radicalducati Chapter 169
Chapter 169
Alessia and Dominic had only just arrived at the main house and sat down for barely two minutes when Brenda hurried in with Tiffany.
Brenda's face was cold and devoid of expression, but the pressure emanating from her was palpable, indicating that something was wrong. And as soon as she entered the room, her gaze landed on Alessia, clearly targeting her.
Alessia glanced at Tiffany behind Brenda, and Tiffany happened to be looking at her too. Their eyes met in mid-air, and Alessia saw Tiffany maliciously bite her lip. When she looked again, Tiffany had resumed her normal demeanor, appearing calm and gentle.
Alessia unconsciously frowned, noticing that Dominic had also sensed Brenda's abnormal behavior. He stood up and instinctively shielded Alessia behind him.
"Mom!"
As soon as Dominic called out, Brenda turned her gaze to him, questioning, "Dominic, do you know that Bianca is pregnant? Did you know about this?"
Grandma Carter also looked surprised.
Dominic pursed his lips, his gaze sharp as he looked at Tiffany.
Seeing through Dominic's thoughts, Brenda spoke, "This isn't Tiffany's fault. If she hadn't let it slip, who knows when we would have found out."
"Mom, I didn't mean to keep it from you. It's just that Bianca isn't ready to talk about it yet," Dominic explained.
"So this is true?" Brenda's anger was escalating as the situation was confirmed. Her voice grew louder, "Dominic, is this how you take care of your sister?"
Bianca's situation was indeed his negligence, and Dominic felt guilty, unable to speak.
In Brenda's eyes, his silence was acquiescence.
Seeing Dominic remain silent and unresponsive to vent her anger, Brenda redirected her blame towards Alessia, who was being protected by Dominic. "And you, Bianca has been close to you lately. She treats you like a real sister, and this is how you take care of her?"
"I'm sorry," Alessia apologized as she stood up.
Seeing Brenda about to continue berating Alessia, Grandma Carter spoke up.
"That's enough. What's the use of blaming the children now that it's already happened? Besides, Bianca is an adult now. There's no reason for us to keep watching over her all the time."
Grandma Carter's words made sense. Although Brenda was still filled with anger, she realized her own fault and closed her mouth.
Grandma Carter silenced the room, then glanced around and asked, "Where's Bianca?"
"She left early this morning," the trusted nanny beside Grandma Carter replied.
Grandma Carter nodded slightly and turned to Alessia and Dominic, asking with authority, "Where is the child's father? What does he think? You two must know!"
Alessia bit her lip.
Helplessly, she thought her brother was a scumbag.
Dominic also glanced at Alessia subconsciously.
Tiffany began to revel in the situation.
The real drama was just beginning.
No one spoke up, and the room fell unusually silent.
Alessia sighed. Her brother was indeed a scumbag, and he should bear the consequences of his actions.
She was about to speak when Dominic spoke up first, "Grandma, Bianca's child belongs to our family. It has nothing to do with anyone else."
Alessia looked at the man, who was serious and responsible, and her heart skipped a beat.
Dominic spoke before her to prevent her from mentioning Riley's name, fearing that she would be implicated by Riley and that Grandma and his mom would dislike her?
Alessia realized that Tiffany had also thought of this. Her sister had been hurt, yet Dominic still wanted to protect Alessia.
Why was Dominic so protective of Alessia?
Tiffany was jealous to the point of madness.
So, just as Dominic finished speaking, Tiffany hurriedly interjected. "I disagree, Dom. I don't agree with your view. Even if a child lives in the most comfortable environment, fatherly and motherly love are irreplaceable. The child needs a father when it is born."
"Tiffany is right, Dominic. Do you know the man?" Brenda's gaze was sharp.
Grandma Carter also agreed, "Dom, tell Grandma who that man is. Grandma will go and hold him accountable. Anyone who dares to bully our family's women will pay a painful price."
"Grandma, let me handle this. There's no need for you to know who he is. A man who is irresponsible isn't worth your concern," Dominic said firmly in the face of Brenda's and Grandma Carter's relentless questioning.
Faced with the relentless questioning from Grandma Carter and Brenda, Dominic stubbornly refused to say anything.
"Grandma, Auntie, please, don't press any further. I'll tell you who the child belongs to." Alessia couldn't stay on the sidelines any longer and spoke up.
Instantly, all eyes turned towards her.
Tiffany smirked slightly.
Dominic narrowed his eyes disapprovingly. "Alessia!"
Ignoring Dominic's attempt to stop her, Alessia continued, "The child in Bianca's belly belongs to my brother. I'm sorry. Because of some psychological issues, he's not able to accept Bianca and the child right now. But he will try to overcome his difficulties."
Alessia's brother, Riley Sinclair, was an excellent psychologist, and Grandma Carter knew this.
After hearing Alessia's explanation, Grandma Carter furrowed her brows in thought and remained silent for the moment.
Brenda also hesitated; she hadn't expected the man to be Riley Sinclair.
She hadn't met Riley before, but she had heard some things about him from the servants, indicating his excellence.
While Alessia was self-incriminating and helping her irresponsible brother, the two mistresses of the Carter family remained silent, secretly feeling anxious.
If Brenda and Grandma Carter didn't react, wouldn't her efforts be in vain?
Feeling anxious, Tiffany didn't care about maintaining her own image and spoke up at the right moment. "Sorry, Alessia, let me interject. When you say 'not able to accept' and 'try to overcome difficulties,' does that mean he doesn't want to take responsibility for now?"
This explanation seemed reasonable.
Grandma Carter and Brenda's eyes almost simultaneously shot towards Alessia.
Alessia was at a loss for words. She knew she was in the wrong; this situation was entirely Riley's fault.
Riley was a scumbag, and this was what he deserved.
After a moment of thought, Alessia respectfully bowed to Grandma Carter and Brenda.
"Grandma, Auntie, let me once again apologize on behalf of my brother. I will do my best to persuade him to come and apologize in person as soon as possible. When Bianca's child is born, it will not be a matter for your family alone; our family will also bear its responsibility."
Grandma Carter and Brenda were relatively satisfied with Alessia's candid attitude, nodding at each other.
Tiffany looked on with jealousy. Nothing had even happened, yet was Alessia going to get away with it so easily?
Her face darkened, and she stepped forward to advise.
"Grandma, Auntie, don't be too quick to agree. I'm doing this entirely for Bianca's sake. Alessia has explained so well, but after all, she's not Riley. Can she represent Riley in making this decision?"
Grandma Carter and Brenda's eyes paused.
Alessia's expression darkened as she remembered the time Riley had nearly run into traffic after leaving the hospital. She couldn't promise on Riley's behalf for fear of being unable to fulfill it.
"Alessia, what do you say about this?" Brenda's face darkened as she spoke, pressing for an answer.
"Yeah, Alessia, what Tiffany said makes sense. You can't make decisions on behalf of Riley," Grandma Carter sighed.
Alessia felt as if she were being grilled over hot coals again.
Just then, a servant rushed in from outside. "Madam! Old Lady! Something's happened! Miss Bianca is injured."
Bianca?!
"What happened to her?" Dominic's brow furrowed, his voice low and cold, tinged with a hidden concern.
Before the servant could answer, a tall man entered, carrying Bianca in his arms.
He wore gold-rimmed glasses, and his beautiful fox-like eyes were full of unmistakable concern.
Everyone made way, giving him space as he carefully placed Bianca on the sofa.
One hand naturally reached for Bianca's hand, while the other rested on her belly as he softly asked, "Is your stomach still hurting? Do you want some warm water?"
***