Lorena rolled to the edge of the bed and was about to fall off when her eyes pushed open. She quickly moved into the bed again and shut her eyes tight."Let's try that again," She muttered, slowly opening her eyes. She sat up, yawned, and stretched until she felt a crack. "That's right." She smiled, pushing the covers that were caught between her legs.She got off the bed and stood in the center of the room. Spreading her arms, she raised her head and inhaled deeply. The smell of lemon, coupled with the airy freshness the breeze coming from the window offered, pleased her nose. She was not snobbish, but the contrast between one of Alonso's bedrooms and the tiny space she slept in at the orphanage was dark and gloomy. The children were the only sunshine that made it worth living. She dropped her hands and looked around for her phone. She paused when she realized the last time she had been on the device was in the clinic, which only meant it was with Signora Pallas."No phones?" Her fi
At exactly 6:30 pm, a car drove into Alonso's mansion. A woman stepped down and was shown into the house by the driver ordered to pick her up. The further she went, the more complicated her heartbeat pounded in her chest. The odd number, who had spent the last month texting her about Job connections, had finally gotten a hold of her. She could have sworn with everything in her he was a scammer, until today when he insisted her lady Lorena needed a dress. Everyone knew anything Lady Lorena wanted. She had to get. For one, there was no more friendly person than her, and two. Everyone was so worried about her.She stared at the bagged dress in her hands and bit her lips nervously. After Lorena had worn one of her dresses, she had gone out of her way to create another. She just needed the right time to gift it to her, and it looked like it was now. They climbed upstairs, and she took that opportunity to take in her surrounding. The house was not as big as Master Markris, but it had a sm
Lorena looked away from Markris as she took the last steps down. An usher was immediately by her side to escort her to her seat. She prayed silently she didn't have to sit next to Markris. Fortunately for her, she was shown a seat far across from him. As soon as she sat, the murmurs began. From how their eyes searched her face, looking for discomfort, she knew they were talking about her. The runaway bride was finally in the presence of her jilted groom. There couldn't be a juicier story."Now that the lovely lady Lorena has joined us, we can continue." She heard a familiar voice say. She looked up and saw it was Tim. He threw her a wink, and her face flushed. She turned around just in time to see Markris staring at her from across the room. Judging from the scowl on his face, he had seen the exchange between herself and Tim.She shrugged and turned her attention away from him. She could care less what anyone, most especially Markris thought of her. Her eyes caught Alonso's, and he w
"Markris!" Lorena called loudly, following behind him. "Slow down. I need to talk to you." Her legs caught across her gown, and she stumbled. She caught herself just in time before she fell face down.She looked ahead and realized he wasn't going back to the hall but instead was going out. She took a turn and finally caught up with him."What do you want, Lorena?" His voice was harsh as he stared daggers at her."I just want to talk." She breathed loudly, trying to catch her breath."About?" His face contorted as he wondered what gave her the right to think she could talk to him."What do you mean?" She said, finally able to breathe correctly."What do you mean by what do you mean? We said everything that we needed to say to each other when you left them on the altar like the coward you are. Just get out of my face Lorena!" His eyes burned with anger. She shuddered, taking a step back."This is exactly the attitude that made me leave. You don't listen to anyone but yourself!" She trie
Lorena twisted and turned, beads of sweat dripping from her face. Her body contorted in the most bizarre position, and her hands grabbed the sheets. This was her third time running around, only to end up in the same position she started from. It took the fourth trip around the strange place for her to realize she was stuck in a maze. It was dark, the only light source from the shy moon and rebellious stars in the sky. A single bird suddenly flew overhead, chirping like it was trying to pass a message. She stretched her ears to listen, hoping it would give her the answer to break free from the maze finally. Just as she caught on to its first words, an enormous bird swooped in from nowhere and grabbed the smaller bird with its mouth. A loud gasp escaped her throat as she watched the enormous bird fly away with the little bird. Suddenly, she felt the maze walls closing in on her, and she couldn't breathe. She grabbed her throat, gasping for air. Her eyes rolled to her back, and she fel
Markris drove into his driveway for the first time since the wedding fiasco. He stepped out of his car, and two servants hurried over to take his suitcase"Welcome back, sir." They bowed, and he nodded. He handed them his keys to retrieve his luggage and entered the house."My lord?" Tanika's eyes widened when she saw Markris walk in. "My lord," She repeated, running to him. "Welcome home.""Thank you, Tanika." He waved, taking the steps. Tanika watched him walk away, a smile on her face. Maria had told her the lady Lorena was still not attached. Judging by her master's appearance, he didn't look attached to her."Hmmm, maybe that can give it another go." She giggled, heading to the kitchen to heat some food.Markris kicked his door open and stepped into his room. "Just the way I left you, I see." He muttered. He pulled off his clothes and walked stark naked to his mirror. Standing at a full height, he gazed at his reflection. His hair had grown past his shoulders, and his beard had
