I am sorry for the delayed update. I hope you guys enjoy the story. Thanks for your patience.
It was Friday and the Marianos were having their monthly dinner at Leonardo's house. Leonardo had invited the Nicolettis and they were having dinner with them. Conversation about business flowed throughout the dinner and Chiara only spoke when questions were thrown to her. Her mind was far away. She was thinking about Xavier and she wished she was having dinner with him instead. She tried her best to avoid Adrian. She sat down next to Marcos and Adrian was sitted opposite him. "I have arranged a date for us this Sunday, I am sure you will like it." Adrian suddenly said with a smile. They had just finished dinner and they were in the living room. He moved towards her and sat down on the couch beside her. He had been trying to get her to go on another date with him but she kept refusing him. She kept coming up with different excuses, well actually the same excuse of work, to avoid spending time with him. She considered him as an unnecessary complication in her o
Chiara went to her room to change from her swimwear into something more warm and comfortable. She wore a beige baggy top and grey sweatpants. She heard her phone beep and she picked it up from the nightstand where she had left it earlier. She checked her phone, it was a text from Adrian reminding her of their date. He had sent her an address of an art gallery earlier in the morning, telling her to meet him there at 5pm. Apparently, one of his friends was having an art exhibition and he thought it would be the perfect idea for a date. If she was not already teaching him a lesson, she would still ignore it. She had never really understood art and she found it exhausting. So, looking at different paintings surrounded by snotty, stuck-up people who gave ridiculous significance to each meaningless painting while trying to sound intelligent was something she did not find appealing. She saw the missed calls from him and she smirked. Placing the phone in her pocket, she went dow
Chiara prepared a date for her and Adrian. She knew she could not keep avoiding the date. And since, she did not trust him to pick something she would like, she took charge of planning the date. She reserved an aquarium for two hours, so they could tour around and enjoy the sights of sea creatures. Watching fish and other aquatic animals was calming for her. The first time she went to an aquarium was back in highschool. They had just learnt a few things about sea creatures in biology and she was curious about them. Marcos decided to help her fulfill her curiosity and they snuck into an aquarium. She remembered the night, it was the first night she sneaked out of the house. Marcos had helped her escape detection by any of the guards and they had both snuck into the aquarium. They got caught and were held by the police till her dad arrived to bail them out two hours later. She smirked as she remembered her dad reprimanding them. Not even the punishment he
"Where were you?" Xavier's voice came from behind her. She stopped her movement and turned to look at him. "I was on a date." He appeared surprised at first, then the shock on his face morphed into curiosity. "I do not understand. Why did you go another date with him?" "Apparently, it is my duty as his fiancee." She said in a nonchalant way. "What?" He looked at her with shock. "Are you really going to marry him?" He asked with an angry expression on his face. "The jury is still out on that. Time will tell." He gasped then he ran his fingers through his hair. "Do you want to marry him?" She observed him, he seemed hurt, like he was in some sort of pain. "No." Xavier sighed in relief and smiled. He covered the space between them with quick strides. When he was standing right in front of her, he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her to him. She
After dealing with the little issue with Rico, Marcos went to see Chiara in her office. The receptionist greeted him when he stepped out of the elevator and he asked her if Chiara was available. She told him that Chiara was in her office alone and he headed towards her office. He was on his way there when he saw Max. "Good morning." Max greeted him. "Good morning, how are you?" "I am good. The boss is in her office." "Yeah, thanks." He nodded at him and continued walking towards the office. He knocked on the door when he got there and he waited till she called him in. "Come in." Marcos entered the room and walked towards the lounge. He sank into a couch and released a deep breath. "I am so fucking tired." He said. "How did it go?" She asked about the issue with Rico. Rico was one of their distributors and he was owing them money. He had claimed th
Xavier was working out in the gym that afternoon. He was boxing the punching bag, trying to work out his anger and frustration. He turned around when he heard footsteps behind him. And he saw Marcos standing in the doorway, staring at him. "Chiara is not at home." He grunted out and returned his focus to the punching bag. "I am aware of that. Need a partner?" Xavier stopped. He stabled the bag and turned to look at Marcos. He was pissed and throwing punches at a bag was not helping. Maybe fighting a person would be better. Besides, what better way to direct your anger than at the cause? After all, he figured that Marcos' relationship with Chiara was the thing standing in his way. Looking at Marcos' smug face, he agreed. "Sure." Marcos unbottoned his shirt as he stepped into the room. He removed his shoes and wristwatch and placed them by a bench. He got boxing gloves from the closet and hid his gun there. When he was ready,
