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"I'm moving in next week. Going straight home tomorrow after the show. Gotta take Kyle to his doctor's appointment."
Théo stopped kissing her neck and froze on the bed. His stare immediately swung back to her face while his hands gripped her hips. "What?"
At his reaction, she failed to suppress a sigh.
His reply sounded like a complaint more than anything else.
And here she thought a pleasant, appreciative smile and supportive words of encouragement would be his initial reaction...
"Just have to check on him every now and then," she reasoned in a hushed tone. "Make sure he's on schedule, and coming in for tests and check-ups." Veronica tried to stare at him, but her nerves were acting up again.
Théo sat in front of her as they rested on the crumpled covers. His darkened eyes pored into her soul, and now her cheeks fe
•"Where are you?""At a hotel. Just met up with Tomek." Théo put his phone on speaker mode after he grabbed the duffel bag out of the trunk. He knew Anastasia didn't believe his alibi entirely, but he might just be able to convince her he was doing nothing fishy behind her back."Where you guys headed?" Ana asked in a quieter tone, her words almost mumbled. She was sniveling.It made him suspect she'd been crying or doing cocaine again. Or it could just be allergies? "What's up? You in bed now?" Théo frowned as he sat in the dark, alone in the backseat of her car. He took the handguns out of the bag to reinspect the ammo and weapons.The guns both looked fairly new. Although Geri wouldn't sell him faulty products, he had to be completely sure they worked fine and that he had enough bullets. Just in case."Yeah. Are you on your
•"Goodnight. Love you...""Love you and the little bean..."The words ruthlessly echoed in his head as he stood still against the door, speechless, and dumbfounded. Théo pulled a face. His brain once again recalled the last part of the conversation he just overheard.Little bean?What the heck was the guy talking about?Was it Kyle's term of endearment for her?Puzzled, stressed, and sleep-deprived, Théo watched his ex get into bed without even sparing him a single glance, or a small smile of acknowledgement.He didn't know whether he should be pissed, jealous or both.It was definitely Kyle she was talking to on the phone, because he recognized Kyle's voice on loudspeaker before Veronica hung up and ended the phone call, at the same time Théo got
•The second she saw him take out the gun and put it in the nightstand drawer, the shock and fear just froze her on the bed. Veronica almost felt her heart jump to her throat.But she wasn't really afraid of him or the gun. What she feared was the real reason he thought he needed a weapon. Why even get a gun? Did he think he needed it for his safety? And hers?When did he even start carrying a handgun? Why on Earth would he need one?If her mother was here, her mom would definitely tell her to run away from Théo. Forget about him and keep out of his life for good. But Veronica didn't want to. She knew her feelings for him biased her judgment on their situation now, but she just couldn't force herself to walk out the door and leave him. Not tonight.She needed answers first. "What's that for?" she asked while Théo sat quietly beside her
8 days left• Rome, Italy •He didn't want to leave his ex alone at the hotel, but he had to check up on Anastasia. Something was going on. He had tried calling her phone a dozen times but she wasn't picking up or replying to his texts.The dashboard clock now read 11:52PM.Théo shoved his gun into the glove compartment and drove out of the hotel's parking lot. He had to return Anastasia's car and verify whether her parents had already taken her to the rehab facility. If so, he wouldn't have any valid reason to go back to the estate. It would be a problem he wasn't quite prepared to troubleshoot. While driving across the highway, Théo checked his phone again and read a new text message from Gillaume.New messageG"Anything u deem necessary. Bosses waiting for your outputs. H seems busy working on a beachfront property sale with the
8 days left• The Valtieri Mansion •After greeting him with forced smiles, the Valtieri couple walked into the mansion with their bodyguards right behind them.Théo gave the two a small but polite bow in acknowledgement. He wasn't sure if he should say "good evening" since it was well past midnight. The guards backed off once Mr. and Mrs. Valtieri reached the living room, and then the staff walked out and shut the front door.Théo listened in while Hugo Valtieri continued speaking to someone on the phone about a business deal, with his wife standing beside him and refraining from scowling again."Théo, give us a minute," Hugo said to him with a raised finger, and then the don got busy again talking to someone on the phone."Of course, Sir." Théo took a couple steps backward while Mrs. Valtieri stood beside her husband in the spacious living room lit by expe
