He didn't waste much time and brought his hands up to Elena's ass, massaging a little before palming her back and bringing her closer. The obvious sign of his arousal brushed against her thighs, leaving her gasping. With a little trembling hands, Elena lifted the hem of her dress higher and settled better on Patrick's lap. Then she took off the first piece of his suit, then his vest, and then the buttons of the white shirt he wore began to open one by one. "Elena, I don't think... — Shh. She silenced him with a powerful kiss that made him dig his fingers into her ass. “You shouldn't be on my lap. He was fully aware of where this was going, and he didn't know if he would be able to see her eyes examining his burned body and his amputated leg. "I'll be on your lap, yes." She bit his ear, making him growl. "And if you complain too much, I'll start rolling on you." With a little effort, Elena managed to get his shirt off and was amazed at how many tattoos he had. The room was
Whenever Marco had any fears when he was little, he would go to his father. Whether it was some insect that scared him, a supposed monster under his bed, nocturnal creatures that visited him at night or the irrational fear that many children have of losing their parents for some reason. Sitting in the back of a rented limousine, he was a child again. He was afraid. In fact, he was terrified. He wished with all his might that he hadn't made such a big mistake. And again he needed his father to tell him that everything would be okay, that there was nothing to fear and that when he woke up the next morning, the fear of the night before would be nothing but a memory. When he entered his parents' mansion, he saw James Hardy and Eduardo sitting in the living room, each with a shot of whiskey in hand, looking very deep in conversation. What is James doing here at this hour? - March. — Eduardo smiled when he saw his son standing at the double doors of the living room of his house.
“Son, could you bring Charlotte here? Marco frowned and stared at his father. - For what? He asked suspiciously of the request. "Dad, I love you, but I swear to God that if you think I'm going to let you say a few good things to her..." Edward smiled. “I have a lot to say to her, yes. But believe me, she will want to hear it. 'What is she talking about?' “From some of the things James discovered for me. Marco set the glass down on the center console of the room and leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees. - Can you tell me. he demanded. “I think it's best to wait until she's here. I don't want to repeat myself. Marco was saddened. Maybe she never wants to see me again, he thought. “I don't think she wants to come here, Dad. She asked me to stay away. "And you intend to do that?" - No! But I don't know how to approach her after the shit I did to her. Marco couldn't resist and picked up the glass again, pouring the rest of the liquid he had left. “The last
Patrick and Elena - What did you say? Elena had her eyes on the floor. Her mind flew back ten years ago, to the boy she loved so much, and who broke her heart by walking away from this world without saying goodbye. Of course, it hadn't been his fault, but that didn't stop her from feeling betrayed by life for taking away something she'd only known for a short time, but had loved as if it had been with her for centuries. “Your story…” Elena cleared her throat. “She kind of reminded me of a guy I knew. Patrick sighed with relief. For a minute, he thought her secret was out. It was terrifying but comforting at the same time. Maybe everything would go wrong if Elena knew who he really was, but maybe there was a chance everything would be okay. The unsettling feeling he felt made him dizzy. – Would you like to share? he asked almost in a whisper. Elena looked at him in surprise. Why was that man interested in anything about his past? It wasn't like it was a crime or anythin
“Charlotte, there's a call on line two for you. Fiona said over the intercom. Finally, after two weeks, Charlotte had managed to move the warehouse in Brooklyn to a rented floor in a building. It wasn't one of the most imposing skyscrapers in the city, but it was on Fifth Avenue, and it sure as hell had a lot more space for herself and her people. With the help of a new friend, Elena Pacheco, it was much easier to divide the company into departments. Each of her new employees would take care of a sector and she could have a little more peace of mind. Elena just didn't accept the position of financial director because she said that her stay in New York was not permanent and that she would soon return to Brazil. Charlotte didn't really believe that. Since the night of the dinner when she'd learned Marco was her partner and not Patrick, she'd seen them together a few times and the feeling she saw between the two wasn't all in her head. To Charlotte, it was more than obvious that
- Relax. You have nothing. There's no way an asshole like Roman doesn't have heart problems and you do. Marco smiled to ease her tension, but Nicole just looked at him with a worried face. She grew up with it, knowing that sooner or later, someone in her family would suffer from the same illness that her great-grandmother did. Her father had the disease, but she was restrained, as she began her treatment at a very young age. Roman never had the symptoms, and even though she was young, Nicole was afraid that one or the other would end up having the same problem. However, it had been three months since her brother had taken the tests and the doctor told her that her heart couldn't be in better condition. Which left her in the spotlight. "Look, if you want, I'll go with you." - Not alright. Go do your thing, I'll be fine. - He is sure? - Have. The Doctor. Culkin referred me to a great cardiologist. He said I'll be in great hands. It was a little after three in the aftern
