"PAPA BEAR"
Baby, this is what you came for
Lightning strikes every time she moves.
And everybody's watching her
But she's looking at you, ooh, ooh
You, ooh, ooh, you, ooh, ooh…
I stir under my covers, trying to ignore the music announcing an incoming call; my efforts are in vain; the damn song plays over and over again.
Annoyed, I reach out for my cell phone, ready to find out who has dared to disturb my sleep."Mmm?" I answer with no desire to utter a word."Good morning, cara mia. I want to inform you that I am currently entering your building. Are you ready?" what the hell? I move the offensive device away from my ear to check the time, showing 7:00 am."Stefano, it's seven o'clock in the morning, the appointment is at ten o'clock, what the hell are you doing here so early? Suddenly the call finished. That's a sign he boarded t"PROBLEMS" PART 1"Oh, so you've decided to be noticed," I say as I inspect the bulge in my belly; I swear it wasn't there before. Until last night I had a flat stomach and a great behind."I think you ran out of room, buddy" I gently run my hand down the length of the bulging area. I can't believe I'm already four months old. It seems like yesterday when I found out I would be a mother.I take the clothes on my bed, and I almost go into shock when I notice the bra is too small, to the point that my breasts practically come out, my pants don't close, and my blouse doesn't fit; when did all this happen? Until yesterday everything fit me perfectly.I guess I will leave the office early to shop for some clothes. I continue trying on one outfit after another until I find a summer dress that, luckily, I can wear with a blazer over it. Alena will enjoy this very much, she loves shopping, especially with other people's money.This w
"PROBLEMS" PART 2"WHAT DID SHE SAY?" Many of the customers turn in our direction. Alena didn't miss an opportunity to yell at the top of her lungs."Shhh... keep your voice down! Don't you realize that people are turning to look at us," I whispered with irritation."It's not my fault that people who frequent this store don't miss the opportunity to get juicy gossip. But that is not important; I can't believe that goddamn brat said that to you. I mean, she treated you as if you were a tramp. Doesn't she know that you own the company?""No," I answer while shaking my head in denial, "she must think I'm some subordinate who's just messing with her father to climb the social ladder. Otherwise, she wouldn't have said such a bunch of nonsense."And, what are you going to do? Because this cannot continue, no way, no way. We have to plan the perfect revenge" Alena is so upset that if you prick her vein, it's not blood that spurts ou
"AN UNEXPECTED INVITATION""Hmm?" I answer the incoming call on my cell phone. Who the hell is disturbing my sleep? Waking up a pregnant woman should count as a crime."Oh! Sorry, Cara mia, I didn't think you'd be asleep at this hour.""Are you insinuating that I'm being lazy, Stefano Graziani?" Well, yes, it's eleven in the morning, so what? How dare he call me lazy? Automatically my sleep faded away and was replaced by growing anger.Although looking at it from a different perspective, I had never slept in until so late, unless I stayed up all night. However, it doesn't give him the right to call me so."Christie, please, understand me. If I hadn't called earlier, it was because I feared waking you up. I know that pregnant women sleep more because they get tired faster due to the excess of hormones flowing in their bodies. I should have texted instead of calling. I apologize about that" aww, can't thi
"MARELLA PARISI""You didn't answer my question, Marella. What the hell are you doing here?" Stefano is so upset, his face is entirely red, and the vein in his neck looks like it's about to burst. I take his hand in an attempt to calm him down."Relax, dear! You'll give yourself a stroke. What's wrong with me coming for a friendly visit," I tell the witch in her mother tongue,"If you haven't noticed, my guest, who is my girlfriend, doesn't speak Italian.""What a pity! You've lowered your standards, my dear" what the hell? I'm about to slap her, but then I see the smirk on her daughter's face. "I'm not saying it for you, honey, don't think you're so important," this last thing she says, looking in my direction."Don't worry, ma'am; I was never interested in studying Italian. However, I did learn Spanish, French, and German. But fate is whimsical; it took me to the arms of an Italian" take this sweetheart.
