It has been a month, Albert is getting better and better every day. So he decided it was time to go back to Country P due to his responsibilities as President of the country.“Dad, are you sure you will be okay alone out there? I can go with you.” Austin asked worriedly.“I’m fine, son. Athena needs you here more than I do.” Albert smiled reassuringly.“But Dad… Maxime, Doc Stephen, and Marcus are here. I think I’m going to be okay.” Athena said.“You may need Austin with you. I’m really okay, Dad.” Athena smiled reassuringly.“No, it’s okay, my Princess. Your brother will stay here.” He looked at Austin in a stern look. “Do
After Ethan's confrontation with the president earlier, he went to the bar alone, trying to drown his anger. He couldn’t believe what the president had told him. ‘How is it possible? Amnesia? How did she get it? If only I could see her… Where did they hide you, Athena? What happened to you? Who made you lose the baby? Who hurt you?’ He wondered.He was at the bar drinking to digest what he had found out earlier. He was drinking whiskey when someone accidentally bumped into him, causing his liquor to spill, staining his suit.“Oh, I’m sorry. I apologize. I did not notice there was someone there.” The guy said while bowing his head to apologize since
‘Ethan Reed… Where did I hear that name before?’ Athena wondered.When Maxime saw the news on TV, the glass she was holding slipped from her hands and fell to the floor, which caught Athena's and Marcus’ attention.“Maxime, are you okay?” Athena asked worriedly. Marcus hurried and help Maxime pick up the broken pieces of glass.“I’m sorry. It accidentally slipped.” Maxime said apologetically.“I’ll pick it up. You might get hurt.” Marcus said as he held her hands to stop her from picking up the broken glass.“Oh,” she muttered in shock, surprised that he held her hand. “I-I’ll go get a broom and a dustpan.” She stood up and
“Do you like my sister?” Austin asked seriously.With that, Maxime reacted and gasped in surprise. “You like Athena?!”They all went silent for a second before Stephen answered.“Yes, I like her. That is why I don’t want to keep secrets from her. I want her to know her past…” He answered seriously.“You don’t know what you are saying. If you like her… Don’t let her memories come back. Or you might regret it.”“I am willing to accept everything that she has gone through. We all know she lost her baby, and if we are going to be in a relationship, I want her to reconcile with it, so she doesn’t have any regrets. I just don’t want to
“Hey, Maxime! Are you mad at me? I’m sorry if I offended you. I just wanted to make you laugh, but I didn’t know you’d get mad at my jokes.” Marcus apologized.Earlier, he tried to make jokes because he noticed Maxime was in a grumpy mood, earlier. Marcus threw punch lines.“My therapist and I have been trying to figure out why I seem to have lost my mind… Then I realized that it’s all your fault.” He said.“What?” Maxime asked with a frown.“Because I’m crazy for you.” Maxime hissed and walked out without saying anything. Little did he know, Maxime did not get offended by what he said. Instead, she was mad because she guessed Austin would go out with Dr. Smith, and she was correct. “Look, Marcus… I’m not mad at you, okay? So, don’t get bothered. I am not that easy to get mad… Besides, you’re not the reason I am upset.” Maxime said. ‘It’s that flirty doctor. She’s such a tramp.’ Maxime wanted to say it loud but decided to keep it to herself since she had no
Due to her embarrassment, Maxime ran to an empty guest room in a hurry. She didn’t care where she was as long as she could hide. “What was that?” Athena narrowed her eyes towards her brother suspiciously, but instead of answering her, Austin shrugged and left the scene with a smug look on his face as he saw Marcus close to where they were standing, a pained look on his face. “Do you want me to bring you to Maxime?” Stephen asked. He was worried that Athena may need something later, and nobody would be there to help her. She shook her head. “No, it’s okay. Let’s wait until she’s ready. I don’t want her to feel more embarrassed.” Athena said. ‘If that happened to me, I would have felt embarrassed too, and I wouldn’t come out of my room the whole day.’
