⋅•⋅⊰∙∘❦✾❦∘∙⊱⋅•-
Eventually, I stumbled my way out of the maze, though I wasn’t entirely sure if I had actually found the exit or just got lucky. I headed toward the servants’ quarters first.
I didn’t want to raise a panic over nothing, even though I couldn’t imagine what reasonable explanation there was for a child wandering alone without alerting the Castellis and getting some random staff in trouble.
I stopped near one of the staff and lowered my voice. "Hi, do you recognize him?"
The servant looked at the boy with wide eyes. "No, sir."
"Are you sure?"
She shook her head. "He isn’t one of ours."
"Right." I looked down. The boy was now playing with the edge of my collar like this whole situation was completely normal. "That’s exactly what I was worried about."
More servants came over to check, but none could identify him. No one seemed to know where he’d come from.
I was starting to get irritated, not with the servants, but with whoever had let a three-year-old wander around such a massive estate on his own.
"All right," I said, adjusting the boy on my hip. "We’re heading to the kitchen."
One of the staff looked anxious. "Sir, maybe—"
"I’m not going to do anything." She hesitated. "I just want to know if he’s hungry."
That seemed to put her at ease.
The kitchen was bustling when I walked in, and every person there stopped to stare at me. I couldn’t blame them. I must have looked like I’d just given birth, holding this random kid.
"Don’t look at me like that," I said.
One of the cooks raised an eyebrow at me.
"I...uh, I found him crying in the maze." I said
This caused several people to exchange glances. "He was alone?"
"Completely alone."
Signore, the cook frowned. "Does he belong to one of the family?"
"I don’t know yet."
The boy suddenly pointed toward the counter, and I followed his gaze. There was a plate of fruit sitting nearby.
"Oh." I pointed. "You want that?"
He nodded and I looked at Signore. "Can he have some?"
"Of course."
I thanked her, then sat on a stool with the boy in my lap. Someone brought over a small bowl and a spoon and I stared at it, then at the child, and back at the spoon.
I had never felt less qualified for anything in my life. "How does this work?"
The cook laughed. "You feed him."
"I figured that out."
I scooped up a tiny bit and held it out to him.
"Open." He just stared at me and I stared back. "Please?"
He opened his mouth, and I fed him. "See? We’re doing great."
He chewed and reached for another spoonful and I smiled.
"You’re hungry." He nodded seriously. "Well, that’s one issue we can fix."
The kitchen staff watched in silence, exchanging glances that said they were seeing something they hadn’t expected from the new omega of the house, but I paid them no mind.
His small hand stayed in my shirt as I fed him, like he still wasn’t entirely sure I wouldn’t just vanish on him. I kept chatting with him.
"Your shitty parents are probably worried sick about you." He took another bite. "Unless they’re completely fucking irresponsible."
The kitchen fell silent and I looked up, and several people were staring at me. "What?"
One of the cooks cleared her throat almost sweating. "N...nothing, sir."
"Good." I fed the boy another spoonful. "I’m just saying what everyone else is thinking."
He polished off the food surprisingly fast, then leaned against me with a sleepy little sigh.
I looked down. "You’re going to be the death of me."
Just then, a voice came from the doorway. "Sir?"
I turned and Leon was standing there. His expression changed when he saw the child. He approached. "Where did you find him?"
"The maze, do you know him?"
Leon stared at the boy, and then his face turned serious. "I know him."
I straightened. "You do?"
"Not personally." He crouched a bit to study the child’s face. "That’s Emiliano...i suppose."
"Emiliano?"
"Emiliano Castelli."
I looked down at the child, then back up at Leon. "Castelli?"
He nodded solemnly. "Dante Castelli’s son."
I stared. "Lorenzo’s oldest brother?"
Leon nodded. "Dante’s been abroad for years, but he’s back in the city now to visit."
I glanced down at the sleeping child again. "And nobody thought to mention that he brought a toddler?"
"Probably no one even knows him." Leon hesitated. "The boy’s mother was an Omega. She died a few months ago."
My expression shifted as something cold and sharp settled under my ribs. "His mom’s dead?"
Leon nodded. "I heard it was... unusual circumstances."
I didn’t like the sound of that. "And his father just left him alone?"
"I’m not sure what happened."
"Well, I’m about to find out."
Leon looked worried. "Sir—"
I stood up, still holding the boy. "I’m taking him to my husband."
"That might be wise."
"It better be." I glanced down at Emiliano, who was still asleep, his tiny fingers still gripping my shirt. "Because if this kid wakes up before I figure out where his dad is, I might just have to raise him myself."
Leon chuckled. "I don’t think that’s how it works."
"You don’t know. I’ve had about twenty minutes of practice as a father and no one’s even given me any instructions...I’m starting to think I’m pretty great at this!"
By the time I reached Lorenzo’s office, I was more than just irritated. I was angry. There’s a difference, trust me.
I hadn’t stepped foot into this office since the day I walked in with a birthday cake and got my heart torn in shreds in return.
I pushed the door open without knocking. Lorenzo and Dante...with his dark hair and green eyes were inside, standing across from each other with documents spread across the desk. They both turned to me.
The door swung open under my shoulder and I figured that I had walked into the middle of a heated argument about inheritance, Lorenzo and Dante facing each other across the desk like two men deciding who would keep the better ground.
Dante’s expression hardened instantly, while Lorenzo just raised an eyebrow.
I didn’t pay either of them any mind.
"Does he belong to you?" I shifted the sleeping child a bit in my arms.
Dante froze as his expression changed the instant he saw Emil. "Emil."
"So he is yours."
Dante looked at me. "Yes."
I stared at him. "Where were you, huh?"
His brows knitted together. "What?"
"Your son was alone in the maze."
Dante’s expression tightened. "He must have wandered out of my room."
"Your room?"
"Yes."
"You left a three-year-old alone in your room?"
"I... had business to attend to."
I let out a short, humorless laugh. "How is business more important than your own kid?"
Dante and Lorenzo stared at me as if I had grown a second head. The interruption alone was enough to offend him; the complete lack of deference finished the job.
Dante stepped closer and took Emil from my arms.
The movement woke him, and as soon as he realized he was no longer with me, his face crumpled. "Mommy!"
My heart sank and Dante looked startled. "It’s okay, Emil."
The boy reached out toward me. "Mommy!"
I rubbed my forehead.
"I’m not your mommy." He started crying.
Dante shot me a look, as if this was somehow my fault.
I glared back. "You should probably comfort him."
"He’ll calm down."
"He’s crying."
"He’s just tired."
"Yeah, because he’s been wandering around your estate looking for you."
Dante’s jaw tightened. "You don’t know anything about my situation."
"True." I stepped in closer. "But I do know that kids aren’t just the responsibility of the Omega, and being a father means actually taking care of your child. You can’t just leave him somewhere and expect him to stay put."
Dante’s expression turned cold. "I don’t need a lecture from you."
"Well, clearly you do."
Lorenzo stayed quiet. I could feel his eyes on me, but I didn’t dare look at him. I was too wrapped up in my anger.
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