt when I woke up wasn’t the warmth of a bed…No, it was the dull ache between my thighs.

A slow, pulsing reminder of everything that happened in the bathroom.

God.

The memories of my little rendezvous came back in flashes.. the marble wall, the hot water, Dario’s hands, his voice that was low and rough against my ear, his long hard di..

I groaned as I buried my face in the pillow. “Oh Heavens.. What the f**k have I done?”

The sheets were cool beside me, empty, I turned my head slightly and saw a folded note resting on the nightstand. His handwriting was beautiful, strong, deliberate, and far too elegant for a man who could be such an annoying menace.

‘Rest well, wife’

That was it.. No explanation. Just that single infuriating line.

“Rest well, wife,” I repeated out loud, my tone dripping with mockery. “Sure, after you wrecked my body inside out and vanished like some ghost.. great going husband.”

I exhaled sharply and sat up, wincing a little as the soreness reminded me whose I was.

“Brilliant, Emily,” I muttered to myself. “Absolutely brilliant. You go from resisting him to finding out who he actually is then move on to practically begging against a wet wall.”

I tugged the robe tighter around my body and glanced at the mirror at the other part of the room.

Silence.

Too much of it.

The house was still, the kind of still that didn’t feel peaceful, instead it was heavy..

Before I could convince myself to go back to sleep, a small sharp knock sounded against the door.

“Who’s there?” I quickly called out.

There was a pause, then a gentle, older voice.

“Forgive me, ma’am. I didn’t mean to startle you but reakfast is ready.”

I blinked, confused. “Breakfast?”

“Yes, ma’am. It’s half past nine.. The master said you should be served once you’re awake.”

I hesitated. “Can you.. uh bring it here?”

There was a soft, polite cough. “I’m afraid I can’t do that, ma’am. Meals are taken in the dining hall, It's one of the house rules.”

Of course it was.. Dario and his rules.

I sighed and rubbed my temples. “Fine. Give me five minutes.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

The footsteps retreated back, and I glanced down at myself. I was wearing a robe as my yesterday’s clothes were thrown carelessly over a chair.

Perfect... I didn’t even have underwear, as the one I had was currently soaking in the bathroom sink.

I slipped into the flip-flops, then tightened the belt of the robe again, and stared at my reflection in the mirror. My lips were slightly swollen, my neck was dotted with faint marks.

I groaned. “It’s official, this father and son duo is going to be the death of me.”

The house was colder once I stepped out of the room. The hallway stretched long and dim, lined with portraits whose faces seemed to follow me and whoever decorated this place clearly had a thing for Gothic misery.

When I reached the bottom of the grand staircase, the older woman from earlier was waiting for me, She was tall and thin, her silver hair pulled back neatly, and she wore a black uniform that looked older than me but her kind eyes softened when she saw me.

“Good morning, ma’am. I’m Nanny Clara.”

“Good morning Ma, I’m Emily,” I said automatically. Then I added, “But I suppose ‘ma’am’ is fine too.”

She smiled faintly as she stared at me. “He prefers we address you with respect. This way, please.”

Her voice carried the warmth of someone who had been here a long time.. too long, maybe. She led me through wide, echoing halls where sunlight barely touched the floor. When we finally reached the dining room, I couldn’t help the small gasp that escaped me.

Just as I had said last night, the table could have hosted a royal feast.. But only one place was set.

Mine.

“Wow,” I murmured. “it looks even more regal during the day”

Clara didn’t react, instead she just gestured to the chair. “Please, sit. I’ll bring the tea.”

I did and she returned with a silver pot, and as she poured, the faint scent of chamomile rose in the air.

“Dario isn’t in the villa?” I asked.

She hesitated. “The master has already left for business.”

“Business,” I repeated, watching the steam curl from my cup. I thought he had told me he wouldn’t leave.

Lies.

Clara’s lips twitched, like she’d heard this tone before. “He is not a man who enjoys company, the only company he enjoys is his own company.”

I raised an eyebrow. “You don’t say.”

She gave me a small smile. “Forgive me. The house has always been… quiet, the master prefers it that way.”

I glanced around. The high ceilings, the heavy curtains, the faint hum of silence pressing in on all sides. “Quiet? It feels like a mausoleum.”

Clara chuckled softly, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “He’s not a man of many friends. Or many visitors. Some say he’s married to his business.”

I tilted my head. “That explains a lot.”

She gave a polite nod and turned to leave, but I stopped her. “Wait.. how long have you worked here?”

“Since before Austin was born.” She sweetly answered.

So, forever.

“And in all that time,” I said, lowering my voice, “has he always been like this? So… controlled? So cold?”

Clara hesitated, her gaze flicking to the door before she answered. “He wasn’t always this cold, ma’am he was just careful but life teaches some people to hide behind walls instead of standing in open air.”

That stung more than I expected.

I stirred my tea. “And what exactly did life teach him to hide from?”

Clara’s eyes softened, but she didn’t answer that. “It’s not my place to say.”

Of course not. Another secret, another half-truth. Everyone in this house seemed to speak like they were in confession.

First it was Dario, then Austin and now the nanny.

When she left, I finally let out a long breath and stabbed a piece of toast. The cold weighing silence pressed in again, but it was thicker now.

I looked toward the tall windows and muttered, “No wonder he’s so unhinged. Living in this gloomy place would make anyone talk to themselves.”

“Did you say something, ma’am?” Clara’s voice floated faintly from the kitchen doorway.

I smiled sheepishly. “Just complimenting your toast.”

She looked unconvinced but smiled politely before disappearing again.

The longer I sat there, the more restless I became. My mind wandered to early this morning, to the way Dario’s eyes had softened for a heartbeat before turning hard again as he spoke to Austin.

He was calm.. somewhat like tenderness and danger at the same time, like a knife held to your throat but never cutting.

And yet… the ache between my legs was proof that part of me had stopped caring about the risk, and about the fact that he was my ex boyfriend’s father.

“Rest well, wife,” I whispered again, staring at his handwriting in my head. “Sure. Like that’s even possible when you keep leaving me with questions.”

I pushed my plate away, stood, and wandered toward the hall.

Something was coming.

And Dario.. wherever he was.. wasn’t just attending a meeting. I could feel it in my bones, Austin and Dario were still hiding things.

And I needed to find out.