"I want you to come live with me," he blurted out suddenly, as I was about to finish my plate."Excuse me?""To live with me, Clau," he repeated slowly, looking at me with a raised eyebrow. "We'll soon be husband and wife, I don't see the need for you to continue living at your parents' house."I stared at him, expecting him to say it was a joke, but no. He looked quite serious and I didn't like that expression on him."I'm not leaving with you until we get married," I said firmly and he looked at me in disbelief."Claudia, stop joking," he said in a warning tone."I'm not kidding.""Neither am I," he spat firmly. "I want you with me, by my side. Why do you refuse?""Does the idea of me staying at my parents' house really bother you that much?""And why should you have to stay? You are my fiancé and you should be with me, I have room to spare.""Where, at your grandfather Daniel's?," I said wryly, earning a look of disdain."I have more properties where you might fancy living, Claudia
Anna's POV"Matteo, it's all set. Alessandro has a secret entrance in the company, he always uses it and it is activated with his fingerprint""Then can I come in?""Yes, Alessandro was passed out in his chair, on his desk he has the sensor to unlock the door, when you enter just go straight, then turn left and you will find an elevator, press the green colored button, this will take you straight to his office, which is where I am, don't be long""Perfect, I was able to get in, in a few minutes I'll be there.""Alessandro, dear, at last I am going to take revenge on you, you are naive, you will never see your beloved Claudia again," I said with a smirk, stroking his hair.He would be mine and Claudia would be helpless, the bitch was pregnant and I could know about her little spawn because I eavesdropped on her conversation with Eva. I had planted a bug in her bag and she hadn't even noticed.I had to talk to Matteo to get that sorted out, the only one who would give Alessandro babies
Claudia's POVI was very nervous, Alexis still had no news from Alessandro and it had been more than 24 hours since he disappeared, I needed to do something."I have to go out and look for him," I said, getting up from the chair."Claudia, you're crazy. You can't do that, least of all in your condition," my sister said, grabbing my arm."Pilar, let me go, he's your brother too, he needs our help," I said, trying to let go.Suddenly, the sound of the phone interrupted us."It's Matteo!""Quick, answer it!""Hello?""Claudia, what a pleasure to hear your beautiful voice.""Cut the crap and answer me, where is Alessandro?," I said annoyed."Sweetheart, if you want me to answer your questions, you should be more kind," he said in a mocking tone."My patience is reaching its limit. Where do you have him?""All right, I'll tell you where it is, but there's one condition you have to meet.""Which one?""It's very easy, I want to see you today, to be exact at 8pm. Without company and much les
Matteo's POVI was very angry, everything had gone wrong, but I'm not going to stop, Alessandro won't get out of here alive."Where were you? You better not have done something stupid to ruin our plans," that crazy woman shouted at me."Shut up, Anna! I'm sick of your orders," I yelled at her and she looked at me shocked. "We'd better get out of here, the police are looking for us, we have little time.""I knew I'd done something foolish, where are we supposed to go," she angrily retorted."You just pick up what you need, I already have the fake papers to leave the country," I said pissed off, starting to organize the final details.I wasn't going to let anyone catch me, I had tried too hard and worked too hard to get my career off the ground, to now lose everything because of this sentimental romantic.***Alexis's POVThere was no time to waste, I kept Isabella informed of the situation, she was very angry with us, but there was no alternative, we had to take care of her and her bab
"You had to show up," I said with obvious annoyance in my tone."To keep you company, love," hell, how disgusted I felt hearing that word come out of his mouth."Don't start bothering her, Javier," my cousin warned him."You shut up, it's not with you," that damned idiot reprimanded him."Would you stop talking bullshit sometime," I interjected, raising my voice. "What are you doing here and what do you want?""I didn't say anything stupid, I just answered honestly to the question your friend asked," he replied winking at me, instead I rolled mine, jaded."Well, no one asked you to answer, and if you don't have anything interesting to say, you can just leave," Eva said, but the stupid man just laughed at what he had just heard."Don't be jealous, blondie, you're hot too," he said, making her turn red with rage."Asshole!," said Alexis, but Claudia stopped him.Suddenly he slowly walked over to where I was sitting. He looked drunk or stoned and frankly I didn't like those vices."But C
I had finished and was about to leave, but I looked down at my feet and noticed that I was barefoot.Unbelievable, I remembered everything but the shoes."Alessandro," I called out to him."Are you finally ready?," he asked from behind the door."No," I said, making him grumble. " I need you to please pass me the gold heeled sandals that are in the closet.""Open up, I've got them.""I'll just open you up a little, I don't want you to see me yet.""Are you kidding?""No, so just hand me your shoes and don't go inside.""Whatever you say," he sighed."Pass them," I asked, holding out my hand so he couldn't see me, and when he did, I immediately locked up again.I put on my shoes, and now I was fully ready, so I decided to leave."I'm ready now," I warned him."Then come out.""I want you to close your eyes first.""For God 's sake, Claudia.""Do it," I insisted."What nonsense," he snorted. "Well, I already did.""You sure?""That I am, get the hell out," he replied, and I set about op
