CHARLOTTEWhen I opened my eyes, the car had slowed to a halt in front of a building. The air felt different - oddly familiar. I was too drowsy to look around and assumed it was the alcohol creating the effect I wanted when I started drinking. Without much thought, I went back to sleep.A light tap on my shoulder stirred me. I tried to open my eyes, but muttered something incomprehensible instead. The last thing I heard was Thiago’s chuckle before I felt my body being lifted from the seat.“Can’t let you fall asleep here. Let’s get you somewhere comfortable,” he said softly.Instinctively, I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed my head against his chest.His scent filled my senses as I drifted into a semi-conscious state. Unlike me, reeking of alcohol, he smelled different. A blend of something sweet and musky. I tried to identify the scent, but surrendered to the pull of sleep again.Time blurred as I slept. When I tried to open my eyes again, I realized I was no longer in his
CharlotteAfter spending some time moving around the house, I decided I was ready to read what was in the folder. I walked to the room, grabbed the file from the bedside table, and moved to the couch in the middle of the room.The first few pages contained what seemed like legal jargon I’d need a lawyer to properly interpret, but I kept reading. Soon, I got the hang of it, though I wasn’t sure I completely understood what was happening - until I got to the sixth page.At the bottom of the page was a highlighted section that showed my parents’ names as the owners of a property and detailed how the ownership had been illegally transferred to a member of the Narhzy family.The next line was a court order stating that the property should be returned to “… Charlotte Naomi Edwards within weeks of this…” I started reading out loud, and my eyes widened in surprise.I let go of the file, and its contents scattered to the ground as a gasp escaped my lips. I stared at the papers for a few minute
ELENA "Hello, Thiago," I said, trying to steady my voice as he came out of the shadows. My heart beat against my chest with every step he took, and the closer he got, the less sure I was that I'd be able to maintain my composure. "Why are you here?" "What? Milan is like home to me too. I can't come over to see my family and friends for a bit?" he said with a crooked smile as he walked toward me. We were standing in the middle of an abandoned warehouse with high windows and no wind beating against the sheets, yet I felt a cold shiver shoot up my spine.I hadn't seen Thiago in a long time, technically, since the last trip we had, and I had deliberately spent my entire time in Milan putting that experience behind me.I had chosen to forget what it felt like, smelled like, and the steps that led to making that decision. But now that Thiago was standing in front of me, my brain turned to mush. The closer he got, the colder I felt, and my thoughts flew all over the place. What was h
ELENA"What if I told you all that can be in the past and we could make things right?" he asked, stepping a few paces forward. I shook my head and clicked my tongue against the roof of my mouth. "Fool me once, Thiago. Shame on you. Fool me twice? Shame on me. I won't let you fool me a third time." "A third time? I don’t understand. I haven’t…" He began, confusion crossing his features. He paused, clearly thinking about what I had said. I glanced out the window and noticed the sky had grown darker since I arrived. Light still streaked into the warehouse, just enough to illuminate the puzzled expression on his face. "The first time was when you convinced me you were in love with me and had good intentions," I started. "The second time was when you got me to abandon my family and follow you to a place that didn’t feel like home. But I was determined to make it one. Until you left." "I'm never going to hear the end of it, am I?" he said quietly, and I shrugged. "You're the one
ELENA"I don’t love Rogerio," I started, pouting as I carefully picked my words. "I’m not even sure if he still has feelings for me. It would be surprising if he did, considering I left him at the altar, waiting for a bride who never showed. But… what I’m most curious about is, why now?" "Why now?" he repeated, lines forming on his forehead as he tried to understand the question. "Yes. Why are you asking me to leave now? You asked the same thing right before the wedding. And now, you’re asking again. You haven’t called me in what—years? Months? Yet, a few weeks before my wedding, you show up… here," I replied, throwing my hands up. "To convince me to leave again. Why? What’s in it for you?" "Oh…" He shifted his weight to his right foot. I couldn’t tell if he was nervous or just trying to come up with an answer he thought I’d find acceptable, but it was clear he was deep in thought. It amused me to see him struggle for an immediate answer. What had he been thinking? That he cou
CHARLOTTEI heard the doorbell ring and ran to open the door quickly. I was expecting to see Thiago, but Sonia’s face came into view, and my excitement tripled. "How long have you known about this?" I asked as a huge grin spread across my face. She stepped into the house and chuckled as we locked gazes, then feigned ignorance. "Known about what?" "Don’t act like you don’t know what I’m referring to - this," I replied, pointing to everything in the house as we moved from the front door to the living room. She maintained her expression, looking around in confusion before handing me my bag. "I don’t know what you’re talking about, ‘Signora,’” she answered, and I rolled my eyes before digging into the bag to find my phone. "Drop the act, Sonia. There’s no way you didn’t know that Thiago had gotten the house back for me. Why didn’t you say something?" I replied, glancing at my phone’s screen. I had missed three calls: one from an unknown number and two from Maria. I made a me
