Dark Romance: A Cruel Obsession

“This isn’t right,” Simpson said, clasping his hands in front of him. “My grandfather is not foolish.”

“Of course,” Alajos replied, “He’s a sly fox.”

“The Guardi family agrees, as long as you become the heir, Giulia will be engaged to you, and the Guardi family will give Giulia one-fifth of the operating rights as a dowry, to be given to you.”

This meant that the Guardi family would only have one-fifth of the operating rights left, while Simpson’s grandfather still had two-fifths. Moreover, since Simpson was his heir, if necessary, Simpson’s one-fifth of the operating rights must serve him, leaving the Guardi family with only one-third of the operating rights.

“You old fox!” Simpson laughed, cursing.

Alajos did not argue, clearly agreeing.

Simpson was particularly interested in why the Guardi family was willing to give up so much, just to marry Romano, “What’s the Guardi family’s trick?”

“The Calabresi family has been vying with the Guardi family for territory, and they have set their sights on the operating rights of the Port of Palermo,” Alajos generously shared his intelligence with Simpson, “The Guardi family has suffered several defeats. If they don’t seek my grandfather’s help, they probably won’t even be able to keep the remaining one-fifth of the operating rights.”

That explained a lot. It’s no wonder his grandfather was tempted.

“The conditions are indeed generous, and I was also tempted when I heard them,” Simpson sighed.

Alajos chuckled, opened his hands, and placed them on the back of the sofa, sitting in a very comfortable position. “Are you considering it?”

“I will consider it,” Simpson said, preparing to leave. With his back to Alajos, he waved and said, “But not now.”

Right now they had more important things to do.

As scheduled, Simpson arrived at Mrs. Yazmin’s estate. Fresh apple pie had just come out of the oven, steaming hot and placed in front of him.

Giulia was seated next to him, arranged by Mrs. Yazmin. “This is apple pie made by Giulia herself. You are the first to taste it.”

“I’m not very skilled,” Giulia said, somewhat embarrassed.

Simpson graciously took a small piece. He actually didn’t quite like sweets, but a gentleman wouldn’t refuse the kindness of ladies. “It’s delicious.”

Simpson and Alajos were actually quite similar. They both had the same chestnut hair, light brown eyes, and handsome faces that were enough to make girls swoon. However, compared to Alajos’s rough and wild style, Simpson’s temperament was relatively gentle. His face often carried a hint of a smile, with a loving tenderness.

Giulia couldn’t meet such gentle eyes directly, her heartbeats would become irregular.ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

She looked down, her cheeks starting to blush. “Thank you for the compliment.”

Luzia was hiding in the kitchen, peeking at Vivian, who was making pancakes. “Simpson is deceiving the young girl again; his words can be so charming.”

Vivian took out fresh cream from the refrigerator and poured it into an oil-free and water-free glass bowl, “Simpson often deceives you too. When he does, why don’t you call him out for it?”

“That’s different,” Luzia said, tasting a bit of the whipped cream on her finger, “I won’t become his lover.”

“Miss Giulia won’t either,” Vivian said, spreading the cream on the pie crust, putting freshly cut mangoes on it, and carefully rolling it up. “You said she’s the woman who will become Simpson’s wife.”

“Simpson is a man who will respect his wife.”

Luzia muttered something under her breath; Vivian didn’t hear clearly. She then handed the pancake to Luzia, and Luzia took a hesitant bite. “It’s delicious.”

Luzia took the chance to place her order. “I want a sugar cream pancake, and also an egg and ham pancake with some cheese.”

“Huh?” Egg and ham pancake? Vivian looked at Luzia in confusion. “I thought you liked sweet things?”

Luzia pursed her lips, smiling at Vivian without saying a word.

Vivian didn’t understand, but she understood.

For Mare.

Vivian sighed to herself again.

Eventually, Vivian made a pancake according to Luzia’s request, with added cheese. Unfortunately, this pancake was intercepted halfway by Simpson.

“Pancakes? Give me one too.”

“Simpson! This is mine!” Luzia wanted to grab it, but Simpson was faster and took a bite.

Luzia was close to tears, and she stomped heavily on Simpson’s foot.

Simpson winced in pain, “Aren’t you fond of sweet pancakes?”

“I now prefer egg and ham ones. Is that not allowed?” Luzia stomped her foot in frustration.

“It is, it is,” Simpson said, wincing at his sore left foot. He handed her the pancake he had taken a bite of. “Do you still want it?”

Luzia was close to tears because of him.

Giulia stood in the kitchen, watching this scene, feeling a bit bewildered.

Vivian quickly stepped in to defuse the situation. “I’ll make another one for you, Luzia. Come and help.”

“Childish,” Vivian scolded Simpson, then turned to Giulia outside the kitchen and said with a smile, “Would you like a pancake, Giulia? How about a hot chocolate pancake?”

“Alright, thank you,” Giulia smiled shyly, “You can call me Giulia.”

“Alright, Giulia, please wait a moment.”

Vivian returned to the kitchen, first making a hot chocolate pancake for Giulia and then carrying it to the living room, not allowing Simpson to disturb the kitchen again.

“You should go on your date, Simpson,” Vivian warned him, “or else I will tell Mrs. Yazmin that you bullied Luzia.”

“Little tattletale,” Simpson scoffed.

Vivian rolled her eyes at him and shooed him away, saying, “Childish!”

Late at night, after finishing his date, Simpson returned to the estate and knocked on Luzia’s door.

Luzia, trembling, opened the door and, upon seeing who was outside, nearly fainted. “You scared me!”

“What are you afraid of? Didn’t I tell you in the afternoon that Joseph went to meet with Lopaka and won’t be back tonight?” Simpson found her frightened look amusing.

Luzia glared at him, “That still doesn’t give you the right to come knocking in the middle of the night.”

Luzia pointed at the clock to show him, “It’s three in the morning now!”

Only then did she notice that he was still wearing the same outfit he had on for his date with Giulia in the afternoon. “Didn’t you go on a date with Giulia? You just finished?”

“Yes, thanks to you and Vivian,” Simpson replied.

This response lacked any hint of praise, and Luzia decided to keep quiet.

Simpson snorted, expressing his dissatisfaction with her and Vivian’s behavior. He then raised his hand to stop her from closing the door, lowering his voice and said, “Let me in first.”

This indicated that he had something to say to her alone, and though Luzia wasn’t quite sure of his intentions, she let him in and then quietly closed and locked the door after making sure there was no one else around. The villa’s soundproofing was quite good; as long as they kept their voices down, even pressing an ear to the door wouldn’t allow anyone to hear their conversation.

Simpson made sure to carefully check the room for any listening devices before taking out something from his pocket.