Infatuation Of Darkness

The kids and Alexis were out for brunch. But the brunch was only an excuse to bring the children out to meet her father Alexander Williams. It was going to be a start and for which Gabrielle has volunteered mainly because both of the men were widowed and were old friends. 

Angelo had promised to be there but Alexis was not expecting anything from him, so she said no.

"My God, you three are so little." That was the first thing her father said when he glanced down at the children. He looked at her, "Do do you even feed them? They barely come to my thigh."

"But you're so tall," Bella muttered, "I don't think I want to be that tall. I'd be a freak."

"Oi," Alexis slapped the back of her forehead lightly, "you'd never be a freak."

Rosie nodded to her mother and narrowed her eyes to the man who kinda looked like her mother. "I am watching you." She hissed and bumped her shoulder with his thigh walking away.

Salvatore looked at the man too. "Are you watching me too?" Alexander asked with a small laugh.

"No," Salvatores answered, "That's what the guards are for." He eyed him and walked away. 

"Ahem," Alexis cleared her throat and pushed people to the table who were still a bit shocked about what Salvatore had said.

"Can we eat pancakes today?" Bella mumbled putting the spoon in her mouth.

Alexis sighed. "We'll see."

"Well, that's a no," Lucas mumbled, calling his eyes he placed his head on the table.

Alexis frowned. "That was a lot of sass."

Alexander laughed loudly catching everyone's attention. "That's quite funny. I missed listening to little children talking."

Gabrielle gave him a stink eye. "You might wanna come over and babysit then. I think everyone will be relieved for a while."

"I am not retired like you."

"Why not?" Alexis frowned. "Xavier is on the verge of turning 30 this year. How is it that you have not retired yet?"

The man shook his head but Garibelle knew exactly what it was. "You don't trust the boy." He concluded. "You don't trust the boy to the limit where you think you can hand over your organisation to him and he won't mess it up."

Alexander stared at the kids who were now in deep conversations. "I think that is the reason." He sighed, "Xavier has not shown any of those qualities where I can trust him enough for not trying to achieve things that are impossible."

"What's wrong with him?" Gabrielle asked and one could say that he was genuinely concerned which made Alexis think about it too.

"He is extremely competitive. It is alright, coming to the world will it help him but that boy is having more people employed whom we cannot pay the income of. We have enough but he just does not understand."

Alexis nodded understanding what the man was thinking. "He wants more without realising the impact of it."

Alexander nodded, "Sometimes the boy frightens me at night because of the look that he has in his eyes when we talk about the families and how are they doing. He thinks nothing but competition which just takes you nowhere . . Instead of looking out for our own he tries to be better than others and I cannot have that as the next Don."

"He can't take over then." Gabrielle pointed out, "Who will be the next one?"

Alexander shrugged. "Hell if I know. I'm thinking either my sister's child who has been just as trained as my own or my second in command's."

He looked at Alexis who looked concerned but he smiled. "Don't worry kid. I did not mean to burden you. Don't worry about all of this."

She wasn't . . . He was her father, she had to be a tiny bit worried.

Sometimes it felt to her that she should step forward and make sure that their relationship was going somewhere and that they both are trying to fit into the father-daughter role but at times it was like she had spent the last 30 years without one and she had been fine so how was it that having a father now would affect her in the least bit?

Also, trusting men have gotten her nowhere. So why even try?

"How about now," Gabrielle stood up, "I sit with the kids and you two talk?"

"Yes, Thank you." Alexander nodded gratefully.

Gabrielle took a seat at the end of the table and the kids had immediately attacked him. Alexis smiled watching him and Alexander kept on staring at her.

"Don't. . .you everything about . ."

"You?" Alexis competed with a small smile on her face. "I do, honestly. But at the same time, I have spent that last 30 years without you, so your presence now won't make a difference."

"Then why here?" He asked with a grim expression on his. It would be the first time.

She sighed and looked away for a second. "I do not know." She answered in all honesty.

"I am trying my best to bridge the gap between but then time and again thoughts comes to me that why am I doing it? What am I doing it for?"

"Connection?" He offered her helplessly. "Maybe it is the connection between a father and a daughter?"

With a small smile, she shook her head and what he said. "I longed for a long ago and then my stepfather came along."

"Stepfather?" He frowned.

She nodded. "I was abused by him. Pretty much to extend of where I thought that leaving for university in New York would be better and staying back home in Florida." She gave him a tight-lipped smile. "I guess Vanessa and Thomas deserved each other because they always craved tension and somehow . . They were never there for anyone else."

"I'm sorry child." He sighed harshly and rubbed his forehead. The regret was clear on his face. "I truly apologize for not finding you."

"But why would you have found me. To be honest, you had no idea that Vanessa was was pregnant and you only knew that she left you so why would you search for her?"

His lips quirked up a bit as he said, "You are nothing like your mother when it comes in terms of using your brain. Who raised you there?" He teased.

Experiences did. She shook her with a smile staying silent.