"I disagree with what you said. You know my skills. How can you call it seeking death?" Alessia met Dominic's eyes again.
"Alright, Mr. Carter, you don't have to worry about this matter. Just focus on protecting the three kids," she said, pushing past Dominic and walking to the bed.
Alessia sat on the bed and issued another dismissal, "Mr. Carter, I'm going to sleep."
Seeing Alessia's fair feet on the ground and then on the bed, Dominic's eyes darkened momentarily. Then he averted his gaze and left with an angry remark before storming out, "If you want to die, do it far away."
Alessia raised an eyebrow, watching as the door was closed again, then she lay down on the bed.
She took out her phone and scrolled through her friends' updates. She saw a post from Enzo.
'Tonight is very close,' with a picture of his hat.
Very close, referring to her!
Alessia's eyes flickered, and as she scrolled down, she found a post from Bianca ten minutes ago.
'No turning back. Today's date is perfectly over,' accompanied by a picture of her with a man's back.
Bianca went on a date with another man?
If she could go on a date with another man, she shouldn't be pregnant. Maybe the questions she asked that day at the old house were just her overthinking.
Alessia thought for a moment and decided to go see Bianca in a couple of days.
The next day, before Alessia even got up, Enzo called.
Alessia answered with her eyes closed, and Enzo's voice came through, "Still not up? Am I too early? I just wanted to ask, what do you want to eat today? I'll bring it over, and what gifts do the kids want?"
"Anything is fine, no need to be deliberate," Alessia said, rubbing her head.
"Okay, I understand." Enzo quickly hung up.
Alessia felt puzzled, tossed her phone aside, and squinted for a while before getting out of bed.
As she descended the stairs, Alessia noticed that both Dominic and Riley were sitting in the living room.
Wasn't he angry? So why did he come so early?
Alessia was taken aback, sat down, and Dominic, with a poker face, glanced at her.
Alessia thought Dominic wouldn't talk to her, but unexpectedly, he spoke, "I heard you invited Enzo today?"
Alessia instinctively looked at Riley, who pushed his glasses.
Dominic continued, "Don't look at him. It wasn't him who said that."
"Not Riley?"
Alessia was puzzled, then saw her youngest son running in from outside, "Daddy, can we go to the old house today? When we come back, can I go see Grandma Evelyn?"
"It depends on the situation then, and you have to behave," Dominic's facial lines softened slightly.
"Okay, I've always been very good," Christian gestured with a victory sign.
Alessia frowned and turned to Christian, "Go back to the old house? Why?"
Christian walked over and hugged Alessia's arm, cute and coquettish, "Daddy said we haven't formally met Grandma yet. Today is the weekend, so it's just right to go over. Uncle also said that you have guests today, so I told Daddy we shouldn't disturb you."
So, Christian told Dominic that Enzo was coming over today, this big-mouthed kid.
Alessia took a deep breath and looked at Dominic, "Why didn't you tell me in advance?"
"If you want to die, make room for yourself." Dominic glanced at her coldly before picking up Christian. Eleanor and Christopher followed.
Alessia listened to the sound of the car driving away and pressed her forehead.
"When did you and Dominic have another argument?" Riley, sitting on the opposite sofa, spoke up.
"Just last night..." Alessia stopped halfway through her words, realizing something was off. She paused and said, "Don't misunderstand, it's not what you think between him and me."
"Alright, I think he's more compatible with Tiffany," Riley continued, directly stating his opinion.
Alessia pursed her lips, speechless.
Riley went on, "Enzo is coming over at noon. What should we eat?"
"Just simple meals. I've also invited Dylan. We can play cards," Alessia replied.
Dylan was someone she trusted. Since Enzo knew her before her memory loss, maybe he had met him too.
Just after nine o'clock, the doorbell rang, and Enzo walked in with large and small bags.
"Welcome," Alessia, dressed in a simple short-sleeved shirt and jeans, with a cold and clean face, opened the door.
