Franco Castellano glanced at his Rolex as Ivy arranged his order. It was his mother's birthday and even if three years had passed, he still had a lot to learn about flower language.

But Ivy had helped him a lot.

She was a breath of fresh air from his chaotic world. Ivy was busy with her own business but she didn't mind if ever he would come and hang around.

Though she told him once that she would've been more thankful if he helped in the store.

Her bluntness made him laugh so he decided to help out in the marketing aspect of the flower shop.

His phone chimed and Castor's message sprang up.

'Tell her I'm busy. Or make up excuses.'

He rolled his eyes at his brother's stupidity. But thank god he was used to it. He knew Castor's weakness after all.

'I'll tell Caly'

'Fuck you! Are we family or not?"

'Caly's my sister tho.'

'Fckkkkk'

He chuckled and sent him a laughing emoji.

"What are you laughing at?" Ivy mumbled, handing him the bouquet of purple and pink hydrangeas. "Here. Tell your mother a happy birthday for me."

Franco nodded. "Thanks. And I'll need one more—"

"For who?" She flushed and corrected her question. "I mean, is there another celebration?"

"Yeah." He stifled his laugh. "What do girls like to receive?"

"Finally! You realize that you haven't ordered flowers for your dates and such, right?" She chuckled before she clasped her hands together. "Anyway, I suggest camellia for affection and admiration. Amaryllis for beauty. Light red carnations are also great."

"What would you like to receive?"

"Me?" Her brown eyes widened as she took off her rubber gloves. "I don't know. But sunflowers or yellow roses would be nice."

"Then give me both of that."

Ivy gaped at him. "But—"

"Okay. I'll be direct," Franco muttered, saving her from further confusion.

Castor, as much as he hated it, had told him once to stop beating around the bush and say what he wants, that women were as clueless as men. He had said it at his bachelor's party that PJ had to remind him that it took him years before telling Caly what he felt.

Franco even thought that it wasn't really good advice at that time but of course, his drunken mind could barely register anything.

But yes, Cas had a point.

It had been three years since he met Ivy.

"Can I ask you out?"

"W-what?" she stammered. "But Franco... I'm not sure that I—"

"Do you like me?" he asked. Franco grabbed her hands. "Because I like you. I like spending time with you but if you don't, well... I guess I'll accept that."

Ivy was quiet for a second. She sighed and gazed at him. "Of course, I like you. But you have to be sure. I know your story and you know mine."

"I know that. And I'm sure."

It took him a long time to get over his past hurt. He had buried himself in work and in convincing Castor and Caly that investing in him was worth it.

Castor kept setting him up with different women but he couldn't bring himself to care. He hadn't dated since Elena died. And it was even harder to date after knowing how he was conceived.

His life sucked. He was born because of a crime. It was difficult to accept. And he didn't want to drag anyone into that.

But like everything, things got better.

His family didn't treat him any differently. In fact, his circle grew and all of them knew him not because of his last name but of what he had accomplished and what kind of person he was.

And that when he had told Ivy the truth, her only reaction was how it felt to have half-siblings because she was in the same situation. That her father had two families. They had talked for hours before he realized that his origin didn't matter.

He was his own person.

"Fine."

"Thank god!" he exclaimed and kissed the back of her hands. "Then, can you be my date at Mother's party?"

Ivy gasped, yanking her hand and crossed her arms. "What! Our first date involves meeting your family?"

"Why not?" Franco replied. "We'll be together for a long time."

She reddened at his words. "If you're sure then."

"Thank you." He gestured to the flowers. "And for these."

Ivy arched an eyebrow. "You know that's not free, right?"

He laughed. "I know that."

✘✘

Callista Genovese entered the shop she frequented and head straight to the accessories section. She had found the store two years ago. It was a small gift shop with rainbow-colored walls. Everything was just bright like it was made for kids.

She chose a pair of star earrings for her mother in law. Caly was about to choose a charm for her bracelet when somebody cleared their throat.

"You don't have to keep coming here, Miss Genovese."

Delilah Gallo had her hands on her waist. Her hair was shorter, face bare of any makeup.

Caly smirked at her bitch act. "What? I like this store."

She roamed around as Delilah tailed her with a condescending stare. She chose a red headband with a huge red ribbon on it before she went to the counter.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

Delilah shook her head as the employee scanned the items. "Will you keep doing this until I forgive you?"

"No. I'll keep doing this even after you forgive me," she replied.

"Fine." Delilah agreed with a roll of her eyes. "Who's the headband for?"

"My daughter."

She gasped. "Really? I didn't know that! What's her name? Who did she take after? Does she—"

Delilah cleared her throat. "I mean I don't care. I unfollowed you, you know!"

Callista chuckled at her mood shift. "It's fine. I don't post her pictures that much. I never realized you liked children."

"Yeah. It's my... well, used to be my stupid dream."

Caly felt guilty again. She had apologized to Delilah the first time she had entered the store but the woman had ignored her. She knew it wouldn't be easy to gain her forgiveness.

But now, she realized that forgiveness wasn't enough. She wanted them to be friends. For real this time.

"I'm sorry. I hope we can talk more some time. And if you want to have coffee, I'm here," Caly mumbled as she grabbed the paper bag.

"Seriously?" Delilah looked amused. "You know I haven't forgiven you, right?"

"Yeah. But I'll always be up for talking about my daughter."

