SWNOVELS Chapter 8 A Display of Power
"I... Antonio, listen to me."
Adelaide covered her belly protectively, afraid that the enraged Antonio would suddenly kick her. She licked her chapped lips while begging with a cracked voice.
She knew very well that Hermosa could only save her this once time. Once Hermosa was not around her anymore, her situation would return to its original misery. At the moment, she was like a pitiful existence, and Hermosa was her only hope.
"You want me to listen to you?" He replied with a sneer.
Antonio's gaze swept over Adelaide's belly which was covered by her hands. He was fixating his gaze on her hand so intently as if her bony fingers were being put under a microscope. Her protective stance only angered him even more as he suddenly grabbed her hand covering her belly and asked fiercely, "What, are you really that protective of this illegitimate child?"
"He's not an illegitimate child. Antonio, he's our child."
One of Adelaide's hand was perched on top of the sofa while her other hand was being squeezed by him. She almost felt like her bones were going to shatter into pieces, but what rendered her hopeless the most was his very expression at the moment which looked like he was going to devour her at any moment. She still couldn't understand her mistakes. Was it so wrong to love all of him? Was it wrong to marry him? The more she thought about this, the more wronged she felt, and tears started to trickle down her cheeks as she couldn't hold them back anymore.
She was crying again!
He was tired of dealing with this kind of wailing women. At least he would still spare his efforts to console Clarissa, but when she saw Adelaide's saddened face, it was as if the impatient inner beast within him had awakened. He roared, "Stop crying!"
At the same time, he actually had a sense of empathy for some reason, and even he wouldn't know who he was harbouring such feelings for.
At that moment, Adelaide said, "Antonio! Have you forgotten Hermosa's words just now?" Adelaide gnashed her teeth and swiftly retrieved her hand from his grip while he was in a daze momentarily. She was no longer hesitant as she said coldly, "It's fine if you hit me. But if the child in my belly is gone, I will definitely let Hermosa know about this! By that time, let's see if she could accept this news in stride."
"You!"
Antonio raised his hands up looking like he was going to slap her across her cheeks, but suddenly, his palm curled into a fist and he chose to vent his anger by punching the edges of the sofa.
"You bitch, you are really a scheming bitch. To add fuel to the fire, grandma is actually siding with you." Antonio could only feel his anger surging once again after he heard her words. Adelaide stopped talking at this point as her goal had been met. There was no point in further provoking him after this, since it would do nobody any good. She only needed to leave some private space and time for Antonio to cool his head down.
If he could even mull over what Hermosa had said, then there would be hope for her and her impending child. In the end, Hermosa was still a very important figure in his heart.
He continued to gaze at her while remaining silent. Ever so slightly, Antonio finally regained his composure and was able to think things more thoroughly. Even without this woman's threat and warning, deep down in his heart he understood that he had to comply with his grandmother since she was already at an advanced age at the moment.
This despicable woman, did she really think that she could do whatever she wanted by bringing someone whom he cherished into the fray?
Antonio took long strides and stopped in front of Adelaide. Her pitiful expression would only invite his beating sooner or later. He grabbed Adelaide's face and warned her in a serious tone, "Do you think that I will be intimidated by you if you mention grandma? Adelaide, I will make it clear now, I will definitely let you feel pangs of regret later on for threatening me today!"
Of course, she believed his words. In the past, she had thought that he was the best, but reality had painted her another entirely different image. Not only this man never loved her, he even hated her a lot. "Antonio, just let me go, alright? If you never love me, then... I'll stop loving you as well!"
At present, Adelaide could only feel very stressful about everything. The fairy tale in her mind would never turn into reality. After everything that had happened, she could only feel an endless exhaustion. She even wanted to die so that she didn't have to face this heartless and cold man anymore.
At the mention of her not loving him anymore, Antonio somehow felt his heart twitch inexplicably. He couldn't figure out what was going on in his head, but his heart began to race when he realized that Adelaide had decided "not to love him anymore." He removed his hand which was holding her chin and a flustered look could be seen on his face.
At that moment, Adelaide didn't notice his strange expression. She caressed her belly and felt the warmth radiating from within. This new life was giving her hope at the moment. She must stay strong for her child's sake!
"You are dreaming if you really think that I will just let you go like that. Since you've already married me, I will always be the one calling the shots here. You are always my pawn in this game."
Adelaide mistakenly thought that he was calling her his wife due to all the plethora of emotions coursing through her. However, when she raised her head and met his eyes, all she could see were endless
venom.
He was probably coming up with something to ruin her life again! As Adelaide entertained such thought in her mind, a sour bitterness welled up from within her.
Antonio examined her face and saw that she had a sense of resignation on her face. He then flashed a smile satisfactory, thinking that this was how Adelaide should behave in front of him. The corner of his lips lifted into a charming smile as he said, "Adelaide, if you listen to me and abort the child, I will really let you go this time."
"No thanks."
She replied faintly while making clear her intentions of not wanting to continue this scuffle.
She couldn't pass out again no matter what since there was a possibility that Antonio would immediately send her to do the abortion if she passed out again! Her priority at the moment was to keep herself healthy.
She couldn't count on Damla either. Adelaide turned around and started walking towards the kitchen. A few seconds elapsed before Antonio realized that she had actually left him hanging here. What tricks was she coming up with now? Antonio frowned. In his impression, Adelaide only knew how to follow him from behind. She always watched his broad back from afar.
The next morning, Adelaide woke up to the absence of Antonio in the house. Surprisingly, Damla was humming some kind of melody while cooking the breakfast.
"Damla, is Hermosa coming over later?"
Adelaide was wearing a loose-fitting pyjamas and her had was tied up into a ponytail. She looked like a middle-school student at the moment. Damla eyed her from the corner of her eyes and replied with exasperation, "No, we are having another guest later, but there isn't any extra food for you. You need to cook yourself."
The dining table was full of various dishes, and Adelaide was sure that even if a football team suddenly arrived, they would have enough food too. Nevertheless, Adelaide knew very well that Damla was always biased towards her, so she only nodded without saying anything while strutting in the kitchen. The sink area was littered with all types of leftovers and all the plates and pots were left unwashed.
Damla smiled in her direction, "Oh, I'm really sorry, we don't have the habit of washing up all the utensils before a meal. Why not you wait the young master finish his meal first before cooking for yourself?” Although her words were apologetic, she never intended to sound sorry at all.
Before Adelaide could answer, Antonio flung open the door and Clarissa was behind him!
He carefully helped her to walk properly while dangling some of her luggage with his other hand, "Damla, put Clarissa's stuff into my room."
"Antonio, isn't that inappropriate?"
Clarissa drooped her head shyly.
Antonio thumbed her nose and replied, "You foolish girl, you are going to take care of your pregnant body here from now on!"