"Camilla, please bring Mariano's things from the car." I told Camilla after I had helped Mariano down from the car. Mom followed behind.I knew I had a lot of explaining to give, most especially to dad, mom was okay with it but I was sure after the whole situation with Mariano, it wasn't going to be easy to accept Mariano into his home and there was no way in hell I was going to allow Mariano go home alone without no one by his side to take care of him."Hey. Are you alright?" I asked him, clutching to his side as we walked down to the doors of our mansion."Yeah, I'm fine.""Kurt, no!" It was already too late when mom screamed. Dad had pounced on Mariano, punching the daylight out of him."Dad, enough!" I tried, getting in the way but I was pushed aside, pushed to the ground and I clutched my stomach in pain. Dad immediately let go and ran to my side."Mira, Mira...are you okay?"I groaned, my hand still clutching my stomach. The look on Mariano's face said he didn't understand a pie
"Hey." Gen was emerging out of her room when I went to my room to change and prepare for breakfast. "You disappeared for a moment there.""Yeah, I just um...I went in to freshen up. You looked changed yourself.""Yeah.""So how's the little one doing?"I placed a hand over my stomach. "I think she's ready for breakfast. She's wild and kicking."Gen smiled and moved closer to me then her hand over my stomach. "That's really good to know. And um, Belle, there's something I want to tell you.""What, is it about Mason?""Mason?" The look on her face was definitely a surprised look but I was sure she was just feigning that to distract me so I wouldn't find out the real thing."Early this morning, I saw him come out of your bedroom. And in the kitchen, I witnessed the little scene you two created. And I'm sure he's the reason you disappeared from the kitchen earlier. Just what is going on between you and Mason?"She sighed. "Ugh, fine. Look, I don't know when or how it started but I just ca
~Genevieve~A knock came on the door. I pulled it open only to reveal Mason."What do you want?""Why aren't you at your parents'?" I was still holding the door, he was still standing outside.I rolled my eyes. "I don't have to answer to you. How did you find me?""Mira told me where to find you. She said you might be here.""And now that you know, what do you want? You're stalling, Mason, what do you want?''"You." I looked him up straight in the eye and he tore his gaze away, shaking his head as if he was trying to come up his senses. "I mean...I want you...and me...to talk.""There's nothing to talk about. You said you didn't want to see me anymore. You said you wanted to stop whatever was growing between us and I agreed. I even went far away from you to clear my senses but still yet, you just can't seem to get me out of your mind, can you?"''Gen...''"It's Genevieve to you.'' I corrected sharply."God, I should have known that both sisters would be this dramatic.""Are you trying
~Mirabelle~"What is this?"I had arrived too late. Now I have to think of something so I won't be caught. "Oh that belongs to Hailey. Her sister's going to be a mom and this is my gift to her.""Like this?""What's wrong with me giving it like that?"He shrugged and got on the driver's seat. "Nothing. For a moment I thought you were pregnant and perhaps keeping it from me."I stilled, not knowing what to say to that. He had actually figured it out on his own but I had turned the idea away from him. But I guess it wasn't going to end there. He was still going to try and figure it out another day."But then I remembered the whole pregnancy issues and complications. And the fact that you wouldn't lie to me about it if a miracle happened and that you were indeed pregnant. Right?"I didn't respond just a nodding of my head.He smiled, one dimple flashing as I got in as well."You wouldn't lie to me, right?" The look on his face almost had me spilling the truth out but I know if I did, th
~Mirabelle~I rolled to my side, a yawn escaping my lips only to find tht Mariano wasn't on the bed with me. His side of the bed was empty. Running my fingers through my hair, I got up and slipped on his shirt before moving to the bathroom to wash up and then finding my way downstairs to probably go look for him. Annie was already cleaning when I arrived in the living room. There was also a man with an apron in the kitchen when I checked. Moving back to the living room, I signaled Annie."Good morning ma'am." She greeted when she got to where I stood."Morning, Annie. Who's that?" If I had known there was a man in the house, I wouldn't have emerged out of the room with just a shirt, no bra or panties on."Oh, that's chef Gourmet. Mr. Lorenzo hired him three weeks ago after you left.""Oh. And where's my husband?""He's in the gym, ma'am.""Okay, thanks." With that I made my way to the gym.Slowly, I pushed open the door. He didn't notice me come in and so I just leaned against the doo
~Mirabelle~"Mariano, you...I..can I talk to you for a minute?"The jealousy that rolled through me was unexplainable. I felt it churn through my veins down to my stomach but I had managed to keep it hidden by pretending the scene happening right in front of my eyes had no effect whatsoever on me."Baby?"I looked up to see Mariano staring down at me intently.I feigned a smile. "Don't worry, I'll be fine.""I'm not asking you that. I'm asking you if I can go with her."Rhea's gaze went from Mariano to me, and then back to Mariano again.Somehow, I felt warm knowing he was asking for my permission first before going with her. "Sure. But be back before ten minutes. Ten minutes, okay?""Sure, baby." He pressed a kiss to m lips almost immediately. "I love you."''And I love you." With that, he was out of sight. With her. I sat down, pulled out my phone and decided to wait.~Mariano~"What do you want, Rhea?" I asked her as soon as we got to the bathroom area."Mariano, I..I came back. Fo
