CHAPTER 667. RED PROMISE. PendingShe was sweet, adorable, cheerful… and when she was hungry, she was like a wet gremlin. Mauro’s heart melted as he saw that little face peeking over the side of his bed, only to realize it was barely six in the morning."June…? Sweetheart, why are you awake so early? Did you have a bad dream?""No, Daddy, I’m hungry!" the little girl complained, rubbing her sleepy eyes. Mauro felt a tenderness he’d never experienced before.He could roll over and wake Ainara, but he wanted this moment for himself. So he jumped out of bed, scooped June into his arms, and carried her to the kitchen.He sat her on the breakfast bar and rubbed his hands together as if preparing for the ultimate battle. June watched him curiously as he did four squats, three push-ups, and thumped his chest twice like Tarzan."Alright! Now! What does a five-year-old eat for breakfast?" He opened the fridge but then reached for his phone. "Better ask Saint Google…""Milk," June said, and Mau
CHAPTER 668. RED PROMISE. The Wrong ManAinara was excited—she couldn’t deny it. Working with Senator Rosso had its moments, or more precisely, whatever Lugh said would bring in the most money. She didn’t complain, though, because, honestly, she couldn’t afford to. But the truth was, she was thrilled to be dedicating herself to something that genuinely filled her heart.And Mauro seemed more than willing to entrust her with these projects. However, when they arrived at the office, his secretary looked visibly nervous."Sir, I’m so glad you’re here! I’ve been trying to reach you all morning, but… well… your phone was off!"The young woman knew it was poor etiquette to blame her bosses, but it wasn’t her fault that the company CEO had his phone turned off while someone so important was waiting for him."Is there a problem?""You have an important visitor. No appointment… or rather, one of those who doesn’t need an appointment," she replied. Mauro narrowed his eyes. There were only a han
CHAPTER 669. RED PROMISE. No Matter WhatRolf Weber might have anticipated any reaction from the man married to the woman raising his daughter, but being knocked to the floor with a punch wasn’t one of them.“Are you out of your mind?!” he yelled, clutching his nose, a thin trickle of blood escaping.“Quite the opposite. And for the record, I’m so clear-headed that I controlled my punch just enough not to break it. I imagine it would be rather embarrassing to give one of your famous speeches with a bruised face, wouldn’t it?” Mauro hissed. “But if you ever disrespect my wife again, I guarantee I’ll do a lot more than that. Got it?”Rolf Weber scrambled to his feet, glaring at both Mauro and Ainara, who had risen from her chair in shock and fear.“You’re an idiot! How can you let a woman control your actions?!” he growled furiously. “I came here to offer you a good deal, to take the child off your hands… I just want to take her with me, to live with me…”“And why the hell would you do
CHAPTER 670. RED PROMISE. Why?Her lips trembled, and she couldn’t stop it. Ainara knew Mauro had every right to demand answers, to make a scene, to rage over what that idiot Rolf Weber had just told him. But to her surprise, Mauro was as calm as if he hadn’t just punched a senator in the face in the very same office.She felt his arms around her and buried her face in his chest with a nervous sigh.“Her mother’s name was Luzia,” she murmured slowly, without lifting her head. “She had… an affair with Weber, though I’m not sure you could call it that. I mean, I understand how hard it must be to say no to a powerful man when he’s fixated on you…”“You’ve experienced that firsthand, haven’t you?” Mauro sighed, his voice tinged with regret.“No,” she said firmly, lifting her head and meeting his eyes, her voice full of certainty. “Not even in your worst moments have I ever been just a whim to you.”Mauro gently cupped her face, brushing her lips with his. He loved this woman with a kind o
CHAPTER 671. RED PROMISE. ConnectionThe answer wasn’t clear, but at least Mauro knew where to start investigating and who to be especially wary of. He could see the doubt in Ainara’s eyes, and he dispelled it in an instant.“No. The answer is no. I don’t care that June isn’t your biological daughter. She’s ours, period,”he said, watching the girl take a deep breath.“She’s ours,”she murmured, hugging him, and finished telling him about the last few years since June’s birth and why she had hidden her from everyone, even her father and Lugh.By midday, Mauro seemed like a different man, calmer now that he knew the whole truth.“They’re going to come for her, aren’t they?”Ainara asked, her heart gripped with worry. But the Keller standing before her was a mere wicked smile away from transforming from a flirtatious puppy to a deadly wolf.“Yes, they will, but we won’t lose June,”Mauro assured her.“I will love you until my last breath; I promised you that once. Today, I’ll make you a new
CHAPTER 672. RED PROMISE. A Cold CaseAinara felt a cold sweat breaking out. It couldn’t be. These people had truly been on her trail for a long time—long enough to try sabotaging Mauro’s business deals.“But I don’t understand. Why? Why deny you the contract? What did that have to do with…?” She stopped mid-sentence, her expression attentive because the answer, surprising as it was, could only be one. “To make me come out,” she said, looking at Mauro. “You had me ‘hidden,’ remember?”Mauro pressed his lips together in frustration because he knew it was true. That woman or her husband—he wasn’t sure which—had believed that removing Ainara from the picture would make it easier to reach the girl. But everything had come to a halt the moment Mauro entered her life.“They knew you’d show up, that you’d have to ask Rosso for help, and that they’d find you through me,” Mauro murmured. “They did it to find you through me.”And though neither of them said it aloud, the looks Mauro exchanged w
CHAPTER 673. RED PROMISE. A ChoiceIt was a good question. An excellent question. But it was more than evident that many things would unfold beyond Mauro’s intentions, because less than twenty-four hours later, he discovered where the detective’s true loyalty lay—the one investigating the supposed accident.Mauro was still weighing his options, but Rosso was already trying to speak with Ainara. Mauro stepped out of one of his business meetings to find the senator fuming in one of the conference rooms.“Wait here, let him handle it…” Loan tried to stop his daughter-in-law, but Ainara had seen Mauro storm out angrily, and she wasn’t one to let her curiosity rest.She walked to the conference room. Although she didn’t push the door open, she knew her angry husband tended to raise his voice. She stood silently as the two predators inside seemed ready to tear each other apart.“What’s this about not letting me see Ainara, Keller?!” Rosso growled, visibly annoyed.“And why do you want to se
CHAPTER 674. RED PROMISE. A Foolish ActThe woman’s voice was so sharp that, if he hadn’t loved her as much as he did, Mauro probably would have been afraid of her.“Ainara, don’t be childish!” Rosso protested. “Whoever is doing this knows… knows things. About us, about you! Damn it, they know things about you that even I didn’t know!”Ainara looked at her father as if he were a complete stranger, and her final gesture was to step aside, leaving his path to the door unblocked.“I couldn’t care less about what’s known about me. I’m not the one with something to hide. Now do me a favor and leave. If I have to say it again, I’ll call security.”Rosso stormed past her with a growl of frustration. If he had expected any help from the Kellers, it was evident he had been wrong. But as soon as the door closed behind him, Mauro reached Ainara, and she hid her face in his chest.“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, my love. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to… I didn’t want to hurt you like this,”