The nightclub was alive with music as I twirled and shook on the dance floor. Surrounding me were my closest friends who all came to my bachelorette party to celebrate with me. I would soon marry Gabriel Moreno, one of Madrid's most eligible bachelors and the dream of many women.In the middle of my twisting and twirling, rocking to the beat of the DJ, I felt my phone buzz in my purse. At first, I ignored it, I mean I wanted to have fun but the buzzing didn't stop and curiosity got the better of me.I pulled it out and saw a message from a private number:Head to Gabriel's house immediately! There's something you must see urgently!I was confused. Who would send such a cryptic message on my bachelorette’s night? And why would they ask me to check out Gabriel's house? He would certainly be at his bachelor's party so what exactly was going on?“I'll just ignore it.” I dropped the phone back in my purse and continued dancing. However, the more I danced, the more unsettled my mind was. I k
Adrian’s POV The chips were piled high in front of me as I puffed my smoke. Surrounding me were a bevy of women, clinging to me, laughing at my jokes, and cheering me on as I played. If only they knew I didn't fancy them. To me, they were just whores, nothing more.I glanced at my cards and then back at the other players. The dealer dealt the final card and I brought my hand to my chin, considering my next move.“All in,” I said, my confident smile didn't ever falter as I pushed my entire stack of chips onto the center of the table. The other players hesitated and I could tell that they were unsure if they should match my bet or fold.“Are you sure about this Adrian?” one of the girls, a heavily made-up blonde whispered in my ears.“Yes, I'm sure and get your mouth away from my ears.” I retorted, pushing her lips away from my ear. “I need to concentrate and your breath stinks too.”The blonde girl flushed in embarrassment and the other girls laughed at her, pointing fingers and maki
Joyce's POV“What the hell?!” I cursed out loud and woke up feeling very disoriented. My head felt like it was slammed by a ceramic baseball bat continuously and my entire body ached. Blinking my eyes, my vision cleared a bit and I saw the white paint of the room I had woken up in.“My room is not painted white,” I muttered to myself, feeling confused and trying my best to remember how I got here, but my mind was a foggy mess. “What the hell?” I realized I was naked as I moved to sit up. I never fell asleep naked so what the hell was happening? I felt a sharp pain in between my legs and suddenly fragments of memories from last night resurfaced.Gabriel and Natalia’s betrayal, the casino, the endless booze, and then the hazy image of a handsome man in an expensive three-piece suit came to mind. He was tall and lean with wild blonde hair and stormy gray eyes. “Adrian,” I whispered, remembering his name when he introduced himself to me at the bar. My cheeks burned in embarrassment
Gabriel's POVTwo years later “You are worthless!” I grabbed a vase from the side table and hurled it against the wall in fury. Natalia gasped in shock as she watched my meltdown.“What are you doing?!” She yelled.“Shut up! All this would have been avoided if you just gave me an heir.” I hissed, grabbing a glass cup and smashing it to the ground. “It’s been two years. Two fucking years and yet you can't give me an heir.”“How dare you, Gabriel!” Natalia’s eyes misted with tears which had zero effect on me. “There’s nothing wrong with me. I've been to the best doctors. Maybe, you’re the problem.”I felt my anger rising even more. Did she just insinuate I was impotent? Me?“Don't you dare turn this around!” I clenched my fists, trying my best not to lash out at her. “There's absolutely nothing wrong with me. You're the problem, you’re the one that's supposed to ensure the continuation of my legacy.”“What legacy are you talking about, Gabriel? You're just a scumbag who uses people lik
Joyce's POV“Coming!” I answered when the doorbell rang. I hurried to open it, expecting to see the babysitter, instead, it was the mailman with a few letters in his hands. “Good morning, Ms. Joyce,” He greeted as he handed the mail to me.“Thank you,” I replied with a wide smile and took the letters. “Have a lovely day!”“Same to you ma’am.” He responded and sped off on his bike. I sighed and stepped back into my modest apartment at La Latina. Inside, Rafael, my two-year-old kid was in the living room, surrounded by toys and making a mess like he usually does. “Mama, look!” He held up a stuffed dinosaur in the air. I laughed happily and set the mail on the counter. It’s been two years. Two whole years after my tragic break up with Gabriel and my unexpected pregnancy. At first, I was in denial and wanted nothing more than to have an abortion. I wasn’t ready to raise a child then especially when I didn't know the father but with the doctor’s persistent pleas, I was convinced and
Adrian’s POV“Miss? Kindly focus. You seem a bit distracted. Why are you staring into space?” I asked the woman before me, my voice snapping her back to reality.“I-I’m sorry sir. It won't happen again.” She blinked, a bit flustered then took a deep breath to steady herself. I could see her cheeks blush a rosy pink.I narrowed my eyes on her. She was still jittery that much I could tell but there was something about her that made me feel unsettled and I could swear that I had seen her face before. It was….weird in a way.I tried to recall where I had seen her pretty face but my memory drew blank. I couldn't remember.“Sit, let's see whether you're a nice fit for this job.” I directed her to sit before me. I proceeded with the interview, asking her the usual questions about her experience, skills, and why she wanted the position. She answered everything well enough but I still couldn't shake off that strange sense of familiarity. The more she spoke, the more my instincts screamed that
Gabriel POV“Damn it!” I screamed at the top of my voice, gripping my phone so tightly that it nearly snapped into two. Today was definitely not my best of days. I just discovered that Joyce had moved out of this apartment a long time ago and just when I was about to go home, Adrian, the man I hated the most in this world, called to tell me she was now working for him. What sort of bullshit was that? How the hell had Joyce even ended up working for him? This was literally the worst day possible.I could feel my blood boiling and my frustrations mounted as the seconds ticked by. How did things go so horribly wrong? How did she even end up there? It was like the universe itself was mocking me for my decision to let Joyce go. I nearly hurled my phone across the car but I managed to stop myself in the nick of time and take a deep breath in an attempt to calm down.“Sir, are you alright?” my driver asked cautiously as he glanced at me in the rearview mirror.“Shut up and drive!” I snap
Joyce POVAs I stepped out of the meeting room, my mind was in a daze. The shock of what had just happened was overwhelming. I had just met the father of my child, and I was going to be working directly under him. I would have never expected this sort of scenario to happen when I woke up this morning. The realization hit me like a ton of bricks which left me breathless.I should have said something, I should have reminded him who I was but I was hurt by the fact that he didn't even recognize me. Well, he did but as Gabriel's former fiancee. Even the sound of his name left a bitter aftertaste on my tongue.The thought poked at my heart with a sharp ache. I was contemplating telling him the truth, letting him know that he had a son but in the end, I decided against it, and for good reason too.What good would it do? What purpose would it serve? I had managed to raise Rafael on my own for all these years. I didn't need Adrian in a sense, plus with this job, I could secure a better fut