Chapter 55Alessia's pov.“You look hotter these days, I hope you aren't even thinking of making advances towards Coran? Focus on your goal there, get it done and leave,” he threatened after admiring my perfect figure.“Okay, duly noted,” I answered with a slight bow.“Less I forget, I will send the location you are to meet me to your phone. Once you get there, take a clean shower and be prepared for me,” he said with a naughty smile, deliberately hinting on the last part.I had that urge to complain but I know better not to do that, so I ended the conversation and laid back on the bed. I dweled about my whole life before I finally fell asleep.***The distance noises coming from the persistent knocks on my door woke me up and I dragged my lazy self to check who the person was. I have that regular habit of locking my door due to past traumas so the person outside couldn't enter.I unbolted the door and yanked it to see a maid standing right there, holding a tray of milk.“I was told
Chapter 56Ava's pov“I think we should go on a date,” Coran said to me while my head rested on his shoulder. I have been thinking about how to tell him about the baby, it's been almost three months and my stomach will not be able to hide the truth any longer.“Hmmn! That is a nice idea but you have to get my dress for me,” I answered with a big smile. He gazed at my face, shocked because he wasn't expecting me to give him a positive response.“Sure… sure, should we go shopping now?” He asked in excitement, I gave him a brief laugh and carried my head up from his shoulder.Today was the weekend and everywhere was silent. We were the only ones sitting on the balcony, enjoying the cool afternoon breeze. Alessia was said to have left the house and that managed to calm me down, she has just six days left to leave this place.“Let's go take a bath,” Coran scooped me off the floor and hung me on his shoulder with her two legs dazzling in the air. I laughed loudly, enjoying the childish feel
Chapter 57Ava's pov “Go ahead, I will join you inside,” Coran said to me as he pulled up In Front of the shopping mall. His intention was to drop me off while he went ahead to keep the car in the car pack.I entered the mall and was welcomed by a cheerful attendant.“Hello, welcome ma'am; what will you like to get from our store?” She asked, picking up a trolley by her side. I gave her a stiff smile as I was too shy and timid to say anything to her.She instantly understood that I was probably going through some internal conflicts so she led me to a seat where I folded my palms together, waiting for Coran to enter.Seconds later, his reflection showed on the door and I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding.“Heeyyy, have you been waiting for me? But I already contacted them to prepare some help for you, where are these attendants?” His voice was beginning to get loud and I tugged at his shirt to call him back to caution.“It's not their fault, I didn't know what I wanted so
Chapter 58Ava's pov I bent my lower body across the window area and whispered to his ear, “return back safe, I have something important to tell you when you return. Also, I will give you my response regarding the question you asked in the restaurant.”After that, I placed a peck on his cheek, “I promise to be safe for you Cara,” he answered, beaming with a smile. I waved at him while the driver drove off, I didn't stop waving till they were finally out of sight.With tiredness, I dragged my heavy legs back into the house and on the rail stood Alessia with his hand Akimbo.“Hi,” she called as I was about to ignore her and go back upstairs.“Hmm,” I answered through my nose, feeling groggy and sleepy.“I actually have something to say to you if you don't mind,” a bad feeling washed over me and I couldn't stop myself from rejecting her request.“No, sorry but I do mind,” I didn't mean to be rude but it just came off as that.I left her standing there and climbed my way upstairs. As soo
Chapter 59Ava's pov.Alessandro was the one that drove us to the park where I was meeting with Jessica. I alighted with Emily and Jessica wasn't hard to spot in her tomboy shirt and baggy trousers.“Hey,” Jessica greeted and rushed to me, almost jumping on me.I moved back so that she wouldn't end up bumping into me, then I said, “you don't want to injure me, do you?”She quickly grasped what I was hinting at, then she put the Popsicle she was biting on her other hand and rubbed the cold palm on my stomach.“How have you been feeling recently? Hope it hasn't been draining?”She asked and took my hand, dragging me to sit on a chair.I stopped her and told her that Emily was here with me. She glanced at her from head to toe then she asked me who she was.“She is Emily, my personal maid,” I introduced them to each other. Emily recently started working for me when I returned back so Jessica doesn't know her. We all went to get some ice cream before we took our seats.I took the first bite
