OllieHours later..."What do you guys think, pantsuit or jumpsuit?" I ask my children, holding the clothing options up to my body. In response, I receive two smiles with tiny teeth, and I smile back. "Pantsuit it is then. Today is Mommy's second day at the company. It's not so bad after all. What do you think, hair down or up?" Liam responds by making a funny noise with his mouth, but Levi looks at me curiously."Is Mommy pestering you again?" Victoria barges into our room, and the boys greet her with excitement. "In my opinion, you look beautiful with your hair down." She winks at me and takes the boys out of the crib, leaving the room shortly after."Hair up it is then," I say, going against my friend's suggestion and pulling my hair into a tight bun at the back of my head. I give a brief glance in the mirror and like what I see.Minutes later, I toss my phone into my bag, along with my wallet and a lipstick, to leave my room. With this new routine, I decided to wake up earlier to
Athos"I think I found something here, Mr. Mazza!" Marli, our Senior lawyer says, holding up a paper and waving it in front of my eyes. I confess I'm hoping this one has something useful. It's already quite late, and we're all tired. Anxiously, I move closer to her and take the paper from her hand, breaking into a victorious smile."Yes!" I exclaim, and my employee smiles. "You're all dismissed, and don't worry, at the end of the month, everyone will have the well-deserved reward for these exhausting hours, but it's you who won the prize, my dear Marli." Her smile widens, and I eagerly kiss the paper. It doesn't take long for my employees to start leaving the company, and I decide to return to my office. I need to review everything we found and formulate an irrefutable defense. "We did it!" I say, not taking my eyes off the document as I settle into my chair. "I'll have my driver take you home, Miss Martin," I say, focusing on the document.However, since my secretary doesn't respond,
OllieHis hands held firmly on each side of my face, and before I could form a coherent thought, his mouth claimed mine. His tongue invaded my mouth, and his taste spread across my palate. For a moment, I'm engulfed by the intensity of this man, not even having the sense to fight against his sudden attack, to push him away from me. However, when the kiss came to an end, we stared at each other, panting. I, completely stunned, and he... angry? At what? At me?"You can go, Martin!" His dry, rude tone left me clouded. What was all that about? Why is he acting as if I'm to blame for what just happened? "Go now!" Athos ordered, starting the car's engine. Furious, I stormed out, slamming the door hard, and hurried inside the house."You idiot, imbecile!" I growl furiously at myself, leaning against the wood behind me and staring at the ceiling for a moment. My body is boiling with anger, hatred, and driven by my own disappointment, I head to my room.My shoulders sag relaxedly when I find m
Athos"Speak, Athos?""Are you very busy right now?""Actually, I'm heading to the airport. Is everything okay?""It's...""I didn't feel very reassured, my friend. Is Artemis okay?""I kissed my secretary," I blurt out, ignoring his question, and then sigh deeply."Damn, where are you now?""Driving. I'm heading to the company.""Great, I'll meet you there.""What about the trip?""You need me, my friend, and I need to know more about the story behind that kiss." With a deep breath, I end the call and minutes later, I park my car in the company's private garage. However, instead of going straight to the office as I said, I head to a restaurant inside the building. I send a message to Romão informing him of my location and wonder why I told him about the kiss.But the real question is, why did I kiss her like that?Agonized with my thoughts, I reach behind my head and massage my neck."Will you be placing your order now, Mr. Mazza?""A strong, sugar-free coffee, please!""Of course."
Ollie"Damn, my purse! Can you please turn back?" I ask the driver, who returns without hesitation. "I'll be back soon!" I announce, quickly getting out of the car and hurrying back to the office. I head straight to the storage room where I'm sure I left my purse. A message notification makes me glance at my phone, and I smile at the picture of my babies smiling back at me.... Mom, we miss you! When are you coming home?The message follows, and my smile widens. I consider replying when a loud noise makes me stop abruptly, tense. Carefully, I exit the room to look for whoever it might be. A thief? My heart trembles at the thought. However, I open my agenda to find the police contact as I venture down the long corridor, but all my fears dissipate when I see him. Athos Mazza stands with his back to me, his entire body shaking with the sobs of violent crying. Silently, I tuck the phone into my pants pocket and enter his office quietly. I contemplate touching him and wonder why he's like
OllieThe day is already bright outside, and I can't even manage to close my eyes. Right now, I'm lying in my bed, and there's this silly smile that keeps creeping onto my lips, making me chastise myself for it now and then."Don't go, don't leave me alone."That plea still tugs at me. Somehow, my boss seemed vulnerable and needy at that moment. And I stayed, at least until he fell asleep, then slipped away quietly and returned home. My poor heart is still pounding fiercely in my chest, and it's been hours. For some reason, I can't calm my emotions. On one hand, I'm afraid. Afraid that he'll discover who I really am and through that, uncover my secret. I can't forget who Athos Mazza is. A ruthless businessman with knowledge of rights. A cruel lawyer who has never lost a case, but mainly, a man with a cold heart who doesn't care about the feelings of those around him. But on the other hand, he showed himself to be the same gentleman I met a year ago. Smiling, light, sensual, engaging.
