Camila was not accustomed to having a godlike figure in her house. She had all the right to be nervous. Hugo was seating himself when she almost gave herself a facepalm. She had forgotten all the etiquettes of hospitality. “Tea or Coffee,” she asked as she disappeared into the kitchen.“Just a glass of water.”Moments later, Hugo was getting fascinated with the handicrafts and painting on the walls. Everything in the house was linked to Colombian culture and it all looked hand made. He picked up a doll from the floor. He had never seen anything like it. His entire childhood had been flooded with imported toys and European devices. He realized that he was getting stalked by two little devils from the doorway. As soon as he looked at them, they disappeared. “Come on out. Don't be shy,” he said in a soothing voice. Two little heads emerged from behind the wall and reluctantly made their way towards Hugo. “What are your names?”“I’m Sofia and she’s Eleanora.”“And her?” he asked, point
In the middle of the night, the expensive yet simple sedan raced through the shrubs and bushes to get to the city. Hugo drove solely on the control of muscle memory. His head was in the clouds. The few moments with Camila had become the highlight of his life. Her scent, her voice, her smile and the taste of her lips had taken over his brain. The car moved smoothly and swiftly through the dark unpaved path. Hugo had a faint smile on his face as he replayed the kiss in his mind over and over again. The factor of the little sisters also intrigued him. He was at an arm’s length of having a full fledged family. All that he always had in the name of family was an overly formal group of people who always said what they didn't mean and preached what they didn't practice. There was always some hidden motive behind everything related to his family. He would finally have a family that actually meant something. To have Camila as his wife, even a man like Hugo blushed. She was all that he always w
Present day…Varga had rented a five star hotel room for Hugo on Gabriel’s order. The room stayed untouched as the cartel boss had decided to cut his stay short. Hugo decided to spend the last few hours of his stay in Nebraska, in his jet. The jet had everything he could need in his time alone and at that moment, he desired absolutely nothing. He just sat at the window and stared outside blankly, lost in his thoughts. The city had not been hospitable to him. Even the weather wanted him gone. The locals called it warm but for a person from a country like Colombia, Hugo was freezing to death. He cherished the fact that he had arrived there a month too late. Otherwise his stay would have been even shorter, probably with a lasting illness. He didn't even want to think about the people of the city. He was going to have a hard time forgetting the way they had treated him. Not a sane soul in the entire world who knew who and what Hugo Ortiz was, would imagine putting him behind bars. Hugo co
Adam had planned to make lasagna for dinner but while preparing lunch, he discovered that he was missing a few necessary ingredients so he decided to pay the local store a visit. It didn't take him long. The cashier recognized him instantly and greeted him. He returned the favor. He had good relationships with almost everyone he ran into in the town. He picked up a basket and filled it with the needed items. The entire layout of the store was engraved in his head. Before long, he was at the checkout. “In a hurry?” The cashier wittingly asked. Adam was quickly emptying the basket on the counter.“I think I left the stove on,” Adam responded without taking his eyes off the basket.“Oh, better hurry then,” the cashier said with a chuckle, understanding his situation. Adam stepped out of the store and flipped a coin to a beggar at the door. He tossed the bags in the car and drove off. Puddles splashed around as the car sped through them. The car was getting a beating and it would need s
The answer to Jessica’s question left her with more questions than answers. “What do you mean you found me like that?”“I did. Hugo was doing everything that could possibly make any girl happy but you didn't respond to any of it. I had one or two wordless interactions with you. Even in those interactions you were being shadowed by Hugo or his men. It was my last day in the mansion when you finally decided to talk,” Adam said. “What changed?”“No idea. You showed up at my room in the night and begged me to take you away. At first I thought you were joking but your tears told me otherwise. You were literally on the ground grabbing my foot. You could barely speak through your sobs,” Adam explained. Jessica listened in disbelief. Adam had tears in his eyes. That was the most heartbreaking thing he had ever seen. “I had made up my mind to make a false promise to spend the night in peace and disappear in the morning but then you threatened to kill yourself if I turned you down or told Hu
The revelation hit Jessica like a train. Adam had had enough of the interrogation. He broke down crying uncontrollably. There was nothing Jessica could do to comfort him. She didn't even know if she should. In fact, she couldn't even register him crying in front of her. She was in a world of her own. A world full of misery and heartache. She was stranded between different plains of reality and had no idea which one she belonged in. All she was sure about was the fact that she had been wronged. She was lied to. She wanted to be angry at Adam but she couldn't. She wondered if there was any other way. She had known Adam for a while now. He didn't look like the sort who would hurt anyone unless he had to. She not only doubted Adam, but also doubted herself. ‘How could I forget something so devastating?’ She wondered. She looked at her body every single day but couldn't feel anything off. But then again how could she tell the difference? She was apparently just a country girl without any
Dr Gupta was having a hard time making contact with the demanding eyes of the unfortunate defiled girl. He had spent a large part of his life delivering bad news to his patients and their families yet it hadn't made it easier for him. “Come on. There must be a chance of error right?” Jessica almost pleaded. Dr Gupta shook his head. “My dear, you have no idea how much I wish I was wrong. I couldn't sleep the night I saw your results,” Dr Gupta spoke somberly yet softly and walked to his file cabinet. He didn't need to search for Jessica’s file for too long. It was etched into his brain. He pulled out the file and placed it on Jessica’s lap. Jessica flipped open the file and reluctantly went through them as the doctor stood behind her to explain anything she couldn't understand. The first thing in the file was the black MRI film. “See the white area at the back? It shouldn’t be there,” the doctor explained as he pointed at the film. She flipped the page. The next few pages were the b
Present day, Moscow…It was a snowy night in Moscow. No cars dared to occupy the roads. Every single thing in the range of vision was stark white. The winds blew relentlessly, causing a whistling sound to echo across the deserted roads. Only a few shops remained open and the faces of the employees sitting within the glass walls clearly indicated that they didn't want to be there either. A bunch of homeless people gathered around a metal trash can with a fire raging inside it. Far from all the despair and chaos, Ivan Volkov rested on his ornate sofa in front of his fireplace in a dimly lit room. He was in his late fifties and had a head full of white hair in a typical soldier haircut and a similar white beard. He had a large scar across his right cheek and wore a patch where his right eye used to be. His attire always wandered around the military uniforms and that night was no different. Ivan stared into the randomly dancing flames in front of him. The crackling sound of the wood givin