Henry’s POVWe had lunch with my mother and Julia on Tuesday, after the confusion with the mixed-up gifts, and they drove me crazy about it."Mom, I have one more thing for you." I took out the card that beautiful stranger had left at the mall store from my jacket pocket and handed it to my mother."What's this?" My mother asked.I told the story, and the three women in front of me laughed like children and made fun of me. My mother read the card and passed it to Melissa and Julia. Wiping a tear from the corner of her eye from laughing so hard, she said,"Henry Martin, I'm a good mother and I raised you right! Your behavior at the store is unacceptable. I recommend you go back there and apologize to the saleswoman, and if you ever meet that young lady again, you apologize to her too.""Mom, I'm not going back to the store to apologize," I replied."Oh yes, you are! You're better than this, Henry. And you're going back to apologize because I didn't raise an arrogant and presumptuous man
Henry’s POVIt was past seven on Friday evening when Melissa finally decided to set me free."What? You're letting me off early again today?" I asked her with a smile."I could leave you with some work to do, but I'm heading out. It's been an exhausting week - you're quite a handful.""No, no tasks, please. I'm tired too. But I'd like to thank you.""Oh really?" Melissa leaned back in her chair with a cat-that-caught-the-mouse smirk."Yeah. I might regret saying this, but I'll be honest - you pulled me back to reality. I was being careless with my company, and you put me back on the right track. Thank you.""I told you you needed me!" Melissa's smile widened. "Just for that, I'll give you the weekend off. But don't you dare show up hungover on Monday, got it?""I promise I won't!" I raised my hand in pledge.Melissa gathered her things and left. I grabbed my phone and called Patrick. I left the office to meet my friend at the Social Club."Patrick, Alexander is head over heels for Cath
Samantha’s POV"Thank God it's Sunday and the mall closes early," Manu said when we met at the entrance of the store where I worked."Tell me about it, Manu, my feet are killing me!" I replied with a pained expression."And today we don't have a ride since Pablo's off," Manu informed me."Good for him. He's been really nice to us.""Yeah, he's super cool. Want to split a cab? I'm too exhausted to take the bus," Manu suggested, and I was grateful."I'll pay for the taxi, Manu. I'm dead tired too." We left laughing.As we walked through the door, Romulus cornered us. He had a cynical smile on his face. I hadn't noticed he was there. He stopped in front of me and grabbed my arm."Come on, Samantha, I'll take you home and we can talk," Romulus spoke as if giving me an order."Romulus, let go of me. I have nothing to talk about with you," I responded."Of course you do, my dear. Come on, the sooner you stop this drama, the faster our lives can get back to normal," Romulus said and tried to
Henry’s POVI spent the entire Sunday thinking about my goddess. I thought about going to the store to see her, but maybe approaching her at work wasn't a good idea, so I had another plan. Today I had lunch at my sister's house, and she was telling me about how my brother-in-law won her over. They met in high school, and my brother-in-law would have a friend deliver little notes with cheesy pickup lines to her, even before they were properly introduced, and she found it so funny that she gave him a chance.Why not? I would do it the old-fashioned way and use this idea. I grabbed my phone and called my nephew, who answered with a sleepy voice."Hi, uncle. Did something happen?""Sorry, Enzo, I forgot you go to bed early." I said, looking at the clock and seeing it was past eleven."I have school tomorrow!""Yeah, I know, but I want to know if you can help me with something this week.""You know I'll help. What is it?""I'll send the driver to pick you up from school. I'll let your mom k
Henry’s POV"Henry, let's call it a day." Melissa rushed back after answering her phone."Is my assistant already showing signs of fatigue? I thought you were tougher than that." I couldn't resist teasing her."Don't try to be funny with me today, Henry. I don't have time." I noticed Melissa seemed worried."What's wrong, Melissa? Any problems?" I asked, genuinely concerned."Seems like it, I just need to get home." Melissa sighed as she finished gathering her things from my desk."Alright. If you need anything, let me know. I'm here for you.""Thanks, Henry! See you tomorrow."Melissa rushed out, and I was curious. I tried calling Patrick, but he didn't answer, only sending a message saying he'd call me back soon. I went home to rest, the week was just beginning, but it would be as hectic as the previous one.Patrick never called, which I found strange. The next day, when Melissa arrived, I was waiting for her by the elevators, very pleased with myself for getting to the office before
Samantha’s POVI spent the whole week receiving little notes from the clueless hottie in the early afternoon. And here I thought I would never see that man again in my life.He made several indecent proposals, but hadn't shown his face in the store yet. It was always his nephew Enzo who brought the notes, and right on the first day, I pressured him until he told me his uncle had asked him to do it and showed me a photo. That's how I knew the notes were from the hottie.The hottie was hitting on me. I wanted to see how long it would take him to show up at the store, but I was having fun with those little notes, and Enzo was such a sweetie who ended up asking me for advice to please his girlfriend. In exchange, he wouldn't tell his uncle that I knew who was sending the notes. He would come to the store, hand me all the day's notes, and I would reply to each one. We were playing the player while the hottie thought he was being clever, we were outsmarting him.I had just finished having a
