Chris patiently waited throughout the next day after Cara's sudden disappearance before he had begun to dial her parents' numbers. Of course, no one picked up either! It was Sunday evening with Jessica with him. He had called her over knowing he could run mad without someone by his side with Cara missing.Jessica noticed him pacing around as he dialed his phone over and over again. She couldn't take it anymore. "My love?" She called out in a sweet tone. "Can you come over here for a while?"Chris cut the call and dawdled over to her. She nudged him to take a seat, which he did. "I know you're worried about her. She's my best friend after all. But she's not a kid and I'm sure she'll be fine. You called me over for a reason, and now you make me feel all lonely.""Lonely? Oh no, never. I'm sorry, love. I'm just really worried for her, that's all. Her parents won't pick up!" Chris lamented. He was suddenly looking all haggard and unkempt the more Jessica stared at him. Didn't he say
Cara was enjoying that moment but she quickly reminded herself her true purpose for coming. "Listen, Chris. Just cut the crap. I'll be on my way once Jolina is back with my stuff. Bear with me till Tuesday, and you'll never have to see my face again." She said to him with a stern face."You think this is funny, right? That you can bring a complete stranger into our matrimonial home! Because to me, we're not divorced yet."Romeo had been warned by Cara not to say anything all through but that didn't mean he couldn't chuckle from time to time.Chris walked forward to him, "and what has been funny to you?""Well, you talk all about me being in your matrimonial home and yet, this woman just walked out here from your matrimonial room, or am I wrong?" Romeo said in a playing tone. "How dare you!" Chris spat out but Cara quickly stepped between them."Alright, knock it off, Chris! We're done here." Cara said. "I'm being decent here by letting you two enjoy your happy life together. Don't m
Chris’ eyes widened. “What? What nonsense are you spilling from your mouth?”Jessica snorted a laugh. “You might be an Armani but Mr Michael Knowles is Chris’ dad and who do you think he will listen to? A stranger or his own son?”“We'll have to find out, won't we?” Romeo's brow arched. His lips curved into a taunting smirk as he led Cara away from Chris and Jessica. “Let's leave them alone, Carina.”Cara nodded and followed him into the car like a child being led by her father.Jessica's hand formed into a tight grip, her nails digging into her palm as anger swallowed her entire body. “My love,” she tried to keep her voice calm even though she had lost her grip on coolness on the inside. “Your dad will definitely do as you say, right?” Her thin brow twitched skyward.Chris paced about with uncertainty causing his heart to race. “He will! I mean he has to, I am his son after all.”Jessica gripped his hands suddenly and stared into his eyes. “My love, you have to make sure he listens t
The Knowles building was large and extravagantly detailed. Cara felt a choking sensation in her throat as they– she and Romeo– walked into the company.Her hands fiddled together nervously as they walked side by side, her throat tightened and a bead of sweat trickled down her face. Romeo, on the other hand, was all smiles as he walked. Not even an iota of worry was apparent on his face.The handsome young man strolled confidently with his hands in the depth of his pocket and his shoulders and head held up high just like he was the CEO of the company.If he were the CEO, then she was the low and unnoticed staff that was about to get fired for looking at him in the wrong way.But she swallowed her fear and managed to keep her head up.The secretary rose to her feet and gave a deep bow to Romeo as she saw him. “Mr Armani, welcome.” Her brown hair almost touched the floor at the depth of her bow.“Michael Knowles, is he in?” He plainly asked.The secretary seemed to be shuddering or maybe
Mr Knowles swallowed hard. How could such an absurd favor be asked of him? And he wasn't even asking like a favor, he was stating it like he was telling him what he must do!“I am not asking for a favor here.” Romeo stated, as if he had read the man's thoughts.Mr Knowles remembered that his son had called him and told him not to even think about investing in Cara's father's business. His son didn't explain anything to him about their divorce and Romeo. ‘What a fool!’ He cussed. ‘He could have at least mentioned the fact that she had an Armani on her side!’He cleared his throat. “I– I uh understand that Mr Armani–”“I don't think you do.” Romeo cut him off. His voice was stern and firm. He had been sitting in a relaxed position before with one leg on top of the other and his back pressed against the comfortable sofa but he sat up straight and uncrossed his long legs.Mr Knowles seemed to shift back in seat, like there was an infinity around Romeo that kept them from being even a litt
Jessica chewed subconsciously on her nails as she paced back and forth. She paused and stared at Chris who was sitting without uttering any word. He was usually the one pacing about.She walked up to him and sat down next to him. “Why do you think your dad hadn't called to say anything?”He shook his head slowly. “I don't know.” He responded dryly.Jessica grunted. “Ugh, the anxiety is killing me! Why can't we just call him?” She asked with widened eyes. “Huh? What if something has happened already?”“He said he would give me feedback later, remember? So let's just wait.” His tone was just as dry as before.“Wait? Wait! What if something has already happened but he forgot to call you because of work or he can't even call you because he is ashamed he let you down? My love, we have to know! We will never really know if the cat in the box is dead or alive if we don't open it.”“Jessica.” He suddenly turned to look at her. “Do you think Cara is really dating that man, what was his name? S
