CHARLOTTEI entered the room and let out a low whistle. The scene in front of me resembled a beautiful dream.“This is so beautiful.”“Thank you for your kind words about the suite, Ms…" the receptionist said as I walked slowly to the middle of the room and turned around to stare at the breathtaking décor.“Edwards," I replied, turning my eyes away from the decor to gaze out the window. The stunning California landscape greeted me, and a smile crept across my face. “This is the perfect way to begin my new life here.”She smiled at my response and assured me she’d ensure I had a great time in the hotel. I thanked her for her service and fully turned my attention to the room as she quietly closed the door behind her.I walked towards my luggage positioned in the corner of the room and placed it in the closet that had too much space than I could care to use. When I was done with that, I took one step back and sighed. “My life seems like a movie. I don’t know who’s in charge, but I need t
CHARLOTTEI had spent a few hours in the shack, and quite frankly, I didn’t want to leave. The food was great. The service was wonderful, and the general ambiance made me feel comfortable. However, as time passed, I knew it was time to go.I ordered takeout and exited the place, making a mental note to return the next evening. I was glad to find somewhere I liked and was happy to explore other restaurants and establishments, but I was so impressed with the service here that I was willing to make it a favorite.I stepped out and looked around for a taxi, but there was none in sight, so I decided to walk. I wasn’t sure which way to go to get back to the hotel, but I felt like that was part of the experience. If I took a cab everywhere, I wouldn’t learn how to navigate the city on foot.I considered going back in to ask for directions, but decided to follow the couple who had stepped out of the gym closely. I kept enough distance between us to ensure I didn’t come off as a weirdo, which
CHARLOTTEIt had been two weeks and five days since my arrival in Los Angeles, and I spent most of my days sitting at my new favorite spot at the beach, listening to the waves, and watching people come and go. It started as a form of relaxation but soon morphed into a weird sense of nostalgia, and something I couldn’t quite label.Watching couples surf together reminded me of all the things I wanted to do while Rogerio and I were together. Watching parents run around with their kids, whose happy laughter filled the air, made me feel like I had lost something. But I was determined not to let my past ruin my enjoyment of the present. So, I stayed put and focused on why I was there: to breathe, to find myself, and to ensure I was in a different headspace so I could aptly prepare for other experiences.I didn’t want to be the architect of my misfortunes anymore, and I knew it would take a conscious effort to get to that point. When I wasn’t sitting next to the sea, I walked through the st
ROGERIOYou’d think my problems would go away as quickly as I wished. Well, that would disprove the relationships beggars have with horses, wouldn’t it? My job, the upcoming wedding, my life in general; everything made me feel uncomfortable. Waking up meant I was saddled with the responsibility of living like a lab experiment, someone’s fun science project. Only, I wasn’t having any fun. The lab rats never do anyway.I disliked being here and perhaps taking the offer to be in charge of the family business was the worst decision I have ever made. On a personal scale at least, if I dared to look beyond my needs, I could understand why doing it was for the greater good. But how many of these greater good projects would I have to do before I can finally do something that I wanted?“Ironic, isn’t it? One would expect the richest billionaire in the city to be having the time of his life,” I said to myself and looked around the room.When my thoughts started to follow this path, it filled me
ROGERIO“Stop the car,” I said, and the driver slowed down, parking on the side of the road. I exhaled and looked out of the window for a few minutes. Elena’s response to my question hadn’t been satisfactory, and I didn’t trust her to handle anything regarding Charlotte with any grace.I didn’t particularly care how life treated my ex-wife, but I didn’t want to be part of the problem either. I groaned and sighed in frustration. If I couldn’t get a good answer out of Elena, I had to go to the estate to see what the entire charade was about. At least for Maria’s sake, she would be happy to see me trying to resolve the issue. I heard the engine of the car carrying the bodyguards as they caught up with us and stared at me through the glass, waiting for instructions.When I left the house this morning, I was heading for the office to finish any work left from the weekend and prepare for the meeting scheduled for later that afternoon, but right now, I felt like it was important to deviate f
ROGERIO“What do you mean she left? Are you saying that just to mess with me?” I asked, failing miserably to conceal my shock.“To what end? You’ve made a mess of everything already; there’s not much I can do in that regard, is there?” she replied, rolling her eyes and then closing them.I ran my hands through my hair and sighed. “Maria, I beg you, don’t play games with me. I don’t have time for that and I...” I uttered, but she clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth.“Some nerve you have to come here, wake me up just before dawn, and insinuate that I would waste my time going in circles with you,” she interrupted, shaking her head.“Why would she leave then? Where would she go? She has nowhere to go, no family...” I began to say, but Maria opened her eyes with a look of disgust crossing her face.“Was that why you let your family and everyone else treat her like crap? Because she has nowhere to go?” she sneered, and I swallowed, taken aback by her harsh tone.“Maria, that’s
