Tony’s panicked voice startled Kate. She woke up suddenly and turned her head to the side, just as the intruder’s dagger sank into her pillow.
Kate screamed and rolled away, but her attacker jumped on the bed and went after her. She couldn’t see who it was because the room was dark, but she knew it was a man. He was dressed in all black with a black ski mask hiding his face.
“Die, you stupid bitch!” The man growled as he reached for Kate’s neck.
Tony ran forward and dove onto the bed. He landed on the intruder’s back and locked him in a chokehold.
“Let her go!” He shouted at the intruder.
Despite Tony’s strong grip on the intruder, the man wouldn’t let go of Kate. She was busy wrestling with the man in an attempt to break free from him.
With all of his strength, Tony reared backward, taking the intruder with him. Kate finally broke free as Tony and her attacker landed on the f
“The police are on their way,” Tony announced as he came to join her in the living room. “I took an extra precaution by binding Bryan’s arms with a pillowcase. If he wakes up before the police get here, he won’t be able to get up.”“Who is he?” Kate asked Tony.“Bryan? He’s one of our oldest staff,” Tony explained. “Agnes hired him specifically because of his exceptional culinary skills. One of her favorite dishes was oxtail stew, and no one else made it like Bryan did. That’s one of his specialties.”“I see…” said Kate. “So, he was going to carve up my head tonight and make stew out of it for Agnes’ spirit?”“I am deeply sorry about this,” Tony apologized. “I’ll fire all the staff in the morning. I can’t trust any of them after this incident.”“Thirteen people shouldn’t los
Tony succeeded in getting through the three hours of lying down beside Kate and not jumping her bones. The last time he was this attracted to a woman was many years ago, on the same evening he met Agnes.The sun was already rising in the sky and Kate was still asleep. Tony wondered if he should leave now or wait for her to wake up.She was sleeping on her right side, facing him. He studied her peaceful face, admiring those perfectly curved eyebrows. Her full eyelashes spread out above her cheek like a curved hand fan.Her nostrils flared slightly as she inhaled deeply in her sleep. Tony’s eyes traveled down to her lips. Hmm… would he ever get to kiss them?Kate’s eyes fluttered open and they met Tony’s. He became a bit embarrassed to be caught staring, so he smiled and quickly started to get up.“Good morning,” Kate said sleepily and yawned.“Good morning,” said Tony. “I only just woke u
Fredrick greeted them warmly at the front door and ushered them into a silver Bentley that was waiting in front of the mansion.“He’s not getting fired, is he?” Kate asked Tony softly in the backseat. She didn’t want the driver to overhear her.“I don’t want to,” Tony admitted. “He’s practically a member of my family. He has been here since my children were little.”“Do you trust him?” Kate asked Tony.“More than I trust the others,” he answered.Kate nodded and relaxed in her seat. That was that then. Fredrick would not lose his job. She couldn’t have that on her conscience too.They drove up to Willowbrook where one of Tony’s restaurants was located. When they arrived, the head waiter showed up promptly to take them to their table in a secluded VIP section. It was curtained off and unavailable to anyone else as long as Tony and Kate were there.
It took Kate only a couple of minutes to pack a bag for her trip to Brazil with Tony. Fortunately for them, they didn’t run into Athena or Adonis during their brief stopover at the house.Tony had already made all the arrangements for their trip, so when they got to the airport, his private jet was waiting for them. They boarded the jet immediately and within minutes, they were in the air.Kate savored this experience. She felt like she was in a dream, a beautiful, extravagant dream. She took a few selfies with her phone and sent them to Wendy via email.Meanwhile, Tony was busy on his laptop, sending and responding to emails. He made a few calls to his assistant, his lawyers, and his human resource manager.They had lunch together and watched a wild life documentary afterwards. Halfway through the flight, Kate took a nap and woke up two hours later with a severe morning sickness.She spent the rest of the flight going back and forth between
Kate knew that Mama Gabriela’s reaction must be a result of Tony introducing her as his wife.Mama Gabriela asked Tony a question and he responded to her in a level voice. His answer seemed to have pleased the old woman because she started smiling again.She motioned to them to follow her and she led them to the main entrance of the house. She opened the big black double doors and let them into an absolutely stunning front room.Some domestic staff showed up to greet Tony and Kate. The people looked as if they’d been woken up from sleep. They quickly went outside to get Tony and Kate’s bags from the courtyard where the golf cart driver had dropped them.They followed Mama Gabriela up a windy staircase that led to a beautifully furnished living room. The old woman led them past the living room to a wide corridor with doors on both sides.She turned to face them and said something to Tony. He nodded and responded to her.&ldq
