LUCIANO I watched my late wife's grandfather walk round the sleek silver range coover I had just had delivered. A supercar, it was the ultimate boy-toy, for only ten would ever be built. The older man’s excitement was rare. I already know how much he adores new rides so I got it as a bribe sort of "A car that costs almost a half of a million.’ grandpa said, he stood tall and straight in spite of his seventy-five years, "Luci, It does my heart good to see you taking an interest in such things again! Did you fall In love recently? I smirked but said nothing in response to that leading comment. "I wouldn't be surprised if you have dear... Gossip columnists regularly referred to the billionaire head of the halmart software company as beautiful. " I hated the press..but loved how good they praised me. I sure have that lean, bronzed features which might have a breathtaking symmetry that turned female heads wherever I
ELOISE "we are not getting paid on time?" Matthew asked with a very bewildered look.."that can't happen. I have a loan interest..I have to pay for my kid's academy and they are even preparing for their first camp. I can't let my kids miss their first camping. Why are you all not saying anything? " The other workers either stood or paced around in anger "Felicia say something. You have your mother's hospital bill to take care of. Infact you even need it worst than I do. So why are not bothered?" I decided to step in. It's been two weeks since their salary was due. " I'm sorry for all this time," I apologized"Dl you really not have money?".Ann asked.with a sassy tone.. "Excuse me?" "It's just unbelievable to understand that the best curator I'm U.S is fucking broke! That designer bag you have took me six months to save up . If you sell everything you are wearing now including your jewelries, it could pay us for four months and you'd have some money left"
LUCIANO Eloise ls was absent again at dinner, but since I didn’t want to worry to the kids I told them she was at the office, working late again.. I still haven't adjusted to suddenly moving from bachelorhood to fatherhood. Not just to one or two but three kids.. My trust issue made me send their nanny away and now I even have to drive them back from school! "Why is mom very busy this days, Dad?" "Dad" I had to be touched to realize I was the dad they are calling. I would have laughed at the reality but I had to be an adult.. "She's preparing uhhh...for her best friends birthday" I stuttered at the Triplets with the same night wear. I could barely differentiate who Giana was from Kiara. " But mommy doesn't have any friends. only her sister visits her" " Right... She made new friend. You won't want your mom to bed lonely right?" "She has you now or do you plan to abandon us again? " "Nooo... Nope. I won't do that " I stuttered. At least not jus
LUCIANOThe sound of the triplets' laughter faded into the background as I scrubbed at the dishes, they should take their time to fall asleep . Trying to force them to bed would only turn the table round and they'd force me to read a bedtime story ...it has happened not just once. I might not be that bad at parenting. Or maybe I'm just too lovable that the triplets had already gotten attached to me in few days. Sadly,I still couldn't get my mind off with thoughts of Eloise. This tension between us—it was suffocating. It's been awkward since the past few days after we signed the wedding contract agreement. It became even worst two days ago that she'd barely come home untill late at night. But what could I do? Push her? Force her to tell me what was wrong? That would only push her further away.As I stacked the plates, my phone buzzed again. A sense of unease gripped me as I wiped my hands and picked it up. This time, it wasn’t Eloise that texted. It was James.. He
LUCIANO The post, the comments, the damn picture—it was all a slap in the face. I wasn't just angry; I was hurt. It was a cruel reminder of how little control I might have had in this situation. I needed her to stay with me untill I settled everything and get exactly everything I wanted from grandfather. I grabbed my phone and dialed Eloise. It rang once, twice, and then went to voicemail. "Hey, it's me. Call me back. We need to talk," I said, trying to keep my voice steady, but the anger seeped through anyway. I hung up and threw the phone on the counter. A part of me wanted to storm out of the house and find her, demand answers. But the kids were upstairs, probably still awake, waiting for their mom to come home. I couldn’t leave them. Instead, I stood there, staring at the phone like it might give me the answers I needed. I didn’t even realize how much time had passed until I heard the soft patter of footsteps on the stairs. "Daddy?" I turned to see Nicole peeki
ELOISE"That was a whole lot of lie" Luciano said as he drove back to the house. " I'm glad you didn't overthink it" I replied I wasn't exactly sure how I'd apologize to my kids for being away from them in a while . It was really awkward for me with Luciano. He'd already thought I got back together with Damon but that would be over my rich hot dead body . "I'm sorry for the misunderstanding.. were you worried about me?" Luciano's scoffed with a sigh " why would I be worried about you? " " Because you are married to me?" I said calmly but got no response which left me wondering whether he actually even cared a bit.. However once he packed the car at the packing space, he furrowed his brows at me. " Eloise, In as much as whatever we have together is fake, shouldn't assume I care about you the way a husband would," he finished, his tone colder than I anticipated. I flinched slightly at his words but managed to keep my composure. "Noted," I replied, m
