"Are you going to slap me if I kiss you?" Cheryl's head was spinning instantly. Empty. Her mind is blank. Her hands were shaking, but her eyes remained fixed on watching Rafael's face which was right in front of her. Near. He was getting closer. Cheryl knew that Rafael's lips would touch hers in less than two seconds, but she didn't move as if she accepted every closeness he had created. Cold. Cheryl shivered with cold when Rafael's lips pressed against hers, kissing her slowly as if he was deliberately waiting for permission from her. Crazy, Cheryl must be crazy when she opened her lips slowly, giving access to Rafael, who was now moving closer. Tasting the taste, crushing her lips in a sweet movement that relaxes her knees. Cheryl would have fallen over if Rafael's hands hadn't been holding her waist. Her body went limp. Her legs couldn't support their own weight. “Cheryl…” Rafael muttered softly in the kiss they did, “you're cute. Very sweet." Cheryl was getting out of contr
The sound of horses' hooves colliding with each other made Cheryl focus more on Rafael who was not far from her."Come on, Rusty!" Cheryl screamed, spurring Rusty to run faster so she could catch up with Rafael.It seems like Rafael wasn't kidding when he said that he grew up in a ranch house and used to ride horses every day.A few minutes before they started the race, Cheryl put forward a condition that was actually quite profitable for her. She wanted Rafael to ride the horse she chose randomly because she didn't know Rusty's performance compared to other horses. Cheryl said that the race would only be fair if Rafael rode the horse of her choice, just as he had done when he asked Cheryl to use Rusty.Even though he seemed to know the purpose behind Cheryl's terms, Rafael finally agreed to her request. Cheryl purposely chose a short-legged horse that looked very unsuited for racing. When he found out which horse Cheryl had chosen, Rafael just smiled and took him out of the stables w
"You want hot dogs?" Rafael asked while pointing at the food truck that was at the end of the road.“Roadside hot dogs? Can you guarantee its cleanliness?” Cheryl squinted, staring at the crowd of people lining up in front of the food truck.“Queen of cleanliness,” Rafael put down the grocery wrap in his hands, and he touched Cheryl's shoulder, making her turn to face him, “I can't guarantee the cleanliness of the food here, but I'm interested in trying it. Would you like to try?"Cheryl rolled her eyes. In all her life, she never thought that she would visit a busy and crowded traditional market. This place is terrible. Hundreds of people walked from side to side, looking for the seller they wanted. Traditional markets sell vegetables, meat, clothing, household appliances, and even fast food."I do not want!" Cheryl crossed her arms over her chest, “food like that isn't guaranteed to be clean. It must also taste awful too.”"Okay, then you just wait here. I want to order the hot dog.
“Make sure you bring lots of warm clothes, Cheryl. The air in the middle of the forest is a bit unpredictable.” Alfonso Frederich gave a blanket to Cheryl, which Cheryl immediately accepted with pleasure."How long are we going to be camping?" Cheryl raised an eyebrow.“Just two days,” Rafael replied.Cheryl turned her head towards Rafael, who was folding the tent together with Beatrice in the yard. Cheryl snorted softly when she saw Beatrice laugh at Rafael's joke. They seemed familiar, not like the relationship between cousins in general. She wondered to herself, is it true that Beatrice is his cousin? Or was he just joking when he introduced Beatrice as his cousin? What if Beatrice is Rafael's future wife?Oh God, has she gone mad?!"How many tents did you bring?" Alfonso went down the stairs leading to the courtyard. The old man looked very excited to go camping in the middle even though he needed a cane to walk inside the house."Two tents." Reply Rafael.“Why only bring two tent
"I don't like to eat fish," Cherryl said."Why?" Rafael asked as he removed the bones from his grilled fish before he reached out to let Cheryl eat from his hand.The nights are getting colder. The air in the middle of autumn always managed to make the bones shiver, but the bonfire in front of her made the air feel warm. Because of that, Cheryl still had no intention of going into the tent even though Alfonso had been sleeping since earlier after he had an argument with Beatrice because she sprayed insect repellent into their tent.Rafael again reached out his hand after he made sure all the spines on the fish he managed to remove, "open your mouth!" he said.Cheryl opened her mouth like a 5-year-old, “delicious!” she closed her eyes, enjoying the grilled fish that Rafael had just cooked."I thought I heard you don't like fish," he sneered.Cheryl took a deep breath. Her memory returned to the incident a few days ago. As far as she can remember when Carlos held a family gathering at a
Cheryl knew she shouldn't cry in front of Rafael, but her feelings were so messed up. She could not control her heart, her emotions, even her crying.Rafael is like a momentary happiness that turns out to rule her heart bigger than she thought. She had crossed the line she had set. She had violated her own commitment. And now, having betrayed Carlos for a 'moment of pleasure'. She was crushed in regret.Carlos. What is he doing now? Was he frantically looking for Cheryl? Did he start hurting himself because he felt guilty?No. It was Cheryl who was wrong, not Carlos. Carlos has been trying to maintain their relationship all this time, but Cheryl has been trapped in a useless relationship. Rafael is just a moment of pleasure, a calm that she seeks when stuck in a problem.And now Cheryl is being tormented by a sense of regret.When she was drowning in tears of regret, Cheryl cringed when she heard the tent door open.As Cheryl had expected, Rafael entered the tent."Don't worry. I'll s
