The older woman had her hair long jet black hair braided in a ponytail that highlighted her gorgeous face.
She was in the same age range as Eleonora's parents but she looked way younger than the both of them put together.
Her blue eyes stood out, complementing her sharp jaw line and defined collar bones, she was fairly muscular and it'd come as a surprise to anyone that the woman didn't work out but it was obvious to see that she was pretty sporty in her high school and college days.
"Hello, baby. How are you and how was work today?" Her soft voice asked.
Josephine rubbed soothing circles on Eleonora's back. It was easy to do that since she was almost Eleonora's height and Eleonora was a tall woman who was almost 6 ft tall.
"Hey, Josy. I am exhausted and all I want to do is cuddle with you while drifting off to sleep and about work, I'd just say same old, same old, only that today was added with a twist because the demon and the demoness came to visit," Eleonora scoffed.
"And they gave me very lovely news that apparently, I have a fiance and the lucky man has to be none other than Viccorio Russo himself. Ugh!" She rolled her eyes.
Eleonora went on ranting while Josephine chuckled at the younger woman and just let her rant off. Though she was worried about the arranged marriage, she knew that she wouldn't be helping Eleonora at the moment by talking about it so she just comforted her with the warmth her hug offered.
After a few minutes, Eleonora stood straight while flashing a small smile at Josephine who was monitoring the younger woman's actions, observing her and when she saw the smile, the French woman leaned in to kiss Eleonora's forehead while cooing.
"Oh, mon chérie, you don't have to bother yourself about anything tonight and we will cuddle up under the blanket while watching a movie till you fall asleep, okay?" she blinked up at her.
"Okay." Eleonora nodded and they made their way out of the laundry room hand in hand.
Josephine was brought from France by her parents when she was four years old and Eleonora still thinks that bringing Josephine over to be her caretaker was the one thing they managed to do right.
Josephine quickly became Eleonora's mother figure even more than her own biological mother herself and she suited the role perfectly.
They became so close that anywhere Eleonora went, she always took Josephine with her even when she went on business trips.
Eleonora did wonder why Josephine didn't want to get married. She had never seen her in an actual relationship since she was a child and it bothered her a little, but when she asked Josephine about it, the latter dismissed the topic swiftly saying she didn't need a man to make her happy and she was just fine being with Eleonora and since then she never asked about the topic again.
They parted ways in the kitchen, Eleonora went to her room to get changed and prepare for movie night while Josephine prepared the snacks and took them to the movie theatre room before going to her room to get changed as well.
A tall figure emerged from the shadows, striding down the wide and luxurious hallway bathed in opulence as he made his way to the Russo family living room.
He looked mature with a perfectly chiselled face that had enough capability to drive any woman crazy. The dark sunglasses resting perfectly on his nose bridge protected his eyes from the bright lights that assaulted anyone that dared look at it.
With his straight nose and pointed, laying symmetrically between his dark brown eyes and luscious lips which were pink, plump, and kissable. All in all, he had the entire look of a Greek god.
His ink-black hair was neatly combed back in a sleek hairstyle with the sides combed upward and parted from the middle, with the appropriate amount of gel, leaving the unruly ends sitting elegantly on his broad shoulders.
He was dressed in a black retro suit that complemented his fitted body and hugged the masculine figure underneath. Out of the front chest pocket, the corner of an ink-blue handkerchief could be seen peering slightly.
Glancing down, he had a pair of straight long legs that held polished black leather shoes which glistened as the light shone upon them.
The man had such an exceptional presence with a domineering aura that seemed to loom over him like a shadow being cast upon him but it just added to the strength of his presence.
He walked down the empty bright halls with a firm posture as he pushed the gigantic doors that stood tall and strong with their surface smothered in gold and silver. The excellent combination and contrast.
The door had an artful chinese design and the hall was decorated with an Italian-styled interior, well crafted and expertly adorned.
In the living room, sat Old Man Russo, Viccorio's grandfather along with Butler Chu. The old man had a very displeased look on his face and there sat a scowl on his face.
Even at his age, the man still had very defined features. Apparently, it ran in the family as Viccorio looked like the older version of the elderly man.
"Grandfather," Viccorio acknowledged with a curt nod while the old man scoffed and rolled his eyes.
