His Favoritism Was Never for Me

On the day I'm supposed to try on my wedding dress, Don Aldo Vitale gets the time wrong again. By the time he finally gets to the bridal boutique, I have already chosen my dress. Just like always, Aldo apologizes without thinking. "I've been really busy lately. I hope you understand." But over the past few years, Aldo's taken his childhood sweetheart and assistant, Isabella Berardi, to more than 100 cities for business. He's never forgotten a single flight, meeting, or business dinner. In contrast, Aldo's always forgetting things when it comes to me. I calmly hand the wedding dress back to the sales associate. "It's fine. My friend already helped me pick out a dress. No point in coming here for nothing." Aldo lets out a sigh of relief, but he still looks a little uneasy. After all, everyone knows me as his clingy girlfriend who can't live without him. In the past, I would have been clinging to him, sobbing and throwing a fit out of jealousy. Aldo holds me in his arms. "Babe, you're really starting to act like the perfect wife. I heard from the butler that you went on a trip. Where did you go?" "I went to Sirdon." I calmly pull away from him. "I went there while you were on the flight to Dubmont." Aldo freezes. One of the things Aldo promises is to take me to the City of Light when he first tells me he loves me. He's always saying he'll take me there when he gets the chance. Three years go by. Then four. Even after getting engaged, he keeps putting it off, always using work as an excuse. Then, Aldo takes Isabella to a new city for another business trip. I've been with Aldo for five years. I suddenly grow tired of waiting for him. If he can't keep the promises he's made to me, I'll fulfill them myself. Chapter 1 Celia's POV Silence hung in the air for a while. Aldo Vitale suddenly let out a chuckle. "Celia, since when did you get such a sense of humor?" Aldo refused to believe that I would actually fly to Sirdon on my own when I used to cling to him every chance I got. Ever since we got together, I had relied on him for everything. I was used to discussing everything with Aldo. It could be something as simple as which ring I should wear to a dinner party or something as important as whether I should accept a work assignment. Sometimes he was too busy to reply to messages, I would immediately drive to the winery to ask him for an explanation. Aldo stroked my hair and leaned in to kiss me, just like he always did. "My clingy little thing. I know you're upset. I'll take you to Sirdon for our honeymoon after we get married, okay?" As his lips were about to meet mine, I turned away. "Could you help me zip up my dress first?" Aldo froze. He finally noticed that I was wearing a simple long white dress today. "This doesn't suit you. I think you look better in dresses with a little more color." I put my jewelry back on. "I've been wearing the same style for so long. I'm getting a little bored of it. Can't I switch things up? "What's so surprising about that? Haven't you always told me to have a mind of my own?" Aldo seemed to have more to say, but all he could manage was, "I'm glad you like it." With that, he rose to his feet. "Come on. Let's go get dinner." But the moment he started driving, he got a call from Isabella Berardi. I had no idea what she had said to make his brows instantly furrow. "I'm so sorry. We need to pick Isabella up first. She's had way too much to drink, and she's alone now. It's way too dangerous." Without even waiting for my answer, Aldo started driving toward the bar. By the time we got there, we saw a drunk guy harassing Isabella. Without a second thought, Aldo dashed toward them and swung a fist at the guy. He then grabbed Isabella's hand and held her protectively in his arms. The moment Isabella spotted me, she hurriedly pulled away from his embrace. "I'm sorry. This is all my fault. "I was exhausted, so I thought I'd have a few drinks to unwind. If I'd known you were on a date, I wouldn't have…" Aldo cut her off, "Look at how drunk you are, and you're all alone too. How could I leave you like this?" With that, he hesitated for a moment and said, "Can you go for the candlelit dinner on your own? I need to get Isabella home safely." I nodded. Seeing that, Aldo was about to breathe a sigh of relief when Isabella started dry heaving. He looked at me, clearly torn. "Isabella gets carsick easily. Let her sit up front." His voice held a barely perceptible hint of nervousness, as though he was worried I might make a fuss then and there. I didn't respond and immediately moved to the back seat. Aldo glanced at me, surprise flashing across his face. On the way back to her house, they chatted about old family stories I knew nothing about. From time to time, their laughter would fill the car. I felt like an outsider who couldn't fit in with them. All I could do was put up with the lingering alcohol smell on Isabella and the nausea from being carsick. Just then, Isabella suddenly noticed the plush charm hanging from the rearview mirror and gasped in surprise. "Aldo, I can't believe you have this plush charm! I've always wanted one, but I'd have to make it myself. It's too much of a hassle." Aldo answered casually, "Well, you can always take mine." My head snapped up. I wanted to give Aldo a one-of-a-kind gift, so I followed online knitting tutorials over and over. I worked on making the matching pair of plush charms for an entire month before I was finally done. "Isabella," I said. Aldo looked like he had seen it coming. "Babe, don't take it so hard. It's just a charm. I'll make another one with you later." I ignored Aldo. Instead, I took off the matching charm from my bag and handed it to