Nicole's parents were gathered, and Rina expressed the concern she felt for her daughter. On several occasions, she felt like she was being watched, so Gío increased the security."We need to increase the security for our daughter. It should be done discreetly, just like before. I'm sure Sergio is up to something, and I don't want my daughter to find out about what's happening," Rina expressed her concern to Gío. She had felt under surveillance on multiple occasions, prompting them to enhance security measures."I haven't discussed this with Bruno yet, but if Sergio tries anything against my daughter or my grandson, I will take action," Noah replied, equally worried about his daughter's safety.René approached them and noticed their troubled expressions. "I can see you're concerned. What's going on?""I'll tell you, but I haven't informed Bruno to avoid worrying him. We don't want Nicole to find out, please," Noah said."I won't say a word to her. What's happening?" René asked, growin
Deborah calmly read the information written on those sheets. At no point did she feel any emotional connection to the information she saw about her son or her grandson; they were merely strangers to her.She felt it was a great annoyance to have to get close to them. As for Nicole, she thought that removing her from the picture would save them a lot of trouble. She considered her such an insignificant girl.In the Hamptons, Bruno's parents had prepared a luau-style evening for their guests. The boys wore shorts and shirts with floral patterns, while the girls donned cropped tops and long hula skirts. Bruno didn't like that Nicole had her belly exposed, even though she looked great and there was no evidence that she had ever been pregnant."You should cover up. It's a bit windy, and you might catch a cold," Bruno approached her, offering a small blanket."I don't think so, but thanks for caring," Nicole replied, moving away from him to join Máx, Sophie, and Dante, who were engaged in a
For Leandro, it was difficult to be away from Nicole. His brain refused to acknowledge her as his sister. He tried to forget her by being with Shelsy, but it was useless. He couldn't even stand kissing Shelsy. The girl was beautiful and had changed a lot since their family fell into ruin.His father insisted on convincing him to help preserve their fortune. Leandro thought about it carefully. He would make his father believe he was on his side so he could find out his plans and protect Nicole and Santi."What brings you here, son?" his father asked, surprised. He thought his son wanted nothing to do with him."I've decided to help you. Nicole is very happy with Bruno, while I feel like I'm dying. So I'll help you," Leandro replied."Well thought out, son. We'll get rid of that woman, her mother, and her child. Nobody can take away what belongs to me. I've worked hard for the company to reach where it is, and it's not fair that they want to take it away from me."Leandro observed his f
Alizza couldn't believe what she was seeing. Were those two men not interested in Nicole?She smiled maliciously, realizing that she might be able to use this information to her advantage.Max pulled away from Amadeus, breathing heavily. As he turned around, he noticed a figure walking away, recognizing her by the dress."Damn it! Alizza saw us. She'll think something that isn't true," he felt desperate."Damn it!" Amadeus thought that he had gotten himself into a big mess by letting himself get carried away."It wasn't me, it was you," Max exclaimed."I know, I just wanted to confirm if you felt the same way, and now I know you do.""This can't happen, let's forget about what happened," Max insisted."I'll talk to that girl," Amadeus tried to ignore what Max had just said.Amadeus hurriedly entered the hall, managing to see Alizza heading towards the bathrooms. He followed her and caught up, gripping her arm tightly."Wait.""What's the matter, Mr. Richter?" Alizza pretended not to k
Nicole didn't plan on making things so easy for Bruno. For years, she had to pay for something she didn't do, while he wouldn't even listen to her. She remembered how he would enjoy her body and then reject and humiliate her in the worst way possible.She would savor his caresses and his passion, making him believe that she had fallen for his charms. But when they reunited, she would test his luck, see if he had truly changed and was willing to do anything to win her love. He would have to prove it; she didn't want to fall into his trap and be imprisoned once again, that terrified her."What are you thinking about?" Bruno said, approaching her from behind and planting a kiss on her shoulder while rubbing her back. She, lost in her thoughts, stood on the terrace and smiled."I was thinking that you were right. The view from here is truly beautiful," she lied, not wanting to start an argument. She knew they would if she expressed her true thoughts."The view I have from here is the best
Alizza stood in front of the desk and immediately noticed the marks on Bruno's neck. The expression she made was not pleasant."What do you need?" Bruno asked, visibly annoyed by her presence. He couldn't stand her coming near him."As I mentioned before, I want to apologize to you. My behavior was not appropriate, and I am truly sorry," Alizza said."Yes, it wasn't," he replied with displeasure, wanting the girl to understand that she shouldn't approach him."I hope you can forgive me," she said, pouting in an attempt to soften him."It's forgotten, but remember that it must never happen again. You will be reassigned to another company; it's for the best so you can continue with your training," Bruno said."No, please, sir, let me stay here. I will learn from you and Mrs. Nicole. You both are the best. I promise I won't bother you again, and I won't disturb your presence here," Alizza pleaded."It's already decided. You will be notified as soon as I find a place for you. You cannot s
