Chapter 175 - Emy's Dawda

"Hello, neighbour!" Killian grinned. 

Santiago was panting when he saw Killian standing at the door with a kid in his arms. He came running here as soon as he found the address.

Salvatore and Valencia might be coming after him but he didn't pay attention to anything else but his wife at this moment. 

"Sweet Pea, say hello to Uncle," Killian smiled at the fussy kid who he had now wrapped around his fingers. And, yes, she had been given many nicknames by Killian until now. Sweet Pea was the only one that both of them liked the most. 

"Hwllo Unwle," Emy smiled at Santiago. She didn't think it was wrong to be so chummy with a stranger she just met several hours ago. 

"Whose kid have you stolen?" Santiago asked him. 

"Life is all about being progressive. I no longer do the same things. Instead of stealing, I saved her from getting stolen." Killian told him with a smug look on his face. 

However, Santiago was looking at him in doubt. Of course, he knew that Killian would never stoop so low by kidnapping a kid. Well, it's not like they are proficient in the kidnapping. In their life, they had kidnapped a woman only once and look where did that kidnapping take them? 

"You!" Killian pointed his finger at Santiago. "You think I kidnapped this kid? Don't forget we don't commit the same mistake twice." 

Santiago's lips twitched. "Indeed, we don't commit the same mistake twice." 

He glanced at the cute kid in Killian's arms and offered her a small smile but he was replied with a scowl. 

'Kid has a temper just like the man she is being carried by.'

Just as Santiago was about to go inside to find Persephone, Salvatore and Valencia appeared. 

"Ah, We meet again, Mr Marino." Killian offered Salvatore a smile but he was replied with a scowl in return. 

Why did he feel that his scowl is so similar to the kid he is holding? 

"I didn't know Mr Palmero was into stealing kids," Salvatore's reply was merciless. 

Killian realized now that behind Salvatore's I-don't-care facade, lied poisonous tongue. 

"Ah," Killian smiled once again. But his smile was so damn fake that everyone could see. "What a coincidence! Your brother-in-law said the same words. I didn't know you guys shared such a deep understanding!"

A look of disgust flashed through Salvatore's eyes and before he could hide it with his usual expressions, Killian noticed it. 

Unknowingly, Salvatore's sore point was seen by Killian. No one until now had ever imagined that Salvatore didn't like Santiago. He had never bothered to show his views for Santiago Vitello but now Killian could see a very different angle. 

Maybe, Emma was right. Salvatore Marino wasn't who he appeared to be. 

When these adults were busy showing shades at each other, Emy was confused. Seeing Salvatore standing beside Santiago, she waved her hand at him and said with a huge smile. "Hwllo Dawda." 

Unlike last time, She didn't try to get out of Killian's arms and neither did she show any enthusiasm to get out of his arms. Who knew that this cranky kid could be won over by a few hundred bucks of chocolates! 

"Sweet Pea. Don't call him Dawda." Killian frowned his brows. How could he let this kid be fooled by Salvatore Marino? It was already bad that everyone else believed his facade. 

"Call him Mr S."

Yes, she should call him Mr S. Salvatore would be too long for him. 

"Mr S?" Emy asked Killian, who nodded in return. To Emy only Killian was right and the rest were wrong. Only a good man can feed her chocolates. The rest were not useful at all. If Ellison knew that a baker's daughter was bought by another person by offering chocolates, Lord knows what she might do. 

"I don't think it's good for you to call someone else's kid nicknames," Salvatore said in a hard tone. He was controlling himself not to punch Emma's husband. "Her parents might not like it."

Killian didn't know why Salvatore was acting like a grumpy old man. Could it be that he was jealous of him? 

He had an amazing wife and even found a cute kid. Was Salvatore jealous of him? 

"Mr Marino, how do you know this angel in my arms is not my daughter?" Killian questioned him. As much as he knew, he didn't tell Salvatore that this kid was not his. If a stranger would see Killian carrying Emy, they would think him of her father since both of them had the same set of dark chocolate orbs. 

Santiago didn't want to engage with Killian and Salvatore's childish fight and went inside to search for Persephone. Valencia, too, followed him inside. 

