Second Time Around, I Won’t Marry the Don Chapter 04

Second Time Around, I Won’t Marry the Don Chapter 04

In the blink of an eye, several years passed.

Life at the Vitale estate was quiet.

Since Luna and I were close in age, and I lived there free of charge, I helped Mary whenever I could and willingly took on part of the job of looking after Luna.

By high school, Luna, Nathan, and I all attended the same school.

The difference was that Nathan and Luna were in the honors program.

I was in the regular classes.

Every morning, I rode my bike to school.

Quite a few people knew I was the Vitale family’s housekeeper’s daughter.

There were whispers.

There were even admirers of Nathan who warned me not to have delusions about him.

I ignored them.

Luna, on the other hand, couldn’t stand it.

She argued with anyone who talked behind my back.

Back at the orphanage, I’d protected her.

Now she was doing everything she could to protect me.

Eventually, the gossip died down.

Only once in a while did I run into Nathan.

Whenever I did, I kept my eyes straight ahead.

His polished custom-made shoes passed right by me without slowing down.

Luna really was a wonderful girl.

As she grew older, she finally stopped calling me Sister Stick.

Last Christmas…

Nathan came home with Luna’s present.

It was a princess tiara covered in pearls.

Everyone was stunned.

Rumor had it he’d personally picked every single pearl himself.

Luna loved it.

She threw her arms around him and shouted, “Brother!”

For a moment…

It felt like I was looking at my previous life.

I loved pearls too.

I loved that they endured hardship to find perfection.

But in this life…

They had nothing to do with me anymore.

I’d earn my own pearls someday.

Just then, a small gift box appeared in front of me.

Nathan’s voice followed.

“You’ve done well taking care of Luna these years. Take this.”

Inside the box was a single pearl.

It wasn’t nearly as dazzling as the ones on Luna’s crown.

Even so…

It was worth a fortune.

I didn’t want to accept it.

An awkward silence settled over the room.

Until Luna nudged me.

“Eva, don’t be shy. Take it! My brother isn’t going to miss that little bit of money.”

Only then did I reach out and take it.

“Thank you, Prince.”

Nathan gave a slight nod.

A few days later…

I quietly sold the pearl.

It brought me three thousand dollars.

I tucked the money into my savings.

After thinking it over, I transferred part of it to someone I had never stopped worrying about.

The summer after freshman year…

I found a part-time job.

No one understood why.

“If I were you, I would seize every opportunity to build good relationships with the Vitale siblings,” someone said.

“If the Vitale family decides to help you someday, do you really think you’ll care about a part-time paycheck?”

“And Nathan’s never had a girlfriend.”

“You’re pretty. You’re already living under the same roof.”

“You never know—you might have a shot.”

Mary, however, supported me completely.

After I started working evenings at a convenience store, my schedule barely overlapped with Nathan’s anymore.

I almost never saw him.

I didn’t have to go out of my way to avoid him.

Normally, by the time I got home after my shift, he’d already be asleep.

But several times, I noticed the lights in his room were still on.

He’d probably started learning the family business.

After all…

He would eventually become the youngest Mafia Godfather in history.

One night after work, I ran into Nathan in the living room.

The lights were off.

I nearly screamed when I found myself staring into someone’s eyes in the dark.

When the lights came on, I finally relaxed.

Then I noticed the faint smile at the corner of Nathan’s mouth.

He was naked from the waist up, wearing only a pair of pants.