KATALINA. She didn't. When I woke up, it was evening and I was in bed. Huracio had rushed back home to take care of me. The moment I opened my eyes, I saw the worry in his eyes. But all I could do was avert my gaze as guilt crushed me. “You are finally awake." He sighed with relief. “What happened?" I asked, feigning ignorance. “You can't remember? You fainted inside the school today." “Oh, that's true. Where is Emilia? Did she come with us?" "No. She didn't. How do you feel now?" He placed the back of his hand on my forehead. "I feel rested. Did Doctor Gerald come? What did he say?” "He said you are under a lot of stress. Why are you stressed, Kitty? Are you still jealous of Ane?” He gave me a deep look that made me break into a cold sweat. If he should go on with that assumption, he might lock me up in a cage again. "No, no, no. I am not stressed. I am not jealous. Doctor Gerald must be mistaken.” I hurriedly tried to clarify things. He raised his brows at me, his eyes
KATALINA “If I get you right, he took you on a trip to Milan, then forced himself on you?" Emilia sneered. “I knew it. He is a beast. I told you to be careful around him." She was so pissed that I could almost see steams wriggling out of her ears. I had hardly managed to avoid telling her Huracio’s dick size, spinning a web of lies on how I lost my virginity. I tried to make it look like I was lured into it, but when I saw how angry she was, I started thinking of how to turn the anger away from Huracio. What if she decides to confront him? Emilia is like a mother hen and she is good at fighting dirty if it calls for it. “Emilia. It's not like that. He didn't force himself. I was overwhelmed and careless. You know how I have always wanted to go to Milan." “So, he didn't rape you. You intentionally slept with him?" The look in her eyes was so disdainful that I felt like burying my head in the sand like an ostrich. If she can be this disgusted about a lie, what will happen if I tel
KATALINAHer face swiftly changed again. One moment, it was stern and cold. The next moment, she was smiling with eyes glittering like sunshine. “Good girl.” She moved close and cupped my chin tenderly.Caught off guard, I tried to back away, but she was surprisingly strong. “Mum, let go!” I grunted and grabbed her hands. “You’ve always been sensible. Mum was wrong to suspect you like that.” She patted my cheeks apologetically and dropped her hands. I quickly backed off, but my back hit the wall.“Mum, what was that all about? What’s going on? Why are you here?” I looked around and it was another very quite corner. How did she know all the nooks and cranny of this place? I couldn’t even remember how we got here because I was too dazed to notice. “Nothing. I just wanted to come check on you. How is he treating you? Is he asking you any questions?” Her eyes searched mine earnestly. She seemed worried. “No. He just wanted to know if I saw you, but I didn’t tell him anything. Mum,
Huracio The last few hours were hectic. Not only did Helena slip into my office, but someone set fire to Salvatore’s club after tearing it apart. Four people died, and several files went missing. Everything happened at the same time, effectively preventing either side from calling for backup. How did she pull it off? Who is helping her? “We have underestimated your girlfriend,” Salvatore grumbled. “I think it’s time we bring your wife in.” My heart trembled. “Bring her in for what?” I casually asked, trying not to sound worried or antagonistic. “For questioning.” “She doesn’t know anything.” “She met Helena and didn’t tell you anything. How can you be sure of what she knows when we can’t even trust her?” His tone made me wince. It was filled with contempt and mockery. I have always taken pride in being a ruthless slave master, but Its been four months since I took Katalina in, but I am yet to bring a 19 years old to her knees. She even dared to hide things from me. This is disg
KATALINAFuck! He came back early. I wasn’t expecting him to return early. Whenever Huracio wanted to leave the house, I had to act the dutiful, loving wife role. I pack him a box of sandwiches, and a mug of coffee, and accompany him to his car, where I will then kiss him goodbye. When he returns from work, I must also meet him at the door with a broad, happy housewife smile. Kiss him, help him with his suit, and follow him upstairs, where he usually makes me join him in the bathing. When we first got married, these rituals were upsetting. Most times, I ended up with aching jaws from the fake smiles. But with time, doing these things became natural and exciting. I am truly reluctant to see him leave in the mornings, and can’t wait to see him return in the evenings. With time, he would even urge me to sleep longer in bed. Especially if he put me through a tough night. There are days when he sneaks out of the bedroom just to make sure I slept longer. These rituals are no longer ne
KatalinaToday is a Saturday and I will usually sleep in after a vigorously draining night of wanton sex. Even though I spent the night staring at the ceiling, I woke up feeling more tired than when I had sex all night long. My chest felt heavy, and my brain felt slow. Fear of the unknown was crippling me slowly. I left Emilia’s house as early as 7 AM, hoping that when I got home, Huracio would be ready to see me. Maybe he is going to punish me, but for what? Maybe, he is going to tell me they now have my Mum and I am free to go... “You just missed him.” Rosa said. I met her standing by the front door with a white envelope in her hand. “How do you mean?”“He said I should give you this.” She handed me the envelope. Perplexed, I collected it and quickly opened it. Inside was a short note, and it said that Huracio had to travel and would be back soon. I should not play outside too often and be a good girl. “He traveled?” I glared at Rosa as if it was her fault. “He said it was
