But he forced a smile and then said tactfully, "Darling, let's talk about this in our room."Laura stared at him in confusion; he should be happy that they were about to have a baby together, but Lorenzo's reaction was too expressionless—there was no joy or sorrow.What confused her even more was when he suggested they shouldn't discuss it in Isabella's room."Why?" Laura mumbled, looking puzzled.Lorenzo laughed heartily before walking towards Laura. He kissed her forehead and then replied, "I don't want us to disturb Isabella; she is very tired. Let's allow her to rest."Although Laura was reluctant, she nodded and followed Lorenzo out of the room. After they left, Isabella opened her eyes.There was no sleepiness in her eyes at all; they were sharp and alert.Laura wasn't aware that Isabella was faking sleep. Lorenzo sat on the bed while he stared at Laura's face."Have you done a pregnancy test?" Lorenzo finally asked after keeping silent for an entire minute, which made Laura ver
Isabella's face was filled with disbelief, but when she felt suffocated, fear washed over her, and her face turned pale.Lorenzo released his clasp around her neck, then leaned forward, planting a soft kiss on her nape. He said softly, "Isabel, I love you so much. Whenever you say no to me, it doesn't only break my heart, it also drives me crazy. Promise me you will never say no to me."Isabella was shaken because this was the first time she had ever come close to death, which frightened her."I will never say no to you," she replied fearfully, her heart racing.Realizing that she was scared, Lorenzo planted soft kisses on her face and then said softly, "You shouldn't be scared, I love you so much, Isabel. I will never hurt you.""Isabel, what is taking you so long?" Laura's voice came from outside the house.She had been waiting for Isabella to join her so that she could put her on public transport before making a decision about the unborn child.But after waiting for a few minutes w
The police officer nodded and then looked towards Isabella before retreating inside the police car. The police car drove off after the officer sped away.Isabella looked towards Lorenzo with an askance expression. Lorenzo silently started the car, ignoring her look, and sped off.After several minutes of silent driving, Isabella couldn't hold back anymore."Lorenzo, why did you bring me here?" She had a feeling Lorenzo didn't bring her here for sex.Lorenzo glanced at her and remained quiet; instead of responding, he increased the speed of the car, frightening Isabella, who sat shaken by the sudden acceleration.The car's tires screeched on the tarred road when Lorenzo suddenly stepped on the brake. The car came to a sudden halt, causing Isabella to lose her balance in the seat and almost slam her head against the windshield, but the seatbelt held her back.Lorenzo, holding the steering wheel, said coldly, "Get out of the car."Isabella's face was creased with disbelief. She stared at
He put the pill bottle into his pocket and then walked towards the kitchen, where he started preparing lunch. After he was done, he slipped two pills into the meal and then served it at the dining table.He returned to the bedroom. Opening the door, he looked at Laura, who lay anxiously on the bed, her face creased with worry. Despite Lorenzo's assurances, she still felt uneasy."Darling, I prepared your favorite food, and not just for you, but for our unborn child too," Lorenzo added with a smile. When Laura heard this, a sweet smile appeared on her face.Lorenzo walked over, while Laura watched his face intently. He planted a kiss on her forehead and then looked deeply into her eyes before saying, "I love you so much, sweetheart."He took her hand and gave her palm a gentle kiss. After that, he scooped her up from the bed and carried her.With her arms curled around his neck, Laura didn't take her eyes off his face. She stared at him intently, moved by his romantic gestures.Lorenzo
Isabella stiffened in shock; she never expected Lorenzo to utter such a daring statement. But before she could even think of a response, she was swept off her feet and carried toward the bedroom."Stop, don't, please!" she panicked, her heart racing rapidly.But Lorenzo ignored her and continued to carry her. With a kick at the door, it creaked open, revealing Laura, who was lying on the bed, sound asleep.Laura's heart immediately stopped in panic and shock; she didn't expect Lorenzo to be so insane as to carry out what he had just said."Put me down, please!" Isabella pleaded anxiously, her face filled with panic. She struggled to get down, but Lorenzo held onto her, not even letting her go.When he finally put her down, he directly bent her over, pressing her face against the wall. Isabella panicked and cried out."Please, don't! Don't do this; she could wake up any time," Isabella pleaded anxiously, tears streaming down her face.The thought of her mother waking up seeing the man
The man raised his hands up in the air."Hey, man, we could talk things over. Can you put down the gun?" the new neighbor who had just moved in pleaded, his face creased with fear.Lorenzo's lips curled up, his eyes filled with coldness.Sneering, he retorted, "Really?"The man's heart skipped a beat when Lorenzo whipped out his phone and dialed Isabella's number.A few seconds later, Isabella's voice came from Lorenzo's phone speaker. "Hello, Lorenzo.""Lock the doors. Don't step out of the house no matter what," Lorenzo hung up directly after he was done speaking.When the man heard what Lorenzo said to the person he called, he had a bad premonition. In a panic, he turned around to retreat inside the house.But the moment his hand grabbed the door handle, he stiffened, standing still without moving. Blood oozed from his forehead, and his eyes lost their liveliness as the blood dribbled down his nose. He slumped to the floor.Lorenzo stood behind him with his arm holding the gun stre
