*Andrea* A man in black trousers and a white bottoms-down shirt stepped in, “room service,” he said. I pulled away quickly from Alejandro and turned my back on him, a wave of embarrassment settling over me. The man who does the cleaning seemed to have noticed he didn't knock. “You could have knocked,” Alejandro said, disappointment etched in his voice. “I'm deeply sorry,” he said. I quickly turned to spy on him and saw his head bowed with hair covering his face. Alejandro told him it was fine, and he left the room. We should have locked the door. I couldn't bring myself to blame the room attendant entirely. Alejandro and I didn't go back to kissing and mooching. It was already time for the scheduled meeting. “You should try calling him again,” I told Alejandro, who was fiddling with his phone. “You think he would want to talk to me?” He asked. I swallowed a lump in my throat. I honestly didn't know. Lucas was the last person I wanted to talk about, but seeing Alejandro drown i
*Alejandro*I watched as a hint of pink appeared on Anna's face. “But aren't we going to…” she began to say, but I cut her short, “No need for any employer-employee stuff tonight. We will have a good time and ensure we get the investment.” I said.“Alright. I'll get dressed.” She said. I looked to the side, and the clock read 7:30 pm. “Don't worry, you can take your time,” I said. Anna picked the dress from the bed and placed it on her chest. She is standing in front of the mirror, checking herself out. “But it's late already. I don't want us to go late.” She said, “It doesn't matter as long as you go with me.” I said. She looked over her shoulders and smiled. “I know.” She said, she knew the effects she had on me. She lets the tower she tied over her chest fall to the ground, revealing her perfect milky skin. I could see her reflection in the mirror. Her breasts filled with love marks. We just had a passionate time, but I still wanted more. She checked her body out in the mirror.
*Andrea* The party was in full swing, and Alejandro and I fell into a relaxing routine. With his hands on my lower back, I leaned into his embrace, feeling the warmth only he could provide. In between conversations with other people, he teased me, and at one point, it seemed like he was going to kiss me. My heart hammered in my chest as he leaned closer, his gaze intense as his eyes wandered from mine and settled on my lips. I wondered then if he would go ahead with it, but just when he was getting closer, I remembered where we were. Placing my hands on his chest, I reluctantly pushed him away as I blushed deeply. “Please, not here,” I whispered, my voice shaking. He straightened and adjusted his suit, telling me that he was just pulling my legs. My eyes widened, and I thought of the effect he had on me and the fact that if we hadn't been at a party with a crowd around us, I would have let him have his way. We bantered playfully after that, but we were soon interrupted by a
*Andrea*Alejandro, being the gentleman that he is, extended a hand to help me out of the car. We were currently in front of a restaurant for lunch.After an unsuccessful meeting with Mr. Jordan, the company owner we wanted to invest in, Alejandro suggested we go out for lunch. My stomach rumbled as I exited the car and remembered that I hadn't eaten since morning. We had left the hotel early for the investment meeting. We still hadn't concluded, and by the time the meeting was finished, not only was I tired, but I was also hungry.We stepped into the restaurant and walked to our designated table. Before long, our food was placed in front of us. I was so hungry that I quickly dug in.“Well, it seems like someone is hungry,” Alejandro teased from the other end of the table. I noticed that he hadn't even touched his utensils yet. Oh well, he's more composed than I am.I blushed, smiling sheepishly. When he made no further remarks, I relaxed into my chair and continued eating my food, a
*Alejandro*I glanced at Anna as we made our way back to the hotel. She was quiet, and it seemed like she was creating some distance between us, trying to hide her emotions behind a wall. And I didn't like that.“Hey love, are you alright?” I asked her, grasping her hands in mine. She nodded, looking out the window. The anger I've been restraining since the incident was barely contained now. No one makes my girl feel bad about herself. I didn't say anything about the matter, though. She was going through enough mental stress right now, and I didn't want to add to it. “Come here, love.” I pulled her closer to me, and she leaned into my embrace. We remained that way until we got to the hotel. After freshening up, we settled into bed. “Do you think we should go on the boat cruise?” She asked as she lay on my chest, tracing my abdominal muscles. That was the first thing she had said to me since we left the restaurant. “Of course,” I replied as my hands caressed her head softly. “Or y
*Andrea*I made my way to the restroom, and as I left the table, I didn't miss how Laura looked at me as if my mere existence threatened her. If looks could kill, I'd indeed have been dead since dinner started. I cursed under my breath as I stumbled on my way to the restroom. I had taken about five shots of vodka, and honestly, alcohol wasn't my strongest suit. Although I wasn't drunk, I was very tipsy.As I sat in the toilet, quickly doing my business, my mind went to Alejandro. I had been eyeing him all evening, just wanting to take him back to the cabin, but I also didn't want to keep him from having fun, which was why I stayed for the stupid game in the first place. I made my way to the sink, got out of the cubicle, and was washing my hands when the door opened. I sighed without turning to look. It's probably just Laura or one of her minions, and I really didn't have the patience or nerves to stand while they verbally harassed me again.But as I threw water on my face to clear t