Manu’s POVI had just finished attending to a customer when I glanced at the corner of the store near the window display and saw Samantha's hottie eyeing her from the store across the way. That man was very interested! I'd been entertained all week by the stories Sam told me, the notes he'd sent. I even knew his nephew already, and the kid was really cool.But I was definitely going to take this chance to mess with him. Besides, the guy was a total catch and Sam deserved a handsome, decent guy, but she was scared after that idiot Romulus. I was going to give her a little push.I quickly sent Sam a message letting her know he was there, telling her not to give herself away. Then I walked up to him with my best helpful saleswoman pose."Looking for something special, sir?"He looked at me confused and ready to brush me off. But he seemed to think about the situation and came up with the excuse that he wanted to buy a present for his sister. Ha! I wasn't going to miss out on a good sale a
Samantha’s POVThe week was going great, I had already made excellent sales. Manu had left her store, telling me she'd made a great sale to Henry and he ended up hiring her, which made her very happy. I was happy for her, but now I'd lost my companion.However, Henry was spending a lot of time here at the mall. He showed up every day during my break and took me out for coffee. He kept begging for my phone number, and I was having fun with it, especially since even his nephew had my number but he didn't.On Wednesday, Enzo asked me to lunch, wanting to introduce me to his girlfriend, a sweet and super talkative girl. After lunch, when we stopped at the store entrance, he said,"Auntie, you're gorgeous!" He was as charming as his uncle. "I can't come to the mall next week, it's exam week and my mom would kill me.""Okay, sweetheart. But why are you telling me this?" We were getting along really well."Because I want to ask you something.""I'm listening.""Please, give your number to my
Henry’s POV"Good morning, family!" I entered the kitchen in high spirits on Monday morning and was greeted with a collective, laughter-filled good morning in response."Kids, brush your teeth quickly and get going, so you're not late for school," Samantha hurried Clara and Enzo along."I'll wait outside, children," Alfonso put his cup in the sink and left with a smile, accompanied by Maria."Good morning, Nightingale!" I hugged Samantha and gave her a lingering kiss."Good morning, my handsome!" She responded with her arms wrapped around my neck and then whispered in my ear:"We have the house to ourselves this morning.""I'll get these kids out of here quickly," I got excited, but she pulled me to the table, saying she was waiting for me to have breakfast.The kids rushed out, shouting unintelligible goodbyes. I found all this too good, but I was eager to spend some time alone with my goddess.Samantha and I were sitting in the living room, making plans for the week with the kids whe
Samantha’s POVI had three dogs running around the house, a little girl chasing them, a chatty teenager, a handsy boyfriend, and a Sunday lunch to prepare. Managing all of that was quite complicated.We invited our friends over for a Sunday barbecue and pool day, and I told Enzo to invite Luna and her sister. I also took the chance to invite Vince, who was off work. It would be a fun day.Patrick and Virginia arrived soon after, followed by Catherine and Alexander with Peter and the fantastic quartet. The chaos started growing as Peter became enchanted with the dogs and was already rolling in the grass with them and Clara."Sam, three dogs?" Catherine looked at me, impressed."Friend, some have babies, others have dogs." We laughed together. "But only Cinnamon is mine, the others belong to Enzo and Clara.""Does Hebe know about this?" Melissa asked, coming up behind us."She knows about having one small dog, but Clara and Enzo get everything they want from Henry." I explained."I can't
Henry’s POVWe arrived at the shelter, and there were many animals. Clara was emotional and even a bit sad, which moved me. She walked between the kennels, playing with the puppies that came close to the bars.In the last kennel, she saw a large dog lying at the back. He had round, sad eyes, droopy ears, short black fur with a white patch running between his eyes down to his snout, and one white paw. He was alone in that kennel.Clara crouched down and asked the caretaker to open the little gate. When it was opened, Clara crawled to the back and petted the dog, who looked at her with his head tilted. She whispered something in his ear, and he sniffed her and stood up. She came out, and he followed her."That's the one, uncle!" She hugged the dog around his neck - he was almost her size, reaching above her waist, and he licked her little face, making her laugh. "What's his name, sir?""This is Truffle. He's an adult dog, but still young, about a year and a half old. He came to the shelt
