LUCIANO I was angrier than I had been in a very long time as I watched her leave. I had always appreciated the fact that ELOISE didn’t play female games with me. What she said she always meant; what she promised had always been delivered. More than anything, I hated pretence. That she should deny me when I could feel her hunger in every fibre of me annoyed me. Another knock appeared on the door and this time, I was ready to deal with whomever it was. James appeared with a smiled " I see you are not in a very bright mood. Eloise isn't either and I wonder if. Should get married so I could share my mood with my wife ""Then She'd be grumpy and frowning every single time" "Exactly what I thought of Eloise when you guys got married. I guess I wasn't wrong""Go away James. I've got no time to chitchat with you" I pushed him off the door and was about to jam it close when he swinged a brown envelope inside. I raised a brow " what's this ?"" Not a love letter" he said. James kne
ELOISE. The housekeeper, a trim middle-aged woman, was waiting for me at the foot of the magnificent staircase. I felt as though she had gone ten rounds with a boxer and had staggered up after being knocked out cold. Luciano would not have hesitated to take me on the sofa, and I would never have recovered from letting myself down like that.. Glancing up as I climbed the stairs, I focussed on the huge oil painting of a woman on the wall above. It stirred a vague tense feeling of jealousy. "Who’s that?" I asked immediately my eyes clicker with her beautiful painted pairs of green eyes. "The late Mrs Greco, madam" A stunningly beautiful blonde hair woman, wearing a magnificent blue evening gown and looking everlastingly hot . Mrs Greco Late? As in…dead? Luciano was a widower? Having denied that he was either married or divorced, what else could he be? My face became tight and pale, "When did she die?" "Five years ago. Around middle of the year. She died in a terrible wa
Luciano. "How very considerate of you" I breathed with scarcely leashed impatience, forcing my attention to a level above her head while I questioned the juvenile fascination he had with her skinny little body. It was dark and I was drunk so I couldn't really recall. "Eloise, I should not need to state that I fully intend to be a father to my own children That is a duty I will not take lightly." "I'm not sure I want my children to look up to you as a role model" Eloise finally voiced and the serious gaze she said that with meant she wasn't joking a bit. " Eloise, why are you doing this? I Thought we were good. Did I do something wrong or say something to hurt you?" Eloise practically avoided my gaze and focused on a book in the shelf. "Doing what? What exactly am I doing?" I rolled my eyes. I hated when people won't come clean with their emotions. " If your uncomfortable about what happened earlier...". Eloise quickly took words out of my mouth " what's there to be uncomfo
ELOISE For the past two weeks after I found my way out of Luciano's vacation home, I noticed a car stalking me every single time ..It usually waits outside for me during work and once I was done for the day, he drives behind me. At first I thought it was just a coincidence …but coincidences don’t happen every single day for two damn weeks straight. My gut told me something was off, but I’d managed to convince myself it wasn’t worth panicking over. After all, what kind of stalker uses the same car and parks in plain sight? Either they were incompetent or trying to mess with my head. Tonight, though, I’d had enough. The car had been tailing me since I left the museum and as I turned onto a quieter street, it picked up speed. The soft hum of its engine grew louder until it was impossible to ignore. My heart thumped wildly in my chest, and I gripped the steering wheel tighter, pretending I wasn’t rattled.Just keep driving. Don’t stop. Don’t engage. I assured myself, regretting why I
ELOISEI got in the car. I told myself that this atleast would be the last favor I'd grant him and since he already apologized. "Where are we heading to?" I asked after about thirty-minutes of the ride. "We are almost here" Damon said Few minutes later, we stopped in front of a house that was well enough familiar for me. "What's this Damon?" I asked with rage burning down my heart. "I haven't sold it yet. I couldn't sell it because we built this very house together. You remembered how you wanted a vacation home very close to your father's museum but a little far from home so you could stroll down this street side by side with me to the museum to watch the paintings ""Doesn't this sound stupid to you Damon? Why are you trying to remind me of how foolish I was?" I countered back with a response he never expected. He alighted from the car and opened the passengers sit for me to alright. And I did . "I haven't changed the passcode yet. I'm not sure if you remembered. ""I sure
ELOISE"But I would have thought of another way, I'm sorry Eloise. Atleast I owe you the Truth"I walked toward the dinning room, determined to put as much distance between us as I could. "I need to go home now please" "I will give you time to think. That's the right thing"."This isn't going to change any shit! I'm married now and you should move on" “I know about the contract, Eloise.”My heart skipped a beat, and I slowly turned to face him. “What are you talking about?”He leaned against the wall with a kin smile . “The one-year marriage contract with Luciano. You don’t need to lie. I know everything.”A mix of shock and fury surged through me. “How do you even know about that?” I demanded, stepping toward him. “Have you been spying on me?”Damon shrugged, his calm demeanor annoying “Let’s just say I have my ways. And for what it’s worth, I think it’s pathetic.”“Excuse me?” I hissed, my hands clenching into fists. “You don’t get to judge me, Damon. Not after everything you’ve
