Chapter 350 - Bella is Mine

The day of Stefano's birthday had finally come and just like what Andrea instructed, Hanxi went to the bank to take out Five Million Dollars worth of cash. What surprised him was that there was another content inside one of the briefcases the bank manager handed. 

The manager merely said, "Mr. Davies said this was for you. He had it coursed through our bank."

He saw a big Chinese red envelope with a label;  Happy Birthday Mr. Ricci . He wanted to open it but it was sealed completely. When he called Andrea to ask what it contained, she merely said, "It's a surprise! Haha!"

"But I already bought a gift for Mr. Ricci. I bought him a Rolex," said Hanxi. 

"Not bad, bro! But I assure you he'll like this one too. Just tell him, both are your gifts. Good luck tonight! Love you, bro!"

Isabella's father no longer held big parties after his daughter's kidnapping. His succeeding birthday celebrations were done at home, gathering only close friends and relatives. There were only very few who knew about what happened to Isabella. This was because she preferred it that way. Until now, she was ashamed of how she was violated. 

Only those that were invited to the party knew about Isabella's abduction, which resulted in having Matteo. 

The event was set in the garden of Stefano Ricci's magnificent home where two long tables were made to accommodate roughly thirty people. The area was lighted enough to have perfect visibility, and the mood was set with classical music. 

Hanxi and Isabella were getting changed in her room. Matteo was the first they had dressed up and was already downstairs talking to his distant cousins.

For two days, he had been staying with the Riccis and sleeping in his girlfriend's room. He was uncomfortable with it, but Isabella had her ways of convincing her parents. She was their only daughter after all and they cherished her the most. They also gave the same attention to Matteo.

Both mother and daughter joined forces to get Hanxi to stay with them. They both equally loved Hanxi. 

"How do I look?" Asked Hanxi as he fixed his tie. 

Isabella pursed her lips before coming closer to him. He wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer for a kiss.

Breaking off from the kiss, she said, "You are so handsome. I'm the luckiest girl in the world."

He could not help but beam at her response. He pulled her even closer and placed a hand behind her neck. They kissed passionately for minutes. When he ended their smooching, he said, "No, I am the lucky guy."

"Thank you for staying with me, Hanxi. I love you," Isabella said. She hugged him again and savored his scent before adding, "I love you so much."

Hanxi merely smiled. He had observed Isabelle had been saying those words too often as of recently. He caressed her cheeks saying, "You are making things difficult for me. You realize I am going home after a week."

She pouted her lips before saying, "Why does it feel like I'm more in love with you."

Her statement made him chuckle and blush at the same time. He said, "You know that I love you too. Now, we better go. You are turning me on. Let's not make that mistake of disappointing your father."

"Is it so bad that I turn you on?" Complained Isabella as she remained pressing herself against him. 

He just kept chuckling but after a second he whispered to her ear, "Let's go on a date on Monday when Matteo is at school."

Hanxi did feel Isabella was very into him. He would cherish her love, but for now, he was not fully ready to give up his life in China. Still, he planned on showing Isabella he loved her too, the best way he can. 

Isabella and Hanxi walked to the gardens together. She introduced Hanxi first to her one and only favorite uncle, Salvatore Ricci and her aunt, Eleonor Ricci. 

They have heard about Isabella finally getting into a relationship. Salvatore and Eleonor were surprised and relieved at the same time, knowing their niece had moved on. However, they knew nothing about the boy in front of them.

It was inevitable that Hanxi received interviews here and there. He answered them with all honestly but with very little details about his adoptive family. 

Isabella then introduced Hanxi to her cousins and relatives from her mother's side. For every person he met, he was asked just about the same thing, but he patiently answered them with a smile. 

Soon Federico and Silvia Lombardi arrived with their son, Manuel Lombardi. Isabella did not want to have any interaction with Manuel, especially since Hanxi was around.

Manuel had been pursuing her since she could remember. There was a time that she would have considered him as a lover, but after her kidnapping incident, she had long distanced herself with men. 

Hanxi was not just an aid to her healing, but he also came just in time when she had started to come out again from her closet. To Isabella, Hanxi was also more caring, sweet and definitely a gentleman. Furthermore, he was also very good to Matteo. That, overall, made her fall in love with him. His handsome face and sexiness was just a bonus or so she'd tell herself. 

As much as she wanted to avoid Manuel, he sat next to her uncle's side. Naturally, his parents followed. They were literally a few seats away from each other. 

Mr. and Mrs. Lombardi greeted Isabella, and she responded politely. It was unavoidable for them not to notice Hanxi so she introduced him saying, "Aunt and uncle, this is Hanxi, my boyfriend."

"Ah, yes. We have heard from Alice. It is really true that you have a boyfriend," said Silvia. 

"Nice to meet you, Hanxi. My name is Manuel, I am a long-time friend of Bella." He then turned to Isabella saying, "It really hurt me that you never mentioned him to me."

She blinked a few times before answering, "We weren't in touch for the most part, but now you know him."

Hanxi stood up to shake their hands saying, "It's nice to meet you. My name is Xio Hanxi."

Manuel saw that Matteo sat in between Isabella and Hanxi. He noticed that the little boy often pulled down Hanxi and whispered to his ear. His eyes squinted at the boy who ruined his chances of being with Isabella. Now, it looked like Hanxi may have already won his heart. 

He wondered how this had happened. He had given clear instructions to Alice to make Isabella distance herself from this boy. Alice had implied to Isabella that she was better off healing without seeing the boy. However, the next thing he heard, she had accepted him. 

'Xio Hanxi. Just wait until I show your true colors to this family. I will make sure you are humiliated tonight that Bella will not look your way again,' Manuel said in silence. 'It's time to get back what is rightfully mine. Bella is mine.'

Manuel looked at the time and turned to pathway finding his sister coming their way. He told himself, "Perfect. Just in time."