"You little rascal, were you even planning on coming here tonight?!" The Old man asked his grandson who had such a thick skull that he never listened to his parents except him.
Viccorio took a seat on the black leather sofa and crossed his long legs before answering the man.
"Old man, I definitely wasn't planning on coming here tonight. Does it look like I'm interested in another of your well-known lectures on me settling down and the whole lot that follows?" Viccorio scoffed.
Now, Old man Russo wanted to smack his grandson's head so many times or at least till he started taking things seriously.
"You turn thirty-two in a few months and you haven't even thought of settling down, talkless of bringing someone home. Do you think my old bones will wait forever for you to finally pick someone, huh?" The old man hissed.
Old man Russo loved his grandson so much and was proud of his accomplishments but even if he had all the qualities every woman wished and dreamed of finding in a man, the rascal disliked any marriage talks, making the Old man result to such measures.
"No, you won't wait forever, old man. Now, stop putting so much thought into this and just let me be." Viccorio looked unfazed and the Old man wasn't happy with that. At all.
"I declare you are getting married in three days, period. There are many women from rich socialite families, just pick one of them and if you decide you don't want them then I'd contact your betrothed at once.
You two got betrothed when she was born so she's technically your fiance no matter the decision you make" the old man said as he watched the lines form in his grandson's head.
"She can be the last and only option if you want but I want you back home with a wife in two days and I don't care if it's a log of wood." Old man Russo concluded before he got up making his way to his room with Butler Chu following closely behind him subtly nodding his head at Viccorio who was still seated on the couch.
After arranging everything they needed for the night, Josephine and Eleonora cuddled up in a thick blanket to watch a movie.
They were having their quality bonding time and Eleonora was happy that she could spend time with Josephine while Josephine was worried about Eleonora.
It was clear to see that even though she wasn't her birth mother, she definitely loved her like she were hers and Eleonora made it clear to her that in her heart, Josephine was like her birth mother.
"Do you want to talk about it or just want to vent to me?" Josephine looked at the tired-looking woman in her arms as she asked watching closely for a sign of anything.
"No, I just want to cuddle with you, mother. We haven't had a movie night in a while and I really miss spending time with you. This came as a good opportunity," Eleonora closed her eyes and shuffled closer to the older woman.
She lay there calmly, listening to her heartbeats and not caring about the movie that was playing on the huge flat screen in front of her.
It still surprised Eleonora how she became so calm whenever she was close to Josephine.
The woman has been the only constant Eleonora had in her life and she was the person who singlehandedly picked Eleonora from the darkness and wild thoughts she filled her head with from a young age and she always helped her through everything.
Meanwhile, unknown to the two people in the movie theatre, Rosaline was standing just outside the place when she saw both of them all cuddled up.Her stomach turned instantly because she wanted her daughter to hold her like that. Even just for once but she knew better that it won't happen, not anytime soon at least.She wanted movie dates with her daughter, spa time, shopping sprees, and cooking competitions with her daughter but the young woman wouldn't even look in her direction for more than a minute.Rosaline wanted a relationship with her child but also knew that she'd have to work hard for it. After all, she wasn't always there so her coming all of a sudden to try to win Eleonora will only make her suspicious given her nature.She quietly left where she was standing to go get the bottle of water she originally planned to get before seeing her daughter and Josephine.The next day, Eleonora woke up to a sleeping Josephine beside her and she used the time to thank the heavens for b
The funny part was that she made the second route for a completely different purpose and now it was coming to very good use.She smiled to herself as she walked through the turns.She finally got to her room and got ready for work, noting that today she had to just bear with her parents before leaving for work and then she'd see them again later by the time she returned from work.She just hoped that they didn't decide to show up in her office once again because no one would stop her from just outrightly screaming at them once things got too much.Eleonora finished her usual morning routine and had a shower before quickly drying up and slipping into her retro dark blue suit pants with a matching dark blue turtleneck long-sleeve shirt.With some diamonds spluttered here and there but not too much for an official outfit, she wore her jacket and snatched her eight-inch stiletto heels from the floor where she placed them.Wearing her shoes and making her hair into a simple sleeked back po
