It was the day when Anne Rose Swift Hart was killed and Roseanne Deluca was born.
Time flew instantly and memories were slowly fading. Yet, there were times when she would wake up with tremors and nightmares. Five years were not enough to forget the twenty five years that she had lived as Anne Rose.
"Rosie, the customer on table five is creating a ruckus. She is saying that she asked for an extra extra hot coffee but we served it extra extra cold. It's been thirty minutes since we served her coffee while she was busy on her phone, " Maria, the barista said to her. "She is disturbing other customers too. A few even left seeing a commotion inside. It's still morning and she is affecting our business."
"Let me handle it, "Rosanne said, looking at the said lady scolding the other barista. "Bring your manager. I want to meet her. What kind of services this place has!"
At the same time, the lady's phone rang. "Jackson, I told you to not call me. Can't you understand what I want…."
The lady was engaged on the call once again while the other barista whispered in Roseanne's ear, "She has been on call for an hour. It was her mistake but she is putting it on us."
"Alright, leave and help Maria on the counter."
When the lady disconnected the call, she looked at Roseanne and said, "Manager, you have unruly staff who can't discipline. I asked for a simple coffee but look what I was served with. Can a person not even get a simple coffee after such a hard day? Is it too much to ask for?"
Roseanne gave a smile to the lady and said, "I apologize for the inconvenience. Would it be alright if we get you another coffee now? It will be at home."
The lady was stunned for a moment. Somewhere she knew that she was at fault yet… "I…"
"Is it okay, Madam?" Roseanne asked.
"Yes, but…"
"Perfect, "Roseanne said. "Maria, get the lady the coffee she wanted. And stop dilly dallying!"
"Sure, "Maria said, surprised. "Jennie, make the coffee."After dealing with the customer, Roseanne walked towards the kitchen and she followed her.
"Rosie, why did you not say anything to the woman?" Maria went inside and expressed her dissatisfaction. "You know she was clearly wrong."
"Miss Maria, a customer is never wrong, "A cute voice said from the corner of the kitchen. As she looked towards the source of the voice, she saw a cute munchkin sitting on the kitchen counter while the workers were engaged in their usual activities.
Maria's face softened as she glanced at the bundle of cuteness and said, "Yes, little lord. You are right. How dare I say something to your mother."
"Yes, Miss Maria. Mommy is always right too, "The little munchkin replied with a hint of pride.
"May I ask why are you in the kitchen? Your mother will not be pleased to see you here. Kitchen is a dangerous place."
"I came to have a man-to-man meeting with Mr Walls."
The head chef who was working on an important dish looked up and asked in shock, "Me?"
"Yes, Mr Walls, "The Little boy said. "Mr Walls, I'm giving you the honor of making me chocolate cookies now."
Maria's lips twitched as she heard it. "Little Lord, how about you go out and sit somewhere safe? This place is not safe for you."
"What's wrong with this place?" The little boy asked.
"There are knives and fire in the kitchen, "Maria said. "There are chances of you getting hurt here. We don't want to take any chances. Let's go out."
"I am sorry, Miss Maria but unfortunately I can't leave Mr Walls—"
"What's happening here?" They all heard a voice and stiffened.
"Rosie…"
"Mommy."
"Boss."
Roseanne glanced at three people in the kitchen and read the guilt written on their faces.
"Maria, did you serve the coffee to the customer?" She asked the first person. "Yes, "Maria answered. "Jennie made the coffee and served it."
"Go and see if the customer is saying something else, "Roseanne said to her employee turned friend.
"On it, boss!"
When Maria left, Roseanne turned to Mr Walls and said, "Mr Walls, we had a big order for the evening. I gave my word to the client that we would deliver it by the evening. Is it ready?"
"Yes, boss, I will finish it soon, "Mr Walls said and went back to work.
Now that everyone was back to their work, Marie turned her attention to the little boy sitting on the counter.
"Who dropped you from school?" Roseanne asked.
"Grandma did, "The little boy answered, pouting.
