The next day, Gabriel went to the office as usual. Rosalind got ready to visit some wedding dress boutiques by choosing to wear a sleeveless V-neck emerald baby doll dress and a pair of flat shoes in a similar color shade of her dress.
Luca called her, “Miss Rosalind, I’m on my way. Do you want to go earlier?”
“No, we will go as scheduled,” she said. “Have you had breakfast yet?”
“Not yet, miss, but I’ll have one when I’ll be waiting as you go shopping.”
“Come earlier. I’ll make you a sandwich and salad.”
Luca grinned as he loved Rosalind’s meals. “Thank you, miss.”
Ten minu
When they were already in the car, Rosalind sat in the middle of Bianca and Anna. Isabella sat in the front seat next to Luca.“Where will we go?” Rosalind asked.“How about we go to the Mystique Boutique?” Anna suggested. “Their collections are wonderful. Also, I know it’s recommended to celebrities.”“Yes, Mom. Kathy, Gabriel’s personal assistant, once brought me to visit the shop. I agree their collections are wonderful.”Anna beamed as her daughter-in-law agreed with her. She held Rosalind’s hand and patted it gently. “Great!”“So we already have an option. I think we must think of another option.” Bianca patted her chin. &ldqu
The manager immediately asked her staff to prepare some wedding dresses. Anna, Bianca, and Isabella accompanied Rosalind to see the dresses. There were so many wedding dresses to see, but Rosalind focused on the type of dresses that fitted to her body type the most.Anna insisted Rosalind wear a white wedding dress, considering all brides in the Da Costa family always wore white wedding dresses. After checking all the dresses, Rosalind had three potential dresses to choose.The first was an off-the-shoulder sleeveless fit and flare wedding dress with sweetheart neckline type. The material was from lace, so it created romantic and feminine nuance. It stressed her bosom, waist, hip, and bottom well. When she tried it on, Anna and Bianca approved the dress as they nodded to see it.Isabella whistled to see her we
On her wedding day, Rosalind woke up at dawn because she couldn’t sleep well. She was excited, but also nervous at the same time because it was the day she would be Gabriel’s wife. The only thing she regretted was that no one from her biological family would attend the wedding.She frequently thought about Richard. But since he didn’t show up or contact her, not even once, she started wondering if the gang leader scammed her. But then, no matter how she thought about it, the coincidence was too much. If she got scammed, how could the drug dealer have the necklace and know where to send it? How could they know her name? Also, they stated Richard’s name and his relation with her.Taking a deep breath, she shook her head. Maybe Richard had his own difficulties, so he couldn’t reach out to her. If the gang leader scammed her, she
Rosalind, Anna, Bianca, Isabella, and Lynnette finally arrived at church. Gabriel had been waiting for them at the door with Antonio and Pietro. Leonardo sat in the front row of the church seat. His stick leaned on the seat. Later, Anna accompanied Leonardo and sat next to him. Jeremy didn’t attend the wedding ceremony. Gabriel invited Harold, the governor, too, who came with his lovely wife and son.When Gabriel saw Rosalind, his eyes gleamed. Then he bent his head forward to whisper, “You are so stunning, baby.”She blushed and touched his upper arm. “You are quite handsome today.”“Only today?”Rosalind giggled and pinched his waist until he groaned. Then he shook his head and pretended to let out a tortured sigh. &ldquo
Anna could only shake her head because she didn’t understand what was happening right now. Her forehead creased deeper as she looked at the little girl who clutched her hand at her mother’s dress. It was clear the little girl looked anxious.Trying to look at the girl better, Anna bent her head forward. She was curious and upset about what had happened just now. “Hmm ….”“What are you thinking?” Leonardo asked. His arms crossed over his chest now as he was upset with the situation.“The little girl, she may be six or seven. Lydia was gone eight years ago. If the girl is seven, she can be Gabriel’s.”Leonardo shook his head. “I’m sure she isn’t Gabe’s. Look at her!”