“You're a bloody cheater. She walked past him, bumping into his shoulder and throwing her bag at him hard. - I did nothing. he replied, picking up the bag before it hit the floor. Then he set her on a sideboard in the hallway near the elevator door and followed Charlotte inside. "How can you receive me dressed like this?" You knew exactly what time I was coming, so why are you still shirtless?- Because? Does the fact that I'm shirtless bother you? he whispered as he passed her, heading back to the kitchen. She followed him. - Actually yes. "The fact itself or what it provokes in you?" He winked and walked over to the stove to finish stirring the seafood stew. "Your...your...your..." “Certainly 'yours', Charlotte. He didn't look back, but he felt her gaze on her back. 'There's wine in the fridge or beer if you like.' Help yourself. Charlotte didn't want to admit it, but the sight of Marco's back, muscular and sculpted, made her really need something cold. And it wa
“Sorry to wake you, Loretta. Charlotte said as the housekeeper at her parents' house opened the door for her to enter. “I know it's late, or early, depending on your point of view, but I need to see my parents. The woman smiled. She'd overheard the argument Charlotte had had with her parents, where the girl had decreed that she would never set foot in this house again and that she didn't want to hear from them anymore. She'd been cut off for strong reasons, the housekeeper supposed, and if she was back now, something very serious must have happened. “Don't worry, Miss Charlotte. I'm here for it. Charlotte smiled back at the woman and walked inside. Loretta asked if she needed anything, and when she declined, the housekeeper returned to her quarters. It was strange to be there again, it had been some time since she'd severed ties with her parents, but Charlotte knew that one last stand was needed. If only to tell them to their faces what a disgusting kind of parent they were
Five years later Marco walked into the house with a huge smile on his face. Tonight, he and Charlotte celebrated five years of marriage blessed with children and lots of love. It seemed that with each passing day, he loved his wife more and the opposite was also true. Charlotte had become even more beautiful with advancing age and even after two pregnancies, one with twins, she was still considered one of the most beautiful women in the world, losing the match to her sister-in-law Luciana, who had leveraged her career as an international model. . Marco parked the car in the garage and the moment he opened the door, two blonde girls with identical faces ran towards him. — Papa! Daddy! Daddy! Beatriz and Juliana shouted happily. They were only three years old, but their lungs looked bigger than they were. “Hello angels of my life. I missed my little princesses. Marco kissed each of them deeply, making them laugh. "Daddy, you're tickling me." Beatriz said, pushing Marco's
“We don't even have the result yet. Charlotte smiled, unable to contain her anxiety. He sneered at her with one hand. “Oh I don't need to. I feel. There's a Villa-Lobos in here. he said, placing his big hand on top of her belly. “And he does. Camilla agreed. “I didn't believe it either when I got pregnant with Marco, but that fool knew right away. Charlotte was touched by the love she saw in their eyes. Twenty-five years had passed and they still loved each other as if they were married yesterday. She wanted that too. After an awkward and loveless life, being part of Marco's family was the greatest blessing she could have. The doctor returned to the office with a huge smile on her face. Eduardo blinked at the two women beside her, full of himself, as if he had reason. "I'll have the trousseau prepared." he said, with a giant smile. — Now all that remains is to know the color. Nicole and Luciana couldn't stop chattering when the three of them returned to the room wit
The weeks that followed were far from easy for Charlotte. In the first, immediately after her father's death appeared in the newspapers and the cause, namely her own daughter, she had to face her mother - who publicly disowned her, saying that she would never forgive her for taking her husband away from her shortly before. of being arrested by the FBI for passive corruption -, the police - to whom he had to give several explanations and describe step by step what had happened in Porto, having to prove that he had acted in self-defense - and the press, which was the worst of all. all. After the news got out, she couldn't take a step anywhere without being surrounded by reporters from all the media. Her father's criminal record was mostly revealed and was extremely extensive. Also, he had a few projects that ended up coming to light. One of them being a major action in Harlem and part of Brooklyn that would take away the housing of hundreds of people, as it included demolishing som
