The next day, The time was already 8:30am in the morning. Deborah had already woken up from sleep, dressed and prepared the kids for school, while Jake took them to school by himself since he was planning to head to the company afterwards, as he needed to be present at the company today to represent Alexander. "I wonder why that brat is still asleep when he informed me yesterday that he'd leave the mansion by after 8am". Deborah said and stopped watering the flowers. Soon after, her hands were carefully placed on her hips as she stood at her favourite spot in the garden. Just then, Mrs Harris confronted Deborah. "Madame Deborah, I wanted….". Mrs Harris didn't get to finish what she wanted to say and Deborah cut her off. "Harris, I've already told you recently to call me Deborah. There's no need for formality between us. Look here, we're both of the same age mate, so I prefer us to be informal". Deborah said and then smiled, causing some wrinkles in her eyes area and lips area to
The shoot was set to start at 10:00 am sharp. Mateo finally got up from bed and did as Deborah had told him. He was through dressing and went to the dining room to have his breakfast before leaving for the shoot. When Mateo asked Mrs Harris, who helped serve him breakfast, about his Mom, Deborah, she informed him that Deborah had already packed some of her clothes and some of Mina's and left for the hospital. Mateo sighed in defeat after Mrs Harris left him all alone in the dining room. "I can't believe that big brother is returning back. Jeez, here goes my freedom. And here I thought I won't see him for at least three weeks. Should I just go get an apartment of my own? Yes, but I have to come up with a better excuse so that no one will be suspicious of me". Mateo said to himself and then sighed in defeat again. He was weak about the news of Alexander returning, but that didn't stop him from finishing all his food since he was strangely hungry this morning. "I should probably leave
Alexander returned to the mansion with Mateo. As they came down from the car and entered the mansion, they saw the kids, including Jake, already waiting for their arrival in the living room.Alexander went ahead and sat down on the sofa. Immediately he sat down, Tyler, Taylor and Tessa went to his side. Alexander caressed his kid's faces with love and care and soon, he carried them all to sit on his lap, not minding how heavy they were on him. "It seems like you're busy, big bro. I'll ask you about my sister-in-law, Mina, later". Mateo immediately said, he didn't even wait to finish his words and already turned to leave."Stop". Mateo jerked up and halted immediately in his tracks after hearing Alexander's voice. He slowly and gradually turned until he was directly facing Alexander. 'I already know what this is all about. I'm really sorry, Mateo'. Jake thought to himself. Seeing that Alexander didn't say anything else again other than staring at him, Mateo asked with a forced smil
Time flew by so quickly and finally, it was the first of next month. Tina already told everything about the contract marriage to both Bella and Susie, and to her great surprise, they both accepted it with no objections. And of course, Susie mostly accepted it because she wanted to make use of this great opportunity to get to know Jake more, and probably start a relationship with him if possible. "You look so beautiful and stunning". Susie complimented Tina who was wearing a white gown that was beautifully designed with lace. "Yeah, I agree too". Bella supported. Tina saw the excited look on Susie's face and then she began with her thoughts, 'Just look how happy she is. I'm even wondering if it's me or her that's entering the Cassano family mansion to live there'. Tina shook her head as she thought through. "That's right, Susie. While I'm going to be away, what about your revenge plan?". Tina asked as she was worried that Susie wouldn't be able to act alone without her. After hear
"Pardon? Did I just hear right? I'm getting married to Mateo in four days time?". Tina asked Alexander in disbelief, and deep down inside her heart, she was wishing that this time, Alexander's words would be different. "Mateo, you should take your fianceè to your room. She must be tired". Alexander said and didn't bother to reply to Tina's question. In the same second, Alexander went to his kids and carried all three of them in his strong arms. He announced to them, "Come on, kids. You should better wash up. Your Mom is returning today and you must brush your teeth and bathe before I let you get close to her". After Alexander left with Tyler, Taylor and Tessa, Jake immediately rose up from where he was sitting and confronted Tina who was standing by Mateo. "Lady Tina, I see you're here. Did Susie happen to come with you? Is she outside?". Jake curiously asked in a calm voice.Tina glared at Jake as she replied to him, "Why don't you call Susie by yourself and ask her? I'm not your w
