Cheryl's eyes shone sharply to stare at the rearview mirror on the right. Her hands moved quickly to turn the steering wheel, turning the car she was driving to the right side without giving a signal in the form of a turn signal.The sound of a car horn from the opposite direction echoed and startled Cheryl. She still accelerated the speed without caring about the curses of other drivers who were disturbed with her.From behind, three high-speed Bugatti Chirons were trying to catch up with her. They passed every car on the highway to get closer to Cheryl.In a rage of emotion and fear, Cheryl pressed the gas pedal to accelerate her speed to cut through a crowded highway in the middle of the night. The streets of Manhattan never sleep even though it's already 2 AM.“Cheryl, are you crazy? We could die if you keep speeding up your car!”Cheryl glanced briefly at Veronica who was sitting beside her. A look of panic was evident on Veronica's face, but Cheryl ignored Veronica and preferred
"Hey, how are you feeling?"Cheryl squinted as she tried to adjust her vision to the bright lights. Her hand moved slowly to massage her aching head."Want to drink?" Someone helped Cheryl to get up from a lying position. He held out a glass filled with water which Cheryl immediately gulped down.Her throat felt dry. As the water began to move down her throat, Cheryl let out a low moan as she breathed a sigh of relief."Your head hurts? I have some painkillers that can help relieve your headache. You want some?"Cheryl lifted her head to look at the man who had been restraining her back so she could sit and drink properly.Cheryl's eyes blinked repeatedly. A flash of images of what had happened to her flashed through her head.“Vero,” Cheryl mumbled in a low voice, “where is Veronica?”"She's taking a shower upstairs," that man removed his hand from Cheryl's back and sat in front of Cheryl's bed, looking at her intently. "She'll be down in a minute."Cheryl grimaced softly. She rubbed
“Isn't there some other place you can go? Why go to that stupid man's apartment?”“Look at your phone and see how many times I try to call you! You were busy with your work, and now you are mad at me?”"You know I'm always busy with work. Then why are you protesting now?”"Protest? Why would I be protesting a stubborn man like you? There's no point. You're just going to give me a lot of reasons and then make it look like I'm the guilty one, like I'm the selfish woman who never gets your damn busy work! I know that -""Enough, Veronica!" Mateo cut Veronica's sentence in a loud voice, "Right now, you're wrong, so don't try to change the subject so you can blame me for being busy."Cheryl rolled her eyes in annoyance. She was sick of listening to Mateo and Veronica's endless fight.For a moment, Cheryl recalled one incident after another that made her trapped in the helicopter with Mateo and Veronica.The first is Mateo's stupidity who immediately beats Rafael without listen to Veronica'
According to Mateo's instructions, Cheryl jumped down from the helicopter and immediately ran away, who had descended with Veronica first.The night wind blew hard against Cheryl's skin, blowing strands of her hair and making her shiver with cold. Cheryl had never felt scared like this before. It felt as if he was struck by misfortune repeatedly on the same night."Where did the helicopter driver go?" Cheryl asked as she continued to run after Mateo after she saw the helicopter driver leaving the helipad above Rafael's apartment building again.“Keep that useless vehicle away from this building,” Mateo replied calmly. His hand moved to reach Cheryl's arm. Then he brought Cheryl to go faster."The helicopter is going to explode?" Veronica asked."Possible,"Cheryl frowned. The helicopter was about to explode, but the driver didn't immediately get down to save himself.“Alejandro's bodyguards will arrive in 15 minutes. For now, we should stay at Rafael's apartment." Mateo pressed the bu
2 Years Later…Cheryl stood at the end of the ship's hilt, feeling the damp breeze caressing her skin, creating sparkling glints every time the sunlight shone on the jewels perfectly attached to her body.Her red lips moved slowly, sipping the wine in her right hand while her left was busy playing with her cell phone."No signal!" She mumbled softly.Behind her, a dance party was being held to enliven her brother—Mateo's reception with Veronica.Instead of holding a lavish reception with thousands of invited guests in a hotel building, Mateo prefers to bring out his best collection of cruise ships to have a family party in the middle of a calm sea. Enjoy time together without interruptions by cell phones and work.But of course, Cheryl couldn't be as relaxed as they were. She is almost crazy because she can't post anything on her social media."How can they live without a cell phone?" Cheryl looked far behind her, watching Mateo laugh out loud along with Veronica while occasionally st
Since realizing that she is part of the Alejandro family clan, Cheryl knows that her life will not be monotonous. Every day there must be new things that surprise and delight. Sometimes it's tense and scary too.An example of this was today when her father said he was allowed to return to work after their cruise ship pulled over two days after Mateo and Veronica's wedding reception was over. Because they were planning to do a cruise for three days and two nights on his father's luxury ship.It's been almost two year since her misterious accident, an odd accident that happened after she came home from Diamonique with Veronica, the diamond jewelry company that her mother left when Cheryl turned 21.Until now, Cheryl didn't know who was behind the mysterious attacks, nor did she know what the purpose of the attack was. All she knows is since that incident, his father has re-hired people to take care of Diamonique and made Cheryl unemployed who have many unimportant events.Then… now she'
Cheryl spent her whole life being the spoiled daughter of her father, and Cheryl had spent a dozen years getting to know Carlos before deciding to have a romantic relationship with him.Cheryl will never be able to choose between her father and her fiancé. She couldn't live without Carlos, but she couldn't have made it this far without her father either.In a difficult choice, just as she has often done before, Cheryl prefers to run away and isolate herself for a while. For a moment, she slipped away from the hustle and bustle of her life to enjoy a relaxing time at a suburban restaurant that was not very popular with visitors.A glass of cold wine is available on the table to accompany the dinner. One by one, a piece of steak she had managed to swallow. Every drop of steak sauce that touched her tongue managed to bring Cheryl to a memory of an incident two years ago, when she got a mysterious accident.Rafael.For some reason, the steak sauce that was still on her plate made Cheryl t
“Get out of my room, or I will kick your face!” Cheryl exclaimed as she saw Mateo walking from a distance.“Cheryl,” Carissa turned her head, noticing Cheryl, who looked antipathetic to Mateo's arrival.“Mom, he cracked my hand!” Cheryl was crying again, whining at her mother, so she immediately expelled her eldest son.Everyone panicked when they heard that Cheryl was hospitalized because of her wrist injury. "What? Why am I the one to blame?” Mateo shrugged guiltily. He glanced at Veronica, who was walking beside him—trying to explain to that woman about last night's incident.“You deserve to be blamed, Mateo.” Veronica sarcastically walked towards Cheryl who was lying on a hospital bed with her right hand wrapped in a bandage while her left hand was playing with her cellphone."Cheryl ran and hit me in my stomach. Why are you blaming me instead?" Mateo looked at Veronica, Carissa, and Jackson who were standing around Cheryl.“It all happened because you suddenly landed a helicopter
"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