"You look so happy. Does being married to Rafael make you happy?" Jackson asked as he walked around the path on the left wing of the mansion that led to the stables at the back."Very happy." Cheryl nodded as she leaned her head on Jackosn's shoulder. "I never thought that my life could be this happy.""Were you unhappy before?""It wasn't like that." She shook her head. "I used to be happy, very happy. But being with Rafael feels different.""Oh, yeah? You were so happy you couldn't hear me criticize your husband, huh?"Cheryl's heart was racing. Her husband—Rafael Frederich Wagner, was her husband."This mansion is quite nice. I hope you enjoy living here."Cheryl looked around her. The sky was beautifully lit, the air was fresh, and the trees were shady. This place was so cozy. She had never felt this comfortable when she first lived in a new place. However, together with Rafael, it felt like she was comfortable even if they had to sleep in the attic room of a cheap hotel."Let alo
"Besides liking to watch you play the piano at church, Rafael also often asks me how you are." Veronica began to tell her story—Rafael’s little secret, smiling amusedly at Rafael, who was pouting his lips next to Cheryl. "Ever since I found out that he liked you, I often offered to introduce you in person, but he always refused." "Vero..." Rafael looked at her pleadingly, hoping that she would not reveal his secret. "He's a disgusting stalker," Mateo muttered with a brief chuckle. "Aren't you the same as him?" Veronica turned her head, looking at Mateo with a frown. "Me?" Mateo pointed at himself, "When did I stalk you?" "Never mind, I don't want to talk about you. This is a story about Rafael!" Veronica scowled, "You should know, Cheryl. Rafael had an invitation to continue his master's degree at MIT, but he chose to study at Cambridge—in the same country you're studying in." She shrugged her shoulders. Cheryl turned her head, squinting at Rafael. Once again, she felt regret cre
Rafael felt his heart beat comfortably as Cheryl hugged him. It was as if he was getting something he had always needed—something that made him feel alive.Being with Cheryl felt like an impossible dream, but here they were. The mansion that he built to escape from the crowds when he felt frustrated, now that place didn't feel as quiet as usual. There was Cheryl's voice filling the silence, the scent of her body spread throughout the room—providing a pleasant sense of comfort, and the sparkle in her eyes illuminated every corner of the mansion—beating the sunlight that infiltrated through the glass walls.Rafael might sound exaggerated when describing her, but that's exactly how it was. He loved that woman—worshiped every spot of her that looked so perfect in his eyes."Let's see if my surprise this time will make you happy or not," Rafael pulled her away, then he walked her to their room. Once there, he opened the nightstand box beside the bed, took out a velvet box, and showed it to
Three days before her wedding—when she fought with Carlos for the last time, Cheryl thought she would lose everything about Diamonique. She though she wouldn't be able to spend as much time in her office preparing the next season's designs, she wouldn't be able to launch a new collection at the beginning of every season, she wouldn't be able to grow her business the way she wanted to. However, she was wrong.Firstly, she wasn't married to Carlos so he couldn't stop her from doing whatever she wanted. And secondly, she was married to Rafael, who always supported her in everything she loved to do."Tonight, I announce that the exhibition of Diamonique's latest collection is officially open." Cheryl's opening speech ended quickly. However, her short sentence immediately drew applause from the guests who attended the Diamonique ballroom located in the middle of Manhattan.She walked down from the podium while rubbing her wedding ring in a huff. Rafael had been supportive of her doing what
Cheryl squirmed softly as she pulled the blanket over her cold body. Her hand stretched out, searching for Rafael, who usually slept on the right side of their bed.It was empty. Rafael was not there.Her eyes opened quickly, blinking softly and frowning as she gazed around her. For a moment, she felt confused, but two seconds later, she remembered that she was in Canada—at Grandpa Alfonso's ranch house.Cheryl quickly rose to her feet, walked to the bathroom to clean herself up, and then put on the warm clothes that were already on the bed as soon as she came out of the bathroom. She smiled briefly, then walked out of the room when she smelled a nice smell coming from the kitchen.Her eyes lit up when she saw Rafael standing behind her. He was busy with the stove and frying pan. The smell of melted butter instantly made her stomach rumble with hunger."Why did you leave me?" She asked while hugging Rafael's sturdy back. She snorted softly when she saw Rafael wearing a plain black t-s
Cheryl felt her heart racing as Rafael's car sped off down the empty Turkish road. She frowned for a moment, then turned her head to Rafael, who was smiling proudly for fulfilling her request. Even if they weren't racing, the speedometer reached 250km/h, which would have made it clear that they were riding at the same speed as a race car—almost the same as an F1 car."Nice car," She commented with a smile. She tightened her grip on her seatbelt as she watched Rafael increase their speed.Crazy. It felt really crazy. However, she enjoyed every second that passed. Her heart was racing, too, but she didn't feel scared. Rafael's gaze beaming down at her made her feel safe—as if he was confirming that no matter what, he would always ensure her safety without limiting her freedom."Are you afraid?" He asked."No!" she shook her head, smiling at him. "Did you clear this road on purpose?”"Yes, are you happy?"She nodded. "Very happy."Even though he seemed focused on his driving, she could s
"Where are you going?" Cheryl was curled up in a blanket in their mansion—staring resentfully at Rafael, who walked in from the walk-in closet in a dark grey shirt and suit. He looked gorgeous—fresh and handsome as ever. His appearance was in stark contrast to her, who was still messy from just waking up after hearing the sound of his footsteps."Didn't I tell you that I should come to the meeting with the board of directors of Europe WGR today?" Rafael turned his head, walked slowly towards her, then ruffled her hair anxiously. The scent of his body made her feel at home around him. She pulled her hand so he could lie beside her again and hold her all day."I thought you were leaving at noon," She smacked her lips.Their honeymoon is over, and now it's time to get back to the busy life of work.Rafael grinned mischievously, "Shall I cancel my plan?""Is that okay?" She blinked her eyes."Of course, that’s okay," Rafael replied excitedly, "especially since you were the one who called
"What are you doing in my mansion this early in the morning? Do you want to take refuge here?" Mateo grumbled when he found Cheryl lying on the bed in his room with Veronica when he came out of the bathroom.Cheryl raised one eyebrow, then went back to watching the movie with Veronica—ignoring Mateo."What? Why are you ignoring me?" Mateo grumbled in annoyance, this time while pulling Cheryl and Veronica's legs in turn—making them laugh."Stop it, Mateo!" Cheryl kicked Mateo's hand, then pulled Veronica away from him."Stop, or I'll lock you out!"Cheryl's yelling didn't make Mateo stop, but Veronica did. Mateo stopped as soon as he heard her threat. He gave them an annoyed look, then grabbed the television remote and turned it off while stomping his foot irritably.Cheryl squinted, then turned to Veronica. "Your husband is ridiculous!" She said as she rose to her feet—ready to walk out of the room."A little better than your husband, who left you!" Veronica laughed.Cheryl turned aro
"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