Mateo remained quiet for a while since he didn't know what to say. "Why aren't you saying anything, Mateo?! Didn't you hear what I said just now?. Fine, I'll repeat what I said again. I said, you're going to take very good care of me and our baby!". Tina announced once more. "Our baby?. I don't understand". Mateo finally said something to Tina after a while of remaining silent. Hearing what Mateo admitted, Tina sighed in defeat. She excused the doctor and nurses from the ward so that she'd have privacy time and conversation with Mateo. After the doctor and nurses had already left, Tina was certain that it was high time she told Mateo the whole truth. Tina's memory Flashback of weeks ago, the day the movie ended. (Note: The first chapter's full explanation of what happened that night). "Tina, you really did surprise me even though I am your manager. I didn't expect that the movie would be a great hit". Jaden suddenly showed up to where Tina was seated and said. Tina
Deborah's mouth remained slightly opened in disbelief for a while. And after a little longer, she asked Mateo in an unsure voice, "What do you mean by that, Mateo?". Tina was stunned and thought to herself , 'Just look at this dude. He didn't even inform me in advance that he'd tell the whole family about my condition!'. Mateo smiled after listening to Deborah's voice speak. He boldly announced once more, "It's a long story, Mom. But the thing is, Tina is pregnant with my baby, your grandchild". After Mateo had finished talking, he slightly scratched his head as he noticed the awkward look Deborah and the others were giving him. "Mom…. Are you, are you mad at me?". Mateo asked Deborah, and as he was already planning to give an explanation about the whole situation, the sudden loud exclamation voice of Deborah shocked the cats out of his systems!"Finally! My prayers have been answered! Thank you dear Almighty Lord in Heaven!". Deborah announced with joy, and in an instant she rose f
With the help of Mina and Tina, Deborah was able to prepare a huge feast for the whole family. Though, Alexander had already gone off to work, and Jake was also not around in the house. "You two did great jobs!". Deborah praised, causing Mina and Tina to awkwardly stare at themselves because, as they clearly remembered, the only job they did was food tasting. And this was because Deborah didn't allow them to do any work that involved labour. "Ahem, that's right. You two can go on now. You should go to your rooms and take your baths. Lunch would be served soon, so return to the dining room when you're through". Deborah smiled as she added. "Sure, Mom". Mina replied. "Alright, Mrs Cassano". Tina also replied. Hearing what Tina called her, Deborah corrected her, "You can call me Mom, Tina. And that is, if you feel comfortable with it". "Mo-". Tina was interrupted when she was just a second away from calling Deborah, Mom. "Speaking of which, what about your Mom, Tina? I'd love to me
It has been one month and a week since Bella left for Italy with Leonardo. And now, it's been 9 months and counting since Tina became pregnant. Plus actually, last two weeks ago, Mina successfully gave birth to a baby girl. The district mansion,“Come on, honey, I have to take you for a checkup”. Mateo said to Tina in a soft voice as he tried to wake her up.“Just give me 5 minutes more”. “You've given this excuse countless times already. You're just being lazy”.“Lazy?”. Tina weakly got up after hearing the last part of Mateo's words. And since Mateo was close to her, she grabbed his ears with her hands and pinched them while she said, “Who are you calling lazy? Is it me? In fact, you're the lazy one, my sweet darling. I'm busy carrying two lives inside me and you're calling me lazy?”. “The audacity….”. “I apologise, I apologise. Calm down, you'll hurt yourself and our baby”. Mateo immediately pleaded and was confused after seeing the confused look on Tina's face. “What's wrong?”.
7 months later,Because of the trick Bella used against Leonardo that day, she completely stopped coming to work and even found another job. To Bella, she thought that since she had repaid Leonardo's grudge, he won't come again for her, but guess what? She was wrong because Leonardo always confronted her which made her wary of him. Like, when is he planning to leave for Italy?“Ha, I'm tired”. “A stressful day at work too, ha?”. Susie asked Bella as she was also tired since she came back from work too just now. “Yeah.. I'm so tired that I don't think I would be able to do anything”. Bella replied as she laid comfortably on the sofa. “Sorry, but I think you have to do something, Bella”. Susie admitted and when she saw the confused look Bella was giving her, she added, “Leonardo is waiting outside the apartment for you. I saw him on my way in”.Hearing what Susie announced caused Bella to react and jerk up immediately. “What does he want from me this time?”. Bella said with a frown.
