Becca.It was hard not to hear the conversation Tally had with James the night before. I was terrified of what had happened, but when Tally had come upstairs, all she said was her father wouldn't tell her. That... and she was going to find out who it was.My mind had wandered all night, and for the first time in a few days, James didn't reach out to me. I figured it was because of what had happened, but I was grateful.I didn't want to get in the middle of some fight between her and her father.Even if I was the one having sex with him.Rolling from bed somewhere after 5:00 in the morning, I made my way downstairs in my pajamas in search of coffee. There was no point in still trying to sleep. I was just going to be extra tired today.As soon as my feet hit the bottom of the stairs, I felt an eerie presence. The silence was almost deafening. Everyone was still asleep, and even though I enjoyed the quiet... it made me nervous. I wasn't sure what to expect for the day.P
Anger pulsated through me as I clutched my purse tightly and stormed across the parking lot of the restaurant towards my Uber. I couldn't believe Tally had me go to lunch with that bitch.When I was younger, she had always made small comments, but never did she have the balls to speak to me the way she did today. I guess she thought now she could say what she wanted since I was an adult.I just don't think she expected me to bite back like I did."To Valentino Imports?" the driver asked, looking at the app to verify my destination."Yes, please. If you get there quickly, I'll give you a fat tip."I couldn't wait to get there and tell James what had happened. I wasn't usually one to run and tattle, but Tally was playing a dangerous game by involving her mother.And of course, the girl they were trying to find was me!Scrolling through my phone, I opened my text messages to James.'Are you still at work?'The message quickly turned red, and as I saw the dots pop up, I s
James.The moment Becca told me Tally took her to see her mother, I knew what she was going to say. Allison had never been very kind to Becca when she used to come visit, and it often caused us to argue when she was here.The one thing I hated above all else was people picking on children by judging their appearance. Becca may have been bigger than Tally back then, but it wasn't Allison's place to say something. It just showed how cruel she was."Your car is waiting out front, Mr. Valentino," Evette said from my door, causing me to nod."Thank you, Evette. Please go ahead and enjoy your day."The woman worked hard for me, and I was grateful. But even with the minor distraction, I couldn't stop thinking about Becca and Allison.The fire in Becca's eyes was clear, and I knew without a doubt she gave Allison hell. Making my way down towards the front of the building, my eye caught Katrine arguing with the girls at the front desk. Her voice raised and her brow narrowed befor
Becca."Becca, please just do this for me," Tally said once again after asking me fifteen times to be her spy. She wanted me to spy on James and tell her who he was bringing in the house or, better yet, take a f*cking photo of the girl.The girl that was actually me."Dude, I'm not going to spy on your father for you. Do you know how crazy that sounds? Like, who cares if he is sleeping with someone? He is a grown-ass man," I replied, watching irritation cross her.She knew very well I wasn't the kind of person to get involved in drama like this. "Please, for once, just do something for me."The fact she played that card pissed me off. I have done so much for her, and yet she didn't acknowledge any of it."Okay. Yeah, sure. Why not?" I sighed, knowing very well I wouldn't do it. One because well.. I wouldn't incriminate myself, and two, I was pissed at her for even asking me. As for her trip with her mom... well, that was one other reason for me to be upset. Then again
Becca.I wasn't sure what to make of it all. Dressing up, drinks, and fine dining.It was a lot to take in for a girl like me. Especially considering the fact we were acting as if we were dating and if anyone saw us, it wouldn't be good.To say I was uncomfortable was an understatement. "This is delicious," I said, trying to lighten the conversation between us. "Thank you again for bringing me here. I do appreciate it.""You're acting as if me bringing you wouldn't be something I wanted to do," James replied as he caught my eye. "Are you okay?"Shrugging my shoulders, I laugh softly to myself, "I hardly know anymore."My comment wasn't one he was expecting, and in fact, it made him furrow his brows in confusion. "Is this making you uncomfortable being here, Becca?"Lifting my gaze to his, I stared with wide eyes and a parted mouth. "Oh, no–no."It was a lie, but he had been so kind to me, I didn't want to seem ungrateful by what he was giving me or how he was acting.
