CHAPTER 16: IS DADDY JEALOUS?

Elias’s heart skipped as he stared at Jace, who stood awkwardly by Lila’s hospital bed, his hands stuffed in his pockets.

"You paid her bills?" Elias asked, his voice shaking with disbelief. "Jace, you didn’t have to do that."

Jace shrugged, his cheeks faintly pink. "It’s no big deal. The doctor said she was in bad shape, and if the bills weren’t paid, they’d stop treatment. I had some savings."

Elias’s eyes widened, his hands trembling.

"I’m working hard to cover them. I can’t owe you like this... not for my sister." His voice cracked, guilt twisting in his chest. Lila was his responsibility, not Jace’s.

Jace’s expression softened, but a small smirk tugged at his lips.

"If I take the money back, they’ll kick her out. She could die, Elias. Is that what you want?"

Elias froze, the truth hitting hard. He swallowed, his throat tight. "Okay," he said, his voice small. "But it’s only a loan. I’ll pay you back without missing a cent."

Jace nodded, his smirk growing.

"Deal." In his head, he thought,

’I knew it wasn’t a bad thing if he owes me. This would keep him close to me.’

He was sure that their rocky past, where Jace bullied him and Elias saw him as a monster, was shifting into something new and different, something Jace didn’t fully understand but wanted to hold onto.

Elias turned to the doctor, his hands still shaky. "Where do I sign for her treatment?"

The doctor handed him a clipboard with forms. "Here and here," he said, pointing. "We’ll start the new protocol tonight. She’s stable for now, but the next few days would be critical."

Elias nodded, scribbling his signature, his mind racing. He glanced at Lila, pale and small in the hospital bed, tubes snaking from her arms. His chest ached—he’d do anything for her. He handed the clipboard back, thanking the doctor, who left to prepare the treatment.

Behind him, Dante and Dario sat on a bench, whispering fiercely to each other.

"Who’s that guy?" Dante muttered, glaring at Jace. "He’s way too close to our nanny."

"Yeah," Dario said, his eyes narrowing. "If they’re a thing, Elias can’t go for Dad. That could entirely ruin our plan!"

Dante frowned.

"He’s ours. No one else can get him."

Jace felt their glares and turned, offering a friendly smile and a wave.

"Hey, you must be the Drago twins. I’m Jace, Elias’s friend."

Dante crossed his arms, his face cold. "Yeah... Jace. We don’t like you."

Jace blinked, his smile faltering. He forced a calm tone. "Okay... why’s that? We’ve only met for the first time,"

Dario leaned forward, his voice sharp. "What’s your deal with our nanny? Do you like him or something?"

"Yeah," Dante added, his eyes like Viktor’s... icy and intense. "Our nanny belongs to us. He’s not allowed to be with anyone else, not even you,"

Jace raised a brow, surprised by their protectiveness. "Whoa, chill. Why are you so obsessed with him? He’s just your nanny."

Dante scoffed. "Just our nanny? Sure he’s more than that. And he’s ours. Stay away from him."

Jace froze, their cold stares unnerving him. They were kids, but their eyes screamed mafia blood, just like their father’s. Before he could respond, Elias’s voice cut through.

"Hey, guys, sorry for keeping you here so long," he said, walking over, his voice soft. "Time to head home."

The twins’ faces lit up, their cold glares melting into grins. "It’s okay," Dario said, hopping off the bench. "As long as your sister’s okay."

"Yeah," Dante added, grabbing Elias’s hand. "Let’s go."

Elias smiled, ruffling their hair. "Thanks for coming with me." He turned to Jace, his voice sincere. "And thank you, Jace. Really."

Jace smiled, his hand twitching to touch Elias’s shoulder, but the twins’ glares stopped him cold. He pulled back, clearing his throat.

"No problem. It’s already late. You should take the kids home. We’ll meet tomorrow for the project."

Elias nodded. "Sounds good. See you then."

Jace watched them leave, the twins clinging to Elias like guard dogs. He shook his head, muttering to himself, "Those kids are scary. Mafia brats for sure."

.

.

Marco drove Elias and the twins back to the estate, the car filled with their chatter about school and Lila. Elias stared out the window, his mind spinning. It was past 7 p.m., dinnertime, and he hadn’t prepared anything. Viktor was at home earlier and was in a bad mood according to Gerald. What would he say about Elias taking the twins to the hospital? Elias rehearsed excuses, his hands fidgeting.

Dante noticed his tense face. "Don’t worry, nanny," he said, grinning. "We’ll cover for you if Dad’s mad."

"Yeah," Dario added. "We’ll say it was our idea to visit your sister."

Elias’s chest warmed, but he shook his head. "Thanks, guys, but I need to take responsibility. It’s my job."

The twins pouted but nodded. As Marco pulled into the estate, Elias’s stomach knotted. The mansion loomed, its lights glowing against the dark. He led the twins inside, bracing for Viktor’s anger.

