CHARLOTTE“No drivers or guards? That’s new,” I said as we entered the car. He chuckled, started the ignition, put the car in reverse, and began driving.“Sometimes... well, most of the time, I like to drive myself around. It gives me the feeling of autonomy I barely have, and I thought you’d want to meet Thiago instead of Signor Mooze,” he said, and I smiled wistfully.“So, Thiago drives himself around? Quite fitting for someone who’s barely recognized by anyone here,” I replied. He smiled, switched gears as the car turned to face the gate, and stepped on the accelerator.“That’s what makes it fun,” he uttered as we sped past the entrance. “The guards are there for security. If I’m being honest, I think they still follow me around when I drive alone, but this gives me some sense of privacy. I drove myself all the time while I was away; I don’t want that to change now that I’m here.”“Well, you’re leading a different life here. You were just another rich student on campus; I presume i
CHARLOTTEThe moments that followed from the minute we alighted from the car throughout the entire conversation aligned with the sound of the waves beating against the sand and seemed like a slow-burn movie that stirred mixed feelings within me. As we walked towards the beach, I was happy that it was empty. I hadn’t thought about it earlier, but I realized that if I had a choice in the matter, I’d want to be here alone, like the last time. But since I was here with Thiago, it felt like I was with more than enough people.However, it was empty for a different reason: it had been closed up. I overheard the guard telling Thiago that something had happened and that they had to restrict access to the beach. They weren’t letting cars through the entrance nor wanted people on the beach, but a few seconds later, a smile had morphed on the chief security officer’s face, and I could tell he had heard enough about the Mooze family to make an exception. I remembered the incident and laughed.“Wha
CHARLOTTETwo hours later, we had packed the empty boxes and tossed them in a nearby bin. We walked towards the car, got in, and slowly made our way out of the parking area. When we arrived at the entrance, the guards bid us farewell, and Thiago handed one of them his card with instructions to call him the next morning.“He’s going to sleep a happy man, knowing he will be rewarded for letting us in,” I commented, and Thiago nodded.“Well, he could get in trouble for it. It seems only right that he receives some sort of compensation from me, at least,” he replied, keeping his eyes on the road.“Fair enough. This was a great night, thanks, Thiago,” I answered. He turned his gaze to me and then smiled.“I’m glad to hear that. How are you feeling now?” he inquired.“I’ve been through worse,” I said, and turned towards the window to stare out of it as we got closer to the city. The traffic we encountered earlier had reduced drastically. The roads were clear, and it felt like we were glidin
CHARLOTTEWe arrived at the gates a few minutes later. The guards took one look at the license plate, and the gate swung open in seconds. As the car slowed to a halt in front of the entrance, Thiago offered to help me carry the bags up to the penthouse.“I can handle it,” I said, shaking my head. “It’s just food, and we aren’t trudging up a hill this time. I’m taking the elevator. And you need to get home and catch some sleep. You look exhausted.”“I feel exhausted, but in a good way. Thank you for agreeing to do this,” he said, smiling wistfully. “I might be gone for a few days, weeks even, depending on the situation,” he added, turning off the ignition.“The situation?” I asked, confused.“Before I came over this morning, I received a call from the office. They are investigating the incident at The Hilton, and the culprit is a relentless menace. He has his eyes set on my family’s fortune, and they feel like I need to lay low for a few days. That’s why I came over today; I wasn’t sur
CHARLOTTE“You’re staring at the car like you’re never going to see him again,” a voice said from behind me. Startled, I turned around to see who it was and locked gazes with Sonia, who was leaning against the door that led to the reception area.“Hi Sonia, I didn’t hear you coming,” I said and started walking towards the entrance, carrying the bags with extra care.“Yeah, I figured. I’ve been standing here for a few seconds, but you seemed lost in thought and I didn’t want to distract you. Need some help with the bags?” she asked as her eyes moved from my face and rested on the items I was holding.“Nah, I can manage. I think,” I answered, and I stopped in my tracks when I got to where she was standing. “Is he going to be safe?”She nodded and shifted her weight to a different foot. “As safe as a Mooze can be. He has people who would do anything to make sure he’s safe and sound.”“You’re one of those people, aren’t you?” I asked, and she nodded in response. “How does it feel to be sa