Leo's company, at Leonardo's office,“Here is what you ordered. I've reprinted everything”. Bella announced as she carefully kept the files on Leonardo's desk.Leonardo collected the files and was reviewing them. It didn't take that long and he ordered, “Assistant Bel, go bring me a cup of hot coffee”.“That's it!. I quit!”. Bella declared before she sat down on the floor and refused to get up. “Because of you, I wasn't able to attend my big sister's wedding. I’m done trying to please you, Leonardo…. Do your worst". Bella announced with furrowed eyebrows. Seriously, she has been working for the past 7 hours non stop, and was already tired. “My PA is cute when she barks at her boss”. Leonardo admitted with a grin. “Ba- barks? Me? Barks?. Am I a dog to you or what?!”. Bella got annoyed and naturally rose up from the floor. “You can't breach the contract you signed”. Listening to what Leonardo said to her, Bella absolutely wished she could just kick him again. The knock on the door
Bella returned to Tina's apartment by exactly 9pm…. And the first thing she did was to lay down on the bed as she was extremely tired. “You’re back already, Bella? How was your day at work?”. Susie came out from the bathroom, and when she saw Bella, she asked. Bella let out a tired groan before she replied to Susie in a complaining tone, “Don't ask me, Susie. I feel pain all over my body”. “Pain? How did it happen?”. “It's all Leonardo's fault, of course”. Bella announced and when she recalled how horrible her day was today, she sat up on the bed and said to Susie, “Could you believe that since the moment you guys left Leonardo’s office, my butt didn't touch the chair?”. “Eh? What's that supposed to mean?”. Susie questioned as she didn't quite understand what Bella meant. “What I mean is that, I've been working and running like a horse all day long. That jerk, Leonardo! He didn't even let me rest for a sec!”. Bella explained and was panting angrily. Susie on the other hand, w
“Wait, wait, wait. I admit my mistake, big bro. I won't run away like that again”. Jake immediately explained as he was already beginning to feel dizzy with the way Leonardo was hitting his head non stop. “Good for you, little brother”. Leonardo said out before he finally stopped hitting Jake's head out of pity. Now, Leonardo's attention was focused on Bella who was hiding herself behind Susie's back. “Don't come close to me”. Bella immediately announced when she noticed that Leonardo was about to take a step towards where she was. A smirk appeared on Leonardo’s face as he questioned Bella, “Why”. “Why?”. Bella repeated with a frown before she came out from hiding and even went ahead and stood in front of Leonardo before she added, “You're asking me, why? Alright, I'll answer. First of all, you're a dangerous guy. And second of all, you're a freak. Just because I kicked you that night, you still haven't gotten over it? Are you a weakling or what?”. “You can talk all you want,
When Bella dragged Jake all the way to where the cars were parked, reality hit her head too hard because she suddenly remembered that she didn't have any car of her own since the Mansion was still sealed by the upper authorities. (PS: The mansion in Bella's mind is Tina's Mom mansion. Plus, Bella's car is currently stuck there). ‘Gosh. Even though I'm broke, when can I retrieve my car back from my big sis mom's mansion?’. Bella thought. Soon, she left Jake and ruffled her red hair. Seeing what Bella was doing to her hair, Susie asked, “Are you alright?”. “It's not like that, Susie. I didn't bring enough cash with me, and, how are we going to get to Leo's company?”. Bella said. “That's no problem at all. We can use cousin Sebastian car. Good thing I snatched his car key when he wasn't looking”. The voice of Camila was so sudden to everyone, that it caused them to turn behind. “Camila? Big sis? You followed us?”. Amelia was surprised and said. “Of course, Amelia. Well,
“Easy. Slow down, Bella. Can you explain everything that happened?”. Susie calmed Bella down with her words. As for Bella, before she began narrating the whole story, she went to one of the tables and took a glass cup that was filled with water. Soon, she drank all the water before dropping the glass cup on the table and returning to Susie's side. “Here's how it happened….”. Bella suddenly spoke out and went silent for a while. And after staring at everyone's faces quickly, she continued narrating the story, “You know I was happy this morning when I was preparing to go for my job interview at Leo's Company, right?”. Bella asked Susie, and when Susie nodded at her in acknowledgement, she continued narrating her story, “Well, I successfully arrived at the Company, thanks to God. And when I arrived at the interview floor, I waited for many minutes before the company workers started showing up. Plus that wasn't all, one of the office workers approached me and handed a document for me t
The gardens, After making sure that everyone was present in the garden, Deborah returned to the garden since she wanted to join in Mateo's birthday celebration. Upon arriving, Deborah was stunned to see some faces she didn't expect to show up. “Eh? Sebastian? Mason? Santiago? Camila and Amelia?”. Deborah said in disbelief before she added, “You all came? I can't believe this. You children didn't even inform me you'd be coming”. (PS: Sebastian, Mason, Santiago, Camila and Amelia are cousins to Alexander and Mateo). As the eldest among them, Sebastian went to Deborah. He didn't handshake her, but instead, he hugged her tightly while he said, “It's been a long time, mother. We all missed you”. “I miss you too, my sweet Sebastian”. Deborah admitted. She was hugging Sebastian so sweetly and warmly that it got Mason, Santiago, Camila and Amelia, jealous. “Me too. I want to hug you, mother”. Santiago announced and before he could reach Deborah's side, Amelia pushed him. “Not if I
Outside the mansion, in the gardens, Earlier this morning, Mateo's birthday celebration was supposed to be held in the living room of the mansion, but Deborah refused and insisted that it'd be much better if Mateo’s birthday party was held in the gardens. The garden was so huge and was decorated with harsh red ribbons. Plus, the ribbons decorations in the gardens were few since it wasn't a child's celebration. Seeing that the chairs and tables were in order, and properly arranged as per her order, Mrs Harris slightly nodded her head in delight before she returned into the Mansion to invite everyone to the garden. “Everything is ready?”. Deborah asked as she saw Harris approach her. “Yes, Deborah. Everything is set”. Mrs Harris replied politely, causing Deborah to smile. In no time, after Deborah dismissed Mrs Harris, she took over. First, she went to Alexander’s room, and when she was allowed in, she saw that Alexander was already dressed up. Plus, she also witnessed A