Abby’s POVWhile I was traveling to my flower shop, I listened to some of my favorite chill music on the way there. I was filled with joy and contentment as I sang along to the beat of the music, and a short time later, I arrived at the flower shop. I rented a small shop in this small town, opened the door, and started my day by putting some floral decorations outside the store.I opened the bottle of water because I was so thirsty. Then I took a deep breath and sat on the chair outside while reading a magazine. I crossed my legs and put my glasses on. The next second, a man walked in and immediately began searching for something. I get to my feet and greet him with a cheery face."Hi, sir. What can I help you with?"He took one look at me, and despite his adult looks, he gave off the impression of being a timid young boy. He gave me a friendly smile before pointing to the red flowers in the far corner and asked, "May I get that one? How much?"I gave him a friendly grin and the bou
Abby’s POV "Oh, I've got to go... Something happened to Charlotte at school. I need to get there as quickly as I can." Christian was about to say something, but I was in a hurry, so I left him in the restaurant and took a taxi to the primary school. As soon as I walk through the door, every single teacher stops what they're doing and stares at me in wonder. Nonetheless, my main priority was to search for my child, so I asked the teacher. "Uhm, I'm Charlotte's mother, where is she?" The teacher sighed and then said, "She is currently at the clinic with her father." "Miss Reyes, Did you say her dad?" "Your daughter was with her dad, and she looked so pleased telling everyone that she has a dad, why don't you give your husband an opportunity to be with your daughter? Are you divorced or legally separated?" she asks, wanting to know about my life. I gave a little shake of the head, and then, just as my heart started racing with excitement, I said, "Excuse me," and went to the hall
Abby’s POVSouthern end of Central Park in Manhattan, New York City.It was pouring heavily outside, and we had to call off our trip because it was not safe to travel anywhere in the current weather conditions. When I spotted Charlotte looking out the living room window at the city lights, it made me smile. While she was having a good time and holding her teddy bear, she caught a glimpse of me and flashed a grin. "Mommy…” I hugged her from behind and kissed her cheek, “Yes, my love?” She sighed deeply, “When is my daddy coming to pick us up?” I checked my phone to see if Fabian had sent me any messages, but I didn't see anything, even missed calls or texts; I was starting to grow concerned, but all I could do was hope that perhaps he was preoccupied with his business or that maybe he met someone in connection with his new transaction. I got up and said, “Wait, baby. I have to call Daddy, okay?” She nodded her head and smiled at me excitedly, “Yes, mommy.” I took a deep breath w
Fabian’s POVThe storm was heavily pouring, and lots of cars were stuck in the traffic because of the big floods in the street. I sighed as I stared at my phone because there was no signal, I wanted to call my wife and my daughter just to tell them I was okay and there was nothing to worry about me, but I thought I had to sigh and wait for the traffic to move. The traffic finally moved, and my driver breathed a sigh of relief. He then took the fastest route to get to the street in Manhattan. I had a house in the Billionaire's Row residential area. I have a lot of plans for Abby and Charlotte, including living with them in the simplest way possible to make them feel safe since I'm going to end my job as the mafia boss, and I hate being away from them. I don't want to put the lives of my family members at risk. I opened my bag and pulled out a little teddy bear for Charlotte, and I smiled because she would love this.Then all of a sudden my phone began to ring, I smiled as I knew it co
Charlotte’s POVI hold my breath as I look into my father's sharp eyes. I was shaking like crazy when he stepped toward me, and when he was close enough, he took a deep breath, pulled my hair, and slapped my face in front of his woman without saying anything. The woman gasped and said, “Miguel! Stop it! How can I market this young woman if you are ruining her beautiful face?!” My dad never loved or cared for me my whole life. He always said that he reminds me of my mom and hates it when he sees my face. That's why he keeps hurting me verbally and physically until I get used to it. Dad answered, "Well, this woman doesn't respect me!" First, she wouldn't let me in, and now she's trying to jump out the window!" Then he opened the window, and it seemed like he saw someone outside. It was the gang leader, and he waved his hand at me, and then my dad shut the window and glared at me."Is that your boyfriend?! You whore!" I shook my head in terror, and said softly, “No…he’s not my—” He
