THE CEO'S RUNAWAY BRIDE

6. AM I HEARING THINGS?

6. AM I HEARING THINGS?

Sebastian sat up from the bed when he heard his phone ring. Bianca was complaining about something that didn't make much sense, and the last thing Seb wanted was to listen to her talk, and so he pretended to be asleep. Except she wasn't having it. The phone call came at the perfect time, as he could finally make her keep quiet.

To say that he was regretting getting engaged to Bianca was an understatement. She had always been there; it felt like it was the right thing to do. Rosa had been constant in his life. Seb knew that he would have to get married eventually. At thirty-three years old, it was time for that to happen. Bianca just happened to be there. They had dated on and off over the years, and she had hinted at it. Seb didn't think too much about marriage any longer. He was to have an arranged marriage previously. He liked Rosa very much; he thought they would have been good together; how had that favored him? It was best that he got married to someone he didn't even like. So if she decided to run off on their wedding day, he would not be too pained.

Sebastian picked up his phone and frowned. It was Alessandro calling. Rosa's father. Speak of the devil. What did the old man want to talk about? And by 11 pm? Nevertheless, Sebastian picked up the phone.

"Hello, Alessandro, Good evening."

"Good evening, Sebastian. I have something very important to discuss with you. Come by the house by tomorrow morning. I will be expecting you." Sebastian frowned into the phone. Something wasn't right. This didn't seem right at all.

"Who is that?" Bianca screeched, and Sebastian glared at her. Why was she being so crass?

"That is very much okay, Alessandro. I wanted to see you about the Rowen property contract; maybe we can talk about that tomorrow," he said. Making sure to increase his voice as he spoke, Alessandro. Bianca had been so jealous, especially since they got engaged. She must have concluded that just because they were getting married, she had the right to every part of his life. Sebastian needed to make sure that she understood it was not a marriage of love.

"I will see you tomorrow then. Thank you very much." And then Alessandro disconnected the call.

"Why was Alessandro calling you?" Bianca asked, and Sebastian's hand automatically went to the bridge of his nose. He was so exhausted dealing with Bianca; she was like a little child, fighting over the smallest things and never being satisfied.

"Alessandro is a business partner; I don't know if you have forgotten that." Sebastian then picked up a pillow and a blanket.

"Where are you going?" His wonderful fiancee asked again, making a grab at his blanket. Sebastian looked at her then, her brown hair falling over her face, her fake but bountiful breasts barely encased by the red nightgown that she wore. She looked so desperate and so fake. Sebastian wondered what he saw in her in the first place.

"By tomorrow, I want you out of here, and I mean it," Sebastian said as he left the room. When he stepped out and closed the door behind him, he heard Bianca scream and something glass crash against the ground—typical Bianca.

*****

The next morning, Bianca was gone. Sebastian felt fresh and happy; his house was free from her. He needed to call off the engagement; there was no way he was getting married to the crazy woman. Knowing Bianca though, he knew that it would be very difficult to get rid of her.

His housekeeper made breakfast and cleaned up his room. The lamp that used to be by his bedside was noticeably missing—definitely not the only thing missing in the room. Bianca stayed the weekend and broke something each time they argued. If she stayed longer, he would have had to refurnish his house.

Sebastian took his bath and got ready to leave. He was quite curious as to what Alessandro would like to tell him, especially since the older man could not tell him by phone. It must be something very important.

He made his way to the kitchen, where he met Gracia, his housekeeper, setting the table for breakfast.

"Good morning, Gracia. I am sorry about the mess last night." Sebastian decided it was best not to mention all the messes that he had failed to apologize for.

"That's alright, Sebastian; it's not your fault. Just make sure you don't bring that woman here again." Sebastian nearly choked on his cup of coffee when Gracia said that. The sixty-year-old had been his housekeeper for at least ten years. She was more of a mother figure at this point.

"Noted, ma'am," Sebastian said. He knew that it was best not to even try to argue with her. Besides, this time she was right. Sebastian didn't need Bianca back at the house.

