CHAPTER 10 Diego "When exactly did that happen?" I was startled hearing that Serene requested the money. "OK, I will see you when I get back," I responded, ending the conversation. "Wow, I can not believe this," Nelly said, shaking her head. "It is okay, honey; she will be out of our lives for good now; that is the only thing that would have made her come back and cause drama, you know," I said to Nelly, holding her hands as she laid the meal down. "Yes, but I intended to use it for something different," Nelly explained, tugging her face. "What? That is impossible, my darling," I told her in a quiet, calm tone. "I am not sure why you are making such a big deal out of this. It is not like she wants the money. I thought I might put it to good use, perhaps invest in something worthy," I replied, her as she pushed away from the hug. "I am afraid you can't.That money was intended for Serene, and I cannot accept it. It is hers, regardless of what she does with it. We have no right
CHAPTER 11 Serene It is my second week at work, and I am liking the company's vibe. I can not believe these dudes are still looking at me like I am 16 when I am growing so old. My birthday is almost approaching, and I recall how alone I felt on that day when I was with Diego. I would have thought that he was staying out late to surprise me, but he was actually doing it to keep me away from him. Sometimes I feel like I was so blinded by one-sided love that I overlooked the fact that Diego did not love me. Fortunately, things have changed, and I will spend my birthday with the most valuable person in my life, aside from Charlotte and Neina. My child is that person; I am not sure what gender it is, but knowing that I love them intensely even when I can not see them brings me so much joy. It is 7 a.m Friday, and I have to be at work by 9 a.m. I hurriedly sprang out of bed and rushed to the shower. I could see how lethargic my eyes appeared in the mirror, but I needed to seem good beca
CHAPTER 12Serene The lift doors opened, and I stepped out into my office. I instantly grabbed my phone and followed my agents inside the boarding room. While everyone else waited, I went directly to the one seat that was clearly mine. The door opened, and someone I did not expect to see walked in. His gaze met mine, and I got shivers. He came in and sat next to me. Lift, his aroma enveloped me and everyone else close to him, and he turned to my side and grinned at me. The agent, on the other hand, smiled at him, believing he was smiling at her. Our boss stepped up and eventually introduced the man I ran into as the company's largest shareholder and a key figure. We waited for the conference to end, and everyone began leaving the boarding room as I packed my things. His stare caught mine, and I experienced goosebumps.I entered my office and took a sip of water. “Serene, please calm down. What exactly are you doing?" I whispered to myself, biting my nails and going over my ideas.
CHAPTER 13Serene "What did he just come to my place?" I asked myself, while cautiously opening the door."Good evening, madam. I am looking for Ms. Serene Brights," the man waiting at the door stated to me. I knew he was a puzzle driver merely by glancing at his clothing and reading what was printed on his batch."Is everything OK, Ma'am?" He questioned, perhaps assuming something was amiss with his outfit after I gazed at it for about two minutes."Oh sure, everything is fine. My name is Serene Brights," I said, my mind racing with inquiries.The delivery lad walked to his vehicle and returned with a present bag. He handed it to me, and I immediately signed the paperwork before he departed. Doubts about the present bag being mine began to wash over me. I had not opened it yet, but I could see how expensive everything inside was. I unzipped the bag and withdrew the first box, which contained a stunning dazzling diamond necklace. I held it out and ran my fingertips along its borders.