James.Waking the next morning, I had expected to see Becca's smiling face next to me, but instead, I woke up alone. I wasn't sure what I was expecting from her, but after the conversation we had the night before, it was clear I was unsure of what I wanted.Sitting behind my desk at work, I tried to focus on the countless deals I had coming across my desk. There were a variety of things, and among them were the issues with Katrine's father.He was a ruthless Russian mobster I had gotten into business with when I was younger out of need for financial support. Our contract had recently been paid up, and no longer did I need to have ties with him–yet, he didn't want to let business go."Mr. Valentino, you have a visitor," Evette said through my phone, causing me to sigh.I knew very well who it was and what was going to happen. There was no doubt that Sergie was here once more to force me to continue our business. Something I wasn't interested in doing."Let him in," I repl
Becca.From the time I woke up that morning, Tally had been blowing up my phone. I wasn't sure what she wanted, but at half-past eight, I finally rolled over to answer it."Hello?" I groaned into the phone, running my hand over my face."Hey! It's about time you answered your phone. What have you been doing?" she asked with annoyance in her tone."Uh–sleeping. Like normal people, Tally. What the hell are you even up this early for?"There was laughter on the other end of the line, and it was obvious she had been drinking. "What's early? I haven't even gone to bed yet.""Of course, you haven't, Tally." I heard her scoff on the other end of the line. "Don't be such a snob," she snapped. "That's the pot calling the kettle black. Now, what do you want?"There was silence for a moment before I heard whispering, "Well–""Well, what? And what are you doing?" I was curious about her current situation.I didn't honestly care what she was doing, but all the commotion goin
Heated moments. They never seemed to dull in the slightest, and yet with everything he did to me, I couldn't help but to let myself go and become excited.He was a sex god, after all. A pleasure sent up from hell to devour me with every chance he got, or at least that was what I liked to tell myself. There was no way he was able to do this kind of stuff naturally. It was positively sinful in every way."I want you to come with me to something tonight," James replied as I watched him step from the shower, wrapped in a towel and dripping wet."Oh, yeah? Where's that?" I still hadn't had the chance to shower myself. I was still laid in his bed with the sheets draped over me and a satisfied haze clouding my mind."To a club," he smirked.Pausing for a moment, I stared at him with curiosity. "You don't seem like the type to go clubbing, James."With a soft chuckle, he towel-dried his hair and walked closer to me. "Oh, it's not the kind of club you are thinking of."I was
Becca.I didn't need to push much longer until the baby was born. I let out a sigh of relief as a lot of pressure was released as the doctor announced the head was out. I was almost done pushing. Out came the shoulders, and then the doctor was able to pull the baby out. She lifted the baby up and smiled, studying the baby for a moment. "It's a boy!" she said, causing the room to erupt into cheers. I gave a very quiet cheer of my own, my body completely exhausted. I closed my eyes, tears still spilling down my cheeks. I was still worried about how healthy he was, though, since he had come so early. "The baby is healthy, even if a bit underweight. He'll get meat on his bones in no time," the doctor assured me, reaching over to hand the baby to me. Putting a few clips into place, the doctor handed James a pair of scissors, and he cut the umbilical cord. Then, she began the process of helping me pass the afterbirth while the nurses prepared to clean our son up while
Becca.Several months had passed since our honeymoon, and things had been going wonderfully. The baby was developing very healthily, and they were going to be on the way soon. I was tired as I sat on the couch, reading up on some news. The progress with Guatemala went very well. I had made contact with locals who were going to make sure everything ran smoothly and children would be getting what they needed. The thought made me smile. Children deserved wonderful lives. The kids were just put to bed about an hour ago. 8:00 PM was too early for me to go to bed quite yet, but I was feeling tired. Still, I needed a snack, as my cravings were intensifying lately by quite a bit. I walked up to the fridge and rummaged through it, pulling out a jar of pickles and giving a satisfied sigh. I grabbed a plate, taking out several to munch on while I watched television. Maybe this would help me wake up a little bit. I wanted to wait until James got home. He was busy worki
Allegra."I have made a list of reputable centers that we can look into," I said to Layla, leaning on her as we stared at a laptop on the table. At the moment, we were looking into adopting, though not right this instant. We wanted to do a lot of research first. Not to mention, Layla wanted to get another cat so Onyx had a playmate, and they'd need to adapt to our apartment first. The idea of adoption was a prospect both of us adored. Giving a child a loving home would be a wonderful thing. Layla pointed to the screen, saying softly, "I've heard about that one. Good things, thankfully. I think we should be open-minded about teens." She frowned sadly, closing her eyes. "They are often overlooked.""I agree," I said. "They may be a large responsibility, as teenagers can be rowdy, but I'm confident we can handle it. Can't be worse than being captured by the Russian mob," I said with a chuckle. Layla winced but gave a half-smile. "You still think about that, huh
