X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X ~ SIERRA ~- - - - - TWO WEEKS LATER - - - - -Sierra sat by the window, holding onto the ultrasound photo she received this morning. She was three months along in her pregnancy and the doctor was finally able to tell her the gender. Sierra smiled as her finger brushed over the writing: A Boy. Sierra pressed the photograph to her chest and felt her heart fluttering. After weeks of torture she endured under Raphael, seeing the doctor this morning and hearing about her baby’s progress gave her hope. To the outside world, it seemed like Sierra was living a great life. She’d go to campus on the weekday and visit her dad and Rosie on the weekend. She always looked put together and she had on a brave smile in front of everyone. But what nobody knew was what would happen to her in the nighttime. Raphael was a hardworking man. He went to work every day, including weekends. He only came home around eight or nine, and th
~ COLTON ~- - - - - ONE WEEK LATER - - - - -Colton leaned his crutch against the desk at the study. Walking slowly and limping a little bit, he went around the desk and sat on his chair. Though it may not look like it, his legs were getting stronger and so was his spine. He made such great progress in physical therapy, even the doctors were impressed. At this rate, Colton should be back to his normal in a matter of weeks. While his body was still recovering, Colton’s mind never stopped working. Every day, he’d spent hours locked up in that study. He was studying and expanding Henri’s file, and he dug deeper into Raphael and his family. With Jackson and Levi’s help, he committed all of his family’s resources to this cause, and the results were extraordinary. For instance, a couple of days ago, Jackson found dirt on all of the Rothschild brothers. To the naked eye, the brothers may look like normal, upstanding, billionaire heirs, but in actuality, they were all riddled with problems
~ COLTON ~- - - - - THREE DAYS LATER - - - - -Colton stood in front of a wall of photographs and notes in his study. His face was serious, his eyes were zeroed in on the newspaper clipping of Sierra and Raphael’s wedding. For the past several days, he didn’t sleep or rest, putting together this next mission. On the wall, all the clippings about Henri’s wife’s accident, Colton’s dad’s accident, Sierra’s wedding, Raphael’s businesses in Europe, and everything he could find on the Rothschild family were displayed. He also put notes next to the photos and clippings, proving that the Rothschild family was responsible for all of this.“I think we’ve got ourselves a pretty solid case,” Levi said as he stood next to Colton. The two of them were staring at the wall knowingly.“Yeah, but what are we doing with all this information?” Jackson stood on Colton’s other side, cocking his head to the side, watching the wall in confusion.Jackson and Levi exchanged a look, meanwhile, Colton kept his
~ COLTON ~“Colton?” she breathed. Hearing her say his name felt like music to his ears. Seeing her in the flesh made his heart jump into somersaults. Colton let out a smile and gestured for the lock on the door. Shakily, Sierra’s hand went to unlock the window. Once she did, he slid the window open and stepped inside.“Hey, princess,” he beamed. “It’s been a while,”Sierra took a step back, looking at Colton in confusion and bewilderment. Colton took a step closer, but Sierra didn’t move an inch. She was frozen. It was like she just saw a ghost. “H-how is this… possible?” she croaked. “You’re not real…”“Oh, trust me, I’m real,” Colton said as he reached for her hand and kissed the top of it. Sierra’s eyes went wide as saucers when she felt his lips on her skin.“But… I thought you were dead? They wrote about you in the papers–”“Well, if it’s in the papers, then it must be true,” he smirked.“Colton, I’m being serious!” Sierra pulled her hand away angrily.“I know. Me too,” Colton
~ SIERRA ~Sierra saw that the door to the closet was slightly ajar, and Colton was right behind it. She was lying helplessly on the bed and Raphael stood behind her. This was a routine she’d known so well. Just a few minutes of torture and it would be over. So when she saw Colton’s face and that look in his eyes, she knew she had to restrain him. Colton was about to do something and reveal himself. She couldn’t let it happen. That would be too dangerous, both for him and for her.“Don't,” she said with her eyes. Colton gripped the door as his hands curled into fists. “Don’t do anything, please!” Sierra kept saying with her eyes. Colton was taken aback. He didn’t know what to do. And suddenly—* RING! RING! RING *The loud ringing of the phone pierced the air. Raphael stopped whatever he was doing and turned to the phone on the bedside table. Sierra let out a sigh of relief and kept her eyes on Colton. “Don’t make a move!” she said with her eyes.“Hello?” Raphael said into the phone.
~ SIERRA ~Sierra stared into Colton’s eyes for what felt like an eternity. It was only for a minute or two, but it felt like forever. Sierra wished it was forever. She wished they could stay like this until the end of time. It wouldn’t be a bad way to go, that’s for sure.“Hi,” Colton said with a slight smile. “Hi,” she breathed back.There was something so magical about this moment that Sierra couldn’t explain. Though they weren’t saying anything of importance, just from the look in his eyes, she understood everything. She understood how much he loves her. She could see right into his soul. How was it possible that looking into another person’s eyes can feel so special? “...How are you feeling?” he asked.I feel like I’m going insane. I feel so alive when I’m with you that everything else pales in comparison. It’s like my life hadn’t started until you came along. I feel happy. I feel loved. I’m overwhelmed by a supernatural joy that I can’t even explain.“I feel… great,” Sierra sa
~ SIERRA ~* KNOCK * KNOCK *Sierra turned her head around and saw the door opening slowly. She quickly closed the window and walked to the door. One of the guards appeared with Rosie behind him.“Miss Sierra, your cousin is here,” he announced.“Thank you, I got it from here,” Sierra tried her best to act natural though her heart was racing like a speed car.The guard kept a straight face as he nodded his head and exited the room. Rosie stepped further inside the room and waited until the guard closed the door. “Hey,” she greeted.“Rose!” Sierra leaped to hug Rosie. “What a surprise!”“I know, I have some news and I can’t wait to share it with you,” Rosie said as she hugged her back. “Don’t worry, I called earlier and got Raphael’s approval. He’s letting me stay until dinner,”“Okay, cool,” Sierra said as she stepped back. “What’s your news?”“Here. Open it,” Rosie handed her a small shopping bag.Sierra took the bag with a suspicious look. This must be big news, she thought. Otherw
~ SIERRA ~“Dinner is served!” Rosie chimed in excitement and gestured to the table full of food. They had everything from Caesar's salad to roasted chicken, grilled salmon, sliced steak, and all different kinds of pasta. If they didn’t know any better, people would’ve thought that this was a thanksgiving dinner.“Wow, are we feeding a small army?” Raphael chuckled as he took a seat at the head of the table.It was about 8 PM and Raphael had just come back from the office. Rosie and Sierra spent the last few hours cooking and baking away. Seeing as they had to use a ‘special’ ingredient, they couldn’t let the maids help at all. But still, everything turned out marvelously.“Sorry, I went overboard because I’m just too excited,” Rosie said as she sat down to the right of Raphael.“Did you hear? Rosie and Ethan are pregnant,” Sierra added, sitting on his left.“Yes, I heard,” Raphael said as he turned to Rosie. “Congratulations, again,”“Thank you,”“Is your husband going to join us for