Silence hung in the air as Sebastian's grandfather folded his arms, his eyes never leaving my face. With a small gesture, he nodded as if encouraging himself to continue the conversation that, perhaps, he had planned for so long."And... what about your son? Ace? Your father told me that he is a cheerful and smart boy." His voice was low, but his tone was unmistakable. Demanding an answer, he turned to Sebastian and to me.I let out a small sigh, trying to keep my smile genuine as I replied, "Ace is a wonderful boy. Smart, full of energy, and very curious." Talking about my son in front of someone who looked so critical felt strange, but I didn't want to show any doubt.Sebastian, who had been standing quietly beside me, shifted slightly. His arm slowly wrapped around my waist, signaling he wouldn't let me face this alone."Oh, really?" he looked at us, alternating between me and Sebastian. A faint light in his eyes showed interest, albeit with skepticism. "He must meet me one day. I
After dressing up for twenty minutes, I sat on the dining table chair to boost my confidence. The hope was still there, and I added 'not to fail' to the list this time. Hopefully, this wouldn't be like our first wedding anniversary, which failed in a way I didn't want to remember.I sighed, smiling broadly as I looked down at the tarts and pasta I'd made, the expensive wine I'd gotten from my father also standing pretty in the center of the table. Butterflies fluttered in my chest and down to my stomach as I waited for my husband to come home.Sebastian has been so busy lately. His title had risen to CEO after his father, my father-in-law, chose to spend a relaxing old age at home with his family and chose to control everything from the back screen as the founder and owner of their company and as the only son, Sebastian had to take on the responsibility of CEO. I know it wasn't easy for him because he had to be forced to take it on and then undergo conditions he didn't want to.One of
Five years later.They say the storm will pass, and everything will be fine.I agree with that, but something is missing. The storm will likely pass, and it will be okay if we work for it. It will definitely happen if we solve problems and strive to be happy.I did, and there were so many things I had to deal with at a young age. My asshole ex-husband, the bitch who claimed to be my friend, getting divorced and then dealing with the after-effects of that attacking me brutally.It wasn't easy, and I wasn't the only one. Some women face more complicated problems than me, and they don't have anyone to help them. On the other hand, I was lucky, and that's why I never gave up on healing from my past. Forgiving and letting go was the first thing I did, and to do so, I had to keep busy; it was one of my ways to forget those cruel memories, and now, see, I've made it to this point.I found a purpose in my own life when my son was born, a child born without a father. Because of that four-year-
"You're going to Milan?" Killian looked at me with a frown on his forehead. He sat before me, leaning back in the chair, folding his arms and looking at me judgmentally.I nodded, glancing back at the one showing Ace's learning progress report. Ace is in pre-kindergarten in preparation for his entry into the kindergarten school next year. So, as a mom, I've prepared him for many things. "My cousin, Regina, is getting married. I should come there." I said. "I can't be absent.""You know that your grandfather dislikes you a lot because of your divorce. You won't be able to escape his scolding and cursing. You could be kicked out again like five years ago," his heavy voice was full of factual statements.I closed my laptop and looked at him. "I'm sure I can handle it," I replied, shrugging my shoulders. "I'll stay at the hotel, and then come back here straight after the party is over." I continued. I didn't want to linger there either, especially when I realized the fact that my grandfa
"Momma, what is marriage?""Marriage is uniting two people who love each other into a family.""Has you ever been married?" Ace asked innocently.I opened my mouth, wondering what to answer. But then I decided to be honest with him. "Yes. I was married. That's why you exist." I lightly pinched his full cheeks.His blue eyes looked up at me. "Momma married Poppa?" he tilted his head, his expression thoughtful. "But why didn't I ever meet Poppa?" it was a tricky question for a four-year-old. But I knew Ace was a bit more advanced than other kids his age."I told you that Poppa is at work." I said. "To buy you lots of toys and cars, and bring a lot of mony so you can pay your debt to Princess Belle." Princess Belle was the nickname he gave to my sister.Ace blinked his eyes a few times and then gave a slight nod, his eyes sparkling. "I will buy a lot of cars later. Colourful cars!" He exclaimed enthusiastically. "Why hasn't poppa seen me yet, Momma? I want a car!"I raised an eyebrow and
Night had fallen, and I had replaced my previous dress with a black, leg-length, tight halter-style neckline. Ace was already asleep after my mom and I struggled to get him to sleep. He was cranky from being in a foreign country and whined about going home. I had to give him extra effort and do everything I could to get him to stop whining and sleep. Now that he was fast asleep, I rubbed his hair and face, which looked peaceful.Now, I'm really amazed about his resemblance to his father.In their sleep, it was apparent. Ace is like a clone of Sebastian. And it makes my heart ache.If things were different, I would... I would what? I don't know.I sighed softly and chased away all my evil thoughts to avoid messing up. Now, I had to do what my grandpa told me to do, or he would carry out his terrible threat. If only I had power, I would just protect Ace from him, but right now, I don't even have anything, so the weapon to protect him from Sanchez is to do whatever he wants. That's wise.
"Hey, where have you been?" Belle greeted me first after I walked into my hotel room. Her mouth dropped open when she looked me up and down and then she shook her head again. "You-"I brushed past her and entered the bedroom, saying, "The flies will come in if you don't shut your mouth." I cut her off and looked into Ace's room, but he wasn't there. I turned to Belle, who had her mouth shut but was blinking rapidly. "Where's Ace?""He went with Vito and Max to the mall. They're going to buy him ice cream." She replied. "Seriously, where have you been? You didn't come home last night, and now you come in your party clothes from last night, and without your shoes." She chuckled. "What have you become? Cinderella?""Is Ace whining? Is he crying?" I changed the subject.Belle shook her head. "He didn't. He was just looking for you and when I said you were still taking care of things, he asked for ice cream.""He had breakfast?""Mom made it," she replied. "Stop changing the subject. Answ
"It's not good," Belle, sitting on the bed beside me, shook her head as she stared at her phone, a pen between her left fingers, and a paper in front of us with our cafe's revenue calculations. In front of us was a laptop lit up, showing our website, which was empty of visitors.I sighed, my head throbbing as I leaned against the headboard. "Yeah, I think we're going bankrupt."My sister disagreed. "Don't be such a pessimist." She said. "We have some things to fix and add." She tilted her head, thinking hard. "We can look for trending coffee flavors and modify them."' Joy, 'The café we built together was still busy, but not like the last or two week after another trend-setting café opened up a few blocks from our kafe. Plus, they seem to have come up with some interesting menus because it's only been two weeks since they've almost won over my loyal customers.I don't blame them. Maybe it's just because we're not up to date with current coffee trends. This wasn't a one-off, and normal