Chapter 83 The Dangerous Heir of the Bianchi Family: Marco's Brothers

Elena Garcia's POV:

I eyed Albert cautiously, worried he might come at me after Isabella grilled him.

If he did, I'd probably snap back hard.

He knew Sofia was playing me and had it out for me, but he kept quiet.

Maybe he never saw me as family, and realizing that, it was tough not to be pissed.

But to my surprise, Albert didn't ask about what I told Isabella. Instead, he said, "You got dumped by that jerk William?"

"What?" I was taken aback for a second, then shot back, "No! Who told you that? I dumped that loser!"

I frowned, not getting why Albert's first words to me were like that.

Albert let out a sigh of relief, his face going back to normal with his usual cheeky grin. "Really? Then it's his loss. But his taste has always been trash. Ever since he went for Sofia, I've wondered if there's something wrong with his eyes."

Albert shrugged. "Maybe it's his brain that's messed up too."

Albert's attitude threw me off. I even thought Isabella hadn't grilled him about Sofia.

But as I kept walking towards Marco, Albert's next words shot down my guess. He said, "What you told Isabella drove her nuts. She called and chewed me out."

"I thought you didn't care, since you don't look mad at all." My heart tightened again.

Albert chuckled. "I really don't care. Elena, you did great. Isabella thinks I corrupted Sofia. How funny. You know, I just don't turn anyone down."

Albert didn't seem to care about Isabella's scolding at all. His reaction puzzled me, and I asked him, "Why aren't you mad?"

Albert laughed, "Elena, that's a weird question. Do you want me to be mad at you?"

I frowned. "Don't joke around, Albert. Why are you acting like it has nothing to do with you?"

Albert looked troubled for a moment. I continued, "I thought you didn't like me, but you seem to dislike everyone in the Garcia family even more. Why?"

Albert snorted, "Maybe because my parents love Sofia more. You know, after Isabella heard from you, she immediately believed Sofia and blamed me."

I shot back, "No, she blames you because of your playboy image, but that doesn't explain your attitude towards the rest of the Garcia family."

I was sure Albert was hiding something. Because of his attitude when he saw me, and his mockery of William, there was some concern for me in his words.

Thinking back on our interactions, I might even say he treated me better than the rest of the Garcia family.

But before this, I thought Albert didn't see me as family and wanted me out.

Albert sighed, looking at me with a complex expression, no longer playful. "Why do you want to know what I think, Elena?"

He reached out and ruffled my hair. "I don't want to tell you. If you knew, you'd regret it."

Why would I regret it? If Albert thought my questions were invading his privacy, he shouldn't say that to me.

Albert said somewhat seriously, "Trust me, Elena. You're happy with Marco, and that's enough. Don't let anything related to the Garcia family distract you. They don't deserve it, and neither do I."

I looked at Albert, still not ready to give up asking, but he didn't reply anymore. I couldn't force him to answer anything about the Garcia family, so I had to let it go.

"I'm sorry I can't help you pick out a dress myself." Marco kissed the corner of my mouth.

I blinked at him and whispered in his ear, "But maybe you'll get the chance to take it off yourself."

Marco's ears turned red before he headed to the charity gala.

After Marco left, Albert arranged for a professional styling studio to bring dresses and jewelry for me to choose from in the room.

I was so surprised that I had never experienced such a fancy dress selection process before.

Albert said to me, "There's plenty of time. They'll adjust the dress on-site based on how it looks on you."

While I was trying on dresses, Albert briefed me to watch out for Marco's two brothers at the charity gala.

One was more than ten years older than Marco, named Leonardo, and the other was about Marco's age, named Caesar.

"Before Marco came into the picture, Leonardo was always seen as the perfect heir to the family. He's the legitimate child and has been working with his dad since he was a kid."

I asked, curious, "Is he the most dangerous one?"

"No, Leonardo probably won't come after you." Albert motioned for me to try on another dress. From his expression, I guessed the pink dress I had on wasn't quite right for me.

Albert told the stylist, "Darker dresses suit her skin better, and they should hit mid-calf. Her calves are gorgeous; don't hide them."

After giving his two cents, Albert continued talking about Leonardo, "He was all about taking over the family business before he got married, but after tying the knot, his ambition started to fade. Since his wife got caught in a crossfire between the Bianchi family and another family two years ago and got hit by a stray bullet, he's been hitting the bottle hard and seems to have given up on the family business, which ticks off the rest of the family."

Albert added, "But he's still a threat. The name Leonardo means 'strong as a lion,' which shows his excellence. But we can't be sure he won't get back into the power struggle because of Marco."

Then I asked, "What about Caesar? With a name like his, isn't he more highly regarded?"

Albert replied, "Caesar is the child of a mistress. His original name wasn't Caesar, but he changed it after their dad died to show his ambition. He's very aggressive, quick-tempered, and won't hesitate to kill even family members who cross him."

Albert showed a hint of fear when talking about Caesar. He asked, "Has Marco told you about the time he was almost killed in public at his dad's ceremony?"

I almost screamed. Marco hadn't mentioned this. I stared in shock, my eyes wide open.

Albert pointed to his eyebrow. "Right here, the scar on Marco's eyebrow is from dodging that lunatic's attack."

Upon hearing that, I mentally regarded Caesar as the most serious threat.

After some time, the stylist picked out a dress for me. It was a black velvet short dress with a beautiful black shawl and long gloves.

When choosing jewelry, Albert picked a sapphire necklace, but there was no matching bracelet.

I thought of something and quickly asked Hanna to bring me the item from my bedside table. After Marco mentioned it last time, I immediately contacted the maid Lily at the Garcia Villa to mail it to me.

It was the bracelet Marco gave me. I thought Marco would be happy to see me wearing it.

After doing my hair and makeup, I got in the car with Albert and arrived at the charity gala.

It was held in a luxurious hotel. Outside the hotel, luxury cars lined up at the entrance, and attendants opened doors for them. After they got out, a bunch of reporters swarmed the entrance, snapping photos.

This was way more extravagant than the Garcia family's gala. I nervously held Albert's arm, stiffly getting out of the car.

"Just keep smiling, Elena." Albert gently squeezed my hand, looking composed, waving at the cameras.

I took a deep breath and smiled. Everything was going smoothly, but just as Albert and I were about to enter the hotel, we heard the sound of a car crash behind us.

A flashy sports car appeared, pushing aside the parked sedan at the entrance. The sedan's owner looked furious, but when Albert saw the guy getting out of the sports car, his face turned to fear.

It was a young man wearing sunglasses, acting all arrogant and rebellious.

After getting out of the car, he kicked his sports car a few times, then started cursing the sedan's owner for blocking his way.

The attendants tried to calm him down, but he slapped one aside.

"Let's get out of here quickly!" Albert, seeing the young man, tried to pull me away.

"Why? Who is that?" My question had barely left my mouth when I felt a strong grip on my other wrist.

The pain made me cry out, stopping in my tracks, and Albert stopped too.

Albert's face turned extremely livid. I had never seen him look like that.

The young man suddenly grabbed my wrist, licked his lips playfully, and then glanced provocatively at Albert. "Albert, why are you running away when you see me? Aren't you going to introduce this beauty beside you?"