Bruno wondered what would happen if Nicole got pregnant again; perhaps then she would agree to marry him again. As for the religious marriage, they could renew their vows.It goes without saying that he put a lot of effort into it all night long.At dawn, Bruno got up, took a quick shower, and got ready for work. He had to make up for lost time the day before and reschedule all the postponed appointments.Nicole woke up shortly after, feeling very tired."Good morning, my sleeping beauty," Bruno greeted."Good morning, Mr. Leone," she replied."How did you sleep?" he asked with a laugh."To be honest, I didn't sleep much. There was something in the air that didn't let me sleep," Nicole said."Well, judging by that big smile, I can guess that you enjoyed whatever that something was," Bruno teased. Nicole blushed at the memory."Haha, your face has turned completely red," he loved that she still blushed.Nicole smiled, then got up and headed to the bathroom, this time not covering herse
"Come on, Leandro, let's go. I'll take you home," she said, dragging the words."I want to see Nicole, tell her how much I love her," he said, slurring his words."You'll see her there, she'll be waiting for you," she assured him.With difficulty, she managed to lift him up. She was tall but too thin."Do you have to have so many muscles?" she asked as she carried him. Unfortunately, that day she had to go out without her bodyguards.She managed to get him into the car and drove him to his mansion. A member of the staff helped her get him out of the car.They took him to his bedroom, and she was left alone with him after she had laid him down on the huge bed."Nicole, do you still love me?" he asked, slurring his words."Damn it! Leandro, you're even more messed up than I am. I've already resigned myself to losing Bruno, but you're still on the same path," she sighed.She hurried to change him and then lay down beside him to take care of him.Later, Shelsy, who was lying with her back
Bruno headed to Gío's house, longing to be reunited with his wife and son. They received him with such coldness that he felt like he was facing blocks of ice. Rina and Gío watched him, clearly annoyed."If you're going to mistreat our daughter, why did you come looking for her?" Rina said."I love her," Bruno replied, bowing his head, feeling ashamed of his behavior."Are you sure? Because if you're not, it's better for you to leave. Your insecurities are causing our daughter pain.""I need to talk to her, to ask for her forgiveness.""This will be the last time you do something foolish and we allow you to get close to her. Let it be clear that we're doing it for our grandchild. If it wasn't for that, we would have taken her out of the country in the early hours of the morning."Bruno paled upon hearing those words. He didn't want to lose her again; he couldn't bear it.Rina and Gío went upstairs, and a few minutes later, Nicole came down with a serious expression on her face."What d
Alizza was being interrogated. Bertha had already given her statement, and Alizza insisted that the woman was lying. She claimed she didn't work for anyone and hadn't made any calls."This woman hates me, that's why she's trying to implicate me," Alizza lied in an attempt to save herself. She had admitted everything to Bruno and Dante, but now she denied it."If you tell us who ordered you to harm Mrs. Leone, maybe we can reduce your sentence. You're in a big mess, young lady," the detective told her."I'm telling you the truth, I haven't done anything. Bruno and I love each other, that's why these women have set me up," she thought of making them believe that Bruno was lying about her.The police officer left the interrogation room and immediately called Bruno to give his statement. Bruno arrived promptly."Mr. Leone, you lied in your previous statement. The girl claims to have a relationship with you, which is why your wife and secretary have implicated her," the officer informed hi
In the corporate office, Alizza was getting ready to leave when Dante approached her."Do you need something, Mr. Dante? I was about to leave," she asked, puzzled. Dante never spoke to her."Why?" His face displayed the fury he felt."I don't understand," she replied, unaware that she had been discovered."Why did you do it?" The intensity of Dante's gaze made her uneasy."You're scaring me, sir. I don't know what you're talking about," she instinctively took a step back."Don't play dumb. You put oil on the stairs to make Nicole slip. We have evidence," he said, restraining himself from slapping her."Sir, I have no idea what you're talking about," the girl trembled, terrified of being exposed.At that moment, Bruno entered the room. Alizza saw his face distorted by pain and anger, and she attempted to run away."You're not going anywhere," Bruno grabbed her arm and without thinking, he struck her in the face. Then, he grabbed her by the throat and began to apply pressure with his ha
Deborah had thought that Nicole would intervene on her behalf, but upon realizing that she wouldn't, her hatred towards her grew. She left the place, trying to contain her fury.Bruno took Nicole's hand and they returned to the dining room. Sara, seeing that Deborah had left, took Santi downstairs so he could be with his parents. Later, they went upstairs to put the little one to bed, and as they did every night, Bruno told him a story.He enjoyed this role as a father; he had always felt that his life lacked purpose, and now he had found it.Nicole was lying down, and he applied cream to her hands before starting to massage her feet. He constantly surprised her; this wasn't the Bruno she knew. Perhaps he had changed.After a while, he rested his head on Nicole's abdomen."You, together with your brother, will be the most loved baby in the world. I will protect you for the rest of my life, I promise you, my little love."He fell asleep while she tenderly stroked his head. Bruno might
Alizza headed to the bathroom, took her phone, and made a call."Hello.""Sir, Mrs. Nicole and Mr. Bruno are still together.""I already know that.""She's pregnant.""Well, well, that's interesting. That's something new. Keep me informed of everything that happens.""Yes, sir."Alizza hung up the phone after the man on the other end ended the call. She hated that man because he forced her to be his spy, but she knew he was willing to make Nicole disappear, and she was pleased about that.Two days later, they gathered at Rina's house. It was the day she was discharged from the hospital, and they had organized a welcome party.Shortly after, she arrived with Gío. She was still in a wheelchair and would be for some time since she had fractured her foot."Welcome home, Mom," Nicole exclaimed and approached her, hugging her while handing her a beautiful bouquet of roses.Leandro did the same. Bruno and Nicole took advantage of everyone being gathered to share the news of their pregnancy.