"How many times did I tell you that the kitchen is off-limits for babies?" Roseanne asked him.
The little boy lowered his head and whispered, "Mommy, I am sorry. I should not have done it. I only wanted chocolate cookies."
"Come here, "Roseanne said, extending her arms. The boy jumped into her arms and hooked his arms around her neck while she held him and walked out of the kitchen. She kissed the side of his head and murmured, "Baby, you scares mommy with your shenanigans. Next time if you want something, come to mommy first, okay?"
Her son, Leon, was the biggest gift of her life. The little boy had brought so much joy to her life that she could not count them on hand. If it wasn't for Leon, she would not be able to start her life over in this new country. Her son was born with many complications. The doctors were surprised when he made it alive. Her baby boy was her little lion who made out to make life better for his mother.
If there was something precious that Nicholas Hart had given her, it would be their son– Nathenial Leon Hart. She named him Nathenial to honor the man who was not only her savior but her son's too.
"Leon, shall we go and pick your sister from the airport?" Roseanne asked her son who broke out into a big smile.
"Mommy, Coco is coming?" Leon asked with sparkling eyes.
Roseanne smiled and nodded her head. "Shall we go?"
"Yaay!"
"What about cookies?" She asked.
"Mommy, we will have cookies with Coco, at home."
"Alright!"
"Can we also have hot chocolate?"
"I can't see why you can't have it."
"I love you, mommy!"
"I love you too, my Little Lion."
At the exit of the airport. A woman dressed in a long black winter coat walked elegantly towards the exit gate. Her long legs were looking sexy as she was rocking her winter boots. Her long red hair was kept open and to make her more attractive she was wearing a beret cap. She exuded a confident and alluring aura as she walked past the crowd who couldn't help but look at her. The woman was so gorgeous with her fair skin, pale blue eyes, long beautiful and healthy red hair and freckles trailing her cheeks and nose that one couldn't help but wonder if it was stardust. It wasn't just her who was capturing all the attention, it was also the cute toddler who was holding her finger. Leon knew that his mommy was the prettiest woman in the world and it was fine with him when people stare at her because beautiful things are meant to be seen. Just like his mommy. The people were in awe of the little boy who walked as if he owned the world. The little prideful boy was too much for people's h
“We reached home,” Coco and Leon said as they entered the doors of their home. Roseanne looked at the kids and said, “Leon and Coco, go and wash up while I set the table for lunch.”“Mommy, what about cookies?” Leon asked his mother. If his mother was thinking that he forgot about his cookies then she was very wrong. He never forgot about things that he liked. He got his sweet tooth from his mother and he loved any kind of sweet dish. Among all, his mother's cafe’s cookies were his favourite.Roseanne let out a sigh, “Yes, Leon, Mommy did not forget about the cookies.”This boy! His obsession with sweets runs deeper. “Can we have it after lunch?” Leon asked quickly. Roseanne told her son, “Sure but first go wash up.”“Coco, let's wash our hands and then we will have cookies,” Leon said excitedly. Coco ran behind him after hearing this. When the kids went to wash their hands, Roseanne turned to Nathaniel and asked, “How is Regina?”The reason why Nathaniel went to the USA this time
“Nick?” Sabrina said his name with a wide smile as he entered the door. She ran to hug him. “I can't believe you are here.”When the door rang, she was hoping that it was him. She had heard from his assistant that he was coming but now that he was in front of her eyes she could not believe it. Nevertheless, she was extremely happy to see him here. Nicholas held her and said, “How can I be not here? You invited me of all people. If I won't come, who will?”His tone was full of tenderness and patience. A few days back she sent him an invitation calling him for the grand inauguration of her fashion house. She had been working on it for quite some time. He was happy to be a part of her success. Thus, he wanted to be a part of her success. Sabrina smiled widely at him. “Thank you for coming on such short notice.”His words touched her heart and she could not help but hug him again. When he did things like this for her, it became very difficult for her not to worship this man who was noth