One thing was clear to Killian now. He didn't like Salvatore Marino at all. If there was one person he might dislike with every fibre of his being, it would be Salvatore Marino. It was good that he wasn't related to the Marino family like Santiago or he didn't know how he would survive without punching his pretty face. 

"I know enough," Salvatore forced out the words. He didn't want to engage in verbal fights with this man. "Where is my sister?"

"Inside with my wife," Killian emphasized on the last word. 

Salvatore followed Killian inside where Persephone was lying on the bed. Santiago was sitting next to Emma and Valencia was taking her pulse. 

"How is she?" Santiago asked Valencia. 

"What happened to her?" He then asked Emma. 

"She fainted because of low sugar level. The doctor said she will be fine." Emma told him. 

"How did you find her?" Santiago questioned him again. 

Emma narrated the whole incident to Santiago, Salvatore and Valencia. She told him how they found Persephone running after a man who was trying to kidnap the kid called Emy. Persephone had identified that Emy's nanny was involved too. 

"You are saying she is in this condition because she was running after the kidnapper to save Emy?" Salvatore asked Emma. He couldn't believe that his sister would put her life in danger for a kid she only met once or twice. 

Emma nodded in reply. She could see that Salvatore didn't look like he was in good condition. He was barely controlling his emotions. 

"Fool," Salvatore whispered looking at his silly sister. Restricting his bloodlust, he clenched his fist and got out of the house to make a call. When he was done with the call and returned inside the house, he saw Killian and Emy playing and laughing with each other. A rush of emotions that he couldn't even decipher ran through him. There was jealousy, fear, longing and most of all, relief. 

Killian and Emy stopped laughing as their gaze fell on Salvatore who was staring at them. 

"Killian?!" Emma's voice was heard. She was calling for her husband. 

Killian didn't want to leave Emy with him but he couldn't ignore Emma too. 

"I will look after her. You go ahead, your wife is calling for you." Salvatore found himself saying. 

Hearing him, Killian left Emy in his care but not before giving him several warnings and threats. 

Salvatore kneeled on the ground once Killian left and hugged the girl tightly in his arms. 

"Dawda?" Emy, who was being crushed in his arms, asked in confusion. 

"Cupcake, you have no idea how scared I was," Salvatore murmured. She still smelled of innocence and baby powder. She still smelled like his baby girl. "You don't know how worried your mommy is right now." 

Emmy didn't understand what he was saying but seeing him hugging her so lovingly, she too wrapped her tiny and chubby arms around his neck. Her fur cap and jacket were tickling his neck. Seeing that her dada was tickling, she started laughing once again. 

"Dawda! Emmy hungry!" She said once she stopped hugging. She was patting her tummy over her thick jacket showing him how hungry she was. 

"Ah, what does my Emy want to eat!" He asked, pinching her tender nose lightly. 

"Chocolate!" Of course, her answer was the same as ever. 

"No!" He had seen chocolate wrappers lying here and there. If Ellison saw a stranger feeding her daughter, she would wreak havoc. 

"Pleeechhh!"

"No!!"

"Bad dawda!"

"Emy!!"

"Milk!" She couldn't win against him. Someone call that uncle back! 

"Cupcake, you are not allowed to tell mommy that you ate chocolate," Salvatore warned her and she nodded at him. 

"Dawda. Hungry," She reminded him again. 

Salvatore picked her up and made her sit on a chair when he was raiding someone else's kitchen. He found some oats and milk. It would fill Emy's belly until her mom arrived to take her back. 

He even fed her after cooking and cooling it down. 

"Done?" He asked when Emy finished half a bowl of oats. 

Emmy nodded her head enthusiastically. He wiped her face with a handkerchief and pecked her chubby cheeks. "My cupcake looks like a ball of snow." He poked her cap and she laughed in return. 

Just like this, both of them started laughing. 

… 

Author Note: I'm trying to clear all the misunderstandings between everyone. Perhaps, we will go to Santiago's country for New Year as New York is getting too sad for Persephone. After all, that country carries too many beautiful memories of our love birds. 

PS: I'm trying to write Callum's book but I have no inspiration for now. 

God bless me.