Chapter 60Coran's pov.“Ava, Ava, can you hear me? What is happening? Please talk to me,” I kept asking in panic but the other line was quiet, my heart began to beat faster than normal because I couldn't understand what the turmoil was all about.My hands were shaking as I hung up the phone to call her bodyguard. Alessandro didn't pick up as well which has never happened before but that didn't stop me from calling, I continued trying to reach people at home and that was when I was finally able to reach one of the guards on duty.I instructed him to go and check what was happening inside and I told him to give me feedback immediately he knows what is going on. While he was on the assignment I sent him to do, I began packing my loads after instructing Enzo to book me an urgent flight ticket.“But sir, the final appointment is in the next two hours. This is a lifetime opportunity that we might not be able to get again,” Enzo tried to convince me but I was adamant. It was morning here in
Chapter 61Coran's pov.“Please tell me it's not true, tell me it's a prank,” a lone tear dropped from my eyes as my voice began to crack.Luca looked at me with pity and unlocked my fist from his collar, he raised his eyes at me and responded with the most heartbreaking answer, “We lost the baby, the impact on her stomach was too huge to bear, her poor diet didn't also help the situation.”My head shut off as I tried to understand what he meant by the impact, “B…But nothing happened to her while we were on call, did she probably fall down?” I asked in an unsure tone.“I don't think she fell, a red mark was imprinted on the skin around her stomach so I can say that she was deliberately hurt by someone. Also, blood was rushing out of her head when she was rushed here so it is safe to say she fell from a tall height.”What? Ava is definitely not the careless type, she wouldn't want to risk such a thing. I have many questions that I really want to ask her but she isn't in any position to
Chapter 62Coran's pov I entered the clinic with all furiousness and went straight to Luca's office, thankfully I met Jessica inside. I wanted to strangle her and ask her why she caused me so much pain because if she had told me, I would have protected her with my life.“Are you here for Ava?” Jessica asked with an innocent face.I matched to her front and stopped to observe her from head to toe.“Is something wrong?” She asked with a squint of eye.“Yes, something is wrong, Why didn't you tell me about Ava's pregnancy? Now that she lost it, you must feel very fulfilled right?” Her eyes dilated and she looked very shocked by my discovery.Her lips shook before she regained her composure, “I was just following her order.”“What order? Why will she order you not to tell me? Since when did you learn of the pregnancy?”“Since the time she returned back,” she confessed and let down her shoulder.My mouth widened as I searched for the right word to use. What the hell did she mean by she h
Luca's POVI stepped out of the bathroom as I rolled the condom packet between my fingers with a lazy smirk already playing on my lips.Jessica had been the one pushing for this, and fuck, I was already getting excited thinking about how much I wanted her—how much I had always wanted her. I guess taking things slowly wasn't in the cards for her. "Hey, you might want to—" I was saying but then I froze.She wasn’t there, She wasn't in the room, on the couch where I last saw her. I frowned as my eyes scanned the living room. The spot on the couch where she had been sitting was empty.Perhaps she was thirsty after the steamy moment."Jessica?" I called out as I glanced towards the kitchen. No response.A strange feeling had already begun to crawl up my spine, the kind of unease that didn’t make sense yet. Maybe she was in the other bathroom? I walked toward the door, listening. Silence.She still wasn't anywhere.Is she trying to play games with me? I wondered. Jessica really wasn't the
Jessica’s POVI should have known Ava wouldn’t let this slide.The moment she got me alone after I had agreed to go on a date with Luca, I could see it all over her face—the disapproval, the concern, the desperate urge to shake me out of what she believed was a mistake.I understood that she didn't want me to have to go through that trauma but I promise I was fine. "You can't be serious about this, Jess," she said with her arms crossed as she stood in front of me like a mother about to scold her child. "A date? With him?" She asked me incredulous. I let out a sigh, I had already anticipated this conversation. I knew she was speaking out of a place of concern but I could handle myself. "Ava—" I was saying. "No, hear me out," she cut in as I saw the way her eyes burned with something close to frustration. "I'm not saying Luca's a bad guy, okay? I actually think he's annoyingly charming in his own way. But you... you've been through so much, Jess. Are you sure you can handle this?"