*Andrea*The sun was setting when I finally woke up from my sleep. I panicked when I didn't see Alejandro next to me. He had promised to be here when I woke up, so where was he? I groaned as I sat up, the pain in my bones still as sharp as ever, and my head was pounding. I pressed my hands against my forehead as I laid back. I heard the shower door open and saw Alejandro step out with a towel wrapped around his waist. My eyes roamed his bare chest down to his torso, and then I saw the tent in the towel.I snapped my eyes up to Alejandro's. “Did you just get turned on by me looking at you?” I asked incredulously. “You weren't merely looking at me, love. You were eating me up with your eyes, and that is a very valid reason for me to get turned on.” His gaze was intense as he spoke.I understood what he meant because as I lay there, probably looking sick and ugly, his eyes still appreciated me like I was the most beautiful thing in the whole damn world. And I would be a liar if I said
*Alejandro* I ran my hands through my hair as I knocked on the door to the cabin. “ please. It's not what you think.” “Of course not.” She answered a few minutes later from the other side of the door. “It's never what I think. What kind of explanation have you made up to justify the position I met you in? With Keira, nonetheless.” So her name was Keira, I had no idea… I sighed as I rested my head against the door. Anna had locked it from behind, and all I could do was wait for her to open it again. I wanted to see her. Hell, I wanted to hold and reassure her that I would never leave her for another woman. No woman has even managed to catch my eye ever since I met her. And they've tried. “Please give me a chance to explain, love.” I could barely recognize my voice at this point. It was strangled, and I felt like I was being choked. My mind went back to the scene where Anna's phone had been cluttered to the floor earlier, and I suddenly remembered she hadn't picked it up, and neit
*Alejandro*We were at the airport, dropping Lucas, Alison and Williams off. Williams was heading back to Florida and Lucas was traveling to attend the conference and manage the company's branch over in Florida. Fortunately, Jane had been able to get it postponed and since I'd already promised Lucas he could attend on my behalf, I wanted to keep my word. Alison, of course, was going with Lucas. She'd already said her home was wherever Lucas was. Everyone was expecting them to get engaged any day now."I'll miss you, auntie Alison," Austin said, trying his best to hold back his tears. Alison picked him up and gave raining kisses all over his face. Watching them tugged on some unknown part of me. Alison had become a huge part of Austin's life. Whenever Andrea and I couldn't have him with us, he was always with her. I couldn't imagine how they both felt now that she was moving temporarily.She kissed his cheek for the last time before letting him down. "I'll miss you too buddy," She sai
*Andrea*It had been a few weeks since I'd gotten back from the hospital. Nora was dead, Lucas was recovering and Austin and I had gotten some semblance of peace back in our lives. I'd managed to convince Alejandro to have a talk with Williams and it was the most difficult thing I had ever done. Alejandro had refused to speak about him for days, always asking me to please change the topic whenever I brought him up.And I had. Every time.As much as I had wanted them to make peace, my loyalty lies with Alejandro and I had never wanted to force him to do something he wasn't ready for. Fortunately after a few more days, he'd loosened up and we'd had the conversation. He'd kissed my head, letting me know he would never go back to being buddies with him but he was willing to make peace just for Lucas. They'd met at a restaurant a few days later.Alejandro had not wanted him in the house.Alejandro had given me a summary of how the talk had went. He'd made Williams understand that they coul
*Alejandro *I held onto the stretcher as the nurses rolled Andrea away. The stainless white walls and strong stench of disinfectant were the last thing on my mind as one of the nurses hurriedly called the attention of a doctor. I fisted my hands helplessly when the doctor asked me to wait outside, watching as they rolled her into the room. I brought my fist to my lips, shaking my head and trying to control my rising panic.I lowered myself on the chair in the waiting room, tapping my feet impatiently on the floor. I hated hospitals. It was filled with such sad people. A woman pushed a man on a wheelchair passed me. Kids ran around the waiting area, oblivious to what was actually going on. It wasn't hard to imagine what I looked like. My hair was a disheveled mess and sweat clung to my skin.I looked at my watch. It had only been two minutes since Andrea had been in the room but it felt like an hour. I stood up and paced around the hallway , unable to continue sitting in one place. Ho