Francesca and Roselina rolled Lorena's bag, following behind the fuming heiress as she stormed towards her car."Lorena!" Paolo called, running after her."What now?" She paused and whipped her head around. "You insist I'm married to Markris, and I am done fighting you. You've won. I'm on my way to his house now, so what else do you want from me?" She screamed, stomping her feet on the ground.Paolo was taken aback as he stared wide-eyed at his daughter. He had never seen her react this way toward him. He had always banked on her intense fear of him getting away with anything he did to her. It looked like he had crossed far over the line and fallen into a ditch."Calm down, Lorena, I...""No, you listen to me, father. This is the last time you'll be seeing me. The minute I get to Markris' house, I am done with you. I don't have the mental capacity to fight off two monsters, so I'm telling you now that you've won. Kindly leave me alone." She hissed and stepped into the car. She banged
"Your room?" She scrunched her face and scoffed. "Don't you mean our room?" She raised a perfect brow, the corner of her lip twitching. She felt a little dangerous, and the scowl on Markris's face made it all worthwhile."Our room? Is this some joke?" He looked around as if, at any moment, a camera crew would appear and yellow 'cut.'"Now, why would I joke about something this serious?" She pouted, resting a finger on her chin. "Didn't you hear we're married? Isn't a wife supposed to stay in her husband's room?""Wife, Husband? What are you yapping about?" He threw his hands in the air. "Okay, let's even say our fathers are right, and we're married. Why do you have to stay in my room? Don't you have yours?""Oh, common Markris." She waved a dismissive finger. "We're not kids now, are we? It is important for a wife and her husband to share a room." She said. She heard him inhale sharply and almost broke into a feat of laughter. She knew she was pushing it too far, but she couldn't hel
A gentle breeze triggered rustling leaves beneath the feet of the somber crowd as they gathered in numbers to pay their respect to the dead. It looked like the sky was in cahoots with the mourners, with the cloud covered in hues of dull grey. The circle formed by the one percent of Milan had a freshly dug grave in the middle and a casket adorned with the finest golden ensemble carefully lowered into it.By the side of the cemetery filled with the remains of historical, unimaginable wealth stood a choir band. Their voices, backed by the wind, spurred the deepest sadness even in the hearts of a crowd like this. A gathering filled with a bunch of people with questionable wealth. These people had their heads bowed and their souls in a temporal state of disarray.As the priest stood beside the casket to give an eulogy, a black Jeep Wrangler pulled over at the cemetery entrance, and the car doors flew open. The little distraction drew everyone's attention to the arrival. A woman dressed i
"Put me down, Markris. We'll not escape without being noticed if you're carrying me."He moved his lips to argue but saw reason in her point. A frustrated sigh escaped his lips as he put her down. "Okay, we need a plan before we burst out of this room," He snapped his fingers, his feet tapping against the floor. "Got it!" He slapped his palm against his thigh. "Take off the veil." He ordered, and she quickly did what he said. The sight, from her face down to her stomach, momentarily took his breath away. She looked even prettier, and he couldn't help the barrel of emotions that threatened to overwhelm him."Markris?" She waved a hand across his stunned face. "Markris!" She snapped her fingers, and he jerked up."Yeah, as I was saying. I'll call Jorginho to round up the car to the door of the room we came in through. We have to pass through the chaos without being spotted.""The door you came in through? I came in through an escalator. Is there a separate exit?" She asked, already t
"This costume makes me feel like a middle eastern bride about to be sold into a marriage of convenience." Lorena hissed, tempted to yank the veil off her face. For her, very few things were worse than being made to wear a veil. A stupid veil that served no purpose to her personally."I'm sorry gorgeous. You said you didn't want to wear a mask, so the veil was the other alternative." Marcelo responded."Still hate it, though." She muttered under her breath."Here, take my hands." He said, stretching out his hands, and she reluctantly accepted it.As they entered the building, her heart began to beat faster. It wasn't enough that the whole environment was creepy but then they had to get into an escalator that took them down. Further down they went until it suddenly came to a stop."Where exactly are we going to, Marci?" She asked, with panic in her voice.He smiled and held her hands firmly in his. "It's an underground party. Kinda extremely exclusive." He explained vaguely.This did no