"That's good enough for me. Just find a nice girl who will have your babies. You are very handsome; I am sure someone will agree to do that," Gracia said with a laugh before she left the room. Sebastian mulled over the words as he had his breakfast. Maybe that was what he would do. He would get someone who would have his babies and maybe marry him. That might be good enough for him.

On the drive to the Ferrari household, he remembered his visits to their house in the small town they all grew up in, Ilias. It had been a while since he went back there. His father was there. Sebastian was always at the Ferrari house. His late mother and Matteo's late mother were close friends. His mother had helped to raise Matteo when Alessandro's first wife died; that was before he married Isabella. The two boys became like brothers then. The Ferraris had always been part of his life. Part of why it was so difficult when Rosa left him. It was like he lost his wife and lost a family at the same time. It took some time, but they were now on good terms with each other. Sebastian knew that they communicated with Rosa, and Alessandro had apologized severally for what Rosa had done. Sebastian didn't need to hear the apology from him, though.

"Good morning, George, how are you doing?" Sebastian greeted the butler as he stepped into the house. When the Ferraris moved to New York fully, they brought their fancy butler from Ilias with them.

"I am doing very well, Mr. Kanatas. Mr. Ferrari is awaiting you in the living room."

Like George had said, Mr. Ferrari was waiting for him in the living room along with the younger Mr. Ferrari, Matteo. Sebastian frowned then. Last he heard, Matteo was out of the country for business. If that was true, what was Matteo doing in New York? The reason for the meeting was getting more intriguing.

"Matteo. I didn't know you were back. How was your trip?"

"I actually just got back yesterday. My trip was quite enlightening." Sebastian raised a brow at Matteo's choice of words but said nothing about them.

"All this business is making me anxious. Is this about the meeting about the Rowen property?" Sebastian asked. He could not hold it in any longer.

"Have a seat, Sebastian," Alessandro said. Sebastian felt the need to argue, but he figured it wasn't necessary, and so he just sat down.

"This might come as a shock to you, so I really need to be calm when I tell you."

"Telling me this is not making me any calm," Sebastian deadpanned.

"I didn't tell you this, but I didn't travel for business," Matteo said. Sebastian looked away from Alessandro and to his friend. This entire business was getting weirder by the minute. At first, he was sure that Alessandro was the one who wanted to speak with him; right now, though, he wasn't even sure what they were talking about.

"Matteo traveled to Oslo, Norway, to see Rosa," Alessandro said. Sebastian felt annoyance and then anger and something else when he heard Rosa's name. He wasn't still sure why they were talking to him about this. Everyone was very careful in mentioning her name around him, and they had been for the past few years. Sebastian felt like they should all cut it off now, and it had been too long, but hearing Rosa's name made him realize it had not been long at all.

"Papa, I want to tell him." Sebastian turned immediately when he heard that voice. When they spoke about Rosa, he assumed that she was still far away in Oslo, apparently, where she had run to after she left him at the altar.

Sebastian felt several emotions hit him from different directions. He couldn't even begin to quantify or even qualify what he felt. Anger came at him, strong. He remembered how disappointed he had been in the church that day, waiting and waiting for someone who would never come. Sebastian didn't think Rosa could affect him like that until then; he had been caught on guard, and she had pushed him down. That day, Sebastian had promised himself that no woman would ever have the power to break him. He told himself to be happy that Rosa didn't marry him; if she left him after that, maybe he would have even died.

After all the pain, frustrations, and stress he felt on the day of their wedding, Rosa was standing in front of him for the first time, looking like the flower that she was, unstained, untouched. It made Sebastian even more frustrated.

"No, Rosa, you have had your chance," said Alessandro. The words of the older man brought Sebastian back to the present. Something was going on that he was not privy to, and he needed to be privy to it immediately.

"Tell me what?" He managed to ask.

"You are the father of my children," Rosa said. Sebastian figured that he must be dreaming, or maybe he couldn't hear as well as he used to.

"What?" he asked.

"I have two children, and you are their father," she replied.

"What the hell?" Sebastian asked again; this time though, he was screaming.