JOYCE'S POVWith Adrian gone, I refocused on my work, immersing myself in the contracts and reports. My fingers moved mechanically across the keyboard, the clacking sound filling the silence.Regardless of how hard I tried to maintain professionalism and concentrate on my work, my mind occasionally wandered to Adrian's blind date.My thoughts began to swirl. Why did it bother me so much? I shouldn't care; I was just his assistant. But the image of him with another woman lingered, stirring up emotions I couldn't define.I took a deep breath, attempting to shake off the unease, but it lingered, leaving me frustrated. I needed something to get my mind off him till my working hours were over.Glancing at the wall clock, I made up my mind to see Rafael. It was lunchtime anyway.I shut down my computer, stood up, and headed out of the office, straight to the elevator. I was so eager to see my baby that I was almost running, attracting unwanted attention from the other employees."Hello, Mada
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHTADRIAN'S POV"Sir, is anything the matter?" James asked as soon as I got into the car."Just drive," I replied curtly. That uncultured lady had gotten me enraged. Threatening me with her father was an outrageous move, and she was going to regret it.The ride seemed longer than usual, which made me impatient. Suddenly, a shrill ring pierced the silence, shattering the calm atmosphere. I dug out my phone from my breast pocket and looked at the caller's name.'Ugh... She got the news so fast,' I scoffed inwardly and answered the call. "Good day, Mum.""What is so good about the day when you've already ruined it?" She roared, piercing my eardrum."I have no idea what you're talking about," I replied, waiting patiently for her next words, which I had already predicted."I heard about the outcome of your blind date from Lizzy," she revealed, her voice laced with fury, like a storm ready to break loose."Lizzy? I never knew you two were already that close," I snorted, a
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINEJOYCE'S POVAll efforts to hide my nervousness from Adrian proved futile. But thankfully, it seemed he hadn't noticed anything about Rafael, which relaxed my tensed nerves.I was watching him the whole time he was on that call, and his face had been twitching in rage as he scrolled through his phone. There was definitely a problem, which made me curious. What could it be?Just then, as if my thoughts had been heard, a notification from Twitter popped up on my computer screen. I couldn’t resist so I closed the files I was reviewing and clicked on them.I was left speechless by the tweet glaring at me. "Adrian Ortega - billionaire, playboy, and CEO- spotted on a date with Heiress Elizabeth Goméz!" Twitter was abuzz with tweets and retweets, throwing around speculations about their relationship. So this was why he was twitching in rage. I would too if I were in his shoes."Adrian and Elizabeth: The new couple emerge!" One headline read.So this was why he was twitchi
Adrian's POVThe audacity of that woman stoked my fury. I could tell she wasn’t satisfied with the verbal lashing I’d given her earlier—she was asking for more. Her dumb actions will cause her family to bear the full weight of my retaliation."Investigate the Gerrovial Infrastructure. I want everything I can use as leverage," I ordered, my voice resounding with authority. "While on that, I want you to utilize your team to shift public perception, portraying Miss. Goméz as the aggressor. I'll call my lawyer and sue her for defamation. Get to work!""Yes Sir," Daniel, the head of the PR department, replied and hurried out of the room.I glanced at Joyce who had a bewildered expression on her face. I knew I was taking things far by involving the Gerrovial Infrastructure, but it should serve as a lesson to them.I picked up my phone and opened it. Scrolling through my contact list, I found the one I was looking for and dialed. It was picked on the first ring."Good afternoon, Mr. Ortega.
