Secret Crown

XXVIII.Twenty-Eight

Scarlett Continued

Moments later, the room was filled with life. Callum eagerly held onto his wife's hand as I made sure their newborn baby was well. I swaddled their baby girl in a freshly warmed blanket after making sure her vitals were okay and handed her off to the happy parents. The couple looked down at their child with admiration and pride. "She looks just like you, love." Callum looked down at the baby and his wife. "She does, huh?" Natalia smiled up at her husband. "You see, our other two children take after Cal 100% in the looks department." Natalia looked over at me, smiling.

"So, what's her name?" I asked. "Leah Roisin Clarke." Callum proudly said, "A well-suited name." I replied. "I'll give you guys some time alone." I said as I made my way out of the room and into the hallway to reassess everything that was currently going on.

Adrián is missing; Natalia said that this is a sign to everyone else that the Leons have fallen; my father and Luca are still out there; and here I was in the middle, sitting under heavily armed guards as if it were Buckingham Palace. Everyone else was still leaving me in the dark as to what was going on, and I felt like I could be doing much more. Callum stepped into the hallway with me moments later and closed the door behind him. "I owe you for helping my family tonight, Scarlett. Anything you need, just name it, and I'll give it to you."

"Let me leave." I asked, even though I already knew the answer. His face tightened, and he clenched his jaw. "Anything but that." He sternly said, "But I can do the next best thing for you and call the Leon brothers to see what the next step is."

"I'll have Lana show you to the guest room for the night; once there's an update, I'll send it to you." He said this before walking back inside the room. Moments later, Lana showed up and led me through the vast house to the guest room. The room was huge and had the same theme throughout in white and neutral colors. The bed was empty and cold as I threw myself on it to plan my next move. The truth of the matter was, where would I start?

This place was a fortress, and I didn't even know where Adrián was. The next best thing would be to wait for more news, no matter how hard things were, and just stand by.

My eyes felt heavy as the silence drowned out everything around me. Exhaustion was weighing heavy on my mind and body by now.
******
Five hours later, I woke up to the sound of laughter and giggles coming from the hall, followed by footsteps running up and down the halls. Natalia knocked at my door, freshly showered and dressed as if she hadn't just given birth hours ago. I have some good news for you today. She chirpily smiled. "You'll be going home today." She announced this as she plopped herself at the foot of the bed. I rose from bed, rubbing my eyes tiredly. "Does that mean Adrián's been found?" I asked, becoming more and more alert.

"He hasn't." She sighed as she straightened out the pastel blue ruffles of her shirt. "But there's a signal on him."

"Then where am I going if he's not back?"

"To the family home." Natalia smiled. "The Leon Estate. Where will you live from now on. My family's men will be here shortly to escort you." She smiled as she pushed herself off the bed. "There's clothes inside the closet for you to choose from. Come downstairs to grab some breakfast before you leave." And closed the door behind her.

I got out of bed and changed into a fresh pair of jeans and a white blouse. I tied my hair up into a ponytail, but that didn't stop the curly tendrils from slipping out on the sides. Adrián's bite on my neck was now going through its final stages of bruising, and it looked more like an injury than a giant bite, along with all the other hickies on my body. After changing, I walked the vast halls of the house, trying to find my way towards the kitchen. I could easily tell Natalia's husband wasn't just rich; he was old money rich with an expensive taste in art that matched the car collection and family crest on the underground level I had seen last night. I hadn't known the couple personally but could easily tell that Callum, even with all those tattoos, was the more reserved one from the duo. After walking for what seemed like forever, I could hear kids laughing and the fresh smell of bacon and freshly brewed coffee towards the end of the hall. I followed the scent all the way down like a mindless zombie until I found Callum and a little girl flipping pancakes and cooking bacon while Natalia sat at a breakfast nook with a basinet at her side while watching a little boy color at the other end.

