Ethan didn't usually like meeting the women he slept with, because they always wanted to get close. They always wanted a greeting, maybe to prove to other people that they knew Ethan Banks. But this meeting was different. Blair didn't even see him, because she was busy being kissed by another man.- "Stop staring, Banks. If Clark dies, I'll be forced to distrust you," Joseph said, making Ethan look at him.- "If Clark dies, you'll probably be in charge of burying the body," he replied, and his friend smiled.The woman next to Banks was like a decoration. She didn't talk to him, because she knew she would be completely ignored. All the attention in the world was on Blair, on her body wrapped in red fabric, on her red hair swinging.Because three days ago, Ethan had no way of knowing that seeing Blair with someone else would be so uncomfortable. He propped his left ankle on his right knee and began to sway his foot in time to the music. It seemed like just a normal movement, but it was
- "If I were enough, you wouldn't be treating me like a business. I'm worth more than a piece of paper, Banks."- "I never disagreed. The point is that you ignore all the security that a contract guarantees us"- "The assurance that you will be free to replace me at any time? No thanks, I'll pass."The exchange of glances was intense, but very comfortable and peaceful. It was as if they found in each other a peace they had never had before. Blair knew Ethan was a broken person. A broken heart recognized another.- "Angel, I can't give in on every aspect." Ethan slid his fingers through Blair's hair again, using the movement as a subterfuge to continue touching her.- "You don't have to give in. There are women like Mariah Donovan who would use their tongues to clean the floor under their feet. You don't need my signature." Those words were bitter on Blair's tongue, but they were still true.- "You are wrong"- "You like the challenge, Ethan. You like knowing that there's someone out t
- "Rivera, I'll only say this once. For every act, there is a consequence. If you don't help me, I can't help you. So don't make my work in vain and give me what I came for," she bluffed.- "That's not how police officers usually act"- "I never said I was a cop"- "So you're with them"Blair thought about what those words could mean, and couldn't understand half of them. Them; Ethan, Spencer, someone else? The redhead couldn't tell, and she didn't have the privilege of asking. To this man, she had to show that she knew everything.And then, just as Blair prepared to mutter her next lie, the bathroom doorknob turned, but the door was locked from the outside. She glanced at the carved wooden door, and then looked at Rivera, understanding that he had a lot to hide.- "Daddy?" a sweet, feminine voice sounded, somewhat scared.- "Just a minute, dear. I'm still busy," the man replied the next second.It was then that Blair understood the mystery. Rivera was hiding in that luxury hotel, in
- "You're going to live with her"- "Does she want me?" I ask.I once heard a girl say that no one wants abandoned children. We only have one family, and when we lose that, we don't get a new home. Only very lucky people get new homes. I didn't quite understand, but I think she meant that we stay here because other families are too busy taking care of their children.- "Yes, Blair. She wants to take care of you."Amelita reaches out her hand to me, and I can accept it. She's nice to me, unlike many other people. Well, I've never said it before, but I don't like nurses for this very reason. When my mother was in the hospital, the doctors took care of her, and they were nice to me. But the nurses weren't, they were never nice to me.We walk out of the room. The house is big and very dark, it looks like it has been abandoned for a long time. Even with the laughter of the children in the garden, the house still looks gloomy. This is not a happy place, not like the place where Mommy is.In
Deep down, she didn't want to talk about Banks anymore. He was someone who was both too close and too distant. Sometimes they felt like the closest people in the world. Other times, they felt like strangers.- "She called me, and the conversation was promising. I need to go back to Las Vegas, then I'll know if we have a future together."With Drake's response, the conversation continued smoothly, on a path that was comfortable for Blair. They continued talking until they reached Jean's car. Various topics, superficial conversations and light smiles. These were the aspects that defined the friendship between Drake and Blair very well.*People don't know what loneliness means until they feel it. The empty feeling that no soul in the world is compatible with yours. The fear of not finding someone else, another feeling, another moment. The desire to be better, the inability to change.Ethan felt like he was in the middle of a desert, even surrounded by crowds. The words of affection didn
Slap!As my mother-in-law Dora's heavy hand collides with my face, a searing pain shoots through my cheek, jolting my head to the side. A surge of redness flushes my skin, intensifying the agony. Struggling to maintain my balance, I stumble backward, eventually collapsing onto the softness of the bed behind me. Instinctively, my hand darts to my throbbing cheek, the pain radiating through every fiber of my being."You pathetic excuse for a woman," she sneers, her words dripping with contempt. "My son's birthday is in two days, and you dare to show such incompetence by not having the party prepared?"She towers above me, her presence intimidating. Dora embodies the essence of Italian aristocracy, her tall, slender figure accentuated by a sharp nose and angular features."I've hired a party planner," I retort."As a Banks, you should be capable of organizing a celebration yourself!" Her words are laced with venom, each syllable dripping with disdain as she delivers her cutting remark.
Collapsing to my knees, I clutch at my hair, fingers tangling in the strands as if to anchor myself to reality. The weight of Ethan's deception crushes me, leaving me gasping for air amidst the wreckage of our shattered marriage. Every sound of their exchange feels like a cruel echo of my own naivety, a reminder that I was nothing more than a pawn in his game. As Ethan's footsteps echo up the stairs, each one carries the weight of our broken trust.Ethan never loved me! We got involved a few years ago. I was a young girl trying to make it in the big city. He was a famous billionaire. I tried to do the right thing at the time, but the right thing was to betray Ethan's trust.I did it.I paid the price for it.**The relentless rain in Los Angeles mirrors the turmoil in my heart as I shuffle towards the kitchen. Each drop that splatters against the windowpane echoes the tears I've shed since discovering the bitter truth about my three-year marriage — a illusion crumbling before my eye
Ethan's gaze lands on me, his expression steeped in irritation, as though blaming me for the mishap.Dora strides into the kitchen, her commanding presence accentuated by her piercing blue eyes and the elegant cascade of silver strands in her perfectly styled hair. Clad in a tailored suit that exudes sophistication, she announces, "Good morning," her gaze landing on me with an unmistakable intensity. "What's this? You're a mess, girl," she remarks, her tone dripping with disdain, leaving me feeling small and insignificant."I accidentally spat on her because the coffee was bitter. I will clean it all up," Mariah says."No need. Someone will take care of it later," Ethan intervenes, his indifference cutting deeper than any insult."Go clean yourself up," Dora orders me, her voice laced with contempt, "and call someone to clean up this mess." Her command reinforces my sense of worthlessness, leaving me to silently comply.I rush out, but Dora's words pierce through me like knives. "In