"Let's dance, you came here to have fun!" exclaimed my friend, grabbing my hands to make me jump with her. "Move with me!"I just laughed at her attempt to force me to dance. She looked like a little girl."CLAUDIA! CLAUDIA! CLAUDIA!" The three of them start shouting in chorus, drawing the attention of the people around us, making me red with grief. "Do it!"They insisted again, moving me among everyone, and I had no choice but to play along, dancing to their rhythm and causing them to let out screams as I jumped up and down with them.Little by little, catching their joy, I danced along with them with more ease, enjoying myself to the sound of the song, forgetting everything else. I got into my own world with the music, and I ran my hands all over my body, swaying slowly from side to side."Baby, this is what you came for!" sings Eva at the top of her lungs, pointing at me with a mischievous grin as she shakes her hair from side to side. " Lightning strikes every time she moves"She
"Everyone will find out about us," I mused, still unable to process what had just happened."Sooner or later they would," he replied."I don't want to be national news, I'm not used to this," I said, remembering all the places I went out for that damn kiss.That's not counting Matteo."Claudia, come here," he motioned for me to straddle him, which I obeyed."Listen to me well, from now on you'll have to ignore all the shit they make up about you, because they won't leave you alone anymore, do you understand?" he asked me.I never thought that going out with a man like him would attract so much attention."Answer me.""Yes, but...""But nothing, you're my woman, and even though I don't want you to be exposed to this, it's part of what being one entails, do you understand?," he questioned and I nodded, crestfallen."I understand.""Look at me," he asked, lifting my face."It's going to be all right, baby," he assured, giving me a little kiss, which immediately intensified the moment he r
I could only watch as my best friend moved back and forth. She looked distressed, but I was starting to feel dizzy."Eva, stop it! Why are you so nervous?""My trip is approaching, I have my suitcases almost ready, but...""What's wrong, dear friend? You can still change your mind about the trip if you're not sure.""It's just that now I realize how much I'm going to miss my parents. I've never been separated from them," she says with teary eyes."You told me yourself it's just a five-month trip. Seize this opportunity and enjoy it," I encourage her, seeing her sad."You're right. With some contacts from my father, I managed to secure a teaching job. It's a language center in Canada.""Will you be an Italian teacher?" "Exactly, my friend. I'm really excited. There are people from different nationalities at that center. I think I'll learn a lot about other cultures," she says this time with a smile."I'm happy for you, Eva," I give her a hug. "Alright, I'll leave you to finish packing
"Darling, how lovely to see you both," my father greets Alessandro and me."We have excellent news for you," I announce as my mother joins us. "You will be grandparents to a beautiful baby boy."Shouts of surprise and excitement ensue."Congratulations, my dear, Alessandro," my father hugs us. "Have you thought of any names?""We like the name Luca," Alessandro says, and my mom starts crying."Mom?""I'm thrilled to have a little one coming into the family," she says through tears. "Our grandson Luca will be a much-loved boy."Alessandro and I are not officially married yet, which is why we've been planning a new wedding all this time.Eva will soon leave for Canada, and I want her to attend my wedding. She's my maid of honor and must be there, so I sped up my plans."Eva, is everything ready?" I ask my friend as we meet for lunch."Yes, Claudia, I promise to call you as much as I can, don't worry. Plus, I'll only be gone for 5 months," she says with a smile. "I'll be back just in tim
I spent the entire Sunday morning in my bed, unable to sleep at night."I better pay Claudia a visit,I need her advice," I say with a wry smile due to my huge dark circles.I took a shower and put on something comfortable, dark blue jeans, a white t-shirt, and white sneakers.I arrived at Claudia's house; she looks so beautiful with her baby bump, and it makes me so happy to see her. She's like the sister I've always wanted.I didn't waste any time and told her everything that happened last night. She listened attentively as we sipped on juice and ate cookies."I have to admit that Alexis is a jerk, but on the other hand, Piero is a true gentleman. I think you should give him a chance," she says with a smile."Claudia, it's not easy to just dismiss these kinds of feelings.""I know, when you fall in love, you can't see anyone else, but I think you really enjoy suffering. You could have a caring man by your side, yet you still prefer holding onto Alexis," she says with a wry expressio
