Vino spent the rest of the evening trying to get Skylar alone with him, but it seems the power of the universe was against him as everything seemed to go against his wishes. Somehow, she seems to get past him freely without him having to talk to her privately.
There was a limit to how much he could take, especially seeing her right now dancing with a smile on her face as she gazed into Gian's eyes. He could never believe Gian could do this to him. He had wanted him to use his eloquent words to persuade Skylar to forgive him, not trying to make her his...
"Are you even listening to me?"
Vino came out of his thoughts as soon as he heard that whiny voice. He knew who it belonged to and hated it every minute. He would like to have his woman back, not listening to Elise complain about her life.
"Yes, what is it?" Vino asked her before turning to gaze back into the dance floor where Gian was swinging Skylar around who was giggling in excitement
"Is that really fun? tcht__ she's smiling like he's giving her the world," Vino mustered to himself, angry with himself for not being honest with Skylar from the onset.
He regretted ever lying to her. He wished he had told her he had a child, then none of this would have happened. Speaking of the child, Vino suddenly remembers that Adora wasn't present at the party, but was nowhere to be found.
"Where's Adora? I haven't sent her since the party started," Vino questioned Elise before turning to look around the hall searching the faces of everyone seated for a glimpse of his daughter.
"She's alright. She's resting in her room, and says the light is too bright for her," Elise replied, gently avoiding Vino's eyes. Vino could tell there was more to it, but he wasn't curious.
He turned away from her lying face and caught the glimpse of Gian and Skylar leaving the party. Vino rushed to go after them, seeing that Skylar was drunk and Gian was no gentlemen, he doesn't know when to keep his hands off women.
"Where are you going? Let's go say hello to both Michael and Nina," Elise replied gently, trying to force the anger away from her voice. She wouldn't deny not knowing who had taken Vino's attention off her all evening. It was that stupid woman and right now he's about to run away to be her knight in shining armour, but Elise wouldn't be allowing that. Vino was hers; she doesn't care if Gian rape her. It's her fault for dressing so sexily anywhere. Elise mustered to herself already, pulling a shocked Vino down the hall to where Michael and Nina stood, lost in conversation with Victor.
"Hello, Michael. It's been a while. How's work?" Elise greeted them with a wide smile on her face as soon as she got to their place. She let go of Vino's hands to hug Nina, who was responding with an equal smile of hers.
"Elise," Michael replied lightly before turning to raise his eyebrows at Vino, who was still gazing at the door which leads into the garden.
Elise has always known that none of the Thompson family was a fan of her. Nobody liked her, probably because she had drugged and blackmailed Vino during her first few years of working for him. But that wasn't her fault. She needed money and Vino was her quick way to get it and tons of it. She had gotten it after he paid her off, but that wasn't enough, which was why she decided to get married to him so she could gain access to the shares in their company. Whether or not they all like her, she wasn't going anywhere.
"Are you alright, brother?"
Elise came out of her thoughts to hear Michael asking Vino that question. She bit her lips and prayed that Vino wouldn't mention Skylar to them. She was infuriatingly mad when she heard he had introduced that bitch to both his parents and brothers and she hadn't met either of them in these years, except when they had met in the courtroom.
"I'm good. If you excuse me, there's someone I need to talk to before the night ends" Vino rushed to excuse himself before turning back on his heel and half running out of the hall.
He took the door which opens into the garden and shivered under the night air. He dashed through the garden searching for a glimpse of Skylar all these while remembering the last time he had seen her boyfriend nearly beating her up.
Vino forced himself away from the disturbing thoughts as he forced his way deep into the garden. He saw an empty swing just near the riverside. He suddenly remembered swinging there with Michael and Victor when he was a kid. He had wanted to show this to Skylar tonight, but Elise had to come and spoil everything for him. He suddenly blames her late husband for dying, if only he was alive. Vino would have been left alone to be together with Skylar.
Vino turned as soon as he felt a presence in the garden, he exhaled as soon as he saw that it was Maria. "Yes?" Vino questioned her harshly, his voice void of the teasing smile he always gave her.
"Signore and signora are looking for you in the hall, I came to call you" Maria rushed to reply before turning to walk back into the hall, she could see that Vino was pissed off and didn't want to be at the receiving end of that anger. She knew how angry he could be when things didn't go his way. She had raised all of them since childhood.
"Wait," Vino suddenly calls out, causing Maria to pause in her stride. She turned to see Vino running his hands through his hair. A gesture, Maria couldn't interpret what it meant. Was he tired or embarrassed?
"Have you seen Skylar or Gian?" Vino asked her as he avoided her eyes. He was so ashamed of himself right now. What would Maria think? That he was stupid and couldn't control his woman? Or he was jealous and searched for his woman the moment she disappeared with another man? Or that he was a playboy, putting a lease on one woman even though he has one in his arms already?