"You made it through the labyrinth!" Natalia called out from the far end, making everyone's attention focus on me. "Come sit down," she signaled over to where she was sitting. I walked over, greeting Callum and the little girl as I walked past them, the two of them resembling each other so much that there was no denying that he was her father. The girl sternly focused her blue eyes on me, turned to look up at her father, and spoke to him in a different language that even I hadn't heard. "She's your aunt," he replied in English as he smiled down at her. She glanced one final time before continuing her flipping duties. I smiled and greeted them both before walking over to the table. "This is our son, Rian, and over there is my oldest Zoey Maeve. She smiled as Rian interrupted her. "And that's Leah, aunty." He smiled as he looked up from his coloring book.

"She's not your aunt." Zoey said as she brought plates to set the table. "She's not married to Uncle Gio yet," Zoey disdainfully said. "Zoey Maeve, come here." Callum said it in a cool, stern tone that caused her to jump and turn around. He spoke to her again in that different language and could tell he was scolding her. "Now apologize to her." He finally switched back. Zoey took a deep breath and turned to face me. "I'm sorry," she said with tears welling in her eyes. "I couldn't help but pull her in for a hug and take a seat with her at the table. Natalia smiled ruefully and sighed, "I'm sorry. Zoey has been very sentimental now that her favorite uncle is finally settling down; they're very close." Natalia chuckled as she slowly rocked the basinet. The family sat down to eat and went on about their breakfast as if nothing had happened last night. As if her husband hadn't slit someone's throat and put a bullet in their head, and as if she hadn't slipped poison and had a shotgun hidden in the couch all while being heavily pregnant.

That's when it hit me that this is what life would entail: staying by Adrián's side. I knew who I was since birth and that life would be dangerous for me if someone found out who my father was, but what kept me safe all these years was living under a different name. What I had was privacy and secrecy, and now all of that is gone. Whether I liked it or not, there was truly no going back. I had found what I had been searching for; if I had my hands on the debts the Morelli and Gallos owed, I could wipe out my father and every last Romano on earth. I could even take the crown for myself and restore the Catalano empire under my rule, but was it all worth it? Did I want to rule alone at the very top once all of this is over or rule together side by side with Adrián like the couple before me does as a united front?

That's when, then and there, I realized I wanted to be partners. After breakfast was over, we all made our way into the living room. It showed no remnants of the events that went down in the past couple hours, not even a speck of blood or a wiff of Simone's perfume. The furniture was white and clean, with not even a speck of lint, and the floor was freshly polished and bright. As we sat down watching the kids play, Lana came into the living room, announcing that guests had arrived. In walked an almond-skinned woman with long brown hair, dressed in a black coat, in the arms of a tall, fair-skinned man who resembled Adrián. It had to be Mateo and his wife, Rocio. His presence was eerie and cold, with cut throat features, while his wife's was much warmer and nicer. The kids rose to their feet and ran to greet their grandparents.

Mateo placed Rian back on his toes and walked over to stand before me. "Welcome to our family, Scarlett. I am Mateo De Leon, Adrián's father." He coolly said this, extending his hand out for me to shake. His grip was strong and tight, like a powerful man's saying millions of words without having to say anything. Rocio eagerly waited for Mateo to step aside before standing in front of me. "I'm Rocio, Adrián's mother." She smiled warmly as she held me tight. Mateo was observing me from behind her back; he was analyzing everything about me, down to my breathing and my body movements. A man like himself probably was armed, and right now, as his wife hugged me, he was making sure she was safe and that I wasn't going to hurt her without letting anyone else give away his tell. I could easily notice he didn't trust me as much as his wife, but given that his son was missing and I was the daughter of the man behind it, would any sane person?

As Rocio pulled away, she smiled brightly and said, "Well, what are we waiting for?" She looked over to her husband and said, "Let's take her home and give her the grand tour."

Mateo smiled at his wife as he walked over to her side. "Let's get you home then."