"PARTNERS IN CRIME"One month, that's how long her love for her family lasted. Just as Stefano predicted, Marella quickly grew tired of playing the self-sacrificing mother who looks out for her children's welfare and wants her home back.One day she packed her bags and left without a word while her children were at school. When they returned, they found a note on the refrigerator informing them "that she had unavoidable commitments that demanded her attention and she could no longer delay her departure."To say that Stefano was relieved not to have her under his roof is an understatement. Luciana was disappointed, as she had hoped to return to Italy, but unfortunately, that was not her mother's plan."Baby girl, do you want a snack before you go to the doctor's appointment?" asked Glorita peeking out of the door of my room."Yes, thank you," I woke up today with my spirits down. I feel exhausted; I have a
"A BET""I see that being anxious runs in the family," I tell her, placing my hand on her knee to stop her from moving her leg."I'm sorry, I'm just extremely nervous. ""Relax! The doctor will ask you a few questions, give you a lecture, and prescribe the best contraceptive method for you.""Miss Swan, you can come in now," the nurse informs me."Come on," she gets up from her chair, and I can feel a slight tremor in her hands."Good afternoon Christie," says Dr. Ramsay, "I see you are in good company. Who is this beautiful young lady?""It's...""I am Luciana, the baby's older sister," she answers, interrupting me and leaving me in complete shock."Luciana, what a beautiful name and what a nice accent you have," she blushes and smiles at him."Yes, she is my boyfriend's daughter. She is with me today because she wants to know what is the best contraceptive method," I tell the doctor, who quickly get
“From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you for coming tonight to share this delicious dinner in honor of Christie and Jonathan. We know that from tomorrow their happiness will increase, to the bride and groom!” Says my father rising his champagne glass and toasting for my happiness “For the bride and groom” they all reply.After a brief farewell, I go up to my suite. The Four Seasons Hotel in Miami, my hometown, was the venue chosen for the wedding. I always wanted to get married at the beach, luckily Jonathan didn't have a problem with that. After finishing my night routine, I have one last glance at my beautiful wedding dress, I can't wait to wear it tomorrow and walk on the sand by my father's arm to the altar where the love of my life will be waiting for me. Finally, I fall asleep.I wake up confused, I hear a banging even though I don't know where it comes from. I look at the time on my cell phone and realize i
AN UNWANTED TRIPFour years later…I open my eyes reluctantly and look towards the night table where the alarm clock lies, the glowing numbers mark 5:30 am. I turn off the noisy device and let out a grunt of annoyance. I want to sleep a little bit more, but I know that if I don't get up in the next few seconds, Gloria will come and force me out of bed. Just at that moment, the door to my room opens wide, and light comes on.“Noooo! I'm melting! I’m melting!” I cry out as I cover my head with the blanket.“I've always known you're a vampire” she replies playfully. “Come on! Get up! You must be at the airport at 7:00 am, your flight leaves at 9:00 am, you will have plenty of tim
"A BET""I see that being anxious runs in the family," I tell her, placing my hand on her knee to stop her from moving her leg."I'm sorry, I'm just extremely nervous. ""Relax! The doctor will ask you a few questions, give you a lecture, and prescribe the best contraceptive method for you.""Miss Swan, you can come in now," the nurse informs me."Come on," she gets up from her chair, and I can feel a slight tremor in her hands."Good afternoon Christie," says Dr. Ramsay, "I see you are in good company. Who is this beautiful young lady?""It's...""I am Luciana, the baby's older sister," she answers, interrupting me and leaving me in complete shock."Luciana, what a beautiful name and what a nice accent you have," she blushes and smiles at him."Yes, she is my boyfriend's daughter. She is with me today because she wants to know what is the best contraceptive method," I tell the doctor, who quickly get
"PARTNERS IN CRIME"One month, that's how long her love for her family lasted. Just as Stefano predicted, Marella quickly grew tired of playing the self-sacrificing mother who looks out for her children's welfare and wants her home back.One day she packed her bags and left without a word while her children were at school. When they returned, they found a note on the refrigerator informing them "that she had unavoidable commitments that demanded her attention and she could no longer delay her departure."To say that Stefano was relieved not to have her under his roof is an understatement. Luciana was disappointed, as she had hoped to return to Italy, but unfortunately, that was not her mother's plan."Baby girl, do you want a snack before you go to the doctor's appointment?" asked Glorita peeking out of the door of my room."Yes, thank you," I woke up today with my spirits down. I feel exhausted; I have a
"MARELLA PARISI""You didn't answer my question, Marella. What the hell are you doing here?" Stefano is so upset, his face is entirely red, and the vein in his neck looks like it's about to burst. I take his hand in an attempt to calm him down."Relax, dear! You'll give yourself a stroke. What's wrong with me coming for a friendly visit," I tell the witch in her mother tongue,"If you haven't noticed, my guest, who is my girlfriend, doesn't speak Italian.""What a pity! You've lowered your standards, my dear" what the hell? I'm about to slap her, but then I see the smirk on her daughter's face. "I'm not saying it for you, honey, don't think you're so important," this last thing she says, looking in my direction."Don't worry, ma'am; I was never interested in studying Italian. However, I did learn Spanish, French, and German. But fate is whimsical; it took me to the arms of an Italian" take this sweetheart.