FIVE YEARS LATER…“Athena, are you ready?” Maxime asked as she opened the door of Athena’s room.Athena was wearing a nude-colored deep v-cut flowy styled sleeveless long dress embroidered with Swarovski crystals. This gown emphasized her glowing skin and the perfect shape of her body. They fashioned her hair into a french bun with loose wavy strands to frame her delicate face.“Wow, Athena… You look stunning tonight.” She said, with her mouth agape.“Thank you. You too, you look beautiful.” Athena smiled at her.Smiling, Maxime was wearing a black tea-length dress, caressing her small baby bump. She was five months pregnant with her first baby. “Thank you, and this baby is growing… I can’t hide her any longer.” They both chuckled. “I can’t wait to see your boyfriend’s reaction when he sees how beautiful his girlfriend is. He probably won’t be able to take his eyes off of you.” Maxime giggled.Athena smiled and said, “His eyes should only be on me, or el
While Ethan was at Country P, he found out that Austin's hospital in country Y will be hosting a charity event. He knew that Austin would show up and if he followed Austin it could lead him to finding Athena.Since he wasn't invited by the Morris', he asked one of the elite families attending the event to give him their invitation, trading it for a million dollars.He flew to country Y the same day and went directly to the said event. Because of his scandalous behavior the previous years he has been hiding from the press, and since he didn’t want to be recognized he sneaked into the event unnoticed. Upon his arrival, the whole place was abuzz with news of who’s going to be here and he was constantly hearing rumors about a well-known doctor and his date. When he heard it was Athena Morris, his ears tingled as he quickly scanned for her inside the ballroom. Knowing she was in the same room made him eager to see and confront her.He often thought about Athena and could
Everyone is busy preparing for the big event. It’s just a simple gathering, where they invited only the closest family members.They set the beach for the most awaited day. The wedding is finally happening. There were Chiavari chairs on both sides of the aisle, lined with pink roses placed on tall vases, requested specifically by the bride. In the center, curtains framed the altar pulled over to both sides to give the illusion that one was looking out a window into the pristine beach beyond.The guests wore pastel colors as the theme for the event. Albert and Austin wore a champagne-colored suit with white long-sleeves, while Maxime wore a halter turquoise-colored infinity dress and her son, Lucas, was wearing a suit that matched his father’s outfit.Maxime and Austin would stand as the best man and maid of honor, while their son Lucas would be the ring bearer. For their preparation, Ethan occupied the house they bought from the Scotts, while Athena checked in the hotel nearby. They
Athena’s Point of ViewI thought that… I would never feel the love and freedom that I longed for. I never thought this day would come. When I was young, all I had were the books my mom brought me to learn how to read and write. I remembered the moment I asked her… why I couldn’t live like a normal child… couldn’t do normal things like going to school, making friends with other kids, playing with them on the playground, and going to the mall? She just answered that Dad wanted to protect us from the people outside who wanted nothing to do but hurt us. And I believed in what she said.Even though I felt like I was in a cage, and I even saw Andrew hurt my mom… I felt horrified. And when mom died, he became more terrifying. He locked me inside our house. He didn’t even allow me to go to the garden… much less roam around the house. Instead, he locked me in my room. I could only sneak out when he was not there. But my luck vanished when he found out about my escapades and killed my closest
It was a late night. Athena and Ethan just finished preparing for bed. They had fun, enjoying their festive dinner with their families inside their compound and talking about the wedding that was about to happen. It was the wedding they’d all been waiting for. After their dinner, they invited everyone to stay over. Albert, Austin, and his family were happy to stay for the night just to be with Athena, whom they missed the most.“Hey, aren’t you getting sleepy? Wear this, or you might get cold.” Ethan placed a shawl on her shoulders, which Athena gladly received. He hugged her from behind while staring at the stars in the sky. They were both standing on the balcony of their room, appreciating the beauty of the night. They had the full moon giving light to their surroundings and the sound of the icy wind that touched the leaves of the trees, making the trees dance to the rhythm of their natural music.Athena shook her head. “I can’t sleep,” she said, which made Ethan frown.“Why? Is th
“What if I leave the underground world? Will you be happy and choose to stay with me?” Athena turned her head and looked at Ethan while slowly walking towards her, reaching for her hand.“I love you so much, Athena. And if you want me to quit the Mafia, I’ll do it for you. I will never hesitate to leave my organization if that will make you feel safe and happy. I will do it because I can’t live without you. So, please… please be with me.” His eyes pleaded as he looked Athena directly in the eye. He was full of hope that Athena would come back to him. “But the Mafia is like a family to you. Are you really abandoning them? How can you say that? Besides, you are popular in the underground world. Everyone knows you are their king.” Athena stated.Ethan walked closer, making her step backward until he cornered her on the wall. “I have my second in command. He will stay and guide the Mafia. I know he won’t leave the troops.” Ethan reached for her hand and pinned it to the wall.“Now, I wil
