Cheryl walked towards her room after finishing dinner. She had begun her plan to avoid Rafael starting today. The first thing she did was try to ignore his existence. Don't look at him, don't talk to him, and don't think about him.Cheryl had successfully passed the first phase. She didn't look at Rafael throughout dinner, and she tried not to talk to him either, only answering when he asked her. However, it was hard not to think about Rafael. He kept filling her mind, disrupting her concentration, and making her more difficult to control herself.Rafael kisses. The way he touched her. His breath against her skin. The movement of his lips. It all disturbed Cheryl."Are you two fighting?"Cheryl jumped in surprise as she found Alfonso standing near the hallway of her room."Who?" Cheryl pretended not to understand."Who else? You and Rafael," he took slow steps towards the window at the end of the hallway, "you both were silent throughout dinner. You both make Beatrice and I were wonde
The cold breeze made her skin shiver. The grapevines at night made the path to the house's yard look lush. Fallen leaves covered the path Rusty trotted on— making the path look perfect with the wind racing along with every step of Rusty. Cheryl urged Rusty to run faster. Passing the stable area, she headed towards the vineyard. Far behind her, Rafael rode a horse at a medium speed. He allowed Cheryl to lead their way—leaving everything behind without caring that the cold night air made her bones freeze. "Come on, Rusty!" Cheryl coaxed Rusty to run further. Faster. Cutting through the path as she ran away from her own thoughts. Cheryl never thought that the idea of riding a horse in the middle of the night could make her feel so calm. There was no one else except her and Rusty. The rhythmic thud of the horse's hooves sounded peaceful, instantly calming her mind. "You're amazing, Rusty!" Cheryl praised, hugging the horse's neck. Rusty was an intelligent horse. He recognized Cheryl
Cheryl could only fall asleep after 4 in the morning. Her mind couldn't stop thinking over Rafael's last words before they both decided to return to their rooms.The world is making fun of her? What does that sentence mean? Is Rafael saying that the world is making fun of him?"If you're still sleepy, you should go back to sleep, Dear. No one is forcing you to wake up early here," Alfonso poured honey over his waffle on his plate. He added some slices of banana and strawberries on top before cutting and chewing it slowly.Cheryl lifted her head, opening her eyes wide to show that she wasn't sleepy. Her gaze moved slowly to Rafael, who was sitting across from her.Oh, no! He looked nice. His eyes were clear, and his smile was still as charming as ever.Does last night's incident not affect Rafael at all?"I'm not sleepy," Cheryl answered, forcing a smile at the corner of her lips."Pur spoiled princess is probably used to waking up late because servants prepare everything for her." Bea
"Then, should I kidnap you again? Should I run down the aisle and kidnap the bride?"The last sentence Rafael uttered still made Cheryl's body tremble, even an hour later.Rafael might have been joking, but Cheryl swore she had wished he wasn't. She must be insane to wish for Rafael to kidnap her on her wedding day, right?"Fortunately, I brought my jacket. Otherwise," Rafael shook his head, "I'd have to bend over all afternoon so you could sit on my back."Cheryl blinked, staring at Rafael's jacket beneath her. He had even offered his jacket as a seat mat for her to sit on."Are we just going to sit here?" Trying to shift her attention away from Rafael, Cheryl chose to gaze at the expanse of grass around the lake."You wanted to watch the sunset, right?""Just the sunset?"Rafael tapped his finger against his head as if thinking, "Or do you want to swim?"Cheryl swore her eyes must have widened, looking at Rafael as if to say, "Are you kidding?""Once, I challenged Mateo to beat me i
"Her wound isn't serious," Beatrice softly closed Cheryl's room door, "She didn't faint either. She just closed her eyes—pretending. I think you don't need to worry about her."Rafael growled, struggling to control his emotions. In his mind, he kept replaying how Cheryl had looked at him. Hollow eyes filled with fear.Madness. He had revealed his identity to Cheryl. He had exposed his Princess to the darkness she shouldn't have seen."I'll kill them all," he muttered under his breath."I've taken care of the mess in the woods. It seems they were all sent by the same person. The attack had the same motive," Theodore chimed in.Rafael turned his head, glaring at Theodore with anger. In his eyes, he was no longer 'Rafael'; he was the leader of the Wagner clan."Why didn't you handle everything? Do I have to get involved myself?" he retorted with sarcasm."I will take care of them soon. You don't need to get involved. I promise you'll hear news within two or three days.""Too long!" Rafae
The sun had already set when Beatrice stood at the doorway of her room. She snorted briefly and shook her head lazily."Still not coming out? Want to turn into Rapunzel, who was locked up in the castle?" Beatrice asked with a sarcastic tone.Cheryl turned away, not wanting to respond to Beatrice's useless babbling.Since morning—or rather, since the night—Cheryl had stayed in her room. She wrapped herself in a blanket, paying no attention to the food that Beatrice had sent since morning."You're too weak to stand beside Rafael. That's why he's always hesitant whenever he sees you," Beatrice said with a bitter smile.Cheryl turned her head slightly, a little bit surprised by Beatrice's ambiguous statement."What do you mean?"Since morning, Rafael hadn't come to see her. He seemed to have deliberately left her alone, making her keep thinking about many unreasonable things ever since knowing his true identity."This is how our life is," Beatrice shrugged, "a spoiled princess from the Al
Cheryl felt frightened as Carlos dragged her into the grand mansion in the city center. Long hallways dominated by white walls welcomed her as she entered the building. The ceiling adorned with classical ornaments and a chandelier in the center made the mansion look even more magnificent.The Dominggos family mansion.There was no way out of this place. She was trapped in Carlos's grip. This time, she couldn't rely on Rafael's help, especially after she had openly rejected him—hurting his ego. Not only Rafael, she couldn't rely on Mateo and her Daddy either. They weren't Superman, who was able to come to her whenever she needed them. There was no phone or one to expect to rescue her from this cursed place.She is alone... and she has to face what she deserves to face."Carlos, stop..." Cheryl pleaded, trying to catch Carlos's attention as he dragged her like a madman.Dozens of maids standing at the end of the stairs on the second floor looked at her with concern. But, once again, Che
Days changed faintly. Now she was in Las Vegas—in her room at the Alejandro family mansion. No more Canada, or horse stables on the ranch, or the simple room overlooking the vineyard, or sunrises by the lake.Everything vanished all of a sudden...Cheryl never really noticed the passing of time. She felt empty as if she had just lost something precious in her life.She faintly heard the sound of the door being closed gently.As she opened her eyes, the room that was once dark and cold had transformed into bright and... warm. She could feel the thick blanket wrapping around her body. And the gentle stroke on her head."How was your sleep? Nice?"Cheryl looked up and found Mateo sitting at the edge of the bed, looking at her with concern as if she had just got a big problem.In reality, she was indeed caught in a big problem..."When did you arrive?" Cheryl shifted back, rising from her sleeping position and approaching Mateo to hug him."A few hours ago." Mateo kept running his fingers
"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