"What are you?" it came as nearly a whisper.He looked at her, his tousled hair falling into his eyes, watching her from under dark lashes as he unbuttoned his cuff. "What do you mean, what am I, Elena?" He pulled down the shirt and raised a brow. "You know what I am..."She took a glance at the open door, calculating her steps. Getting Mia was going to be impossible if he raced with her, but she tried anyway and shrieked when her back went crashing into the wall.He covered her lips with his palm, "Hush, love, I won't hurt you." A smile appeared at the corner of his lips: "Unless you want me to."****"Congratulations, President Nikolai Rossi, It's Certain Italy Will Bloom Under You." The chairman stepped back, and as if on cue, everyone stood up, clapping.Elena Vero checked her wristwatch and sighed; she needed to get home to Matteo, and hopefully, he wasn't crying out for her, giving the nannies a hard time.And then he stood. Elena smiled, seeing her husband walk up to the podium
That explained everything then—the distance, how he dodged her eyes when they met with his, the brown orbs filled with guilt, and how he never stayed home to spend time with her and Matteo.Alexa was back, and seeing her, she passed her a disgusted look that had Elena swallowing her hurt back and suddenly wanting to dash out of the gathering.Nikolai finished talking, and he came down from the podium. She waited for him to sit beside her, but he never came. She turned to see him walk past Alexa outside the hall.Elena had seen enough; she brushed a tear from her face. Her mama never taught her to cry for any man, but she couldn't stop hurting so badly, maybe because she had sacrificed so much for this man to throw her away like thrash.And he was then choosing a woman who didn't think of him as anything.It seemed her prayers were answered because the party had ended, and raising her long blue gown with a long sleeve up, she walked over to where Nikolai was now, hoping she'd see him o
THREE YEARS LATER."Mr. President, is it true that your marriage with first lady Elena Vero was fake?""Mr. President, the rumor is that she left because you cheated; how true is that?""Mr. President, how would you keep this country successful if you can't even keep your home?""Mr. President...""Mr. President...""Mr. President..."Nico tightened his fist behind the set in front of him, ignoring the microphone so close to his lips, staring at the press before him; he knew they were paid to do what they were doing.After all, wasn't the next election this year? All of this had Alessandro Salvo written on it; he was the candidate of the opposition party, and ever since Nico was voted into office, Salvo had made it an everyday thing to attack him.Setting up the press to ask him questions, he found a way out off"Mr. President, where are you really from?"And all of this began when he walked out of the room that night and found the note on the signed papers,I'M SORRY, SIR, ITS BEEN G
ELENA'S POV.Dangit!I was late...Again.I held the steering wheel hard with my fingers, gazing out through my window, wheezing past trucks that screamed curses at me while I whispered apologies.Lateness was what happened when Mia got sick, and I had to stay with her till she was stable a little, for Alessandro never offered to keep her while I worked, and the only nanny Mia was calm with had traveled to see her parents.I couldn't ask Alessandro; I looked at the ring on my finger and my black eyes in the rearview mirror. Sighing, I pulled out my foundation and dabbed more around my eyes.That had to do with the concealing, but I couldn't help but wonder for how long I was going to keep on concealing what he did to me, watching his hand slam hard against my face as if I was an animal.I swallowed; I needed him. There was no how I could do without him, for he gave me the job I had now, and it was because of him I got promoted as fast as I did.And besides that, I was going to do anyth
Nico looked at the man standing right at the opened door staring back at him, the expression the same—one of tiredness and burnout. Even though the man hadn't said anything, he knew what would be reported to him.He sighed, facing the papers at the top of his desk, drumming on the table with the tip of his fingers, before finally speaking, "What did Matteo say?"He damn well knew it was Matteo, especially on a Friday morning; there had to be some whining, except the whining was silent, staring up at him with green pupils that had him wishing he could remake most of his life's decisions.Like why he even thought of getting the papers almost four years ago. The worst decision of his lifeThe man at the door struggled to force a smile, "How did you know...?" Seeing Nico drop tired brows at him, he straightened up and began professionally, "He refused to go to school again."Nico crashed back on his seat; so far, there was just one problem he couldn't solve with a snap of his fingers, and
"Mama! That's my mama!" Matteo shrieked again, and Elena struck right on the stage and felt as if the whole light on the runway was turned on her, her eyes wavering.That was Matteo, alright, standing and clapping while everyone else smiled at the cute little boy who had a locket on his neck. To make matters worse, he was making his way to her.Conscious of herself, she swept her blonde hair back; how did he find her? How did he even recognize her? He was so tiny when she left; he was almost three when she left, for goodness' sake.Fighting the wave of emotions about knocking her off her feet, as she watched Matteo's head, he ignored the stairs and climbed straight to the podium, struggling to hold onto it.A sob rose to her throat, deep happiness seeing her baby again, and fear, for if he was here, it meant Nikolai was behind him, somewhere, around.She saw him now, Noah, coming forward to help the little boy climb on the stage where she was, all those time maintaining eye contact wit