CHARLOTTEI looked around the room and sighed in relief as the confusion cleared. I could tell I wasn’t dreaming anymore by the rate at which my heart pounded against my chest. I tried to steady my breath and looked around. The lights were off, and the atmosphere felt tense. I was almost certain this was another dream, but I inhaled and chuckled. I was at the apartment, recognizable by the smell of roses in the air, which I could almost taste.If anything could drag me to the present, it was the symbol of the Mooze family. Being awake suddenly made me happy; I would take dealing with my current reality over being stuck in the nightmares formed by memories of the past. If I had to endure another dream where I thought I was awake but was stuck battling the memories I tried to bury deep inside my mind, I wasn’t sure how I’d react. I moved my arm and almost knocked over the bottle of wine I had opened earlier.I caught it before it hit the ground and placed it back on the table, beside th
CHARLOTTE“We can take you there,” she said, taking one look at the bags and smiling. “Rather fitting that he took you there, don’t you think?” she added, and I nodded absentmindedly.“Yeah, he mentioned something about the restaurant being one of his favorite places in the city,” I answered as she sat down.“Can I ask why you’re going back there? I can see it has nothing to do with getting more food or pastries; you have more than enough,” she stated, looking toward the corner of the room where the boxes stood the previous day.When she realized they had been moved, a smile danced at the corner of her lips. I could see she wanted to say something, but decided against it. “Can I decide to leave your question unanswered?” I asked, and she shrugged in response.“It’s your prerogative. I’m only asking out of concern and a need-to-know basis. If I’m going to instruct the driver to take us there, I need to prepare the other guards for any security measures we may need to keep you safe," sh
CHARLOTTE“I still can’t ask where we’re going?” Sonia inquired as we stepped into the car and fastened our seatbelts. I nodded in response, watching as she started the ignition and reversed the vehicle.I glanced at the back seat and smiled with relief, noting that she had listened to me and hadn’t brought any other guards along. I didn’t want to tell her why we were going there—it seemed silly to return to a place just because I had driven past it, felt something about it, and then saw it again in a dream.But I needed to do this for myself. It didn’t have to make perfect sense; nothing had made much sense since I arrived here. It felt as though everything that had happened up to this point was the result of all the spontaneous decisions I’ve made in my life. I was moving around as if I had no safer options.“I wonder if going with the flow is a good thing,” I mused aloud. Sonia glanced at me, puzzled, and shrugged. She turned her attention back to the road as we took a left turn on
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
ELENAI looked around the empty church and chuckled as the priest slowly walked over to where Rogerio’s parents were seated, conversing with them in hushed tones. I turned to Keisha, who was visibly shocked at the outcome of things.I tried to say something, but no words came out when I opened my mouth. My heart started racing, and my palms felt sweaty as I lowered myself to the floor and sat down.Keisha tried to get me to stand, but I wouldn’t budge - I simply refused to move from that spot.“My worst nightmare has become a reality,” I muttered, chuckling, though nothing seemed funny at that point. I stared at Rogerio’s grandfather and his mother as they rose from their seats and walked toward me.The priest reached the altar before them, extinguishing the candles near the pulpit. He patted my shoulder and walked away without saying a word.I hated what this day had turned into - what was supposed to be a joyous ceremony had devolved into a spectacle of pity.A gust of wind blew thr
ElenaI pondered her words, watching as she selected three pairs of shoes from the options the attendant had laid out.She placed them on the table and asked me to choose one. I pointed at a random pair, and she giggled with excitement, stating that she was going to pick the same pair too but asked for it in a different colour.I tried to push thoughts of what she had said about having a child out of my mind, but they lingered.They reminded me of what Thiago had said about Charlotte. He had assured me she wasn’t pregnant, but what if he was lying?Or worse, what if he had been misinformed? If Rogerio ever found out she was pregnant, our marriage would end before it even began. My conversation with Maria crept back into my thoughts, and I sighed. She was right. I’d never admit it to her face, but in some ways, she was. “Hey,” Keisha said, her voice breaking through my reverie. “Cheer up. You’re getting married - it’s not the end of the world.” She chuckled, and I mustered a faint