~Mirabelle~"Baby, come take a look at this." I heard Mariano's voice from inside our bedroom. I turned off the shower and secured a towel around my body. Another one around my hair."What's that?" I asked him as I arrived in the bedroom.His gaze roamed down my body before settling back on my face. "Come see."I moved closer and got on the bed beside him. "Oh my god. You're buying a whole industry?!""It really isn't pictured as that as for now. For now, it's just a thriving company.""A famous one. That doesn't change the fact that you're still buying it.""Baby," He wrapped an arm around my waist and kissed me on the lips. "I've bought way more than this. I just...rebrand them and turn them to conglomerates. So tell me, what do you think?""How much is it?""Tell me what you think of it first.""Mariano, how much is it?""One hundred.""One hundred...as in million or billions?""I'm buying the whole thing including the branches so yeah..one hundred.""Mariano!" I smacked his arm. "
~Mirabelle~I got out of my car and made my way into the restaurant."Roman Grey," I called out to the man who looked like he was about to pick a fight with my staff any moment from now. "You were looking for me right?"He sighed, burying his hands into his pocket. "Good heavens, finally. I've been calling you but there's just this..lady answering, constantly asking me what I would like to order..."I resisted the urge to chuckle. "It's an automated call. I actually thought the reason you collected the number was so you could place order, anytime anyway from this restaurant. Was there perhaps another motive behind it?" I asked with a slight grin on my face."I um..not really. I just wanted to check up on you and say hi."I snorted. "How adoring. Come on." I led the way as I moved past him. "Let me get you something to drink."He pulled out a chair and took a seat. "Just coffee will be fine, please."I smirked. "Are you sure you don't want anything else?"He nodded. "Pretty sure about
*One year later*~Genevieve~"Hey. You ready?"Mason asked me as he walked into the room."Do I look okay in this dress?" I said, referring to the floral gown I was wearing. "I feel... really heavy, you know. I think this baby is using my energy to do kicks, don't you think?" I asked him, placing my hand over my eight months and two weeks old belly.Mason smiled and walked over to me. "You look beautiful, darling. And besides, I'm always here to lend you my strength whenever you feel too tired to carry our little Gael." He knelt before my bump and caressed it over the skimpy dress I was wearing. "Hey buddy, don't give mommy a hard time, okay? We know you wanna come out so badly but patience, little buddy, patience." He looked up at me and I smiled. Then he got up and closed his mouth over mine. "I love you, Genevieve Kenton King."I smiled as I wrapped my arms around him. "I love you too.""Now come on. Before we arrive late for your dad's birthday dinner." He held my hand as walked o
~Genevieve~Just like that. I couldn't believe it. She was gone.Gone forever. We weren't going to see her ever again.Some of the soldiers that had ran into the smoke, came out few minutes later with Gonzalez men. One was half-dead, the other was injured but very much alive. They put them both in the van and walked around to see dad. He was saying something in low tune to dad when another set of military men walked out of the already burnt and collapsed building with a burnt, unrecognizable body that seemed to have ropes attached to it. A body that was perhaps tied. Then I recalled Mirabelle being tied up before Ryder threw me out."No! My Mira...." Mom was already shaking in tears as they placed the body on a stretcher. Dad dropped to the ground in tears, mom was wailing profusely, Mariano remained stiff and unable to move, Mason had tears rolling down his eyes...none of us could even touch the body. It was Natasha who mustered up the courage to run to where the body was and embrace
~Mirabelle~"What are we going to do? He's going to kill her!" Mason exclaimed out of frustration as he plopped down on the couch, running his fingers through his hair. Mom has been trying to calm him down ever since. But it seems all her words of assurance were falling on deaf ears."My men are searching the entire city as we speak." Dad who had been on the phone came back few minutes later to the living room and said. "They couldn't have gone far. We'll get them in no time.""Hey," Mariano knelt in front of me and places his hand on lap. "Are you alright?"I shook my head."Belle, listen to me, this is not your fault.."I was trying to hold back my tears. "Yes, it is.""No, it's not. Gonzalez has been planning his escape from prison for a long time now. And it so happened to fall on the same time period of your return so none of this is your fault, okay?""Grandpa, are you going to give me to him? The bad guy?" Natasha who was in mom's arms asked Kurt who had been restless."Of cour