•Théo peeked at the tall, glittering stage props as he backed away from the stack of audio equipment. He slouched right by the sound engineer's corner, watching while his smiling and elegantly dressed ex-girlfriend re-arranged her keyboard's wires.Her hair had less wavy curls today. Multi-hued strobe lights made them appear azure and sometimes pinkish.Sunset had just passed, and the crowd just grew thicker now that the band was almost ready to perform.The curly-haired guitarist was already settling into his seat on the right side; the other band members were positioned on the far left of the stage.Théo stood along the sidelines and glanced past a sea of diversely aged, mostly casually dressed people excitedly waiting for the next performance. The fans in the VIP section looked pretty still in their seats, and, odds-on, just too psyched to see their favorite artists play beaut
•What the heck? Did she really just ask if he wanted to give it another shot? If he wanted a baby?What's going on? Why was she asking him if he wanted a baby?Théo watched her pretty face while she seemed to be restraining the palpable sadness welling up in her eyes.But he knew she wanted nothing but an honest answer from him. Otherwise, she wouldn't even think of posing the question. Not Veronica. She never liked the "marriage with kids", "let's try raising a baby" talk."A baby?" he repeated, still dumbfounded. "Right now?""Yeah." Veronica nodded faintly, her voice almost a whisper."No," was his short and muted reply as she stared into his eyes. He squeezed the side of her smooth and slim waist, her hands now resting on his shoulders, her dainty fingers touching the wet hair above his nap
•If looks could kill, by now he should've been dead flat on the floor, face-first and choking on his own blood.Veronica stared at the guy sitting on the edge of the bed, watching her with a frown, his dark brows furrowing at her weak attempt to seem totally unemotional at the moment.Despite the worsening pain, embarrassment, and compounding anxiety making her chest hurt like a bitch, she had to put on a straight face.At this point, her pride and what little self-respect she had left just forced her to show him anything but weakness.1. She had already made the effort. "Efforts" to be exact.2. She had swallowed her damn pride more than twice and flew all the way out here for him. Just for him.3. She also used work as an excuse just to see him and talk to him again because he'd been avoiding her like the darn
° ° ° ° °She was an impostor.Out of all the things he’d imagined she was capable of…Faking someone else’s identity just wasn't on his Top 10. It just sounded so absurd. And pointless.Although, now that he had given it some time to stew ― give or take five hours ― the haze just cleared up in his head.Now he knew why she’d always seemed guarded, mostly reticent whenever he would ask about her family. She’d only given him bits and pieces over the six months they’d dated, and he thought it was rather suspicious, but it hadn’t occurred to him she was actually capable of a crime. She just didn’t strike him as the type.She had told him of her being a programmer and having worked for a telecoms company. He thought it was obvious and true, since she knew a lot about computers and technical stuff. Now that he’d come to think of it, he should’ve questioned her why sh
•••••••••Author's Note:Hi, friends and dear readers! ❤️☺️First off, thank you for checking out my books and for supporting the hardworking authors on this platform. Without you guys, we wouldn't be able to keep doing what we love doing.I hope you enjoyed reading about T and V's complicated lives, their personal struggles, family drama, their growth, and their rocky journey through adulthood together...Hopefully this story (it started out as a little fanfic btw) also made you believe in their undying 😂 love for each other through the years.(Sup, fiction lovers! SAY NO to insta-love! 😆🤭)Anyhoo! Hope you are all well and doing your best to stay healthy, happy, and keep living your best life! 😏👍Much love,M°[ Below is a snippet of the sequel I'm planning to write in the near future. Enjo
•"Sorry." Théo held her hand on his thigh. A comfortable silence lingered in the room. His calmer demeanor now seemed genuine and he kept staring into her eyes.Perhaps he was done trying to provoke another argument just for the sake of it. The mumbled apology was giving her the distinct impression that he really wanted to work over their issues now.The thought, although comforting enough, still didn't get rid of her doubts. Veronica kept still on the bed. "For?"Théo averted his eyes. He let go of her hand and gave her the flimsiest of shrugs. "I was being a dick.""And?" She hid a grin using her bangs."I just...rushed to judgment.""Okay.""How's your mom?"A little surprised by the question, she leaned closer to his lap and smiled at him, content with his short but earnest apology. &n
