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RULE NUMBER ONE: Don't You Fall in Love TWENTY
OLIVER Kids were annoying and messy. I did not know when I would build my patience with them. Even when Sara was pregnant, she made me sign up for a class that taught how to become a better dad to your kids. I did not grow up with the best father, so I did not know how to be one. But I was willing to take that step for Sara and our unborn child. Everything crashed when they died in that accident. I would have loved my kid, no doubt, but I was not sure of how much patience I could exercise around them. I was limping down the hospital reception while Dante was walking slowly behind me, speaking to whoever was on the phone. I was not interested in their conversation. All I wanted was to get home, change and sit in the bathtub for a long while. I hated being handicapped, and I was angry that I had to use the help of others for a while. I hated leaning on anyone so much. As I was almost at the door, someone ran and fell beside my good leg and smeared ice cream all over the hem
RULE NUMBER ONE: Don't You Fall in Love TWENTY-ONE
ELLEN I went to Oliver's house, as usual, the following morning. I knew he had fired me, but I wanted to hear it from him. I brewed the coffee and poured it into his mug, added enough milk and sugar to it, and then I heard him coming down the stairs. It was noisy because of the crutch, and when he cursed, I knew he was not alone. In a few minutes, Dante led him into the kitchen and sat him on a chair. I genuflected and bowed my head. "Hi, Ellen," Dante said. "I have some work to do quickly at the office. You should take care of the rest." With that, he was gone. My heart raced after him. I knew I would face Oliver, but I was not ready to face him alone. I was a little relieved when I saw Dante with him. Once Dante was out of the house, I peeked up and his eyes were already pinning me down. I quickly removed my eyes from him and looked at the floor, waiting for him to say I was fired. "Miss Knight?" "Huh?" I looked up at him. "My coffee." "Oh." I quickly went to the counte
RULE NUMBER ONE: Don't You Fall in Love TWENTY-TWO
ELLEN I got the anonymous notes on my desk for a few more days and I became suspicious of Dante. He was nicer to me, and we worked more informally than formally in the office. I wanted to confront him about it, but I wanted to be sure he was the one dropping those notes for me. I would not deny that alternating between the office and Oliver's house was difficult. I was exhausted most of the time and I was getting farther and farther from Sophie. Kennedy would soon return to New York and anxiety kicked in. I thought of how to joggle Sophie and work again. Lily and I had a very tough argument about working at Oliver's mansion and we said some really awful things to each other, so I could not ask for her help. With Kennedy's help, I got an apartment and was still furnishing it. I tried hard not to let any of it affect my job at Oliver's mansion. For the first week, nothing went wrong between Oliver and me. He just seemed uninterested in me and only spoke to me when necessary.
RULE NUMBER ONE: Don't You Fall in Love TWENTY-THREE
ELLEN I forge ahead to work the next day. I had to go to Sophie's school first and made a complaint about a stranger speaking to my daughter. Her school authority promised to be on the lookout. I was so distracted going through the files with Oliver and carrying out other duties around his house, and he kept scolding me for it. I did not go to the office that day and I knew involving the police would make Tony more aggressive, just like before. When I was not with Oliver, I would weep, then wipe my tears and carry on with work, and he never noticed. Oliver made it worse by scolding and yelling at me. He never missed the opportunity. I contemplated telling Dante about it, but I did not want to drag innocent people into it again. That day ended terribly and as insensitive as Oliver was, he did not care about the emotion I displayed. I did not want little Sophie to be dragged into the sins I committed. Tony was the first boyfriend I had in college. I struggled with fin
RULE NUMBER ONE: Don't You Fall in Love TWENTY-FOUR
ELLEN I did not hear from Tony for a few days as I had expected. It made me wonder if it was the Tony I knew or some other man with the same name. But I was confused and wondered if it was another Tony. What was he doing with my daughter and why had he told her I was his friend? I was in danger and was putting everyone else in danger. Knowing Tony, he would dig into Sophie's existence and would find out that Oliver was her father and might come for him. I did not exactly like Oliver, but I will never want to drag him into this mess. The worst was that I could not talk to anyone about it. Tony was a psycho and might kill anyone that offered to help me. Lily advised we should tell the police, but I was scared out of my body. I had moved out of Lily's place and stayed in a rented apartment and instructed the door attendant never to let anyone up without ringing me first. But Tony broke all protocols. Oliver stared at the phone I placed before him and dropped the spoon.
