Sebastian was eager to facilitate the wedding process, and make it happen at soonest.Left to him, they would've gotten married that weekend, but there was a lot of preparations to be made, and Isabel has insisted that he postponed it, because she needed to tell her family about it."The same family who set you up, and nearly had you kidnapped, if not for Fowler's timely intervention?"He wasn't thrilled with the idea of her going to meet them, and that was mostly because they were still in his custody, unbeknownst to her."Despite what they've done to me, they are still my family, and I do not intend to get married without getting their blessings." She was honest with him."I've no friends, nor do I have anyone elsewhere except them. And although they might've wronged me countless times in the past, I don't think it is fair to cut them out of my life just like that, because they saved me too.""And you've done well to repay them every kindness they've shown you. Yet, they continu
After ending the call with Detective Jonas, Sebastian called Pierre and gave him the assignment of sniffing Damien Giddorti's ass"Pardon my asking, Mr. Bernadotte, but this is unlike every other assignment you've been giving me?""Yes, I know, but I need every information you can get on that son of a bitch.""What kind of information do you need?" Pierre asked the man, still confused about his request."Have you been told anything about him?""I just received a tip of an alliance that Giddorti Enterprise is pumping Wall Street with drug money, so I need you to help me find out if it is true or not." Pierre wasn't comfortable with the assignment, and he aired it to Sebastian immediately."Mr. Bernadotte, you need to understand that this isn't as easy as you think. Whether or not Giddorti is involved in any illegal activities, busting him would do you no good.""There's always a hierarchy, and trust me, someone like Damien Giddorti can never be at the top of the food chain. It i
Isabel checked her watch impatiently, as she waited to be called into the ob-gyn's office.She had less than an hour left to report to work and had been seated there for the past thirty minutes, but it seemed like it had been an eternity already.Although she was hoping to get accepted for the position she was applying for, she still couldn't afford to get fired from her job at Blue Farm yet.It has been her only source of livelihood for the past three years, and she enjoyed working there too. The free meals the employees are entitled to have been her lifesaver.However, she knew that if by sheer luck, she got accepted for this new position, she would've to quit from Blue Farm.Compared to the free meals and hourly income, this new position came with a lot of incentives, which made it luscious.From the free healthcare to the best hospital in the city, to the free living expenses, from her feeding to her clothes and transportation. Then, there was her monthly allowance an
Out of over two hundred ladies who replied to the ad, Isabel was among the lucky fifty who were selected for the interview.She was thrilled about the news, and begged her manager for an off day, so she could attend the interview.After much begging, the man gave her the permit she needed, to not show up at work on that day.On that day, Isabel dressed her very best, wearing one of Jasmine's hand-me-down tops, and a wide-legged denim she'd purchased for herself about a year ago.Her attire didn't appear suitable for the interview, but the dress she could've worn was destroyed by Jasmine after she borrowed it weeks ago and did not return it until two days ago.The strain on the off-white dress, which she didn't know if it was from coffee or makeup, was impossible to wash off, despite all the cleaning agents she used on it.She had to dump it and wear something else, and although it didn't appear professional, she had no choice.Before Isabel left home that morning, she prepared breakf
Two weeks after the last screening test, Isabel received a mail from the agency.She was at work when she heard her phone buzzed. She pulled out out of her pocket and swiped down the notification bar.There was an email from St. Patrick's Hospital. She needed no soothsayer to tell her it was from the agency, yet she did not open the mail.Her heart pounding, as uncertainty ate her from within.What if she didn't get the job? Does that mean that she will have to go beg Mr. Bernadotte to give her more time to save up his money?Will he agree?What if he doesn't and decide to make thing difficult for her?She wouldn't be surprised if he decide to make things worst for her. She could've agreed to go the easy way, but her pride could not allow her subject her body to such immorality.Now, it doesn't look like she has any choice.Isabel did not bother about thinking what if she got the job. She knew within herself that she'd only made it through the entire process by sheer luck. No
Everything happened so quickly for Isabel, that she lost track of her own life. Immediately after she signed the contract with the agency, she was moved to a new apartment, Unlike how she had expected the apartment to be a penthouse in the city, it was a multimillionaire mansion with an ocean view and it was unlike anything Isabel had ever seen.Whoever this anonymous employer of hers was, she needed no soothsayer to tell her he must be drowning in wealth. Everything she needed, from food and clothes to other necessities, was in abundance. She didn't have to do anything for herself, because two maids were designated to her care. There was a chef, a few cleaners, and bodyguards. The security was very tight, which means there was no unsolicited going out and coming in.The house manager, Madam Magdalene, an older woman in her late forties was there if she needed anything.Isabel was awestruck, yet cautious, because everything seemed too good to be true for her.There were certa
