Molly lay unconscious on the bed, her purse torn and a damp trail staining the white fabric. The scene was shocking, something the man had never witnessed before. He watched the trail left by the girl, a mixture of disgust and helplessness overcoming him.His thoughts swirled in a whirlwind. What to do? Lack of experience left him stunned, unable to make a rational decision.Molly breathed slowly, her pale lips slightly parted. Despite her unconsciousness, the fragility in which she found herself was evident. The situation was critical."What are you waiting for?" shouted one of the men as he entered abruptly, encountering Braston in serene composure."Waiting for the child to be born, of course! Water broken, baby on the way?" Braston retorted, perplexed. His henchmen, even more confused, stared at the man who apparently held the second position in command after Braston."It depends, sir!" replied Mustafa firmly, advisor and friend of Braston and his father."Depends?" Braston inquir
A cold-hearted mafioso subdued by a baby.Protected by a hospital gown, Braston followed the doctor to the nursery. Upon entering that warmly cozy environment, a shiver ran down his spine. It was unlike anything he had ever seen. The incessant crying of the infants echoed like torture in his ears. He wanted to flee, but forced himself to stay.The nurse guided him to an incubator, where a tiny, pale being struggled to breathe with the help of a machine. Braston averted his gaze from the other children, unable to bear the fragility of that miniature life."He's doing fine," the doctor said with a tender smile, noticing Braston's discomfort. "He'll need this machine for 24 hours, after that, you can hold him in your arms.""I prefer not to touch him," Braston replied coldly, surprising everyone. His aversion to that environment was evident."In that case, I'll let him talk to the baby. He's small, but he recognizes his father's voice," suggested the doctor, frowning in disbelief. Brasto
Traces of the PastThe men's echoing footsteps thundered as they rushed down the stairs, the child safely nestled in their padded bag."Are you having fun?" the man questioned upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, just before the exit, holding a bag with baby items. The three stopped abruptly. Immediately, the henchmen aimed their guns at Matheus."You know you can't kill me, right?" Matheus asked confidently, a smirk playing on his lips. Braston just caught his breath and descended the rest of the stairs, signaling for the men to lower their weapons. "But if you want some trouble..." Matheus commented, reaching for the knife at his waist."This isn't the time for conflict, especially with a child in the middle," Braston warned impartially, stopping in front of Matheus without flinching."Not yet," Matheus retorted, his voice laced with threat. "But know that you three will die by my hands." However, it wasn't the henchmen he was threatening with this conversation, and Braston knew
Braston stood up abruptly, anger taking hold of him. "Never!" he shouted, his voice echoing through the office.Jeff stared at him coldly. "Let her go and we'll get the ring," he suggested again, his voice firm and authoritative.But Braston wasn't intimidated, even in front of the underboss. "Are you crazy?" He questioned, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "I've waited for so long! Obviously, I'm not giving up!""It's her, only her that I want now," he continued, the obsession evident in his eyes. "Ever since I made the deal with her family, that girl is my property."Jeff stood up, anger consuming him. "Stop this madness!" Jeff shouted. "There are no more advantages in this marriage! Teodoro is dead, and his entire empire has been burned down!"He punched the table, making the objects tremble. "We couldn't even bring Matheus, and now we've lost the emblem of the most powerful family in the city!"Jeff took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "What position do you think we're in?"
Braston's Plan"Do you have the last thing I asked for?," he inquired of Mustafa, who nodded in confirmation. Braston made his way out of the room, through the empty corridor, arriving at an almost isolated room. "It's been a while, hasn't it?" he inquired as he entered the room and settled into an armchair, maintaining his usual distance."What do you want? I've already told you everything I know," she announced, displaying fear."Yes, I just wanted to tell you something," Braston announced as the woman eyed him suspiciously, then looked away, afraid to meet his gaze, feeling coerced as she sat in the corner of the bed. "You're not going to say anything? I think it's something of interest to you," he continued in silence, letting out a heavy sigh and maintaining patience. "Did you hear about your friend's death?""Tainá?" she asked, now surprised."No!""Then... Eloah?" Lisaura continued anxiously."Molly..." he pronounced bitterly. At that moment, she looked at him in surprise. "Ma
Chapter 18: In My Hands That's how it went as planned. Matheus was distracted, and Molly was left alone. In just 5 minutes, Mustafá and the infiltrator entered the house after taking down the two women on watch. There was no time to warn anyone. Molly barely had time to react. The tranquilizer dart hit her, causing her to fall instantly. Mustafá scooped the girl into his arms, and his accomplice took the baby, heading for the exit with the infiltrator following. "Oh, almost forgot!" Mustafá pretended to be surprised, facing the infiltrator who looked confused when he skillfully asked for her gun, pointing it at her. "Goodbye! Your services are no longer needed here," he shot without mercy, then resumed walking toward the exit. Molly was placed in the van, and they sped through the gate located at the division separating them from the other city, everything going as planned. "The boss truly is a master strategist," remarked the man holding the baby. "Obviously, no wonder he wants