"Are you happy Lorena?" He asked, cradling her in his arms. The day had lost its spark, as a golden pale light formed a ring in the sky. A gentle breeze blew, bringing along with it the smooth fragrance of olive, and rose. The two love birds sat at the edge of a cliff, staring down the depth of water far beneath them.She turned her head to look at him, a smile on her beautiful face. There was nothing that gave her more security than being in his arms just like this. With him, she felt safe and loved. "I am, but are you?" She asked, stroking his face gently."You are my happiness. You, and him." He chuckled, rubbing her belly."Oh please," She rolled her eyes and playfully swiped his hands away. "What if it's a girl? I want a girl." She pouted.He couldn't help himself, as he stole brief kids from her lip. "It can be anything, Lorena. As long as you're are their mother, and my wife.""When did you become this romantic?" She laughed, turning her attention back to the water."It's you,
When Markris drove into his mother's compound, he felt exhausted. Still, he jumped out of the car and walked straight into the house. He was about to open the door when it pushed open from inside."Mark?" Jorginho's eyes bulged as he stared from head to toe at his friend. "Is that you?"He hissed and pushed him out of his way. "Ignore the hair, man. Where is Lorena?" Soon as he stepped in, he came face to face with a host of eyes just watching him in awe.His eyes traveled around, doing a quick headcount. He still refused to believe Lorena was missing. It was all a prank. Any moment from now, they would bring her out, and he would hold her in his arms again. He'll sniff her scent, and everything will be alright."Son?" Madam Sapphire got up and slowly walked towards him. "Is that you?" She asked with tears in her eyes."Of course, it's me." He scrunched his face, throwing his hands out wide. "Why does everyone keep asking that, and most importantly, where is my wife?""It's the hair,
A car drove roughly into the gate of the Andino mansion and came to a halt. The gatekeeper peeked from the security cam to see who it was before pushing the buttons. The gate flew open, and the car roared to life again. Driving with force and then parking haphazardly, it came to a stop. A man jumped out of the car and went straight into the house. He took the stairs, and in two leaps, he was up. Going straight for Urso Andino's room, he pushed it open, but no one was in there. He checked a couple of rooms before slowly retreating to the art room. Soon as he pushed the door to the room open, he spotted the man he was looking for."Who is th..." Soon as he whipped his head around to question the intruder, he felt a hand around his neck, lifting him from the ground up and throwing him against the wall. As he struggled to breathe on the floor, the man approached him and placed a heavy boot on his stomach."You pathetic son of a bitch!" He spat on him, his eyes filled with disdain. Twisti
Lorena whistled, her eyes doing a quick one-eighty. "You know when you told me life has been good? I wasn't expecting a mansion." They had arrived at Marcielo's house, and from what she could see, he was doing more than okay. One year she had changed a lot. A whole lot."I guess I got lucky." He laughed, picking up her bag. Banging the car door shut, he ushered her into the house."Luck?" She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Common Marci, you can't be modest about something like this. Your hard work has finally paid off, and there's nothing wrong with boasting a little."He chuckled, recalling he was dealing with a perpetually optimistic woman. "Okay, Belle, I'm glad my hard work paid off.""Much better!" She smiled."Come, I'll show you to your room." He said, gesturing towards the stairs.They climbed up the stairs past several rooms before finally arriving at a particular space."How many rooms are here again?" She raised a brow, looking around."Six, I think. I wanted something smal
As the dark clouds parted ways to streams of light, the birds came out to play. They flew around the sky, chirping heartily. Tired of laying on the hospital bed, Lorena strolled through the garden. The smell of antiseptic wafted through the hospital corridors, mixing with the scent of the blooming flowers. She took a deep breath as her bare feet tingled from the caress of the grasses.Just last night, her father and Verona had seen her. Her dad was more interested in the fact that she had lied about her pregnancy than anything else. When she mentioned her plans to leave Markris's house, he blatantly told her not to return home. The thought of those words alone made her scoff aloud. Like she wanted to return to Paolo Cicero's house, she realized it was time to take her life into her hands. Her dad would never change, and she was honestly done with caring about anything anyone said.As she moved through the garden, she sighted a sculpture that fascinated her and decided to check it ou
The sun started losing its spark as a gentle breeze announced the unset of the evening. A Lexus drove to an intersection, stopping where another car parked, blocking the road. The man in the Lexus stepped down and hurried over to the parked car. Without the slightest bit of hesitation, he pulled the passenger door open and slammed it shut."You plan on destroying my car?" Hermes rolled his eyes, his hands casually resting on the steering."Why'd you block the road, bro?" Jorginho ignoring his question, pulled the review mirror closer to his face.Hermes' face scrunched as he stared at Jorginho, fixing his face like they were en route for a model casting. "What, you don't have mirrors in your house or car?"He hissed and gently pushed back the mirror to its proper position. He turned to face Hermes, a frown on his face. "Hop off my dick, bro. Why are you being so mean to me?" He said, pouting."You're so..." He muttered between his teeth."So what?" He tilted his head to the side, his