The morning after was a disaster for Isabel.She woke up feeling as if someone had run a truck over her, yet couldn't vividly recall all that happened the night before.The memories were fuzzy, making it impossible for her to give a detailed account of everything that happened, but she recalled the strange heat that overwhelmed her after she finished the soup she was served, the undescribable feeling she felt afterward, and the sharp pain she felt when the man first penetrated her.She vaguely remembered crying and begging him to stop, but he did not. He went on and on until she passed out from exhaustion.She didn't know whether he stopped after that, or continued until he couldn't anymore.Worst of all, she did not even see the man's face.All her senses were jagged, except her sense of feeling and smell, so could only perceive his scent and feel the strength of his powerful thrusts.Why is he so determined to stay anonymous?She kept wondering.Why does he not want to reveal himsel
EIGHT YEARS LATER, Isabel stepped out of the cab, dragging her bag with her. She close the door, thanked the cab driver, before sauntering towards her house. She unlocked the door and went inside the house, heaving a loud sigh of relief. "Home, sweet home." She took off her coat and shoes, keeping them at their designated places, and was about going further into the house, when she recalled she hasn't gone to pick her eight-years-old son, Reynolds, from her neighbor's. "Shit!" She cussed frustrated, returning to the shoe rack to wear her shoes. Before she left two days ago, she had begged her neighbor, Austin, to help her babysit her son, for the time she will be gone. It was the first time she was leaving her son to someone else's care for more than twenty-four hours, and she was skeptical about it, yet did not have any other choice. She didn't want him to skip school, so she begged Austin to help her watch over him. Despite knowing he was safe with Austin, it didn't ease her
After ending the call with Detective Jonas, Sebastian called Pierre and gave him the assignment of sniffing Damien Giddorti's ass"Pardon my asking, Mr. Bernadotte, but this is unlike every other assignment you've been giving me?""Yes, I know, but I need every information you can get on that son of a bitch.""What kind of information do you need?" Pierre asked the man, still confused about his request."Have you been told anything about him?""I just received a tip of an alliance that Giddorti Enterprise is pumping Wall Street with drug money, so I need you to help me find out if it is true or not." Pierre wasn't comfortable with the assignment, and he aired it to Sebastian immediately."Mr. Bernadotte, you need to understand that this isn't as easy as you think. Whether or not Giddorti is involved in any illegal activities, busting him would do you no good.""There's always a hierarchy, and trust me, someone like Damien Giddorti can never be at the top of the food chain. It i
Sebastian was eager to facilitate the wedding process, and make it happen at soonest.Left to him, they would've gotten married that weekend, but there was a lot of preparations to be made, and Isabel has insisted that he postponed it, because she needed to tell her family about it."The same family who set you up, and nearly had you kidnapped, if not for Fowler's timely intervention?"He wasn't thrilled with the idea of her going to meet them, and that was mostly because they were still in his custody, unbeknownst to her."Despite what they've done to me, they are still my family, and I do not intend to get married without getting their blessings." She was honest with him."I've no friends, nor do I have anyone elsewhere except them. And although they might've wronged me countless times in the past, I don't think it is fair to cut them out of my life just like that, because they saved me too.""And you've done well to repay them every kindness they've shown you. Yet, they continu
Like Sebastian avowed, he got the lady from the stored fired from her workplace, then got her arrested.Isabel wasn't supportive of his decision, but since he'd threatened to extend the lady's stay behind bar, if she begged him on her behalf, she decided to not say anything to him. However, she showed her displeasure, which he ignored."This should serve as a lesson to anyone who decide to disrespect you." He told her, as the officers took the crying lady away."Now, remind me what it is you wanted to get?"Isabel was quiet for a while, as the crowd dispersed, but a good amount of passerby were looking at them, awed to see Sebastian, his triplet sons and his new girlfriend."Nothing..."He threw her a discerning glare, then took her hand into his,"If I could remember, the Genesis of this misunderstanding was you trying to see if a particular shade of foundation matched you skin tone, right?"Isabel said nothing, prompting Oliver to say yes to the man."I still remember the brand,
