GaelI couldn't sleep last night, and restlessness was consuming me. I decided to stay in my office and practically drank a whole bottle of straight whiskey without ice. I ended up passing out on the office sofa, and my dreams were haunted by a past of betrayal and pain. I woke up with the sun just rising on the horizon. I forced myself off the sofa, feeling my body protest instantly. After climbing the stairs, I walked down the hallway and stopped in front of the guest room, feeling my heart tighten in my chest."Why don't you just end this, Gael? Why don't you let her go for good?" Reason screamed loudly within me."Why?" I ask myself the same question. The answer is as clear as crystal water.She's expecting my child, an heir, and he's mine, I know he is! I lean my head against the wood and close my eyes tightly.I remember my dream, my haunting, and I clench my fists, distancing myself from there as quickly as possible.***"Good morning, Mr. D'Angelo!" Dana, the cook, says surpri
Gael"How has she been behaving?" I question Ulisses as soon as he enters the office in my house. The man stands upright in front of my desk, places a woman's purse on it, and then positions himself like a soldier in front of me."Very well, Mr. D'Angelo! She hasn't made a single sound.""But have you checked if everything is okay?""I had to open the door a few times to make sure everything was fine.""Okay, Ulisses, you can go now." I observe the man leaving my office, and with a deep breath, I think about Paul's words. His advice mingled with his—the only person who led me into the depths of darkness. Roland D'Angelo, my father. "Love On The Brain" starts playing suddenly, and curious, I open her purse, finding her cellphone. I hold the device and grip it tightly between my fingers when I see it's a call from Dylan Thompson.What the hell does this bastard want with my wife?! I mentally snarl and carefully drop the phone on the tabl
GaelOn the following day..."Good morning, Mr. D'Angelo! I brought what you asked for," Ulisses informs as he enters my office. Eagerly, I sit up in my chair, reaching out to grab some boxes and a small bag with the logo of an electronics store."Thank you, Ulisses!" I say, dismissing him. I place the bag on the table and open one of the boxes containing some cardboard folders. One by one, I open them, proudly admiring Evy's work for some small businesses in that citadel. I find myself smiling. Yes, it's exactly what you're thinking. I asked Ulisses to go to the house where she had been living for a few days to retrieve her work materials and also to look for her clients to inform them that she would continue her work, but now from Seattle. It's almost time for her nine o'clock snack, and I want to surprise her with this gesture, hoping for a truce.I put the documents back into their respective folders and grab the bag with the new phone I asked him to
EvyYou must be wondering, why did she do that? Evy, you were one step away from your freedom, about to ruin Gael D'Angelo's life, and yet you backed down? It's quite simple; I can't do it. Not with the father of my children, and especially not with a D'Angelo. If there's one thing I've learned over these months with you, it's that Gael would never pay for his actions behind bars. At the very least, his team of lawyers would get him out in less than twenty-four hours, and then? Then, he would mess with Dylan's life and surely feed on your anger to take away from me my most precious possession.My children.And there's also the fact of watching him completely defenseless in the face of my pregnancy. Seeing him moved by the simple act of touching my belly and feeling the babies move touched me, and made me realize that there's a human being inside that hardened heart. I dreamed so many times of a moment like that that I can't even count on my fingers."I ca
EvySome days..."Mom?!" I whisper emotionally as soon as she enters the D'Angelo mansion's room, and before she shows any emotion, I let go of Gael's hand and immediately go into her arms."Oh, dear, how much I missed you!" Judy embraces me tenderly and gently strokes my back. Amidst this gesture, I can't hold back a silent cry that overwhelms me, and when I pull away, I force a smile for her. "You look so beautiful pregnant, my daughter!" she exclaims, making my smile widen.."Judy Dixon, long time no see," Gael says approaching, and I see my mother's smile grow in a contagious way."Gael, my boy!" The affectionate way she hugs him leaves me speechless. The months I spent away undoubtedly brought him even closer to her, and I didn't realize it."Come, let's settle in the living room; lunch should be served in a few moments!" He invites them cordially. Judy extends her hand to me, and I hold it without hesitation, bringing it to my mouth to
EvyThe days have passed like a breeze here at the mansion. I continue locked in my room doing the work I love or spending a few hours in the garden. Gael has distanced himself a bit, which is perfect for my peace of mind because Dylan has been calling me a few times, allowing me to answer and talk to him without having to confront him. I won't say to you that I don't love him anymore because love isn't something disposable that you accept in your life and discard when it hurts you. He's still a part of me; I feel it every time he enters this room or occasionally speaks sweetly to me. However, I swear that most of the time, I feel like strangling him! I think while tying a bow with the silk ribbon of the long, delicate dress around my belly, and instantly, I look at myself in the mirror to check the result. As expected, near the usual time, my phone starts ringing, and I immediately look at the bedroom door. In a few minutes, Gael and I will leave for an appointment with the
