“I have to lift you so Domenico can put the pillow on the chair so you’re taller, okay?”

Daniele gave a small nod. I grabbed him under the arms and raised him then quickly lowered him on the pillow. Now his head was level with the table.

I took the seat beside him. Sybil gave me a small thankful nod before she turned back to Simona, who refused to be spoon-fed.

“Eat,” I told my bodyguards before I scooped a bit of the casserole on my plate. “Do you want to share a plate with me?” I asked Daniele, holding out a fork to him. After a moment of consideration, he took it. I pierced a slice of sausage and stuffed it in my mouth. “It’s good. Try it.”

Daniele only poked the food with the fork. Soon Loulou hovered under the table, obviously hoping for scraps. Before I could stop him, Daniele threw a slice of sausage on the floor, which Loulou scarfed down at once.

“Daniele!” Sybil exclaimed, but I raised my palm.

Daniele jutted his chin out and one look at his eyes told me he was about to retreat into himself if I didn’t do something.

“If you want to feed Loulou, you have to eat too. How about this? For every bite you give her, you need to eat one in turn?”

Daniele considered that for a moment before he gave a quick nod then speared the smallest slice of sausage on the plate and pushed it into his mouth. He chewed and swallowed, then tossed another scrap down for Loulou.

Sybil sighed. “The master won’t like that. The dog isn’t supposed to be in the kitchen, much less get food from the table.”

It wasn’t ideal, but if this bargain got Daniele to eat, I’d take it until I could figure out why he acted the way he did and could fix it. I almost laughed. How was I supposed to fix traumatized children? A neglected dog?

By trying. That was all I could do, and I would try, because Simona, Daniele, and Loulou, and maybe even Cassio needed me.

After breakfast, Loulou, sated by more sausage and eggs than a small dog should have, curled up under the table to sleep. Domenico and Elia went ahead to prepare the cars for our shopping trip while Sybil was busy cleaning Loulou’s room, which wouldn’t serve as that from this day on. I wanted her to be part of this family.

I was left alone in the kitchen with Daniele, still perched on the pillow, now with the tablet on his lap, and Simona who squirmed in her high chair. These two kids were now mine to take care of. The weight of my responsibility sat squarely on my shoulders as I watched them. I didn’t feel like a mother. Would they ever accept me? Maybe I should lower my expectations and start by becoming their friend. That was the first step.

I approached Simona and smiled. She eyed me curiously. “Hello, Simona, I’m Giulia.” Some of the banana oatmeal she’d had for breakfast stuck to her cheek. I reached for a tea towel and wetted it with my spittle before I wiped at Simona’s skin. God, I was turning into my aunts. I’d always hated when they’d wiped at something with their own spittle. Now that was me. Simona squirmed but didn’t cry. I marked it down as a small victory.

“All done,” I declared. “Now we need to get you out of this chair and ready for a shopping trip.” I grabbed her under the arms, lifted her out of the chair, then balanced her on my hip like I’d seen other people do. Simona was silent, but her eyes had become big; she wasn’t convinced of me yet. For once, Daniele wasn’t looking at his screen. His intense look was fixed on me and Simona.

“You don’t have to be worried about your sister, Daniele. I’m going to take care of you two.”

Sybil sighed from the doorway. “They’re too young to understand everything you’re telling them. Maybe you should explain less. You’re the adult, and you don’t need to justify your actions to them.”

I frowned. It was obvious that she thought I was another child to take care of. I was young and inexperienced when children were concerned, but I was also supposed to be the new mistress of the house and a role model for these children. I had to put my foot down. “Thank you for your input, Sybil. But how we raise Daniele and Simona is only Cassio’s and my business.”

After a moment of stunned silence, Sybil gave a curt nod. “Of course.” Disapproval still oozed from her every pore, and I didn’t really blame her. It must be strange to have someone as young as myself as your boss.

“The breakfast casserole was absolutely delicious. Thank you for that,” I said as a peace offering. I didn’t want Sybil as my enemy. I needed all the help I could get.

Surprise crossed Sybil’s face. Then she nodded, and a hint of pride flickered in her eyes.

Simona on my hip, I held out my hand for Daniele. “Come, let’s go shopping. We’ll get you new shoes and cool shirts.” Daniele looked back down to his tablet.

Searching for a way to convince him, my eyes settled on Loulou, who slept under the table. “We’re going to buy new things for Loulou too. Don’t you want to help me choose the best toys for her?”

Daniele’s head shot up, and he hopped off the stool at once.

“The tablet has to stay here. You need to really pay attention so you can check out all the toys.”

Daniele hesitated, the tablet pressed to his chest. Then slowly he put it down on the chair and came toward me. Simona was tugging at my bangs curiously. Daniele didn’t take my hand, but he followed me out into the entrance hall where Elia was waiting for us.

“Do you need help?” He motioned at Simona.

“Actually, yes. I can’t put on my shoes and help Daniele with his jacket when I’m holding her.”

Elia smiled and came toward me. As he took Simona from me, his fingers brushed my hand. For some reason it didn’t feel like an accident. Simona began wailing the moment he held her, and even if her cries bothered me, I was secretly elated that she hadn’t cried while in my arms. I quickly got dressed and found a jacket for Daniele before we finally set out.

I was wedged between the two child seats in the back of the Cadillac while Elia and Domenico sat in the front. When I’d gone shopping in the past, it had taken two or three hours tops, but with two small children, things were very different. Eventually I gave up on having them try on the clothes and just held the pieces in front of them, hoping they’d fit. Despite the crying fits, it was enormous fun buying kids’ clothing. There were so many cute pieces that even my ovaries exploded. I couldn’t wait for Cassio to see them, even if I was a bit worried regarding his reaction to the cute overall dresses that I got for Simona. One of them had sunflower buttons.

For Daniele I got a few sweatshirts with big brother quotes which, when I told him what they said, made him smile a tiny bit.

Six hours, ten crying fits, three changed diapers (which proved to be extraordinarily tricky), and ten shopping bags later, we returned home. Both children had fallen asleep on the drive to the mansion and didn’t even wake when we carried them inside. Simona in my arms and Daniele in Elia’s.

After we’d brought them to bed, Elia followed me back downstairs. “You have a knack for kids.”

“Thank you,” I said. I still wasn’t entirely sure if he was being friendly… or more. Something was definitely off.

“Loulou!” I called. A scratching sounded behind the storage room door followed by barking. Sighing, I opened the door. Sybil must have locked her in again. It was already much later than I’d planned. Maybe Loulou had peed inside the house again. I needed to figure out a schedule that allowed me to take care of the children and Loulou. I let her out in the garden, Elia always by my side. I slanted him a curious look. “Have you been working for Cassio for long?”