Cheryl knew that no matter how fast she tried to run from Rafael, he would still catch her. Her feet weren't as fast as Rafael, nor was she used to running in the middle of a dark forest. She repeatedly tripped, lost control, then almost fell. However, she still did not stop running.“Cheryl, stop…” Rafael's voice sounded close to her ear. He didn't give an order, but he begged.Cheryl wiped her tears away, her body shook with fear, and she started to lose her way. However, Cheryl couldn't imagine what would happen if Rafael caught her."Cheryl, I beg you to stop,"Raphael caught her. He locked her in a hug, giving Cheryl no chance to run."Let me go!" Cheryl struggled, trying to break free. However, Rafael's hands hugged her tightly, he repeatedly kissed the top of her head, as if he was trying hard to calm her."Let me go! Who are you?! Why do you want to kill that man?!” Cheryl screamed in frustration. She was crying, wailing in Rafael's arms for fear of him. She was afraid of him
Dizzy. Her head felt dizzy."Finally, the spoiled Princess regained consciousness,"Cheryl opened her eyes slowly. She reached out to touch her sore head."I know you're in pain, so you better take some medicine immediately." Beatrice held out a medicine and a glass of water.Cheryl swatted the glass away, startling Beatrice and dropping it on the floor.“What?!” Beatrice shrieked in surprise, “Are you crazy?!”Cheryl hissed in pain. Even though her head was dizzy, she still clearly remembered how Beatrice hit her neck to make her faint. That crazy woman deliberately knocked her unconscious and made her endure the pain in her neck and head."You're the crazy one!" Cheryl hissed angrily, "Where's Rafael?" She tried to get up from a lying position."I do not know. He's not home yet," Beatrice picked up the broken glass that Cheryl threw, "I don't care if you want to eat or not, but I've prepared food in the kitchen." Beatrice walked out of the room and closed the door in annoyance.Cher
"Put away your weapons!" Carlos glared angrily at his guards, who were still pointing their guns at Cheryl as they walked out of Liam Fernandez's mansion.Cheryl still sobbed in Carlos's embrace. She cried—crying was the only thing she could do. Seeing the destruction of ElWagner unfold before her eyes made her realize that the best ElWagner agents had sacrificed themselves for her— for her ambition."That's okay, Cheryl. You can cry," Carlos comforted her, holding her close even as they got into the car.She fell silent for a long time. She couldn't stop her tears, especially when she realized she was now in Carlos's arms."Why did it have to happen?" she muttered in a heartbreaking voice."Relax, you don't need to think about anything. Everything is right, Cheryl. You're with me again," Carlos whispered as he kissed her cheek."You left me, Carlos.""No, I am not," Carlos shook his head. "Not anymore. I apologize for my mistakes. After this, I will never leave you again. We will alw
Cheryl gripped her black jacket tightly around her body as the car she was in came to a halt at the gate of Liam Fernandez's mansion in Milan, Italy.ElWagner's top agents had successfully disabled the mansion a few minutes before she and Beatrice arrived. Rafael's trusted snipers, who had launched an attack on the mansion, had captured Liam Fernandez, who was now being held hostage in his office.The night wind struck Cheryl's face, making her shiver in the cold. Once again, she tightened her jacket. For the first time in her life, she carried a gun. Tonight, she walked in the darkness wearing a bulletproof vest, a gun tucked under her black jacket and a knife concealed in her shoe. Just in case, as Theodore had advised.The smell of blood hit her nose as she walked past the magnificent gates of Liam Fernandez's mansion. Her stomach flared up, but she calmed herself up, placing a hand on her belly. "Be strong, my baby," she whispered softly."Are you okay?" Beatrice turned her head u
There's one thing Cheryl learned as an Alejandro—she doesn't give up easily, and she doesn't forgive easily. She has big ambitions, and she has the courage to do whatever she wants. Just like her decision to stay with Carlos because she believed she loved him—although she didn't. She didn't love him, but she felt owed to Carlos, so she forced herself to believe that she loved him.But now, things have changed. She is no longer just an Alejandro; she's also a Wagner. So, there's no reason for her to be afraid."I found this data three days ago, but everything is still unclear," Beatrice showed a long analysis dataset.Cheryl furrowed her brows, reading the data on Beatrice's iPad and trying to understand a confusing family tree diagram of Wagner’s family. It starts from the ancestors of the Wagner family and goes down to Rafael. Even her name was in the data. However, there was something else in the data that looked suspicious."It does look confusing, but in short, Eros Wagner apparen