Ollie"I can't believe I managed to be late like this on the first day of the week!" I grumble, annoyed, waiting for the elevator doors to open for me. "I knew I shouldn't have stayed up late like that. Heavens, the boss from hell is going to chew me out for this." The doors finally open, but contrary to what I usually see here, the employees seem quite relaxed; as they work, they laugh and chat as if this work environment were the most normal thing in the world.However, I don't have time for questions and curiosity, so I immediately head to the pantry to prepare my boss's coffee. And, of course, to receive his shouts and reprimands as a consolation prize. "Come on, dear, every minute is a step closer to the gallows!" I grumble to the poor coffee maker, which especially today seems slower."Good morning, Olivia!" Barbara says, somewhat casually as she enters the room."Hello! Good morning, Barbara!" I watch her take an empty cup to the sink, and then she turns, opening a friendly smi
Ollie"Let me guess, you're the new nurse he hired to torment my days, right? But guess what, I'm not taking any damn medication!" I mumble, unsure of what to say. However, I divert my eyes from the man and look around. Everything is out of place, and there's a lot of broken stuff scattered on the floor. "Not gonna say anything? Cat got your tongue, by any chance?" I take a deep breath and muster up some courage."M... my name is... Olivia.""Olivia?" I nod."Olivia Martin. And no, I'm not the new nurse.""In that case, what are you doing here, Olivia Martin? Did Athos send you here?""That ogre?" I audibly scoff. He arches his eyebrows at me. "No, he doesn't know I'm here. In fact, I'm hiding from him." He seems intrigued now."Why?" I shrug and try to relax a bit."You know, when he starts yelling like a maniac, there's no stopping him." A laugh escapes his throat, and I feel like he's finally relaxing too. "Can I ask you something?""You want to know why I was screaming like a madm
AthosA few weeks later..."It's time to find out who's hiding in the belly of my beloved wife, my friend," I say, full of anticipation, rising from the chair in my home office after giving some love advice to my friend, who now seems more upbeat.The truth is, I'm eager to find out if we're expecting another little boy, and then we'll have a great team here at home to make our messes. With Levi and Liam taking their first steps and discovering their surroundings, I've been quite distracted when I'm out of the office, and they always give me reasons to smile every day."I hope it's a little girl to play with mine in the near future, of course," I snap out of my reverie when Romão speaks, stopping right next to me.He can't be serious. Really, Romão Nunes has no idea what he's getting into.I think after a brief debate that I interrupt to go meet my beautiful pregnant wife, who at this very moment is engaged in lively conversation with Victória and her mother.A gender reveal. She said
Ollie"Are you nervous?" Dad asks as the doors open and a wedding march begins. However, I'm speechless. It's hard to hiss anything when my eyes roam fascinated by every harmonious detail of a delicate and captivating decoration.The arches of roses and baby's breath lead me straight to an improvised altar, a carpet of white petals standing out on the green grass, rows of chairs with natural wood tones forming a narrow and elegant aisle, and right up front is my future husband waiting for me."Actually, I'm happy," I finally respond, flashing a wide smile when I see the shocked expression Kim makes as she sees me entering with our father, and to my surprise, Mom is holding Liam in her arms. I take a deep breath to hold back the new tears that want to form."I dreamed of this moment, daughter, but I didn't imagine it would be so magical," Dad says. It's because at this moment there is love and not an obligation. I wanted to answer him, but everything is so perfect that I didn't want to
Athos... Don't rush to leave this bathtub, my love, I'll wait for you as long as necessary.I take a deep breath, confessing that I'm becoming increasingly curious, but I do exactly as he asked. I spend long minutes relaxing, and when I finally return to the room, I'm surprised again. The room is tidy and filled with beautiful bouquets of flowers, but it's the huge white box on the bed that catches my attention."Athos, are you there?" I call out again, but I'm alone here. Once again driven by my curiosity, I walk over to the box, untie the large beige bow, and push aside the tissue papers, revealing a beautiful white dress. An emotional smile spreads across my face, and after taking the garment out, I find a pair of shoes, a bouquet, and a small velvet box with a beautiful delicate set of bracelet and necklace with the infinity symbol adorned with tiny sparkling stones.... Look beautiful for our moment, my dear. Our children and I will be waiting for you in the garden."Oh my God,
