Chapter 36 Trapped In Snow

Mia was in a hurry, fearing that if Alessandro stayed any longer, he and Alexander would fall into a rift. Without changing her dress, she threw on a long red overcoat, gathered her belongings, and packed her suitcase and bags. She exited the suite, only to find Alessandro waiting for her outside the room. He glanced at her briefly before looking at her baggage and took it from her. "No, I can carry my luggage, Mr. Valentino," Mia murmured, but Alessandro acted as if he didn't hear her. He continued carrying her luggage until a hotel staff member hurried over and took the bags from the mafia king. They headed straight to the hotel parking lot and loaded the luggage into the trunk of a red Porsche Cayenne. Mia was shocked to see Alessandro driving alone with no one accompanying him. He never went anywhere without his driver and bodyguards. For a moment, she felt very annoyed at Alessandro's reckless move, but she pushed those feelings away. After all, why would she care about that man? As Alessandro began to slide into the driver's seat, Mia stopped him. "Mr. Valentino, let me drive this time," she offered. "Why will you drive when I am alive?" Alessandro's retort made her roll her eyes. Her Italian don husband had a huge male ego. "Your shoulder is hurt and still not healed," she reasoned with a casual shrug. "You've driven. all the way here. Now let me take the initiative, please." She tried to convince the mafia king, despite knowing he would likely refuse her pleas, valuing his pride more than anything.. "Okay!" To her surprise, Alessandro agreed and handed her the car keys. She was dumbfounded for a moment until Alessandro raised one of his thick, dark eyebrows. She took the keys hurriedly. Sitting behind the wheel, Mia removed her overcoat shivered and turned the heater to maximum. "D'accord, let's go!" she said, pressing on the gas. and threw it on the back seat. As the night grew darker and snowflakes began to swirl around them, they had gone a little farther when Mia faced challenges driving through the snowfall. Mia watched anxiously as the snow became heavier and the road increasingly covered in white. "Oh no, I've never driven in snowfall," Mia panicked. "You take a back seat and let me drive," Alessandro offered, his voice so low and dull that it drew Mia's quick attention. She was so focused on the road she didn't notice Alessandro had sprawled over the car seat, looking flushed. "Are you okay?" she asked, quickly pulling the car to the side of the road and removing her safety belt. She leaned over and touched Alessandro's head, jerking her hand away when she felt how blazing hot he was. "Oh, hell! You have a fever?!" she muttered. "How long have you been feeling bad and not told me?" She was annoyed by the stubborn mafia king. "I'm fine and can drive," Alessandro muttered, trying to remove his safety belt. "No, stay there," Mia snapped, opening the glove box and searching for the first aid kit. To her relief, it was there. She swiftly took it out and rummaged through its contents. Finally, she found the medicine. She took a water bottle and handed the pills to Alessandro. "Take it. You'll feel better," Mia instructed. "I'm fine, I don't need..." Alessandro trailed off, his voice weak. His temperature continued to rise. Mia didn't miss his shivering despite the heater and his warm suit coat. Mia reached out to the back seat, picked up her overcoat, and draped it over Alessandro. "We need to reach the city as soon as possible," she muttered, touching his forehead again. He was still warm, which made Mia worry. If she had known earlier, she would have insisted they stay at the hotel until Alessandro felt better. But now, on the highway with only forest around them, they wouldn't find any medical help or even a motel to stay the night. "Shit," Mia whispered to herself. This was going to be the most stressful and horrible night. The snow had covered the windshields and the car, with even the roads thickly layered due to the heavy snowfall. Mia pressed the button to start the car, but it didn't budge. She tried again and again, but each time the engine only stirred before turning off. Oh no! Now what? Mia bit her lips with worry, glancing at Alessandro and then back at the snow-covered road ahead. She looked at Alessandro, who sat there with his eyes closed. Maybe he had fallen asleep. Mia. sighed, looking at his calm face. Even when he was sick and flushed with fever, he to look irresistibly handsome. She knew she had to get out of the car, clear the snow, and try to start it again. They needed to get out of there before his condition worsened and his fever spiked. Swallowing and taking a deep breath in determination, she unlocked the car door and was about to open it when a strong hand pulled her back. "Where do you think you are going, baby?" Alessandro's voice, though weak, was firm. She looked into his bloodshot eyes in surprise. Before she could recover from her astonishment, he pulled her onto his lap.