Henry’s POVWe were sitting in the living room planning an outing when my sister made a video call to her kids."Hi, Mom! Where are you now?" Clara answered with bright, innocent eyes, but I no longer believed in such innocence."Hi, sweetie! We're in Madrid, waiting for our connection. Are you both behaving?" Hebe had a relaxed, carefree expression."I always behave, Mom. As for Enzo, well, you know, he's a teenage boy, can't expect much from him." Clara spoke with disdain, making me smile."Stop being ridiculous, Clara. I'm a well-mannered young man, Mom. Always behave like a gentleman." Enzo protested."Great, keep it up so Mom can travel more often." My eyes widened - she had barely left and was already planning to go again. "Let me talk to your uncle and Sam."Sam and I took the tablet and chatted a bit with Hebe and Ed, but I felt persistent nudging at my ribs - Clara was getting restless, so I decided to end this little quarrel."Sis, I want to ask you something." I thought it b
Samantha’s POVI truly loved Clara and Enzo. When Hebe mentioned to me that she wanted to travel with Edward, I immediately told her to surprise her husband and booked the trip, as Henry and I would take care of the kids. She was more than happy to accept my offer.That's why I pushed the store to deliver the furniture earlier than planned and paid extra for it, but it was worth every penny. I also asked Alexander for a few days off, which he didn't hesitate to give me. We would have lots of fun, I needed this peace and joy, and I wanted to see Henry with his niece and nephew, after all, we were starting a life together.Things only got better when he realized the kids would be staying with us. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry. I decided to break the news gradually so I could enjoy more of his facial expressions, and I was taking photos of every moment, even without him noticing.I almost had to sit down from laughing so hard at him climbing the stairs in panic because the kids w
Henry’s POVFinally, our family began saying goodbyes to leave. Hebe and Ed were the last ones to say goodbye and leave, but Enzo and Clara remained seated on the couch."Come on, kids, your parents are leaving," I said with a smile, thinking they were sleepy."We've already said goodbye, Uncle!" Clara replied, looking at me with that grown-up air she had about her.I looked outside, and Hebe turned around to wave one last time before going through the gate. I looked at Sam, who was waving back. I looked again at my niece and nephew, comfortably settled on my new couch. Then I looked back at Sam, who closed the door with a big smile and blew me a kiss as she walked past me."Now, my darlings, I want a foot massage!" Samantha said as she sat between them.Enzo quickly sat down on the carpet, gently took her feet, removed her shoes, and started massaging one of them. Clara snuggled against her arm, and they began making plans for the weekend."Come on, Uncle, come here. I'll massage one
Henry’s POVThe conversation was flowing cheerfully, and I could see the smiles spread across my mother's and Hebe's faces. They would occasionally glance at me and give a small nod of approval at how things were going. I knew they were happy that I had found Samantha.It couldn't have been better - my mother and Pearl were getting along wonderfully. They chatted like childhood friends and were already discussing how wonderful it would be when Samantha and I had children.Suddenly, the doorbell rang again, and I looked at Samantha with confusion. The whole family was already here - had she invited someone else?"I'll get it, handsome," Sam passed by me, and I gave her a kiss on the cheek."Ah, the whole family gathered. How lovely!" I looked back to see Reynold walking in as if he owned the place."Henry, I couldn't stop him from coming in, and the security guard wasn't at the entrance," Samantha came in behind him, furious."Don't worry, Sam, I'll throw this creature out myself!" I re
Henry’s POVFriday would finally be the dinner where we'd introduce our mothers. Samantha had organized everything, not even letting me handle the invitations. She was happy and excited about it. She went home early, and when I arrived, she was already looking beautiful, all dressed up and directing the table arrangements."My handsome, you're here!" She happily came to greet me with a kiss."Hmm, I think I should start coming home after you just to get welcomed like this." I hugged her and gave her another kiss that left her breathless."Maybe you should." She said, trying to catch her breath after breaking our kiss. "But now go get ready, our families will be here soon."Very reluctantly, I let go of Samantha and went to take a shower. When I returned to the living room, Samantha was contentedly observing the set table, and I could smell something delicious coming from the kitchen."Wow, everything looks so beautiful!" I said, admiring the perfect job she had done setting the table.
Samantha’s POVI had been restless and anxious since Maria, Henry's housekeeper, called me after lunch today. She called to let me know that the store had delivered the furniture. Maria was a lovely woman who knew how to run a household like no other, and she was so sweet and kind that she was like a mother. We got along very well, and we had agreed that she would call me whenever she needed anything and would let me know as soon as the furniture arrived.I was very excited. I left the company feeling very happy, but when I got into Henry's car, I noticed he was very tense. He gave me a kiss and held me in his arms for a moment."My handsome, what's wrong?" I asked, sensing something was off. He looked tired and stressed."It's been a shitty day, Sam. I just want to spend the night holding you." Henry sighed and let go of me, starting the car."What happened, Henry?" I grew even more worried."Reynold." Henry said simply."What is it now?" I persisted.During the drive home, I listened