Chapter 26 – The Mafia Nanny (Davina & Gabriel) Novel Free

Davina

This time it was me who fell asleep and it was him who left. I woke up to the sound of my alarm in an empty bed. He didn’t appear at breakfast and the next time I caught a glimpse of him was as he walked towards his car just before lunch. His gaze slid over me for a brief second before continuing on his way, Alex strolling behind him.

Anger surged through me and before I could stop myself, I brought out my phone and called him. He didn’t pick up as I pictured him getting into his car. I kept dialing, desperate, or probably out of my mind to show that I too, could be cold and flippant when I spoke to him.

Eventually, he picked up and didn’t say a word leaving me to take the stage with my pitiful play. I straightened my back and launched in, “You haven’t seen Michele since yesterday.”

I wanted an explanation from him, needed it, even though it was more for myself than the beautiful little girl.

He gave none, and went on to pass out his next instruction, “A new psychologist will be flying in from the U.S to examine her today.” He paused. “I’ll send a car to pick both of you up at three. Be ready.” Then he ended the call.

I almost flung the phone into the wall.

“Bread must be left alone for it to rise. Not everything can be rushed,” Zelda said softly.

Her voice broke through before I could admit to myself what was beginning to happen to me. I clenched my hands into fists and turned to her.

It was wisdom that didn’t soothe me. She did not understand. I was falling in love with a man who took his pleasure then treated me as if I was a blob of gum on his shoe. Hiding my unhappiness, I went to check on Michele and her tutor in the grand study on the second floor.

At three exactly, a sleek Range Rover came for us.

Michele had picked out her outfit of a lace embellished denim dress. She’d complemented her outfit with a pair of brown boots and allowed me to curl her hair into soft waves. She looked heart-meltingly lovely.

“You look gorgeous,” I said.

She went to the trouble of taking her notebook out and wrote:

Thank you, Davina. 🙂 So do you!

I laughed. Nothing could be further from the truth. I was dressed in a pair of jeans I owned, and a loose T-shirt. My hair was still in the bun I had piled on the top of my head earlier that morning. By now, tendrils were escaping with a vengeance. I had no makeup and but a lick of lip balm across my lips.

I wanted so badly to take a glimpse at the gigantic mirror in the foyer of the house as we passed by, for my own self-respect at least, however none of that had mattered in my nonchalant approach towards anything that had to do with Gabriel, except his beautiful niece, of course.

I turned as she nudged at me in the backseat with her notepad, and I took the pink stationery from her where she had scribbled.

Where are we going?

“To see your uncle,” I replied. “You haven’t seen him since yesterday, have you?”

The light that had been in her eyes immediately dimmed.

To my surprise, I noted that it had been replaced by outright fear and worry. She turned away from me, and once again, I was beyond confused. I lightly touched her arm, and tried to get her attention. “Michele,” I called softly. “What’s wrong?”

She didn’t respond or write another word until we arrived at Canary Wharf and pulled up in front of the wonder of steel and glass that was Angelini Industries.

As I stared at the glistening skyscraper, I felt my first tiny bout of panic at my shabby appearance. For some reason, I had stupidly assumed we would be heading to a place that was similar to the construction yard where I went for my gun training.

The chauffeur pulled up and parked in front of the entrance of the building.

To my dismay, I noticed the sophisticated influx and outflow of executives in polished oxfords and shoes. My back hunched with regret. I should have worn one of my two dresses. Anything would have been better than what I was wearing. “We’re at the main office?” I asked the chauffeur. He was wearing sunglasses so I couldn’t see his expression, but I noted that even he was dressed with dignity in his pristine dark suit. It was with that insecure state of mind that I walked into the building with Michele.

We were seen immediately across the expansive, seemingly endless lobby made of marble. A man wearing a pink tie, he could have been gay or just effeminate, ran up to us and introduced himself as one of Mr. Angelini’s assistants. He told us his title, but it didn’t register. I was too self-conscious of being the only person who looked like a hobo.

He took us past a row of flawlessly put together receptionists granting access and exit to authorized guests and herded us towards a transparent, private elevator.

A middle-aged woman guided us after we’d been delivered by the man with the pink tie on the 14th floor. She took us to a different elevator where she had to tap her fingerprint and card to open the car’s doors.

Michele and I got in.

With a kind smile, she said to us, “It will go straight to the top. Taylor will receive you there.”

I wanted to ask if Taylor was male, because my battered esteem couldn’t cope with some beautiful assistant who looked at me with contempt, but I kept my mouth shut and rode the elevator with a very somber Michele. I looked down at the hand she had in mine and it felt as if with every floor we passed, her hold was getting tighter and tighter.

I gazed down as we rode upward towards the symbol of Gabriel’s dynasty. I could hardly believe he was the same human who had plunged into me. The one I had so daringly teased, fucked, and even slapped!

Now that I took this all in, it made sense why I was so easy to ignore. He was worth all of this and I was the nanny. Yes, I had a place in his life, but it was clear that looking to move even an inch out of that small space would only cause me more grief than I could handle. I’d known this instinctively, but somehow in the last two days I had allowed myself to forget.

Not anymore.

We eventually arrived at the top floor and I stepped out to the consolation that Taylor was indeed male, with a curly head of hair and a soft gaze. I pretended to myself it was because I didn’t want to be looked down on by a high and mighty female employee, but the truth was I was wildly jealous. I couldn’t bear the thought that he was working closely with a beautiful woman.

“Miss Winters,” he greeted with a nod and a smile, before crouching down to meet my little companion. “Hello Michele,” he said with a big smile.

She stared at him with eyes that seemed haunted.

He frowned. “Michele are you okay? What’s wrong, sweetie?”

She shook her head and he turned to me.

I shrugged my shoulders. I was equally perplexed. “She’s been like that since we got in the car.”

“Hmm…Maybe she’s dreading her session with the psychiatrist. She’s been through a couple of these in a short amount of time.”

“Perhaps,” I responded, and just then there were voices down the hallway.

We all looked up and there was Gabriel, dressed in only his shirt and navy blue suit trousers. He had loosened his tie and was strolling amidst two men dressed surprisingly casually in T-shirt and jackets. He noticed us immediately but kept his attention on the two men, their voices hushed, until they shook hands and walked away. Gabriel ducked into a nearby door and the two men came towards us. As they walked past us towards the elevator, they nodded at Michele.

The moment the doors slid shut, Michele began to cry softy.

“Hey,” I said, crouching down in front of her. She flung her arms around me and held on tightly so I lifted her up with me.

“I’ll show you to the waiting lounge,” Taylor said to me.

I followed, confused about what was going on.

Gabriel

Alex was waiting for me in the office, and the moment I returned, he noted my mood. Naturally, being Alex he didn’t say a word until I was seated and scrolling through the coroner’s report I had just received.

“What’s going on with you, huh?”

I rubbed the back of my neck. What should I tell him? Davina was here, so all I wanted was to bring her into this office and fuck her. “Nothing,” I muttered. “Just want to get this business over with as soon as possible.”

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