Kate woke up in the morning feeling very refreshed. To her surprise, Tony wasn’t in bed. She assumed he was in the bathroom but after waiting for several minutes and not hearing any sound from there, she called out his name.There was no response. She got out of bed and went to knock on the bathroom door. Still no answer.Kate went into the bathroom and noticed that the shower stall was wet and smelled of the same soap she’d used last night.She wondered where Tony must have gone to. After freshening up, Kate went back to the bedroom to get dressed.The sun was already rising and Kate suspected it was going to be a warm morning. She put on a short-sleeved cotton dress and her leather sandals.Kate stood in front of the dressing mirror and silently debated what to do with her hair. It was overdue for washing but she wasn’t ready to deal with it right now.She untied her hair and fluffed it out with her fingers. It was the be
“Now, I see why you married her so quickly,” Tony’s mother said with a smile. “She is a very beautiful girl.”“There’s more to Kate than her beauty,” Tony told his mother.“I don’t doubt that,” she replied and winked at Kate. Tony was right. His mother did have a great sense of humor.“Mȃe, allow me to officially introduce my wife to you,” Tony began dramatically. “Meet Katherine Analise DaCosta, formerly known as Kate Harrison.”“Your names are as beautiful as you are,” said Tony’s mother.“Thank you, ma’am,” Kate replied brightly.“Kate, this is my mother, Senhora Adele DaCosta,” said Tony with a flourish.“Please, call me Adele,” said Tony’s mother. “We’re family now, so there’s no need for titles.”“Of course,” said Kate.&ldquo
“Girl, those photos were fire!” Wendy squealed excitedly. She was on a video call with Kate who has returned to Chicago with Tony.Even though the magazine interview and photoshoot happened weeks ago in Brazil, it had only been recently published in print for the world to see. The article had quickly gone viral, making Kate and Tony the hot topic all over the country.Even Kate’s parents have seen the article and called her on the phone to congratulate her on it. Now. She was on the phone with Wendy, reliving the experience.“It’s like a modern fairy tale in real life,” Wendy gushed. “Every picture ate!”“Thank you,” Kate laughed. “Every inch of that island looked like something out of a storybook. I loved it there.”“I can imagine,” said Wendy. “Also, I loved the cover story. I like the fact that you and Tony didn’t lie about how you met or how quickly
“Your boyfriend is Matt Carter?” Kate asked in shock.“Yes,” Wendy answered confidently. “And before you go off on me, I know he used to date your husband’s daughter, but they’ve broken up, OK?”“Is that what he told you?” Kate asked.“Yes,” said Wendy. “They broke up right after they returned from her birthday trip in Saint Tropez. Trust me, he’s single and I’m his girl.”Kate wasn’t keeping up with Athena’s love life, but this turn of events didn’t sit well with her at all. It was such an uncomfortable coincidence that her best friend was now dating Athena’s ex-boyfriend. It was indeed unsettling.“That’s kind of weird though,” said Kate. “I mean, of all the people you could have bumped into at that party, it had to be Matt Carter.”Wendy’s expression changed. “What do you mean by
Their five-day stay in Beaver Island was the best honeymoon Kate could have ever imagined. She and Tony made love at any opportunity they got.Kate was surprised by Tony’s stamina. When she jokingly made a comment about it, he told her he’d been celibate since Agnes’ death and that was probably why he was so sexually charged. Kate was impressed.When they returned to Chicago, she took Tony’s advice and started seeing a therapist to help her cope with postpartum depression. Her relationship with Nathan had improved a little, now that he was learning to sit and interact with everyone more.Athena and Adonis steered clear of the mansion but made sure to keep Tony informed on their progress with the family business. Kate didn’t mind their absence at all. In fact, she loved it and secretly hoped that it would be that way for a very long time.Tony practically spent all of his time at home with Kate and Nathan. He only left them fo
Tony’s birthday dinner was an elaborate affair unlike what Kate expected. Even though both of them were the only diners, Chef Yuto and his team who came with him treated the DaCostas to a delectable 5-course dinner.The patio had been decorated with strings of accent lights that cast a soft glow around them. Fresh flowers with green leaves were braided along the arches and pillars that surrounded the patio.Long white candles on gold-colored candlesticks lined the table from one end to the other. There were also fresh flowers with green leaves artfully arranged on the table.To top it off, Tony had invited an award-winning violinist to serenade them as they enjoyed their exquisite meals. It was indeed the stuff fairytales were made of.“This has been the most romantic night I’ve ever experienced,” Kate told Tony. “It feels surreal.”“That’s the whole idea,” Tony said with a pleased smile. &ldquo