Isabella. Aldo froze and instinctively tried to stop me. "Hold up!" This time, it was my turn to reassure him. "If you're going to give her the charm, you might as well give her both. Why would you just give her one?" He couldn't help but glance at me through the rearview mirror several times. He looked like he had a lot to say but couldn't bring himself to say it. I deliberately turned away to look out the window. I had already given up on our relationship. What was the point of keeping that little charm? Chapter 2 Most of the time, Isabella was the reason Aldo and I fought. Our worst fight was when I found out he had lent her the signet ring that was supposed to be mine. It symbolized the status of the Donna, and now it was sitting on another woman's finger. Furious, I rushed up to Aldo, barely able to contain my anger, and confronted him. "Do you even remember who your fiancee is? I am! And now you're telling me nothing is going on between you and Isabella?" Aldo's brows furrowed as he snatched his phone from my hands. "In two days, Isabella's coming with me to the Vitaly family's territory to discuss business. "The ring is a sign of her identity. If she didn't wear it, she could be mistaken for someone else, and they'd hurt her. "Celia, can you find something else to do? Stop being so suspicious of me all the time. I'm really busy. I don't have time to deal with your petty little tantrums." With that, Aldo immediately ordered his butler to throw me out of his study. I stared at the closed door as tears spilled uncontrollably down my cheeks. When we first got together, he was always the one clinging to me and getting jealous of other men. Now that I had grown used to relying on him for everything, why did he find me so annoying? Aldo and I gave each other the cold shoulder for an entire week. He left home early and came home late every day. Sometimes, he didn't come home at all. The entire estate was so quiet. It felt like I was the only one there. The silent treatment was almost enough to make me break down. In the end, I was still the one who gave in first. I took the cufflinks I had picked out for Aldo and hurried over to the winery he frequented. As usual, I threw myself into his arms and apologized. Aldo held me tightly in his embrace, sounding helpless. "Can you stop getting upset with me over the little things? "You know Isabella and I have been close friends for years. You're the only one I love." In the past, after we made up, I would always be over the moon. But this time, I couldn't bring myself to feel even a little excited. A strange sense of calm washed over me. All I felt was numbness. On the third day after we reconciled, I happened to come across his schedule. Among his work notes were some personal comments. They were all from Isabella. She had written them when they went on a trip to Nusset, as he had to negotiate an acquisition of a winery. "The sunshine here is wonderful. The tan made me look a little healthier. I'm glad you got me a swimsuit in advance." There was another comment from Isabella, which she had sent while they were in Sirdon. "The macarons here are way too sweet. I can barely stomach them." Aldo had replied to her, "You insisted on taking a detour to try them. Stop complaining." The two of them went back and forth like that. There must have been hundreds of pages of their messages. It seemed endless. I stared at the screen. By the time I was done reading through everything, tears were already streaming down my face. I had dreamed of going to Sirdon for years, but Aldo had already been there with Isabella four times. After drying my tears, I booked the earliest flight available to Sirdon. I sat alone at a cafe along the Neins River, watching the sunset slowly cast its glow over the entire city. For the past five years, Aldo had promised to take me to Sirdon, yet it only took me a few hours to fulfill that promise myself. Once I was back in Lindaum, I agreed to the transfer the headquarters had offered me. I decided to go to New Ridge to work on my own collection. Viola Cuoco gave me a knowing look. "Didn't you say you'd be getting married soon? That's why you refused to go back then. What's going on? Did you just have a fight with the Don?" I shook my head. "I finally get it. My career is way more important." Viola seemed to understand what had happened and quickly processed my transfer. "I hope everything goes well for you in New Ridge." Chapter 3 Aldo and I knew each other better than anyone else. Going from being lovers to complete strangers was far from easy. However, things between us had come to an end. I decided to talk things through with Aldo and give our relationship a proper ending. It would be better for both of us. But the person in charge of the winery told me Aldo wasn't there today, and they had no idea where he was. Just then, Isabella came out from the wine cellar. The moment she saw me, she explained with a smile, "Don Vitale is discussing business with a family in Wimare. There are too many eyes and ears around over there. "It wouldn't be a good idea for you to meet him there. Luckily, my place isn't far from here. Why don't you come over for a while?" Isabella didn't give me a chance to refuse. She took my arm and ushered me into her car. She told me that she had bought a place near the port so she could keep an eye on the shipments whenever necessary. The moment she opened the door, I saw a man's coat hanging by the entrance. I knew it all too well. I froze on the spot. Just as I was about to tell myself that it was just a coincidence, I spotted the silver cufflinks I had given Aldo a few days ago lying on a tray. He had left the gift I had given him as an apology in