Chapter 34. The Child With His Eyes
542 Words
For a brief second, the world around Adrian became silent.
He stared down at the little girl in his arms while she blinked at him innocently.
Those eyes…
Why did they look so familiar?
“Mister, thank you,” Isabella said sweetly with a tiny smile.
Even her voice strangely softened something inside him.
Adrian slowly placed her down carefully without looking away from her face.
“What’s your name?”
“Isabella Moretti,” she answered proudly. “But Mama calls me Bella.”
Mama.
Adrian’s sharp gaze unconsciously lifted toward Elena standing a few steps away.
The moment Elena saw Isabella beside him, her calm expression changed slightly.
Fear.
Only for a second.
But Adrian noticed it.
“Elena,” Sofia suddenly called loudly while forcing a smile as she approached them quickly. “Your daughter is adorable.”
Elena’s cold eyes moved toward Sofia calmly.
“Thank you.”
The tension between the two women instantly became heavy.
Even Isabella quietly held Elena’s hand sensing the strange atmosphere.
Sofia forced herself to smile naturally despite the panic inside her chest.
“You disappeared from Italy so suddenly years ago.”
Camilla, who had just arrived beside Elena, smirked slightly.
“Successful people tend to move quietly.”
Sofia ignored her comment before looking back at Elena carefully.
“You should’ve contacted family at least.”
Family.
The word almost made Elena laugh.
Instead, she simply adjusted Isabella’s dress calmly.
“I don’t think we were ever truly family.”
The air instantly became awkward.
Meanwhile Adrian remained strangely silent while observing Elena carefully.
Everything about her felt different now.
The weak girl who once lowered her eyes around him was gone.
This Elena stood tall.
Elegant.
Untouchable.
And worst of all—
Completely indifferent toward him.
For some reason, that irritated him deeply.
Then suddenly little Leonardo came running toward Adrian happily.
“Papa!”
Adrian instinctively picked him up while Leonardo looked curiously toward Isabella.
“She’s pretty,” Leonardo said innocently.
Isabella smiled proudly.
“My mama says I look like a princess.”
Leonardo nodded seriously.
“You do.”
The adults remained quiet watching the children interact naturally.
And strangely…
Adrian couldn’t stop comparing them.
Leonardo had Sofia’s softer features.
But Isabella…
Her eyes.
Her expression.
Even the way she stared calmly at people.
Something about her felt too familiar.
Meanwhile Sofia noticed Adrian staring at the child too long and panic instantly rose again inside her.
“We should return inside,” she said quickly while holding Adrian’s arm possessively.
But before leaving, Adrian unexpectedly looked toward Elena again.
“Mr. Matteo informed me Belléna is considering partnerships in Italy.”
Elena met his gaze calmly.
“We are.”
“I’d like a meeting with you personally.”
Sofia froze immediately.
Camilla raised an amused eyebrow.
Meanwhile Elena remained perfectly composed.
Then slowly—
She smiled.
But it wasn’t warm.
It was dangerous.
“Of course, Mr. De Luca.”
For some reason, hearing her call him that made Adrian’s chest tighten strangely.
Not Adrian.
Not like before.
Just Mr. De Luca.
Like he was now nothing more than another businessman to her.
And somehow…
That unsettled him more than anything else tonight.
- Writer