The deputy sheriff stared at him with cold eyes, knowing too well that Lorenzo was lying.He was aware of the crime files on Lorenzo piling up in his office, but there was nothing he could do because someone higher in rank was protecting him. With a team of attorneys backing him in court, it was just a waste of time to sue him without proper evidence."A day will come, Lorenzo, when you won't be able to live freely and act recklessly," the deputy sheriff warned sternly.But Lorenzo shrugged his shoulders and ignored him, walking into the house through the entrance. Once inside, he saw Isabella watching a movie and laughing.He glanced at the television screen and frowned. Noticing that all the windows were open, he furrowed his eyebrows. He remembered instructing her to close the windows. Did she disobey him once again?Realizing this, Lorenzo was infuriated that Isabella wasn't carrying out his orders one hundred percent."Isabella," he called out to her with a growl, his face dark a
Lorenzo's lips curled as he pulled her up and planted a kiss on her forehead, then on her cheek. He whispered to her, "Not today, Isabel. Today is for your mother. I am going to propose to her," Lorenzo replied firmly, then pulled Isabella from his embrace.Isabella stared at him in shock; she never believed that she would be rejected by Lorenzo.Seeing the shock on her face, Lorenzo's eyes flickered with a glint. Retracting his gaze, he continued his cooking.Isabella's face was filled with disbelief; she didn't understand the reason she was rejected by Lorenzo. She was heartbroken and had lost her self-confidence.She stood there, pondering what went wrong, but no matter how she thought about it, she couldn't think of any reason. So she mustered up the courage and asked helplessly, "Why?"When Lorenzo heard this question, he didn't answer immediately. He turned off the cooker before facing Isabella. "Isabel, your mother is in the hospital, and all you think about is sex. What kind o
Then she came out of the room, walked into the kitchen, and stood before the fridge. She hesitated and then turned around, re-entering the room.She set an alarm for 5 AM, woke up, quickly took a bath, and got dressed. Stepping out of her room, she went into the kitchen and started cooking.When Laura woke up and saw Isabella in the kitchen, she was surprised; she didn't expect Isabella to wake up this early to prepare breakfast."Isabel, dear, you are awake," Laura said with a smile on her face.Isabella looked towards her mother and replied, "Mother, I am preparing your favorite meal."When Laura heard this, a smile appeared on her face. "Thank you, Isabel. Do you want some help?"Isabella, who was busy at the cabinet, retorted, "No need, Mom. I can do it myself.""If you say so," Laura replied, not wanting to pester Isabella. For the past few days, Isabella had been hiding away from everyone, so Laura was naturally happy that she was ready to step out of her room and cook.She turn
Lorenzo lit a cigarette and watched from the chair he was sitting in.He sat quietly, observing every movement around him. His gaze darted toward the direction where three men in suits were walking into a private room through a doorway that led to the east wing of the bar.A smile appeared on his face when Laura turned around and ground against the man she was dancing with provocatively. When the man wrapped his arms around Laura's waist and kissed her cheek, Lorenzo began whispering words into her ear. Lorenzo squinted his eyes while a smile danced at the corners of his lips.He stood up when Laura slapped the man and then tried to run away, despite the loud music.Lorenzo could hear the violent roar of the man as he cursed, "Fuck you, bitch!"He wanted to drag Laura back to the dance floor when she ran toward him, but when he stretched out his arm, he saw Lorenzo staring at him coldly.He froze, and fear creased his face.Laura walked up to Lorenzo, grinning foolishly. She appeared
That was all Laura needed to hear before she walked toward the young man staring at her.When she stood over him, she said quickly, "Follow me to the restroom."Then she quickly walked away, panicking.The young man's face was filled with question marks.As Laura walked toward the restroom area, the more nervous she became. She didn't look confident anymore; she became even more anxious and began doubting her charm.She even regretted doing it at first. She didn't realize she was walking too fast, and the young man was struggling to keep up with her.She was about to step into the restroom area when the young man called out to her, "Hello, miss, hold on!"That was all she needed to hear before she regained her confidence. She took a large stride into the restroom area. The young man was confused, wondering what she was up to, but he shrugged and followed afterward."Hold on, miss. You asked me to come to the restroom; can you explain why?" the young man asked, looking a little impatie