RULE NUMBER ONE: Don't You Fall in Love TWENTY-FIVE
OLIVER "Selfish? Egoistical?" I said for the millionth time and scoffed. Dante trailed behind me after hearing what I told him. "Something must have made her snap like that. She is always so polite," Dante said fingering his phone. "Stupid girls! All of them! They are all the same!" I barked as Dante, and I walked into the kitchen. I called him as soon as my assistant quit. The way Miss Knight left still rankled me and it was more from the fact that I was left speechless. I did not expect it from her as I had expected from other girls that worked for me. "You must have done something that really triggered her. Ellen cannot just leave like that; this job is too important to her to leave like that." I spun to face Dante. Each time he called her by her first name I wanted to wrap my hands around his neck and squeeze the life out of him, but there was no reason for that. "What does she expect? That I rub her fur? I do not tolerate stupidity and you know
RULE NUMBER ONE: Don't You Fall in Love TWENTY-SIX
ELLEN "Where is Sophie?" I asked, looking him straight in the eyes. That was the reason I came here. His grin disappeared and was replaced with a frown and a pout. "Is that the first thing you will say to me after all these years, Dolcezza?" He stood in front of me now and grabbed my hair from behind, pulling it backward and making my chin tilt, and giving him access to my neck. He sniffed my neck, tickling me with his stubble. I stood still, enduring his touch and trying not to remember those gory memories we shared. He started planting kisses all over my neck while mumbling. "Oh, Dolcezza, how I have missed you, your scent, your touch, your velvet skin." I could not take it anymore, so I shoved him away from me. He took a few steps back and smiled a crooked smile. "I see you are not the happiest person to see me return." He shrugged and stretched out his hand towards the man in the suit and he gave him the fat cigar. He put it between his lips and
RULE NUMBER ONE: Don't You Fall in Love TWENTY-SEVEN
OLIVER I turned on the intercom and spoke into it. “Miss Knight, bring me the report from the Miami beach house construction...” I trailed off when I recalled that she no longer worked for me. I sighed and relaxed back on my chair. It’s been a few days since her sudden outburst. My legs had healed speedily and I could come to work with it now. Dante knocked once and entered my office. “Have you gone through those applications yet?” he asked as he flopped down on a seat in front of me. I looked at the applicants files in front of me and sighed. It was true that a lot of people vied for this job but not everyone has what I want. “I will sort through them. I need an assistant urgently.” I picked up the files and looked at the application of the first woman. She was a spinster and her fringes almost covered her eyes. I sighed. “Her bangs are too long,” I threw her application aside and picked the second one. Her smile was too bright. I shook my head. “Too b
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RULE NUMBER ONE: Don't You Fall in Love HUNDRED AND FIVE
ELLEN I met Dante and Jerry waiting at the reception when I was allowed to go home, but there was no Oliver. I searched around for him with my eyes, but he wasn’t there. I did not know what to feel about that, but I knew he had a very good explanation for not showing up at the station. “Where is Oliver?” I asked Dante, noticing his mood. Something was off about the way they looked at me. “He wants to see you,” was Dante’s calm reply as he took my arms gently. “You are now free from the police, and we are glad.” He flashed me a smile that I knew was fake.Cold shivers ran down my spine. Dante was a terrible actor, and I knew something was wrong. Maybe Oliver has hurt himself. I was so uncomfortable with the atmosphere around them. “What is going on? I want to speak with Oliver,” I demanded, my voice cracking with emotions. “Calm down, Ellen. There is nothing wrong. Oliver has a surprise for you and would like to meet you somewhere,” Jerry said with a much more
RULE NUMBER ONE: Don't You Fall in Love HUNDRED AND FOUR
OLIVER “What the fuck just happened? Why the heck is my wife being arrested?” I asked, glaring at Nicholas. “I was involved with Antonio, not my wife.” “Oliver, you have to calm down. Your wife was the last person Antonio texted. They have been talking. I am sorry, but your wife might not be as innocent as you think.”I clenched my hands and glared at Nicholas. I was only stopping myself from punching him right now because I did not want to make things worse. “The good thing is, you can bail her out since she is just a suspect. She was taken for questioning, and I will make sure I do the questioning.” “Do whatever you have to do. I want to watch when you question her.” I grabbed a bottle of drink and poured it into a glass, gulped it down, poured again, and gulped it again. I was torn in two. One part of me was thinking about whether Ellen was as innocent as she appeared. She had been jumpy lately, but there was no way she would have killed Antonio. He died
RULE NUMBER ONE: Don't You Fall in Love HUNDRED AND THREE
ELLEN "Okay, I don't know what this is all about, but I am getting curious as hell, Oliver," I said, waving my hands in front of me. Oliver was behind me, leading me carefully to whatever surprise he had for me. I was blindfolded, and my heart was already racing. "Just a little more time, mi amor." He carefully led me until he came to a stop. I sighed. We were finally at the surprise, and I held my breath because I did not know what to expect. Oliver put his arms around me, hugging me from behind. I could feel his breath on my neck. "Are you ready?" he whispered in my ear. "I am curious. Oliver, show me already!" I whined. He slowly took off the blindfold from my eyes. I blinked twice to get my eyes accustomed to my environment. I gasped when I saw what was in front of me. "Oh, my God, Oliver," I said as tears pooled in my eyes. "Do you like it?" Oliver asked. I walked away from his hold, reaching out for the beautiful flowers.
