The Indifference of a Man Forgotten (BOOK I)

Chapter 37- Friendly Rivals

--Dahlia POV--

"Welcome home, dear wife," He hugged me from behind, showering my head with kisses as I laughed, holding onto his arms as I looked around up at the mansion that loomed over us.

"It's going to take some time to get used to this." I stated.

"Don't worry, the fanciness of it fades with time as you get used to it. If it makes you feel better, our bedroom is nowhere near this level of fancy,"

"I'm aware." I nodded.

"Right, I almost forgot you've been here a number of times before. Remember that time we slept together, but then you ran away before I even woke up, and by the time I realised where you were, you were already gone?"

"Are you going to keep bringing that up until the day I die?" I grumbled.

"Yes, but don't worry, I've already forgiven you for it. It's not enough to make me fall out of love with you, I don't think anything is," He mumbled as if just realising that now.

"Are we going to go inside or am I just going to have to look at my new home from here?"

"We'll go inside," And without another word, he hoisted me up into his arms bridal style, twirling us around as I gripped onto his shoulders for life as he laughed in return before finally going to walk up the marble steps that led us inside.

There were two people standing in the grand expanse of the golden foyer as they waited for us. The head butler, Ed, and Marcos's Secretary, Carlos.

"Welcome home, Mr and Mrs Romano," Ed greeted with a warm smile, the opposite of a rightfully moody Carlos.

"Oh, great. You're finally back, I've been going to your meetings in your place, but there was only so much I could do as a secretary. I compiled the most important work into papers for you to read and organised them from most important to least. Also, that meeting with Mrs Ajello about the resort she wants to collaborate with you on has been pushed back quite a few times, if she weren't desperate for the deal then she'd have given up by now, but you should check it out-"

"Darling. Let's go back to Amalfi Coast..." Marcos moved to pick me up in his arms again, but I quickly stepped back as he visibly deflated.

"What? Mr Romano, you can't keep running away from your job-" Carlos attempted to give him a reality check, and I felt for the man; He must've been under pressure in the time that his boss, the chairman, wasn't there to do his job.

"I've gotten the sweetest taste of Heaven, why would I willingly jump out of it?" My dear, childish man of a husband, grumbled.

"I thought you liked work?" I curiously asked, cocking my head to the side.

"I like you more." He said that as if it were easier than breathing for him, completely unaware of the effect it had on me, especially on the butterflies in my stomach.

"Yes, but work is important too. Besides, I've got my own work to do, and I won't be able to do it for as long you're here with me." I had to remind myself, almost heaving under the mere thought of stepping back into society after all this time.

"You think I'm a distraction?"

"You don't?" He opened his mouth to object, but upon realising that what I said was the truth, he closed it again, shrugging his shoulders in a wordless response.

"You go do your work. And I'll do mine. And once we're done, we can be together without the looming thought of more work distracting us," I suggested as he sighed, running a hand down his face before nodding.

"You have a lot of work?" He asked.

"I need to find my mother and sort things out with her. Then, one of the sports magazines that I used to do regular interviews with contacted me about a month ago, asking for an update."