After the difficult conversation he had with Andreas, Antony fled the company to deal with another major problem. Earlier, he had spoken to Valeria and asked her to locate Roberta’s address. Although he had invited her to dinner some time ago, picking her up from her residence, Antony hadn’t paid attention to keeping her address.He was terrible at retaining that kind of information. After some time, Valeria appeared in his office with the necessary data. There was something wrong with Valeria, especially in her behavior. Antony hadn’t forgotten when she had hugged him at the hospital. She was no longer the timid secretary who seemed afraid of him; now, she was more comfortable in his presence, and Antony had the impression she might jump into his arms at any moment.He hurried, displaying coldness and contempt for her new behavior. Antony already had enough difficulties and wouldn’t allow Valeria to become another one.On the way, he called Roberta’s number several times, but with no
“I advise you not to come to the police station,” Ricardo told her from the other side of the line. “Your presence might confuse the detective, and he might even think Giovana is acting under pressure.”“I understand,” he ran his hand over his face, unsure if he felt relieved or worried about it, “what are the chances of this working out?”“There’s no reason it shouldn’t,” Ricardo’s firm voice conveyed confidence to him, but Antony didn’t feel confident. “Xavier has already requested the hospital footage. This nightmare will be over soon.”Antony closed his eyes and let out a long sigh before finally continuing.“Take care of Giovana for me,” the request caught Ricardo off guard, but he decided not to comment on it. “I’ll go home to rest for a bit.”“Don’t worry, she’ll be back in your arms soon,” he teased, but Antony didn’t mind. He just smiled because no one was there to see.Soon Ricardo ended the call. Behind Ricardo, Giovana impatiently waited for him to recount his entire conve
Xavier hurried towards the police chief, and they met behind closed doors for several minutes. Ricardo insisted that Giovana go back home, but she was not willing to leave the police station without understanding the facts.After much insistence, she agreed. It was past nine o’clock when they arrived at the mansion.“Are you sure you can handle this?” Ricardo held both her shoulders and looked deep into her eyes. “I can go up with you and talk to him.”Ricardo knew Antony so well that he anticipated his reaction. He tried to spare Giovana from more stress, but she remained adamant in her decision.“I need to do this,” she said with teary eyes. “Everything that’s happening is my fault.”“Don’t make things worse by carrying a burden that isn’t yours,” he pulled her into a tight embrace. “Xavier will find a way to prevent this from happening.”That was still the only hope Giovana had, that Xavier would free Antony from prison. She stepped away from him, turning to look at the stairs ahea
Giovana pursed her lips in a smile when she heard this. The request made with such affection softened her heart. It seemed like a dream, seeing her husband in love. Or was it a delirium? For a moment, she wanted to pull back, but Antony’s eyes wouldn’t allow it.“All right,” she whispered.When Antony raised his hand to caress her cheek and kissed her again, she remembered his words. Being her husband for the last time seemed like a hasty and unfair sentence, and Giovana didn’t want that to happen.The touch of his lips awakened her desire for him. He was in no hurry. This time differed from all the others. His breath was hot like fire against her skin. She was finally breathless when she pulled away to look at him once more.“It won’t be the last time,” Antony grabbed her chin and lifted it, biting his lips as if he was still unsatisfied. “I’m not leaving.”“I’m not leaving either,” he kissed her cheek, creeping down her neck.When she heard this, she closed her eyes, sighing deeply
Xavier ran after the police before they left the mansion with Antony in handcuffs.“Take off his handcuffs,” he requested, although the police officer escorting Antony didn’t appreciate the tone he used. “Please.”“No,” he replied in an authoritative and irritated tone, continuing to lead Antony out of the house, completely ignoring the lawyer.Antony looked at him before being placed in the car, signaling to Xavier not to insist. Beyond the mansion gates, journalists surrounded the house. Antony became extremely irritated when he saw the detective responsible for his arrest giving an interview with a smile on his face, as if Antony were a prize he had won.The journey to the police station was the longest of Antony’s life. It was like a movie playing before his eyes, and everything he had achieved was slowly slipping away. Soon his face would be on every media outlet, and he would be the headline for several months as the billionaire who tried to murder his wife. His chest burned wit
Giovana continued to sit on the last step of the staircase, hands on her face, eyes closed, while tears streamed down her cheeks. Tania had offered her a cup of coffee, which she promptly declined. The maid insisted that Giovana needed to eat for the sake of the baby, but Giovana felt that nothing could go down her throat.The pain was unbearable, both in her heart and in her head, throbbing incessantly.“I know this is not the time to talk about it,” Ricardo touched her knees gently, “but Antony asked me to take you away from this city.”Although she had agreed with Antony, Giovana still resisted the idea of having to leave everything behind. Her heart twisted in agony, and Ricardo wished he could suffer in her place.“Do you also agree with him about me selling my shares?” she asked with a trembling voice.“Yes, I agree,” Ricardo said, looking down, “the company has started facing serious problems after the accusations against Antony. In less than twenty-four hours, we lost almost a
The sky on that autumn morning was cloudy, covering the entire sun. Antony looked through the bars above his head, where he could see the dark clouds. Last night, he had plenty of time to think about what had actually become of his life. He was aware of what would come after his arrest and the consequences he would have to face. Despite his wounded heart, he did not despair. He was innocent, and he would certainly prove it to the world.He still wore the same clothes as when he was arrested. Not only that, but he was dirty and hungry, and no one, except Xavier, had come to visit him. Certainly, Giovana would have visited him if he hadn’t stopped her. He remembered her, and his heart bled even more. For the first time, he hated having to disappoint her and imagined her sad eyes hearing that he no longer wanted to see her.Footsteps approaching broke his thoughts. When Antony turned around, he saw two guards staring at him sternly. He assumed they had come to take him to the prison, but
When Giovana arrived at the house surrounded by mountains and trees, she realized that Antony had put a lot of thought into where he would hide her from Irma’s malice. No one would find her there.As she stepped into the house, the caretaker’s wife greeted her. However, her words caused Giovana immense pain.“Welcome, Giovana,” the woman embraced her, acting as if she had known her for a long time. “We’ve prepared everything, as Mr. Antony requested, for your arrival.”What was this feeling that came with the pain? Giovana wondered, unable to distinguish what was actually happening.“When did you talk to Antony?”Giovana had no intention of being rude and not greeting the woman, thanking her for all the effort in welcoming her. However, her curiosity about her husband’s actions overwhelmed her.“Two days ago, ma’am,” she replied. “But Mr. Antony always dealt with that matter with my husband. I was only tasked with preparing the house for you.”Giovana looked at Tania, a bit confused.