His Discarded Bride #thefictionawards2019

Part Ten

CHAPTER NINE

"Dear God," she uttered. Renato watched her trying to make sense of the situation. "Renato. Are you my brother?"

"Mio dio! No, I'm not your brother." He could understand how she had come to that conclusion but what sort of a man did she think he was? Even for the sake of the Favalli Empire, he would not go so far as incest; it went to show just how little she knew about him.

"Sit down. Let's talk," he directed.

Leilani moved forward in her seat and perched herself on the edge of a lounge chair and clenched the fabric of her new skirt, crushing and creasing it as she waited for clarity. These men's deceit knew no bounds, and she wanted answers and would demand them.

It wasn't Renato that started the explanation: it was Vittorio, and he came out with it in the same manner he'd introduced himself: direct and with no preamble. "You are my daughter, but Renato is my adopted son," he paused, maintaining eye contact with her. "Your mother and I were in a relationship many years ago, and you were the product of our union."

Leilani swallowed the bile that crept up her throat: the product of their union, indeed. As tempted as she was to use sarcasm, she dropped the urge and tried to stay as neutral as possible.

A range of emotions was brewing inside of her, and she wasn't sure which part of it would triumph. "Well, I've been around for twenty-seven years, and you obviously knew I existed. Why agree to see me now? And Renato, what was your part in this? Did you know who I was when you befriended me on the plane and suggested I come and stay with you? I'm sure you don't go around offering personal shelter to everyone you meet." The questions were springing to her mind in a torrent.

Both men started to speak; however, it was Vittorio who dominated while Renato stared at her, his face impassive.

"It's an uncanny coincidence, my dear, that you found each other," Vittorio stated.

Renato neither confirmed nor denied the comment and Leilani remained suspicious. She stated, "You'll have to excuse me if I find this all a little difficult to accept. Having spent all my years living a lie, I don't know what to believe," Leilani said and pushed back the fresh and traumatic memory of finding out about her biological father. She was still raw, and she refused to show how affected she was in front of either man.

"Regardless," Vittorio continued, "I couldn't be happier to be welcoming you as a daughter and as the wife of Renato," he said with just the right amount of gruffness. Leilani felt herself softening towards the man.

"Well," she prevaricated.

"I've only shared this with Renato since he is my family, and now I'll share it with you. You will understand if I ask you not to leak this to the media. Any sign of weakness, and they swarm like vultures," his lips tightened. "I'm ill— very ill. It's not good, and I would like to pass with peace, knowing that I have handed my business and wealth to my bloodline. You are my only surviving blood, and it's right that you receive your inheritance."

"I didn't search for you to take your money," Leilani objected.

"I am not accusing you; in any case, this I ask selfishly to allow me peace in my grave. I know you do not know me, and you have no reason to grant me my wish yet. I ask that you give this consideration. I do not have long, and I'd like to settle my affairs sooner rather than later. Although I wasn't present in your life, I always made provisions for you, so I hope you realised that I still acknowledged you in a remote way."

Leilani frowned thinking of the financial hardship her parents suffered over the years. "I never felt acknowledged, and I don't understand what you are saying. Please let me think all of this over; as you can imagine, I came here today hoping to find out more about you and to connect with you on some level. Today, well— it's been a lot to take in." Tension was pooling at the base of her skull, and she stretched her shoulder muscles in a futile attempt to lessen the knot.