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Elise
"You didn't know Elise? She's Brandon's girlfriend—at least until just a few moments ago. We just found out Brandon is engaged to another woman."
"Another woman? Gian, I don't..."
"The announcement was meant for tonight, right?" Gian asked to confirm without any pretense now of politeness in his flat question. "I mean, his engagement with the other girlfriend. Not that Elise wanted to marry him so that's okay. But it was still a big disappointment to me that he could be so duplicitous."
Elise heard the gasps of surprise and whispers coming from the guests on the grounds. Where we came from, I could hear Lisette crying and Brandon's voice talking to someone. When I heard the voice of the person he was talking to, I understood the nervousness in the young man's voice.
He had always feared his father.
But right now, Mrs. Schultz was scared of Gian.
"Elise... Elise?"
"Oh. Is there another Elise? Or am I to be
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Gian"It's just so belittling,” Elise continued to rant. “I really didn't expect to hear that from him. I told him about what happened to my mother, right? I mentioned it to him before. And that b-bastard acted like he c-cared. Turns out, it wasn't true."I sobered up. Yes, she did mention that a while back. She told Brandon about her German father to explain her mestiza appearance without revealing who the German was. I also know the story of Fritz von Schiller.Fritz was twenty-nine when he first set foot in the Philippines. He came here to take a break, have a big rest, after his first bout with cancer at the young age of twenty-nine. The Lehmann, Von Schiller, and Verrazzano families were friends and had business in Manila, so he chose to recuperate in the country. Fritz was close to Friedrich Lehmann, as they were both engineers. Friedrich was also friends with my dad, Angelico Verrazzano. My dad was close to Fritz's older broth
A Billionaire's Dirty Secrets (Secret Sins Club Book 1) 28
Gian"She caught me crying once. When she asked me why, I told her it was because I looked different. But I said, even if I looked different, as long as she was my mom, my dad was my dad, and Anna was my little sister, I didn't mind, because they didn't make me feel different. You know how our mothers' faces were like when you can't tell them anything but the truth and nothing but the truth so help me God? I couldn’t keep it anymore because I knew she already suspected something and she’d be angrier if I didn’t tell. I was hoping she'd just let them be. She would be burning bridges, and those were still our blood relatives. I didn't actually see what she did, but since then, our relatives have been very careful whenever we visit Calapan."It's not that she stopped being a relative. When I grew up, I understood what was really going on. Inay had money. She loved helping people out. She gave them work or lent them something for small businesses that she enjoyed helping them build up. And
A Billionaire's Dirty Secrets (Secret Sins Club Book 1) 29
Gian"You think I don't know? You always think I don't know anything.""I never—"She shook her head. "Men don't like naive girls. They want... those with experience. They want to be seduced. And... she knows exactly what to do. I mean... s-shee? Brandon... who's always proper. All Lishiete had to do was kneel, and he would let her do him right... there! Out-shide! Under the moonlight! Really? With his father in-sh-ide the house!”I suppressed the crazy laughter that wanted to burst out of my mouth. "Not all men are easily seduced," I corrected in a reasonable tone."Beep!" I feel a poke on the tip of my nose with her index finger. "Wrong answer!""What's wrong with that?" I asked, wanting to laugh hysterically now just because even drunk, she still found my nose."You've had so many friends with... benefits, you know. And according to Sheila, you've done sho much in bed that I can't even imagine. Imagine that?"I swallowed the crazy that wanted to escape my mouth. "You shouldn't beli
A Billionaire's Dirty Secrets (Secret Sins Club Book 1) 30
EliseMorning came when I woke up. I wasn't surprised to find that Gian was no longer beside me, but I grabbed the pillow where his head had rested and hugged it.He had stayed until almost morning. Before he left, he whispered that he needed to get up and go back to his room before his mother checked on me. I remember his touch on my cheek before I fell asleep again.As I slowly awakened, memories of the previous night started to come back. My drunkenness... the things I said...I opened my eyes, gazing at the rotating ceiling fan above the bed. Did I tell him I liked him? It felt like I did, but the details were hazy. Did I mean it in a simple way or something more?I slowly got up, feeling the ache in my entire body. I needed my medicine. My head throbbed, and I craved a cup of coffee. I needed a hot shower.I had to be ready when I face Gian again. And only because I couldn't hide fr
