Chapter 467 - The Wedding (M&H) (9)

Roberto was dejected.

It's not that he was head over heels for Angela, but he definitely liked the girl and for the last two days, he was convinced that he was making a progress. What went wrong?

At the rehearsal dinner, Angela and Roberto chatted in a good mood and Roberto didn't notice if Angela talked to Derek, and now… Derek and Angela are dancing and kissing and by the way they are looking at each other, Roberto can see that they are in love. Roberto was quite confident that there was nothing going on between Angela and Derek at the rehearsal dinner, and Angela left with Ashton and Sabrina... but Angela and Derek didn't look like a newly-made couple. How did he miss the signs? Did they break up and reconcile? That was a possibility.

Roberto exhaled unhappily. It seems that he was friendzoned from the beginning and he didn't realize it.

"Roberto?", Fabricio's voice pulled him out of his daze.

Roberto noticed that Fabricio does not look happy, and the fact that Fabricio asked him to come to the side and talk in private, only proved the point.

"Why is your phone off?", Fabricio asked when they were out of the earshot of others.

"I didn't want to be interrupted during the ceremony.", Roberto responded. "Our men are capable to handle any crisis, and if it's not urgent, it can wait."

"The ceremony ended one hour ago, and your phone is still off.", Fabricio said stiffly, irked by Roberto's casual attitude.

"Oh…", Roberto forgot to turn it back on. But if he says that he was more interested in spending time with Angela, it would be a problem.

He reached for his phone and his expression froze when he saw unread notifications.

Fabricio put his hand over Roberto's phone. "You can catch up on those later."

Fabricio looked at Roberto sternly while contemplating if he should say something or leave it for after the wedding. But the relevant feedback needs to be given right away, so… "You see, Roberto, you asked to be the lead of security at this event. As such, I expect you to be available. Luckily, Nathan's older boy was there as well, otherwise, there would be no one to handle the intruder in the kitchen who was meddling with drinks."

Roberto was not happy that Fabricio was scolding him for being unreachable while praising Max. Roberto was looking at the dancefloor and he saw Max and Liz making out and then walking away.

"That reliable older boy, how you call him, went with his girlfriend to have fun."

Fabricio's expression darkened. "Are you trying to compare yourself to him? Here is one thing for you to think about… When I asked you who will be your second in command, you said that you don't need one because you will handle it. However, Max has Nathan and Quentin. So, whenever Max is not available, Nathan and Quentin will take over. Do you see the difference here? A good leader will not leave the ship unattended while he tries to woo a woman."

Roberto realized that his father knows everything. Instead of turning on his communication devices, Roberto was with Angela and unfortunately, during that time there was a situation and he missed it completely.

Roberto had a strong hunch where this was going. Every time he messed up, his father would bring up Mia and how she is Miss Perfect. "While on the topic of me being useless, don't forget to mention how your other child is flawless. Is it not enough that I have your blood in my veins? Is it not enough that I am breaking my back for years to make you happy?"

"This is not about making me happy, Roberto. I am well aware of your ambition to take over my position, and that is why I am pointing out areas where you are lacking. Not to insult you, but to help you realize where you must improve on." Fabricio exhaled forcibly and patted Roberto's shoulder. "Let's talk about this later. Considering what happened, I will join in as the second in command for security from our side. This is Mia's wedding, and I don't want to take any risks."

Roberto gritted his teeth. Everything was back to Mia. No matter how much he worked and how much he struggled, in Fabricio's eyes, Roberto was always inferior compared to Mia.

Fabricio knew what was going on in Roberto's mind, but there was nothing he could do. He tried many times to explain to Roberto that he loves Mia and Roberto equally, but in terms of who will inherit him, there was no one other than Mia. Not because of her skills, or because she is the firstborn, but because of her personality. Mia is independent, strong, responsible, flexible, a true leader. When facing a failure, Mia never looked for excuses. She would reflect on the situation and rise from it stronger.