Ollie"I've got good news for you, sis-in-law!" Artemis enters the hospital room with an excitement that makes me smile. "The doctor is going to discharge you in a few minutes, so get ready to head back home.""Oh, that's great! I can't stand lying on this bed any longer!" I grumble, receiving his warm kiss on my cheek. "Where is everyone?""They went ahead, and Athos is talking to your obstetrician." I furrow my brows."My obstetrician? I didn't even know I had one.""Get ready because if Athos was already suffocating, he's going to get worse." I laugh."That's impossible.""Nothing's impossible, sis-in-law. At least not for the mighty Mr. Mazza." A knock on the door interrupts our pleasant conversation, and Aphrodite Duran appears in my line of sight, sucking out any cheerfulness. I take a deep breath, and Artemis looks at the girl intrigued."Hey, Ollie!""Aphrodite.""Can we talk for a moment?""Oh, sure! Artemis, could you...""Sure, I'll be in the corridor if you need me." I nod
Ollie"Good morning, my love! How is my sweet princess this morning?" He says as he enters, but this time I remain silent and still on the bed. "Olivia, you haven't eaten anything!" He complains. "You'll get sick like this, dear." I stay silent and unmoving. "You know this childish behavior of yours won't help you in any way, don't you?" I huff in my thoughts, but something crosses my mind. I need to play along with his game. I need to gain his trust and maybe I can finally escape this place.I take a deep breath.But where will I go? I'm weak and trembling, and this urge to vomit is making my stomach ache."This time I think you'll like it. I brought some caramelized croissants and they're still warm." My mouth waters just imagining the sweet pastry melting in my mouth. So, I force myself to sit up in bed and gaze at the package in his hand. A smile spreads across his face as Edie sits next to me on the bed. "I have news." He hands me the package, and eagerly I open it, inhaling the
Athos"Only if you want them to" I whisper. Then she turns her face towards me and I meet her perverted, sparkling gaze, which makes me smile. I take her mouth again in a completely hungry kiss, while I busy myself unzipping the side of her dress. In the act, Olivia lowers her arms so that the garment slides down her body until it forms a black circle around her feet. Then I feel the warmth of her skin in the palm of my hand and start spreading burning kisses all over her back, slowly descending until I'm facing her ass, which is covered in equally black panties, so small that it's impossible to cover them. "How delicious!" I growl, slapping her globe and she moans again. "Do you want to play with me?"- I ask her, feeling my voice gradually become hoarse."Yes!" She replies, almost breathless."Great, darling! Pretend I'm your king, and you'll do everything as I say, without questioning me," I explain our game while caressing her buttocks, wishing to possess her right here, standing a
Athos...Where are you guys?I send a message to my brother and anxiously await his response....We're already at the club as we agreed....Tell me you managed to get her out of the house?...Definitely, but she's not having much fun....Okay, I've sorted everything out here. I'm on my way there now.I confess it wasn't easy to juggle three days of out-of-state conference with a surprise birthday party for Olivia. So I've been torn between lengthy extraordinary meetings and long phone calls to convey the details of what I really wanted for this day, and I still had to give her attention from a distance. So, now I'm right here in front of the club to take her to this moment, which will surely be etched in her memory....I'm here, where are you guys?I send another message to my brother, but this time I don't get a response. However, I decide to plunge into the midst of the lively crowd and look for them. I confess my heart is racing inside my chest just at the thought that in a few sec
Ollie"Are you okay?" Athos asks softly, holding my hand as the car stops in front of my old house.The once accusatory and curious gazes now seem astonished. It's as if the entire neighborhood had been drawn to watch me step out of this vehicle. And I understand. Everyone here expected my defeat, for me to return home crawling and begging for forgiveness from my parents, but that's not what happened. Stepping onto the concrete ground with my high heels and displaying a posture as elegant as the clothes I'm wearing now caused a stir among them. However, I take a deep breath and look at the facade of the house, gathering courage to go inside."Do you want me to come in with you?" He asks, but all I can manage is a nod as my fingers tighten around his hand. It was so easy the other time. I think. There was a mix of anger and anxiety fueling all the adrenaline within me, but now I feel like I'm suffocating just thinking about stepping inside again."Mom!" Kim speaks with emotion, hugging
Ollie"Hi!" I say somewhat hesitantly as I approach my sister in the garden. "Anne, could you leave us alone for a bit?" I ask my friend who was comforting my sister. She gives me a closed-mouth smile."Of course, dear!" Anne steps away, and I observe Kim's sulky expression. However, she avoids looking at me, and with a heavy sigh, I sit next to her on the edge of a fountain."Kim...""Look, if you came to talk about that idiot Artemis, don't bother! I'm tired of hearing about how poor he's suffering and how he needs patience, love, and care. We didn't have an easy life either, and I don't go around mistreating people because of it.""Wow, I've never seen you like this before!""He manages to bring out the worst in me, Ollie. It's annoying, suffocating, and it makes me angry to be around him!" She huffs, and I... well, I don't know what to say."Anyway, I didn't come to talk about Artemis.""Then what?" Kim asks, interested."Mom called.""When?""Just now.""What did she want?""It's