Eva's POVAfter Alessandro and Claudia left, I stayed working alone in the office. Alexis had to attend a very important meeting.I could only think about the kiss between him and me; I couldn't concentrate on my tasks."Hello, beautiful.""Piero, what are you doing here?" I exclaimed, slightly flustered upon seeing him in front of me."I had to take care of some advertising matters here at the company and took the opportunity to come and say hi," he says with a huge smile, a very handsome one indeed."I'm glad to see you. Tell me, are you excited about the release of your new movie?""Of course, it was quite a challenge for me. I was used to making action movies, and now starring in a romantic genre was special," he responds enthusiastically."I'm excited to see the outcome. I'm sure it will do very well in sales.""Thank you, Eva," he says, taking my hand. "Would you like to be my date for that day?""Well, what a surprise. I would certainly love to, but that day I have to be by my
We arrived at the restaurant where Piero made the reservation, it's spectacular, and I feel both ecstatic and out of place for being in such a beautiful and elegant place that my paternal family is so accustomed to.Is this how my life would be if I accept marrying Piero Ferrara?"I had never been to this place before, it's very nice," I say somewhat uncomfortably, trying to push those thoughts out of my mind."I knew you would like it, it's my favorite French restaurant, 'Le Gigot,' their steaks are really good," Piero says gallantly.We sit at a pre-booked table, and Piero even pulls out the chair for me in a chivalrous manner."While we wait for our order, tell me, why did you decide to become an actor? My grandfather mentioned that your family owns the textile company FR," I ask."That's correct, they do, but I've always been drawn to acting. And when I retire from this career in the future, I'll assume the presidency of the company," he confesses, and I'm amazed. "Believe me, I'm
When I leave the office, the phone suddenly rings, pulling me out of my thoughts.I see the contact on the screen and hurry to answer my phone. It's my mom and I think it's important because she never calls me at work."Hello, Mom, what's up?""Sweetie, I hope I'm not interrupting your work. Tell me, why didn't you mention that you saw your grandfather?"Her question surprises me. What's all this about?"I only saw him briefly. We coincidentally crossed paths here at work. Don't worry, I didn't do anything wrong.""I know you're a good girl. It's just that your grandfather talked to your father and he wants to see you tomorrow at his house.""Tomorrow? That's impossible. I have an appointment, and I'm not going to cancel it for my grandfather. I'm sorry, Mom.""Dear, I think it's necessary for all of us to visit your grandfather. He wants to see us. He seemed really worried.""No, Mom, I'm sorry.""In the morning, we can visit your grandfather, and you'll have the afternoon free. Don'
"In love! With whom? Why didn't you tell me?" she exclaims in genuine surprise.Of course, it's obvious she'd react that way, considering she had named me the number one single for a while now, but Alexis Lombardi was an incredible person who had deeply ingrained himself in me.Even over the years, I couldn't forget him completely."I don't know when I started liking him so much…""Wait, don't say another word, are you falling for Alexis Lombardi?" She looks at me with wide-open eyes."It seems like it," I say with a lump in my throat."But I don't understand why you're sad. It would be wonderful if you and Alexis became a couple. Imagine the four of us on a double date. You're my best friend, and Alexis is Alessandro's cousin…""Dear friend, I think you're hallucinating. Look at me, I'm really not his type," I say with a wry smile, remembering how everything "ended" between us."Eva, what's gotten into you? You're beautiful, with your long black hair and those gorgeous blue eyes. Jus
Days go by, and Alessandro informs me that he has news for me about Anna, which makes me nervous because I had managed to find solid evidence of her kidnapping and how she had drugged him to take advantage of him.It seems that Matteo himself had given them to him."Love, the good news is that Anna will go to jail for a long time, and her parents are accomplices. I will have full custody of my daughter."I couldn't be happier, I throw myself into his arms, but I notice he's tense, so I look at him inquisitively."There's another piece of news, isn't there?""That's right, and it's that Anna escaped. They could only imprison her parents.""And Vittoria?""She was with them. Bruno is bringing her along with John. She'll be able to live with us.""These are wonderful news, but Anna...""I'll do everything in my power to put that crazy woman behind bars. I won't let her keep hurting us."Ale comes closer to me and kisses my lips. I want to respond, but there's been something on my mind fo
My brow furrows as I watch her place one of her hands on his shoulder and then lean in to whisper something in his ear, causing their inevitable closeness. With just that tiny gesture, my body burns with anger at the scene I'm witnessing. And even though Alessandro gently pushes her away, the woman clings to him like a damn tick.I don't even realize when I started walking towards them, but there I am, standing in front of him, staring at him intently."Claudia," he says my name as if nothing's wrong, making the woman turn to look at me."Who are you?," I ask the blue-eyed woman who won't leave my man alone."I could ask you the same thing," she retorts with an arrogant look."Olivia, she's…""Claudia," I interrupt him. "Nice to meet you, Olivia."I look at her without any hint of cordiality or joy."Oh," she huffs, looking me up and down. "So, you're the lucky one. I'm Olivia Brooks.""Claudia, she's an actress, like Piero," the idiot who unfortunately will be the father of my child