"Yes. I saw them going up to the guest's room earlier," Maria replied slowly, but Vino was already running out of the garden, taking the stairs in twos. He kept praying that he wasn't too late. He just hopes that Gian will be able to control himself and respect him by not touching Skylar.
Vino went up the stairs. He turned at the first turn by the left and started opening the guest room; it surprised him to not meet them there.
"Damn!" Vino cursed loudly. In his rush to save Skylar, he had forgotten to ask Maria which of the guest rooms.
He was about to go to the next guest room when he heard moaning coming from the door across from him. Vino froze as dread envelops him. He recognizes that room immediately as the one which Gian uses whenever he's home. He rushed to open the door and froze, and he shouted out in anger.
"What's going on here?" Vino's voice thundered across the room, his voice echoing throughout the room being carried by the air from the open balcony door. He ventures swiftly into the room and drags a drunken Gian off Skylar whose gown was almost off.
"Relax man. Nothing is going on," Gian replied with a smirk on his face as he raises both hands in surrender.
Vino wanted everything to smack that smile off his face, but he didn't want to do that in front of Skylar. He will come back for that. "I don't ever want to see you close to her again. She is mine"
"Stop putting any claim on me. I'm not a thing" Skylar's outburst caused Vino to step back a few steps in shock. As different thoughts run through his mind. What does she mean by that? Does this mean she was willing? Does this mean Gian wasn't trying to take her just now, but rather Skylar, wanted it to happen?
"Why can't you just allow me to be? You've made your choice by picking your daughter. Allow me to make mine too. Stop putting a claim on me like we are still in a relationship. There's nothing between us anymore?" Skylar screamed, throwing her hands up in the air in despair. She was getting tired of Vino being clingy. He's making it hard for her to let go of him. And she can't love him anymore when he's with another woman.
"Really? Well, the last time I checked, we were still together," Vino replied with his hands folded across his chest as the frown on his brows deepened. Thick sweat perched his brows and trickled down his cheeks as he saw the excited smile on Gian's face.
"That was before you came introducing your daughter to me this morning with no prior warning. Who does that? And you think everything will be okay after that, no never Mr. Thompson," Skylar retorted back angrily. She was thankful for the little drop of alcohol in her system. At least she can scream at the man in front of her without her love for him clouding her judgment.
Vino paced around the room in anger. This wasn't how he envisioned his conversation with Skylar. And Gian had refused to give them privacy as he was obviously enjoying his predicament from the heavy smile on his face.
"I'm___ So__ I wasn't prepared for this either. I did try to tell you, but I was scared," Vino told her as he forced all sincerity into his eyes immediately. He found her eyes on him.
•
"Scared?" Both Gian and Skylar replied in shock.
Vino nodded. He could understand why they were shocked. No one would expect him to be scared. Especially not someone like him who has money and looks, which makes everyone flock around him, but the woman he wanted wants nothing to do with him. What an irony?...
"Look, Skylar. I______"
"Oh, here you are, love. I've been searching everywhere for you. Adora is running a temperature," Vino groaned angrily at Elise's interruption but ran to the door as soon as he heard her talking about his daughter.
He paused and turned to throw a flicking glance at Skylar, who was trying badly to fight the tears in her eyes. She never believed that Vino would pick his daughter twice over her. She felt like trash being thrown away twice. She would have cried out loud if not for the comforting hands of Gian on her shoulder...
"I___ I____"
"Go do your duty. Your daughter needs you. I will be okay" Skylar waves him off as she can't keep the tears abate with him still in the room with her. She wouldn't want him to see her in her weakest moment. She wouldn't want him to see how bad he made her feel.
"Okay. Enjoy the rest of the evening. Take care of her, Gian. We'll talk later," Vino told her, forcing himself to step out of the door where Elise was glaring at him. The unshed tears in her eyes were tucking at his heartstring.
"Where is Adora?" Vino asked Elise, already running down the stairs, his voice cold, bare of the softness which was in them when he talked with Skylar.
"She's in the car. I didn't inform anyone. I don't want to spoil your parents' party," Elise replied, leading him into the parking lot where she had dropped her daughter on the back seat of the range rover. Her heart, beating heavily in her heart as she hopes her secret won't be revealed at the hospital.
"There's no need to worry. No one knows I had a daughter with you," Vino replied angrily before making himself comfortable in the driver's seat of the car while Elise got in beside him.
"Except Skylar," Elise supplied as she turned to watch Vino's firm grip on the steering as he maneuvered the car out of the parking lot. With a smile on her face, she vowed to make Vino hers, even though it means bribing the doctor. No one will find out about her secret yet...
"That was because you told her" Vino glares at her before turning to focus on the road as he sped off to the hospital scared of his daughter's life.