EvyA few months later..."Hey, Evy, any news about the branch? I'm excited to make this happen!""Good morning to you too, Bia!" I grumble good-humoredly, and she laughs on the other end of the line."I told you I'm excited, didn't I?""Yes, you did!""Oh, my goodness! Yes and yes to what?""Yes, you mentioned your excitement, and yes, I saw the issue about the branch.""And then?"Well, as you can see, I continued with my accounting work. Initially in the guest room, and after some time, Gael allowed me to use his office. Now I have a section of the bookshelf for my files and a desk in a corner just for myself. The three clients I had turned into seven over these months, and in a few weeks, I'll have to take a little break as the twins are on the way. If I felt heavy at five months, I can't compare it to now, approaching nine. It's a fact that I feel quite tired, and I've become more of an eater too. As for Gael, we're
EvyI didn't imagine this day would turn out like this. I had dreams for my first pregnancy, and I never thought I'd be having my children amidst such intense turmoil. I lie on the narrow hospital bed, contemplating as I await the doctor's entrance. Gael stands by the bedside, glued to it. He's silent and still, appearing somewhat contemplative himself. Restless with another contraction, I release a low moan and shift in the bed. The room's door finally opens, and a doctor steps through it."Good morning, Mr. D'Angelo!""Good morning!" Gael immediately rises to greet him."How are you feeling, Miss Dixon?""It's... Dixon. Miss Dixon!" I correct him for the first time. The man looks disconcerted, glancing at Gael and seemingly surprised by my words."Of course! How are you, Miss Dixon?" He asks again."Feeling a lot of pain," I say uncomfortably. "In the next few minutes, we'll conduct some exams, and I need to know how much dilation you've reached. Your doctor is on the way," he infor
Miran D'Angelo"I'm going to get a drink for the girls. Do you want one?" David, Marie's boyfriend, asks, and without looking at him, I shake my head and head for the iron staircase. As if drawn to her, I go straight to the dance floor, right in the middle of the crowd of sweaty bodies, and stop right behind her. Boldly, my hands take possession of her waist. She glances sideways, her smile widens, and I have my green light. So, I lean against her delicious body and move following her rhythm. The whole thing is a sensual drug that intoxicates me, envelops me, and leaves me completely intoxicated. My whole body is buzzing, and damn, I'm dying to taste her flavor. But hold on, Miran, you need to take it slow. First, feed your desire, awaken your dormant fire, make her want more, and then you'll be in the bag. It doesn't take long for our bodies to be tightly pressed and sweaty. Our breaths are heavy and panting, and to top it off, we're already on the third drink.It's time to put her t
Miran D’AngeloEleven years later..."Why do you always have your nose buried in those books?" I grumble as soon as I enter the living room of my parents' house and find Donna, my youngest sister, lying on one of the sofas reading a romance novel.Girls! Why do they believe in such nonsense? They're always sighing around and daydreaming. I understand that love exists. I have several classic examples swirling around me. Paul, Max, Uncle Jasper, and even my father. Each of them has a story to tell. But let's be honest? You can't live on dreams. I'm not a heartless man or anything like that. I'm more of a pragmatist. I'm the vice president of D’Angelo Corporation and soon I'll be the president, but I didn't get here with dreams and sighs. I studied, worked hard, and did my best to be seen by my father and recognized for my merits. I'm determined, and I have my feet firmly on the ground."I love witnessing love growing in their hearts. You should try it," she says, closing the book and ju
EvyMinutes later...Remember the part where my world was falling on top of my head? It just collapsed completely because at this exact moment, there are several men scattered throughout the mansion with their pens and clipboards, calculating the value of everything. Exactly everything. Not even my jewelry escaped this. Nervously, I grabbed my phone and called my brother. Where did this idiot go? I wondered mentally when yet another call went straight to voicemail."Damn it!" I cursed with a loud exhale and pocketed the phone back."Miss Dixon?" I subtly nod to the tall, portly man as he approaches. "My name is Phil Carter, I'm the manager of the Seattle bank, and I would like to talk to your mother about some outstanding matters...""You'll have to talk to me, Mr. Carter. Please, come with me to the study," I say and take a few stiff steps, leading him inside and pointing to a chair for the gray-haired gentleman. "Care for a drink?""Oh no, thank you, it's still too early," he nods.