Elena's POV.My stomach felt like they were wrenching, and suddenly I was feeling the urge to throw up, and to make matters worse, I caught my reflection in the mirror, and there I was, looking like a heartbroken Maleficent.He didn't change a bit; the Camera and tv shows didn't do him enough justice. My business side was itching to make him an offer to model my male collection of beach shorts.I blinked.He blinked.I looked back at the windshield, clenching my teeth before steadying my breath, then I muttered, "You don't look bad, your Excellency.""You look blonde, Elena." I hated how his voice sounded steady while mine was a whirl of emotions; how had I forgotten that square chin was my weakness, and that hair, dear gawd..."I apologize if I interrupted anything."My frustrations were becoming anger, anger at myself for losing myself; I wished I looked better, but now I was looking homeless, and him .. with that stainless look, full brows and lash, hiding brown pupils so innocent
"The conversation went too far." Noah said, watching his boss stare at the telephone in front of him, his fingers on the keyboard of the MacBook, "It almost sounded like a threat, sir."A page popped up on the laptop, and picking up a pen, Nico wrote a number on paper, arranging his glasses before peering at what he wrote.The comfort he experienced upon returning home and discovering that Matteo was already asleep; after checking on the boy, he went to his office, carelessly shrugged off his jacket, sat down in front of his laptop, and researched every bit of information he could about her.His ex-wife wanted nothing to do with him, but unfortunately for her, he was ready to go to the extreme for her to return; he couldn't handle any more of Matteo's whining, especially now that he had seen Elena."In a way, sir, she's right," Noah tried again. The look in the president's eyes made him afraid, and he hoped what he was about to do didn't blow up in their faces. "Coming and leaving Mat
"Is that it?" Gianni frowned when I finished. "You've got to be kidding me." Midway, I had almost burst into tears, explaining in as much detail as I could that the men's beachwear collection, which would have been next week, had to be postponed because of the lack of models."You don't get it." I sniffled, dabbing my cheek. "It's bad for business. Bad publicity goes a long way, and the investors...""Hey," Maya says, wrapping her arms around my shoulder, shooting Gianna, still sitting, a glare. "There has to be something we can do about it." "You've got to be kidding me!" Gianna retorts again, "That's why you're crying?" "I'm so sorry," I sobbed. "I don't know why I'm so emotional; what's wrong with me?!" "Oh, I know." Clara mumbles."Gianna!" Maya's tone is laced with a warning tinge. "Be nice." But she was right. This was nothing to cry about; I was a grown woman. It was shameful that once they thought I was the epitome of strength, but now they knew I was just a crybaby."Do
The next few days we spent indoors; still, it was hard to see Nico. The air in Calabria was hearty, the laughter infectious. It wasn't hard to notice that Nico and Zayne still stayed away from each other. They had tried to hide it, but they didn't try hard enough to take off our suspicions.Milo, sometimes in the middle of a conversation with the whole family, set up opportunities for them to exchange a word two, but like two peas of the same pod, we found them, mouth full and chewing slowly until the attention was taken off their back."You want me to do it for you?" I asked Nico when we were alone in the room, watching his face as I applied my lipstick, "I could talk to Zayne, Nico. It doesn't have to..." I wasn't done when his arms curled around me, flattening his opened palm against my stomach, sending my heart racing, and then he kissed me, shutting me up briefly.When he broke it off, sending me breathless and wanting, he searched my eyes and murmured, "It's all right. It's my
Authors POVElena didn't look back as she walked away with the others, Milo staring at the top of her head with amusement as he pushed Gianna out of the sitting room.Nico didn't like that look in his eyes. It was the same look he held for Gianna, and now, whenever Milo was around, Zayne had to work for a bit of time with his wife.He pulled his eyes off the door they just walked out of, and when he turned to Zayne, who continued to give Matteo audience, his countenance a mixture of pride and sadness, Nico felt his stomach churn.He wasn't prepared for this, wasn't ready to be knocked down from the truth he believed in. He thought that Zayne would let the children die, all for petty malice, but all this while, it had been him who did nothing to help.Then why did he hide it? Why did he go through all that only to give all of the praise to Milo? Was that why Milo distanced himself for so long? Suddenly, he felt like he wasn't part of a family he had always known."How are your injuries
