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He turned his head back, laughing. “You’re so weird, Adelina.”
My brows furrowed. It wasn’t the response I expected. “Because I’m upset I humiliated myself, or because I tried to replace the pills? That’s weird?”
“It’s weird that you think I’m a tyrant,” he said, walking over and cupping my face. The touch of his large hands sent a warm, tingling sensation to my skin. His expression was so compassionate that my heart skipped.
“I merely asked. I’m not mad at Isla or you. Deep breaths, and yes, please take the birth-control pills, Bella.”
My stomach fluttered, loving his deep, affectionate tone when he called me Bella. However, taking the birth control was not as straightforward as before. If we had a baby, Rocco would have money to use toward his film studio. So, I had to ask. “What if I don’t take them?”
“Adelina,” he drawled out.
“Wait, hear me out. If we have a child, you’ll have the money. We’re having children anyway. Right?” Children were an essential part of our arranged marriage agreement.
Rocco sighed in frustration and shook his head. “A child shouldn’t be a solution to a problem. It’s a human being thatdeserves to be born in love.” He sounded so romantic, but I didn’t want him to give up on his dream.
My eyes met his and held. “I won’t resent you for asking me to have a child right now, Rocco. Children were always part of my life’s plan. If Jacob can’t have kids, I’m the last in my grandmother’s line, and my grandfather needs a legacy.”
He placed his hands on my shoulders, smiling. “That’s the Adelina I’ve come to know and like. My world shakes, and you’re ready to stand at my side to hold it up. You don’t know how rare that is, and I appreciate it immensely. But truly, what do you want right now? No limits. Say what comes to mind.”
I squinted.Have I ever been asked that question?Sadly, I’ve never felt I had options, so I have no clue.How sad is that?“What do I want? Nothing. I have so much.”
“Aside from that, what life do you see for the two of us? Say the first thing that comes to your mind,” he asked with the confidence and excitement that heroes determined to take up a quest in fantasy books had. It was one of the many things I most admired about him.
I bit my smile and said what I had always dreamed of, but in the images now, Rocco was with me. “I see us traveling the world together, seeing more, doing more. I’d paint and illustrate…You’d create many films, and I’d get to see your creative process. Having sex, eating well. I don’t know.” I covered my warm face and peeped at him through the gaps of my fingers as I laughed.
He grinned broadly and took my hands. “You do know.”
My pulse sped up, but I shrugged. “I know dreams. Living is much more complicated than that.”
He scoffed and shook his head. “That belief will hold you back forever. Nothing you said is impossible for the two of us, and you didn’t mention children.”
I opened and closed my mouth. “I don’t know what to say about kids.” I never actually fantasized about having children.
“Then that’s our answer. We’re not ready.” Rocco picked up the box, and we went into the bathroom. He handed me a cup of water, and I took the pill.
“Even with a bunch of staff on hand, children change priorities. My grandfather knew that. Life…Life’s about faith, Adelina. My grandfather lost his faith in me. It’s like he reverted back to years ago when I left the company. We fought about it. I don’t know why he went back on his promise with this last-minute will, but he won’t get his way.”
I followed him out of the bathroom. My jaw tightened. “He shouldn’t. I can’t believe he tried to take your succession. I thought he loved you.”I thought he loved me.
Rocco took my waist. “Actually, that part I understand. He did it for me.”
I broke away and snorted, “For you? Come on, Rocco. He’s taken away your succession as head of your family and given it to a committee. He even took away how you can use your inheritance. It’s diabolical.” I plopped on the edge of the bed, simpering.
He came over and brushed the pucker between my brows. “Sweet. I like you defending me, but my grandpa was helping me. It might look cruel, but this is the game. He wanted me to show everyone what kind of man I am. He loved me, but he didn’t want me to become like my father.”
“What do you mean?”
“My father expected it all to go easy after he married a wealthy heiress. He had three children he didn’t want so that he could receive my grandfather’s money. That’s the deal he took, and the same one grandfather offered to me today. No one stopped my dad from becoming a movie director but himself. He refused to work for it. He instead lived in the houses my mother inherited and spent millions on a lavish lifestyle, leaving his kidsto be raised in boarding school. Dad may resent my mother, but he failed the test of a man who can head the Marini Empire.”
It was clear Nico resented having children at the meeting.
I grimaced. “I didn’t like how he spoke to your mother.”
“I had a word with him after you left,” he said, snarling. “He blames her for choosing to do nothing. I’m not him. I’m not afraid to fight for my future. Grandpa did it after his father made poor investments. So he wants to see what I can do and do it in front of our whole family. I already overruled some of his power grab at the emergency board meeting tonight. Gunnar says we will crush the estate in court. I will win. That’s it. There’s no other answer.”
Rocco was the most confident man I’d ever known. It was remarkable how much he believed in himself. Still, I couldn’t help but ask.
“What if you lose?” I chewed my lip.