Allegra.Mentally recovering from what happened with that heartbreak had been a lot, but I was coping well enough. At the moment, I was laying down on the couch, trying not to burst into tears again. 'Well enough' being relative, of course. On the bright side, I had a runway show soon. I was adapting very well to the new place, and the people here were very kind. I thought about the boss and how he was very accommodating to people in general.Now that I was settling down and had hopes for the future, maybe I could look into therapy. With my new position, my health costs would be covered by insurance, and it may be healthy for me. I needed to let Layla go, but it was so difficult. That question hung in my mind like a tick to a dog. 'Do you think Layla has any regrets?' I had asked Neal that, and he had denied that it mattered. Really, he was right. It shouldn't. Things had gone horribly with the Michaelsons, but they could have gone much worse. Layla surely knew
Becca.I wished James's words on finding someone else to be the Don were more reassuring. Giovani, based on how he spoke, sounded promising, sure. But I still wanted to get out of here. The more I thought about the charity idea, the more I knew we should do it. Staring at the kettle of tea on the stove, I let out a soft sigh and reached up to rub at my temples. I really hoped James would listen to me. Hopefully, my research and gathering of pictures would actually help my case so he'd begin to see my point.He was being so stubborn and just didn't understand. No doubt, even if he did find Giovanni as a good successor, the problems would continue while we stayed here. That wasn't the only reason why I wanted to go to Guatemala anymore, though. When the kettle began to whistle, I took it off of the stove and poured myself a cup of tea. Then, I began walking toward the nursery, wanting to visit the kids. I entered the room, smiling at the squeals of joy tha
James.Today was the day. All of our plans were going to come down to right here, right now, and Ronaldo would pay for stabbing me in the back once and for all. I was hoping we could send the authorities to arrest him, but I knew he had a mixture of money for bribes.The heat was off me, given the tapes, but he was still at large and thirsty for blood. My blood, something he wouldn't get. I stood in the bathroom, spraying myself with cologne and getting into my suit for the occasion.I looked as though I was attending a funeral. Hopefully, that would be the case, if it came down to it. I had no qualms about killing that bastard, given what he'd been putting us through. I could be a bit cold-hearted, which would pay off for my family now.Exiting the bathroom, I ran into Becca on the way out. We'd had sex the night before, several times over, after I caved into her idea just a little bit. Perhaps my heart wasn't completely cold on the idea, but I still didn't think the
Neal.My targets would clear things up for myself, Becca, James, and Allegra. Despite what happened between myself and Becca, I never would think she deserved to be the target of Sergei's son, Mikhail. The Russian mob would be rendered useless. I'd make sure of it. That, on top of the Michaelson brothers, the bastards who were after me. I stared at my phone, reading the messages coming in at rapid fire from the people on my side for this case. It was all coming down to this. My spy work would be of great help here. With my help, my allies infiltrated them properly, and it was all about pulling the trigger. I had backup plans for when things inevitably went wrong. At the moment, I was on the phone with Allegra. Incidentally, they were in Italy right now, just like I was. The whole infestation was here, ripe for the taking. It was convenient Becca and James were here right along with Allegra because that made all of the roaches gather in one area, hoping for food.
Becca."Oh James, I'm so glad it all worked out," I said after hearing about the encounter with Ronaldo and the Russian mob. Neal had come through for us in the end, as well, since Mikhail was now taken out. I think we all had some breathing room now. James gave me a smile, swooping me into his arms and giving me a gentle kiss on the lips. I let myself get lost in it for a moment as I sat there in his arms. We were on the couch right now after having discussed the entire situation. "Took a lot of planning and resources, but yes, all of our plans came through seamlessly. The greed and oversight of our enemies certainly helped in this case, though," James replied. He let out a sigh of relief, his body language relaxed and his general demeanor became a happy one. "You said you had plans for us tonight?" I asked, not bothering to hide my excitement. Sophia was in the other room, playing with the kids. I'd spent many hours with them today and was happy to have a break!
Beca.Trembling, I sat on the couch with a glass of water in my hand, staring into it. James's hand was on my shoulder in a reassuring manner, but I didn't find myself calming down at all. A choked sob emitted from the pit of my chest, and I took several deep breaths. "Becca," James said softly. "We can get through this, too. She is unhinged and out of it. There's no way she can accomplish much like that. I doubt she will listen to me regarding leaving me alone, but this isn't anything we can't handle.""We just got through several other problems, James!" I said, reaching up and wiping away my tears. They streamed down my cheeks, not stopping, as my chest clenched and my stomach began to hurt horribly. "We did," James said calmly, pulling me into his lap and holding me there. I turned and began to cry into his chest, shaking. After everything that had been happening lately, we'd come closer than ever, but he still couldn't solve everything magically. "And now t
Becca."Oh, Becca, trust me, she's a doll, she's wonderful," Sophia said to me, giving me a bright smile. At the moment, we were sitting at a diner, sipping coffee and discussing things. There was dim lighting above us, not that they needed to be any brighter given the sun was out. James was taking a day to spend with the kids while Sophia and I went out shopping and discussing her new find. Last night had been a wonderful distraction from Allison, but she was admittedly on the back of my mind at all times now. I refocused, looking at Sophia with a careful smile. "That's good," I said, thinking things through. She was telling me about a lady she'd met at the market months ago and became friends with. Unfortunately, Sophia's break had to end soon, and she'd need to go back to running her business.I'd need to make a decision, but after the last two problems, particularly Layla, I was having a hard time caving to the idea of a new nanny. I said, "You have a good sense
Allegra.Downing one shot of vodka, then another, I decided to drink my way through this damn phone call. Apparently, I had decided to discuss things with Layla. When had I decided that? I wasn't sure, I was about four shots deep right now. Spinning the phone in my hand, I let out a sigh, grumbling in annoyance. Music pounded in my ears, which I bobbed my head to. I twirled my hands, rotating my wrists as I leaned back on my couch and let out a laugh. F*ck. What situation was I in right now? Love-struck and making bad decisions? That was right. I had the damn mob off me now, so that was a relief. Neal came through, just as I thought he would. Now he couldn't know about what I was contemplating. If anyone huffed and puffed at me for thinking of calling Layla back, I'd lose my mind. Though, most phone calls that came through right now were from my boss or coworkers, congratulating me once again on my stunning performance. Whatever. I grabbed my phone and dialed
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