CHAPTER 14Serene It is Saturday, and I need to finish off all the cleaning. My flat is not huge, but I am delighted it will be plenty for my child and myself. There are also two spare rooms available for Neina and Charlotte to stay in during their vacation. I stood on the sofa and turned on the television. A wonderful video of a renowned family on vacation was aired, and I could see how happy they were, only to find myself wishing it was us. I promptly changed the channel and switched to watching some cartoons for a time. I checked the clock and it was almost 4 p.m. Max Cruz and I are going to meet. He may assume it is a date, but I just want to make it obvious that I do not want his presents or any of the drama that comes with his trying on me. 'Maybe I should tell Neina about it,' I thought to myself before dialing her number."Hello," she said from the other end."Hello, how are you?" I remarked to her:"I am OK; I just miss you, and Charlotte has already left for the market, Ser
CHAPTER 15Serene "Ms. Brights, come down," he said, beckoning the waiter to come.I did not come to have long chats; I just wanted to return his presents and make it plain that I am very uncomfortable with how he is acting. I cleared my throat and could not dispute that the meal delivered by the server smelled excellent, but I could not bring myself to touch it."Is everything okay?" he questioned, twisting his pasta and looking at me."Yes, everything is good, Mr. Cruz. I just wanted to tell you something.""Oh, I see; I would rather that you call me Max," he insisted."Okay, Max, I would like to explain things," I said sincerely."You sound serious, Ms. Brights; what is bothering you?"“Mr. Cruz I would like to tell you that I am quite uncomfortable with the way you have been acting around me lately," I said, taking a deep breath."What?""I am not interested in getting things from you," I said, staring into his eyes."Come down, Ms. Brights; I think you are taking things incorrec
CHAPTER 16Diego 'I am not sure if I am overreacting or Nelly is not simply keeping up with making the room look presentable. Everything is simply laying about, and it is so untidy that I sometimes have to look for spoiled food in the room. Things like these make me wish she had some of Serene's attributes, like how she always made sure the room was beautifully organized and everything was in its place. I told myself this while I sat in my library."Diego!" Nelly called while I was in the library.I found her comfortably situated on the couch, I raced to find out what she needed. "Look, I wish it was just the two of us," she said, pointing to the television, which showed a family joyfully smiling in the Himalayas. "What do you mean, we should start a family?""No, not at all—I mean, not right now; I simply wanted us to travel there for our honeymoon," she answered."Uhm OK, I thought you wanted us to start a family," I responded."Diego, please do not start; you know what my reacti
CHAPTER 17Diego It is 2 a.m., and Nelly has not yet come home. I realize that she enjoys freedom, but she didn't have to leave until this late. Every day, New York becomes more dangerous, and it is no longer safe to go outside. Being with Nelly appears to be a source of stress, but what can I do? I do not want to lose her for the second time; I am confident she will change with time. I walked downstairs and watched my favorite series, hoping to hear a knock on the door, but there was none. I attempted to make some breakfast despite my dislike for cooking, but for Nelly, I began to compromise somewhat.I strolled into the bedroom and put some items back in the closet as I remembered how Serene did it. I straightened the vase of flowers at the window and packed Nelly's shoes where Serene normally placed hers. Time was passing, and Nelly had not yet returned home; perhaps I should go check where she is, I reasoned, and grabbed my vehicle keys. Just as I approached the main door, I coul
CHAPTER 172Serene "Do not forget to miss me OK," I said to Miguel after giving him a tender kiss."I won't, Mommy; I love you, Daddy," he told Diego as the driver began driving them to the airport.Diego and I went inside and took seats in the living room. I wondered when he was going to depart for the meeting since I had a plan to find out what he was keeping from me, but my main concern was destroying whatever surprise he might be preparing. "Honey, shall we send Mia to spend time with her family?" I asked him since Miguel had gone to the Bahamas with Charlotte and Andrew."Yes, I am here to take care of you. Therefore, I believe it is a fantastic idea," he agreed.I already had enough maids, and Mia was exhausted from all the hassle Miguel had caused her. So I got up and went upstairs to see if she was there, only to see her departing Miguel's room."Hey, I need to talk to you," I started, and I could see she knew exactly what I wanted to say."Madam, please, I want to stay and t
CHAPTER 171Serene When George called to inform me about Sofia, I was still eating dinner together with Miguel and Charlotte. Sofia appeared to have forgotten that I was the reason she eventually gained some attention and a few gigs that aided her financially, so I simply had to go get her. Not to mention the money I paid her when she lied to me about being pregnant with Diego. Instead of attempting to outbid me for Diego, she should just be appreciative and back off. When I arrived at the casino, the bartender informed me that Sofia and Diego were in some room. I was first full of hostility, but as we approached the door, I heard Diego pleading with her to stop, but she persisted, so I entered.Diego was overcome with terror, but it did not matter since I had to deliver Sofia a nuclear slap, and I succeeded. The fact that she wanted to smack me back was unbelievable to me. I mean, who does that? She would require critical treatment if one of my guards touched her, judging by the way
CHAPTER 170Diego I continued, "Babe, this is not what you think I can explain," but Serene only sent me a fierce glance before turning to face Sofia."It appears that you enjoy stirring up problems, don't you?" I was somewhat relieved that someone finally received what she deserved when she said that, and before she could reply, two smacks fell on her face.“How dare you?" I stopped Sofia's attempt to smack Serene by holding her hand.“Don't even think about it," I warned.I hoped she had remained silent, but she added, "Let go of me, just watch what will happen when Max finds out about this.""What did you just say?" Serene asked, walking closer to Sofia."Max is coming for the two of you, so your fiancé will regret having you smack me," Sofia remarked.Damn, couldn't she just keep quiet? I don't even know how I'm going to explain things to Serene."Sweetie Max is busy having the best experience in jail. I would not mind taking you there once you pass by the mental institution, okay
CHAPTER 169Diego The worst aspect could be Serene learning the truth about what happened to her twin sister, but time is running out and she is very near to learning that I got Max, Nelly, and Sandra out of jail. After saying hello to Charlotte, I left and headed to a casino to see George, who could have some ideas. "I get you, but the babies will suffer if you tell her the truth. What happens if she does not respond coolly?" he asked."That is exactly what I am thinking; I am afraid I could lose her again. Perhaps I should quickly get married," I proposed." Yes, but you are aware of the pain of being kept in the dark. Serene is severe and dangerous. Believe me, she will not spare you if you do anything weird with her sentiments," George cautioned."When will you get serious and quiet sounding so negative?" I murmured to George, who appeared to be scaring me already."Maybe you could find a permanent method to keep Max quiet or talk to Grace so she may have something more valuable
CHAPTER 168Serene It's almost noon and Miguel's body reacted positively to the medicine. He asked me to make him some pasta which made me rush my way to the kitchen. I could tell that the maids wanted me to sit but I always prefer making my fiancé and son the dishes. I was still cooking when a message came onto my phone; I at first ignored it, thinking it was just emails from my clients, but later got a shock. I walked into Miguel's room with a tray of food and placed it on the table before taking a seat to feed him. “Mommy, where's Daddy?" Miguel asked."He is at the office. Do you want me to give him a call?" I said promptly, grinning.“No, I just wanted to tell him to go to work. I'll be OK. I thought you said I'm strong right?" he asked."Of course, baby, you are my Roman Reigns," I informed him, smiling confidently.After eating, Miguel went to the toilet, and I quickly got my phone to see what was in my emails when I could not believe what the folks in that video were saying.