How dare she talk to him like he was her subordinate?The audacity!He was her father for crying out loud! Father! Not her mere employee so of course, the man was annoyed beyond redemption but he contained himself because of the woman who was trying her hardest to please their daughter.After what Eleonora said the night before it seemed as if something went off in his wife's brain because the woman argued with him and even threatened him when he tried to reprimand her.He didn't care about anything his wife decided to come up with because he had never made a mistake in the way he trained Eleonora but of course, Eleonora will beg to differ on that one."Mother, can you answer me or do I have to finish my food first before you do?" Eleonora smiled a bit as if she didn't just indirectly insult her mother.Not blatantly insulting but her father wouldn't agree with that."I do not know why you even thought for a second that I will try to poison you but-" Rosaline was interrupted just when
"Back to what I was staying, the chef tasted the meal I prepared and was absolutely speechless for a few minutes and the servants there with us at that time thought that he had a minor heart attack because the man was immovable and only kept blinking his eyes every now and then and when they tried to take the plate from him, he nearly punched someone," Rosaline laughed as she remembered that time "Don't touch my plate, fat heads! He would say, Rosaline, the dish you made is absolutely spectacular in looks and taste. I must say that I am proud to have you as a student but now you have graduated and you passed beautifully," She smiled. "The chef was delighted as he said that and you could see how happy and proud he was from the look on his face. He had the biggest smile I have ever seen on his face and because of that I was able to see the set of pearl white teeth he had but was hiding underneath the scowl wore all the time I went
After the curt answer, my father looked me straight in the eye and repeated it one more time as if to solidify his rejection before he stood up from the head chair and stalked menacingly towards me. "You will in no way study that downgrading course, do you hear me?!" My father barked at me. "What a waste of time and talent! I have not spent so much time investing in you just for you to tell me that you want to go into cooking like a damn lowlife! I didn't raise a nobody chef you hear me? You are going to study business at the university once you finish high school and you are going to write applications to all the universities which will be my choices set for you, and then after your years in university you will marry my friend's son Vito and that's that!" He commanded, leaving me no room to object. Angel, my father looked at me with his blazing blue eyes that had high flames in them and the rest of the family members remained quiet because they were trying hard to be invisible a
Eleonora never lacked anything material-wise and when it came to the matter of her parents' love and affection, she didn't lack there because she had Josephine there to make up for it when her parents decided she was just an item that could be picked and dropped anytime they felt like it. Josephine cuddled Eleonora who was harshly wiping the tears off of her face, she had told herself time and time again that she wouldn't cry for her parents, her father especially but here she was wiping the remaining evidence left to prove that she was just bawling her eyes out because of her parents. The woman who had a slight bulge under her eyes raised her head to look at Josephine and the latter smiled at her encouraging her to try the whole smiling game and she did it, she offered a slight smile to her favourite person in the world while Josephine pat her back while rubbing circles as well, making her calm down instantly. "Do you want to talk about it?"Josephine asked in a soft voice. "What'
The frustration and pain she was going through were just too much for her to handle at the moment."You took me away, far far away to a deserted island where it was just me, you and the bodyguards with the helpers on that island and no one else. You made me work from home, overseeing my businesses while you kept me locked there for years and then every once in a while, you brought me back to the same location as Elly which happened to be the mansion in Spain,""I would spend all my time pleading with you to let me see my child but you'd never agree and you'd threaten to divorce me and take full custody of her, I couldn't care less about the divorce part but taking full custody?! You were breaking and destroying me inside, I was completely shattered so much that I had no choice but to push emotions to the back of my mind!!" Rosaline hissed."I was your pawn and you made sure to keep it that way for a very long time but not anymore, I am filing a divorce and Eleonora is already an adult
"Yea, I refuse to call that man my father, all I know is that he better pray to all his stars that he doesn't cross paths with me because if he does, I'd teach him a lesson he would never be able to come back from in this life or the next life," she hissed menacingly. "But of course, for that to happen I need the go sign from you as permission before I do anything to that scum and all I know is that if he actually tries to take his negativity to another woman and tries to make her suffer as much as you did, then I will personally wipe him off the face of this earth because someone who is willing to repent would not commit the same crime twice," she threatened under her breath. "Mum when you wake up I want us to have our time together and hey, you can even teach me how to cook, if you want, of course, and then we'd have fun together while getting to know each other better, but for that to happen you have to wake up for me please," Eleonora pleaded with her unconscious mother to just