EvyAt dinner, I was super happy and excited about my surprise, but the atmosphere seemed a bit off. John had a smile on his face, but he couldn't take his eyes off his plate. Why was this strange? Well, normally, he's chatty and funny too. Dad, on the other hand, was serious and barely touched his food, and my mom seemed a bit pale. If this surprise could tragically change the mood of our dinner, I confess I'm afraid to find out what it is."I need to go out," Dad announced suddenly, and Mom dropped her utensils on the plate. He went to the living room, and she followed him immediately."What was that? What's happening?" I asked my brother. However, he let out a theatrical sigh and looked at me with a certain disdain."It was nothing, little sis. Dixon family dramas that you know well. I don't know how you're not used to it yet." I forced myself to swallow the food in my mouth, left the utensils, and went after them. Dixon family drama? What kind of talk is this? Since when do we hav
Evy"Ah, Ivy?" He immediately puts down the pen on the papers and stands up."Did you want to talk to me, Professor?" He nods, indicating a chair, and I politely take a seat."First of all, I want you to know that I just graded your test.""And?" I arch my presumptuous eyebrows because I know exactly what the result is."You are truly amazing, girl!" I break into a broad and smug smile."Thank you, Professor!""Anyway, that's not what I wanted to talk about.""So, what is it about?""I've had my eye on you for some time, Ivy. And since we're nearing the end of the course, I'd like to invite you to go out." Okay, I swallowed hard now. Okay, he's really handsome and attractive too. There's just a little problem in this equation. After focusing on this course, my second focus will be getting into one of Seattle's largest accounting firms "the D’Angelo Corporation" and for that, I'll have to take another deep dive into the world of numbers, but this dive needs to be much deeper. I'll need
From this chapter onwards you will have a spin-off of Ivy Dixon. How it all began?*** EvyMoments before the Dixon family went bankrupt..."My name is Ivy Dixon, but you already know that. As you've probably noticed, I'm a pretty outgoing and lively girl. However, I'm also determined and opinionated. So, I can take things easy, but don't step on my toes. Besides this mixed personality of mine, I have an exaggerated passion for numbers, and that's been the case for as long as I can remember. That's precisely why I'm studying accounting.Well, I was born into a family with Italian veins, and I believe that's where my determination comes from. I have few friends at the moment, and don't think it's because of shyness, because if there's one thing I'm not, it's shy. The fact is, since I started college, my high school and childhood friends have all gone their separate ways, and I've had to start from scratch since then. Of course, I'm almost done with my degree, and I haven't exactly foc
Gael "Time for congratulations, guys," my daylight announces, opening just a crack in the door. The men down the remnants of their drinks and leave their empty glasses on the coffee table, exiting the office one by one. However, I remain standing in my place, devouring my wife with my gaze. She stands by the doorframe, and after coveting me for a while, decides to enter the room and walks slowly towards me. I undo the first two buttons of my shirt for some air, but it seems to be trapped in my lungs. Definitely, nothing has changed between us over these years. Ivy still dominates me, circles around me, blatantly steals my control and my capacity too. However, I don't complain. On the contrary. I love it when she takes over my universe and commands my entire orbit. I think completely amazed when she stops right in front of me. "You look beautiful," I whisper, leaving my untouched glass on my desk and pull her closer to me. My wife wraps her arms around my neck, and I tilt my head clos
GaelSeven years later...Every passing day convinces me that I was a fool. Remembering that I was once an arrogant man, equally tough on myself, everything, and everyone around me, makes me realize that I wasted a lot of time licking my wounds and covering my eyes to see only what I allowed myself to see. For this reason, my universe changed course in a radical and painful way. I had to face fear head-on. I had to endure the cold that nearly froze my bones and the storms that almost destroyed me to get here. I reflect as I watch the preparations for my youngest daughter's fifth birthday party."Grandma? Grandma?" Donna shouts with her infectious childlike enthusiasm, and the twins run in the same direction as her, snapping me out of my reverie.That's exactly what you're understanding. We had another daughter over the years, and what a surprise it was when my beautiful wife named her after my mother. Donna D'Angelo, our little princess. The funniest thing about all this is that Lis,
Jasper Mason"That's it, Gael! From all of this, man!" Paul grumbles in agreement, filling his glass and raising it in a toast. Max does the same, with trembling hands, and the others repeat the gesture. We approach to join our glasses in a clumsy toast, spilling some of the drink, and we turn the liquid into our mouths at once."There you go, groom, you start the game." Paul unexpectedly throws the ball in my direction, and it hits my head forcefully. The guys laugh, and I point a finger at him."I'm going to beat you big time, idiot!" I threaten with humor, and the commotion returns. When I was just a boy, I dreamed of moments like this with my older brother. Games, laughter, sarcastic remarks, moments of camaraderie. However, I never imagined a bachelor party or that he would be my best man at the wedding. The ball rolls on the improvised field, and I run wildly, dribbling the men in my way. However, after hitting the goalpost made of stones, I gaze at the sky, opening a wide and h