Groomed For The Billionaire

Curiosity Over Caution

The morning light flooded the room. Elena stretched, her eyes fluttering open to the sound of running water. Dante wasn't beside her, so she figured he was in the shower. She stared blankly at the ceiling for a moment, before slowly pushing herself out of the bed. Her mind felt distant, and detached.

She slowly grabbed her silk robe, and tied it loosely around her waist, she needed to make coffee and breakfast for Dante. As she made her way to the door, she heard his phone buzz. A single vibration in the quiet room caught her attention.

At first she ignored it, she wasn't the kind of woman who went through her husband's phone, and if Dante caught her going through his things, he was going to hit her. She stayed away from his things, but right now, it was curiosity over caution. Just a glance, nothing more. She picked up his phone.

A new message from Naya.

Naya: Baby, have you told her everything? I think she deserves to know the truth.

Elena's heart stopped. She wished she never picked up his phone. The truth? What truth? Her fingers went cold as she stared at the screen. She remembered the name Naya. Naya was Dante's college sweetheart. She was the reason why he wasn't happy when he was asked to marry her ten years back. They were still in touch?

The shower stopped, and she heard soft footsteps. She immediately dropped his phone and tiptoed out of the room.

Downstairs, the coffee machine hissed to life. The chef was making ricotta frittata. The kitchen smelled so good, but Elena just sat there at the kitchen counter, a cup of coffee in her hand and staring into space. Maybe she was overthinking everything.

By the time Dante came down, perfectly dressed and the smell of sandalwood and cinnamon filled the air, she handed him his cup of coffee and the morning paper. It was a ritual.

“I won't be having breakfast. I have a meeting at the office. I don't want to be late.”

In this house, they don't say much. She nodded her head and walked to the kitchen. She asked the chef to pack his food in a lunch pack. Then she dropped the pack in his car.

After browsing through the paper, he picked up his briefcase and walked out the door. No goodbye kisses, no hugs. Elena was already used to living like this. Her life was miserable.

She stood by the door and watched his car pull out. The instant he was gone, she turned around and headed upstairs.

She didn't know what she was looking for, but for the first time since she got married, she had the strong urge to snoop around the house. She went into their bedroom, searched every drawer, his boxes and even pockets but she found nothing.

Then she moved to his home office. His office smelled faintly of leather and cologne. She's only been inside here a handful of times, and with his permission. But today, she was going in. Damn the consequences.

She searched the desk drawers first. Papers, receipts, invoice and contracts. Nothing unusual. She searched every drawer here, but there was nothing. She was about to leave when she saw a small box, tucked under the bookshelf. Inside, neatly folded documents and pictures.

The first picture was Dante, holding a baby in the hospital beside Naya. It looked like she just gave birth. And the picture was taken a year ago. Elena started sweating. Then she saw an envelope, inside the envelope was a birth certificate.

Her vision blurred as she read the names.

Father: Dante Casagrande

Mother: Naya Bloom

Child: Dante jnr. Casagrande

Year: 05-01-2016

Her hand flew to her mouth. Her legs became too weak to carry her weight, and she sank to the floor. Her heartbeat was hammering in her ears.

Her husband had not one, but two children with Naya. A five year old? Her thoughts came in fragments. Dante had a whole ass family and this has been going on for years, after their marriage.

She couldn't cry, her body refused to give her that release. Something inside her died. He's been violating her for years, all this while, he had a perfect family. This explains all the trips he's been taking for business. Sometimes he goes away for a month.

She needed to talk to someone about her feelings. She had no friends and the only person she could call was Ina. Her hands trembled as she dialed her mother's number.

“Mama,” her voice cracked. “Dante has a secret family. I mean he has two kids with another woman,” after saying this, she broke down. She cried hysterically.

There was silence on the other side of the phone. For almost two minutes her mum said nothing. “I'm trying to understand what you just said to me. You mean Dante is married to another woman, or he was married before he married you?”

She blew her nose on her shirt. “I don't think they're married, but they have two kids together. I know he loves her.”

Ina sighed. “It's not entirely his fault if you ask me.”

Elena was sure she didn't hear her right. “What did you just say to me Mama?”

“Elena, a man like Dante wants children, he wants his legacy to continue. You should be grateful he's a good man, that lady saved your marriage.” She paused to catch her breath. “It's been what? Ten years.”

Elena was speechless. Dante lied to her, used her and somehow she was the problem. “You think I'm the problem?”

“I didn't say that, don't take words out of my mouth. I just want you to look at the brighter picture. You have a husband, who always comes back home to you. You have a beautiful home and everything you want is handed to you on a platter of gold. Look past his mistakes and try to make something out of it.”

“You want me to forgive him?” She asked in disbelief.

“I don't just want you to forgive him, I want you to keep whatever you found to yourself. A woman's silence is a family's secret. Do not say a word about your discovery to anyone, not even Dante. Act like nothing happened, protect your marriage.”

“I think I should go now.” Elena wiped her eyes. It became clear to her that Ina doesn't care about her, she only cared about the marriage and protecting the family name.

“Alright my baby girl. I look forward to seeing you tonight for Carlos's party.” Then the line went silent.

For a long moment, she sat there, staring at her phone in disbelief. She knew one thing

for certain.

Dante had a lot of explaining to do when he came home.