Chapter 22 Gabriel Fire him . I sit back in my seat , annoyed . You cant fire him , Alessio gasps as the boardroom falls silent . Watch me . I push my intercom . Greg , get Rodney Roberts up here , please . Yes , sir . Listen , I know this report is not great but he can improve on it , Im sure . Alessio fights his case . I agree with this , hes trying . We need to give him another chance , Victor chips in . Weve already given him another chance and he didnt come through , he can sponge on someone elses time and money , not mine , I snap . But … Why do you soft cocks always feel sorry for people , this isnt a fucking charity organization . If you dont perform , you dont get to keep your job , its as simple as that . He is at the top end of his game , he doesnt have the privilege to be lazy . My intercom buzzes . Yes , I answer . Rodney Roberts is off sick today , sir . Of course he is . Thank you . My eyes flick to Alessio , and he winces . The final nail in his coffin . Can I take your order ? the waitress asks . The Perfect Husbands Secret 26.8 % apter glance over to Serafina , my date . Cosa mangi ? ( What are you having ? ) Ill have what youre having . She smiles over at me . I stare over the table at her . Grow a backbone , for fucks sake . Ugh … A green salad and the lobster times two , please . I close the menu and hand it over to the waitress . Serafina is as beautiful as they come , tall , dark and with a body to die for , Italian to the bone , and nothing about her interests me in the slightest . I think Im broken . I subtly glance at my watch , two hours until I can get the hell out of here . Violet Laughter and screams sound through my house as I chase two naked toddlers around with nappies . To them , getting out of the bath and having me chase them around with clothes is the funniest thing ever , and I have to admit , even I love it . My babies are eighteen months old , the biggest blessing and the absolute loves of my life . Our home is filled with laughter and chaos but above all … so much love . Dominic is the oldest , he has dark wavy hair and olive skin with big brown eyes , hes a mini version of his father . Personality and all , hes feisty and short tempered , dominant and intelligent and the biggest mommys boy of all time . And then theres Lucia , we call her Lucy for short . Although she looks like her father , with her dark hair and big brown eyes , she couldnt be more different . Tiny compared to Dominic , shes calm and placid with the sweetest little nature . She idolizes her brother and has a quiet confidence about her . While Dominic wants to sit curled up on my lap , Lucy prefers to sit with Buddy on the couch , she doesnt want to sit on my lap , shes so independent . Come on , guys , we need to be on time today , I plead . Perfect Luchands Secret 27.0 % apter 22 Dominic squeals with laughter and runs into my bedroom and dives onto the bed as I chase him . Youre a little nudist , Dom . I tackle him and roll him over to hold him down . Stop Squirming . I put his nappy on as he laughs and tries to escape me . I try to act stern as I struggle to fight him . We dont have time for this today . Im not lying , we really dont . I go back to work next month , and today our new nanny arrives . Ive concocted up a plan and in my head it makes perfect sense , but in reality , I have no idea how its actually going to turn out . Deb and I have spent hours and hours discussing how the future is going to go down and one thing is strikingly clear : I need to prepare for the day they ask who their father is . I can lie to the world about artificial insemination , but I will never lie to them . When they ask … and they will , Ill tell them the truth . I need to prepare them the best of my ability , I need them to learn about Italian culture , speak the language and appreciate the difference between our heritages . Ive hired a young Italian nanny , she arrives today . Shes going to study teaching part time at the college and live here rent free with pay , in exchange for minding the kids while I work three days a week and teaching them how to speak Italian . They need to learn it along with English , now , in their formative years . And besides , it will kill two birds with one stone : I can go back to work and get a new roommate , the kids will benefit and she gets to live in America for a few years . Its a win win situation … I hope . We stand at the arrival terminal ; the children are sitting in their double stroller and are completely preoccupied with their muesli bars , their latest obsession , and Im about to into cardiac arrest . This is a terrible idea , what the hell was I thinking ? A stranger living in my house … she could be a serial killer or anything . Those references Could be completely doctored . I get a vision of how feral the twins can be and my temperature rises . What if shes a rincess , I cant deal with perfect princesses . The Perfect Husbands Secret 27.1 % ur life is chaotic , and Buddy our dog sleeps on the couch when he isnt supposed to and our house isnt always tidy and … I begin to feel sick to my stomach . What have I done ? My phone beeps a text . Just getting off the plane now Shes here . Ismile and nervously type back , Were at the arrival gate . Im the one with the double stroller . The people begin to walk down the ramp and I watch on with my heart in my throat . Look , here comes Maria , I tell them . Behave please , no tantrums today . They keep munching on their muesli bars , totally uninterested in anything I say . I see a young girl with dark hair , and she sees me and smiles and waves . Shes wearing a gray tracksuit and her long dark hair is up in a high ponytail . She bounces over . Violet ? Maria ? I smile awkwardly . Im so glad to be here . She laughs and pulls me into a hug . Thank you so much for picking me up . Shes normal . She bends down to lean into the stroller . And who are you ? This is Maria , I tell them This is Lucy and Dominic . Hello , cuties . She smiles . Dominic accidently drops his muesli bar on the ground and without missing a beat , Maria bends and picks it up with her bare hands . Oh , thats gross , sorry . Let me take that . o , Ive got it . She pulls a tissue out of her pocket and wraps the sloppy muesli bar up . The Perfect Husbands Secret 27.2 % Well get another one when we get home , she tells him . Lick your fingers . Dominic smiles up at her all awestruck and licks his fingers . And just like that everything falls into place . Suddenly , I know that this is going to be wonderful . That she is going to be wonderful and the world is officially saved . She gives me a big , friendly smile . Lets go home . I pull the car into the parking lot of the mechanics , damn it , this is a shit fight . I quickly give the car a neaten up and collect the receipts and coffee cups in the front console . Why does my car service always fall on the most chaotic of days ? Maria had a college assignment due this morning , so I was up helping her with that until late last night , and then this morning Dominic was running through the house and bumped his head . To top off , Buddy went out this morning and got completely covered in mud , came back through the doggy door and rubbed it all over the living room rug and couch as if it were a trophy . Ugh … Its been the morning from hell and I havent stopped running since the moment I woke up . I would have canceled the car service if it were not for one small detail . it Hey , you , a raspy voice calls from inside the office and I smile . ♡ ( 0 ) ( 0 ) Title: Assigned A Billionaire Husband By The Nation In CrushReel's ongoing romance novel, "Assigned A Billionaire Husband By The Nation," a young woman finds herself without a home after a heart-wrenching breakup with her boyfriend of four years. 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