"I personally killed all of them," Nicholas reminded her, the fear evident in his eyes sending shivers down her spine. The memory of the moment he took revenge on the man responsible for his wife's accident haunted her.At that time, Nicholas was relentless. He embarked on a ruthless killing spree to avenge his wife. The number of men he killed with his bare hands in his quest for justice was immeasurable."If you're doing this for her, I doubt she would approve," Sabrina cautioned him."You don't understand her," Nicholas retorted quickly.Sabrina responded, "I may not have known her personally, but from what you've shared, Anne Rose seemed like a compassionate woman. I don't think she would want more bloodshed in her name."Nicholas fell silent. Anne Rose remained a mystery to everyone, overlooked and taken for granted by those around her. Her kindness was underestimated, and no one predicted the day she would disappear from their eyes.“Anyways, you can't stay here for long. If the
Meanwhile, at Nathaniel's request, Roseanne was about to search for Miss Taylor's details on the phone. But just as she was about to click the search icon, a scream echoed. It was Coco, crying out in pain. Roseanne swiftly left the phone on the table and rushed to find Coco.“Ah!” Coco's cries filled the air as she painfully moved her hand. Roseanne discovered that hot soup had spilt on Coco's tender hand, causing a burn. Everyone hurried to provide first aid to the distressed little girl. Nathaniel was the first to react, picking up Coco and carrying her in his arms. Roseanne followed them to the kitchen, where Nathaniel ran cold water over his daughter's burnt hand. Roseanne had brought the first aid kit and applied ointment to soothe the injured hand.“It's okay, baby,” Nathaniel cooed to his baby girl. “Mommy is applying medicine. It will be okay soon.” Even though he could be cruel, especially towards others, when it came to his daughter, he was the most caring dad. He couldn't
“Yes, Mom?” Nicholas sighed for the uncountable time. “Can you please hang up? I have an event to attend.” “Nicholas Hart! Are you even listening to your mother?” Ellora asked him, angrily. “When will you take me seriously?”“Mother, when have I not taken you seriously?”Nicholas asked his mother while tying his necktie. “Nick, my sweet boy, why are you not thinking about marriage?” Ellora asked him with a frustrated sigh. “Your father is getting frustrated. He is looking for an heir. It is becoming hard for him to convince the elders that you will be responsible enough to have an heir soon. Do you know how important it is for you to have an heir? Your position is like that of a king. If you don't have an heir, people will start conspiring against you to push their son to your spot. Things have not been smooth for a long time. Please think about it. Accept the marriage proposal of one of the girls your father chooses.”Nicholas let out a sarcastic sigh, “Why don’t you ask Father to s
“They bought more snacks, desserts and drinks from us,” Maria told her happily. Since the orders were increasing, it would bring more profit to the Cafe. That meant their Cafe was getting famous in the city. Although their cafe was already famous in the area, it was a big deal for them to exclusively cater to a big company in the vicinity. She was just pondering if this business opportunity would bring a similar business opportunity in the near future. If it happens, in the near future, they would have to expand. Roseanne was happy to hear about it. She shared her thoughts with Maria, “What do you think about an exclusive partnership with the Fashion House? We could offer them a good deal if they collaborate with us.”Even before this, she had been thinking about this collaboration with Miss Taylor. Today's events just strengthened her resolve. She was right when she said that Miss Taylor was about to change her life. This big order today just proved her assumptions right. “What doe
In the evening, Roseanne, accompanied by her two kids, eagerly prepared for a party. Upon reaching the venue, they were assigned a table. As the party started, four of them were already settled. Coco engaged herself in the beautiful fashion show organized by the brand, showcasing her interest in style and trends. Meanwhile, Leon relinquished in the tasty delights, savouring the delicious desserts brought by attentive waiters. In the middle of the hustle and bustle, the kids had already discovered their source of entertainment.While her kids were engrossed in their respective entertainments, Roseanne took on a more observant position. She was analysing everything about the environment with keen eyes. Although the kids were enjoying themselves, she knew that she did not come here for the same purpose. She was here for work and she had to finish it. The party was good but it did not entertain her that much. For some reason, she was having ominous feelings. She could not understand wh