After his soak in the bathtub, Xavier felt refreshed. The aches in his body were reduced. He found some painkillers in a first aid kit and he took them to relieve the soreness of his muscles. With renewed determination, he decided to prepare a lovely dinner for Chiara. What Marcos told him helped him see Chiara from a different perspective. He was beginning to understand her better. He believed everything Marcos had said excluding the part where he said Chiara could never love him. She was obviously attracted to him and her nice deeds toward him showed him that she cared for him. He was certain that he could make her feel something for him. As he made the dinner, the soreness intensified to a dull ache, but he ignored the pain and continued cooking. The meal consisted of antipasto, tortellini with tomato cream sauce, chicken wings, salad and cream pie. He wanted to do something special for her, something to show her that he cared
Xavier stared at Chiara as she slept. She looked so peaceful and harmless as she slept, he never would have guessed she was a psychopath. The corners of her lips were curved in a smile and she looked angelic. The cold expression that was usually on her face was replaced with a happy expression. The sheets were wrapped around her beautiful body, but the top of her breasts was exposed. A desire to make love to her again filled him as he watched the rising and falling movements of her chest. He felt his penis hardening again and he tried to think of something else. His eyes fell on the gun resting on the nightstand beside Chiara. He stretched his body over her, trying his best not to wake her up and he quietly grabbed the gun. He returned to his former position, with the gun in his hand. He sat up straight, his back leaning against the headboard of the bed. Different thoughts ran through his mind as he stroke the gun. An idea to escape came to his mind. For h
Chiara woke up with a smile on her face. Groggily, she turned in her bed to see Xavier staring at her. As usual, he was awake before her. He was staring at her in an adoring way. "Good morning." Xavier greeted her with a smile. He was lying down on his right side, the sheets around his hips, covering his lower body. His elbow was leaning on the bed, supporting his torso which was slightly raised up and his chin was resting on his palm. "Good morning. Here I was thinking you were going to spend the next hour looking at me." Chiara said, teasing him about the day he watched her for hours as she slept. "I can not help it, you are just so beautiful." "And you are charming." Glancing at his naked torso, she smirked. There were a few bite marks on his neck, where she had lightly nibbled the night before. His hair was tousled from her tugging it and running her hands in it. To her, he was the epitome of perfect
There were flashes from many cameras directed at their limousine immediately they stopped. Chiara groaned silently. The sight of the reporters by the entrance irritated her. It was the annual gala ball hosted by Leonardo. The gala was to celebrate Mariano Corp. and it also served as a means of raising funds for his foundation. The foundation was established by Leonardo, about twenty four years back, right after Chiara was born. The foundation catered for abused women and children, Leonardo was very passionate about this cause. The gala was taking place at the Mariano mansion, in the ballroom on the ground floor. Marcos accompanied Chiara to the gala, just as he always did. It was a tradition that had been going on for the last eight years, since the first time she attended the gala. Even when Marcos was romantically involved with another person, they still went together. A valet appeared by the door of the limousine and opened it for her. H
When Chiara returned home that night. Xavier met her in the foyer. "Welcome home." He greeted her with a warm smile. His eyes gleamed and he looked excited to see her. She dropped her bag on the floor and moved closer to him. Leaning into him, her hands snaked around his neck. She looked at him, his beautiful hazel eyes looked golden. Her hands trailed up into his short hair and she pulled his head down towards hers. Stretching up on her tiptoes, she kissed him. She kissed him with so much passion and he kissed her back. His arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer to him. Her body was pressed against his own and she felt his heart pounding in his chest, just like hers. Her body heated up as his hands moved around on her back. It was like she had been thirsty for days and he was the last drop of water available. She reveled in his touch, she had missed it. Gasping, she broke the kiss so they could both breathe. Her hands