Just before leaving the house for the yacht cruise, Tony received an email from Athena wishing him happy birthday. The email also included a non-apology about the scandal with zero accountability for her actions.“Well, that’s disappointing,” Tony commented after reading the email.“What is?” Kate asked him. He showed her the email and she too was disappointed by the content.“Don’t allow this to spoil your day,” Kate said sympathetically.“It won’t,” Tony said confidently.Tucking his phone away in his pocket, he joined Kate, Nanny Ella, and baby Nathan in the back seat of the glossy red Cadillac Escalade-V. Their bodyguard, Philip, was seating in front beside the driver.Once the family was settled in, the driver started the car and drove smoothly out of the DaCosta Estate. They were followed by a Range Rover Sport carrying the second bodyguard, Rayce, and two domestic staff
“Did you mean what you said about us taking a trip out of town?” Kate asked Tony as they headed towards the sunroom together.“Yes,” he answered with a smile. “We don’t have to travel too far. I just want us to have a change of scenery for a few days and fully recover from this madness that my stupid children brought on us.”Kate chuckled but sobered up almost immediately. “I hope you don’t intend to actually disown them. Please, don’t let your relationship with them collapse to that extent.”“I won’t disown them,” Tony said sagely. “I’m just so disappointed in them… I don’t have the right words to describe just how hurt I am. They put their emotions over family values. What kind of people are they? Athena did not even think to apologize for what she did. Instead, she was hellbent on defending her vindictive actions.”Kate could feel Tony&rsq
The days following the phot leak were nothing short of crazy. Both the mainstream media and social media platforms dished out multiple hot takes on the matter.Kate was labeled as the cunning young woman who seduced an elderly billionaire to marry her while pregnant with another man’s child. Tony was called a senile old man who let lust blind him until he fell for the conniving Jezebel he married.Some press people even had the audacity to camp outside of the DaCosta property, shouting out questions to nobody in particular. Tony eventually called the police to get rid of them after enduring the madness for two days.He’d also summoned his children to come to the house for an important family meeting, but they’d both been conveniently out of the country on some extended business trips.Kate’s family called her as soon as the news reached them and she assured them that she was OK even though she wasn’t. The same scandal that se
Kate’s family returned to their homes five days later. It had been a rather enjoyable period for Kate. But with everyone gone, she was forced to confront her struggle of bonding with her child.Athena and Adonis have been noticeably absent from the DaCosta mansion since their last cameo appearance (according to Tony). Their absence didn’t bring Kate relief, but instead, made her edgy.She could feel it in her bones that the siblings were up to no good. Additionally, the possibility that Duchess may already know about Nathan, bothered Kate seriously.“I think we should travel to Brazil soon, so that Mȃe can finally meet our baby,” Kate suggested at dinner one evening.Tony gave a curious look. “What’s the hurry? The poor boy is barely a month old. He’s not fit to go on such a long trip.”“I’m not saying we should go right now,” Kate argued.Tony chuckled. “A trip abroad s
Kate’s party was a fun gathering comprising of her family and a surprise visit from her Aunt Lauretta. She was a younger, taller version of Kate’s mother.“I was mad as hell when I heard you got married and didn’t invite me,” she told Kate as soon as she was welcomed into the DaCosta home.“But when I found out who you married, my anger disappeared instantly,” Lauretta continued brightly. “You have all of my blessings, darling.”Kate giggled. “Thank you, Aunt Lauretta,” she said happily. “And thank you for coming to my party on such short notice. This is the best gift I’ve gotten today.”“You flatter me,” Lauretta laughed. “So, where is your baby?”Kate’s mood sank. She hated that she always felt this way each time someone asked about her baby.“He’s taking a nap upstairs,” Kate answered. “And speaking of
“About time,” Tony said in response to Kate’s request for a dialogue. He led her to his study, sat quietly behind his desk and waited for her to begin.“First of all, I want to apologize to you for lying to you and going to confront Adonis,” Kate started. “And second, I am sorry for putting us in a very embarrassing situation in front of your son.”Tony simply nodded his head to acknowledge Kate’s apologies.“With that said, let me be very clear on this, Tony. I have never ever cheated on you and I never will,” Kate declared sincerely. “Everything Adonis accused me of were outright lies.”“Did you ever give him a reason to think that you were interested in him?” Tony asked her.“No. Quite the opposite,” Kate stated firmly. “He made a pass at me the first week I came to this house, and I made it clear to him that I would not take it lightly if