ROGERIO“Maria!” I yelled as she exited the room. My thoughts were scattered all over the place, and I wasn’t sure what to make of everything she had said. Charlotte had never mentioned she was pregnant, nor had she shown any symptoms to indicate anything in that regard, but to be fair, I wasn’t always at home.On the days I managed to stay indoors, I spent most of my time in the study, making as minimal contact as possible with her. Yes, we had our intimate moments during the first few months of our marriage, and I could remember a few times I had come back home drunk and woken up in bed with her, barely remembering the details of the previous night. Surely that wasn’t enough to… “Maria!” I yelled again and followed her.She turned around, and we locked gazes as a look of disapproval crossed her features. “There are people asleep in this house, Signor. You’d do well not to wake them up,” she said in a stern tone.“And you’d do well to answer my questions,” I uttered, lowering my tone
Elena“Sally!” I yelled, hoping the sound of music coming from above the deck would let her hear me, but she hadn’t sprinted here in her usual fashion. I knew it was pointless to keep calling out to her. Sally was the personal assistant my father had employed to practically follow me around since I returned from what he called my foolish decision to run off.I had come up with a story to explain my disappearance a few weeks before my wedding with Rogerio, but I knew that even if everyone else believed my tale of woe, he didn’t buy it. He had questions about the inability of his private investigators to find my location. Still, my mother had warned him to stop questioning me, stating that I had just gone through a traumatic experience and didn’t need to be interrogated.I knew getting my family to get off my back would be easy as pie. My main problem was getting Rogerio to accept me, but even that proved easier than I envisioned, which surprised and terrified me in a way. During the fi
CHARLOTTEWhen I got home that evening, one of the guards was holding a box, which he handed to me with a cheesy smile. I took it, arching an eyebrow, but as I read the note stamped on the side, I understood why he was smiling that way.Thiago had picked the silliest yet cutest way to ask me out to dinner. I chuckled, thanked him, and walked into the apartment.I knew Thiago was just being performative with this gesture, and while I appreciated it, I wasn’t sure I liked the ideas it might put in the minds of others.Hopefully, they’d been around us long enough to know there was nothing between us - or so I hoped.When I opened the box and turned it on the bed, a dark blue dress fell out. It was short, with purple and silver frills, a bodice I feared would be too tight, and small sleeves that let my arms breathe. I picked it up, admired it, and reached for my phone to call him.“What’s the occasion?” I asked, as he picked up on the first ring.He chuckled, clearing his throat before re
CHARLOTTEWhen I was done, I slid the mug over to him, and he inhaled the aroma first."What’s this called?" he asked, and I shrugged again."That’s not an answer," he added."Actually, it is. It’s called anything your taste buds want it to be. I have my name for it, but I like it when customers give their own. So, what do you want it to be called?" I responded, shoving the pen and notepad back into my pocket.He lifted the mug, looked at me with uncertainty, then sipped from it and smacked his tongue as he set it down."Oh, it’s sweet and hot. I like it," he said and downed the contents of the mug in one gulp, stifling a belch. "That’s actually great. Where’d you learn to mix like that?""Well, it’s been a few years since I bartended, but the art isn’t lost on me," I replied, folding my arms. "So, what do you want to call it?""I’m not sure… I might need another round to be certain," he said with a knowing smile. I chuckled and got to work making another drink for him.***The next f
CHARLOTTEWorking at the club was going smoother than I thought, and despite Thiago’s disapproval, I kept working as a bartender on some nights. When I wasn’t in the office with my nose stuck in financial records that I could barely understand, I took a break from that part of the trade by standing behind the counter, taking orders, and mixing drinks.It gave me the chance to familiarize myself with the regulars, whom I introduced myself to as “Charlotte,” but they preferred to call me “Charlie,” establish customer relationships with new customers, become closer with the staff who seemed to appreciate the approach I had taken towards running the establishment, and brush up my bartending skills.It was fun, a little overwhelming when I first set out to do it and stressful given that I hadn’t done it in a while, but still fun, and I made sure I had the best time. As I progressed, I asked the guards to get me a talkie or one of the earphones they used for their operations, and I became t
