While sitting in the hospital, I heard Claire moved out from Leo’s sister. It was the perfect opportunity for me to fill her shoes in a better sense. I could easily be the woman of Leo’s household. Especially after my legs are “recovered” to their former glory. The truth is that I wasn’t going to be getting any surgery. I didn’t get any to begin with. I could walk. I wasn’t disabled but I had to play the role for the sake of my father. My father was nothing but elated when he found out I was seeing Leonardo. Two wealthy families joining forces by marriage seemed like the ideal outcome, especially when we were great together naturally. But one day, my father company was in a bind. His long line of finders had broken and needed money to save his company. He had gone to Leonardo’s father in his time of need but he denied assisting in any way. This infuriated my father so he executed his next plan. He anonymously hired someone to kidnap Leo and I - that way he could extort a ransom in e
I rush the taxi driver to take me to Leonardo’s house. I sit in the back seat trembling. Was I too late? Has Matthew already asked him for money? Has he told him that I’ve been paying for his debts or has he threatened Leo in order to get it? Every single case scenario brushed my thought as I see the house I once lived in appear in the distance. I see no one in the driveway or standing at the door. I’d hoped that meant that Matthew was turned away but I hadn’t gotten a call from Leo that would confirm my hopes. I hadn’t actually heard from him at all since I left. I get to the door and stand there for a moment. I hadn’t returned my key but after everything that’s happened - I didn’t know if it was still appropriate for me to use it. I had told Leo I was moving out, asked him for a divorce and given him my wedding ring. Standing at the front door of a house that I had lived in for over five years - feeling nothing more than a stranger waiting on its steps. I knew I needed to stop
I pull back from Leonardo’s embrace and refocus on Matthew who had made himself cozy on the couch next to Charlotte. “Matthew, I think it’s time you leave.” I stand firm on my own. He had embarrassed me enough. “Claire, you know how much I need the money.” He shrugs as if his hands are tied. “Well a demand won’t help you. If you leave now, I’ll consider helping you. Stay here and you’ll only be wasting your time.” I cross my arms and return my attention to Leo as I hear my brother rising from his seat. That was the first and only time I’d ever spoken to Matthew that way. I felt accomplished, especially after I knew he planned on leaving.“Claire, I have a gift for you.” I see Leo giving me an excited smile with one hand placed behind his back as he leads me upstairs.“I-“ he cuts me off before I could protest.“I promised you a better fifth wedding anniversary gift and I owe this to you.” I watch as he pulls a Manila envelope from behind his back. Had he already drafted our divorc
I couldn’t help but rise to my feet eagerly as I saw Claire walk into the room. I had missed her deeply. But as I hugged her, something felt different about her. I could see that Claire wasn’t feeling well. I believe it had to do with Matthew, who had comfortably acquainted himself with Charlotte as they continued conversing.Or maybe it had to do with my own presence? I had done a horrible job at making her happy on the one day I should have. Our fifth wedding anniversary. I had done the opposite. I put my hands on her, I disregarded her and I betrayed her. But I hope she can forgive me when she sees the thought I put into this gift for her.I watch Claire demand that Matthew leave and am shocked by her authority. Claire was never confrontational but she handled it well. I lead Claire upstairs for some much-needed privacy. I didn’t want her brothers’ eyes to grow of more greed if he just happened to catch a glance of my gift for Claire. I wait eagerly to give her my gift. I start t
Leonardo and I rushed downstairs to see what prompted Charlotte’s scream. We rush into the living room to find Charlotte sitting in her chair alone and unharmed.“Is everything okay, Charlotte?” Leo asks as he examined the room and her.“I was just sitting here thinking of how nice it was to meet Matthew when I noticed my ring was missing. He must’ve stolen it when he shook my hand.” She’s accusing Matthew of stealing? Matthew may be many things but a thief wasn’t one of them.“Are you sure?” Leo asked as Charlotte showed him her hand where a faint tan showed where the ring had been.“Yes, it was right here!” She points to the finger where it normally sat.I stand there in disbelief and decide the best thing to do was call Matthew and see what happened.Matthew answered joyfully.“Hey Claire, what can I do for you?” “Matthew, tell me the truth. Did you steal Charlotte’s ring?” I ask firmly while I stand in the same room as Leo and Charlotte.“I wouldn’t say steal. Charlotte asked why
When I arrived at Leonardo’s home, I see him walk off to talk to someone who oddly reminded me of Claire. Once at the door, I hear him say that he is Claire’s brother and introduces himself as Matthew. I didn’t know Claire had a brother and by the looks of it - he wasn’t welcome here. Leo tensed around him.I decide it better to use this opportunity to find out more about Matthew and Claire. If I wanted Leo, I had to make sure no one would stand in my way. So I roll my chair out from behind Leo and introduce myself to Matthew before asking him to join us inside while we wait for Claire.I sit by Matthew in my wheelchair and we begin conversing about his day. It didn’t take much to get him to open up about his reason for being here. He was a gambler. This was perfect!I offer him my ring as a suitable payment to my creditor. At first, he refuses and tries to put it back on my finger but I placed it in his hand and told him that it wasn’t optional. He was dumb to believe me. It wasn’t o