As much as she insisted that it was okay if she took a bus alone to her parents house, Romeo refused and told her he would drive her himself.“There seems to be more important things than our trip now.” He remarked.She smiled briefly. Her head was lost in a series of thoughts. Why was her father suddenly retiring? She knew the company was not doing well but with enough hard work, they could stop it from going bankrupt.Was he feeling like he was too old for business hassle? All of a sudden? Did her step mother consent to the decision? Why would they think such a decision was a wise one to make?She had so many questions written down in her head to ask them once they arrived there which wouldn't be long anymore.Arriving at their family house, she decided to invite Romeo inside. Since he was intelligent business wise, maybe he could chirp in a few words to back her up.Miranda, her step mother, served both of them tea. “You hardly come home these days. We miss you.” She had a warm smi
Cara was filled with a sense of responsibility all of a sudden. Her father had trusted her enough to hand over his company to her and she would make sure not to let him down!She stopped and turned around to say goodbye to her family once more. Her step mother, Miranda took her hands in hers. “Are you sure you don't want to stay? You can live with us forever if you'd like!” Cara smiled. “It's okay. Romeo said he has it all sorted out and besides, Joshua is enough trouble for you. More than enough even.” She turned to glare at her brother. Joshua stood with his shoulder held up high and his chest buffed. “Hey, I can assure you, I am no trouble at all. I make a decent amount enough to take care of both of them and I have never made them feel uncomfortable before.”“I still don't get why you haven't gotten a place of your own when you are pretty capable of doing so.” Cara's head tilted to the side as she asked him. Her hands crossed below her bosoms. “Extra rent, feeding expenses, no
"Oh dear!" Jessica suddenly screamed, placing a hand on her forehead and acting like she was in distress and was about to pass out. A princess in distress. "How long will I have to put up with this?" She cried out. All eyes were now fixed on the catastrophic show that she was putting on. Murmurs followed without a second's pause. "What is going on?" "Is there a fight between the former couple?" "Is something going on between Mr Knowles' son and his ex wife?" Jessica pretended like she was heartbroken even though she was a woman without a heart. "How long will I live in the shadows of Cara Smith?!" She demanded firmly, letting her voice overshadow the murmurs of the onlooking crowd. She walked towards her husband and stood in front of him. No one expected the next cause of action, not even Chris, until a loud and resounding slap landed on his face.Gasps erupted in the hall, from Cara as well. Meanwhile Romeo just stared in awe. Chris growled angrily. "What the f*ck did you just
Cara stared at Sarah's reaction and realized that something was wrong. She knew the woman quite well, after all that was her mother in-law for years. Obviously, Jessica had something against her and was making her dance to her will. It even became more glaring when Sarah unwillingly wrapped her arms around Jessica and gave her soft pats on her back. People applauded the obvious fake act of love just because. No one was interested in the family problem they were having although they did not mind gossiping about them. "What do you think is going on between those two?" Romeo asked as he leaned in closer to Cara, keeping his voice to a whisper loud enough for only her to hear. She was surprised that he had even noticed it but then again, Romeo had proved to be a man of keen sight. She turned to move closer to him and responded. "I did not think you would notice. It is obvious that Jessica has something against her mother-in -law, that is if the Jessica I know is still in there, then
All eyes were fixed on Cara and Romeo yet the two walked without a care of the world. Cara would not lie that a part of her was feeling nervous but she managed to keep it from showing. Thanks to the man she had right next to her, anything seemed possible and nothing seemed impossible. She walked with her hand wrapped around his, keeping each other close no matter what. Romeo on the other hand was not worried a single bit, it was not the first time for him attending such a gathering and it was definitely not the first he would have all eyes focused on him. He had gotten used to having so much attention on him and being in the spotlight from a very young age thanks to the family he hailed from. It was his strength and weakness. Mr Knowles rushed from the stage and hurried towards Romeo. "Mr Armani! I didn't know you would be the one attending the event." Romeo gave him a gentle smile. "It is a pleasure to see you too Mr Knowles. Is my presence not gracing enough?" He let his b
