Revenge marriage to my ex-husband’s Rival

6.

Romeo looked down at his watch, and winced when another sharp cry from his young mistress sounded from behind her closed bedroom door. He had no idea what kind of gruesome procedures were making that tough as hell woman let out such weak cries.

She hadn't even let out a peep when he had mistakenly struck her with a much heavier hand than was appropriate for sparing, early this morning. So he simply couldn't understand why she was now making such a fuss. It wasn't like she'd never been to a social event before, so he really couldn't understand what the big deal was, and why they needed a whole army of stylist to get her ready for it. With a sigh, he decided to check on her, steeling himself for whatever scene awaited him.

He cautiously approached the door, took a steadying breath and knocked twice sharply. "Miss Aria? Everything okay in there?" He waited for a few seconds without answer, before he shrugged and pushed the door open, revealing a sight that made him pause in shock.

The room was in disarray, clothes and makeup strewn about as if a tornado had torn through it. But what truly caught Romeo off guard was the scene unfolding before him. Aria lay half naked on the bed, her arms pinned down by four stylists while another applied wax to her legs, causing her to shake and writhe, trying to escape their grasps.

Aria looked up from her struggle when she heard the sound of the door opening. When she saw the tall broad figure of Romeo, her eyes brightened, and she called out hopefully, "Romeo! Come, help me! I can't take it anymore!" It's been a year without caring much about her appearance, and that was approximately the last time she bothered to do anything like waxing her skin, or carving her brows or anything of that nature. And she forgot how much it hurt like a b***h, and dammit she wanted none of it anymore, but Aunt Marie was unrelenting. She was the devil, Aria thought with a groan.

"M-miss.." Romeo stuttered unsure wether to go in there to intrude upon his half naked mistress and the overall intimate nature of what was happening or if he should stay back and risk the wrath of Aria's unforgiving nature if he didn't do anything now.

But the choice was ultimately lifted out of his shoulders when the smiling face of the second eldest Missus Marie blocked his view of the room. "I don't remember inviting you in, young man."

"Sorry ma'am." He immediately took a step back respectfully, "I heard the cries of Miss Aria and I had to make sure she was..okay.." he finished weakly when the smile on the older woman's face only seemed to spread wider.

"You don't think I'll harm my own niece do you? Unlike a certain brute who marred her flawless skin with bruises."

The certain brute took another step back for safe measure, rebuking himself for even bothering to check what was up. "S-sorry Ma'am. I'll stay put now." He reached over and helpfully closed the door, ignoring Aria's aggrieved expression.

Sorry Aria, but the Missus is out of my capabilities, he thought keeping quietly to his post now.

Romeo had to have been waiting for them for over three hours before the battalion of the stylists began to leave, and he escorted them out of the mansion, knowing fully well that they would just get lost without his guidance. And besides, the Moretti house was extremely private property, and guests weren't allowed to roam around without company.

After waving goodbye to the giggling bunch and watching as they got into their van and departed, he went back towards his post, nodding and smiling his greetings towards the other guards and servants around the house that he was all familiar with. How could he not be, when he practically grew up in the Moretti house.

His father had been the Moretti house's housekeeper. He had been in charge of the entire household staff, and Romeo had spent much of his childhood running through its halls, his days filled with the routine of chores and errands.

He didn't work there anymore though, he retired when he got too old, but Romeo had remained a constant presence in the house, the Moretti's were his family and he wasn't ready to say goodbye just yet. He grew up together with Aria, and being 2 years older than her, he always felt a feeling of protectiveness towards her. He had watched her grow from a mischievous child into a striking woman, and the bond they shared was one of unspoken understanding and deep-rooted loyalty.

He had been training since young to serve the Moretti family, particularly the young mistress he had taken a liking to, and he was completely devoted to her. He'd been a constant presence in her life, protecting her from the shadows..well that was until a few years ago.

He always had this image of the man who would be deserving of her. Someone worthy of her strength and spirit. He envisioned a man who could match her fiery nature, someone who could stand by her side without overshadowing her. Someone who would love her not because of her family or heritage, but because of the lovely person who she was. He imagined someone who was strong, capable, and most importantly, someone who could make her happy in a way he never could.

But the man she ultimately chose, Henri Delarney was far from the ideal Romeo had imagined. He knew right away that he wasn't the one for her. Could sense that there was more to him than met the eye, and despite his best efforts, Romeo couldn’t convince Aria otherwise. Henri was charming and seemed perfect on the surface, but there was an unsettling air about him that Romeo couldn’t shake. He sensed a darkness in Henri, a calculated coldness that Aria seemed blind to. And despite his best efforts, he could only watch helplessly as they were tied in holy matrimony, the young miss giving a deaf ear to anyone who hadn’t come to give her their well wishes.

Despite his reservations, he had been willing to serve her in her new home, determined to guard and protect her until the end, but Henri hadn’t been pleased with his presence. And he succeeded in making Aria dismiss him back to the Moretti house, where he only saw her once or twice a year when she visited.

Those five years without her constant presence had been the hardest for Romeo. The mansion felt emptier without her laughter echoing through the halls, and his days seemed longer without the purpose of watching over her. Yet, every visit from her was a bittersweet reminder of the distance that had grown between them.

And when that bastard had finally betrayed her, it didn’t come as a shock towards Romeo. Especially when his mistress always looked unhappy and melancholic whenever she was opportune to visit. She hadn’t been the image of a woman who was being loved the way she ought to be, and that frustrated him to no end. How could that bastard be blind to someone as kind and beautiful as his young miss? How dare he betray and humiliate her in such a manner?

He had been filled with so much anger and rage that he was overcome with impulse to beat the bastard into a bloody mess, but Aria made him promise that he wouldn’t do anything. The only reason that made him heed such a warning was because the young miss hadn’t asked that of him because of consideration for the man who broke her, no her eyes burned with a fierce resolve, a determination to handle the situation with her own strength and clarity. She wasn’t going to let his betrayal go lightly, and that soothed him enough to respect her decisions. Aria was an absolute menace when she wished to be, and he fully believed she would make Henri pay for what he did to her. And he vowed to silently support her in the shadows, as he always had.

And today, exactly one year after the man’s devastating betrayal, his young miss was finally ready to step her foot back into the messy embrace of high society. He had taken it upon himself to reintroduce her to combat training and other activities that was in line with her role as the heiress of the family to better equip herself, and she was growing at an unbelievable pace that scared even him.

He smirked, touching a swelling bruise from where she gave him a beautiful acrobatic kick to the jaw. As her teacher, he was proud about how great of a student she was in that area. Not to mention in other places too. She was the ideal. The ideal student, and also the ideal mistress. He didn’t ever regret rejecting the offer from a high profile bodyguard firm that were willing to pay him a fortune. The Moretti family, and especially Aria, were his life.

The sound of heels clicking on the marble floors brought him out of his reverie. He looked up and felt his breath catch in his throat as he looked at her in awe.

There she was, his mistress, his heiress. She was simply perfection, and he would see to it this time that he protected her from any slimy bastard that only seeks to take advantage of her, he vowed solemnly, his heart pounding in his throat as he watched her descend.