Roberto is good at following orders, but whenever something unexpected happens, he does not know how to handle it. Another thing that works against Roberto is his pride. In his desire to prove himself, Roberto thinks that he can do things on his own, and he does not plan for contingencies because he is confident that his plan A will work.

If Roberto is a man enough to look beyond his ambition and scrutinize himself, he would realize that Mia could be his guide instead of competition.

…

The notification was shown on big screens that dinner will be served shortly, and guests started gathering in the main hall.

"Ash, can we talk?", Angela called Ashton when he was about to enter the hall. It was obvious that she was waiting for him.

Ashton's face darkened when he saw that Derek is with Angela, but he agreed to talk.

"I am dating Derek.", Angela went straight to the point.

"And you are telling me that because…?"

"Because I know you don't approve. I believe that there is some misunderstanding and it needs to be cleared up.", Angela said.

"Misunderstanding? How about you tell me what happened after he dropped you off from the hospital? Or nothing happened? Is that the misunderstanding you are talking about?"

Angela opened her mouth and closed it. She was too embarrassed to talk about what happened two weeks ago with Ashton. That is her brother!

"You know what happened, Ash.", Derek responded while taking a step forward and partially blocking Angela from Ashton. "I made a move on Angela and regretted that I treated her badly. Luckily, she is willing to give me another chance."

Angela felt guilty that Derek took all the blame on himself. After all, she was a willing participant. She held Derek's hand in hers and their fingers interlaced. It brought them a sense of security. It was a silent confirmation that they are in this together.

Angela moved and stepped next to Derek.

"No matter what happened, that is between me and Derek.", Angela said confidently.

Ashton pursed his lips. "So, what is the point of this? You want my blessings? My approval? You don't need it."

"True.", Angela confirmed. "We don't need your approval. But we hope that you know we are trying our best in this relationship. You are my brother, Ash, and I love you very much. Derek cherishes your friendship, and we both hope you will see that we make each other happy."

Ashton looked at Angela's stubborn expression and his heart swelled a little. He never saw her fight for anything so far, yet here she was... holding Derek's hand and telling him that she has a boyfriend. Ashton exhaled heavily. "I don't know if you are making each other happy, but… I hope that I will get to see it."

Angela took this as Ashton's approval, or at least a move in the right direction. She smiled brightly, hopped to Ashton, and kissed his cheek. "Thanks, Ash."

Ashton grunted and gave a small nod to Derek. "Treat her well, Derek."

Derek nodded in response. "I will."

Angela turned to Derek and grabbed his hand with both of hers before starting to pull him inside. "Let me ask Andrea if she wants to swap seats so that I can sit next to you…"

Ashton watched as Angela energetically dragged dazed Derek inside and he was surprised to hear Sabrina say, "I am proud of you."

"You were eavesdropping?", Ashton asked.

Sabrina smiled in response. Of course, she was eavesdropping. Did he really think that she will go inside and leave him to talk to Angela and Derek on his own? Sabrina would not allow it to escalate into a fight.

Sabrina walked to Ashton and hugged him. She knew that this was difficult for him, but he still did it. For Angela.

"Will I be able to accept Derek dating Angela?", Ashton asked himself loudly.

"Give it some time, Ash…", Sabrina said. "It's obvious that there is an attraction between them. However, keep in mind that this is Angela's first real relationship, and how much I know, Derek is not experienced in that area either. They will make mistakes, but what matters is that they keep on trying and not give up on each other. By accepting the fact that they are dating, you will get a chance to observe the process."

Ashton faintly nodded and then he looked at Sabrina keenly. "When did you find out that Angie and Derek are together?"

At the rehearsal dinner, if she knew that they are dating, she would not allow Ashton to confront Derek before he calmed down. And Sabrina's attitude told him that the dancing-kissing from a while ago was not new to Sabrina.

Sabrina smiled coyly. She put her hand around his waist and tugged him to move toward the inside. "My smart husband does not miss anything. I found out this afternoon, while we were getting ready for the wedding. Angie was beaming…"

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