"Thank you. Sia, where are the kids? Quickly let me meet them. I brought them gifts," Enzo entered, dropping his things on the floor and looking upstairs.
"They're not home," Alessia explained, and Enzo's eyes darkened.
Just then, the doorbell rang again.
This time it was Dylan, wearing a mask and hat.
"Sia, did you invite someone else?" Enzo pressed down his hat, his face already changed.
"It's lively with more people," Alessia said.
Enzo was visibly angry and sat silently on the sofa, his sudden temper coming out of nowhere, just like yesterday in the lab.
Alessia approached Dylan while getting slippers for him.
She had told Dylan about Enzo's situation last night.
Dylan observed Enzo as he took off his hat and mask, then met Alessia's eyes.
Dylan shook his head.
That meant he didn't know Enzo.
Alessia's eyes flickered, and she pretended nothing had happened as she handed the slippers to Dylan.
Once inside, Alessia suggested playing cards, but before they could even start, the sound of the door being unlocked and opened came from outside, and Dominic walked in with a cold expression on his face.
Alessia's hand, which was about to pick up the cards, paused as Dominic grabbed a chair and naturally sat down beside her, his hand resting on her shoulder as he leaned over to look at her cards.
As Dominic leaned closer, Alessia was surrounded by a hint of minty fragrance, which belonged to Dominic.
Alessia furrowed her brows slightly, a trace of unease flickering across her face. She lowered her voice so only she and Dominic could hear, "Why are you back? Weren't you angry? What's the meaning of this now?"
As Alessia spoke, Dominic leaned forward again, unconsciously closing the distance between them even more.
Dominic watched as the three people present all changed their expressions, but he didn't care at all as he domineeringly replied in Alessia's ear.
"Even if I'm angry, I can't let my three children be without their mother. I won't stop you from contacting Enzo, but you must cooperate with me."
Cooperate?
Feeling the breath Dominic sprayed on her ear, Alessia understood his meaning.
Alessia's eyelashes trembled slightly, and she looked at Enzo, who was wearing his hat low, covering his eyes and hiding all his emotions.
She couldn't startle the snake. If she continued to contact Enzo, she had no intention of sacrificing herself. As long as Dominic didn't cause trouble, let Enzo misunderstand.
With that in mind, Alessia didn't object to Dominic sitting next to her and picked up a bamboo tile in her hand.
Seeing Alessia compromise, Dominic subtly curved his lips, straightened up, and withdrew the hand that had been on Alessia's shoulder. His slender fingers took away the bamboo tile.
"The bamboo tile is still useful, but this two of characters is useless. I told you I would teach you to play when I got back. Why are you so disobedient?" Dominic's tone was filled with indulgence.
Alessia didn't expect Dominic to be so good at acting. She glanced at Enzo and saw him looking at her, so she didn't say anything more.
After several rounds of play without anyone winning, Alessia stood up, feeling it was pointless. She gave up her seat.
Dominic didn't refuse and lazily sat down, taking over the game against Enzo himself.
It wasn't until one o'clock in the afternoon, just before lunch, that this boring game finally came to an end.
Enzo and Dominic were both red-eyed, staring at each other when they sat down at the dining table. Riley and Dylan, on the other hand, looked expressionless, as if they had been mentally and physically tortured.
Alessia massaged her temples. The development of today's events completely caught her off guard.
She pretended to bury her head in her food, and by the afternoon, Alessia didn't have much chance to interact with Enzo or notice anything unusual about him.
Because all day long, it was almost a direct confrontation between Enzo and Dominic.
Until Enzo left, and Alessia saw him off.
Enzo suddenly approached without warning, staring at Dominic standing at the door as he whispered in Alessia's ear, "Sia, I can see it clearly. You and Dominic haven't reconciled at all."
Alessia blinked, not yet able to react, when Dominic, with a cold face, strode over to them.
With a strong tug, Dominic pulled Alessia to his side, glaring coldly at Enzo. "Stay away from my children's mother."
***