KATALINAWe had two more lectures before we could call it a day, but I was in no condition to stay in school. Emilia led me to her car and drove me to her place. Having already said too much, I came clean. Amidst tears and hiccups, I told her everything that was happening between Huracio and me. I told her how my Mum wanted me to steal from him, and what she just told me. She was shocked and said nothing for a long time. We just sat there, in her living room, staring into space. “Huracio is Mafia? You mean he is Mafia and you didn’t tell me?” Emilia gasp, breaking the silence. Are you kidding me? My jaws dropped, and I blinked at her in shock, not knowing what to say. Of all that I said, that was all she grasped? She stood up, and started pacing around her living room. Her face was pale from fear. She has express total disregard for Huracio several times. She was thinking about how he could have easily gotten rid of her and she wouldn’t even know how she died. Then, I remember
KATALINA Can’t believe that this file was here all along. It felt so strange, but I was too happy to dwell on it. “I found it!” I hurried over to the staircase rails and waved the file to Emilia. Her face broke into a bright smile and she waved back. “Come on. Come down. Let me see! “ I hurried downstairs and she snatched it. She flipped it open and we found a bunch of papers. The first page of the paper had the normal contract information about the people involved. None of the names was English, or familiar. I tried to search for Mum and Huracio’s names, but they weren’t there. If the contract has anything to do with Mum, shouldn’t her name be on it? Puzzled, I watched as Emilia turned to the next page. More jargons about terms and conditions. I have always hated reading contracts. Too many definitions and explanations. “Hm?” Emilia rapidly flipped the pages until she came to the main body of the contract, but what we found on it was unrecognizable. “What is this?” I mumb
Huracio.As always, Pecan's lights are dazzling. Unlike other days when the rich and affluent frolic around, indulging in the fresh breeze, tonight, it is bustling like a marketplace. Lots of cars started arriving at 6 pm, and by 7 pm, all major news outlets were on site, ready to document what has been tagged as the biggest real estate contract for the next ten years. Salvatore insisted that we make an appearance together, therefore, I had no choice but to leave the club with him. Arriving at Pecan, all I could think about was how excited Katalina was the last time we were here. I relived all our conversation that day. She was upset about her Mum, I got mad, and fucked her until she squirted all over herself in the elevator. Then, we had lunch, and we went to that rock where I had everything set up. It was so beautiful…If I had known that she would go missing the very next day, I would have locked her up in that room, never letting her go. I carefully stepped back when reporter
Huracio “...” The silence in the room was deafening.I expected him to say whatever he had to say and leave, but he sat down, served himself a glass of vodka, took a sip, placed the glass on the table, reclined into his chair, and started gazing into nothing just like me. Well, if he had nothing to say, then we should just enjoy the silence. It wouldn't be the first time. Feeling a little unsettled, I threw the bit of vodka in my glass behind my throat, then filled up the glass again. Just as the cup approached my lips, Salvatore finally broke the silence. “You should go easy on the drinks, Huracio. You are not looking good.” “...” I stiffened for a moment, took a deep breath, then took two large gulps of the drink, emptying the cup. I then proceeded to pour myself another drink. Salvatore stood up and snatched the bottle from me. It was sudden and unexpected. “What are you doing?” I grunted angrily. “I have a mission for you.” He said solemnly. “I can't have you drunk on th
HuracioI feel dead inside. It's been 6 months and Katalina is still gone. I have searched everywhere. I hired two private investigators who are still looking for her.I have fallen into a routine. I work, sleep, work, and sleep. If someone ever told me that I would ever faint from hunger or fatigue, I would have scoffed in their face. But there have been days when I was rushed to the hospital after collapsing. I am now anemic, malnourished, and stressed. It's not that I don't want to eat. But I don't get hungry. And even when I ate, it all tasted bland. I explained this to Gerald and some tests were carried out, but nothing was found. Medically, I am okay. According to Gerald, my mental health is at stake. Though he didn't tell me this, Rosa reported it to me. I have moved out of Katalina’s house. If it were up to me, I would change the office building too. She is haunting all the places I have taken her to. Whenever I am in the office working, her teasingly soft giggles would sud
