Manfred Valderrama POV I can’t believe Amara would doubt how beautiful she looks right now, and I could curse my mother and her stupid, designer friend for coming here today. I’ve been edgy enough due to the loose ends I had to tie up this morning, that dragged me away from her. And after I convinced Amara that her wedding dress will be the perfect thing for her to wear to Mom’s party, I fuck her in it before we take a bath together. I’m doing all I can to keep her mind off tomorrow night, even if it was her own stupid idea. We have dinner on the patio, and watch some crap on TV, that she’s recently become addicted to. Now, it's time for me to take my wife to bed and worship her. “Come on.” I hold out my hand to help drag her off the couch, placing my other hand under her stomach, to support it, as she stands. She’s really starting to struggle with how heavy it’s gotten. Jonathan Ferrero gave her a scan the day after we got back from the island, and he estimates the baby is almost s
Amara Valderrama POV “Steven, will you not congratulate us? Amara is soon to deliver you a healthy grandson.” There's a sarcastic bite to Manfred’s tone as he strokes his hand proudly over my bump, and my father says nothing, just glances at the crowd surrounding us, looking overwhelmed. “Amara, it's been a while since I saw you.” He manages to pull himself back together and pastes on a smile, “Perhaps you and I could talk in private.” Manfred places himself in front of me, protectively. “I’d like a word with you myself, first,” he tells him. “Very well.” My father nods his head, and when Manfred turns around to face me, the pure rage on his face makes me even more anxious. “I’ll make this right,” he promises, kissing my forehead before he steps towards my father and stands down his guard. “Follow me. I have somewhere private we can talk.” I hear him utter to my father as he passes him, not looking back to check if he follows as he marches back through to the hall. My father shak
Manfred Valderrama POV “Do you want to explain to me what the fuck is going on?” Steven Villafuerte sounds fuming. Despite all my own anger, I manage to remain calm when I close the door to my father’s old office and take a seat behind his desk. “I should kill you!” he snarls at me through his teeth, and I say nothing, just stare the evil bastard right in his eyes. “But you won’t. Innocent women and unborn babies are much more your style,” I point out, waiting for him to show some form of reaction. “What are you talking about, Manfred?” He shakes his head, impatiently. “We both know you marrying my daughter and knocking her up with the next Valderrama heir, is your version of a very distasteful joke. I’ve been out of my mind with worry. It’s almost been a fucking year!” “Don’t give me bullshit, we both know your daughter is nothing to you. Just a pawn. You were going to marry her to the wrinkly, old bastard. You were going to sacrifice her chance of happiness for your own gain,” I
Amara Valderrama POV “This is where Manfred told you to bring me?” I look at the abandoned cabin that Daniel stopped the car in front of. It doesn’t exactly scream ‘Manfred Valderrama’ vibes, which is probably why he’s chosen it as his safe place. I’m just happy the journey is over, we had to go off-road to get here, and it was a very uncomfortable, bumpy ride. My stomach is churning like I’m gonna throw up. “This is it,” Daniel confirms, getting out of the car. He opens the back door and grabs the holdall that’s resting on the back seat. “I hope Manfred packed some comfortable clothes in there.” I smile at him over my shoulder, knowing that Manfred is always attentive to detail. He would have thought this plan through. I have to trust it. Opening my own door, I manage to hoist myself out of the car; just as I’m about to follow Daniel to the door, another pain shoots across my stomach, catching me off guard. I rest one hand on the car roof and rub the side of my tummy with the ot
Manfred Valderrama POV “What the fuck is going on?” Amara’s father follows me as I burst through my front door and call out her name. I can’t bear not knowing where she is, it's driving me crazy. The whole car journey here, I’ve thought about where he might have taken her, and I’ve come up with nothing. “Manfred!” Steven places his hand on my shoulder to stop me and I swing round to face him, raising my fist to punch his face. I drop it when I see how worried he looks. “I have no idea what the fuck’s going on,” I admit, shaking my head weakly and letting myself drop to sit on the staircase. “Daniel is my best friend, he wouldn’t hurt her. He knows how much I love her.” I tell him what I’ve been telling myself, ever since I left Mother’s place, even though I’m not entirely convinced of it. “I never gave that order,” I say my thoughts out loud again, shaking my head and having no idea what to do next. If they aren’t here, they could be anywhere. “Manfred, think. Is there anywhere h
Amara Valderrama POV I wake up to crushing pain. It’s not just in my stomach anymore, it rattles the bones of my entire body. I touch my hand between my legs and when I feel how wet the floor beneath me is, I know I’m in real trouble. I look around the room hoping he’s not here anymore, if he isn’t I can take my chance and try to escape, in between the contractions I'm having. However, there doesn’t seem much hope of that when I see him from the corner of my eye and feel another pain starting to build, already. “Daniel!” I clutch my belly, shifting myself so my back is against the wall. I tense my body when another contraction paralyzes me. “Please.” I’ve forgotten all the different ways to breathe all I can think about now, are the things Dr. Jonathan Ferrero told me could go wrong if I were to deliver without medical help. “Please, Daniel. I need a hospital.”“I told you, Amara, my mother gave birth to me in this cabin. The heir to all the Valderrama fortune, and reputation, was
Amara Valderrama POV Anna managed to cut our baby's cord using the equipment Daniel had in his bag, and when Dr. Jonathan Ferrero arrived shortly afterward, he helped me deliver the placenta. Both my father and Manfred argued against me when I refused to go to the hospital, which at least proves they have the ability to agree on something. But after getting a clean bill of health for both me and the baby from Dr. Jonathan Ferrero, Manfred agreed with some persuasion that we could go straight home. Now I’m home and lying in bed, holding our perfect, little boy, what happened a few hours ago at the cabin feels like a lifetime ago. “I can’t believe he was going to do that to you!” Manfred paces at the bottom of the bed. Seeing all the surgical equipment Daniel had, in preparation to take our child, has really freaked him out. I’m far too tired and overwhelmed with love to let those thoughts back in my head. “We’re okay, now,” I assure him, patting the mattress beside me for him to com
Alessandra Valderrama POVThis had to be one of the happiest days of my life – hands down. Nothing could bring me down today. As the plane touched down on the runway, I took a peek out of the window and grinned so wide it felt like my mouth was going to split my face into two pieces. Just outside of the plane was my first taste of freedom and I couldn’t be more excited. It wasn’t going to be easy, this I knew. I was accustomed to living in the lap of luxury in a house full of servants and guards around the clock. All I needed to do was hit a button and I’d have people at my feet to do my bidding within a few minutes. But it was also a jail, one big, luxurious jail. My new life was going to be different. I’d even insisted that I fly to the Philippines in a regular airplane, in the economy section instead of using my father’s private jet. Despite my father Manfred Valderrama saying he wasn’t going to help me, he’d offered the jet. But I refused. I wanted everything about this experienc