But before he could take two steps into the foyer, a sharp slap stung his cheek, sending him stumbling. Clara stood there, her eyes blazing with anger and her nails glinting.

"Where the hell did you take my kids?" she shrieked, her voice echoing. "Do you know how worried I was? Anything could’ve happened... an accident, a kidnapping!"

"I apologise, ma’am, I only took them for a..." Before Elias could explain, she interrupted him.

"You’re just a nanny! You don’t get to drag them around without permission!"

Elias stood frozen, his cheek burning, blood trickling from a scratch her nails had left. He stayed silent, letting her rant, his hands clenched at his sides. It was all his fault, but he doesn’t deserve to get hit, especially by her.

Dante and Dario stepped forward, their faces dark. "Don’t you dare hit him!" Dante snapped, his voice sharp. "We told you not to lay a hand on our nanny!"

"Yeah," Dario added, glaring. "You hit Gerald before, and now Elias? Stop it!"

Clara’s eyes narrowed, but she didn’t back down.

"You two stay out of this. I’m your mother..."

"You’re not our mother!" Dante shouted, cutting her off.

Viktor’s footsteps echoed as he descended the stairs, his dark blue shirt unbuttoned, reading glasses perched on his nose, his cedar scent filling the room. Clara’s demeanour shifted, her voice turning sweet. "Babe, thank God you’re here," she said, rushing to him. "You have to punish this nanny! He took the kids out without telling any of us. Dario keeps yelling at me because I hit him just a little. As their mother, I have rights!"

Dante’s face twisted with fury.

"You’re not our mom, and you never will be!" he yelled. "You called me Dario again... you can’t even tell us apart!"

"Did I say Dario? I said Dante. You probably didn’t hear me properly, sweetheart," she tried to soften her voice in Viktor’s presence.

"I don’t care what you call me but If Dad marries you, I’m running away!"

Dario stepped forward, grabbing Elias’s hand.

"Yeah, I’m going with Dante and Elias. We’ll live happily ever after without you... Or Dad, who doesn’t even love us!"

Elias’s eyes widened, stunned by their words. Clara’s face reddened, her mouth opening to retort, but Viktor raised a hand, silencing her.

"That’s enough," he said, his voice cold. "You have no right to hit anyone in this family,"

"How could you say that? I’ll be the lady of the house soon,"

"But you aren’t the lady of the house yet..." He said. Viktor’s gaze slightly turned cold, but Clara cut in. "Does this mean you’re supporting the kids’ nanny? I’m going to be your wife and—"

"Clara," Viktor snapped, his voice sharp. "It’s late. I’ll tell Marco to drop you off,"

Clara huffed, glaring at Elias before storming off. Viktor turned to the twins following Clara behind.

"You two! Head to your room immediately. We’ll talk later."

Dante and Dario pouted but nodded, pulling Elias toward their room. As soon as they got inside, Elias burst into laughter, tears in his eyes.

"You two are crazy," he said, wiping his face. "Standing up for me like that? I can’t believe it."

The twins exchanged looks, whispering. "Is he going nuts?" Dante muttered.

"I guess that’s the consequence of being nice to him," Dario said, frowning.

Elias laughed harder, pulling them into a hug. Their cheeks flushed as he kissed their foreheads. "Thank you," he said, his voice soft. "But you didn’t have to do that. What if you two got into trouble,"

Dante grinned. "You’re our nanny. We’ve got your back."

"Yeah," Dario said. "But you aren’t going to tell us to go say sorry to Dad this time, are you?"

Elias shook his head, smiling. "Nope. You did what you felt was right. I’m on your side."

The twins beamed, but Dario pointed at Elias’s cheek. "Your face is messed up. She scratched you bad."

Elias touched his cheek, wincing at the blood.

"I’ll clean it. You guys change and start your homework. I’ll make dinner and bring it up."

"Sure! Take your time, Nanny!" They waved their hands.

As soon as Elias left, Dario turned to Dante.

"You got it?" Dario asked.

"Yeah," Dante said, holding Elias’s phone. "There’s no way I wouldn’t take it from him. There’s definitely something up with him and that guy."

"Open it. Let’s see..."

The phone suddenly vibrated in their hands, and Dante read the screen.

"It’s from Jace," he said, frowning.

"What did it say?" Dario asked.

"Uh... ’Thanks for today. I had fun. Let’s meet again tomorrow and go harder.’ What’s that mean?"

Dario shrugged. "Sounds weird. Did they fight or something?"

The two of them were concentrated on the phone that they didn’t notice a shadow looming behind them. Viktor snatched the phone, his face darkening as he read the message. His grip tightened around the phone and the screen cracked under his fingers.

"How dare that puny nanny of yours take you to see his boyfriend?" he growled, his voice low and dangerous.

The twins spun around, their eyes wide.

"Ehn?" they said in unison, confused.