Ethan and Austin landed safely at the hotel they were checking in. Luckily, they had a helipad where he could land his chopper. Only both of them came without any troops as they knew the place was safe. Before Ethan and Austin came to the island, where Athena was hiding, Ethan called the couple, Marcia and Theodore, who saved her to inform them that they were coming to bring Athena back to the city. When they met, the couple was hesitant, because Athena asked them not to tell anyone she was hiding. But they also understood that her family was worried about her, so thecouple welcomed them and led the way to the resort.It was a private resort that only the people who owned properties were allowed to enter. From the highway, there was a narrow road that permitted one car to enter at a time. This area was hidden and surrounded by coconut trees. The entrance to their property had a bright red gate that was so huge you could not see what was inside. Plants and flowers dotted the path lea
EthanEthan was drinking whiskey while sitting in the kitchen. He was about to drink his next glass when Austin appeared and took the drink from him.“It’s not the time to drink, Ethan.” He said sternly.“What do you want me to do, then? Athena is still missing, and I don’t have any idea where the fuck they brought my pregnant wife--” Ethan couldn't finish what he was about to say when Austin stopped him from talking.“She called,” Austin said.“What?”“Athena called. She said that she’s fine and safe.”“Where is she?” Ethan grabbed Austin’s collar and pulled him closer. “When did she call? Why didn’t you call me? What did she say?” Austin shook his head as he looked at Ethan in his drunken state.Austin knew how hard it was for Ethan to lose her, and even when he was badly injured, he never stopped worrying and looking for Athena. Every single day that she was missing, Austin witnessed how Ethan used his connections to find her. But now that Athena called them and said she didn’t wan
AthenaAthena woke up hearing unfamiliar voices quarreling near her. When she opened her eyes, she immediately covered her body with the quilt, protecting her belly from the strangers in front of her. She looked at them and figured they were a couple whose ages ranged in their late 50s. Then she looked around and noticed that she was in an unfamiliar place. The house was made of wood, bamboo, and nipa leaves. It was a small and quaint house, but it was cozy. She was sitting in a bed that was very comfortable. It felt like her own bed at home. She looked at herself and noticed she was wearing different clothes.“Who are you? Where am I?” she asked.The lady’s eyes softened while looking at her pitifully. She shook her hand. “Don’t worry, we won’t hurt you. You are in our house because we found your unconscious body on the shore. At first, we thought you were dead, but thankfully, you were alive. So, we decided to bring you here to treat the wound on your head,” she explained.“How long
Ina bit her lower lip as she looked at Ethan seductively. “Sure… Anything for you, my love.”“Master!” One of his men called out. He just came out of Max’s cell. “The subject is dead,” He added in a whisper. His voice was so low that only Ethan could hear him. Ina frowned in confusion. He nodded and said he should go ahead and would follow behind him. “I’ll be back,” Ethan said to Ina before leaving and going back to Max’s cell.Ina glared at the person who called at Ethan. ‘Tss... Damn this guy! What did he have to call Ethan for?! He just wasted my opportunity to escape from this stinky cell… I hope Ethan will come back,’ she thought.Ina waited patiently until she heard her cell door open again. It was Ethan and a bunch of his troops who entered. Ethan ordered them to remove the chain from Ina’s cell, making her smile victoriously.Then they laid down a case that was filled with various tools. Ina frowned. There were pliers, needles, small knives, scissors, a container with a whit
“Give me good news. Have you found Athena?” Ethan asked the private investigator and his men about the progress of finding Athena.“Sir, we traced her using the tracking device you put on her engagement ring and found the location.” One of his men answered.“And where is it?” Ethan asked. The private investigator gave him the engagement ring.“We found it on the same island where they kept Athena, she must have dropped it. We’ve also searched the area and only saw these torn clothing.” The investigator gave him pieces of torn fragments they thought came from Athena’s gown.“We found this in the trash bin. According to the pattern, I think they chopped it on purpose.” One of his men said.“Maybe she was thrown to the sea–” The investigator was about to deliver his conclusion when a wine glass flew above his head. It was supposed to hit him, but luckily he had fast reflexes and bowed down just in time to evade the flying glass.“GET OUT OF MY OFFICE NOW!” Ethan’s voice roared, which mad