Chapter 19: Who Does the Baby Want to Stay With?She had finally crossed the gates of the Amazon city. Fatigue and despair were visible on her face, but she needed to be strong. The other women watched her with curiosity and apprehension, but no one dared to question her sudden absence or the baby that was no longer in her arms.Upon reaching the building where they were staying, Molly hurriedly went up to the room. There, she found Matheus with his back turned, bent over a table full of weapons. The tension in the air was palpable."Matheus..." she murmured weakly.He quickly turned around, his eyes wide with surprise and concern. "Molly!" he exclaimed, rushing to embrace her tightly."He took Levy..." she sobbed, the words coming out amidst desperate tears."Damn him!" Matheus squeezed her even tighter, consumed by fury and helplessness. "He will pay for th
The baby isn't mine!"Since when does this man sleep?" He asked Mustafá, who watched the scene with an amused smile.Mustafá cleared his throat, containing his laughter. Braston shifted uncomfortably, waking from his light sleep."Good morning... Boss!" Mustafá said, startled."What's this?" Jeff asked."A baby, your grandson, to be precise, and keep your voice down, I don't want to wake him," murmured Braston, yawning."I didn't know you'd be a father. Whose kid is this?""It's not mine, it's Matheus's.""That scoundrel!" Jeff asserted. Braston warned him again to be quiet. "But why the hell does this child look just like you?""Do you think so?" Braston asked indifferently, looking at the child."Matheus's son? This kid doesn't resemble Matheus at all! Look at this, Mustafá!" Jeff called him over while Braston looked at them impartially, the child still in his chest."He's Math
**It was almost 10 PM when Braston called Lizi.**“How is Molly?” he asked without delay. “She’s pretending to be fine, but she’s missing you.” “And Brady?” he asked next. “Both of them. You’re no longer a stray dog without a master; don’t you dare stay away for too long. I told her you were negotiating with the Amazons, but I didn’t mention that it was because Matheus attacked the family.” “Damn it, Mama Lizi!” he barked into the phone. “She might connect the dots and think I went to kill Matheus, even though that wouldn’t be a lie.” “I don’t think she’s focused on Matheus, but on the fact that you’re with a mafia of women,” she replied with irony. “She’s jealous?” he asked, smiling discreetly. “Supposedly. She didn’t eat much today and stayed locked in her room. I’m not sure if you’ll find a wife when you return, so remember that you have a wife and child now.” “What the hell is she doing?” he growled, ending the call.Molly had fallen asleep easily, overcome by bore
**Chapter 33: After a Day Away**Molly watched him change clothes quickly. His attire was casual: a dress shirt, black slim-fit pants, and impeccably clean black dress shoes. "Are you going out?" she asked as he put on a wristwatch. "I’m not sure yet, but I have some problems to solve now," he replied quickly. Approaching her, he kissed her on the cheek and held Brady in his arms for a moment, inhaling the delicate scent of his hair in a gentle embrace. Then, he handed him back to Molly and left. When he arrived at the office, Mustafá was waiting, standing with an air of impartiality. "So?" "Matheus destroyed half of the hideout." When he said this, Braston's expression hardened. "He was willing to kill you. Your office was wrecked, he killed twenty men, planted three bombs, and supposedly placed a mole." "Could that mole be Lisaura?" Braston asked calmly, letting out a heavy sigh as he sat down. "No, she wouldn’t do that," Mustafá concluded without hesitation. "How ca
Molly, still recovering from the shock, felt embarrassed to face Braston after what she had done. But instead of the anger she expected, she heard his deliberate and joyful laugh."What are you laughing at?" she asked, embarrassed."I’ll never take you swimming again!" he said, laughing."How the hell is this man so handsome? Smiling like that?" she thought, staring at him, lost in his body and his cheerful smile as his dark hair fell like a cascade over his forehead, giving him a sensual look."What’s so funny? I almost died; you did that without warning!""You could’ve just asked me to stop instead of trying to kill yourself. I said we were just going to explore, but if you had really…," he compressed his lips, a bit frustrated, then showed tranquility as he approached her, shivering with cold. "What’s wrong?" he asked, seeing her hugging her knees, looking disheartened."I was wrong..." she whispered, embarrassed."What?" he asked again, even though he had heard her."I... I was wr