~Mirabelle~"Mama, where are we? What is this place?" Natasha asked me as Mariano pulled the car to a stop. I got out and so did Natasha, who looked inquisitive, looking around the place."Hello, Natasha."She turned to stare at the people standing few metres away, her whole face lightening up. "Grandma! Grandpa!"In a blink of eye, she was running into dad's open arms. "My lil baby. She looks just you, Mariano." Dad said to Mariano who was standing beside me as he ruffled her hair playfully, picking her up from the floor."I'm quite heavy, you know. Mama feeds me with good stuff." Natasha said jokingly."Well then, it's a good thing I have quite the strength then." Dad smiled as we walked into the house."Camilla," I greeted Camilla who was standing with the other servants. "I see you're still here." I said, moving into her arms. "Thank you.""Always, Mirabelle, always." She responded and we pulled away. "I'll make coffee and some toast."I nodded and she walked away. "It feels good
~Genevieve~He wasn't in bed with me when I woke up.I got up, stretched and slipped on his shirt. Then I got up and went on a mission to go look for him.I heard noise coming from kitchen area and do I just decided to follow my instincts. To my surprise, he was standing in front of the cooker, flipping something in a pan, shirtless in an apron and in a pair of sweatpants. He turned around and our gaze met."Hey. Good morning."I smiled as I made my way toward him. "Good morning. You're up early.""Yeah, I got up to make breakfast. Come on, have a seat. Breakfast is ready."I did as he told me and sat put as he served me. Breakfast was bacon, scrambled eggs, pancakes and maple syrup.As I ate, I noticed he was stealing glances at me. "What?""You're very beautiful, Gen. Very very."I snorted, hoping that was a joke. "I'm sure I look like a mess.""You look breathtaking."I met his gaze and he smiled. Then he got up from where he sat and walked around to where I was, then to my surpris
~Mirabelle~A lot of people were hovering over me when I woke up. Mom, Mariano, two women, a man, Natasha...."Natasha." I called out gently and she was the first to notice as she ran into my outstretched arms."Mama! Mama, you scared the hell out of us all." She was already crying as I brushed the tears away from her face. "Mama, we were so worried...I was so worried. Promise that you won't ever make us worry like that again."I smiled and pulled her close, her head was resting gently on my chest. "I'm fine, sweetie. I'm just...scared." I admitted softly."But why are you scared, mama? We are here for you, remember? Don't be scared, okay? Daddy is here for you. I am here for you. Grandma is here for you. Don't ever feel scared, okay? You're my best friend. I wouldn't know what I'd do if anything were to happen to you. I can't ever live without you, mama."I couldn't help chuckling as I wrapped my arm tightly over her. "Oh my sweet little red haired baby. I love you so much my darling
~Mirabelle~I stood there and watched as Genevieve expressed how she felt about Mason to Ryder. Ryder on the other seemed to be furious but he looked as if he was holding back from lashing out all on his anger on Genevieve. The moment he walked out, I decided to stay for a while. This was bad. I should be with her right now. She had just made a life-changing decision that would probably require a shoulder to lean on and here I was, hiding behind the wall.All of a sudden, she stood up. She glanced at the mirror and then stopped. But just before she could turn around, a hand grasped mine, pulling me into the shadows."What on earth do you think you're doing?""Mariano, she's my sister. I should be in there with her right now. I should--""Then what's stopping you?"I stared into his eyes."Go on. Go to her. She's your sister, right? She needs you. You should be with her right now. So why are you here?""I--I don't think that's a very good idea. She's down right now, I can't afford to a
~Mirabelle~The congregation was filled to the brim. The people present were mostly friends, elites, actresses, musicians, business elites and government officials from all over the world. From where I was seated, I could see Mariano, my friends, Gabriel and even mom. Natasha and I were both at the back row. We didn't want to draw much attention so we just hid there.Then there was Ryder at the altar, waiting like the gentleman he was. Although, there was something about Ryder. Something off about him, he didn't seem quite the man for Genevieve anymore.And then, there was the bride. Walking towards the altar with dad's arm strapped to hers. On getting to the front row, she quickly hugged mom and Gabriel before proceeding to kneel in front of the altar with her soon to be husband. After a short prayer, they were back on their feet as they proceeded to the ring part and then the exchanging of vows.Well, now it was time to declare them husband and wife."If anyone have reason why these
~Mirabelle~I was trying out the dresses, mom had brought earlier for Gen's wedding tomorrow. There was a silver splayed gown with emeralds, a beautiful black straight one with deep cleavage curve and split up the right thigh and a pink short one with diamonds stashed all over. According to her, the theme of the wedding was black and pink, if I wanted to fit in to be noticed, I'd wear pink but if I wanted to remain anonymous and hidden, I'd wear black.At first I didn't want to go. Mom and Mariano were the only ones who knew about my existence. Mariano had argued with mom about telling dad about me but she had slid him off, telling him the consequences that would result from my dad abruptly finding out about my existence. According to her, she would wine and dine him after Gen's wedding then tell him about me. As for now, I still have to remain hidden and try as much as possible to apply heavy makeups contrary to my skin tone, wear sunglasses and colored wigs. That way, they would nev