ZaraI have never been more embarrassed in my entire life, like I was this afternoon. After the ogre had not so rudely sent me out of his office, I ran into his secretary at the door. She had sent me tight smile filled with pity, as if what she witnessed was not new to her.Embarrassing situations were not really my forte. You’d think after everything that had happened to me in high school, I’d have developed a thick skin to people’s judgements but that was not the case.I still despised it when people looked at me a certain way, be it judgmental or pitying. Judgmental looks, well, I could stand those to a certain extent but pity…pity made me feel like a failure and I can’t stand failure. And that’s exactly what I felt like when I saw her look at me today.When I got back home, my whole body felt like lead. I dropped my bag and plopped down on the couch without bothering to undress. I don’t know when sleep consumed me but I woke up a few minutes ago with a blinding headache. I rema
ZaraMorning rolls around sooner than I expect. The morning rays penetrate the slightly parted blinds of my window. I sit up groggily, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. My body feels like it has been run over by a truck and my face feels itchy. I get up and do my regular morning stretches but for some reason, it is more painful today. I walk towards the bathroom but the sound of the doorbell stops me in my tracks.Who could it be this early in the morning?I slowly descend the stairs leading to the living room. The doorbell rings again. “ Hold on!”Whoever is at the door better be getting chased by a wild animal. Else…I swing the door open and see the last person I was expecting to see. Hands on my waist, I shoot said person my nastiest glare. “ How did you find my house?”He smirks. He actually smirks. “ I have my ways” Unbelievable. "I hope those ways of yours include how to make yourself at home in jail, becau
ZaraThey say it takes a moment for your life to completely spiral out of your control. One event is capable of completely flipping your world upside down and have you questioning your life’s choices. Few months ago, I completely washed my hands off love, relationships and marriage . Fate must be having a field day with this one.“ I can’t marry you”“ I thought you’d say that. Hear me out, then you can decide”He pulls the car into the parking lot of a private hospital and kills the engine. A beat passes, then two. He sighs as if this is the last thing he wants to be doing. Well, the feeling is mutual.“Marry me . Just for four years after the baby is born, then we can get a divorce if you want. Of course, this does not mean that I believe you hundred percent, that you’re carrying my child”If he doesn’t believe me, why bother?“After the baby is born, I will have a DNA test conducted to determine the pa
Turns out the combination of mayonnaise and peanut butter had triggered a break out on my face. The doctor adviced that it is imperative for me to look after my health and everything I eat, as I am no longer by myself now. Smoking and alcohol was also prohibited. Not that I’m much of a drinker or a smoker anyway. I fix myself a plate of tomato soup and few slices of garlic bread. I was craving it so bad that I had to drop by and do some grocery shopping. In a way, I was thankful that I got to fill up my almost empty refrigerator.Marcello’s words from earlier crosses my thoughts and I feel my appetite wane. Marriage …As far as jokes went, this was the cruelest of them all. This is something I had wanted so bad , that I was willing to endure a few bad relationships. Now that I had given up, the same thing is being presented to me on a platter. Fake but still…Fear, so terrifying fills my nerves like a shot of hard drugs. What if I am unable to raise this child on my own ? If I accep
ZaraPeople are beautiful.Not that I’ve never thought so. The thought just comes to mind as I sit here watching different people go in and out of this restaurant. The dim glow of the interior gives the place an ethereal vibe. Maybe it’s just the blue lights but I am fascinated. A couple passes my table, the man’s hand placed on the woman’s hip in a possessive display. My cheeks heat up. As they take a seat all the way at the back of the room, my eyes never stray from their form. I find myself smiling at their display of affection. The man seems to be wearing a permanent smile and if the glow in his eyes is anything to go by, I’d say he’s in love. Somehow, that saddens me.“Never knew you were the nosy type, Miss Parkinson”I roll my eyes before I’m able to catch myself. Turning back to the person in front of me, I raise my brows at his obvious tardiness. I sneak a peak at my cellphone lying on the pristine tablecloth covered table. “ Thirty minutes late, Mr. Andres. Never knew you w
Marcello New York evenings around this time of the year are often picturesque. The air is crisp , evidencing the season we are currently in- Spring. My favourite season of the year has always been Winter but there’s something about the Spring breeze that fills me with nostalgia. The sun is currently setting and the sky, a brilliant blue transitioning to a blend of orange and pink. I have always had an eye for art. As my best friend, Michael Black, would say, “ you and your aristocratic hobbies”.I smile lightly. The son of a gun…I wouldn’t exactly say he is wrong. I enjoy all the sports majority would term old fashioned; polo racing, golf, fencing and recently, fencing. I like to think my taste is refined.I maneuver my car down the winding road that opens into the residential area on Long Island. Several restaurants line the side of the open street . I sight an art gallery or two among the numerous high rise buildings. Yet, the aesthetic does nothing to quell the unease brewing in
