ALINA'S POV —I spent the last couple of hours trying to convince Trent that I had to spend the weekend at Vanessa's. He was really obstinate and difficult, and kept on reminding me that I couldn't live without him. "Come on, Trent," I flung my hands in the air, breathless. His narcissistic vibes were stronger than I thought. After the... well, after the beach, something had changed between us, and he even used his charms to convince me into staying in his house. By charms, I meant invading my space too much that it was no longer room enough for three people. I swear he nearly brought in a mattress. So now, I was making some homemade pancakes for Niguez and me before we left, and he was being a kid, hugging me from behind and whining all over my shoulders about how much I loved him and couldn't live without him."Trent, I lived twenty-three years without you in my life," I said slowly, making sure I got my point across. He drew back in shock, "How come I didn't know about that?
TRENT POV We were officially dating now. There was a strange kind of freedom that came with it, like she was finally mine, no matter what. Like I was boundless now, and she was tailor made for me. And why I would rather she spent the weekend that her boss Clarence had not so graciously given her off... I swear I had nothing to do with it. Well maybe I had a fit with him for making her go tu the star frost labs once I figured it out for him. I told him to investigate their CEO. I didn't actually think that he would use her to do the job for him so I threatened him with his job if he didn't make it up to her and I may or may not have threatened him witb his life too when he pointed out that the day off he gave her to yhe beach was something. It wasn't enough to placate my anger, simply because I did not know that he went behind my back before that time .On the bright side, she finally embraced those feelings and let me in, okay she still glared at me in times like this when Niguez
Gomes POV —Frankly speaking, for a long time now, I had watched from afar and bided my time carefully, using the opportunity to attend to other things. The truth was that I didn't care about some girl I had slept with in university. For one thing, we all could agree that it was a huge mistake. And I meant it when I said that I had a lot better things to do with my life than to throw away my future and father a child.It wasn't about being caring; it was about priorities. And then, I was wise enough to make the firm decisions to survive. I wasn't ready for the responsibility. There was too much at stake, too much to achieve, and I couldn't throw all that away. I would never be happy, and neither would she.So I did the next best thing.I made her hate me so that she would go away. It worked, but she was too weak. She broke under the pressure and forgot that she was on a freaking scholarship. Scholarship students weren't allowed to slack. They certainly were not supposed to carry teena
GOMES POV —Another long, boring day at the company. I felt like I deserved an Oscar for surviving each day. But, for once, something interesting had happened. Before the day ended, just as I had predicted, Priscilla had gathered all the information on Trent. With a smile, I told her to document it and mail it to my house. Yes, surprise, surprise, the mail still worked. And she would have given it to me directly, but I had already sent her to represent me at a conference I had forgotten the name of. She reminded me that I had to go there today, so it was only fair that I sent her instead.I took the mail and drove through the huge metal gates of the mansion. Over the years, I had become quite established and, out of boredom, built several mansions around America. I had a couple in France and a villa near the lake in Colombia. The whole place screamed wealth, and recently, something else. I was ready to take care of my son now. Since I was already business-oriented and didn't car
ALINA'S POV —"Hey Allie, a little help here?" Vanessa called out from the kitchen. I chuckled, fiddling with the remote control of the plasma TV in the sitting room. Vanessa was the only one who ever called me that. I had been convinced that there was absolutely no way to shorten my name, but Vanessa always had other ideas. Niguez sat on the edge of the sofa, watching me in anticipation."We're your guests, Vanessa," I yelled back, with no intention of coming over. The last time we stayed together, she was absolutely helpless when it came to anything food-related, and though she had turned out to be a business guru, some things still remained the same. A voice at the back of my head told me that I might as well go over and help her a little, especially if I didn't want to feast on burnt sardines and toasted bread for dinner.There was some shuffling from the kitchen, and Vanessa showed up, with a spoon in her hand and her apron soiled with something that looked like flour. "Th
ALINA'S POV — There's nothing as unsettling as waking up on an early Monday morning with a terrible feeling in your gut. Trent drove us home on Sunday evening and Vanessa went back to Spain. She told me to call her whenever I needed anything, even if it was just to talk. She even joked and said that she was only one airplane away. I wish I could say that the terrible feeling that settled in my stomach was as a result of her leaving again and I was going to miss her terribly especially since she was always too busy with work and digital space didn't work too well with her. The only tik we had to reconnect and catch up on our liges was when she came back to America, which git sparse by the years. But today, it was something else. Trent was already giving me a strange look over breakfast and I couldn't meet his eyes. He would ask me what was up, and I would have ti lie because I didn't know myself. Curse my stupid gut feelings. I probably just woke up on the worng s