Huracio “She is pregnant, Helena. You know how Massimo is. Do you want him to sell your grandchild?” Bound to a wheelchair and wrapped up in bandages, Helena continued to stare at Salvatore and I with unrestrained contempt. “It is in Katalina's best interest if we can rescue her before Massimo sells her to the highest bidder just like he tried to sell you back then.” Salvatore sneered. He wasn't sounding like someone who was begging for anything. Feeling uneasy, I secretly stepped on his shoe, but he just shrugged and continued. “If Dante didn't help you to escape, you and your daughter would have continued to service Massimo’s business associates till this day. That is if he didn't force her into one of his brothels. You are one of the reasons Dante died so easily. Had he known that you are this stupid and petty, he wouldn't have bothered saving you.” In response, Helena just rolled her eyes and continued ignoring us. “Helena, I know there is so much bad blood between us, but Ka
Huracio“What do you mean by that? How can she be gone?” “I don't know.” The Doctor’s voice trembled over the phone. I ended the call and dialed Stone's number. “Hello,” It was a female who picked it. “Who is this? Why do you have this phone?” I asked as I started walking out of my office building. “The owner of the phone is unconscious and getting some stitches done. Are you their family member?” Fuck. I couldn't believe my ears. My pregnant wife was gone, and my trusted bodyguard was unconscious at midnight. It felt like the world was coming to an end. It's been three days since Helena shot Katalina. Not only was I unable to snatch her from the hospital, we also have to wait until she goes to jail to be able to even touch her. Luckily enough, Salvatore has enough connections to prevent Massimo from snatching her too. To punish me, Salvatore ordered that I stand guard, doing night duties with my men at the City Central Hospital. Meaning that I could only see Katalina durin
Huracio“Your wife lost a lot of blood, but everything is fine. The bullet didn't hit any major vein, but she will need some physiotherapy due to nerve damage.” “Nerve damage?” I frowned in worry as the doctor gave me an update after the surgery. Katalina was still unconscious and Emilia was with her. “Yes. It's not a major problem, but to prevent limping and weak knees, physiotherapy is highly recommended.” “For how long?” “It depends on the extent of the damage and her body. Until she is awake and we perform more tests, I can't give you specifics.”“Okay. Thanks Doc.” I left the doctor’s office and went back to Katalina’s room in the private ward. She was still on oxygen and had a heart monitor attached to her. She looked so peaceful and pale. Emilia was seated on a large couch by one of the windows. “Give me your phone.” I casually snapped my finger at her. Looking puzzled, she handed me the phone. I entered Rosa’s numbers into it and handed it back to her. “That's Rosa's n
Huracio “What did you say?” I sprung off my seat, unable to believe what I just heard. “Ms Helena kidnapped Emilia at gunpoint, sir. She is leading her away.” “Helena kidnapped Emilia? What about Katalina?” I asked, feeling extremely uneasy. “The Madam has gone to the restroom, sir. She was supposed to meet Ms Helena there, but …” “I am on my way.”That damn Helena! What is she up to now?From the beginning, Helena had been playing me. She knew who I was and intentionally walked into my trap. She controlled everything, making me pursue her. She gave me a tough time for six months, asking me to wait till her daughter clocks eighteen as she had no intention of getting into any relationship until then. After that, we dated for three good years. Then she proposed, then ran away leaving her daughter behind. The most infuriating part of all this is that she was able to predict my actions and reactions. Knowing that she has psychoanalyzed me to the smallest detail, makes me feel very
Katalina Getting outside, I found the lecture room area eerily silent. Apart from Huracio’s men who seemed to have taken over the area, there was nobody. Mum dragged me over to my car. Stone was standing by it. “Open the door.” She snapped at him.” With a nod from Huracio who was close behind us, Stone opened the back door and she literally threw me in the back seat, locked the door, then got behind the wheels. “Don't be afraid, Kitty. Apply pressure to your wound. I will be right behind you.” Huracio yelled as Mum closed the door. “Follow me and you will never see her again.” Mum yelled at him. Once that door was closed, all I could see was his mouth moving. I couldn't hear anything he was saying again. Mum started the car and headed for the school gate. Taking Huracio's advice, I looked around the car, but there was nothing I could use to staunch the blood. “Mum, Mum, take me to the hospital, please.” “...” I got no response. The bullet had caught me on the side of my rig
Katalina“Hand me the file. Where is it?” Mum snapped at me. Her eyes were so cold and hard. “Mum, what's going on? Why are you doing this?” “The file, Katalina. I don't have time for this.” She waved the gun around as she was talking, scaring the hell out of me. “Okay, okay. I will give it to you.” I quickly brought it out and handed it over to her. She took it, gave it a quick glance and nodded. Right after that, she headed for the door. She didn't ask me to follow her. She was going to leave me behind just like I expected. Though I suspected that this would happen, I couldn't help but feel wronged. My mother was abandoning me. A dense wave of anger surged out of nowhere. Before I knew what I was doing, I had hurried over and stood in the door, blocking her way. “Katalina?” Emilia called my name in shock. “What are you doing?” Mum sneered at me. “When are we leaving, Mum?” I asked in defiance. My eyes were on her gun the whole time. She squinted her eyes at me while tuckin