Rosalind approached Lynnette and whispered, “Can you help me, please? Accompany Jane, Lydia’s daughter for a few minutes, please? I’ll be back as soon as I have finished talking with some of our guests.”Lynnette nodded and walked to where Jane stood. The little girl grasped her dress and bit her lower lip, as she was scared. It was the first time she went to the church, and she knew no one.Taking a deep breath, Rosalind forced a smile on her face and approached people who were still sitting. One by one, she greeted them, thanked them for coming to the wedding ceremony, and shook hands, hugged, or kissed cheeks with the guests. After talking with Rosalind, the guests left the church.She faced Harold, his wife (Nina), and their son (Peter). “Thank you so much for coming. I&
“You made me feel again. Axel also liked you.” Maxwell smiled a little. “It was the first time he approved of a woman and wanted to help me.” After saying nothing for a while, he added, “I know it’s rare, so I must know for sure if I have any chance. If you give me a chance, I’m sure you won’t regret it. I’ll marry you right away and treat you right.”She shook her head. “I’m in love with Gabriel. I’ll be his wife soon.”“Not if he returns to the mother of his daughter.” He touched the back of her upper arm with his thumb. It was a light touch, just a test to see her reaction. Since she was too stunning with what he said, she didn’t react to his feathery touch.Rosalind took a deep breath. “Maxwell, I&rs
Rosalind observed Jane’s reaction for a while. When she reached out her hands to tidy Jane’s hair, the little girl flinched by raising both of her hands as if she tried to cover her head and trembled badly.“I-I’m sorry …. I don’t want a hotdog.” Jane’s face was fearful. “I promise I’ll be a good girl.”“Jane? Sweety?”Rosalind then bent her body and hugged Jane’s skinny body. “Sweety, you can eat whatever you want. I won’t be mad at you just because you want a bigger hotdog.” Later, she talked to the hotdog seller. “Three jumbo hotdogs please. Please pack one for take away. We will eat the rest here.”“Yes, ma’am.”
Gabriel nodded at his mother. But then he bent his head, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. He wiped his eyes quickly, but Anna could see a drop of tear fall from her son’s eyes. Later, Gabriel straightened his back and smiled as if he didn’t shed his tears for the woman he loved. Doctor Gianni then walked out of the VVIP room. He smiled to see the Da Costa family. First, he shook hands with Leonardo, Anna, Bianca, then he smiled at the youngsters. “Gabriel, you can go inside to see Rosalind and the baby,” the doctor said. “Both are healthy. Congratulations to your new son!”Gabriel shook hands with Doctor Gianni. “Thank you so much, Doctor. I don’t know what I have to say.”The doctor patted Gabriel’s shoulder. “Go inside. Rosalind is waiting for you.”When Gabriel entered the room, the nurse was still wiping and cleaning their baby. So, he approached Rosalind first and kissed her sweaty forehead. “Thank you, baby. You have fought so hard. I can’t imagine what you had been th
Gabriel called his mother right away while waiting for Rosalind to deliver their baby. “Mom, please come to Good Health Hospital. Rosalind’s water has been broken!”Anna was excited but also worried because it was a week faster than the doctor’s prediction. When she delivered Gabriel and Bianca, those two times were even past the due dates. Bianca delivered Jeremy and Isabella passed the due dates too, but with Antonio, the delivery was faster by only two days.Gabriel’s mother frowned as she recalled her memory about hers and Bianca’s giving birth.“Okay, I’ll come to the hospital right away. I’ll call your grandpa and Bianca too.”“Yes, Mom. I’m nervous now. Rosalind asked me to wait outside while I wanted to accompany her.”
Rosalind kept smiling to see how happy their little family was. They had been through a lot, and now they were together in peaceful harmony and happiness. What a priceless gift! She wouldn’t trade her family for anything.“What are you thinking of, baby?” Gabriel said.“Nothing, just how happy I’m to see us together.”He squeezed her hand and nodded. “Let’s have breakfast first.”“Let’s eat!” She nodded and smiled.After eating, they went to the university with Luca as their driver. They walked to the entrance to see many students who would attend the graduation day had already gathered there.