Gomez's povI checked my watch for the fourth time already today. It was not that I suddenly became interested in the time, and no, I was definitely not becoming time conscious. It was just that the school didn't seem to want to close so that I could take him home and continue with my plan. "Don't worry sir, they'll all be out soon," the driver said. I glanced his way, wondering why he would talk to me at all. Deciding that he was just as idle as I was, I ignored him and took out my phone. The wait was getting more annoying by the second. 'Why don't I just buy this school and then close it down so they'll come out, " I thought. The thought was very appealing. I looked out the window, trying to see if the school itself was appealing. It was not too bad. First test, passed. ' Next, how much could it be worth,' I thought, finding this game far more interesting than the few ones I had on my phone. 'A couple of millions at most, definitely not up to ten,' I reasoned. 'Definitely afforda
Gomez POV"I'm afraid that will not be possible," I said. She gave me a look, so I explained, "We don't have the best of relationships, and I have not seen him in years. He might not actually recognize me.""I'm sorry," then she said, "but that means that you can't take him away from here. For all I know, you might be lying.""I'm not lying," I said."Leave now before I call the police," she said.The thought of this little woman calling the police on me was hilarious. I had to make it so; if not, it would be annoying. I had ignored it the first time she said it, but now she was saying it again. What could they possibly do to me?"Are you even in a position of authority here?" I asked her, deciding that it was high time I talked to somebody qualified enough. What was the point if everything she said did not hold any ground later on?"I am in authority enough to speak with you," she said."Where is the principal?" I asked. "Take me to him."She seemed visibly annoyed that I would dismi
Epilogue | Two Years LaterNiguez sprinted down the stairs and skidded to a stop in front of Trent. "Hola, Dad," he grinned. "¿Cómo estás, hijo?" Trent leaned down, giving the kid a fist bump as they did their signature handshakes. Niguez frowned a little, finding it hard to understand Spanish. Trent grinned with a knowing smile. "Don't worry about it; you're in Colombia, so it'll come naturally."Trent had married Alina two years ago and adopted Niguez, vowing to take care of them for as long as he lived. He had amassed wealth, ensuring Alina's financial security. He still traveled to America for business but built mansions in Colombia, where they resided. At Alina's request, he started a small company in Colombia and sent her back to university to study Business, hoping she would become a CEO in a couple of years.The doorbell rang, and Niguez rushed to the door, hoping Alina was back. A tall man in a bright red suit, stood at the doorway with a small smile. — Clarence. "Hey,
—Alina pov I work in beside Trent. He give his sister Evelyn a hard stare and proceeded to enter the room, slipping into the chair opposite her. This is the first time that I met with her and for some reason, I didn't like the superior look she gave him. Did she even know who he was?He was CEO Alexander, everyone in America had heard of him. Who gave her the right to even stare directly at him?Then I reminded myself that she was his sister, and being directly related to him gave her that kind of leverage. From what I heard of her, she was a pain in the ass. And meeting her now, I didn't exactly have any reason to think any different. He promised me that this will be the last time she would come between us and I believed him. It was time we settled this matter for good.I already the basics about his sister she was beautiful and deadly with her brown hair and cunning blue eyes. I also knew that she was dangerous and mafe his life a living hell until he was forced to leave Britain
TRENT povI managed to control my emotions and look away from Alina. My eyes roamed across the hall and fell on Gomes Allen. The latter glared at me and I could see his muscles clench. Oh I was sure he could do without my presence. It made me smile a little. He should be shaking in his boots at the sight of me. His eyes narrowed on my expensive clothes that match his, my identity card as CEO Alexander in full view. That's right, enjoy the view mother fucker because I'm not hiding anymore. “Can I help you young man?” the judge looked up at me with a flicker of surprise. “I have evidence that changes everything. ” my hands tightened around the document in my hand. I had it printed out in the jet and made copies of it. Clarence was a real genius and I couldn't wait to see the look on Gomes' face when I pulled off his mask in front of everyone. I might have hidden my identity but he was the real fraud.I marched forward and stopped in front of the witness box. My eyes locked with