Guests had already begun to arrive and Jessica personally went to greet them in her inciting dress. People stared, men with interest and women with disapproval, but Jessica cared less about those judgy eyes that were fixed on her. She did what she did in her sane mind so she owned the dress like a queen, telling herself how much she slayed. Chris on the other hand found himself staring at her curves, once again, he was being lured towards her. Whenever they stood together to greet a guest, he could touch her body sensually, caressing her and feeling her curves. Jessica didn't fight it, she allowed it willingly. When the party was all over, she knew he would come to her and only then would she shut him out. “Thank you for coming,” Michael smiled widely as he greeted the vvip of the events. He was nervously on the lookout for the Armani representatives, usually Tori Armani and her husband, Marcus. But he managed to keep his anxiety from showing on his face as he said hello to his f
Jessica stared contentedly at the image in the mirror before her. Looking back at her was a sexy woman dressed in a red rather sexually provoking red armless dress that revealed more than enough skin. Her bare leg up to her thigh was out in the open and so were most of her breast and cleavage. The back and front– save for the bust area– of the dress was plain see through net with floral patterns and the length flowed all the way to the ground. It had beautifully wavy designs and would have been perfect for a night with her husband alone rather than a night with her husband and several prestigious guests as well. Her black six inch heels shone perfectly, a color to match her purse and silver accessories designed her neck and ear. Her mother in law walked in, dressed decently in a mid length white gown that was neither too free nor too tight. Her hair was packed into a perfect ponytail and she had decided on pearls for jewelry. She stared surprisedly at her daughter in law, her jaw
Romeo coughed, choking on his meal. He reached for his glass and took a generous sip from it and returned the glass to the table. “I'm sorry, you caught me off guard.” Clearing his throat, he continued, “I'm… confused. Are you asking me to marry you or are you curious to know if I want to marry you?” “I…” she chuckled softly. “Sorry, I don't– I don't even know where that came from. It's just… I have been thinking– a lot actually about our… future together. I mean, I don't–” she paused, smacking her lips together then scratching her head confusedly. “I mean I don't know what will happen to us and I think I am scared of getting married.” She finally confessed. Romeo squinted, staring into her confused eyes. He reached out and touched the hand of the woman sitting opposite him and smiled. “So this is what that was about…” he softly said.She looked confusedly into his emerald eyes. “What what is about?” Her thin and perfectly shaped brow twitched. He drew his hand back and rose to his
Romeo got to Cara's house that evening and she gladly offered him some green tea to replenish his strength lost at work. She herself had just returned not quite long. She sat down next to her lover and stared confusedly at him. “You look troubled, is everything alright?” He took a sip from his tea and placed it on the table. “I look like this thanks to fatigue. But, something noteworthy did happen today. Apparently, Jessica came by to my workplace to drop an invitation for me.”Cara's brow furrowed. “An invitation? What did she say to you?” “She didn't wait to see me. She was ‘busy’. But she handed the invitation to my driver and not even my secretary. They are having an anniversary and it is completely normal to reach out to an Armani on things like this but definitely not me. I might hold a prestigious position but my parents are considered to be higher than me and they would have gotten the invite. Or at least they should have. “I don't know if I am being over calculative about
They all stared confusedly at Michael, waiting for him to explain himself. The man grinned from ear to ear and nodded affirmatively at his daughter in-law. “This is exactly the kind of character we need in the Knowles company, you know how hard we are trying to thrive, with such a determined mind, we can do anything!”He turned to look at his wife. “Sarah, listen to me.”Sarah stared impatiently at her husband, gritting her teeth in annoyance but trying her very best to hold herself back before she scratched out his eyeballs. Michael continued. “You told me personally that you need a break, you said you have not been able to pay close attention to your fashion house, would you rather give her control over what you hold so dearly to your heart or just a simple position in my company?” His brow arched. He walked towards Jessica and touched her shoulder slightly. “This young soul burning with rage is what we need. Of course… I am not happy that my son's marriage is not working out well
Cara slid on her blouse, a shade of green, fitting tightly around her bust and small waist. She pulled her pants up her slim legs and buttoned it properly around her waist. “Don't forget your jacket babe.” Romeo remained her as he dressed himself up properly. She smiled and nodded her head. Throwing her jacket around her shoulders and sliding her arms through the arm holes, she was done dressing and ready to leave. Romeo stopped by the door, his hand resting on the door knob. He sucked in air through his lips and turned back to face Cara. “Are you sure ice cream is really what you want to have for breakfast? You have thought deeply about it? I mean I don't mind, I can whip up something fast and delicious for you if you would like.”“Ice cream will do just fine.” Cara responded with a soft smile. “It's not like I wouldn't enjoy a meal with you, I'm afraid of what might happen.”His emerald eyes sparkled as he squinted. “Happen?” “Men look extra hot in an apron and I might not be a