RULE NUMBER ONE: Don't You Fall in Love HUNDRED AND TWO
ELLEN I had the sweetest dream in months and woke up with a smile. I ran my hand beside me at the part Oliver was supposed to lie in but found it empty. I opened my eyes and saw that it was really empty. I will not be happy if Oliver goes without saying goodbye again. Panicked, I sat up, only to see Oliver standing in front of the dressing mirror, all dressed up. I sighed with relief. "Good morning, my queen," he greeted and stalked toward me. "I hope you have a good night's sleep?" He leaned down and planted a soft kiss on my lips. I clutched the sheets around me and blushed like a teenager. He sat beside me and ran his fingers over my ruffled hair. "Has anyone told you that you look prettier in the morning?" he said, flashing me a sensual smile. "Okay, you are flattering me now." "I am not. I am serious." "Well, I got a little job done on my face; you cannot attribute it all to me." I looked down at my fingers as I spoke. Oliver moved closer to me and curled his foref
RULE NUMBER ONE: Don't You Fall in Love HUNDRED AND ONE
ELLEN I was lying on the lazy boy by the pool when Oliver came rushing back. I could not contain my laughter as he came back down almost immediately. "Are you sure you went to the room?" I asked, eyeing his bulging muscles. He wore a black vest that showed all his perfect chest and arm muscles and grey sweatpants. "I needed to be with you," he said, dazzling me with his signature smile. I stood up, walked up to him, and took his hands. "I made a special dinner for us and hope you like everything." "I love whatever you make, Elle." The table was set behind me, and rose petals were scattered around the poolside with candlelights surrounding the table. A bottle of wine was on the table with tall wine glasses and the wrap of my meal. I led Oliver to the table and made him sir. "Tonight is a special night," I whispered in his ear. It was a special night for me. It was the only night I had felt free in a year and a few months. My troubles might not be over, but I wanted to s
RULE NUMBER ONE: Don't You Fall in Love HUNDRED
OLIVER Antonio Romano is dead. That phrase lived rent-free in my head. I had seen the bastard only a few hours ago, and now he winded up dead in his apartment. All fingers would point at me, no doubt. I was the last one to get physical with him before his death, but I did not kill him, even though I would gladly have done that without hesitation. I left the house hurriedly so that no police would arrest me in front of my daughter. The police would come for us soon. Tony's father would not take the death of his remaining son lightly. Our source told us that police were swarming his house, looking for evidence. Nicholas was already in the company, and he wanted to get information from me first before the police saw anything. I walked into the meeting room. Dante, Jerry, and Alejandro stood when they saw me, but Nicholas remained seated, regarding me calmly. I ignored him and turned to Dante. "What's up? What is this I hear?" "Oliver, you should be speaking to me right now."
RULE NUMBER ONE: Don't You Fall in Love NINETY-NINE
ELLEN I made sure to wait for Oliver and his men to come home. It was way past midnight when they came back to the mansion. Once I saw their car, my heart lurched in my chest. I knew this was the time to get out with my secret. I had already braced myself for what would come next, but part of me still maintained that t was not the right time. This was past midnight, and Oliver must be stressed from wherever he came from, considering that he left so early in the morning and came back this late. I wanted to heave this off my chest, but I did not want to be selfish. I should consider his mood before breaking such news to him. I had waited for the perfect time to say it, but none had presented itself. When he was happy, I didn't want to ruin his mood. When he was sad or cold, I feared what his reaction would be. In as much as I told myself that I considered his mood, I knew that I had held back so much because I was scared of losing him. When he came into the room, looking all bloo
RULE NUMBER ONE: Don't You Fall in Love NINETY-EIGHT
OLIVER MORENO Antonio Romano. The bastard. He was already out of his car, tossing his keys to one of the men that would park it for him and hopping into the club. A few other vehicles followed the direction of his car. We got out of our car and started toward the club. One of the men we planted inside notified us that he was there already. They had gone there as harmless clubbers and took in every detail we wanted and knew where his men were positioned. We walked to the front of the club. The bouncers recognized us and let us pass. But I was sure they had notified Antonio, and if he didn't already know that we were there, he would probably be waiting for us. Loud sensual music hit us as we stalked into the club. A wave of booze and alcohol wafted toward us. I was in front while Dante and Alejandro followed closely behind me. A few heads turned towards us, especially the ladies, but I was not there for any of them. We stood by the entrance, my hands tucked into my pockets wh
RULE NUMBER ONE: Don't You Fall in Love NINETY-SEVEN
ELLEN I woke up alone. I knew that I had slept alone last night. I knew when Oliver came in last night. I didn't understand the feelings that were running inside me. I knew he was the only one I felt safe around after my attack, but when I was calm enough, I didn't know if I wanted to trust him that much. I still didn't know how to face him with a clear eye. I wanted to tell him about Tony, not to get even, but to remove this heave from my chest. Tony texted me last night when I was still in the living room with Lily, and I did not even tell her about it. I headed straight into the room, feeling worse. I thought about suicide, but I also thought about Sophie. I could not let her go through that pain because of my mistakes. I wept a little in the bathroom, with the showers on, so that everyone would feel I was taking a shower. I contemplated using the razor on the counter to cut myself until I bled out, but I couldn't. I tried Oliver's number, but it was switched off. I wanted to s