ELOISE .I couldn't pretend anymore that I wasn't disturbed by the groaning sound of pain coming from Eloise's room. it was also almost as if she was muffling a cry silently, like she was suppressing it enough for anyone not to notice. I waited another beat before I opened the door with a quiet creak. I flicked the corridor light on The sound didn't go away. I thought about it but I don't remember saying anything to hurt her feelings .was I too cold towards her? I stopped outside her room and rapped my knuckles against the door in case Eloise was indecent. But I got no answer. I hesitated for a moment, my hand resting on the doorframe. “Eloise?” I called softly, careful not to alarm her. Still, no answer.Pushing the door open a fraction wider, I stepped inside. I've never entered there since she moved in.. The room was bathed in the soft amber glow of her bedside lamp. Apart from the furnitures that I'd fixed on the room, there was a library or I could jus
LUCIANOI've known Eloise for months and this is the first time I've seen her this weak and vulnerable. I excused myself and returned about thirty minutes later to still find her in the same curled up position.. “Feel better?” The words came out strangely for me because she wasn't looking like she was. “Mmhmm.” she nodded and at the same time winced and clutched her pillow closer to her abdomen, her face screwed with pain. Fuck it. Even the medicine hasn't reduced the cramps. I literally have no idea how Katherine managed her cramps or Laura. Or it probably isn't the same for all women.. Looking at Eloise, it was obvious she was going though terrible Pains and I wouldn't totally mind her passing it to me or sharing it with her if that was possible I walked around the room and scanned the amenities lined up on the marble counter , I could’ve sworn I saw—aha. I picked up the tiny bottle of olive oil and returned to Eloise side. She had kept it in a co
LUCIANOST. AUGUSTINE HOSPITAL –11:47 PMThe night smelled like damp asphalt and cigarettes. A light drizzle coated the streets, the neon glow from the hospital sign flickering in the reflection of the pavement. Nicholas parked the van two blocks away, just outside the hospital’s blind spot—an alley between an old pharmacy and a construction site. It was a quiet night, except for the occasional honk of a passing cab. Inside the van, I checked my watch. 11:47 PM"Alright," I muttered, glancing around at the crew. "We go in, get her, and get out. No noise, no mess." Nicholas smirked. "You say that like Laura could ever get in and out without a mess." Laura rolled her eyes. "That’s because you have the subtlety of a goddamn sledgehammer." Alex ignored them both, adjusting the earpiece we’d synced to our comms. "Security shift change is in thirteen minutes. That’s our best shot. After that, the next patrol comes through, and it’s a shitshow." I nodded. "Positions?" "Laura
ELOISEFor the next few hours, a nurse had bustled into my room, given me a quick sponge bath, and straightened the sheets. I'd just breezed out the door when my family arrived in mass. Smiles, hugs, kisses that seemed strained were rained upon me by strangers. All strangers. I forced a grin that I didn’t feel and tried like crazy to remember these people, only to fail. Only their voices had seemed less foreign to me, their faces sparked no memory whatsoever.“It’s so good to see you awake and have you back with us,” my mother-in-law said, dabbing at her eyes with the corner of a handkerchief.She's A petite woman with grey-shaded hair and small even teeth, she wore high heels that matched her purse, a gray wool suit, pearl-colored silk blouse and a print scarf in tones of red and gold.“Thanks.” I stuttered. Carolina cleared her throat. “That big old house has been empty without you.”My heart melted and I smiled. Three adorable children of almost same age stood staring
LUCIANO“A hell of a homecoming, isn’t it?” Alex said to someone I just met for the first time but it seems they've known each other for long. Re guy looked rough with tattoos. . “Eloise in the hospital, another woman dead, a trucker burned and dead and her family business in trouble.”He offered him a smile that was somewhere between tenderness and crafty calculation. “Whatever the reason, it’s good to have you back, Nicholas.”I took a sip of his drink. The smoky Scotch slid down his throat as easily as water, an acquired taste he’d been told, but one he seemed to have been born with."Who is here?" I asked. I hated the fact that without asking my permission, Alex had invited a fourth party yeah together with Laura to my hotel room. Of all the buildings we are own. Why would my suite be our secret operation room or was it hideout? His answer was that because no one would suspect that and when they find out. They'd ask the same question I just did.." He's a colleague, a buddy