ZaraAs Marcello pulls up in the posh driveway, the nerves in my stomach multiply tenfold. I have been dreading this meeting for the past one week, since he informed me. It’s one thing to meet your fiance’s family for the first time but meeting your fake fiance’s family? That’s on a whole different level. The door to the main building opens and a petite, dark haired woman steps out and skips down the stairs. Judging by the strong resemblance she shares with the man in the driver’s seat, who is grinning from ear to ear, she is Marcello’s mother.Marcello opens the door and steps out and I follow suit. To my surprise, his mother walks in my direction and pulls me into a hug. Her arms around me remind me so much of my mother that I find myself tearing up. She smells homely; like rich spices. Marcello whines beside me and she detaches from me and goes to hug him. Shortly after, she’s back by my side, grabbing my hands and giving me a once over. Then, she concludes that I have in fact,
Zara“Hi babe, I’ve missed you”“Yes babe, I’ve missed you too” he repliesI turn my head towards him so fast, I almost get whiplash. Babe? Who’s this woman anyway?My shock slowly morphs into fear. Does this mean I have been lured here to be made fun of? Did Marcello’s parents already know about our fake relationship? Does this…“ You must be Zara”I turn my attention to the new addition in the room. “ That would be me”Something about her seems familiar though, but I can’t seem to place my finger on it. I take a proper look at her and my belly churns with something unpleasant. Judging by her dress sense, she is a classy woman. She has on a green dress that does wonders for her figure. Long legs, a designer bag hanging delicately on her hand, long dark hair. A brunette, I see.“Zara?”Wait a minute…I knew she looked familiar for a reason. I raise my eyes to her face . She has quite sharp features and a smile on her face. Why is she smiling?“Zara. Mi’ja”Has she figured it all ou
Zara’s POV Mama doesn’t let us leave immediately, insisting that we stay for dinner. Hence, me hiding out in Carlotta’s room. Left for me, I would take a cab home , so I don’t have to face my ugly impulsive decisions . I know I have said this before but let me reiterate; Marcello is cancerous. One minute I was bawling my eyes out in Maria’s arms and the next, I let go of my morals in Marcello’s. This stupid, stupid pregnancy hormones. Carlotta is downstairs helping out with dinner and Marcello is well…being Marcello somewhere around the house. I hope he stays busy until we have to leave . If I face him now, I might simply die of mortification . I offered to help out also but Mama chased me out with a spatula. At a few minutes past 6 pm , Carlotta pops in to let me know that dinner’s ready. When I get to the dinning room, I see Mr. Hernandez already seated, reading a newspaper with his glasses perched atop his nose. He puts down the paper when he sights me and beams “ Mi Queri
Marcello's POV True to her words , Zara stormed out of the house with a duffel bag. I could only watch, stunned, as she walked past me with every determination in her. It was only after a few minutes, that I came to terms with what just happened. Thankfully, she had Uncle Phillip drive her. One less thing to worry about…I immediately thought of calling Mama to inform her that a very angry, pregnant woman was headed her way. Mama laughed when I explained the entire ordeal to her and then proceeded to scold me for letting my pregnant and very emotional wife out of my sight, without running after her to pacify her. She promised to take care of her and threatened that if I didn’t drag my behind home within the next hour, she would personally make sure that Zara die snot return home. I really cannot understand women . Hence, I am en route the family home and I didn’t forget to buy a lot of gifts to pacify Her Royal Majesty. I have heard men say things like ‘ happy wife, happy home’ b
Zara’s POV One thing I didn’t expect that accompanied my recent bouts of morning sickness ,is the heightened appetite. Not just the appetite to eat good food, I have the most insane cravings these days; especially spicy food. Desi, Thai, Korean, Chinese , Japanese, you name them. And Marcello, bless his heart, has been a sweetheart, offering to buy me whatever I crave. Pretty sure the man has visited all the indigenous food places in New York in the span of one week but I am eating for three, so…This past week, I have gotten used to his tendency to call me random endearing names. At first, thinking about it gave me a major migraine but I’ve decided to just go along with the flow. Just as long as he keeps buying me spicy buffalo wings…I woke up this morning craving egg tarts and Julio has been MIA for a while now, only coming in one day out of five. Not gonna lie, I’m a bit worried about his absence but I’m not one to pry.It's Saturday and I know that Celine will be ordering a tot