I wanted to refuse. I didn’t feel it was right to stay in this house anymore and I had no interest in becoming a personal nanny to Charlotte. But with her accusation against Matthew and Leo, once again, believing her and standing by her side - I was outnumbered and out of options. “Fine. I’ll move back in and help take care of you.” I agree with the upmost dismay to Charlotte’s terms. I text Jasmine telling her about the debacle that had just transpired and to let her know I’d have to move back into Leonardo’s house temporary to save Matthew. Jasmine was upset but she understood my decision. She knew that although Matthew may not be perfect - I always protected him the best I could. Although I was obligated to stay here, I refused to stay in my original room that I shared with Leo. I made accommodations by removing my things from the room and choosing to relocate to one of the many guest bedrooms. Leo was happy when I decided to stay - even if it was against my will. He wanted me
I saw how upset Charlotte was about her ring being gone and couldn’t believe it when Claire defended Matthew’s actions. The man had come with the intention of blackmailing me for money to pay for his very expensive habit. He even took pride in calling Claire to exploit funds out of me. Although that backfired massively, I was thrilled he had called Claire. That meant she was going to appear and I missed her horribly. I had been given the perfect opportunity to give her the gift she should’ve gotten on our five year anniversary just a few days ago. I was so excited to hand her the envelope. I knew I was doing the right thing and I wanted to show her how determined and dedicated I was to having my wife back. But Matthew’s actions ruined that moment for us. Having heard what he had done and us standing at opposing sides on what transpired was not what I wanted. It wouldn’t help me get Claire back. But Charlotte would. She proposed that Claire move back in and work as a caregiver to
It had been a couple days since I’ve seen Claire and Leo. Being here in jail has given me time to reflect on so many things and I feel awful for Starla, who waiting for me at home but even worse, I feel horrible for Claire. When you have nothing but time, you start to think about what you’ve done and what you could’ve done better. I could’ve been a better brother, I could’ve behaved and treated her better and I was ashamed.I decide to call Claire to express my gratitude to her and apologize for my shortcomings.I wait a few seconds and hear Claire accept the call.“Hello?” I say excitedly.“Are you okay, Matthew?” She was worried for me.“Yeah. Well, Kind of. I’m still in jail but I have faith. How are you?” I genuinely wanted to know that she was okay and doing better than I was.“Well, I’m in the hospital but I’m okay.” She quickly adds reassurance. That was classic for Claire. She’d diminish the importance of her own words to make anyone feel comfortable and I knew by that, alone
Francisco had planned for a surprise to arrive at my house. In all honesty, I had hoped that it would be Claire’s dismantled body, but I was unpleasantly surprised by the man who stood on my doorstep as Francisco answered the door. The first thing I notice is his suit. A black Italian brioni suit, one of Leo’s favorite brands. I had accompanied him shopping when he had bought his first one. He had just entered a contract worth millions and became the youngest multimillionaire on the west coast. I remember his smile as he purchased the suit. A moment of pride and a mark of success. I also remember the diamond tennis bracelet he gifted me that day - a tribute to my loyalty to him. The simplest of times where he and I were genuinely happy and together. It wasn’t long until it became nothing but a distant memory. My father and his plots made sure of it.“Charlotte?” I must’ve zoned out as Francisco is standing in front of me with a look of confusion.“Who is this?” I ask abruptly. My anno
Claire called me to share the details of each attack. She found that she was able to remember more and I was proud of her.After finishing our conversation, I turn to Mason in the back of my town car.“We have a problem.”“Is everything alright with your wife?” “Yes. She tried to visually take herself through both attacks and was able to remember a few things.” I see his face become even more stern as he waits for me to share Claire’s discoveries.“The first guy was waiting nearby for a cue. Someone close had to give him that cue for him to pose as the driver and kidnap Claire. She said he couldn’t have been there the whole time because I would’ve seen him. Which is true considering I usually speak with my driver privately through the front door window. The second attacker is a bit more serious. She said he wore a black Italian brioni suit. She recognized it because that’s the brand of my favorite suit. The other thing she noticed was that when he was leaving her suite, he had a blac