Patrick and Elena“Elena, there hasn't been a day that I haven't thought about you. "So while you were working out your revenge plan against my father, was it me you were thinking about?" As you tried to destroy my family's business, was it me you were thinking about? There was fire in Elena's eyes and as much as Patrick couldn't physically feel the heat emanating from them, he was afraid of being burned just like ten years ago. He panicked. “Please, please, please, Elena. He knelt at her feet. “Try to see my side. Look, I know I messed up, I see it now, but I was wrecked. - Then he started crying. “I was scared, ashamed, filled with pain… I didn't know how to guide myself. Closing her eyes tightly and turning away, Elena tried to run away from the pain in Felipe's eyes. She laughed sadly and shook her head. She didn't know if she should refer to the man with her in that room that way. Felipe was sweet, kind and never, not in a thousand years, would he hurt her. But Pat
Patrick and Elena Elena couldn't believe it. Her breath hitched as she tried to absorb what she had just discovered. How had Felipe escaped the fire on the hill? And why did he use the name Patrick Matarazzo now? "How come I didn't connect the dots earlier?" Elena wondered, remembering everything that man had told her. An arson, isn't that what he told you? How could she not have guessed? Dammit, she didn't even think about it. But she couldn't blame herself. She never thought that Patrick could be Felipe because deep down she imagined that if he had survived that hellish night, she would have looked for her immediately. That was the image she had of the guy she knew and loved. It didn't cross her mind for a miserable moment that he would one day become such a calculating man. But where did his father fit into this story? Why did Patrick do what he did with his family's company? Why did he bring his father almost to ruin? Or rather, why did she hate him so much? Even
- Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Eduardo roared with rage. James Hardy had called him a few minutes ago, telling him about the ill-fated FBI raid on Senator Bernard McKeena's home. Apparently, he had spies inside the agency and already knew about part of the operation, so his men managed to get him out of prison, killing four federal agents and a detective in the process. It was obvious that at that moment he was preparing to leave the country. And maybe never come back. Something that raised every hair on Eduardo's body. “Darling, calm down. Camila asked, fearing that her husband would end up having a health problem. “How am I going to calm down? That worm put my son in a coma just because he got a few bumps. What do you think he's going to do with the rest of us when he finds out I'm the one who gave him to the police for good? That's if he doesn't already know. “Marco will be fine. - Yes go. But I don't want to spend the rest of my life fearing that at any moment he or you or Luc
Marco was taken to a specially monitored room. His condition was not really serious, the doctors had said that when his body was ready he would wake up, but it was good to always keep an eye on him for any changes in the condition. Not many people were allowed to stay there for long, so after each of the family members saw him, only Camila, his mother, was able to spend the night with him. Charlotte would have liked to have had that honor, but she understood that the poor woman was desperate to be close to her son and besides, she had to help Edward get his father. Around two in the morning, Patrick's investigators and Eduardo himself contacted him. They already had the evidence they needed to turn Bernard over to the police. Not only the ones that linked him to the attack on Marco, but also a video recovered from years ago in which the senator plotted Thomas' death with two mobsters. Yes, mobsters. James Hardy identified them on the recording. They were men of the mobster wa
- It is clear. Charlotte felt a lump in her throat. She wanted to see Marco, she wanted to be with him when she got out of surgery, but she also wanted to help with the evidence against her father. Eduardo got up and started to walk down the hall back to the waiting room. But he stopped before walking through the cafeteria door, looking at Charlotte. “Thanks for that, Charlotte. - He smiled. — I'll talk to Camila, I'm sure when she's calmer, she'll reconsider her words. “Thank you, sir. Please just... let me know if he comes out of surgery before we get back. — Yes, notice. Keep me informed of developments. Matarazzo Corporation's IT technician was analyzing the images captured by the camera, which, thank God, was still recording in good performance. Patrick and Charlotte had been with him for over an hour, and as cooperative as she was, her mind hadn't left the hospital. She just wanted to know about the man she loved. - Charlotte? Charlotte? “Uh, what? - She blinke
"I must apologize for my wife, Ms. McKeena. Eduardo sat in the chair next to Charlotte's, giving her an apologetic smile. "She's nervous and... — Don't worry, Mr. Villa-Lobos. Charlotte smiled back at him. “I understand perfectly. “Hello, Charlotte. - Patrick greeted her, sitting down too. — Patrick. And Elena? “She stayed there with my wife. – Edward informed. "But tell me, why did you want to talk to us?" Charlotte shifted in her chair so she could look the two men in the eye – even if she had to lift her head very high to do so. “I can help you find the biker who shot Marco and put the person responsible in jail. “And how can you help? Sorry, I don't mean to be skeptical, but I don't see how you can help. — I know who is responsible for sending Marco to the hospital, Mr. Villa-Lobos. - As? Who is it? — Eduardo scowled, already preparing himself for what he thought he was going to hear. “It was my father. After Marco told me the truth about my brother's death