Joyce's POVI stood before the impressive Santoria Industries building, owned by the man who had captured my undivided attention for the first time in two years.The innocent Rafael cradled in my arms was seemingly oblivious to everything but the beauty of the world around him, his eyes darting curiously around. As agreed, I was taking him to Adrian today. He already had his face cap on to get to the office without anyone noticing who he really was.I walked briskly into the building, my lips curved into a nervous smile."Good morning," I hurriedly greeted the receptionist barely topping to wait for a response as I headed straight to Adrian's office.I rushed into Adrian's private elevator and sighed in relief. For the first time, I felt the benefits of having a separate elevator from others and being among the few privileged to use it.I arrived at the top floor, and the smile on my lips immediately vanished.Standing there was Daniel, deep in conversation on his phone. His expression
Adrian's POV"Daddy, I like you," Rafael exclaimed, stunning me. I was definitely not expecting that on our first official introduction.Calling me daddy alone was enough to melt my heart. Now, little man here said he liked me. I didn't even have the best response to give, but one thing I knew for sure was how much I was going to spoil him, love him, and protect him. Money wasn't a problem."Daddy likes you too," I heard Joyce reply on my behalf.I smiled thankfully at her and shifted my gaze to Rafael. "Yes, mommy is right. Daddy likes you a lot.""Yay!" Rafael bounced happily on my lap. Unexpectedly, he placed a kiss on my right cheek and covered his face with his hands, shying away.Then, to my surprise, he leaned over and planted a small, sweet sloppy kiss on my right cheek. In that instant, I felt my whole world stop. My heart melted, a wave of love and emotion surging through me. I felt a tinge of anger and jealousy at how much I had missed in my son's life. The little milestone
Natalia's POVIt's been three days since I visited the club, but the stomach discomfort I got from that day lingered, refusing to ease up. It has persisted ever since then. No amount of medication seemed to help—in fact if anything at all, it felt like it got only worse.Every now and then, I found myself running to the bathroom to retch my guts out. My stomach was almost empty, but I couldn't eat anything as the thought of food made me queasy.The constant dizziness made things worse. I was fed up, exhausted, and desperately thinking of a solution that would bring me some relief.My stomach rumbled relentlessly until I felt another wave of bitter bile pushing up my throat. I jumped off the bed and bolted into the bathroom just in time.Kneeling before the toilet with my head bent forward, I released all the content left in my stomach. After I was done, I let out a loud cry, sitting helplessly on the cold marble floor."Juro que estaré muerta pronto, ¡estoy agotada! ¡Madre mía! This is
Joyce's POVTime seemed to fly by, and before we knew it, it was closing already."Pick Rafael up and meet me in the parking lot. I'll be waiting for you" Adrian ordered before leaving the office. He wanted to remain discreet, and so did I.The incident from my first day, the one that got the former secretary fired was still fresh in my memory. There was no way I was going to draw any unwanted attention to myself.I gathered my thoughts and took deep breaths to calm my nerves. I packed my bags and walked out of the office, locking the door behind me.Rafael was ready to leave by the time I got to the daycare center. I carried him and picked up his bag when I felt a little tug on my shirt."What is it, darling?" I inquired, confused by the frown on his face."Where's daddy?" he asked with a cute pout."He's waiting for us outside," I replied, smiling wryly.A part of me wasn't happy with the way Rafael was getting so close to his dad, but it didn't matter, as long as he was happy."Does
Adrian's POVI was trying hard not to look at Joyce. Just inhaling the lingering scent of her perfume triggered emotions and made me have thoughts I never had before.I must admit, she was breathtakingly beautiful. ¡Cielos! She was undeniably stunning! I took a quick look at my son. Just take a look at how our perfect and exceptional genes birthed such a beautiful child with special attributes.When I spoke coldly to her, I couldn't help but cuss at myself. Maybe it was because she apologized for Rafael's actions, which I honestly was not bothered by. I felt bad, but I didn't know the right words to say.Arriving at the mall, I had the idea of showing off, but the shrill voice of that stranger pissed me off.I intended to show off and impress Joyce, Rafael, and even the workers at the mall when we got there however the remarks made by this uncouth lady annoyed me greatly."Who gave you the order to close the mall?" a female voice yelled."Let's go," I said to Joyce, leading the way.A
Joyce's POVLigia had always known how to bring out the worst in people. Her remarks had pierced me deeply in the heart, and I had no intention of forgiving her. My pained heart was cold and unyielding. I glanced at Rafael, then at Adrian, blushing hard.She had actually called Adrian my man. It sounded pleasing to the ears, but it was just wishful thinking on my part. I wasn't even close to his type. Just because I had a child for him didn't make us a couple."What would you like to do, Joyce?" Adrian whispered into my ears."Let the police take her, so she learns her lesson," I declared with an unwavering gaze.I was done letting people trample upon me. Ligia could lose her fiancé, but I didn't give a rat's behind. Nobody did when Gabriel cheated on me with my sister."Hmph... Good choice," Adrian muttered, turning to the manager. "Have you called them?""Yes, boss. They should be here any minute now," the manager replied. He had barely settled when the blaring wail of sirens envelo
Javier's POV"Keep following them," Elizabeth ordered the driver, who obeyed and trailed after the Maybach from a safe and undetectable distance. We kept going at a slow pace until the Maybach halted, and a woman holding a blond-haired child stepped down from the car."Joyce Sanchez," Elizabeth muttered, her voice barely above a whisper as she peeked slightly through the now barely open window. "So, this is where she lives?""Yes, ma'am. She lives here with her son," the man driving replied.He was the investigator Elizabeth had hired to track Adrian's movement. He had also gathered information regarding Adrian's personal assistant for us. I must say, I was surprised. Adrian's manner of interaction with her ever since they got to the mall, had my suspicious radar flying higher than a kite.What stunned me the most was the child with them. Were those two a couple? Was that boy Adrian's son?The probability of receiving positive answers was quite high. Everyone knew how mysterious that m
Joyce's POV"Did he really stare at me like that or was it just my imagination?" I asked myself as I made dinner in the kitchen. The scene of Adrian pulling me into his embrace kept replaying in my head. I just couldn't get it off my mind no matter how hard I tried.First, he called me his woman; now, he was unabashedly flirting with me. I guess I would have to talk things out with him the next day to avoid misunderstanding.But,why was my heart beating so wildly?....A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts."Who could it be?" I muttered to myself. I walked out of the kitchen, straight to the living room and glanced at the wall clock- it was 9pm already. "For safety and security, I had a strict rule of keeping my door locked from this time until morning. Tonight was no different so I decided to ignore it.I turned to head to Rafael's room,when another knock caused me to halt. It was louder this time and I couldn't ignore it anymore. Maybe it was Adrian... Wait, why was I even think