The night wind swept through Cheryl's hair as she lay on the rooftop, making her shiver from the cold for daring to lie there in the middle of the night. The words spoken by Beatrice and Mateo kept replaying in her mind, adding to her torment—making her suffer even more.Every breath, every heartbeat, and even every passing second felt increasingly painful when she knew the cause of Rafael's accident. It was her. She was the cause. Rafael left because of her. It was all her fault. Everyone was crying and suffering because of her.Rafael's presence had been like a miracle to her. But, on the contrary, she had become the source of his suffering.With her weak body and pale face, she walked to the edge of the rooftop. Every memory they had spent in this place played in her mind. She looked out over the vast forest expanse at the rooftop's edge. Maybe she wouldn't hesitate to jump off if she wasn't pregnant. But now, her situation was much more complicated. She had to stay alive when she
"I will announce Rafael's death one week from now," Ares' firm voice shattered the silence in the dining room.Everyone froze, staring at Ares with bated breath, except for one person: Cheryl."How dare you?! Don't you dare announce anything other than good news when Rafael returns," Catalina retorted with a sharp gaze."What do you expect? We can't keep waiting. How long will we be like this? Didn't we already release the flowers into the sea two days ago? Isn't that enough for you?" Ares responded."There's still a chance he's alive! I don't care about flowers or anything you say. I don't even care about your concerns for your company heir. But don't you dare announce my son's death!" Catalina's breath raced as she stared at Ares with a palpable gaze. "We just need to wait a little longer. There will be good news. Haven't the search team found—""Three bodies in nearly unrecognizable condition?" Ares cut in swiftly. "What are you waiting for, Catalina? Do you need to see his corpse
Days passed in a blur. One day after hearing the news about Rafael's plane, Cheryl fell ill. She had a fever, and her condition didn't get better even after a week had passed. And during that time, there was not a single word about Rafael. His plane, his whereabouts, and even how he was doing. Everything still seemed vague. There was no certainty whatsoever. There was no trace as if his plane had simply disappeared.Almost all the news on TV, the internet, and newspapers was filled with the news of the crash of Europe WGR's heir. Everyone was curious about the accident, and some of them even predicted that Rafael's plane had crashed due to bad weather. Therefore, three days ago, the search was carried out by combing the sea area to find clues about his whereabouts.In contrast to them, Cheryl hoped that the wreck of Rafael's plane was not found. The plane didn't crash. Rafael was alive, breathing and fine. He was on the other side of the world, and he would only take a little while to
Cheryl stared at the food in front of her with an annoyed look. It had been almost three hours since she had sat alone at the table, but Rafael had not arrived.Their last conversation was five hours ago when she had just finished training with Theodore. Now, all her cooking was done, beautifully arranged on the table, while her fingers were covered with plaster cuts from holding the knife. She had done all this for Rafael, to welcome him home like any other wife would. However, he did not come. Even their communication devices have been disconnected since she turned them off a few hours ago.Gosh, she regretted turning that thing off. Rafael must have been upset with her, so he turned off their phone connection."Rafael,"There was no answer.Cheryl exhaled in annoyance."You're late, and I'm really mad at you."Even though she knew that Rafael did not hear her voice, she kept talking— babbling like crazy."I won't forgive you. Let alone dessert, you won't even get a meal tonight! I
"Who sent you?!" The shout echoed through the Dominggos family mansion located in Canada.Carlos Dominggos stared angrily at the crowd of bodyguards pointing guns at him. Meanwhile, hundreds of Dominggos family bodyguards had been taken down outside his room. Some of them were lying helplessly on the floor."Answer me! Is it that damn Rafael?! Or maybe Ares Wagner?!" He shouted again. Despite his anger, he kept his hands behind his head—just as he had done to the ElWagner agents surrounding him. There was no choice. He was now trapped inside his mansion while ElWagner carried out a massive massacre of his bodyguards, killing them and turning his mansion into a horrible pool of blood.Silence. No one made a sound until an approaching footstep broke the silence in the room. "More precisely, the leader of ElWagner—Rafael Wagner." Rafael greeted while walking with a sharp gaze. His terrifying face was suffocating even without carrying a gun like the bodyguards did. He strode calmly in a b
"You're leaving again?" Cheryl frowned when she saw Rafael already dressed in his suit at 7 a.m. His hair was slicked back, and he looked handsome and gorgeous."Yes, I have a meeting with ElWagner's secret leaders."When she heard Rafael's work agenda, she felt her heart skip a beat.Even though she knew that Rafael had competent bodyguards like Theodore and Lex, she still couldn't calm down when she learned that he was going to ElWagner's headquarters in Canada."It's December 28th. Can't you take the end of the year off to spend time with her?"Rafael turned his head, then smiled briefly at her, "I'll go straight home tomorrow. After that, I won't be working again until early next year. Are you happy, Princess?""Can I come to Canada?"Rafael frowned, "Don't you have an event with Mommy Carissa today? Are you going to cancel?"She smacked her forehead lightly for forgetting the important agenda she would do with her Mommy. They rarely had time together. It was hard to choose betwee