ZaraDr. Meyers beams immediately she sees me and offers me a seat. “ Zara! I wasn’t expecting you today but it’s so good to see you” She looks at the Stony- gazed man beside me , “ you came with your husband too. This is great.”Marcello offers her a handshake in his usual professional manner and she accepts it. “ Marcello Andres” “ Sharon Meyers. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Mr. Andres.”“ Likewise”“ So, what brings you here today?”“ I woke up today with a really bad case of morning sickness. I’m worried because I no longer had that but I woke up today feeling like my stomach was twisting itself from the inside. Dr. Meyers hums in contemplation. “ Most women go through morning sickness until the end of the third trimester, so I wouldn’t be worried about that. However, what worries me is the pain you’re feeling . That’s not normal, especially at this stage. You’re nearing the end of the your second trimester and this is a critical time.”My heart thrums rapidly at her w
ZaraSomething smells awful. It’s a familiar smell but it something smells repulsive today. I rollover on to my right to ward off the smell but it seems to be me everywhere. My belly folds over life a turbulent tide on a beach, recoiling and rumbling in disagreement to the smell assaulting my senses. I feel the wave within trying to force itself out of my throat but I force it down, taking deep breaths. Only, that was a big mistake on my part. I jump out of the bed with a sense of urgency, almost tripping on the sheets wrapped around my ankles. The moment I kneel before the toilet, a torrent of vomit comes hurling out of my throat. Remnants of the rice Marcello made for dinner last night. My stomach twists uncomfortably with each bout of retching and it actually feels like my intestines are eating me from the inside out. I may have experienced bad morning sickness the first few weeks but they had ceased for a while. I guess I was wrong to be relaxed. I flush the toilet and rinse
Marcello’s POV The dinner ended on a good note and I’m just relieved to have gotten it out of the way. The only problem now is, I’ve been sporting a very painful boner all night. As I conversed with guests, I had to place both hands over the front of my pants, so as to not draw unwanted attention to myself. Zara Parkinson is a minx . After she whispered “ Dream on , babe”, my boner went from hard to raging. I did all I could to distract myself from thinking about her ass in the pants she wore tonight. The clothes weren’t tight or anything but I simply couldn’t take my eyes off the way she strutted away from the table. Immediately the last guest left, I bolted upstairs and ripped off all the clothes I had on and stepped into the shower. I stood under the cold spray for minutes but my mind didn’t seem to get the memo that we were trying not to go feral. Images of Zara sprawled out on my bed, her salacious moans, the way she moved and fuck! That bump. Never knew a pregnant belly coul
ZaraThe dress arrived at exactly an hour to the dinner but not exactly the way I expected it to. True to Viv’s words, I was totally blown away. Valerie was just making some finishing touches on my makeup when Emily, our housekeeper, walked in with a box. The inscription on the box read ‘ HN’ which is Viv’s brand name. I ripped through the ribbon holding the package together, barely able to contain my excitement. Only as I lifted the lid on the box, my excitement dropped several notches. A dead bird lay on the clothes, in a splatter of blood and gore. My name is written inside the box, in bright red. The bird is devoid of it's head, it's wings broken and entrails hanging out. . Whoever did this must have snapped it's neck and proceeded to slice it's gut open.I stand transfixed, cold sweat dripping down the back of my neck. . A realization hits me; it's a baby bird. My hands move instinctively to cradle my stomach. Fear of anyone ever harming my innocent child makes my stomach chu
ZaraThe day of the celebratory dinner arrives a few days later. Marcello said he wanted the event to be a small and intimate one, where he gets to share his win with his family and close associates. He even invited Valerie and Emily. All the excitement I have been feeling all day is due to the fact that I will be seeing the girls after a long while. Working at the firm and with Marcello has left me no time to socialize and have fun. Fun seems like an alien word at this point.I have been going round , inspecting the arrangements , since the dinner will be held here at the house. I pass by a stack of muffins and quickly snatch one off the table. Celine gives me the stink eye and I pretend not to notice her. Soon after, Maria arrives with Carlotta , each carrying heavy boxes and containers of food. I give them each a hug and pout at Maria. “ I told you not to bring anything, Mama. Look around, there’s enough to feed the whole of New York tonight”She waves me off. “ Nonsense, child.
Third person pov: A figure lurks within the shadows; watching, waiting and observing. The figure has been on a constant stake out , in a house, a few metres away from Marcello Andres’ building. On a table to it’s far left, multiple pictures are scattered around. Pictures of Marcello at work, in his private gym, in his study , and a more recent one of him entangled in the sheets with Zara Parkinson. The figure had watched all these time, long before the first scandal broke out, through the times Paradise group took a nosedive and when Marcello got married. Of course, the figure thought the marriage was a huge foil in his plans. But, the patient dog does eat the fattest bone, right? So, the darkness became a friend while the entity observed. The goal was to make Marcello meet his end. But simply watching his life end wasn’t going to cut it, he had to lose everything he held dear, including, it thought with a sneer, his precious little wife. Marcello deserved every misfortune in li