Lorenzo stopped what he was doing over the car bonnet and straightened his back, he looked at Isabella and smiled at her warmly before asking gently "You look so nervous, Laura, are you alright?"Laura nodded fervently, and then rubbed her palms on her trouser, she then replied unhurriedly "Lorenzo, you know Isabella is just a kid, she has never called anyone her father, I hope you can understand this"Lorenzo chuckled and then grabbed the tools in his hands and continued working on his car while responding "Is that what is making you so nervous?"Laura didn't deny it, she replied "I don't know what is wrong with Isabella, she is acting so strange"Lorenzo laughed and then replied "She is just throwing tantrums, give her some space she will be alright"Lorenzo closed the car bonnet and then turned around and kissed Laura's forehead, and then added "You shouldn't think much about it"He then carried his tools into the tool-box in his car booth, then he said to Laura "Are you ready? let
When Isabella heard what Lorenzo said, she stared at him in shock and disbelief. She couldn't believe her ears, so she repeated, "What?"Lorenzo unapologetically retorted, "You heard me, Isabel."Isabella's eyes turned bloodshot with anger, and her lips trembled. She wanted to say a thousand words at once, but she couldn't speak. Her face was creased with so much anger."You took my virginity, and this is what you're saying? That I am your stepdaughter now?" Isabella asked, looking surprised, hurt, and furious.Lorenzo nodded and continued without showing any remorse. "That was the biggest mistake I made, Isabel. Now I regret it. I have no intention of having sex with you anymore."Isabella was so angry that tears rolled down her cheeks. She just stared at him without speaking."Lorenzo, honey, I just got an email from the City Bank. Not bad! I think I got a grant approval," Laura's voice traveled from outside the kitchen. When Lorenzo heard what she said, he walked out of the kitchen
When Laura, standing behind the door, heard Isabella's scream, she was shocked."Isabella, are you alright? What happened?" Laura asked worriedly. She hadn’t expected Isabella to scream at the top of her lungs.Isabella covered her ears and then hid under her duvet, completely ignoring her mother at the door.Laura continued to knock, but Isabella refused to open it. While she was at it, Lorenzo approached her and said, "Let her be. It’s the stress of her upcoming exams; she has to study well. Don’t you want her to do excellently? If you keep pestering her, she won’t be able to go to the best university."Laura immediately stopped knocking. She also wanted Isabella to be among the top-ranked students taking the upcoming exams. Although she had managed to attend adult school to get certified as a nurse, she knew how rigorous studying could be.Reluctantly, she replied, "Are you sure she’s fine?"Lorenzo answered without hesitation, "Of course she is. Come on, let’s go for a walk. You’r
Isabella suddenly fled from home.She ran as fast as her legs could carry her, and when she couldn’t run anymore, she sat under a tree and laid her head down. She didn’t realize when she fell asleep.When she opened her eyes, it was already dusk. Thinking Lorenzo would come looking for her, she walked to the town on foot, about five to eight hundred meters from the tree where she had been resting.When she arrived in town, her heart became numb from consistent disappointment. Step by step, she strode to the nearby store to get some snacks and water.After consuming them, she decided to turn on her phone, hoping to receive a call from Lorenzo, who would have already discovered that she wasn’t at home.She sat on a bench in the street, staring at her phone blankly. She couldn’t believe Lorenzo had forgotten about her—her own mother too.She clenched her phone tightly."Are you heartbroken?" she suddenly heard a voice ask.Startled, she craned her neck toward the direction of the voice,
Lorenzo looked at her intently without saying a word, which made Isabella nervous; she fidgeted while avoiding eye contact.Wordlessly, he took off his gloves and then left the farm for the farmhouse to clean up. When he came out of the farmhouse, he had already changed into a white button-up shirt.He looked at Isabella, who hadn't moved an inch for the past ten minutes, and then said, "Isabella, you should realize that no one cares about you and your mother. None of them came to your rescue when you needed them the most..."He paused, staring at Isabella's face and studying her reactions. Isabella felt anxious as she remembered how her mother would always return home tired and exhausted, to the point that she would worry; nobody even offered to help."Lewis doesn't love you; rather, he hates to see you and me happy. He didn't want our family to exist, and when he achieves this, do you think he will still care about you?" After finishing his speech, Lorenzo didn't say another word an
When Isabella heard this, she was shocked. She asked tentatively, "Which hospital?"Cecilia replied helplessly, "Lewis didn't tell me which hospital it is; he didn't want me there."Isabella frowned, but she didn't make any comments. Throughout the lesson period, she was thinking about Lewis's well-being, wondering how he was holding on.The moment it was break time, she got out of the room and made a call secretly, without Cecilia's knowledge.But Lewis didn't pick up her calls, no matter how many times she tried. After school, she still tried Lewis's number, but he didn't answer.Annoyed, she stopped calling and got on the school bus. When she returned home, she was grumpy. She still tried his phone number, but he never answered.When she arrived home, she didn't see Lorenzo at the door. She opened the door and walked in, only to find that Lorenzo wasn't at home.She went to check the kitchen and saw that there was no prepared food. She returned to her room and checked her phone, ho