“Are you nervous?” Charlotte asked, glancing at Sebastian as they stood outside the grand Hart estate.“A little,” he admitted, adjusting his collar.She leaned closer, whispering, “I’m more nervous than you.”He squeezed her hand. “I’m here with you.”“Dummy,” she muttered. “I’m nervous for you. My father might just eat you alive.”Sebastian paled slightly. “Great. That’s reassuring.”She smirked. “Don’t worry, I will bring you back alive.”He let out a nervous chuckle. “Maybe we should just walk in blindly and hope for the best.”With that, still holding each other’s hands, they stepped inside the Hart mansion. The housekeeper led them to the family room where a formidable audience awaited. Nicholas and Anne sat together, exuding quiet authority. To their left, Nathaniel and Sabrina watched with interest, while on the right Ellora and Nikolai observed with mild amusement.Sebastian greeted them one by one. He was trying to sound calm but his palms was damp.“You took a whole month t
The front door swung open, and Anne’s eyes widened in surprise.“Belly?” she said, barely masking her surprise.It had been a month since Abella left for her Europe trip, and she hadn’t mentioned anything about returning. But here she was, standing at the threshold, looking very exhausted. Without a word, Abella stepped forward and wrapped her arms around her mother in a tight hug.Anne was taken aback. She gently rubbed her daughter’s back. “Sweetheart, is everything okay?”Abella’s voice was small. “Estelle and Ronan got divorced.”Anne’s heart clenched.“She moved to London,” Abella continued, her grip on Anne tightened. “She is never coming back, Mom.”Anne held her even closer. “Oh, baby,” she murmured. “I know. I know. Come inside.”As they stepped in, Abella whispered, “I lost my best friend. She will live oceans away now. And the worst part? I can’t even cry about losing her because she is going through something so much worse.” Her voice trembled. “I don’t know what to do.”A
“What is this?” Emery asked as Ronan threw a file onto the table.Ronan’s jaw was tight, his hands clenched into fists. “Divorce papers,” he said flatly.Emery blinked in shock. “What?” She quickly picked up the papers, her eyes scanning through them. “Why?”“She wants a separation,” Ronan said, his voice laced with disbelief. “She already signed them and sent them to me. She wants me to process them so she can officially file for divorce.” His voice was eerily hollow as if he still couldn’t comprehend the situation.Emery’s expression hardened. “Then go to her. Fix this.”Ronan shook his head. “She is gone. Her mother told me she left for a vacation. No one knows where she is, not even her own family. They didn’t even know she filed for divorce until I told them. They are trying to reach her, but she is nowhere to be found.”Emery turned her attention back to the papers while flipping through the pages carefully. The documents were precise and every detail was written well. But when
Abella straightened up and stretched a little. “I think I will have iced tea instead of coffee. Coffee feels too serious for me,” she said with a smile.Cillian chuckled, his gaze softening as he watched her. “I will get you the coffee then.”Before he could reach for his wallet, she was already ahead of him while placing the order and turning to him with a grin. “It’s on me.”He raised an eyebrow, taken aback. Cillian Facci was a man who had always prided himself on taking care of his own bills and had never let a woman pay for him. He opened his mouth to protest, but she was already off to get their drinks.When she returned with the drinks and a tray of food, she asked, “Are you hungry? I am! What do you suggest?”Cillian pointed toward a combo meal that had been his go-to in his college days. She picked up two of them, and they sat at an empty table with the warm food in front of them. What is this alternate reality? he thought.As they dug into their meals, Abella took a bite of