*Andrea*I was pulled forcefully along the rough ground barefoot. My clothes were torn, and because they held my leg, walking became hard. But I bared all of it, hoping I would get through this. “Make her walk faster; we must make sure the piranhas have dinner on time.” Nora was in front, leading as they dragged me. “You don't have to do this, Nora. Don't do this,” I said. I can't imagine my son living without his mother. He had just gotten his father back after five years of living without him, and now Nora was about to make him lose his mother. I didn't want to watch this; I just couldn't.“Shut your mouth, or I'll make you shut it,” Nora warned. “We are close to the lake; you Should save that strength for the initial struggle; oh lord, it will be so fun to watch you.” She let out a laugh, and I wanted to run a dagger through her mouth and cut off her tongue.We soon reached the lake, which had a small bridge and railings. We stopped. “Nora, we don't have to go this far,” I said
*Andrea*I don't know how Lucas came here. But what shocked me the most was that Nora could have him tied like this next to me. One of the men had hit him hard on his head, causing him to lose consciousness. My heart tightened as I watched Lucas groan in pain before dropping to the floor. How could a mother be this heartless? What bothered me more was that it was Lucas who was here. Alejandro should be the one here, not Lucas. I had left through a place where, though it was dark, there was still a CCTV camera there, so why was help not coming? When I saw one of the two men with Nora carrying Lucas up, I asked, “What are you doing to him?” To Nora, I said, “he is your son, so why are you doing this to him?” I expect her to yell at the man who had hurt Lucas and to go pat her son; that's what I'd do. That's what every mother would do. But at that point, I had forgotten that not every mother would kidnap and threaten someone with a gun.It didn't take long for Lucas to regain his co
*Alejandro*The night has to be the longest night I have ever had. I looked back to the early hours of that day. Things had gone well; we had all been happy. All I had to do was to divorce Nora and get back my life. Andrea and Austin. But who would have thought that I would lose both of them that same day? I would never have imagined. I did all I could to find them, but everything led to a roadblock. It was frustrating. But I had to put up with it. I wasn't going to lose hope. I know I can find them.I don't care if I have to flip the earth over. I will find them. I spent the night watching one footage or another, checking everywhere I could, and getting the police involved. Alison didn't sleep either, and neither did Lucas. The following day, when he left to get a few things for us, I stepped into one of the empty rooms, and for once, I felt tears gather in my eyes.I didn't allow them to fall, and I will accept that it may take longer to find them.I was to meet with the inspec
*Andrea*Austin stood still, not moving, “Momma,” he called. From the corner of my eyes, I could see that Nora was trying to stand up.I wasn't going to allow that. I leapt on her and held her down. “Austin, please run. Don't worry about mama. Go and get help for momma.” I yelled, and he ran out of the room.Nora struggled under my hold, but I kept my grip on her tight. I would not allow her to move. Never. Not until Austin was fully out. She pushed me away and aimed for the door. But I hit her head hard with my hand, sending a blow across her head that made her go back on her knees. I don't know how far Austin can go, but I knew I had to keep Nora down so she wouldn't call on her men for as long as I could.I walked to the door, but before I could step out entirely, she pulled my hair and dragged me into the room, “Go after the child, go after the child.” She kept shouting while trying to stop me from running. I couldn't see what was going on behind the door as she closed it, but
*Andrea*It felt like I was dreaming. My mind kept retracting back to the entrance. We had just stepped in, and he had run after Alison. I could still see Alison walking towards me alone. When she said she didn't see him, we went ahead and searched for him immediately. At first, I thought he was just being mischievous as always and promised to scold him in case of further occurrence. But after searching the restrooms and the hallway and not finding him anywhere, I began to feel uneasy. Then we had to search around the hotel. I searched outside; maybe he had run out. But he wasn't outside. After searching for over twenty minutes and not getting any sign of him, worries finally sipped into my heart. I couldn't hold back anymore, and tears began to roll down my eyes. I called Alejandro immediately.We'd been searching for over two hours, and he had yet to be seen. When Alejandro told me that he had been tracked, I wept; that meant my son had been kidnapped. He had been taken away.
*Alejandro* I had just stepped out of my car when my phone rang. I picked up the call immediately when Andrea’s name appeared on my screen.I had been delayed as a result of traffic. Lucas got out from the other side. “We are here, Andrea, sorry just give us…”“We can't find Austin,” her voice rang out from the other end. I removed the phone from my ear, stared at the screen, and placed it back. “We can't find Austin. We came together, but he's gone. He's not in the restaurant. I don't know where he is. We've been searching over thirty minutes…” she was breaking down. I stopped on my track, my entire mood flipping.“What do you mean?” I began working, taking large strides. “When? How?” She didn't respond; she just kept sobbing. Noticing my change, Lucas asked, “Dad, what's wrong?” I ended the call, “Austin has gone missing,” I said, running towards the entrance like a madman.I didn't mind the curious stares I received immediately after entering the hotel.I looked around, but A