RICARDO Grandad was unusually quiet which I found odd. He wasn't the type to just let us chatter on without saying a word, especially to I and Gian. Though Gian was acting like his usual self, I knew even he had noticed that something was odd about grandad. “ Ricardo, Gian,” grandad interrupted the ongoing conversation.Everywhere went quiet as we waited for him to speak. “ After eating, meet me in my room. Lorenzo and Lena, I expect you there as well,” he said getting up to his feet. His personal assistant was there to help me out of the dining room. “ Yes, father,” dad answered as grandad walked away. “ Also, call Stella and tell her to be here as well,” he stopped in his tracks and added Gian’s mom to the list of attendees. “ But mom is probably not in Italy,” Gian spoke up. “ Just because I'm old doesn't mean I don't have eyes everywhere,” he said. “ Stella's in Italy so Lorenzo, call her up and tell her to be here,” he ruled out befo
RICARDO “ See he doesn't want you so shoo,” Gian chased me away. “ Let's see if he'd still say no when I do this,” I took out cash and showed Geovani. “ Is it for me?” Geo’s eyes glistened. “ Yes, Geo,” I smirked. Everybody had a price, even kids. “ Thank you, Brother Ricardo,” he appreciated me. “ You're welcome as always,” I nodded my head as he snatched the money from my hands. “ Now, let me carry you,” I stretched out my hand. “ I still want Brother Gian to carry me,” he looked away from me, wrapping his tiny arms around Gian and placing his head against his shoulder. “ Hey, that's not how it works,” I tried to suppress my annoyance. This was a blow on my pride. “ I gave you the money so you'd let me carry you,” I explained to him. “ That's not what you said initially,” Geo was a lot smarter than I had bargained and why in the world did I forget to state the terms before giving him the money? “ You just said it's for
KAYLA After about a week of Ricardo leaving for his family house, he returned and though I didn't expect anything to happen, it was disappointing to say the least. He was still exactly as he was before he left. Forgetting Ricardo, I was more bothered by how Gian hadn't contacted me for over a week now. It was unlike him… well, not exactly but at least I know that if I message him, he will surely answer but he hasn't replied my messages for quite some time now. “ Did something happen?” I pondered. Then, I remembered that Ricardo was yet to go out for work, maybe I could ask him. I stepped out of my room and headed to his room to check if he was there but the maids cleaning up his room told me that he was in his study. I headed to his study and on my way there, I ran into Butler Stan who held a tray of snacks and tea. Was this for Ricardo? “ Are you looking for something, Lady Kayla?” He spoke first. “ Not exactly. I want to meet Ricardo thoug
RICARDO “ Are the twins coming today?” Enzo asked. “ Hmmm, apparently. Mom said something about them returning ,” I hummed. “ Is it related to the family meeting they were to attend?” His question made some sense. “ You're not exactly wrong to be frank,” I answered. He was quite accurate in his deductions. “ So are they going to be living with you in the meantime or are they going to stay over at the former Boss’s place?” Enzo inquired “ What do you think would happen if they showed up at the family's estate one week after the family meeting?” Luca asked Enzo, adjusting his glasses as he did. “ Their grandad is going to chew them out for sure,” he answered.“ But then again, I already know how much you'd prefer not to house them since they could be big nuisances,” he added. “ The more you talk, the more I realize how insightful I was to hire you as my second-in-command. I like how quick-witted you are sometimes,” I snapped my fingers. “ Ha!