• Despite some misgivings, Veronica didn't push him aside or leave his bedroom. She didn't want to leave him yet. She came back here to do radio interviews and promo shoots, but Théo was the main reason she decided to hop on a flight to Paris. She hadn't seen him in months. More importantly, they had a lot to hash out: 1) Anastasia Valtieri 2) Everything that happened in Rome 3) The real reasons he went to Tuscany The list went on and on... But she didn't plan to stay the night here in the loft. They didn't have much privacy; Théo was still living with his best friends. The rest of the two-storey house seemed quiet, though. Where did Tomek and the guys go? "Why didn't you tell me you're gonna be here?" Théo leaned against the closed door with his arms crossed, eyeing her with a curious squin
• Paris, France • "How many times a month d'you gotta see your shrink?" "What?" "Like every week?" "As often as necessary." Théo glanced up from his phone after his best friend's question sank in, distracting him from composing a new message for his ex. Veronica just texted him an hour ago. After weeks of radio silence. It wasn't unexpected behavior from her, considering the circumstances the last time they saw each other in person. Why did she decide to reach out to him again? Just because his grandmother died? Or because it was almost his birthday? Perhaps both convinced Veronica that it was time to rekindle their friendship again. "You're paying for everything? Every session?" Tomek sat beside him and pouted, his pale hand clutching a can of root beer. "Or your insurance covers half at least?" Théo scoffed and almost laughed. "I wish." The a
• Disobeying a direct order. Obstruction of an investigation. Impeding the course of justice. Whichever was most applicable to his case, he had no choice but to face the music. His luck just kept running out lately. Saying he "meant well" wouldn't be enough for any of the big bosses, but at least his mother had his back this time. Well, somewhat. A judge might be more sympathetic, actually. Théo shifted on the hospital bed as he watched his mother wrap up another phone call. Perhaps her 20th for the day. Just part of her job. Like cleaning up after his mess. "Not like it's the first time," she would say. He most probably embarrassed her after what happened, but at least she showed up today. It must be just another debriefing. Or she only came over to reprimand him for disobedience and his defiant actions that almost ended in a vendetta.
•Nobody died. Two men from Leandro's group got shot in the arm and shoulder after some guy hiding in the old building pulled the trigger, but no one got killed.No horrendously violent shootout to report on the news. No casualties to count, investigate, autopsy, or bury. Hopefully no media coverage to worry about on the Internet, either.Théo's mother would take care of that issue. Most likely. Claudia seemed like she only needed to make a few phone calls to pull some necessary strings. Trying to find comfort in the thought, Veronica sat still behind the speechless driver. Her self-soothing attempts since they left the scene of the crime eventually got trumped by the sound of Alodia mewling in Raffaele's arms.Alodia sat in the backseat with him, sobbing uncontrollably for the past few minutes. The heart-wrenching noise filled the vehicle as they drove back towards
• "Aya! Don't even... Argh! Cazzo!" "No, Aya!" Veronica could only stand and watch as Raffaele ran after his pregnant girlfriend. He rushed out of the SUV the second Alodia started running for the tall gates. They were wide open, almost too tempting to ignore, which eventually convinced Alodia to step into the property amid the ongoing standoff. "Please don't shoot! Don't shoot!" Alodia kept screaming as her tears ran down her pale cheeks. "He's... He's not himself! Please! I'm begging you. Don't shoot him!" She was all eyes on Leandro while begging for the authorities to spare the guy's life. Before she could even reach the parking lot surrounded by Italian cops and their heavily armed tactical team, two taller guys clasped her arms, effortlessly holding her back, keeping her stuck and sobbing beside a police car. Raffaele didn't get that far. Three cops blocked his way before h
•About half an hour of begging and tears eventually granted her wish. Raffaele obviously hated to say yes to her request, but he gave in when she didn't stop pleading for him to take her to Castiglione.Such an impulsive decision on her part—a choice that might put her life in serious danger, but she just couldn't stay behind. Wait. Do nothing. No thanks. She had to be there. See Théo with her own eyes.This would be the last time she would be risking her own safety for him. Seriously. The last time. Her mother didn't even know she was back here in Italy, begging for help from strangers just to find her ex. Raffaele didn't treat her like a stranger, though. For the past 24 hours, he had been indulging her, consoling her, helping her to the best of his ability as though they were old friends.Did it mean he already forgave Théo? F