"AN UNEXPECTED INVITATION""Hmm?" I answer the incoming call on my cell phone. Who the hell is disturbing my sleep? Waking up a pregnant woman should count as a crime."Oh! Sorry, Cara mia, I didn't think you'd be asleep at this hour.""Are you insinuating that I'm being lazy, Stefano Graziani?" Well, yes, it's eleven in the morning, so what? How dare he call me lazy? Automatically my sleep faded away and was replaced by growing anger.Although looking at it from a different perspective, I had never slept in until so late, unless I stayed up all night. However, it doesn't give him the right to call me so."Christie, please, understand me. If I hadn't called earlier, it was because I feared waking you up. I know that pregnant women sleep more because they get tired faster due to the excess of hormones flowing in their bodies. I should have texted instead of calling. I apologize about that" aww, can't thi
"PROBLEMS" PART 2"WHAT DID SHE SAY?" Many of the customers turn in our direction. Alena didn't miss an opportunity to yell at the top of her lungs."Shhh... keep your voice down! Don't you realize that people are turning to look at us," I whispered with irritation."It's not my fault that people who frequent this store don't miss the opportunity to get juicy gossip. But that is not important; I can't believe that goddamn brat said that to you. I mean, she treated you as if you were a tramp. Doesn't she know that you own the company?""No," I answer while shaking my head in denial, "she must think I'm some subordinate who's just messing with her father to climb the social ladder. Otherwise, she wouldn't have said such a bunch of nonsense."And, what are you going to do? Because this cannot continue, no way, no way. We have to plan the perfect revenge" Alena is so upset that if you prick her vein, it's not blood that spurts ou
"PROBLEMS" PART 1"Oh, so you've decided to be noticed," I say as I inspect the bulge in my belly; I swear it wasn't there before. Until last night I had a flat stomach and a great behind."I think you ran out of room, buddy" I gently run my hand down the length of the bulging area. I can't believe I'm already four months old. It seems like yesterday when I found out I would be a mother.I take the clothes on my bed, and I almost go into shock when I notice the bra is too small, to the point that my breasts practically come out, my pants don't close, and my blouse doesn't fit; when did all this happen? Until yesterday everything fit me perfectly.I guess I will leave the office early to shop for some clothes. I continue trying on one outfit after another until I find a summer dress that, luckily, I can wear with a blazer over it. Alena will enjoy this very much, she loves shopping, especially with other people's money.This w
"PAPA BEAR"Baby, this is what you came for Lightning strikes every time she moves.And everybody's watching herBut she's looking at you, ooh, ooh You, ooh, ooh, you, ooh, ooh…I stir under my covers, trying to ignore the music announcing an incoming call; my efforts are in vain; the damn song plays over and over again. Annoyed, I reach out for my cell phone, ready to find out who has dared to disturb my sleep."Mmm?" I answer with no desire to utter a word."Good morning, cara mia. I want to inform you that I am currently entering your building. Are you ready?" what the hell? I move the offensive device away from my ear to check the time, showing 7:00 am."Stefano, it's seven o'clock in the morning, the appointment is at ten o'clock, what the hell are you doing here so early? Suddenly the call finished. That's a sign he boarded t
"BURSTING THE LITTLE BALLON OF HAPPINESS""Christie, Christie, are you listening to me?" Dr. Miller's words snap me out of my reverie."No, I'm sorry, doctor, I wasn't paying attention.""It's understandable; you're still in shock. Your blood work shows you have low hemoglobin, nothing to be alarmed about; it will quickly return to its average level with a healthy diet and vitamins. However, we must follow up and make sure it goes up not to affect your pregnancy.""It-it's ok.""Here are the prescription and indications. Don't forget to make an appointment with your gynecologist.""Yes, don't worry. I'll have my assistant call the office.""Thank you."I leave the doctor's office still stunned by the news. How the hell am I going to drop such a bomb on Stefano? Especially now that he's got so many problems on his plate with the recent move of his kids, not to mention that one of them hates me."Hey Chris, everything ok?" a
"WHAT NOW?"After "getting myself cleaned up a bit," I peek out the door to see if the surroundings are clear, but I wouldn't go out there and not even in the state I'm in. Now, what do I do? think fast, Christie Swan! I immediately go to Stefano's desk and start looking for the stapler in the drawers."Here it is," I say once I find it, straighten my blouse and start to staple it shut."You're not going out this way, are you?""Well, I have no choice; suddenly, the caveman in you woke up and destroyed my blouse. Look, it's torn right here.""I'm sorry.""When I get to my office, I'll tell Alena to go to the nearest store and buy me another one.""At least it covers me." I walk up to the door that connects his office to the boardroom, and he grabs my hand before I can even open it."Where are you going" He turns me around and positions me in front of him."To my office.""Why? We have some unfinished business," he sli