“I’m a first-year medical student at NYU,” Abella answered, a proud smile playing on her lips. “I love my life there.”Cillian muttered under his breath, barely loud enough for her to hear, “So young and untainted.”Her eyes narrowed. “What was that?”“Nothing,” he said smoothly, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.She crossed her arms. “And what about you? Oh wait, let me guess a fancy lawyer fighting high-stakes battles for the immoral capitalists of the world?”Cillian let out a laugh at her sass. “I guess you are not entirely wrong.”Just then, his phone buzzed with a message. He glanced down at Carina.It will take me a bit longer. Wait for me. Don’t leave.He swore under his breath. That woman had some nerve while giving him orders.Shaking his head, he turned back to Abella, his gaze appraising. “Would you like to grab a coffee?”She arched a brow. “Aren’t you a little too old to be asking me for coffee?”His lips twitched in amusement. “How old do you think I am?”She t
“Abella, you can explore the campus while I meet Scottie,” Estelle said as they arrived at Oxford University. Her cousin was running late for a conference, leaving little time for their meeting. Wanting to see her first before heading to the hotel, Estelle decided to make the most of their brief window.“Oh, I like the idea,” Abella replied enthusiastically, already intrigued by the historical grandeur of the university.While Estelle went to meet her cousin, Abella took her time admiring the beauty of the Oxford campus. She had always loved the elegance of its architecture. Its ancient stone buildings stand proudly, ivy creeping along their walls, and students walk with books tucked under their arms. It was just like the movies that she had watched. Finding a quiet spot outside the Oxford Law School, she settled onto a wooden bench and pulled out a thick medical book. It was a contradiction, she knew, reading about anatomy in the heart of a law faculty but it didn’t bother her. She
Charlotte took a deep breath and met his gaze. “I’m sorry for not telling you about Cillian Facci. I wanted to, but the timing was never right.”When she met him, she forgot about everything. All she could recall was her. Sebastian studied her for a moment before shaking his head with a small understanding smile. “We never really had the time, did we? I don’t blame you.”Relieved, she reached for his hand and squeezed it. “Thank you for understanding.”He tilted his head slightly. “So… your parents know about me?”She nodded.“Will they like me?” he asked. His tone was light but she caught the hint of nervousness in his voice.A laugh bubbled out of her. “Maybe, maybe not. But does it really matter?”“A little,” he admitted. “I would rather not be the guy your family wants to strangle.”Charlotte smiled, understanding his worry. “My family is complicated. I was raised by two sets of parents.” She paused, then explained, “My birth parents are easier. My mom is probably over the moon t
After finishing their meal, Sebastian and Charlotte decided to take a short walk together in the beautiful garden of the hotel. They had spent the last two days doing nothing but enjoying each other’s company, and now the fresh air felt nice.As they strolled, Charlotte noticed Sebastian repeatedly declining an incoming call.“Who keeps calling?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.Sebastian sighed, a small and helpless smile on his lips. “It’s my dad.”Charlotte frowned. “It might be something important.”He shook his head. “Trust me, it’s not.” He hesitated for a moment before adding, “Earlier today, he asked me about my plans, and I told him I was going out with you. Now he won’t stop calling and texting, trying to find out if we got back together. He is more excited than a kid on Christmas morning.”He does not know what to do about his father who seemed to be more interested in his relationship with Charlotte. His dad had been given his long lectures over the texts on how to win a wom
"Be careful," Anne said over the phone."Mom, I'll be fine," Abella reassured her. "Thank you for letting me go.""This is for Estelle. I want her to be happy," Anne said gently. "If you need anything, let me know."Abella and Estelle were going on a trip to Europe. Their first stop was London, where Estelle wanted to visit her cousin, who was studying at Oxford. They planned to stay in London for a few days before continuing their journey across Europe. It was a long plan and she was going to spend her semester break by travelling with her best friend. "Have a safe journey, girls!" Anne added. "Call me when you land in London."Although they could have traveled by private jet, Abella and Estelle wanted an independent adventure just like any other young women. However, Anne insisted on booking them first-class seats, ensuring their comfort and safety.Now settled on the flight, Estelle and Abella took their seats, with Abella sitting directly behind Estelle.Just as they were getting