CHARLOTTE"Fair enough," I answered and stood up. "Did you bring a change of clothes, or can we leave now?" "We can leave. The car is outside, and you need to rest a little before you go to the club," she answered and stood up. "Alright, give me a few minutes," I said and went into the kitchen to make sure the appliances I had turned on were off. A few minutes later, we were on our way to the penthouse. ********** The club was in full swing when I arrived later that evening. The staff had been able to coordinate the activities around the club, and everyone seemed to be having a good time.The party we held the previous night had proven to be successful as the regulars waved enthusiastically when I walked through the doors, and the new faces leaned in to ask the bartenders who I was.I could tell that the replies they had gotten were satisfactory, as their eyes seemed to follow me all the way into my office. Once I had settled in, I asked Sonia to help fetch the financial rec
ELENA"Why would Rogerio be looking for his ex-wife? He can't stand the sight of her," I said, and Thiago chuckled before shaking his head. "Is that what he told you, or is that what you assumed was the reason for their divorce?" he asked, and I thought about the question for a minute before answering. The conversation had taken a different turn, and if I thought I felt uneasy coming here and having this conversation with Thiago, that emotion had tripled. I could feel my body trembling slightly. "I saw it with my own eyes," I croaked, trying to clear my voice. "When we went on our dinner dates, it was all he could talk about. Why would he suddenly be interested in someone he wanted nothing to do with?" "He…" he began, but I raised my hand to stop him from saying anything else. "Is this some sort of ploy to get me to come with you? Because if you're willing to stoop so low to get what you want, then you’re only strengthening my resolve to stay as far away as possible," I said,
CHARLOTTEThis wasn’t the time to cry. It was the time to find out why Thiago was linked to my parents’ death and why this information had never been made public.I kept reading and discovered that he had been a teenager when the accident occurred. While he had been willing to testify, his family had bought off the detective in charge of the case and silenced anyone who attempted to investigate further.I pressed my palm over my mouth to stifle a scream, glancing around the room in a panic. I couldn’t afford to draw attention to myself. My curiosity had led me to this place, and now it felt like I had stumbled into a torture chamber, each revelation cutting deeper than the last.I didn’t know how to process this avalanche of information, but I couldn’t stop now.This was just one folder. The rest of the files still lay scattered on the floor, and the shelves were lined with others. As I looked around, my stomach churned at the thought of what else I might uncover. Would I even be able
CHARLOTTE“What… How did this get here?” I muttered, picking up the picture and staring at it intently. My eyes scanned the room as waves of confusion and curiosity coursed through me.My thoughts were a jumbled mess. Where was I, and why was there a picture of my family in the company vault?One question after another sprang to mind, and as my gaze fell back onto the stack of folders scattered on the floor, I knew there was only one way to get answers.I had to go through the files in this room, every single one of them if that’s what it would take.Ignoring the dust, I sank to the floor and reached for the folder from which I assumed the picture had fallen. Its name tag bore only one word: Edwards. My family name. My voice barely above a whisper, I repeated, “Edwards,” and opened the folder.I tried to calm my nerves as I began reading, but with each sentence, my heart pounded faster. The first page contained details about my parents and their real professions, information similar t
CHARLOTTEThe next day started off well. I got out of bed early, took a bath, grabbed breakfast, and asked Sonia to book a reservation at a restaurant close to school where I would have lunch before attending the classes I had planned for the day.I intended to move around the different departments in the office, familiarize myself with the staff, their supervisors, and learn what each person contributed to the overall outcome of the company.Having a plan made me feel like I was on the right path. I moved around the apartment with a spring in my step and a sense of determination building in my heart as I prepared for the day ahead.I decided to focus on what I had in front of me and use it to my advantage rather than dwelling on what was going wrong. That seemed to be the best decision I had made in a while.I felt lighter, as though things were beginning to fall into place. When I arrived at the office, I asked for the files related to the company’s early days and the financial repo