Gío returned to the hospital later and found Leandro anxiously standing outside the room."Has something happened? Is Rina okay?" he asked."She's fine, but as soon as you left, my father came," Leandro replied."That means he's keeping us under surveillance.""Now I'm certain that he's the one who caused all this. He entered the room and asked me to bring a pillow to end my mother's life. Thankfully, a nurse came in at that moment, or else he would have realized that I disagreed. He's determined to kill her just to preserve his fortune. We need to have surveillance in place.""I'll talk to the hospital director right away to get authorization. Wait here for a moment, and don't leave her alone.""I'll wait here," Leandro said.Leandro entered the room and stood next to Rina. He observed her for a moment, unable to hold back his tears."Mother, you have to wake up. I need you; I've needed you all my life. We have to make up for lost time. Please forgive me; I know it wasn't your fault.
“How is Rina?" asked Gío."I think it's time for you to refer to her as your mother. You know perfectly well that she's not to blame for your father keeping her away from you," Gío pleaded, aware that Rina was suffering because she thought her son hated her."I understand, and I have nothing against her. It's just difficult for me to get used to calling her mother," Leandro honestly replied. He had grown up without uttering that word."Going back to the topic, we won't allow our father to harm anyone else. We need to put a stop to it," Noah said, feeling fed up with the situation."Are you with us or against us?" Bruno asked."You know I'm completely against what my father does. I won't let him hurt Nicole or Santi. If he harmed my mother, he must pay for it," Leandro affirmed.Later, everyone said their goodbyes. They couldn't stay in the room for too long. Gío went back to Rina's side, and Bruno stayed with Nicole."You should have gone home. You need rest. You drove from the lake,"
Bruno entered the room at that moment."Good morning, sleeping beauty," he greeted."Hello, my silver-armored prince," Nicole replied.Bruno bowed and then approached her, kneeling on one knee while taking her hand."Beautiful lady, before you stands your humble servant," he said."Haha, get up already, you clown. I saw that you packed our bags," Nicole said."Yes, that's right. We're heading to Lake George. Santi is excited to go fishing in the lake. I have a house in that area," Bruno explained."Perfect, then, my beloved prince, let's go to our next destination," Nicole said.A couple of hours later, they arrived at Lake George and made their way to a house on the outskirts of town, right in front of the lake. Nicole really liked the house; it was Victorian-style, just like many houses in the area."Dad, the house has a part built over the lake," Santi exclaimed."Yes, son. In that part, there are boats stored that go directly onto the lake," Bruno replied.Later on, they went for
When Nicole woke up, she didn't find Bruno. She looked out the window and saw him talking to some men who seemed strange to her. She went to take a shower, and after a while, she heard him come in.When he came out, she noticed that his expression was serious."Has something happened?" she asked, puzzled."No, why do you ask?" Bruno tried not to get nervous."Who were those men?" she sensed that something was wrong."Oh, those? They were locals. I was asking them some questions about fishing," he said, stating the first thing that came to his mind."By their appearance, they seemed like military personnel," Nicole thought they didn't look like locals at all, they looked different."I only know that they're from here, no idea what they do," he shrugged as he said it.Nicole found his attitude strange; he was clearly being defensive."And now, what did you eat?" she asked, serious now."Nothing, I haven't had breakfast," the question seemed odd to him, not relevant."I'm asking because