She sighed and grabbed something from her pocket. "Here."

It was an apple charm.

"Really?"

"Hey!" she complained. "That's for your daughter. Not you."

She laughed. "I know."

✘✘

Castor Luciano carried his daughter on his arms as they walked to his car. He had just finished another casino inspection. All of his businesses were doing well except of course, the taxes that Franco kept hounding him for. His driver opened the door when his baby pointed to a billboard.

"Mi!"

He looked up to see a picture of a Starix ad that Callista did. His wife was smiling with sparkling jewelry on her neck.

He kissed her daughter's cheek. "Yes, Amara. That's mommy."

Castor entered the car as Amara's gaze stayed on the window and its view. He pulled out his phone to see Caly's message.

'I better see you at Celeste's party. you promised!'

Shit.

He couldn't refuse now. For the past three years, he had given a lot of excuses not to attend his mother's birthday. He was busy. Or that Amara was being fussy.

He couldn't help it. His mother's 180-degree turn made him uncomfortable.

Castor knew he should appreciate her efforts of reaching out but he wasn't interested. And he was afraid he might offend her so he had always slithered away from her invitations.

Amara kept pointing at anything as they traveled to Queens. He kissed the top of her head though she pushed him away and stood up to focus on the view.

Castor couldn't believe how much love he felt for her. Maybe it was the reason why having a relationship with his mother was impossible.

He was a parent now. And he would die if ever he made the mistake of hurting his daughter.

They reached the mansion and Castor's heart immediately hammered. He shifted Amara on his arms and went to the garden where the party was. His eyes instantly seek out his wife.

Caly waved at them. She wore a red sleeveless dress. Her hair was atop her head, displaying her slender neck and shoulders.

Fuck. His wife was so hot.

"I know that look," she mumbled as Amara reached out for her.

Their identical features made him smile. Blue-gray eyes and dark hair. Her princess' frown was all him though.

Castor kissed his wife, long enough for their daughter to wiggle in impatience. That trait was from Caly. "I'm here. Do I get a price?"

Caly shot him a warning look. "Cas, please. Just greet her. That'll be enough."

He rolled his eyes. He didn't want to fight about this. Luckily, he saw Franco with a girl. "Look, blondie has a date. Let's go say hi."

"You're changing the topic," she said and let Amara rush towards his uncle.

Franco picked her up as Vince and Mallorie instantly fought over who would hold her next.

Castor watched his daughter and felt irritated as strangers began to fawn over his kid. He was about to rush forward when Callista grabbed his arm.

"Cas, it's been years."

He winced at her harsh tone. "Callista, I don't wanna argue over this."

"My dad's inviting me to Greece. I agreed." She crossed her arms. "You can go with me or not."

"What? How about Amara?"

"She'll be fine. Your parents can watch her."

"No way!"

"And why not?"

"They might drop her!"

"She's two! She won't fall over!" She laughed and reached for his hand. "Cas, I won't force you to get along with your mother but our daughter is different. She has a relationship with her grandparents. You can't stop that!"

Castor sighed as they reached Franco and their friends. "Care to introduce us, brother?"

"This is Ivy. We're dating," he said just as their parents moved into their circle. He shifted Amara in his arms as his other hand grabbed Ivy's palm.

Castor snorted at his confidence. He used to keep quiet and let others make judgments. He supposed the carefree attitude suited him but damn, he was no fun to tease now.

"It's the first time you brought someone, son," Celeste muttered with a smile. "It's nice to meet you, Ivy."

"Thanks. It's also nice to meet you all. Franco talked a lot about you," the girl mumbled with a smile.

"At this rate, you can't babysit Amara that much." Callista eyed Castor with a twinkle in her eyes.

Oh, his devious wife.

Castor raked a hand through his hair. He knew that Caly was right. His attitude couldn't affect his daughter. He couldn't allow that. He wanted to be a good example for her. "Maybe you can watch her some time, Mother."

Celeste gawked at him. "R-Really?"

"Yeah. Caly and I are planning to see her dad so..." At his voice, Amara reached for him.

"Da!" His little girl babbled excitedly.

"You wanna be with Grandma for a while?" he asked softly.

"Gram!" she echoed and flailed her tiny arms towards his parents. He let her despite the hesitation he felt.

Caly grabbed his hand as the crowd moved towards the center. "It'll be okay."

He knew that. His parents had done their best for the past years. They never disappointed him. Maybe it's a good way to test how much his mother had changed. "What if they won't return her?"

"You're ridiculous." She chuckled. "You know, we can make another one."

"I'll hold you to that." Castor leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "I love you."

"Still?"

"Always."

end

Finally! I have finished this book! I hope you enjoyed the journey of these beloved characters that I created.

Thank you to everyone who supported this story esp those who stayed despite the many hiatus I took. Also to my long time friend ntlpurpolia
Love you all 🖤

I'm not sorry for hurting you all and putting shtty problems into this book hahahaha

Comments, suggestions, inquiries, requests are all welcome.
Comment here.

I know this story isn't perfect so any help deserves thanks. but eh, this isn't professional work and more of a fun thing for me, plus I'm a lazy fck, i do try to polish what i can at the moment soooooooo plsssssssss don't be rude!

p.s. leaving this book with 59 parts annoys me so I might publish a special chapter soon. ft princess Amara ;)

p.s. again: if u like more women like Callista Genovese, please check out my other books.

love lots,
lucci 🖤