Chapter 70 - Sixty-Nine: Mark Hates Me

Domenic placed the empty bowl on the bedside table and turned to look at his sister who had become too silent for his comfort.

The fact that she silently drank the medicine without even complaining even once about how bitter it tasted, only made him feel worse.

"Emily, look at me." He softly said as he took hold of her hands which were clutching and unclutching the hem of her nightshirt continuously.

Even though she did not dare to face her brother after all that she had done, but she also did not want to ignore him.

Therefore, with a deep breath, she turned her attention towards her eldest brother and slowly brought her eyes up to look at him.

"You don't need to worry about the Sullivans and the Council. I will handle everything. You should just relax and get better as soon as possible." Domenic said as he patted her hand lightly.

Emily was silent for a few minutes as she toyed with the black jade ring that Domenic always wore on the index finger of his left hand.

Moreover, her brother let her play. She knew that the soft side of Domenic that she was seeing currently was a luxury that definitely wasn't easy to afford.

There were chances that she would not receive such soft attention from him anytime soon in the future.

In the past few months that she had spent in the Alessandro Mansion, the times when she got to see this warm and caring side of her guardian were even less than the times when Simon lazily accepted her presence in the same room as him.

"Nick....."

"Hmm."

"Don't you hate me?" 

Emily's question left Domenic shocked and for a few seconds, he could do nothing but stare at the girl in surprise.

"Why would I hate you, Emmy?" He asked as his hands tightened around her soft ones.

He was not an expert in reading minds, but he could tell that his sister was suffering through guilt which was just as strong as the one piercing his heart.

"Do you even need to ask? I have been acting stupid and ignorant all this time. Even though I knew that the Sullivans are not on good terms with you, I dared to lie to you. I caused so many problems. How can you all not hate me even now?" Emily said with a chuckle that definitely did not sound like it was carrying happiness.

"I'm aware that you have met Rylan at the club when Mark took you there and that you saw him at the Mall too," Domenic told her as he changed his position on the bed and settled down with his back against the headboard.

All that Emily could do was stare at her brother with wide eyes. She felt like someone had blocked her lungs from functioning as the oxygen level started decreasing in her body, making cold sweat appear on her forehead.

"Emily, breathe," Domenic said in a deep voice as he rubbed his hands over the back of her hands which had gone cold.

His words performed a miracle as Emily immediately took in a deep breath and let her body and mind calm down.

They were silent for a few moments before she finally dared to ask, "How did you? I mean.....did Mark tell you? But he only knew about the first time, not the one at the mall...."

Emily trailed off as her eyes discovered the small smile that had appeared on her brother's lips.

"Of course, Mark did not tell me anything. But if I can't even keep track of what's going on with or around you, can I still be worthy of being your guardian?" 

Domenic asked as he looked at the horizon visible through the glass window.

It was already past six o'clock and the horizon appeared a little yellowish with a touch of orange in it, announcing the arrival of the sun.

"I'm sorry. I should not have lied." Emily apologized as she followed her brother's gaze and watched the beautiful sight.

"Why did you lie?" Domenic asked as he turned his attention back to her.

At first, Emily did not dare to tell him the truth but then she decided against her stupid mind and replied, "Mark did not want me to tell you and I did not want to make him angrier and grumpy than he already is."

"If I had told you about Rylan's presence at the Mall, there's no doubt sooner or later you would have found out the reason behind his sudden interest in me and that would have made Mark angry. Moreover, he was not the one who attacked me at the Mall, rather he saved me. That's the second reason."

Emily then went completely silent as the image of Rylan piercing a dagger into her stomach, appeared in front of her eyes.

However, she immediately shook it off. That was probably something she misunderstood, right?

Otherwise, how could she found not a single scratch on her body when she gained her consciousness?

"All the pain just because of Mark?" Domenic asked with one of his eyebrows raised high.

Emily made a little pout as she replied, "He already hates me to the core. There's no way I'm going to challenge him and invite my doom."

She actually believed what she just said. She was afraid of Domenic because he was the eldest of the family and also her guardian.