another woman's home. As I thought about all those sleepless nights when I had cried myself to sleep, I felt like a pathetic lovesick fool. Isabella followed my gaze and spoke first, saying, "Celia, don't get the wrong idea. Don Vitale only stays here for a few days each month because it's easier for him to handle business here." I blinked, forcing back my tears. The matching slippers on the floor, the silver-cased lighter on the table, which Aldo had used for many years… His presence was everywhere in this house. "Don Vitale always told me that your presents look nice, but he hardly ever uses them. They just end up collecting dust." Isabella paused, her smile becoming more knowing. "Don Vitale's always on the move, so he prefers things that are actually useful. "He really loved the gun I got for him back then. He takes it with him everywhere he goes. Celia, if you really want to win Don Vitale over, I can show you what he actually likes. I guarantee he'll love them." With that, Isabella seemed to remember something else. "Oh, right. Do you remember the last time you and Don Vitale fought? I was the one who convinced him to go home. "Men fear a woman's tears the most. But if you do it too often, they eventually find it annoying. When I told him it was just a sign of how much you loved him, he went to the winery the next day just to wait for you." As I tossed and turned night after night, crying over Aldo because I was so desperate to make things right with him, he had another woman comforting him. And the moment I entered Isabella's house, I realized there was only one bedroom. My stomach churned. Just then, I heard the door open. "Isabella, do you know where the shipment handover form is? I remember you were the one who put it away." Aldo looked down as he changed his shoes. He went about it as if he were in his own home. The moment he got up, his eyes met mine. Chapter 4 Aldo went deathly pale. "Celia, hear me out." He immediately grabbed me by the wrist. "Our estate is way too far from the port. By the time I wrap up the deal, it's already late at night. "That's why I'd stay here to go over the accounts and get some rest. Nothing's going on between Isabella and me. I'm serious. "It was my second-in-command who bought all the household items. I didn't think he'd buy matching sets. I only found out when they were delivered." Seeing that I remained completely unmoved, Aldo grew more frustrated. "The point is, you're way too clingy and sensitive about everything. Being around you is really exhausting. "Isabella and I are just friends. It's up to you whether you believe me or not. Celia, we might be lovers, but we still need our personal space. You can't just blame everything on me. "Tell you what. Let's compromise. I'll have someone come by tomorrow and pick up all my belongings, okay?" The noise slowly faded into the background. Aldo grew nervous under my stare. He gulped as he tentatively called my name. A moment later, I pulled my wrist from his grip and calmly nodded, saying, "Do what you think is best." Aldo never imagined that I would forgive him just like that. No tears or tantrums. "What… What did you just say?" I explained, "Isabella's your assistant. It makes sense that you two often work together. I'm sure there's nothing going on between you two." Aldo was so stunned he couldn't even speak. For once, he came after me, saying, "You're really not upset that I was alone with another woman?" "Haven't you always told me that you're doing all this for the family business?" Aldo gaped. "But back then, you always…" Irritated, I immediately said, "My cab has arrived." and then walked out of the house. After all the times I had tried to make him happy and waited for him, I had almost forgotten that a relationship was supposed to be equal. Either of us could end things whenever he wanted. There was no point clinging to each other. I had no intention of wasting another second on Aldo before leaving Lindaum. In the days that followed, I did exactly what Aldo used to do. I spent most of my time away from home, and whenever I came back, I would sleep in the guest room. "My parents are coming over to the estate tonight to discuss our wedding. Haven't you always wanted a grand wedding? I'll go pick you up now." "How long are you going to keep punishing me by avoiding me? I knew your so-called forgiveness was just an act. You never believed me in the first place!" "Celia, let me remind you. My father was the previous Don. He hates women who are weak and loves throwing tantrums over everything. If you don't change, I can't guarantee that he'll still accept you as my Donna." I was at the airport, checking in for my flight, when I saw Aldo's messages, but I chose to ignore them. Aldo smiled when he saw that I hadn't replied to his messages. The way I was ignoring him somehow put him at ease. To him, that only proved that I was still the same possessive Celia. Aldo arrived at the studio and took out a diamond necklace he had just had custom-made. He could practically imagine how excited I would be when I opened the box. In the past, after we argued, he didn't even have to do anything to win me back. I would eventually come around and apologize to him. This time, he had gone out of his way to get me a present. He was even planning to tell me that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me. He knew I would definitely throw myself into his arms, sobbing as I forgave him. Aldo entered the studio. "Hello. I'm here to see Celia." The receptionist was slightly puzzled and asked again just to be sure she heard him right. "But Celia agreed to a transfer from headquarters a few days ago. Are you sure you're looking for the right person?"