Charlotte’s POV"Mr. Gallagher, she's not the girl I've been talking about—" He stopped Amanda from talking, and his cold eyes were on me. He looked at me from head to toe and asked, "Why is this woman running away from you?" “She’s the newbie here, Mr. Gallagher. Her father sold her to work in this club…” When I heard Amanda say that I was being sold by my father to work in this filthy club, I pulled my lips into a tight purse and narrowed my eyes in anger. I felt like I needed to protect myself. I stifled a gasp, fighting back tears as best I could in front of them. I tried to look up and sniffle even though tears streamed from my eyes. I must muster up my strength because I won't have anyone to save me tonight. There’s a silence between us, and from the moment he saw that I had trouble with myself already, he asked Amanda in curiosity. “So this woman is working for you now?” Amanda nodded her head, and I rolled my eyes annoyedly. I exclaimed angrily, “I did not accept this fi
Charlotte’s POVHe grips my legs tightly, and I can’t move it because of his grip. I was still looking at him; he leaned forward and pulled me closer to him. My body pressed against his warm body; he gulped softly and said, “Why did you kick me? That’s so disrespectful.” He moved his body closer to me until I could feel his chest on my torso. After that, he moved his body even closer to me. "And now...you're spreading your legs to me as if you're ready to take me," I jerkily try to free myself from his hold, but he doesn't let me get away. Instead, he just stared at me for a few minutes until I finally gave up and leaned down with my back against the couch. His palm slowly stroked my legs, and I trembled at his touch. I have never been touched by a man like this. I bit my lower lip, and his eyes landed on my lips, he leaned closer, and I could feel his warm minty breath, he asked softly. “How old are you?” My voice cracked as I replied, “N-Nineteen…S-Sir.” When our eyes met, I p
Charlotte's POVWe went to the parking lot, and my cold sweat ran down to my temple as I kept looking around in fear. “Call me Logan, my name is Logan.” He said as he pushed me inside his car. “But…I don’t want to go with you.” I grip my hand tightly. He took a glance at me, “Do you want to stay out there? My men is planning to rape you tonight, do you want that to happen to you?!” I shook my head.“Then that’s good. It’s already 2 am, and I need to sleep, and don’t be noisy.” We got to his house in the woods at 3 a.m., and I couldn't stop yawning, and my legs were already getting cold. I'm so tired that I can't keep my eyes open and want to sleep on the floor. But seeing a bloody man on the floor earlier didn't go away, and it kept coming back to me in my thoughts. I was scared when Logan carried me inside and saw that my hands were shaking. He set me down, and I saw a couch. I closed my eyes, laid down on it, and moaned softly in relief.I wish I could forget about everything t
Santiago’s POVAfter his brothers left the Villa, I carried her to the bedroom. In the midst of my tight embrace, I blurted out, "Who was that guy?" She laughed at me and said, "Uh, I love putting Chris Evans pictures in my old room. I even told my brothers that he was my boyfriend." It turned her face red as she tried to explain it to me, and I could see the little girl talking about her crush right before me. "I like Captain America..." I nodded my head and said, “I thought you met someone like me…” She gazed at me, “Well, you are more handsome than him. I like you more….” Those words made me hold my breath. I wasn't ready to hear that yet, but she grabbed my arm, and I leaned forward to look her in the eyes. "I thought I was going to die," she said with a smile. Then she paused and said, "But if I really am going to die, I have to tell you how much I like you before it's too late." I caressed the side of her cheeks and smiled at her warmly, “I like you too.” I kissed her li
Santiago’s POVI no longer see the smile that Beatrice always gave me whenever she saw me; she was scared for her life. It's all my fault; I make a woman's life dull and unhappy. I should not have asked her to marry me just to get what I wanted.The thought of her driving me insane, and here she is, in the operating room, having the bullet removed from her abdomen. I hold my breath every time the operating room door opens. Then, all of a sudden, a doctor walks up to me and says, "We did everything we could, but she didn't make it. I am sorry." My heart sank when I realized the woman who had brought so much joy into my life had already passed away! Jeric gave me a sighing look and said, "I'm sorry for your loss." Then I closed my eyes and asked the doctor, "Are you sure about that?!" "I'm sorry, your mother didn't make it—" he looked at me. I smacked him in the face and told him, "You're fu*king wrong! How could you say that?" "I'm the son, not him!" the man yelled at the Doctor.