Becca."This place is beautiful," I said, looking around the fancy restaurant in Florence and letting out a happy sigh. Vines practically dripped from the ceiling, making it feel as though we were in a romantic movie. My life was similar enough to one, at this point! Mariano and Neal sat together across the table from James and I, all smiles and warm energy as well. They sipped wine and nodded, agreeing with my observation about the atmosphere. I took a sip of water myself, always mindful of the baby."This is the place where we met!" Mariano exclaimed with excitement. "When I first laid my eyes on Neal, I knew a prince had entered the establishment. A handsome one that made me swoon in my seat," he said. He winked at Neal, and the other man blushed. I giggled, gushing, "You two are so cute! I'm so happy for you. It really does look like you connected, which is wonderful. Just like a storybook!" Mariano nodded, his grin only widening at the idea. This place had a
James. "Look at how wonderful and huge they are, James!" Becca exclaimed, causing me to smile. It was the day after our first engagement on the beach, and I was happy to relax. At the moment, we were looking at some giant tortoises with a deep sense of awe.She was right; they were the size of side tables. A guide handed Becca some lettuce, which she held out to the tortoise. She squealed with delight as the animal took a leaf from her and began munching, causing my smile to widen even further. I was so happy to be able to relax. Security had reported nothing odd happening, and they seemed to be having a ball as well. I was relieved, though I shouldn't have expected anything bad to happen. Not like the Cartwrights tracked our every move. At least, I hoped not. I shook that thought out of my mind as Becca continued to give a ton of attention to the tortoises. One of the security men walked over with a camera in his hand, beaming at us. "Let's get some pictures of
Becca.This was it. The perfect honeymoon, the one where James and I would have the time of our lives. I was thrilled, my heart singing even as I looked out the window of the airplane we were taking. With the money I had, we were able to charter a private jet. Even after all these months, I'd never completely gotten used to always being able to afford the best of everything. The staff was very kind, including the flight attendants who catered to our every need. Our money came with a lot of advantages. I tried not to think about that too much, though. It made me feel guilty.Rather, when my worries became too heavy, I reminded myself of the charity that I was starting off. I realized I couldn't physically go to Guatemala, but with my wealth, I reached out to locals for the best ways to run a charity for kids there. The representative I spoke with had been wonderfully helpful, and it made me beyond happy that I could still help while not being there. I had decided I
James."This is going to be such a wonderful trip, James!" Becca exclaimed, wrapping her arms around me. I smiled, returning the hug and holding her close. When she pulled away, I gave her a tender kiss.At the moment, we were sitting in the living room of the compound with a laptop open on the table showing all the activities we could do in Seychelles. The pictures of beautiful, pristine beaches with shining sand and deep blue water got me excited, too."I think we should see the tortoises and dolphins," Becca said, giving a smile. "The kids are going to love those pictures. Someday, we need to take them with us, to a kid-friendly area." No doubt she would be paying attention to that during our honeymoon. "That is an excellent idea, my love," I said to her, giving her another squeeze. We exchanged another kiss as she continued to scroll through the pictures and destinations. Thankfully, the trip was taken care of flight-wise and hotel-wise. Having money was
Neal.A few weeks had passed since I met Mariano, and the strong sense of attraction I had to both his looks and personality had not faded. In fact, we were hitting it off even harder now, and I couldn't be happier. Thankfully, I was brave enough to call Becca and say I wanted to visit as a friend. I meant it this time. There was no ulterior motive, not that there had been one, to begin with. She may have been stuck in my head a little, but that wasn't an issue anymore. After some hesitation, she agreed to see me. Likely because I wanted to introduce her to Mariano, which put her at ease for me not actually being after her anymore. I accepted that she was with James. Mariano and I were sharing lunch before heading out. I gazed into his eyes, my own full of adoration for the man. "We're really hitting it off, aren't we?" I chuckled, breaking the silence that had formed between us as we ate sandwiches. Mariano winked, saying, "I think we are, yes. I am thrill
James.Still feeling beyond happy about the news of the baby still being healthy, I walked over to the fridge to get myself a quick snack before meeting with Giovani. Becca was dripping with joy, which made me relieved, to say the least. She had no idea what was going on in the background, and I didn't want her to, either. She shouldn't suffer the stress of anything anymore. My wife was looking forward to a wonderful life with our expanding family, and I wouldn't let worry settle in her mind. At least, despite the stress on my end, we were going to have our honeymoon soon. The kids were happy, and that's all I could ask for. Speaking of which, I stopped into the nursery for a visit before heading off to discuss things with my cousin. Alessandro was playing around with a few cars and stuffed animals. Dahlia sat in front of him, doing the same, making happy cooing noises threaded in with a few words. When they saw me, they let out squeals of happiness and hobbled o