ELOISEI opened one eye a crack but the shaft of piercing light forced me to shut it again. My headache was a low throb, and the pain in my jaw more pronounced.“Mrs. Kate?” a soft female voice said.That name again. Oh, God, why did it seem wrong? My eyelids fluttered open and I winced against the blaze of light, then realized the light has been turned down low, the blinds drawn, the room is now semidark.“Do you know where you are?”I nodded. seeing the ECG and the pungent smell I'm perceiving the IV and all. I couldn't be in a full body spa section receiving a body massage. My mouth tasted terrible, my skin itched from lying in bed and my hair felt stringy, my scalp gritty. Slowly, the blur that was the nurse’s face came into focus.“This is The Hospital, and I’m Jessica” The name tag on her pale blue jacket verified the information with an RN tacked on. Tall and blonde with crystal blue eyes, she offered a smile of straight white teeth. “Glad to have you with us.”I swa
LUCIANOYep, it was quite a place. If you liked a house that seemed to have no soul.The front door opened and Alex strode inside... He dropped his briefcase on the lowest step of the staircase. Yanking off his gloves, he glared through the archway at his brother.“You said Eloise was awake,” he accused, his gray eyes harsh and disbelieving.“I said she woke up and stared at me, said a few words and fell asleep or whatever you want to call it again. Then and her eyes opened she couldn't speak . Just for a splitting seconds” I explained“Well, she never so much as moved while I was there and I stayed over an hour.” Alex unbuttoned his coat. “The doctor told me waiting around was futile. They’ll call if there’s any change.” Tossing his coat over the banister, he walked into the sitting room. “Hell of a thing, isn’t it?” He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarette. “After over three months of nothing, not one solitary sign of life, Eloise opens her eyes, speak
LUCIANO“I’m telling you she woke up, stared me straight in the eye and asked me who I was,” I said, still unnerved. Leaning against the window casement in the sitting room of the hundred-year-old mansion where I'd grown up, I yanked at the collar of my shirt and glanced at my little sister. . “Well, thank goodness she’s had a breakthrough,” Laura said from her favorite high-backed chair. “I’ve been so worried, you don’t know. This has been a nightmare, Luci, an absolute nightmare.”“It’s not over yet.”“Oh, I know.” She shook her head and not one strand of brown hair moved.The phone jangled in another part of the house, but Laura didn’t budge, she just glanced toward me like she was expecting me to pick up the phone when she's even more closer to it and younger than me . What sort of disrespect is that?.I sighed and ignored her. The phone jangled sharply again, then became silent. “Why won't you pick it up Laura? ” I said, clenching my fist so tightly that they were almost
LUCIANO My chest ached as I stayed crouched by her bedside, my eyes fixed on her bruised face, her fragile body nearly swallowed by the sterile white sheets. She was too still, too pale. I didn’t realize my vision had blurred until a tear slipped free, trailing down my cheek. I blinked hard, swiping at my face with the back of my hand, only to feel the pressure build again. “Damn it,” I muttered under my breath, glancing away, ashamed of my weakness. The tears caught me off guard. They blurred my vision until the hospital room turned into a watery haze. I didn’t even notice them fall until one hit the back of my hand. I swiped at it quickly, frustrated with myself. But as I looked at her, I saw them—thin, glistening streaks slipping down her temples from her closed eyes. I froze. My throat tightened painfully. “Eloise,” I whispered, leaning closer. “Eloise no, don’t…” My hand trembled as I reached out, brushing her tears away gently with the pads of my fingers. Her skin w
LUCIANO“Damn it, Eloise, what the hell happened?” I gasped. Shaking my head in disbelief. it was as if her situation got worst or maybe because she hadn't got surgery done when I saw her last. No matter how wretched she looked right now, in a drab cotton gown that she would have disdained as a rag, I had to remember the woman within. “How the hell did you end up here?” I whispered but I got no response. Behind her lids, her eyes moved. Wasn’t she supposed to be in a coma? The hairs on the back of my neck rose. “Eloise?” I whispered, his throat nearly closing on her name. “El?”Slowly, as if with all the effort in the world, her eyes opened a crack and then wider. She stared straight at me. My heart jolted.She squinted, blinked, but continued to keep me in her line of vision.“I thought you . . . I’d better call a nurse or a doctor.” my knuckles turned white as I gripped her bedShe lifted a hand to touch mine and struggled to speak, but her lips moved over teeth that were lac
LUCIANO“Breaking news this morning,” the anchor began, her tone perfect “A video has surfaced showing Damon , the CEO of GED . Today, exactly five years ago, the grand inauguration of GED, the largest construction company in Italy took an unexpected turn when a dramatic altercation unfolded before cameras. What should have been a celebration of corporate achievement became a scandal that has left the media abuzz.As the ceremony began in GED’s grand event hall, an uninvited woman pushed her way through security, claiming to be the CEO’s wife. Witnesses say the woman, later identified as Eloise Huxley, was visibly distraught and holding what appeared to be important documents. Her arrival caused a stir among the distinguished guests, all of whom were gathered to honor the new ownership of the company.However, what happened next shocked everyone. The CEO, Mr. Damon publicly denied any connection to her, addressing her as his ex-wife and accusing her of clinging to an ‘illusion.’ In a