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
NATALIA'S POVHis door creaked open and I stepped inside Gabriel's bedroom. He was lying on the bed, staring up at the ceiling, lost in deep thought. I approached him slowly and seductively with my robe barely clinging to my shoulders. I knew Gabriel liked this one and I intentionally draped it over my body, teasing but never fully revealing.“Gabriel,” I whispered softly and seductively, waiting for him to acknowledge me but he didn't even spare me a glance. “I’m sorry about earlier, I didn't mean to upset you. Can we just...start over?”Still nothing. He remained frozen on the bed with an emotionless expression on his face.“Please, Gabriel...Let's forget about everything and try again tonight.” I whispered, letting the robe slide off my shoulders and letting it fall to the floor, exposing my naked body to him. “We can try for a baby…isn't that what you want?”I reached out to touch him, placing my hand on his chest but he flinched, pulling away from me as if my touch burned and dis
Joyce's POV "Welcome, Miss Sanchez," the receptionist's cheery voice jolted me out of my deep thoughts. A sincere smile plastered on her lips which was quite infectious. "It's your first day at work! I hope you enjoy it, ma'am." "Thank you very much" I replied absentmindedly and made my way to the elevator. She must have noticed my absentmindedness because of the frown nesting between her brows.Gabriel... That name had been on my mind ever since I saw him the other night. I couldn't even walk freely without glancing back and forth to be sure I wasn't being followed. That alone was just in one night. Now, I have to face Rafael's father. Though, I had already made up my mind not to say anything about Rafael to him, how could I stand seeing him every blessed day with the guilt pricking my soul, knowing fully well I had birthed his child and was now determined to keep that child hidden from him? As the great classical “Nightingale” played in the background, I quickly checked my ref
JOYCE'S POV"Mommy yaay!" he chirped. "When are you coming home? I miss you already" Rafael pouted. On a normal day, his adorable voice would have melted my heart but this was not a normal day and the situation right now didn't permit it. I thought of how to quickly pacify my demanding son and end the call.Fortunately for me, his nanny came and took the phone from him while giving me an apologetic look."I'm sorry," she mouthed in haste and hung up. I let out a deep breath. I definitely wasn't expecting that. He was going to get an earful from me tonight.My heart thudded when I saw the contortion on Adrian's face. Did he see Rafael? I had managed to create some distance between us however I could not be certain if he did."I'm really sorry for the interruption" I muttered, my voice barely above a whisper, waiting for him to lash out or scold me but his expression remained the same. "I know that was rude and it won't happen again"Still nothing. I took that as a sign he didn't want
ADRIAN'S POVI pretended to be engrossed in the files, but my mind was far away from them. The undeniable fact of Joyce having a child had, to my disbelief, created a huge disturbance in my train of thought, thereby interfering with my concentration. The unsettling feeling I felt in my heart the first day I met her had now doubled.The urge to ask her who the father of the child was irresistible but thankfully, I managed to restrain myself.It's been almost half an hour since she mentioned leaving to see the secretary, but what was taking her that long? I shook my head to get her out of my thoughts and focus on the pile of files in front of me, but it wasn't working."Oh! For goodness sake!" I exclaimed, massaging my forehead with my fingers to reduce the throbbing headache. It wasn't long before I heard some screams coming from outside. At first, I thought it was just my imagination. I mean who dares to cause a commotion in my company, knowing how grave the consequences will be?The
JOYCE'S POVI was terrified by the way he handled the situation. When he called me, I knew I was in big trouble."Did you have it in mind to cause trouble on your first day at work?" He scolded me with an accusing tone. "You've committed two offenses in a day and the day isn't done yet. He took a few steps towards me and my pulse quickened. His 6" plus frame loomed over me like a giant intimidating mountain.""How do you want me to punish you?"I blinked in disbelief. Why would he ask me how I wanted my punishment? this was utterly insane. I wanted to ask him what he meant by that but I kept quiet.He ignored my silence and continued, his voice belittling, "You just got yourself a new task to see to. I thought leaving you to familiarize yourself with the working environment was a good idea but I guess not. Still no response from me. How could I when his being so close made me speechless? His perfume mixed with his musky aftershave tickled my senses. it intoxicated me."Well," he cont
Natalis'S POV"Hello! Sweet cheeks" the cheesy voice made me cringe in disgust but I had to hide it cause I desperately needed his help. His tone was annoying as always. "Let me hear your voice. Don't you miss me?""Cazzone," I muttered under my breath. I quickly regained my composure and replied, "Madrileno. It's been a while."I tried to sound as formal as possible, ignoring how angry he gets at everything irritating him."Of course, it's been a while. Let me guess; you're calling me because you miss how much I handle you, am I right? Ti sono mancato eh querida?" Madrileno uttered with a playful tone which made me shudder. Why was I feeling the goosebumps on my skin? I had to shut him up before he said something out of line."Madrileno, I need your help" I declared and the next thing that ensued was an eerie silence which made me wonder what was going on in that thick skull of his. The silence was so thick you could slice through it. It was making me uncomfortable. I wanted to end i
Joyce's POVMy heart was drumming hard against my chest as our eyes locked. Without saying anything, Adrian focused on his meal and took a bite.“Erm.. Mr. Ortega.. I need_”“It's fine. You can go” he interjected without looking up, which surprised me. I thought I had heard wrong. I hadn't even gotten the chance to complete my request.“Sir, I’m so sorry,” I said apologetically. “My son’s babysitter called to inform me he is unwell. I know I shouldn't be doing this on my first day at work but I’ve never heard her sounding this flustered before and_”“And I said it's fine!” He cut me off. “Just keep in mind that I'll deduct a certain amount from your salary if you don't make it to work tomorrow morning before I do and complete the task assigned to you.”My jaw dropped, “Huh... Sir? Don't you understand? My son_”He raised his head and glared hard at me, “I'm not deaf and stupid. I heard you and I'm certain you understood me too. You can leave.”Stupid! I wanted to curse at him but I he