A Billionaire's Dirty Secrets (Secret Sins Club Book 1) Prelude IV and 31
Prelude IV“AYYY… wait, wait. Let’s stop. Stop…” The overweight woman stepped aside from the jogging trail in the woods and leaned against a tree. She wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her right hand before fanning herself. “Haaaay. Whose bright idea was it to come here? Why did I get dragged into this again?”Her jogging companion, a woman who had run ahead on the trail, jogged back with a grin. “Because you have a crush who only dates sexy women? C’mon, Betty. We’re almost done. Then you can have breakfast.”“Breakfast? My tongue’s already hanging out, Lorna. I don’t know if I can make it out!” Betty wailed, almost in tears.Lorna reached out and grabbed Betty's arm, trying to pull her along. But Betty was heavy, and Lorna momentarily lost her balance, bracing herself against the tree trunk. The two of them laughed.“You thought I was light, huh?” teased Betty.Lorna was about to respond but suddenly stopped. She crinkled her nose. “Why does it smell so bad? Like so
A Billionaire's Dirty Secrets (Secret Sins Club Book 1) 32
EliseAFTER A BURP and a sigh, I settled back in my chair, smiling. We had dinner on the balcony of the beach house that evening, at a long table filled with our favorite recipes cooked by Itay Jess. I was surrounded by soft conversation and laughter, and the atmosphere was relaxed. The smell of barbecue from the grill lingered in the air. The soft music of 2Cellos played from the speakers by the side of the house. The best part, though, was the steady white noise of waves lapping on the beach. I planned to get out there to walk or swim tonight, so I was wearing a bikini under my top and shorts.Right now, I felt so lazy.And happy.And without a care in the world.I heard the sound of a chair being pulled and looked up. Inay was standing up with the help of Itay Jess, who pulled her chair away from the table.“Look, guys. We need to scram.”Anna was all smiles. “Enjoy!”“Whe
A Billionaire's Dirty Secrets (Secret Sins Club Book 1) 33
EliseI GOT UP before Anna completely lost it. She was covering her entire face with her hands, feeling incredibly embarrassed that Gian heard what she said. She was also extremely thrilled.“It’s Valentine’s Day, so I brought flowers for two single, beautiful ladies I know are here. Here’s for you, Anna.”Anna quickly extended her right hand to take the flowers and chocolates, while still covering half her face with the other hand. “Thank you, Gian. Happy Valentine’s Day! Eeeeh!”Still screeching the longest screech ever, she turned and ran back to the beach house.Gian and I laughed while watching her, and Tootsie, who momentarily didn't know whether to follow or stay, eventually ran after her. Tootsie was, for all intents and purposes, really Anna’s dog.Then Gian turned to me. An awkward moment passed as he seemed unsure of what to say.“I thought you didn’t do Valentine’s?”He handed me a box with a long-stemmed rose and a ribbon-tied chocolate bar. “I don’t want you to be lonely
A Billionaire's Dirty Secrets (Secret Sins Club Book 1) 34
EliseI PUSHED AWAY from him to get up, but I heard him grunt, and then I realized that my elbows were sticking to his ribs. “Oh!” I adjusted my position. “Sorry.” And I started to get up again.But his arms tightened around me. He looked winded, but he was smiling. My heart pounded as warmth spread somewhere in the vicinity of my lower abdomen. “Gian…”“You do know that all that stupid play was to get you exactly where you are right now? Minus this small accident.”I laughed. “Really? You didn’t plan to bump into my head?”He sighed. “I know… I should have just kissed you the moment Anna left,” he said, then reached up and pulled me by the nape of my neck so our lips met.I responded to him right away. As soon as he felt my response, he groaned and kissed me deeper. His mouth opened, and the next moment I tasted the sweetness of the chocolate we had shared in our heated kiss.I felt warmth permeating my body. His arms released me but his mouth didn’t. He worked his jacket off, kissin
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