Chapter 32: "Your Touch Isn't So Bad.""I’m sorry, as I said, I was terrified, I didn’t mean to provoke you.""Ah..." he sighed, raising his eyebrows. "So, you know you're provoking me?"Molly held her breath as she felt her back pressed against the slippery rock, experiencing the sensation of his body pressed against hers. She hesitated, looking into his eyes, and Braston then gave her a carefree smile, his brown eyes lighting up. It was the kind of smile that didn’t need words. It said everything, as one of his hands touched her face, and his thumb gently caressed her flushed cheek."Can’t you feel anything for me, even knowing we were once friends in the past?" he asked, hopeful."I don’t know what I feel now," she replied timidly, lowering her head, feeling his curious gaze studying her face thoughtfully."Hmm..." he smiled, satisfied. "If you didn’t say you don’t love me and that you’ll never like me, it means something has changed, right?" he asked, still hopeful. She just raise
Everything changed when Braston took Molly to the stable to witness the birth of the little horse. She was captivated by the pale little horse that was born; she wanted that horse so much, and even though it had already been sold, Braston stole the horse and had hidden it until today."This is..." Molly murmured, remembering as she looked at the horse."Yes, I stole it for you.""You did that? I never forgot that horse. I spent days crying when I found out I could no longer see it.""But I told you I would give it to you, so you felt better.""Yes! It was our secret, but over time, I didn't see it anymore." Suddenly, she looked at Braston, analyzing him. She could barely remember him in her memories. "You were so young... I was nine years old... You're very different from back then.""Yeah, my father punished me and made me pay 20,000 for it. I worked an entire year being exploited by the old man because of the horse," he said, laughing."You were crazy, really different from other peo
**Chapter 31: The Present I Stole for You**After the midday rest, Lizi had meticulously arranged everything as she had planned with Braston. Molly, despite her reluctance, just changed into one of the light, airy outfits she had there—a comfortable overall—and carefully selected cool clothes for Brady. Meanwhile, Braston patiently waited in the living room, already dressed in a light, airy white linen shirt with rolled-up sleeves that revealed strong forearms. His khaki shorts, made of breathable cotton, were perfect for the warm weather. He was the embodiment of strength and elegance, perfectly suited for a relaxing walk in the countryside.As soon as Molly came down the stairs, Braston handed the baby to Lizi and took the basket from her hand. Molly kept her gaze away from Braston as they walked together. As soon as they passed the mansion’s grounds, Molly occasionally glanced at Lizi, who was following them, until Braston took her hand.“That’s not necessary, I can walk on my own,
"Whether it is or not, it’s none of your business," she muttered, curling up in the bathtub."You went to my private office, dressed like that, and now you're embarrassed to see me without clothes? You weren’t even wearing a bra. Do you know how disturbing it was to have you like that in my hands and not be able to do anything? And now you think I’m going to take advantage of you? If I wanted to, I would have done it a long time ago," he asserted, showing slight frustration as he let the water cascade over his face. She watched him again, from head to toe, as he stood with his back turned.“Okay, if he can... I can at least get up to grab the towel,” she thought, breathing heavily. She stood up, stepping out of the bathtub subtly, with a wave of indignation filling her chest at how he had ignored her.“You just had to grab the damn towel!” she snapped, irritated, causing him to turn around suddenly, admiring her from top to bottom.“Don’t look!” she quickly grumbled, grabbing the towe
**Chapter 30 - Repressed Desire**Braston woke up lying on his stomach, burying his face in the soft padding, wishing he could go back to sleep. But he quickly realized that getting up was impossible. Half of Molly's body rested on his back; he could feel her body pressing against his skin while her arms were also curled up over him, with one warm palm on his waist, transmitting a comforting heat. Beside him, Levy slept peacefully, his little head resting on Braston's shoulder. The child's legs, close to Braston's face, brought a smile to his lips as he realized the child was lying in the opposite direction.Molly was using him as a human pillow, or perhaps a giant teddy bear. One of her legs trapped Braston's, immobilizing him completely, and he wondered how that was even possible. He didn’t mind; in fact, he preferred that she didn’t wake up so soon. Molly’s steady breathing on his back made him reflective, his senses sharpening as he recalled her boldness in coming to his office in
**Chapter 29: By Your Side Seems Better**"Isn't Fabrizio coming for lunch?" Lizi asked as soon as Molly entered the kitchen with the baby."I don't know, he left the room, and I don't know where he could be.""Uh-huh... did you two fight again?""No, I was just honest with him, I only told him the truth.""I see. I hope you can give him a chance, miss," she commented apprehensively as she began setting the table with the prepared dishes."I can't give a chance to someone I don't love, Mama Lizi. I really don't see anything good in him.""But there is something good in him that only you bring out. It wouldn't be a crime to love him, especially since he feels the same way.""That man can't love anything, Lizi, isn't it obvious? He has something similar to Matheus. I'm sure all they see in a woman is sex. I won't be an object for any man. I saw how my brother was with women; he only treated them as objects.""Braston is obsessive about cleanliness, and he has issues with smells.""Why?