Enzo’s POVAs I made my way upstairs, I caught Mr Ashford coming down. “Oh, you’re not staying for another drink?”“No.” I said, “Cassie is alone. I better head back.” A smile broke out on his lips, “Well, keep her happy.” He said, giving a pat on my shoulder “Big day tomorrow.” “Yeah,” I said, as it suddenly occurred to me why we were here. It was for our engagement. It was supposed to be a happy getaway for us from our busy lives, yet here I was, striking business deals and threatening people to stay away from my soon to be wife. Fucking hell. I made my way to my room, expecting that Cassie had already gone to bed. But I was wrong. She was in the bathroom, the door slightly ajar. It was a silent invitation for me. I walked into the candle lit bathroom a minute later, having abandoned all my clothes. Cassie was peacefully resting until I arrived, and when she noticed me, her face broke into a grin. Without needing more of an invitation, I got into the tub, wrapping her legs arou
Enzo's POVThe day of the engagement was thankfully rather uneventful.My little conversation last night with Axon and his father turned out to be fruitful, as they didn’t try anything funny to ruin Cassie’s mood further.Our friends had arrived in the morning as expected, and ever since then, Cassie got busy with tending to them.As evening rolled, the girls ushered Cassie into her room to help her get ready for the event, conveniently kicking me out of our bedroom. I had no choice but to crash with Leo and Hank.“Excited?” Hank asked as he lazily scrolled through his instagram.
Cassie’s POVOnce the rings were exchanged, my grandparents took us around to meet everyone.I tried to remember the names of the first few people I’d met, thinking they were important, but once I realized just how many names I had memorized tonight, I’d given up on the task. I just made some mandatory small talk and exchanged some pleasant smiles with them.I don’t know how long it went on for, until my grandparents had to tend to some other business and that gave us a chance to finally meet our friends.“Thank God you’re here.” Kelly said, sighing, “I thought I wouldn’t catch you tonight.”
“Wow.” I said, chugging a glass of water. “That was something.” “Just another day in my life,” Enzo said, as a matter of fact. He left out a tired sigh, closing his eyes for a few seconds. “You okay?” I said, grabbing his shoulder gently. “Yeah, I’m fine.” He said, “Just a light headache. I’ll be fine.” “Do you think Ratliff is going to listen?” “Sure, he has no choice.” Enzo said, “Moreover, that is our best bet right now. We can’t really-” Enzo cut himself off as we heard a strangled cry from a distance. “Get away from him!” It was Grandma. I stared at Enzo in worry, “What the hell?”Both of us whipped our heads toward the hall, where Grandma was standing in a corner, watching commotion break loose. It was Alfred that held Grandpa’s collar, a murderous glare claiming his face. They seemed to be having an argument, and people gathered around to see the show. Enzo and I headed over immediately. “Alfred, get away from him right now.” Enzo intervened, pushing Alfred off of Gran
“Enzo got three stitches on his forehead and a mild concussion.” Leo announced to us in the waiting room. “Oh, thank god.” Grandma said, wrapping her hands around my body. I let out a sigh of relief finally, my head hanging low. “Yeah, and the doctors said he needs to rest for the next twenty four hours. So minimal visitors.” “Yeah, yeah. Of course.” Grandma said. “When is he going to be discharged?” “They just want to keep him under observation for a few more hours before they let him go. It’s just for safety.” He said and his eyes then found me. “You can meet him in a few minutes. The nurse is just finishing up.” I nodded, “Yeah.” Right then, Grandpa came in, searching for my eyes. The police held him up at the mansion after hell broke loose, so he had to stay back and take care of that business. Before I left, he swore to me that Alfred would be behind the bars, but I told him to just get here as soon as possible. “How is he?” He said as he approached me. “He’s okay.” “Tha
There was no news about Alfred and his family the next day. All we knew was that his son bailed him out this morning, and they haven't stepped foot in the mansion since the ceremony. Inorder to make things better, I’d told Grandpa to be fair and give them what they wanted, to which he begrudgingly agreed. “I’ll take care of it.” He said, “Just enjoy your vacation.” “I sure will.” I said, “But you take care of yourself. We’ll be back in four days.” He nodded, before something caught his attention. Following his gaze behind my shoulder, I found Enzo talking to my grandmother. She was examining his wound, gently tapping it to see if it was still tender. As I glanced back at my grandfather, a warm smile claimed his face, “When we came to you, we were praying to God to let us have a granddaughter in our lives. I think God was sorry for us, and gave us a grandson too.” His words tugged at my heart. This was the same man who questioned if Enzo was the right person for me just mere wee