Adrian released a sigh as the door closed behind Scott. He was relieved to be done with the whole rings fiasco and to finally be alone with Chiara. He refilled his glass of vodka. It was too early to be drinking and he still had a lot of work to do. But with the way the meeting started, he deserved a drink. He could feel her gaze on him as he gulped down the whole drink at once. He dropped the empty tumbler on the table and turned to face her. "I wanted to pay for the rings." Chiara said. "Yeah, I know." And he was glad that he was able to pay for them before she did. "Then, why did you pay for them?" "Because, at this point, it seems like the only thing you have to wear that is from me. It may be the only gift you accept from me, at least, until we are married." Chiara scoffed and he smirked at her. He knew she did not believe him, but he was being sincere. "Besides, I am pretty sure it is one of my duti
The door opened and someone walked in. The door closed and the air in the room changed. Instantly, she knew it was Adrian. "You are late. Again." "I am sorry, there was traffic on my way back." Adrian replied. "Despite how much I hate apologies, I accept yours. After all, you did leave some entertainment for me." She chuckled as she remembered the image she saw when she first walked into the office. "It was quite a warm welcome. I am certain people of your gender will even refer to it as hot." She turned around to see Camille staring at her with shock. Adrian seemed annoyed, a muscle in his jaw was ticking. He glared at Camille like he was imagining killing her. "I am sure it was a mistake, whatever she did." "Oh! It was quite lovely actually." She walked over to him and stood just a feet away from him. "I am sure you would have loved it. In any case, the welcome was originally for you." Adrian clo
Looking around the room, Chiara admired the interior design of the building. She was on the thirty-sixth floor in the headquarters of Nicolettis Company.. The Nicolettis Company was into construction, real estate and property development. The floor housed the real estate company, which was a subsidiary of the main company. There were cubicles and a few offices on the floor and everyone seemed occupied with work. The place screamed out business and order. Everyone was busy with a task or more and they all seemed really organized. It was her first time at the building, so she moved around the office floor, observing the work process. After the satisfaction of observing people working, she decided to focus on her main reason for visiting the company. She went to the elevator and clicked on the button. When the elevator opened, she walked in and pressed the button for the fiftieth floor. There were five other people in the elevator, but she did not bother greeting any of the
Later that night when Chiara returned from work, she went up to Xavier's bedroom. She knocked on the door twice and waited for him to open the door. She was not the patient kind but she wanted to respect his privacy, given his earlier complain about it. "Good evening." He opened the door and stood in the doorway. He looked dishelved, his hair was tousled, his clothes rough and his eyes were dull. She had checked up on him using the surveillance cameras and she noticed that he did not leave his bedroom throughout the day. After he hurriedly left her bedroom in the morning, he had stayed cooped up in his bedroom. "Good evening. I brought dinner since you did not make anything." "I do not feel like eating." "Too bad. You have not left your room all day, which means you have not eaten as well. You can either follow me willingly to the kitchen or I can make you." He seemed surprise that she was aware of that, but h
Xavier stared at Chiara as she slept. She looked so peaceful and harmless as she slept, he never would have guessed she was a psychopath. The corners of her lips were curved in a smile and she looked angelic. The cold expression that was usually on her face was replaced with a happy expression. The sheets were wrapped around her beautiful body, but the top of her breasts was exposed. A desire to make love to her again filled him as he watched the rising and falling movements of her chest. He felt his penis hardening again and he tried to think of something else. His eyes fell on the gun resting on the nightstand beside Chiara. He stretched his body over her, trying his best not to wake her up and he quietly grabbed the gun. He returned to his former position, with the gun in his hand. He sat up straight, his back leaning against the headboard of the bed. Different thoughts ran through his mind as he stroke the gun. An idea to escape came to his mind. For h
After his soak in the bathtub, Xavier felt refreshed. The aches in his body were reduced. He found some painkillers in a first aid kit and he took them to relieve the soreness of his muscles. With renewed determination, he decided to prepare a lovely dinner for Chiara. What Marcos told him helped him see Chiara from a different perspective. He was beginning to understand her better. He believed everything Marcos had said excluding the part where he said Chiara could never love him. She was obviously attracted to him and her nice deeds toward him showed him that she cared for him. He was certain that he could make her feel something for him. As he made the dinner, the soreness intensified to a dull ache, but he ignored the pain and continued cooking. The meal consisted of antipasto, tortellini with tomato cream sauce, chicken wings, salad and cream pie. He wanted to do something special for her, something to show her that he cared