KAYLAWeekend Gian had informed me that he'd be sending some people over to be his eyes in Ricardo's house since we can't meet for the meantime. “ That's definitely something that Ricardo did,” I muttered. To think that Ricardo would be petty enough to create a mountain out of a mound hill. I couldn't tell if he was toxically possessive or just jealous. Figuring out Ricardo was harder than studying but more importantly, I was curious and anxious to meet Gian’s undercover eyes if I could put it that way. “ You've been standing here, moving back and forth,” Theresa said, noticing how tense I was.“ Are you that excited to meet Ricardo's younger brothers?” She chuckled. “ Younger brothers? Ricardo's brothers are coming!?” I was shocked by her reveal. “ Isn't that why you're standing around waiting?” She tilted her head.I couldn't exactly explain what I was waiting for since that would expose Gian’s plans. “ I'm not sure, honestly,” I
KAYLA Getting to the pool side, I spotted them lying on the beach bed or rather pool bed since we were by the pool side. Some maids served them snacks and drinks. “ So our mission to infiltrate Ricardo's house was successful? ” Renato lifted his shades to his hair and looked at his twin brother. He was right next to his bed. “ Yup, as expected. Our plans never fail, ” Renzo smirked as he swirled the apple juice around in his cup. “ But there was this one time when you came up with a... ” “ Not now, Reyn. Besides, that was just once, ” he adjusted himself on the bed, placing his hands behind his head. “ It was actually four times, ” he reminded. “ Okay, I get the point but what matters now is this one and all other of my plans excluding those four have been a success, ” he didn't want to hear anything about the past. They were having such a a blast on their own that it made me hesitate to make my presence known. “ If you're done standing aroun
KAYLATwo weeks later I cleared my throat, the sudden shift in mood making me feel uncomfortable. I didn't even know where to begin with in explaining how things ended up like this m "Maybe we should all call it a night," I suggested. " Ricardo needs his rest, and I'm sure you have things to take care of as well." Finally, with a resigned sigh, Enzo nodded in agreement. "Alright, alright," he conceded, his eyes lingering on mine for a moment too long. It was obvious that he didn't trust me. " I'll get going. Luca has already left so I probably should leave too. Get some rest, Rei and Reyn."He didn't even bother to tell me to rest well when I was the one doing the work. "You too, Enzo," they replied, offering him a tentative smile. "And thank you again for bringing us here.” He quirked an eyebrow, a playful smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Don't mention it. Although," he drawled, his voice dropping to a low murmur, "consider it a down paym
KAYLA After eating the dessert he brought, we went ahead to catch up since we hadn't been in contact for a while now. I told him everything that had happened and how I had stood up to Ricardo on many occasions. We spoke for a little while longer, mostly about mundane things – the hospital food, the boring TV show I had watched while taking care of Ricardo. As exhaustion finally claimed me, I settled into the uncomfortable armchair beside Ricardo's bed. Despite how things had turned out, a strange sense of peace settled over me. I didn't know if it was right to feel happy with him in this state. He was calm and vulnerable like this and something about it made me feel at ease. The harsh hospital fluorescent lights jolted me awake. Disoriented for a moment, I blinked and took in my surroundings. The white walls and the hospital bed came to view. A glance at the window confirmed my suspicions. The harsh light filtering through indicated it was well past sunrise.
KAYLAFive years later Liliana barged in with Nico following her behind. She was always so extra. “ Slow down, you're going to fall at the rate you're going,” I said to her. “ Lio! I've missed you,” she hugged me dramatically. “ We met like a month ago, Lily,” I reminded her. “ Even though,” she was persistent. “ I don't think I can live without you. What if we live together?” She suggested. “ You're married, Lily,” I pursed my lips. “ We can still live in the same house,” she insisted. “ You keep forgetting that you're married and you have a child,” I have her a flick on the head. “ Nico, do you need a break perhaps?” Dealing with Liliana must be too much for him. “ Apparently, I signed up for this,” he sighed as he rocked Arianna, their four-year old daughter. She looked like Nico. “ Is she still asleep?” I lowered my tone. “ Yes. She'll be sad if she can't see you today, she was antici
KAYLATwo days later Contrary to how I thought I would feel, I didn't feel hollow or empty. I would be lying to say I wasn't sad but I also felt good that I had ended things with him. Our relationship never had a solid foundation. “ Can't believe it started out toxic and ended toxic,” I mumbled. “ What are you going on about, rambling to yourself?” Liliana said. I turned around to find her leaning against my door post. “ You startled me for a second,” I held on to my chest. “ You really should learn how to knock,” I frowned. She really had startled me. “ Yeah, yeah,” she rolled her eyes, not taking my words seriously. “ Did you want to tell me something?” I asked as she sat down on my bed. “ Yes and no,” she shrugged. “ Huh?” “ Don't think too much about your break-up with Ricardo. It was the right decision,” she said. “ Thanks,” I smiled warmly. “ I also wanted to let you in on a secret,” she leaned clos
KAYLAI tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. The moment Gian had stepped out of the room, I was not able to stop myself from breaking down again.I was such a weakling. I curled into myself as I cried my heart out while being mad about myself that I couldn’t stop crying and my heart wouldn’t stop hurting.I sniffled quietly, hours or probably after minutes. It seemed my eyes had dried off and there were no longer tears for me to shed.“I hate you, Ricardo” I muttered to myself as I wiped the tears that were drying on my cheeks. My sobs had turned into whimpers without tears.“How did I get here? Was everything all for nothing?” I asked myself as I turned to my back and stared at the ceiling while my heart and head wondered where it had all gone wrong.How the hell did I fall this deep from my first mission? Love was such a bastard. I was so stupid for falling for Ricardo and thinking I had his heart after all this time.Ricardo was a hardened criminal who thought of only the fami