Author's POV.Matteo continued to chatter, "...He said you were coming for us, Dad, and you came." his innocent smile didn't match the struck expression on his father's face, which also mirrored mine."Can I say hello?" He askedSeeing Nico couldn't say a word, I took charge, "Of course, Matteo, go tell your uncle Hi.""My uncle?" His eyes widened, "Cool Ma," before he was running off towards his sister and Zayne, who, on seeing him, seemed unsure at first, but then slowly, he went on his knees and wrapped his arms around my son.That first hug held a lot of warmth for someone who had ensured he avoided Matteo initially."What's going on?" Maya asked Nico, "Why is everyone so quiet?"Nico, appearing utterly helpless, felt his tense muscles relax as he gazed ahead, overwhelmed by guilt and discomfort. Without even making eye contact with his mother, he softly responded, "Yeah, just surprised," his voice almost trailing off, "Mia doesn't talk to strangers."Although Maya wasn't entirel
He returned to tell the kids they could move before he was gone again.After a bit of fun with them, to which half my attention was not in, I left them an hour later, only to discover Nico was gone.Out of the Manor, no information, just like that, disappeared into thin air, making me wish I had stayed long enough at work, for in my head, I was running wild, helpless, and perspiring.The deja vu kept coming repeatedly; it hit me out of the blue. Standing there, watching her get into his car, his chin up, refusing to spare me a glance as she planted her thumb on his chin.My stomach churned as I let out a bitter laugh. Adding to the already complicated situation, I was pregnant. It felt like the only missing piece to complete that agonizing scene from years ago was walking into his office and discovering the papers on his desk.But I wasn't going to do that; I folded my fist against the window pane, and neither was I going to cry; that girl was gone, and in her place was a grown woman
"You're so choosey." Joey huffed, biting into a doughnut, the chocolate toppings sticking to the tip of his nose as he narrowed his eyes at Charlotte."Well, I'm sorry for wanting to make everything perfect instead of just picking out anything my lazy ass tells me to," Charlotte retorted, shuffling through the pictures on my desk, "And believe me when I say, I still haven't found that perfect model."Joey sipped noisily from his coffee cup, and when Charlotte narrowed her gaze at him, he rolled his eyes at her.Seeing this made me wonder how La Belle had endured two people who would fight about everything, including what toppings they wanted for their doughnuts.If I had come to La Belle with the hopes of finding everything for the launching of the men's beachwear project finished, then no surprise, it wasn't even half done.With all of the models unappealing to Char's taste, everything was left on standby.Remembering I left all of the work to them for weeks, the least I could do was
"Can't believe you're giving her thirty million, Elena," Noah huffed, "There are a million reasons she doesn't need it but wants to see your pride smolder."Complaining was never Noah's thing until I came to him that morning, cheque in hand, and explained everything that had happened while he was away.His reaction made me understand why Alexa demanded he didn't come alone.I did feel as if my pride was smoldered, but the feeling was nothing compared to how it would have been if she had eventually waltzed back into Nico's life.Nico had written the cheque immediately after he walked into the room, even before he strolled into the bathroom. When I entered the room, while the showers still gushed, it was sitting pretty at the edge of the bed.The first action I took when I picked it up was to inhale it, proving my desperation. The unbelief was gone. In its place was a dripping heart that he was bent on proving me wrong on all of my beliefs.He hadn't asked. Yet I had been digging up a l
Nico and Noah were unavailable for two days straight until, watching the news, I discovered the campaign for this year's election was about to commence.There he was, the smile on his face giving the aura that he had no problems, shaking hands with his shoulders straightened and chin held high.The control he exhibited standing right on that platform, the mic close to his face, talking to crowds was unnatural, and although I was just behind the TV, it was as if he was staring straight at me.I spent most of the time in the sitting room, losing my attention at the slightest distraction. 'That's a small sum for the two people that mean so much to me.'When I told Clara, she didn't look as affected as I was; instead, she frowned, "I'm surprised you don't have that amount on you right now."It dawned on her immediately, "Really, Elena?"At first, the decision to be financially independent had come from a place of keeping up my esteem; I mean, being paid to be a wife was low enough. Or t
"What did you just... What?!"The sterile white walls and the scent of antiseptic were starting to affect me, along with the news that Clara had just uttered in the most awkward imaginable.She knew this wasn't good news; she knew how much this would ruin my life. I didn't need something like this now! Not when I wasn't sure I could even hold myself up..."You're six weeks pregnant, Elena," she repeated, the papers in her hold; she seemed to be scared of my reaction had to explain why she was a safe distance away.I clutched at the buttons of my shirt, fighting to breathe, every damn passionate night returning to me.That was what the morning sickness was all about, the emotional roller coaster that had me weeping my eyes out with every bit of provocation.I thought it was stress, the children's abduction, and now the fear that Nico would leave me.And here I was, within the four corners of a hospital that I and Clara had driven to, with Noah waiting in the car.Nico had been called t