Trent pov A day had passed. I sat in the board room with Clarence by my side. We were around a big round table where about six powerful figures sat, trying to engage me in a conversation. I was dressed in a half a million dollar red suit and black pants, the CEO look complete with cufflinks and I might have taken extra time styling my hair that morning. I checked my swizz watch for the fourth time since the meeting. I maintained a fuck off look with an expressionless gaze that could pass off for bored. Your darling CEO Alexander was back. “Shouldn't we at least have an explanation for your disappearance for almost three years?” one of the men demanded. I seemed to remember him to be one of my long term partners... Now let me check if I gave a fuck. I looked up from my phone. It was still on my chat with Alina. I had been staring at it all morning, expecting a word or two from her. I would even go with “fuck you Trent.” Her silence was worse that her an
TRENT povWe sat in the restaurant, an unmistakable tension building up in the air. I wished that she would say something instead of looking at me with her lips slightly parted in confusion as she waited for me to drop the next bomb. I couldn't believe that I was taking Clarence's advice. It just seemed to be the best thing to do at this time. I knew that I could keep the truth away from her for as long as I wanted, but bit forever. For one thing, the company needed their CEO. Clarence never failed to remind me of that fact and the investors were starting to think that I was ignoring them. Nasty bunch of people that won't let me live like every normal human. I might have shrugged it off but Gomes fucking Allen could strom into the picture any time from now and I wasn't going to let him be the one to tell her about my true identity myself. “So... What's the matter?” Alina asked, breaking the silence between us. I took a deep breath. The waiter came back with our orders and pl
Alina PovI couldn't stop thinking about Niguez's birthday. My whole world has flipped from the minute he stepped a foot into the house and he would see me in court. Like hell he would. Who did he think he was, trying to take my son away from me?I was more protective of Niguez now, and it broke me everytime he went through the school gate because I knew that Gomes could come around now and steal him away whenever he fucking wanted. Everything was staring to seem real now. I stared at the last text I got from Gomes Allen just a few minutes ago. I never replied any of his texts but just left them on read and poundered over them, wishing that could slam his face against the wall. Just once. Just this one time so that I would watch in satisfaction as the smug look was wiped off his face and he saw what if felt like to be a human for once. His new text is not as threatening as the previous ones but I feel more scared, just by scrolling my eyes through it. It said that the day of
TRENT'S POV —I glare at the documents in front of me. Working from home and having Clarence over was the worst idea I had ever came through with. I left Alina at my apartment. It was safe to say that she needed some space. Plus I badly wanted to strangle the mother fucker Gomes Allen for daring to show the fuck up at all. I went to one of my mansions instead and Clarence was here to make sure I attend to the matters in the company since he won't let me off the hook even if I'm supposed have disappeared... Hastag no where to be found. Gilbert was here too. To make sure I had my usual does of coffee and didn't resort to smoking. Ah... Bad habits. As though on cue, Gilbert walked into the room with a glass of coffee. He placed it on the table in front of me. Clarence and I looked up at the disturbance and I might have glared a little. “Anything for you mister?” Gilbert asked turning to Clarence. “I'll have what he's having,” Clarence said, passing me some paperwork. “It's not
ALINA'S POV —Nothing was happening... That's usually my cue to figure out that there is something terrible going on in the background and I just don't know all about it yet. It was hard to actually think that Gomes was smart enough to heed to my warning and stay the fuck away from us. Not that I was complaining. After I deleted his number, I made a bold job in deleting him out of my mind for the second time, no questions asked. But I can't shake off the gut feeling at the pit of my stomach that something is still seriously off. “Happy birthday baby!” I hug Niguez to my chest and scream in delight. He blew off the candle on the cake sitting on the dining and grinned, revealing a pair of sparkling white teeth. “I'm a man now!” He puffed up his little chest, grinning with pride at the intimidating four drawn on the cake. I pulled back from him with a laugh. “Where do you think you're growing so fast to huh?”“Hell yeah,” Trent slip into the room and pick up Niguez, not without
TRENT pov“Alina? ” I called out walking into my apartment. She had suddenly disappeared during work and won't even answer my calls. I was starting to get really worried. I had already called Clarence and sworn a lot on the call warning him that he would lose his fucking job if he sent her somewhere else that was near Gomes Allen, the CEO of Star labs. I looked around and spotted her sitting on the chair in the dining, a plate of pasta in front of her. “There you are. Why did you take an early leave from work?” I took off my suit and dumped it on the sofa before walking towards her. There was no reply and I noticed the blank look in her eyes as she stated at the wall in front of her. She was shaking like she had an encounter with the ghost of her past. I stiffened, sensing the tension in the room. “Alina,” I tapped her shoulders, panicking a bit. Okay, a lot. She blinked and turned to me forcing a smile. “Sorry Trent, I didn't see you there,” she muttered, still looking shake