Natalia's POVI let out a throaty chuckle as I watched Gabriel perform the duties of a husband. It was quite funny when he decided to prepare a bath for me, now he was insisting on making breakfast.Blackmailing him was indeed the right move.The door creaked open and Gabriel walked into the room with a tray in his hands. He handed it over to me."Here's your breakfast. I made it just the way you like it," He said with a soft voice.I shifted my gaze from him to the breakfast, attempting to stop the laughter stirring my belly. He was acting like a loyal dog, which was a satisfying sight."Thank you," I muttered, so as not to appear ungrateful. He deserved some credit."Er.. Nat," He called out.I raised my head and looked at him, munching on the scrambled eggs."What is it, Gab?" I asked, smirking."Well, it's about the videos," He mumbled, his gaze avoiding mine."What videos?" I asked, sounding ignorant.He looked at me with a weird expression on his face. I could tell he was trying
Adrain's POVThe moment Elizabeth disconnected the call, I made up my mind; I was going to break both father and daughter."Daniel, release all the evidence at once," I declared."Alright sir," Daniel replied with excitement etched on his face.He clapped his hands, calling the attention of his team members. "Dante, create an anonymous email account. The username should be a random string of letters and numbers.""Si, Roger that," Jorge responded with a playful salute, and then his fingers clacked swiftly across the keyboard.Daniel turned to another person."Juan, I want a pseudonymous account on social media and a whistle-blower website. We need to make sure the documents tactically spread in an hour, so the Gerrovial Infrastructure will have no time to find a solution.""Are you sure this is the best approach?"Juan asked, his eyes narrowing.I was about to respond, but Daniel beat me to it."The Gerrovial Infrastructure is built on deceit. We're just doing the public a favor by expo
In no time, the number of views was over the roof. I could see the reporters at the press conference taking furtive glances at their phones and back at Mr. Gomez, watching the confession unfold. The woman took a deep breath and began. "Hi, everyone. My name is Maria-Rose. I want to reveal the true nature of my relationship with Mr. Goméz. Before I begin, I want to categorically state that I have no intention of making money from this. My goal is to reveal the terrible acts of the CEO of Gerrovial Infrastructure." She looked directly at the camera and proceeded. "I met Mr. Goméz at a nightclub here in Madrid. He lied to me that he wasn't married, and I was so stupid that I believed him. We lodged at a hotel that night and had rounds of sex which carried on to the next morning.” “After he left the hotel, I found a business card which I believe had slipped out from his pocket the night before. Curiosity got the better of me and I did some research on the name on the card. That
Antonio's POVI was shaken to the core when I saw the truth of my infidelity unfold before me. My security detail had escorted me to my office, but having them in the room was pointless."Leave," I ordered in a low guttural voice, but I couldn't hear the sound of receding footsteps; just silence.I turned sharply to see them still standing in the same spot. I was enraged.I grabbed the flower vase on the table and hurled it toward them. It managed to miss and crashed into the wall."Get out! All of you! Get the hell out!" I screamed at the top of my lungs.Reluctantly, they filed out of the room leaving me to battle my demons alone.I picked up the remote from my desk, my hands trembling as I switched on the TV.The video had spread like wildfire. The internet was bombarded with hateful comments.The truth was glaring- I had lost the reputation I had spent years trying to build with my sweat and blood.The room spun and my breath caught in my throat as I slumped against the wall. My he
Natalia's POVI had never been subjected to such barbaric punishment in my life. I should have just listened to Christina when she warned me, but I had let my anger take over. I then realized that the big boss was not feared for nothing. His reputation truly preceded him in every way. He was ruthless and brutal. He wasn’t a man who tolerated disobedience—or weakness. I learned the hard way.No wonder Christina couldn't fight back when she was physically abused. Talking about Christina, I still had a score to settle with her.Lying in bed for a week had been tiring. The pain was still there, my body was still sore but staying in my room for one more day could kill me. I had to go out there. I needed to see how that wretched woman and her brat were doing. I secretly wished she suffered the same fate as I did but knew that was impossible. the boss never wanted his hostages tainted in any way.I felt my anger begin to bubble beneath the surface. Even now, she was still preferred over me.
Natalia's POVI had never been subjected to such barbaric punishment in my life. I should have just listened to Christina when she warned me, but I had let my anger take over. It was then I realized that the big boss was not feared for nothing.No wonder Christina couldn't fight back when she was physically abused. Talking about Christina, I still had a score to settle with her.Lying in bed for a week had been tiring. The pain was still there, but staying in my room for one more day could kill me.Walking out of my room, I didn't know what led me to the room Joyce was locked up. The moment I saw the big boss come out of the room, I quickly hid.I had a feeling he knew someone was watching him but decided to ignore it. Better still, I had come this far and wasn't going back.I took a deep breath and stepped forward, opening the door without knocking.Joyce turned to look at me, her expression flickering between surprise and exhaustion. She looked frail, but her eyes still burned with
Joyce's POV"You're still trying to prove your stubbornness, aren't you?" Lionel smiled, his voice full of mockery. "Soon you'll have no choice but to let yourself succumb to my advances."For a week now, that pervert has been harassing me with threats. At one point, he starved me just because I made him angry. The way he talks and acts is always irritating, and it always makes me want to throw up. I was fed up with the sight of him.Well, at least, he ensured my son was well-fed as a way to appease me. But even that felt like a mockery—a calculated cruelty meant to keep me compliant."Mr. Lionel, men like you should be married," I stated accusingly.Lionel simply shrugged, a sly grin stretching across his face. "Yes, I am. I also have a mistress and I don't mind having you as the second one. Don't worry, you have nothing to be wary of. Like I said earlier, money isn't the problem.""Ugh... How many times do you want me to spell it out to you?" I scoffed in disgust. "I want nothing to