CHAPTER 167Serene Diego turned around the moment I knocked the vase over. Something significant was going on, and I could see the terror in his eyes. He remarked, "Baby, you are done already?" without even realizing how long I had been standing there.“Yes, I was here but —" “Did you hear what I said?" He cut me off.“Yes I…I listened to what you had to say, and I would like to hear it again with an explanation, Mr. Myers," I said."Well, George had a huge crush on Charlotte and was upset that Andrew had taken her away. He has been planning to confront Andrew, but I think that is a bad idea because that could get him in trouble with Charlotte, who will not let him off the hook easily," he said, and I could not believe what I had previously believed had been verified. I knew George had something for Charlotte."Maybe you are right, Charlotte will not spare him if he does something that will annoy Andrew. I will attempt to talk to him," I proposed."No, I'll do it instead. I mean, I
CHAPTER 166Serene I was busy setting the table when one of the maids brought the flowers into the kitchen. I didn't know what to say as Diego was the only person capable of that. I loved the surprise so I waited for Diego to come so I thanked him but he was more surprised than me. “Wait.. you are not the one that sent me this?" I asked, reacting to his shocked expression.“I didn't, but it could be one of your fans,” he said, but fear got the best of me as it was usual for them to send something without notifying me.“Maybe," I said, asking the maids to pack the roses away.I was still wondering about who the sender may be when Diego walked upstairs to change as I was putting his lunch on the tray behind him. When I entered the bedroom, I noticed Diego standing near the table, appearing uncomfortable. "Honey, is everyone OK?" I said, glancing up as I laid the tray."Yes, I am all right, just a bit fatigued," he said, attempting to deceive, but I saw through him."Really? Because my
CHAPTER 165Diego “It's good you made a great choice son," Max said, smiling at me.“You don't deserve to call me that just go," I responded.“Take it easy you know I—" "George, we need to leave,” I said to Max after putting on my spectacles. We walked away as Max watched us in disbelief.I have given him shares in the Boston-based firm, but if he attempts to approach Serene or Miguel in any way, I will take everything away from him. Him discovering that Serene's pregnant and attempting to use that information to undermine me by revealing the truth is my worst worry. I wish I could tell Serene right now, but right now it is just not feasible. I am not sure how she will react to the news or if she'll still give me the same look. Nothing hits worse than your buried past emerging.How am I going to bear this?I was still deep in contemplation when George inquired. “Are we going to see Andrew?" “Yes, I think we're a little late but he's going to like the offer," I reacted."It is not l
CHAPTER 164Nelly Serene anxiousness made Max and Sandra compliment me so much. Had Diego not been so near, I would have dropped over to say hello. Max got a call from Diego while we were still applauding. “What happened?" Sandra and I asked as we both stood up noticing the change in his expression.“It's Diego, he is so mad that we gave his fiancee a panic," Max responded."To hell with that fiancée thing; we are simply doing what we need to,” Sandra said, and I nodded in agreement."He stated that he would not give me the contract if I do it again," Max remarked, with anxiety in his voice.I told him to relax and enjoy the moment as we would undoubtedly touch the wrong buttons if Diego dared. Afterward, we all sat down and kept on drinking until I got a call from an unidentified number. I pretended not to see the call until I saw a text that arrived later because I was not sure if I should answer it or just ignore it as it may be David attempting to contact me. "It's Sofia White p