Enzo and I checked into our hotel at Positano, a small town on the Amalfi coast, officially kick-starting our babymoon. Since I was the one to suggest the idea, I took it upon myself to make all the hotel bookings and itinerary. So when Enzo casually walked into the room only to stop dead in his tracks, I knew that I’d managed to impress him. “Wow.” He said, glancing at me with surprise filled in his eyes, “This looks amazing. I wonder what the view is like.” As we went into the balcony, we were met with a breathtaking view of the coast, with the sea on one side and the bustling town on the other. It was just like what they promised in the hotel pictures. “How did you manage to get us a room here? That too, on such short notice.” I shrugged. “Do you like it?” “I love it.” He said, pecking me on the lips. “I can’t wait to get out there and have some fun on the beach.” “About that.” I said, grinning. “I’ve booked us a private boat ride at sunset. And we have about three hours to
For dinner, I made a reservation at La Sponda, a Michelin star restaurant. The place was candle-lit with the view of the sea - an entire package of a romantic dinner. Enzo was pleased with my choice as he sat at our table, looking dapper in his crisp white shirt paired with tailored trousers. He looked nothing short of ravishing tonight. As for me, I settled for a simple summer dress in pink, hoping Enzo picked up on the clue. Once we were done placing the order, the waiter asked, “Shall I get a bottle of wine, ma’am?”“Yes, please. A bottle of-” “No, actually. We’re good.” Enzo said, handing him the menu. “Why? Don’t you want some?” “I’ll give you company on your virgin Pina Colada.” He said, “By the way, there’s news from the UK.” I raised my brows, “Okay?” “Raymond got the contract.” I breathed a sigh of relief, “Thank God.” I said, “All that hustle… well, it worked in our favour afterall.” “Yes, and he asked me to thank you specifically.” The waiter came back with our fo
Enzo watched me as I got ready for work.It was my first day back at the office and I couldn’t be more relieved. To say the past few days have been difficult would be an understatement. I needed a distraction from everything, and what was better than going to the office? With Enzo unemployed, I had to make sure that I could put some bread on the table. Although my grandparents have been continuously calling me, offering me help, or in their words - letting me have what was mine, I simply could not let them. That would be the last straw for Enzo. He was already beating himself up as he saw me working day and night to make ends meet. “Did you speak to that friend of yours you were talking about?” I said, “The lawyer. He was offering you a job, wasn’t he?” “I lost my license to practice, Cassie.” He said, “I can’t practice law anywhere else.” I turned around, puzzled. “But Raymond told me that he offered you a position of a legal advisor. You can’t be an member of the bar, but surel
On Monday, all our boxes were packed and shifted to transport. I cast one last glance at our house. I remember the time I first moved in when Enzo gave me the freedom to redo the entire apartment. I was so overjoyed and spent an entire day working on it. And now, as I watched them tear down and remove everything we had in there, I could feel my heart break. I could only imagine what Enzo must be going through. Enzo refused to stay for the final take over of the house. He left downstairs with Emmy while I waited upstairs to finish all the formalities and paperwork. Once I was done, I went down to join them. “It’s done.” Enzo nodded, “What’s the plan now?” He asked, “We could… go to a hotel.” “No.” I said, holding his hand, “Come with me.” We loaded our luggage into a cab and got in. Once I gave him the address, Enzo frowned at me, “Where are we going?” “I got us a house last week.” I said, “We’ll be staying there from now on.” “A house?” He asked. “Where?” “In Brooklyn.” “How
I anxiously waited outside the conference room. Enzo was in there talking to all of his clients in an attempt to explain to them that this was not his doing. Raymond was out here with me, pacing around the room. For the past few days, Raymond has been a tremendous help to us. Since Enzo was not in the right position to take care of everything, he stepped in to do all the negotiations. Today was the day that would decide our fate. Although I knew what was coming for us, I couldn’t help but hope that something miraculous would happen today and turn the odds in our favor. And then finally, Enzo came out. And his expression revealed that the meeting didn’t go well. “They’re taking everything.” He said, “Every single penny I own.” My heart sank. “Is there no other way?” “The clients think I betrayed their trust, so they’re seeking a higher compensation.” He said, “And since they’re doing me a favor by not pursuing this criminally, my lawyer thinks I should settle.” Criminally? Oh, G
“Who did it?” I asked, treading him carefully. In all these years of knowing him, I never saw him like this. This broken. This helpless. Enzo built that firm with his own blood and sweat. It was everything to him, and to have it all be taken away - it was a nightmare for me. Suddenly, I was enraged. The mere thought of Trent Dalton was making me shake with anger. But I knew that this was not entirely his doing. To pull off something like this, he needed someone on the inside, a mole, to give away such sensitive information. If the transactions are portrayed to be made by Enzo, then it must be an insider that had access to such sensitive information. “I don’t know.” Enzo said, “Whoever it was, they altered the firm’s accounting software to move client funds, trust funds, into my personal account. I had no idea of this, and nor did I receive any messages from the banks regarding giant transactions. Trent must have paid them to be silent as well.” “If they could get into accounting