Beatrice’s POV“Wait for me there! I’m on my way! F*ck!” He cursed silently after the call.At every turn, I felt uneasy because someone had just placed a camera around the house. The enemy will use it against Santiago because it could cause a lot of trouble. Everything and everyone around him wants him to die or fail. It's hard for me to think that there are people in this world who exist solely to do something bad just to get what they want!Then I heard two vans pulling up to the Villa. One of them parked outside the gate, and the other van went inside. The driver got out to look for me. I ran to them immediately and said, "What's happening?" The man thoroughly examined me before saying, "Alright, Miss Beatrice, you must go outside." "Why? What's going on?" "The hidden camera you saw in the kitchen wasn't just a hidden camera; they wired a bomb to it!" the man said as he dragged me out the door. Then he looked around and looked for some people inside and I immediately remembere
Beatrice’s POVUp until he tripped and fell onto the bed next to me, he was lying on top of me, and my hands were resting on his chest. The way we looked at each other made it seem like he was trying to diagnose my problems, but I was perfectly OK. I pushed him away, and he rolled over next to me. He sighed deeply and stared blankly at the ceiling. "I think you need to rest in your own bed instead of mine," I told him. When he heard that, he got up and left without speaking with me. I sighed as I thought about what was wrong with him again! I got up early the following day and tried to decide what I would do today. "Good morning, ma'am," the kitchen maid greeted me. "Morning." "Sir Santiago has prepared breakfast for you, and it has been placed in the microwave; all you need to do is heat it up." She smiled at me.I nodded in agreement, wondering why he needed to treat me this way. This is something I can do myself. But the maid said, "Ma'am Bea, he told me he won't be home ton
Beatrice’s POVAs I look at him walk away, I hold my breath. He then waited for me in the car until I was done thinking about everything. Damn! From now on, I have no other option except to continue working for him until the contract is finished. "How could I marry such a cruel man? Mafias are bad, that's true. They break the law and do bad things because they want power as well as wealth. Indeed, I am right." I sucked in my breath because I thought I was so stupid for talking to myself about this!While my mind was racing with thoughts, I walked down the hall and saw that his guards were waiting for me outside. They opened the van door for me and then slid it shut. Santiago's driver got into the car and drove off. Santiago was still silent as I looked across at him. Something must be done because I don't know what to say to him. It made me feel like I was crossing a thin line to be with him. Even though he was nice, I'm still not sure if I should be careful around him. Although h
Beatrice’s POVHe found my question so funny that he was guffawing across the room. Then I glared at him angrily and said, “Well, that wasn’t funny.” "Beatrice, I like you as a friend and a good secretary and also as a good pretending wife and nothing more," Santiago remarked. It makes my heart skip a beat. Does he always have to hurt me by being honest with me?After that, I gathered my arms over my chest, raised my eyes to meet his, and said, "Yes, of course." I then returned to my room to grab a dress from the wardrobe to prepare for our evening supper. After settling on a white dress that seemed both understated and sophisticated, I accessorized with black heels and a matching white handbag. Afterward, I applied a touch of blush to my cheeks and a swipe of red lipstick. Upon opening the door, I found him waiting outside, asking, "Are you ready?" “I’m more than ready, Santiago.” He smiled at me, “I like that attitude of yours.” I answered sarcastically, “Oh, me too!” Then h
Beatrice’s POVTWENTY-FOUR HOURS LATER,It's something I never thought would happen. I was marrying someone I didn't know I'd be with. It was my boss, and I found his expression quite flattering; it was almost as if he was trying to tell me something about his feelings for me.Damn! I like him so much that I have to agree to his proposal! In the presence of an overwhelming number of strangers, I clutch the flower firmly in my fingers and fix my gaze on him. He smiled back at me after I smiled at him. "You may now kiss the bride," the priest said. He slowly lifted the veil above my head, and as he looked me in the eyes, he smiled broadly. Next, he lowered his head to plant a kiss on my lips, completely silent. When his lips touched mine, I closed my eyes and stood on my toes as he kissed me deeper. Following that, there was a resounding applause and enthusiastic cheers. As Santiago led me down the aisle, I saw my two younger brothers in the crowd. They looked so proud of me that I
Beatrice’s POV"Are you asking me to marry you? Are you----Are you drunk?" I asked him in a soft voice while looking at him blankly. I don't understand why he would pose such a question to me. This time around, he sounds so desperate.He looked at me with thin lips and then got down on one knee to put the ring on my finger. Everyone in the street looked at us as the center of attention. This time, I couldn't believe that my boss was going to ask me to marry him, and he's not even my boyfriend! What the hell is going on? I asked myself while my heart was pounding like a crazy heart beat. Gosh! This is wild. But he already put the ring on my finger and he didn’t even wait for my answer. “Let’s go.” I glared at him, “I didn’t say yes to you yet!” "But you need to." He took my hand and led me back to his car. "Hey! Not everything that you can get! You can't take that easy on me!" I yelled at him. "I understand that you're not like that. What I really want you to know is that I'm n
Santiago’s POVIt's been over five hours, but I still can't fall asleep because I keep thinking about how many enemies I have in this organization. Despite their friendly demeanor, they all plotted my downfall. I looked at the clock and saw it was three o'clock in the morning. What the heck? I have not yet gone to sleep. I got up, stretched my arms, and let out a soft yawn. I went down the quiet hallway and opened the door to Beatrice's room. She was already asleep. She was sound asleep in my bed, and her face looked like the face of an angel. When I thought about how I kissed her lips the other day, it made me smile softly. That made me feel a little happy, and I forgot how different my world was from hers. I closed the door and went to the couch to close my eyes for a bit. Then, out of nowhere, I awoke with another headache, and a girl was standing before my eyes. She sported a pair of shorts and a white blouse.She smiled and gave me the medicine and a glass of water. "Good morn