After they left the store, Isabel could tell the boys were in a sour mood, and she didn't know what to say to cheer them up."Boys, do you want to go to the arcade now?" She asked them, hopeful they would say yes, but they didn't."We are fine." "Yeah...I think I'd rather go home."Both Oliver and Reynolds spoke respectively."Boys, I don't think you should be feeling sad about what that lady did, or anything she said to me." She told them, watching their sullen faces."You see, sometime the best answer to give to people who are being intentionally disrespectful to you, is silence.""But, mommy, she crossed the line calling you a lowlife and us, the b word." Alexander argued,"She was being disrespectful to you, but you did not defend yourself. Sometimes, people need to be taught that they can't go around being rude to anyone they see, because they feel like they can.""She needs to be taught a lesson." Reynolds concluded,"One she wouldn't forget in a hurry. Nobody disrespect my mo
Several minutes later, Sebastian was spooning Isabel whose head was rested against his chest.They were still exhausted from their earlier intense and passionate lovemaking and their hearts were beating in a rhythm."I'm indeed the luckiest man on the planet." He told her, possessively tightening his arms around her petite form."Had anyone told me ten to fifteen years ago, that someday I will become obsessed over a woman and desperately want to make her mine, I would've called the person a goddamn liar."Isabel let out an exhausted, but satisfied sigh."But here I am, at thirty-five, obsessed over you and wanting nothing but to spend the rest of my life with you. I'm the luckiest man on earth.""Likewise me, Sebastian." She whispered to him,"Who could've known that I would end up getting married to the same man I once despised like my life depended on it. But, here I am.""I'm no believer of fate, or destiny, but I think the only explanation to our relationship is destiny. We were
"What the hell are you talking about, Isabel?" Sebastian questioned her,"Why would you ask me to do that?""Because, I think it's the right thing to do, since we are both about to enter a new chapter of our lives." She explained to him.Now, it was her turn to beg him."I don't care about the both of them, Sebastian, but I do not think that I want us to have a life where we have people like them hovering over us." She continued, taking his other hand into hers."I understand that they must've wronged you in one way or the other, but I need you to let go of everything that happened. I do not want our children to be raised in this rivalry, which would mean passing it to their own children, who would also pass it to theirs, and the circle continues endlessly.""Isabel, what you are asking for is impossible. I owe no grudge against Shakira for what she did, but I don't think I would ever forgive Damien Giddorti for all he has done." He avowed to her,"Do you know what that bastard did
"I want nothing to do with that son of a bitch who ruined my life." Joan spat, the second Sebastian made mention of Damien Giddorti's name."Trust me, Ms. Lively, I do not want anything to do with him too, but I need the bastard to face the consequences of his actions." He explained to her, "And I saw the file on the rape charge you raised against him three years ago. However, for some reason, which I believe he'd influenced, the charges were dropped."Joan scoffed, staring at her palms which she placed on the table."I know you must be wondering why I am interested in your case, or why I suddenly believe you after all these years. The truth is that, Damien Giddorti has always been a bastard, but recently, he thought it would be funny to assault my wife, to spite me." Sebastian continued, leaving both the scar-faced man and Joan bewildered."Yes. He tried to take advantage of her, despite knowing that she's mine and although I got him arrested, but he was bailed out because there was
After over an hour of driving around Manhattan, Sebastian and Moses finally found the address they were looking for."Sir, I think you should stay here, while I go in and find the apartment." Moses offered to the man, who was seated at the backseat, staring at him through the rearview mirror."You know what floor her apartment is on?""No, sir, but I will ask around.""Ask them what? You've no picture of her, nor do you know what her name is or what she look like."Moses did not say anything.Sebastian brought out the piece of paper he'd copied the information about the lady into, then he handed it to Moses."That is her name, phone number and address. Although, I do not suppose that the number is still active, because I can't seem to reach her with it."Moses took the paper from the man, stole a glance at it, before he shoved it into his pocket.While Sebastian waited in the car, he stepped down, then made his way towards the several storey apartment building.Once he entered, he
Meanwhile, Isabel was at the manor, impatiently waiting for Sebastian to return.About an hour ago, she called him and he'd told her that he was on his way to the manor.Her mind was plagued with quite an unhealthy amount of morbid thoughts.She thought about driving to the penthouse to drag him home, but she knew that Fowler wouldn't allow her go anywhere, without Sebastian ordering it.She tried calling him again, but this time, her call was sent to voicemail."Fuck! Sebastian, why are you doing this to me?" She mused, her eyes nearly blurring with tears as she paced to and fro their bedroom, praying for him to return homeThe boys have gone to school and she was alone, except for the employees scattered around the manor, Jarvis and Fowler included.After plenty minutes of random morbid thoughts, she decided to go call him and know what was delaying him.Hopefully, he would pick up and tell her that he was alright, and was on his way home.Who was she kidding?Her call was sent