“How old is your baby?” The nurse asked as she handed a crying Emmy back to me. “Four months now.” I sighed, patting her. “Oh, Emmy. Calm down. It’s over, isn’t it?”She just received her vaccine shot and came out of the doctor’s office bawling her eyes out. “She’s so adorable.” She mused, handing me my file. “I would agree but she’s throwing too many tantrums lately.” I said, “She could be a handful when she wants to.” “I wish I could say it gets better but it truly doesn’t.” She laughed, “But that’s what we signed up for, right?” “Yes.” I said, kissing my daughter’s tear stained cheek. “Let’s go home, shall we? Daddy’s waiting for us in the car.” Emmy just replied with another sob, burying her face in my neck. As we went out, I spotted Enzo’s car in the parking lot and headed toward it. I quickly got in. “These vaccination visits are so difficult.” I said, as I closed the car door. “I just can’t see Emmy crying so much. I just walked out of the doctor’s office today, can you
After the party, Enzo, Emmy, Sara and I headed back home. Sara was shook from the entire episode that played out and remained silent the entire journey home. As we went in, I looked at her. “Take the guest room. You can rest there.” She didn’t move an inch until Enzo looked at her. And then, she said, “I can’t live here.” She sighed, “I… I can’t… I don’t want to be a burden on anyone.” “Sara, you’re not a burden.” I protested, patting a sleeping Emmy on my chest. “I will be if we continue this arrangement.” She said, “I don’t want-” “How about this?” Enzo intervened, “I’ll give you a house. It’s right by your workplace. That way you won’t have to live with us, nor with your scum of a dad.” “A house?” She said, “I’m sure I can’t afford the rent.” “You can live there for free.” He said, “I just… I don’t ever want you to go back to that house.” Sara stared at him for a long while, as though she was trying to figure him out. “Why are you doing this?” “What?” “You didn’t even wa
Enzo looked at me and then back at the crowd, and then finally, a grin broke out on his face. “Wow.” he said, running his eyes over everyone. “That’s… my friends from college and my… how did you get them all together?” I shrugged, “After a month of thorough planning.” “I can’t believe you did this.” He said, “This is brilliant. Thank you so much, Cassie.” “You’re welcome.” I smiled. ”Now, let’s go.”One by one, Enzo’f friends and colleagues came up to him to meet him, but my eyes were looking for Sara. I found her at the far end by the bar, enjoying a drink with Mark, but her eyes were set on Enzo. She deserved to be here with us. “Oh, Emmy.” I heard Kelly’s voice coming from my side, distracting. I grinned as Emmy effortlessly slipped from my arms into hers. “Look at her, she looks like a darling.” She then looked toward, impressed, “Cassie, I must say. You completely transformed this place. Well done.” “Sara was of tremendous help, really.” I said, “I could not have done thi
Enzo’s POV I felt a small nudge on my stomach as I woke up. Assuming it to be Cassie’s limb, I ignored it. However, the nudge soon tickled it and then I felt something wet. My eyes opened to look at Emmy crawling on my chest, trying to bite my skin. A smile tugged at my lips upon the sight of her adorable face. Picking her up to my face, I placed a kiss on her cheek. “How did you come here, darling?” I mumbled as I shifted to my side. And right then, I saw it. A small cupcake was resting on the bed with a note that read: Happy Birthday Daddy. I widened my eyes in surprise and grabbed my phone to check the date. Damn. I really lost track of time. “Happy birthday, baby.” Cassie grinned, leaning down to kiss me on the lips. “First birthday with our daughter, aren’t you thrilled?” “Absolutely,” I said as I watched Emmy. She was making weird, excited noises now, eyeing the cupcake. Her hands were reaching out toward it, and I scraped off the frosting on top to place it on her lips.
As I went back home, I wondered what all of that was about. The man seemed weird, but should I tell Enzo? I was worried that he was already so stressed with everything at work. I was sure he would be overthinking with this even more. The last thing I wanted was to burden him, so I guess I would have to keep this one to myself. What Kent Rover said could’ve been a result of a massive ego hurt and nothing at all. In that case, there was no reason to alert Enzo. If he approached me again, then I would talk to Enzo about it. As I went home, I found Sara and Emmy playing in the living room as usual. However, what was strange was that Mark, Enzo’s associate, was added to the mix. And from the way Sara was laughing at whatever he had to say, I could tell that they were having a rather good time. “Hello.” I said as I walked in, “Didn’t expect you here, Mark.” He gave me a casual smile as he looked at me. “I’m sorry. I’m running errands for your fiance, please don’t mind.” “Not at all.”