Charlotte“Well… it might be because you’ve been with the club since its inception. You’re familiar with the system you created for it,” Sonia suggested, turning her gaze back to the road. “If you feel out of place at the firm, why not take some time to learn what makes the company tick?”I mulled over her suggestion for a moment, then chuckled lightly.“That’s a great idea, but I already have so much on my plate. I can’t imagine adding anything more to the pile…” My words trailed off as a spark of inspiration lit up in my mind.“What is it?” she asked, glancing at me briefly before refocusing on the road.I sighed, a small smile forming. “I think you’ve just given me a brilliant idea.”She looked over, her expression confused, before returning her attention forward. “I don’t know what you’re planning, but whatever it is, keep thinking about it. You already look better just talking about it,” she said with a chuckle as the car came to a smooth stop in front of the house.I reached for
CharlotteI took Thiago’s advice and decided to make the best of the situation. Surprisingly, things began to take a turn for the better.The meeting with the board exceeded my expectations; they understood the reasons behind the drop in sales and were eager to suggest solutions, even refining the ideas I’d presented.Their willingness to collaborate reignited a sense of purpose in me.After wrapping up at the firm, I headed to the university to pick up my schedule for the semester and familiarize myself with the campus.It felt strange to be surrounded by so many young people leading lives so different from mine. There was an energy here - a mix of excitement and uncertainty - but I decided to embrace it.I wasn’t ready to dive into any of the pre-formed cliques, nor was I eager to make friends right away. I resolved to take it slow and let things unfold naturally.The other classes I’d been taking to prepare myself for the semester were voluntary, but now it was time for the real de
CHARLOTTEIt had been a week since I started working at Thiago’s firm while also doubling as the manager at the club. Combining both activities had been nothing short of hectic.Every morning, I dropped by the office to review the previous day’s reports, stayed for an hour or two, and then rushed off to school for my classes, which had just begun.At night, I stopped by the club to supervise activities. I’d given up bartending for a while - it was clear that taking on that role too would be overextending myself.I also stopped spending the night at the club like I used to, knowing I needed at least a little sleep to function the next day.After a week of this chaotic schedule, I felt like I needed to drop something and focus on one thing. That morning at the office, I resolved to decide what worked best for me.Abandoning school was out of the question; I’d only just started, and giving up on something I so desperately wanted wasn’t an option.That left me choosing between the club an
ROGERIO“Elena, I assure you, I didn’t mean to hurt you or play any games. If I didn’t want to go through with the wedding, I would’ve let you know. I—”“You know, that’s what I thought for a moment,” she interrupted, pacing. “If you didn’t want to go through with it, all you had to do was call me. Did you even consider that, or was it fun for you to let me walk into the church and get embarrassed in front of everyone?”“Elena, let me explain… I wasn’t… I didn’t…” I stammered, but she stopped pacing and stepped toward me.“Since when do you stammer? Since when do you not know how to articulate yourself? Rogerio, you better say something that makes sense right now, or I swear to—” She stopped short as I raised my hands in defeat.“I was anxious!” I blurted out before I could think. I had been trying to come up with the perfect excuse, but nothing seemed adequate under the weight of her anger. The words tumbled out, unfiltered.“What?” she asked, her expression shifting to one of confus
ROGERIOI hadn’t planned to leave Elena at the altar until I received that message; in fact, I was resigned to my fate.As much as I hated how things had turned out, I convinced myself that I wasn’t going to track down Charlotte to confirm whatever suspicions I had.There was no use pining over a life filled with uncertainty or sulking over the road not taken - until I got that warning.The message warned me there would be a shootout at the wedding, and in all my years of being trailed by security personnel, I knew better than to treat such a message lightly.I discussed the issue with my head of security, instructing him not to inform the other guards or anyone else until we could trace the source of the message.Unfortunately, our efforts proved futile. The lead brought us to an empty, nearly dilapidated warehouse on the outskirts of Milan that was up for sale.When we inquired about the ownership under the guise of buying and renovating the property, we discovered the owners were d
ELENAAs she spoke, I zoned in and out, trying to think of how best to handle the situation my way. It seemed like she was trying harder to convince herself that what had happened was a mistake than to make me feel better.At least she stayed to console my family, unlike my own, whose reputation - now tarnished - was more important than the emotional torture their child was enduring.I inhaled deeply, closed my eyes, then exhaled slowly. When I opened them, I noticed Keisha had gotten up from her seated position and was moving toward me.It felt like she anticipated what I was about to do before the thought even took shape in my head. I stood up, bundled up my dress, and started running out of the church. She followed suit, trying to catch up with me.“Elena!” she yelled, trying to get me to stop or at least slow down. “Elena! Where are you going?”“To fix this,” I answered without looking back or slowing down. “To get to the bottom of this rubbish and fix it before it’s too late,” I