TANYA’S POV Within a twinkling of an eye, Rodrigo leaped forward and wrapped his hands around my frame, turning me in the opposite direction to shield me from the impact of whatever was to come. Anthonio flung the package away, and it landed in the distance with a dry thud. But there was nothing, no explosion, no fire. “I don't think it's a bomb,” Anthonio’s voice rang. Rodrigo loosened his hold on me and stepped forward. “Are you insane? What sort of sick prank is this supposed to be?” he snapped at the delivery man. “I- I'm only following orders; I don't even know what's inside the package,” the man stuttered, adjusting his cap. “You don't even know what's inside, and you brought it here?” “Unless I check the register -” he dipped his hand into his bag and scanned the page with his eyes. “It says here that it's a large wall clock.” Rodrigo tore apart the wrapper in frustration, revealing the clock buried in a sea of foam to prevent it from breaking or scratching.
TANYA’S POV “Wow,” I exclaimed, just staring at him. “You never struck me as someone who cared about things like that.” My cheeks were already flustered and a light shade of red. “Well, I don't, but my father does, and since it's been just a month, I'm sure he's still monitoring our relationship.” There it was, the real reason. Embarrassment washed over me because I even considered Rodrigo to care about me enough to be romantic, which was why he brought me here. When it came to him, every move was well calculated. “So, tell me about yourself,” he asked, leaning forward. A snicker escaped my lips, “Imagine not knowing your wife,” I stated sarcastically. He narrowed his eyes on me, “that’s why I want to find out.” The eye contact was intense, perhaps too intense, because I started to feel like the room was closing in on me, and I was beginning to feel hot. “Well, there isn't much to know. My parents are deadbeats, and I'm just a victim of circ
RODRIGO’S POVThe puddles of water on the ground splattered as we approached the gas station's entrance.I had to slow down to keep up with Tanya's running pace, which made me even more soaked than I should've been.Finally, we were under the canopy. This gas station was mostly empty; there was nobody outside.She took a moment to catch her breath as her chest was heaving. “Wow, when was the last time I ran like that? You know, from the car, it looked like it was pretty close by.”“It was.”She raised her head, “No, it wasn't; my legs are burning.”“You should exercise more.”She squeezed the excess water from the blazer and then began twisting her hair to squeeze out the water, too.My shirt was soaked with water and clung to me like a second skin. I unbuttoned my shirt and removed it, squeezing the extra water.From the corner of my eyes, I saw Tanya stealing glances at me. “I can see you staring,” I teased, and she immediately looked away.The rain seemed even to worsen as a low ru
FABIO’S POV The cool evening breeze crashed against my face as I stood on the balcony, enjoying the view of the city that my mansion offered. It was drizzling, and the heavy rain was slowly coming to a stop. The distant roaring of thunder was like a soothing lullaby. The drink in my hand swirled as I nursed it before taking a swig, old memories resurfaced and they only managed to make me cringe. Whenever I remembered the injustice my father did to me, a fresh wave of anger bubbled within my chest. I met all the requirements, I was married and even had kids, but when he was looking for a capo, he went straight for my twin without even giving me a chance. “Sir, someone is here to see you, Charles, the private Investigator,” my security man said to me. “Let him in, lead him here to the balcony, I'll be waiting.” The security nodded and then left. I made my way back to the chair and plopped down on the couch. Shortly after, Charles joined me at the balcony. A smirk playe
RODRIGO’S PPV The car sped down the highway, accelerating dangerously with my hands wrapped tightly around the steering wheel. The videos from the flash drive replayed in my mind. It didn't come as a shock to me because of the circumstances Tanya and I met. She was supposed to be my escort for the night. I shook my head to banish the inappropriate thoughts in my mind. How did Fabio even get a hold of those clips? He must have done some serious digging. What if he found out that I lied about my relationship with Tanya? I heaved a deep sigh when suddenly my eyes widened in surprise. My foot jammed the brakes, and the car screeched to a stop. The seatbelt secured me to my seat. The smell of burning rubber invaded my nostrils. I craned my neck forward to get a clearer view of what suddenly ran into the road carelessly. It was a white cat licking its paws. I threw my back against my seat and breathed sharply. *** My headlamps cast a warm orange glow against the gravel s
TANYA’S POVAfter our passionate night in his home office, we still headed to his room and continued our lovemaking for several rounds.I opened my eyes to find myself entangled with Rodrigo in the bed; the only piece of clothes covering us was the blanket.We were body-naked under the sheets. Something about this level of intimacy made my cheek turn a bright shade of pink.His warmth radiated from him, and I snuggled up with him; if only I could crawl into his skin and bury myself there, I'd have done it.A small smile played on my lips as I recalled the details of our night, and then a satisfied breath escaped my nostrils.It seemed my moving around had alerted Rodrigo because he stirred awake from his sleep. “Good morning,” I whispered in his ear.He just stared into space, and I could feel my heart drop; the facial expression was very familiar. He slowly withdrew his big arm from around my waist, almost causing me to whine in protest.“Rodrigo,” I called in a guarded tone.He peel
RODRIGO’S POV The evening skies were littered with stars, and the night breeze was calm and relaxing, creating the perfect opportunity to sit outside and catch a breath. As I sat by the pool in the evening, the cool breeze playing with my hair, I held a glass of whiskey in my hand, the amber liquid swirling gently as I stirred the glass absentmindedly. The whole bottle rested on the floor beside my chair, a silent companion to my solitude. The pool water shimmered under the fading sunlight, its surface rippling with a hypnotic dance. It offered a brief distraction from the turmoil brewing within me. I was lost in my thoughts when Anthonio's quiet presence interrupted my solitude. He joined me by the poolside, his footsteps barely audible against the soft murmur of the evening. He informed me that he had gathered as much information as possible about Don. Anthonio spoke of Don's private and enigmatic nature, but I found it hard to focus on his words. Anthonio's concern wa
Tanya's povHe was lucky he gave me the card back. I had been prepared to take it all out on him if he decided to play stubbornly with it. My hands traced the outline of the thin card as I tapped on my messages. As I hoped, there was a message from the unknown account.'where?'Oh, she thought. I expected a call or something else, not an actual physical meeting. It was typical of him to want to stay hidden.Then it was a good thing I was going shopping tomorrow. That was the perfect excuse to get out of the house. I grinned slightly. This was my chance to end my deal with this stranger before someone got hurt. The last present he sent was a clock. I felt sure that the next one wouldn't be as tame. I placed the card on the bed and typed out my reply.'12 am, Royal Pavilion. Table 10'There was no reply to that. How could I be sure he agreed? But I also couldn't keep the chat open. Rodrigo might check my phone without my knowledge, and I'd die. I blocked the account and archived it ag