Elena“Very well. Also, call me when you’ve decided. I’ll reach out later in the week about the wedding plans. Now that a date has been set, everything should proceed smoothly,” she responded, her tone brisk. She said something to someone in the background, then hung up.I lowered the phone and stared at the screen for a few seconds before shaking my head. I never knew what to expect with the Thuthais. As much as I hated to admit it, Maria was right. No matter how much I tried to stay ahead of the curve, something always came up to make me feel like I was twenty steps behind.I knew I had to talk to Rogerio now. There were no more excuses to reschedule outings or avoid meetings. This had to be done soon. But before that, I needed to talk to someone else: my father.He had been the mastermind behind my insistence on the estate that had been given to Charlotte. No matter how much I tried to explain that securing it was nearly impossible, he remained adamant about pushing for it.It didn
ElenaI lowered the windows and closed my eyes as the wind blew tiny ringlets of hair across my face. I couldn’t stop thinking about Thiago’s words in the warehouse, about Rogerio’s insistence on finding Charlotte. Now I had Maria’s words to add to the mix.I tried to force myself to sleep, hoping it would save me from dwelling on the connection between what they had said, but the sound of the bustling city humming in the distance grew louder and closer, pulling me back.The noise reminded me that something else was out there, something beyond my reach. As we inched closer, I focused on the peculiar thought that every single person walking in and out of stores, yelling on street corners, or laughing in restaurants and bars with their partners and friends had their own unique problems. One way or another, regardless of social standing, we all shared that common thread.“Problems,” I muttered to myself, chuckling softly. “We all have problems we’re dealing with.” I shook my head at the
ElenaThey looked extremely stressed about the idea of answering to Rogerio, and I understood it. The power and social currency of the Rogerio name wasn’t something anyone in their right mind would dare go against.I was fully prepared to wield it to its maximum potential until one of the men finally spoke up, saying the only thing they could do was call Maria to come to the gate. That was perfect, as speaking with her had been my main objective all along.I crossed my arms, maintaining my annoyed expression while waiting. Predictably, Maria took her sweet time, and just as I was about to return to the car to sit and wait, she arrived with an expression far sourer than I could have conjured up myself.“You’re not wanted here,” she said coldly as the guards silently retreated to their posts, pretending not to eavesdrop on the conversation.“You have no right to tell me that. You just work here. This house belongs to Rogerio, and—” I began, but she cut me off with a sharp chuckle and an
ELENAThe meeting with Thiago had shaken me to my core. I had put up a brave face during the conversation, concealing my feelings as best as I could, but deep down, I was terrified of what the possibility of Charlotte being pregnant meant for me. If she were found, it would upend the plans I had carefully set in motion to solidify my place as Rogerio’s bride.For days, I mulled over ways to stay ahead of Rogerio and eventually decided to visit the estate. It had been a while since I was last there, and I wanted to see if my presence would provoke Maria enough to reveal any information about Charlotte’s whereabouts.That morning, I rose early, called my assistant, and instructed her to inform Rogerio that our meeting for the evening had been rescheduled. My plan was to spend the morning at the estate and see Thiago before he left Milan.However, the latter didn’t go as planned - my assistant informed me he had already left the city an hour before. I tried to reassure myself that Thiago
ROGERIO The plan was to wait outside her apartment and watch from a vantage point to study her movements. I wasn't sure what I'd be able to decipher from whatever I saw, but I still needed to satisfy the curiosity lodged at the back of my mind, propelling me to act on impulse. I didn't know what to expect, but even if she didn’t leave the house all day, I’d still be able to see if anyone came to visit. Maybe I’d do a better job identifying what exactly was going on. Half an hour later, I had parked the car a few meters away from her apartment block and turned off the ignition. I watched quietly to see what would transpire, and in all fairness, I was ready to stay there all day if I had to. My phone rang. I reached into my pocket for it and glanced at the screen. It was a call from the office, and I knew who would be on the other end. "Hello, Signor, you…" my assistant began as soon as I hit the dial button. I clicked my tongue against the roof of my mouth. "No meetings
ROGERIOI spent the next few days trying to weigh my options and decide the next step to take. "I have to watch her every move, but how?" I said to myself one morning as I prepared for work. Her assistant had called to reschedule the dinner we were supposed to have later that day, and instead of feeling relieved, my suspicion grew in leaps and bounds.I picked up my suitcase and stepped out of the apartment, deep in thought. She hadn't been here since the last time we spent time together. I was delighted to have my space all to myself the way I'd always wanted, but this new information stirred something in me, and I knew I would be restless until I found a way to sate it.I walked down the hallway, ignoring the guards that greeted me, and stepped into the elevator, trying to put the thought out of my mind and focus on the day ahead. But every step I took seemed to renew the desire to get to the bottom of this. As the elevator moved to the ground floor, I decided what I wanted to