While Leo was away, I tried to piece everything together. Elena had made sure I ate, assisted me in cleaning myself up and sat down with me as I closed my eyes and tried to remember any information that might be useful in finding my attackers. Elena held my hands as I try to visually take myself back to that day.I had gone to the elevator in a haste, there was no one in the lobby and the elevator didn’t seem to be tampered with, the hallways from the elevator to my suite was empty and quiet as usual and the door to my suite looked completely fine. It wasn’t until I was inside that he had made his presence known. He must’ve been posing as a potential client and was able to slip by the other occupants of the building that way. He would’ve been suspicious if he hadn’t been wearing a nice suit.I keep trying to find anything that may have seemed off but nothing was tampered with or at least to the point where I would notice. I change my focus to the man and hold my breath as I jog throug
I must’ve dozed off when comforting Claire because I’m still in her hospital bed when I awake. I decide to make use of this quiet time and text Elena. I request that she make some food for Claire and I and that she ready herself to be dropped off here. I can feel the excitement as she responds with breakfast options and asks if Claire would like anything else. I then text my driver, letting him know that I would like Elena to be dropped off here at the hospital. I then send a message to Mason and ask to speak with him in person today. If I wanted to protect Claire, we needed to pick up our pace and find out who did this to Matthew and her. I set a time where I can have Elena here to comfort and watch over Claire so that I could put more of my efforts into finding her attackers and freeing her brother.I drop my phone onto the bed and continue to cuddle Claire as she sleeps. Every so often, I find myself passing a glance at her hand. The doctor planned to remove the bandages after for
After Emilia’s stunt and my mother’s audacity, I was emotionally drained. How dare they ask that I abandon Claire and continue to overlook their distaste in her? I had overlooked it in the past because I knew they held a special space for Charlotte but I see now, how wrong I’ve been. They didn’t love Charlotte. She was just a status that paired well with my success. A purebred paired with another purebred, but they didn’t know the truth. Or maybe, my truth just wasn’t important to them.I wasn’t happy with Charlotte. She was beautiful and cunning but I didn’t love her in the way she loved me and I had planned on ending things with her prior to her accident. Charlotte had no ambition in our relationship and had become clingy, expecting me stay by her side and abandon my responsibilities. I had lost interest in her - the same way I’d lost interest in them all until Claire came along.Claire was different. She’s beautiful was ambitious, innocent, kind and caring. She would make sure I’d
I wake up a few hours later with a dull pain my hand. The morphine had helped but I could still feel the aftermath of today’s events. According to the clock on the wall, I had slept for eight hours. I look over to find Leo sleeping on the couch beside my bed and two duffel bags on the chair. Not only has he decided to stay but he had brought things for us as we would be staying here for a few days as they reexamined my hand to ensure the proper healing took place.I use the call button to request a nurse as I had to use the restroom and see Leo jump up immediately as the nurse responds over the speaker. I hear him as he notifies the nurse that I’m fine.“What do you need? I’ll help.” He was adamant on helping.“I just have to use the restroom.” I whisper softly.“It’s okay. I’ll help you.”“But you were sleeping? It’s okay. I can just ask the nurse.” “No, I was just waiting for you to wake up. Come on, I’ll help you.” He extends a hand and gives a soft smile. I knew refusing would on
I exit Claire’s hospital room on a mission. I call Mason first to recount Claire’s story of today’s attack.“Officer Mason.” I hear him speak clearly.“It’s Leo. I asked Claire what happened. She said the man was already in her suite when she arrived. He was dressed in a suit with his black hair combed back and he had green eyes. He was sitting at her desk. He said ‘boss’ orders’ when he attacked her with the trophy.” I make sure to leave no details unsaid. This was crucial to catching who did this to my wife.“Okay, I thought the trophy may have been the assault weapon so u had sentTo the lab for DNA testing. I’ll have my guys search for DNA forensics. I have some news on Matthew’s case as well, if you’re up to hear it.” Truth be told, I had forgotten about Matthew these last few days. “Any news is good news, I suppose.” I reply.“Well we checked the stamps, bags and origin of those drugs and our hunch was right. They came from a mafia group we’ve been following for years. If we ca
I awoke in a jolt as the memory of what had happened to me resurfaced. I’d been attacked in my suite by an unknown man. A second successful attempt at the hands of the person who wanted to harm me.I look around and find myself in the hospital with my right hand bandaged extensively. I could feel the throbbing underneath the bandages and immediately begin to sob without having noticed Leo sitting beside my bed with his head down.“Claire, you’re awake. Are you okay?” He asks frantically as he gets up to kiss my head.“It hurts.” I say softly motioning to my hand.“It’s going to hurt for some time but they’ll be giving you some medication to help. I’ll have the doctor come in to tell you more. But first, I need you to tell me what happened so I can tell Mason. They’re at your suite looking for evidence on who did this to you.” I choke up when I realize how I ended up here and what was to come. What if they can’t find him? What if we never save Matthew? And what if they kill me next?“H