ADRIAN'S POV"Fine, let's work together. The police will assist us."Those were the last words I had spoken to Gabriel before Detective Torres suggested we have a meeting in his office. I had seen the incredulous look he shot at me when I agreed to work with Gabriel; like I had suddenly grown a second head with two horns. I decided to play it cool and act as though I hadn't caught that. I watched as the weak man was unstrapped from the chair and laid on a stretcher. The nurses attending to him applied first aid, cleaned up his wounds, set up a line, and whisked him out of the cell.Honestly, I was taken aback that I had agreed to work with him. What if t this was just another one of his manipulative game for him? What if he has something else planned? My family depends on this, but is it worth the risk? How many times had I underestimated him before? Was I doing it again now? It was a risky decision, yet my instincts weren’t giving me the warnings they normally did."Sir, we should
Adrian's POVIt's been a week since that bastard who calls himself Gabriel refused to tell the truth. Shockingly, I had been so occupied with issues at the company that I hadn't gotten time to balance my emotions properly. My eyes had dark circles around them like ominous curtains, my stubble had grown out, matching my disheveled state of mind, and I was a complete shadow of myself.Miguel still had nothing. No updates, no footage, no break, nothing. Whoever had taken them was yet to contact me for any demands, negotiations, or ransom. It was as though they had vanished into thin air, leaving me to face my demons.It was so hectic that I had become unable to control my anger. Most of the workers had become unwitting victims of my misplaced aggression.I sat trying to attend to the documents before me, going over them as fast as possible so I might leave for the police station. It was futile, though, as my mind was elsewhere: were they safe, was she alive, was Rafael okay? The uncertai
Gabriel's POVIt all felt so surreal, like a dream from the moment the cops barged into my house and arrested me till now. Never had such a thing happened in my whole life as a Moreno. Me, Gabriel Moreno, reduced to this pitiful state? My pride, my ego—it was shattered into irreparable shards. Life has been so unfair, unjust, and so relentlessly cruel to me. It was tiring, and I had thought of ending it countless times. If only I had gotten the woman I've always wanted in my life, maybe things would have been different; everything would’ve aligned perfectly. But no. Maybe.....just then, I heard footsteps approaching and snapped out of my thoughts. I couldn't turn to see who it was, because my hands were strapped to a chair, but the suffocating pressure that increased as the man approached reminded me of a particular person, and just before I could guess who the person was, I heard a familiar voice."He looks okay. Has the interrogation not begun?" I heard the man ask.That voice. I
Adrian's POV"What have you found?" I asked, my eyes on Miguel as he kept typing away furiously on the keyboard.His expression looked disturbed, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding—a sickening feeling gnawing at my gut. My heart thudded painfully in my chest. Something was clearly wrong, but he didn't want to reveal it to me."Miguel," I called, raising my voice and revealing impatience. I could feel the burn rise in my chest as my breaths came in shallow bursts. "What's wrong Miguel? Que? Answer me man!"Miguel sighed dejectedly then finally turned his eyes towards me, worry shadowing the lines of his face. "There is nothing-""What?!" Michelle gasped in shock, her voice hoarse. "No no no no! ¡Esto no puede estar pasando! Have you checked the toy section and also the pajamas section? That was exactly where the attendant and I left her. She has to have been captured by the cameras.""Sadly, she isn't," Miguel replied, his frown deepening as he fidgeted with the mouse.
Joyce's POVI blinked my eyes to stop the tears threatening to fall. No! I didn't want to give Natalia the privilege of seeing me vulnerable. Despite my efforts to not hate her, she kept stepping on my toes.What baffled me the most was the enemy she hinted about earlier. Admittedly, Adrian had many enemies and business rivals, but for someone to actually plan something as daring and repulsive as abducting a child? It would have to be a very powerful individual, someone who knew just where to hit. The last time someone -Elizabeth to be precise- tried this, it was a futile attempt.I kept sparing furtive glances at my baby placed on an old and dusty sofa. He was still asleep. His small chest rose and then fell, but his cheeks had reddened slightly and he looked so helpless. Panic clawed at my chest. What if he got sick while inhaling the dust? The thought that he was inhaling thick musty air made my stomach suddenly turn. I felt a grip in my heart at what could happen in case he did
Natalia's POVI could feel a sharp pain in my hand, seconds after I slapped the bitch sitting right in front of me. How dare she talk to me like that? Her words cut deep into my heart and I couldn't help but vent my anger with that slap.I wasn't satisfied. I badly wanted to claw her face and pull every strand of hair on her head out till she was bald. I wanted to set her on fire and watch her scream in excruciating pain.I know those around me were baffled by the level of hatred I had for my blood, but that was it, I honestly didn't care. I despised her greatly."You slut!" I heard her cuss. "Did you just hit me?"I snorted in laughter. "Si. Yes, I did. Tell me, what do you want to do about it?"She didn't reply and simply looked at me with hatred in her eyes. I had never seen such fierce hatred in her eyes before and honestly, it took me by surprise. Yet, I wasn't done with the mockery."You can hit me back if you can," I added with sarcasm in my voice."You're soulless, Natalia. You