However, Mark terrified her. From the very first moment, she stumbled across him, her instincts told her to never end up against him.

Her words and the terrified look in her eyes almost made Domenic laugh out loud. He just rubbed her hair softly as he said, "Mark doesn't hate you."

It was not a question, nor an opinion. It was a statement, based on his understanding and trust that he had in his brother.

When Emily did not even care to react to his words, Domenic knew that she did not believe him even a single bit.

"It's true, Emmy. He does not hate you. He's actually worried about you most of the time. The only problem is that he has no idea how to show his care and affection for you." Domenic said as he made the girl look at him.

Though Emily saw only sincerity in those dark green eyes, but she still could not make herself believe him.

If it was Simon they were talking about, she would still dare to believe Nick's words. But not in the case of Mark.

"Why do you think that he hates you?" 

"He never made me feel otherwise." 

Emily's reply was soft and her eyes even carried a look of sadness in them as she said those words.

It did not take long for Domenic to pull the little girl in his arms and hug her tightly.

"Just give him a little bit more time. I'm sure he will slowly learn to open himself around you. And maybe it will make you feel better to know that he is the same with the rest of us. Always angry and grumpy."

A chuckle escaped through Emily's lips at Domenic's words.

"Did you not sleep the entire night?" She asked as she pulled back to look at his tired appearance.

"I'm totally fine. Don't worry about me. It's you who should be resting after having such a rough night." Domenic immediately turned the focus on her.

A frown appeared on her face as Emily checked her hands and legs to see the cuts and scraps.

Most of them were bandaged while only a few minor ones were left uncovered. 

However, what surprised her the most was the disappearance of the pain that she had felt in her chest.

She almost felt as good as possible, minus those small cuts that were also not causing her any pain.

It was like the pain that she experienced in the forest did not even belong to her.

"What's wrong?" Domenic asked when he saw her frowning.

"Nothing. It's just.....I'm feeling totally fine. There's no pain." She replied in an uncertain voice.

For a moment Domenic was silent but then he replied, "It's a good thing then. Looks like Sam really has improved in his skills." 

Emily did not know what to think anymore about her injuries, so she just nodded her head lightly. 

"Nick," Emily called softly.

Domenic looked at her, waiting for her to say whatever she had stored in her mind.

"You should sleep." She blurted out and then even managed to not look like a scared kitten.

Domenic raised one of his eyebrows as he looked at her in silence. He was totally aware that this habit of his only made him appear more intimidating.

"Please...! You look so tired. Can you stay here with me and sleep for a little bit?" 

Even though she knew that there was a total of a hundred percent chance that she would not receive a positive response from him, she could not help but still ask.

First, she did not want to be left alone at the moment. Ever since she returned to the mansion, her brain was trying its very best to bring her back to the previous night's incident.

But she kept focussing her attention on other things. Even when she cried her heart out in Domenic's arms was not because she almost got attacked but because of her guilt.

Right now, she was not ready to face the reality of the previous night.

The second reason was that she really wanted Domenic to rest a little bit. 

She knew her brother at least to such a level where she could predict that the moment he would leave her room, he's gonna head to his office to take care of work.

"Emily..."

Domenic barely opened his mouth before he was hushed down into silence by the little girl.

"Please? I know that you are going to change into the cold and aloof Alessandro Master the moment you will leave this room. So can you please complete this little request of mine before leaving?" 

Emily kept looking at him with puppy eyes as her hands clutched around his arm tightly.

Domenic was well aware that the little devil was taking advantage of his soft heart. He had far too much experience with the puppy eyes and pleadings because of his brothers, but it was the first time he was facing such a situation with his sister.

Would she have begged for her favorite toys and candies like this too when she was a child?

The thought suddenly appeared in his mind and the mere imagination of a baby Emily pleading for her favorite toy, made his already soft heart turn into a puddle.

The next thing he knew, he was tucked inside the blanket by his sister who laid beside him, clinging to his arm as she gave in to her sleep.