Jessica’s POVI wasn't supposed to be know what he was going to say. At least, that’s what Ava had whispered to me the moment Luca showed up and Coran had called him away to speak with him. Ava had reached for my hand when I wanted to follow them and she had tried to pull me away from going with them. “Leave it to Coran,” she had urged me in a low but urgent voice. “You really don’t need this right now.” she had said to me and she was right, I didn’t need this. I didn’t need Luca showing up at Coran’s house, invading a space that had finally started feeling safe for me. I sure as hell didn’t need the way my heart stuttered the moment I sst my eyes on him, nor the way the world suddenly seemed to shrink down to just his presence the moment o noticed him standing there. But none of that stopped me from standing up and ignoring Ava’s grip."I'm just going to check up on them and let them be." I said to her as I ignored Navia's eyes on me and I quietly followed Luca and Coran as they d
Luca's POV I wasn’t supposed to be here,I know that much but the moment I heard Navia casually mention a barbecue at Coran’s place—and the fact that Jessica might be there, I shut my thinking.I already had it planned out, I was visiting a friend in Milan. An old pal, but upon hearing that she was going to be at Coran's place on Saturday, I just knew that this was my chance to see her and if I got lucky, get to speak to her. I had called, rescheduled my visit to Milan for a few more days and prepared to visit Coran's mansion when no one was suspecting. I had spent days trying to figure out where Jessica had disappeared to and everyone refused to tell me, they were all acting clueless. Not Ava, not Coran, and definitely not Jessica herself as she had somehow either deactivated her phone or blocked me from contacting her. It was like she had vanished into thin air, and I had been left with nothing but restless nights and this growing frustration that gnawed at me at every thought of
Jessica's pov The afternoon sun was warm and it's golden rays were sprawled over estate as I pulled up to the gates of Ava and Coran’s mansion. I had debated coming because I was a bit hesitant for reasons I didn’t want to acknowledge, but Ava had been persistent, She kept texting and bothering me. Begging that I came. What had finally pulled me to the bathroom was a particular voicemail she sent to me. "Jessica, it's just a casual barbecue. You need to get out of your apartment for once," she had insisted over the phone. "And before you ask—no, Luca won’t be there. He’s traveling to Milan for a few days. You won’t see him, I promise." Those were her exact words. That promise had been the only reason I had agreed on visiting. Well, plus the fact that it's been days since I last saw Coran. He wasn't one to bother me, but I knew he wanted to see me as well. Now, as I stepped out of my car and adjusted my sunglasses against the blinding sunlight, the sight of the grand villa stole
Luca’s POVI was still at the hospital with my mind still reeling from the photos Nadia had shown me earlier, when my phone vibrated in my pocket. I didn’t even check the caller ID before answering.“What?” I snapped impatiently into the receiver speaker. “Get to my house. Now.” Coran’s voice was sharp and his tone left absolutely no room for argument. I frowned. “What the hell is this about?” I demanded. “You know exactly what it’s about.” His tone was controlled, but there was an edge of something that resembled a hardly contained anger under his voice. “Get here, Luca. Or I’ll come to you.” he threatened. The line went dead before I could respond, I let out a harsh breath as my jaw clenched. What was this? I get that Coran could be overbearing and too demanding at times, this could probably be just some emergency. Perhaps an integral part of his Mafia family like Lorenzo was in an emergency and needed to be treated on as soon as possible and he needed my help but whatever thi
Chapter FourJessica’s POVI sat curled up on my couch with my knees tucked to my chest while staring blankly at the untouched pizza box on my coffee table. The TV was on and some mindless show was playing with the volume on mute.My fingers dug into the soft fabric of the blanket which I had wrapped around me. It was more or less a very feeble attempt at comfort that did nothing at all, to say the least to ease the chaos inside me.I had locked myself inside my apartment since last night and had tried to use that as a means to shut out the world. My phone was off and my laptop was closed. The only sound that filled the space in my apartment was the occasional drip of water from my kitchen faucet. But even with all the silence I simply couldn’t quiet my mind.Because all I could think about was him.Luca.I clenched my jaw as my stomach twisted with what felt like guilt and self-loathing.They had become my companion now. Admittedly, I enjoyed it. I enjoyed every single second of i
Chapter 3Luca's POV I walked into the hospital the next day and was greeted by the usual sterile scent of disinfectant that instantly filled my lungs. The place was as busy as usual—doctors and nurses moved around with purpose, while patients were wheeled down corridors. Conversations naturally blended with the occasional beep of heart monitors. A typical scenerio of a busy hospital. As I stepped my foot into the office room, something felt off... Jessica's usual cheerful self wasn’t anywhere to be found, everywhere was quiet and sad. I swallowed hard as I dropped my folder bag on the chair.I carefully checked the locker room, the changing room and even the damn supply closet where she sometimes stay whenever she wants to avoid paperwork. Nothing.I clenched my jaw as I pulled out my phone, prepared to call her.The call went through but soonest, I got the same response I have been getting since the previous day... Voicemail.“Jess, where the hell are you? Call me back.” I said in
Chapter TwoLuca's POVI let out a groan and stirred as sunlight filtered through the half-open blinds of the hotel room and another tired moan escaped my lips. My body felt warm—too warm. I reached out instinctively and my fingers grazed the empty sheets beside me. The place felt warm but the spot was vacant. I let out a frown as I turned my head. The bed was unmade and the sheets were in disarray. I took in a deep breath and instantly I recognized the unmistakable scent of jasmine and vanilla that still clung to the fabric. It was a very familiar scent. Jessica’s scent.And then realization hit me. .JESSICA'S SCENT! Holy shit.Now fully awake, my eyes widened as fragmented images from the previous night surged through my mind. The wedding. The drinks. Yes. I remembered them all. The laughter. And then, .....her hands tangled in my hair. The feel of her lips against mine. The sounds she had made. The heat. The urgency. The way her body had melted into mine, as if this we had don