GIANI unlocked the door and we both went into my apartment. My legs carried me to the switch and I turned on the lights and walked in. “Do you want anything to drink?” I turned to Kayla who was still lingering by the door. She opened her mouth and closed it a few times, hesitation present in her eyes but she finally made up her mind and gave a slight nod.“Come on, stop lingering like a stranger” I told her, attempting to lighten the mood but it didn’t work.She walked into the living room and took a seat on the couch while I walked into the kitchen to drink water.I may not be as drunk as I was as a result of having to go and pick her up but I was still tipsy and Kayla’s demeanor told me that I needed to be sober in case she needed me.I reached for the orange juice in the fridge because I didn’t think it is was right to give her alcohol even though she looked like she needed one.I poured the juice into a glass cup for the both of us before going back to her in the room where sh
GIANThe high-end club I loved to visit was known for its insane parties just like I love it. I knew I was drunk but I was still aware of my surroundings. Ladies swarmed me like bees and I wasn't one to complain about the attention as they took turns to grind their bodies against mine.The music was loud and I was certain I was going to have a headache tomorrow but who cares? all I wanted was to have fun right now.I leaned against the bar with a smirk on my face as the girls tried to get my solo attention. “Oh Gian, you're so hot” the blonde ladies dressed as provocative highschool girls kept fawning over me as they gave me more and more shots of alcohol. These girls were easy and worse still, some even came with their boyfriends! What a sad world. I had gotten into a few fights earlier tonight because of the boyfriends coming to talk smack at me for taking their girls. Like bro, how's that my fault? “Tell me something I don't know, ladies” I said with a smirk as I took another s
KAYLAIt was raining heavily as I drove my black car down the road. I was trying my best not to show any emotions but it was hard. I found myself unable to muster any emotions as I stared blankly at the windshield drenched in water with the wipers swinging from side to side as they attempted to clean it. Where was I even going? I asked myself but I couldn't come up with any answer. I could only drive while occasionally staring at the few cars that traveled alongside me on the dark and wet road.“F*ck you, Ricardo! F*ck you!” I cussed in mutters, trying not to let my rage get the best of me. I wanted my mind to be blank but I couldn't help myself.I was annoyed, pissed, enraged, angered….ahhhh! There wasn't any word in my freaking vocabulary to accurately describe how I felt. We were engaged for Christ’s sake. Yeah, maybe I wasn't the best partner but I did my best, didn't I? I turned my back on the government because of this man and he just casually trampled on my feelings and sa
KAYLA We talked about random things from my siblings to his siblings. He especially went on and on about his little sister, Lexi. I hadn't seen her but I knew she'd be adorable. The food showed up, a colorful spread of hot delicacies presented with style. Every dish was well seasoned and my previous distrust quickly faded. “ I really love the food,” I savored every moment of each bite. “ I'm glad you're enjoying it,” he was satisfied by my reaction. The atmosphere became more laid back as the minutes went by, as we laughed and enjoyed our dinner. By the time dessert arrived – dumplings or what they originally call Jiaozi – my initial apprehension had completely vanished. I found myself genuinely enjoying every bit of the restaurant. As we sat there, savoring the sweetness of the dessert, a comfortable silence fell on us. Axel leaned back in his chair, his gaze fixed on me. Looking up from my food, our eyes met and I couldn't bring myself to loo
KAYLA The motorcycle ride through the busy city streets was thrilling, giving me a brief escape from my worries. Axel parked the bike in front of a cozy restaurant on a quiet side street, bringing me a sense of relief. I had secretly been anxious about going to a fancy, high-end restaurant, fearing the expensive menu, unfamiliar rules, and possible social mistakes. “ Sometimes, I forget that I'm rich,” I sighed. Stepping off the motorcycle, I took a deep breath of the warm evening air scented with jasmine and a spicy aroma. It was a Chinese restaurant. " Ready for a surprise?" Axel asked, his eyes sparkling with mischief.I couldn't help but smile back. "Always," I replied, my apprehension replaced by a sliver of curiosity.He took my hand and led me around the back of the restaurant. My jaw dropped open in surprise. A hidden fake oasis unfolded before me.The backyard of the restaurant had been transformed into a breathtaking scene. Lotus lights sparkled on
KAYLA I reappeared into the living room where we all were. I was all dressed up for the day. “ How do I look?” I asked, wanting to know their opinion. “ Great as expected but aren't you too concerned about your looks for ‘ just an outing ’ with a friend?” Renato bounced his brows. “ What would you know about girls?” I scoffed. “ We bother about things like this no matter who we're meeting,” I found a way to justify my actions. “ So why don't you want us to tell Ricardo or anyone else about your whereabouts?” Renzo probed. “ And why were you blushing and playing hard-to-get over the phone?” Now, they were just exaggerating. “ By the way, we're not against it. We're totally in support so there's no need to worry about such trivial things,” Renzo have me a thumbs up. A playful smile tugged at the corner of my lips despite my flustered state. "Don't tease," I mumbled, shoving a stray strand of hair behind my ear. "It's not a r