LUCIANO.I sat on the edge of the couch, my phone clutched so tightly in my hand that my knuckles ached. It had been hours—hours—since Eloise headed home , and she wasn't back yet . This past few days has been hostile between the both of us but I seriously wasn't expecting her to decline my offer to driver her home. The triplets were scattered around me, their small voices filling the empty air, but none of their words could drown out the anxiety eating at me. It wasn't safe out there. Especially for her. "Daddy, when’s mommy coming home?" Nicole asked, his small brow furrowed as he tugged at the sleeve of my shirt. His voice was the soft, sweet sound of a child’s curiosity, but I could hear the worry there, too. . "I’m not sure, buddy," I said, forcing a smile, though it felt like it cracked when it reached my lips. "She’s probably just stuck in traffic. You know how that goes."But I didn’t believe it. Eloise always checked in. Always. She'd text me that she's stuck or she'd be
LUCIANOI quickly untied the apron around my waist and headed to the sitting room. "How many I help you" I barely spoke out loud. My heart slammed against my ribcage. my grip tightening on the phone until my knuckles turned white. The kids were watching me with wide, innocent eyes, their earlier laughter replaced by curiosity and unease. "Her car is in a very bad shape" the man said from the other end “Is she okay?” I managed to ask, my voice low but tight. My free hand curled into a fist at my side, every nerve in my body bracing up. “There’s been an accident,” the officer said, his tone still too calm, too clinical. “She’s been taken to St. Mary’s Hospital.”For a moment, the words didn’t fully register. An accident? Eloise? It felt like my brain short-circuited, refusing to comprehend what I’d just heard. "Is she—" My voice broke, and I cleared my throat, forcing the words out. "Is she... alive?"“She’s stable,” Officer Harris said quickly, though the weight in his voice se
ELOISE"Eloise . Are you sure you want to do this? We have not pinned your accident's culprit on anyone. We should be careful since something worst could happen. I will handle everything my own way" Luciano pleaded "No I will do it. And I will be fine. Obviously these people would try to cover everything up if I give the flash to the FBI or press. Thankfully I have this journalist friend of mine that wouldn't stand the injustice " I said to assure Luciano that I would be fine. I didn't exactly know if truly this man wouldn't come after me. Infact I'm sure he would but then everyone will get a glimpse of his true nature and after all I have my husband and Alex by my side. We settled in the living room, the low hum of the television was the least of my concern as I picked slowly on the bowl filled with popcorn. Luciano was warm beside me, the scent of his cologne grounding me in a way I hadn’t expected. His arm rested along the back of the couch, close enough that if I leaned just
ELOISEBy the time I got home, the sky was already turning that deep shade of orange Valerie’s words stayed with me the entire drive back. I hadn’t expected that. It was one thing to hate the man who raised you, However it's another Story entirely to hand over the evidence that could destroy him. As I stepped into the house, the familiar warmth o wrapped around me, but it didn’t settle the unease in my chest.The kids were already in their pajamas, curled up in the living room. Giana was half-asleep against Nicole’s shoulder, Kiara’s fingers tangled in her own curls as she watched a cartoon with so much attention. I took a deep breath and forced a smile while they hugged me tightly “Hey, miei amori. Long day?” Nicole barely looked up. “Yes ” I chuckled, ruffling his hair before pressing a kiss to Giana’s forehead. “Alright, just a few more minutes, then dinner. I will go fix something up now” Kiara nodded, but her eyes flicked up to my face,. She always knew when something
ELOISETwo days later I got up from the wrong side of bed again today. All I wanted was to grab a stranger by his collar and get a fight with him. And I obviously know whom to drag every single hair out of his hair to feel better. Josh. My so called cousin. He's been invisible for the past few months after I've reported him of house burglary. He had disappeared from the very face of the earth ever since , even Alex couldn't find him. My phone vibrated on the nightstand, the sound slicing through my tangled thoughts. I grabbed it, barely awake, and blinked at the screen. It was Dr. Vera that texted me 'Eloise, I’ve been thinking about our last session since it helped greatly, I want to try something better today, a more traditional method. This time, you’ll choose which part of your memory to recall. I believe it could speed up the process. Can you come in this morning?* A slow exhale left my lips. Choosing which part of my memory to unlock? The idea sent a chill down my spi
