Chapter 26 An Invitation to a Date by the Sea

Elena Garcia's POV:

She didn't even wait for me to answer. Just picked up her teacup and started chatting about all sorts of stuff. When she noticed me holding a novel, she got curious about my reading habits.

When I told her I read almost every day, she looked pretty shocked and skeptical. "Who taught you that? From what I know about your past, it doesn't seem like the kind of place where you'd pick up a book every day."

"It was my foster mom, Rosa. She always said a bad environment isn't an excuse to let yourself go. She wanted me to get out of that mess."

"But when I came to get you, the bodyguard heard from the casino that you had no family."

To keep things clean, the casino manager didn't spill too much about me to Isabella. My foster dad was also in the casino's grip, and no one knew what happened to him. So, technically, the manager was right—I had no family then.

Isabella hadn't really asked about my past since I got back, but now she seemed a bit interested.

That made me happy. Curiosity can bring people closer, whether as lovers, friends, or family.

But it also made me a bit sad.

I tried to sound casual. "Yeah, she passed away."

"I'm really sorry." Isabella awkwardly sipped her tea.

I told her it was okay.

I hoped she'd ask more about my past so she could understand the crap I'd been through.

Maybe it was a bit low to seek sympathy like this, but I didn't care.

She was my mom, and she should know me.

But Isabella didn't seem ready for that. We weren't close enough for her to dig into my past.

After our tea, I left the garden.

Talking about the past with Isabella bummed me out. I was lost in thought and didn't notice someone walking towards me.

By the time I realized, it was too late, and I twisted my ankle.

As I fell, a pair of big hands caught me.

It was Marco.

He looked at me, frowning a bit. "What happened, Elena?"

Why was he asking like that?

I shook my head to say I was fine, but he still looked worried, which made me uncomfortable.

It felt like he knew me for a long time. Then it hit me—I had been missing something all along.

Before, when I ran to the garden because James and Isabella ignored me, and Marco scared me with his harsh words, I heard him mention my foster dad.

He knew Andrew and my past better than my own family.

"Who are you really, Marco?" I whispered.

Marco didn't hear me clearly. After helping me to a seat by the corridor, he knelt on one knee in front of me.

He put my hurt foot on his bent knee.

I felt a bit embarrassed and wanted to stop him, but his look said he wasn't stopping.

He probably didn't mean to threaten me, but his cold gaze made me shut up in fear.

Marco's hands were big and a bit cold. After he took off my shoe, his palm almost covered my whole foot.

Marco was so focused, he didn't notice my skirt had lifted to my thigh, making the whole thing look pretty suggestive.

He kept massaging my ankle and calf, asking if it hurt.

A tingling sensation spread where he touched, and my cheeks turned red.

This was bad!

But Marco was so serious, I couldn't find any proof he was doing it on purpose. When he looked at me with his hazel eyes, my whole body felt like it was on fire.

"Enough. I'm fine. I think my ankle's just a bit twisted. It's already feeling better." Embarrassment took over, and I quickly pulled my foot back and stood up.

Marco looked confused for a second, then I saw his ears turn red.

He stood up too and turned his head, trying to act like nothing happened.

We stood there in awkward silence until Albert walked over from the other end of the corridor. He waved. "Hope I'm not interrupting?"

He raised an eyebrow, clearly picking up on the weird vibe between Marco and me. He walked over and bumped Marco's shoulder. "I was just looking for you, Marco. Staying in the manor all day is boring. I invited a few pretty girls for a date. How about joining us at Santa Monica Beach in a couple of days?"

"I'm not interested."

"Don't be such a stick-in-the-mud. You need to loosen up." Albert looked at me. "What about you, Elena? Want to join us? Sofia's been bugging me to let her come along, and I'm struggling to find her a companion."

"Sofia wants to join you?" I was surprised. "Actually, I just made plans with a friend to go to Santa Monica Beach in a couple of days. We were thinking of inviting Sofia too."

Albert asked, "Your friend? A boyfriend?"

"No." I blushed again. "It's William, but he's not my boyfriend. We're just friends."

"Alright, just friends. In that case, why not invite your friend to join us? The Bianchi family has a private beach nearby. I'm sure generous Marco wouldn't mind lending it to us."

Marco looked puzzled, like he didn't know about the private beach Albert mentioned, but he nodded under Albert's gaze.

"Great, so to protect the family's private beach and those villas from turning into ruins while we have fun, Marco, you now have a reason to join us." With just a few words, Albert decided everything, making it impossible to refuse.

I sent the info to William, and luckily, he didn't decline.

We agreed on a time to head out.

I was super excited for my first swim. I even asked Albert if I should bring a shovel and a small bucket.

Albert just said, "Oh my god, you really are like a little girl going on her first outing. Just bring your sunscreen and wear your sexy bikini, that's enough."

"Don't listen to him, Elena. If you want to dig for shells, I can join you."

"You're spoiling Elena too much, Marco. She's my sister."

"So what?"

Albert let out a yell and started rolling on the couch, clearly done with dealing with Marco and me.

"I don't have a bikini. I don't have any swimwear. Will there be places selling swimwear by the beach?"

"There will be, Elena. If you're worried, you can buy what you need there." Sofia, standing beside, comforted me. "I guess you probably don't know how to swim either? William is a great swimmer; he can teach you."

"That would be too much trouble for William. I think I should prepare a float?" I didn't want to bother anyone.

Sofia ignored my struggle, turning to Marco. "Mr. Bianchi, are you interested in surfboards? Maybe we could discuss them?"

"No, I'm not." Marco refused her, then looked at me. "I'm not very good at swimming either. If you want to learn, Elena, maybe we can learn together."

His tone showed he was troubled. He hadn't refused Albert's invitation, but he did seem to want to go.

I was a bit surprised.

He seemed capable of everything, but he couldn't swim?

A secret sense of competition rose in my heart. "Maybe we can see who learns to swim faster?"

Marco smiled and nodded.