Marco and Alexa, ensconced in their own world, had it all planned out—if she agreed. Without subtlety, he declared his wishes:
"I want us to marry tomorrow. I'll visit your house today and speak with Mariana."
"This makes me so happy, but I'm not sure how Mom will take it. Maybe we should just marry now and tell her afterward. That way, she can't object. I know she means well, but since you're Dad's friend, it could be an issue for her. Maybe we shouldn't say anything just yet."
"No, Alexa, because once we're married and you're my wife, you'll come to live with me. I don't want to be apart from you and our baby," he said, placing his hand on her still flat belly, inducing her to sigh deeply at the touch. Caught off guard, Marco drew her close and softly kissed her lips, leaving her breathless. She was so lost in the kiss that she forgot to breathe. To Marco, her innocence was adorable. Having reflected for a bit and enjoyed a delightful lunch filled with vegetables, he took Alexa's hand and led her back to the company offices.
She didn't understand why they had returned until they reached his office and she saw him open a secret door. He beckoned her close, and as she approached, she blushed at the sight of a bed, (wondering if he wanted to repeat what happened that night). Yet, seeing her confused expression made Marco smile beautifully and he whispered in her ear, "I'd pay dearly to know what's running through your mind."
Alexa felt caught red-handed, like a small child about to be reprimanded. She pouted beautifully and insisted she hadn't been thinking anything improper. In that moment, she was met with a sight and sound she hadn't experienced in years—a hearty laugh from Marco. Rather than offending her, it nearly made her drool.
"I never said your thoughts were improper—you did," he teased. "But I can imagine them. Nonetheless, we have plenty of time for that. Now, I want to show you something."
Intrigued by Marco's words, Alexa put the awkward moment aside and eagerly prepared herself for whatever he wanted to show her.
Marco nodded, and opened a closet, revealing his clothes, a wrapped sheet which seemed odd to her, as she didn't expect bed linens to be stored there, and a large pink box with a beautiful bow.
It was this box that Marco carefully extracted—of all things, this box was what intrigued her most. He handed it to her, saying, "Sweetheart, open it."
Inside the box, Alexa found the dress she adored but never bought because it was a unique design, purchased by someone of importance. Aside from that, Alexander's incident had dampened her spirit; she didn’t celebrate her birthdays after his demise, leaving her to travel abroad for studies. She accepted Lucio, seeing how kind he was to Mariana, aware he had always loved her mother—Alexander himself had told her to be good to Uncle Lucio. Yet when he suggested she should also love Uncle Marco, she complied, albeit reluctantly calling him by his name. Remembering the gift Alexander hadn't given her, she asked, "Marco, this was my eighth present, wasn't it?"
"Yes, it was. I didn't give it to you then because of what happened. You may wonder why I'm giving it to you now, even though you're no longer a child. It's time you knew—the dress was chosen with your father's help. He was my best friend, and we never imagined things would turn as they did.
He remembered asking what to gift you, and your father suggested you were enamored with a dress from a princess magazine, but he planned on giving you tea and suggested I could give you a doll.
Knowing this, I hurried to ‘Princesses’, the most sought-after children's store in the country, and called to make the purchase. When Alexander tried to buy it, I'd beaten him to it. He was frustrated the week before the incident, saying someone had snatched the dress away. Unable to contain my laughter, as only he could truly know me, I confessed it was me who had bought it.
He then made a strange request that day, which I agreed to—it was to tell you that I fought to win it since the dress was from a princess store, but in reality, you were his true princess.
Your father chose this dress for you; I just took the initiative. He would have loved for you to have it, and that's why I'm giving it to you now." As he spoke, he moved behind the closet and pulled out a larger box.
Alexa covered her mouth with her hands at the sight of what he extracted from the box, the tears welling up. It was the same dress, but in a larger size, no longer for a child but made for a young woman.
"Marco, this is a beautiful gesture. Thank you for your kindness and for loving my father so deeply. After what happened, I forgot what birthdays meant. I couldn't see the point in celebrating without him. But today, you’ve reminded me that he was the one who made each birthday worth eagerly awaiting, the one who said it was important to mark the day I came into the world because it was the biggest event in his life. You don’t know how happy this makes me."
"There's no need to thank me, dear. I promised to look after and protect you, and though I didn't promise to love you, I already do. I swear, I won't let anyone take you away from me, even if it means protecting you from myself."
Unable to hold back her tears any longer, Alexa clung to his arms, letting her long-contained tears flow.
Marco understood the feeling well, having experienced similar pain when he lost his own father. Alexander and Lucio had been there to support and care for him. Now his little girl had lost her father, and he his great friend. He knew the agony all too well. But this time, he resolved to bring an end to the sufferings caused by those responsible.
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