ELOISEThe moment the door clicked shut behind Valerie, I exhaled, releasing the breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. But few minutes later. as I turned to Luciano, ready to dissect everything that had just happened, the sound of soft knocking interrupted me. I narrowed my eyes, already knowing who it was. Luciano groaned, rubbing his temple. “Of course she wouldn't leave untill a call the police on her. " With an exaggerated sigh, he yanked the door open. There stood Valerie, looking as smug as ever, twirling a strand of her hair between her fingers. “Forget something?” Luciano asked dryly. Valerie grinned, rocking on her heels. “I forgot to beg.” Luciano sighed started closing the door, but she slipped past him with ease, making a beeline for the couch. She plopped down dramatically, stretching her legs out. “Luciano, please,” she drawled, batting her lashes up at him. “I swear, I’ll be so quiet you won’t even know I’m here. I can be very, very invisible.” I
LUCIANO..I looked around and noticed the rose petals that were on the dinning. I couldn't help but smirk. Eloise must have had a long day regretting but her ego didn't let her to leave me a text. "Is today a special day?" Valerie asked once she noticed were my gaze was at. "No!" Eloise replied immediately. Her face showed all kinds of disappointed expressions. "Come on! What special day? It's not valentine and ... Is it your birthday Luciano or the triplets?""That didn't answer the question I asked earlier. Why the hell are you in my house?"Valerie clicked his tongue. " Here I am worried about you" she directed to no one in particular " Worried about whom? Him or...me?" Eloise muttered.."Him ofcourse. Why should I worry about you?" Valerie replied fiercely ..I gave her a stern warning look. She dare not talk to my wife like that. "Your parents would be worried. Go home Valerie.""Luciano, didn't you hear what I just said? I'm going to crash at your place for a few days ".
ELOISE Most times we'd things we end if regretting, but changing the clock backwards to correct or mistakes has never been possible. Ever since I left Luciano's office I've been restless . Probably due to guilt. No matter what he did, I shouldn't... I had no right to slap him. I've been fed with a whole lot of things this past few days and I'm just not sure who to believe but my heart would never lie to me. I know deep down that Luciano wants what's best for me. I paced back and forth in the living room, my heart hammering against my chest , and I kept glancing at the clock on the wall. Did he run away from home? There's no damn way a grown ass kan would do that. Luciano said we needed to talk, and I had convinced myself that this conversation would change everything. Would he forgive me for slapping him? Would he finally tell me the truth? Or was I just a fool The sound of that passcode being wrongly entered echoed in my ear. Was he drunk? I swallowed hard, smoothing
LUCIANO"You need to see this boss" James said as soon as Jonathan left. "I did my own research and looking at the land registers..." I brought out a landscape and placed the photo in my desk.."Do you remember the VIPs at the museum opening party?" He asked and I nodded. "Their name came up quiet often on the register" James said with total certainty. I couldn't help but scoff. This was exactly what i guessed. It was weird enough that the museum that had no visitors at all suddenly got flooded on the opening party even though all those that Eloise invited turned down her invitation. They ended up coming. I should have know judging by the fact that they all arrived at the same exact time..So to them it was like land surveying Instead of open party? Those scumbags! "Sir... I'm sorry to bring this up again. Your grand father insist you visit him today"..I raised a brow in annoyance and then leaned back in my chair, drumming my fingers against the desk. Of course my grandfather
LUCIANO"I don't know why she's here but it's definitely unlike her. She never visited you before" James said trembling on his feet. "Well let her in ofcourse" Eloise was probably trying to get to know more about herself. She was always busy running her museum and I am always the one visiting to help out and strategize but today she came and I am glad she found time to visit. "I wasn't expecting you El" I said with a smile ushering her to seat at the cushion while I abandoned my work to join her. However instead of reciprocated smile, I got a slap on my cheek instead and I could only scoff. "Did you know about this?" She asked and hands her tabs over to me. " If you were going to lie to me, to deceive me just because of money, you could have atleast had a rethink. I almost died but all you and your family care about is purchasing every piece of land around the museum "I got really annoyed but I won't blame her. She was at her most vulnerable state that she could easily be decei
ELOISELuciano wouldn't have sex with me and it still bothers me. Does he chest on me or something? I'm sure I know men enough to realize that they never keep their stuff under their pants. I didn't want to lose my husband to the hands of a random slut . Even though I insisted that we stay in the same room, he sleeps on the couch and leaves the king sized bed for him But tonight I won't let him. I'm a human too and I'm sure he is! I was about to break the king silence before luckily he spoke up. "It's unlike you to insist on sharing the same room with me. I guess the accident really messed with your head" Luciano said with a chuckle as he lay on the couch close to the television. " No. I just feel a married couple should share a bed. I don't know how shitty my personality have been while we are married but I do appreciate that you saved me from my ex-husband. That asshole would have manipulated his way into my life again" I said . I already heard from the news about all that hap