Stephanie Miller. When I saw that the six feet tall man, dressed in a custom-made Armani suit, gray-haired, well-preserved for his sixty-five years, with the same blue eyes as his nephew, turns around and my eyes widen, surprised at seeing him.I thought I would have a heart attack. Fear flowed through my veins and made me freeze in my space, gripped by terror. Lilly clears her throat, saying, “Excuse me, are you related to Mr. Lombardo?” Tom, Matthew’s uncle, snaps out of his state of shock and says, “Raul Lombardo is my husband.""We got married a month ago, without telling our families anything. His children are unaware of our nuptials, and we prefer to keep it that way.” He looked at Lilly with a cold and menacing gaze, making the poor thing move nervously in her place. Hearing him say that gave me the courage to face him, knowing that he was sharing his secret. I clear my throat and say, “Nice to see you, Tom. As always, you never disappoint.” I see how he laughs and says,
Stephanie Miller.When Tom asked me how long I had been friends with Vincenzo, my mind went blank. The only thing I could do was remain silent and watch as my handsome friend walked in our direction.Vincenzo, noticing that Tom was accompanying me, stopped for a moment and then caught up with us, saying, “Tom, I haven’t seen you in a long time. What brings you here?”“Hum… It’s funny that you asked me, since I could ask you the same thing. As I remember, you are very far from home, Enzo.”I frown as I say “Enzo?”Tom turns to look at me, saying, “Oh my God, dear. Don’t tell me you’ve been in this place all this time, accompanied by him, and you still don’t know his nickname.""Matt gave him that nickname, since he felt that calling him Vicenzo was very gangster style. His reasons always made us laugh.”His words cause my face to heat up, blushing at not knowing this information. Vincenzo clears his throat, saying, “In her defense, I never told her.”“And I ask myself, why not?” I tell
Stephanie Miller.After the operation, we got home, and Enzo left me in my room. Despite how tired I feel, I can’t get everything out of my mind about what happened and especially what Tom told me. My heart is pumping so fast, and my palms feel clammy with nervousness, while my feet run through every corner of the room.I bite my lip, wondering if what I want to do is the right thing, but what options do I have left? I can’t let Matt come to this country looking for me. He can’t see me. Not now.I sigh and resign myself to my decision. I look for my cell phone and, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, I slowly dial the numbers that make up his phone number. My heart beats madly and thousands of butterflies fly in my stomach, eager to hear his voice.At the fourth beep, I hear a cold, hoarse voice answer me, saying, “Hello? Who is it? How did you get this number?” I stay silent, listening to him. I sigh and say, “Hi Matt.”His voice quickly changes to one of extreme co
Stephanie Miller.Four months later…After the last phone conversation with Matt, in which he promised to leave me alone, he delivered. Enzo says that there has been no type of hacking, so he leaves me calm as he has kept his word. Life has become quite peaceful during these months, where I stopped operating because I developed preeclampsia, making my pregnancy at high risk.Marie and Enzo agreed it was best for me to stay in bed, to which I agreed. I have tried to do everything on my part so these babies can develop in the best way. As expected, they are just as stubborn as their parents, so neither has shown themselves, leaving me intrigued as to their gender.I keep calling them by numbers. Everyone who comes to visit me laughs when I call them that, but what else am I going to do? If I don’t know their sexes, I can’t give them names. The girls are traveling to spend these last few days with me, since the arrival of these babies is imminent.“Everything okay, baby?”“Yeah. What
Stephanie Miller The screams from the car are undeniable. The contractions are becoming more frequent, and the pain is so intense, I think it will split me in two. It’s like they tear my insides and what’s left catches fire. I sit on the edge of the seat, digging my nails into the edge, while I can’t stop screaming and crying. I try to count how long the contraction lasts, but the pain is so much that it doesn’t let me focus on anything more than that. Stuart watches me, from time to time, in the rearview mirror, with great concern, since he has never seen me in this state. He was my father’s driver, who sent him with me so I could have someone I knew and not feel so alone. With his tender and compassionate eyes, he tells me, “Breathe, Miss Miller, just don’t stop breathing.” Without avoiding it, I yelled angrily, “IT’S EASY FOR YOU TO SAY IT! You don’t have three living beings that want to come out through a small hole! This defies all-natural law, damn it!” I watch as Mildred
Stephanie Miller.I wake up slowly and feel like I’ve been hit by a train. I have no notion of time or space. Slowly, I remember where and why I am here.I open my eyes wide and see how Mark takes me by the shoulders, immobilizing me. “Steph, I need you to calm down, okay?”I breathe quickly, but nod in silence. “Good girl. Now, I need you to try moving your toes.”I frown and do as he tells me. I look at his face and ask, “Are they moving?” He looks back at me, sighs, and a relieved smile takes over his face as he tells me, “yes, they’re moving.”“Why were you so afraid, Mark? What happened?” He sighs and tells me, “Let me set up the stretcher for you. Meanwhile, your entire gang is waiting outside.”“Mark, where are my children?”Finish arranging my stretcher so that I can semi-sitting. He tells me, “Try not to talk too much. You just had major surgery and it will hurt for a long time.”“Mark, answer the question. Where are my children?”I watch as Enzo, Amelia and Emily enter the
Matthew Anderson.Months have passed since the last time I spoke with Stephanie and there has not been a day when I have not thought of her. I continually wonder if she is resting, if she needs help, or if ever thinks about me...I sigh, sitting in my office chair, looking out the large window, as the vibrant city that emerges before my view continues living without stopping.I close my eyes and the memories dance in my head. Steph is present in every single one of them. I can see her beautiful smile, hear her intelligent comments. I still remember the smell of her hair or the softness of her skin. There are so many memories that make my heart hurt.A knock on the door brings me out of my memories.“Come in!”I watch as my secretary enters the office with a smile on her face. I frown, annoyed, as I say, “What are you doing here? You know perfectly well that at this hour, no one can enter my office.”Her eyes widen as she says, “I’m very sorry, Mr. Anderson, but these documents require
Matthew Anderson.Taylor searched the entire hotel, trying to find Alice, but to no avail. The woman is extremely agile in her escape, preventing her from being caught.With the little one in my arms, I try to calm him down, rocking him as I have seen many times in other people. I caress his back while I place him with his head on my shoulder. That seems to calm him down.“Mr. Anderson, I couldn’t find her.”“I imagined that. That woman must be used to running away. But it doesn’t matter. Take all the things from this room to the Penthouse.”“Right away Mr. Anderson.”I covered the little one with the blanket he was covered with and headed to the elevator, heading towards the Penthouse.When I get there, I am pleased that all my requirements have been satisfied. I sit on the couch and take out my phone.“Hello?”“Liam, I need you to come to the hotel. I’m in the Penthouse.”“Hum… if you wanted to ask me out on a date, dude, I’m sorry, but you’re not my type.”“Cut the crap, Liam! And