Time went by so swiftly. It was the time for Rosalind’s graduation. To her surprise, she would have a graduation day along with all students who attended the study in the university. So, she was excited to attend the graduation event.Gabriel hired the makeup artist and hairdresser to help Rosalind on her big day. At dawn, they were already busy putting makeup on her. When the makeup artist had finished with her job, it was time for the hairdresser to arrange Rosalind’s hair in an elegant bun.“Mom, you are so pretty!” Jane said. She jumped around as she was excited to see her mother in makeup.“Oh, thank you, sweety.” Then Rosalind glanced at the makeup artist. “Can you help to put on some powder and lip gloss for my daughter?”
Gabriel kissed Rosalind’s forehead and turned her body so he could spoon her. “Baby, you won’t need to worry about,” he stopped for a while, “Richard anymore.” He decided not to tell Rosalind the truth.“What happened?”“Well, I sent him to a rehabilitation center. Then he would go to jail.”Rosalind was quiet. She blew her breath and shook her head. “Richard only brought us troubles …. I’m sorry ….”“It’s not your fault.”“But he’s my brother.” She let out a long sigh.Gabriel had no choice because without telling Rosalind the truth, his wife would keep
After some reassurances from the doctor, Gabriel brought Rosalind back to the car. He nodded and smiled at the couple whose he cut the queue. “Thank you so much for letting us go first. I truly appreciate it!”“Don’t mention it. Is your wife okay? The baby?” The pregnant woman asked.“Yes, My wife and our baby are okay. She only needs a complete rest.”The woman smiled and nodded. “Thank God! We are happy for you.”Gabriel nodded and smiled at the kind woman. “Thank you so much!”Since the doctor’s assistant then called the woman’s name, she waved her hand at Gabriel and entered the examination room with her husband.
Gabriel shook his head again. “No, you just try to get away from the consequences of what you have done, not because you are truly repentant. It’s the punishment that scares you, not the hideous effect of what you have done to Rosalind and Jane. You are a hopeless case! The jail will help you to realize what you have done.”“You will send me to jail?!” Gregory’s voice pitched higher.“Yes.”“Then, go ahead!” Gregory spat to the ground. “I’m not scared!”Gabriel smirked and looked into Gregory’s eyes. “We’ll see. Once you are inside, you’ll shout to ask them to let you die.” Then, he straightened his back. “I’m the man of my word. Since I alr
Warning: this chapter contained violence and heavy cursing. Reader discretion is advised.Again, Pietro followed what Gabriel commanded and poured the water into Richard’s head and body. The man was conscious after a while.“If you don’t want to die, there’s no better time than now to confess,” Gabriel said. “Your name!” he shouted.“I-I’m … Ric—”A punch struck Richard’s cheek. “Again, one lie will get a punch. Keep lying to me and don’t blame me if you will die with no teeth and blood left.”“I’m truly Richard—”Gabriel hit Richard again. “Go on! I
Warning: this chapter contained violence and heavy cursing. Reader discretion is advised.Pietro stared at Gabriel who stood and stared at Richard with a menacing look. As he had been working with Gabriel for twenty years, he knew his boss would do harsh things to Richard. Yet, what Richard did was too much. So he could understand Gabriel’s mood. So Pietro cleared his throat. “Boss, what will you do?”Gabriel only grinned to hear that and removed his tie and opened his button shirt one by one. He even took his time to fold the shirt and tie neatly, then put them on a table. Later, he took his phone from his trouser pocket, pressed some buttons, and put the phone on the table next to his shirt and tie. Pietro gulped again. It reminded him when Gabriel was in his late twenties or early thirties. It was the time when he dealt with someone who betrayed him. “Boss, remember Mrs. Rosalind and little Jane? You don’t want to—”But Gabriel stopped Pietro’s words. “Remove his shirt.”It was a