The doorbell rang and Nicholas got up to open the door. He did not find anyone outside the door. Thinking that somebody might have left as he took time to leave, he was on his way back. He was about to shut the door when he heard the sound of a little girl. A very familiar voice indeed which made him smile. Looking down at her, he saw her dragging the boy from his collar. She looked quite rowdy doing that. While she was skinny, her brother was a bit chubby. He wondered where she got the strength to drag him. “Leon, you cannot go back, ”Coco yelled at him. She wanted to beat him up but since she was a believer in non-violence, she chose to not do that, “You promised Mommy that if you apologize to Nick, she will not ground you anymore.”‘Why don't you tell Mommy that I apologized to that man?” Leon requested her. At no cost, he wanted to go inside. Coco did not know the truth about the identity of the man inside. If she knew, things would be different. But he could not tell anyone tha
“What about your babies?” Coco asked him. “They are also home? Do you not miss them? Do they not miss you? When my daddy goes to work far away, I miss him terribly. But he does not take me with him. Even if I go with him, I miss mommy back home. What should I do? Being a baby is so difficult.”Coco was just stressed that her father would not be coming home for some days. Although their mommy said he would be back soon, she knew that he would come late like always. Nicholas laughed. “Indeed, it is. But I do not have babies.”“Why?” Coco asked him again. Nicholas shrugged, “Because god does not give me babies.”Coco facepalmed herself and said, “Oh, silly. Men do not get babies. Girls get. Like my mommy got babies. What about your wife? Does she have babies?”Nicholas gave her a small smile and said, “My wife is with god. He did not give me babies and took my wife too.”On the other hand, Leon just rolled his eyes and dipped his cookie in the milk. “That’s sad.” She got down from her
“When did mommy invite him for dinner?” Leon asked as they entered the gates of their house. Nicholas did not let kids go alone. He came to drop them at their house’s entrance as he didn't feel it was right for him to let them go all alone, no matter how secure the neighborhood was. Moreover, they had become his new friends. He did not know that he would feel attached to anyone, outside his family. Little did he know that one day he would meet two children and end up becoming their friend. Coco told him with an eye roll, “When you were grounded.”Leon said, narrowing his eyes, “You are lying.”Coco said, “I am not.”He pointed his finger at her and stressed on her lies, “You are.”As if he did not know she was a bluffing queen. She was lying and he could tell that. He did not know what to say about his dumb sister who had no idea what a mess she had created for everyone. He came to apologize because he did not want Nicholas and his mommy to meet. His mommy would be very sad if she s
When Roseanne reached her cafe, the police had already arrived. Her heart broke seeing how her cafe had been ruined. The newly built flower section which was in the front had taken the entire brunt. Tears pooled in her eyes seeing her hard work getting ruined by a group of goons. “Miss Deluca?” The officer in charge began talking to her. “We have been working to find the people who did this. We tried checking your CCTV but we couldn't find anything there.”“How is it possible?” Roseanne asked him. The CCTV was working perfectly till the time she was there. “Miss Deluca, your CCTV was not working when this incident took place,” The office informed her. “We are working on the case. If we find something, we will inform you.”The officers left soon after. Maria sent Roseanne home as there was nothing that they could do. Roseanne couldn't reach Nathaniel but she texted him, explaining the situation. As she reached home, it was almost morning and still she could not sleep a wink. On the
Saying this Roseanne left, leaving Nicholas behind. For some time, he was standing there, unable to move. He could not take her words out of his mind. Her eyes burned Anne Rose's, the same way she asked him for divorce that day five years ago. At that time, he didn't take his wife seriously and as a result, he lost her forever. However, he was not going to commit the same mistake again. He wanted to ask her what she meant. Why did she look, sound and feel like Anne Rose at this exact moment? The more he accepted that Anne Rose and Roseanne were two different people, the more there would be instances that forced him to think otherwise. He ran behind her. He wanted to get answers from her. She was still halfway. He grabbed her wrist and made her look at him. She yelped as he pulled her towards him. Her bloodshot eyes glared at him. “What's your problem, Nicholas Hart?”“I don't know,” Nicholas told her. “Tell me, what did you say that I am your problem as if I ruined your life?”Wit
When Nicholas came back Sabrina was sitting on the sofa, acting as if she did not see anything odd. She wanted to fire questions regarding her doubts but she prevented herself from doing so. When Nicholas saw Roseanne for the first time, she noticed a spark in his eyes but she had no clue that the spark would turn out to be something this big. “How are you?” Nicholas asked as he took a seat next to her and handed her the water glass. “I'm good,” Sabrina told him. “I was going to drive out of the city for some work and wondered if you would be interested in joining me.”Recalling Roseanne, he shook his head and said, “Maybe, next time, Sabrina. I'm quite busy.”Sabrina snickered inside. Of course, she understood that he was quite busy with a new woman who was just a few tries away from falling into his bed. She knew how Charmin Nicholas could be and even if Roseanne hadn't agreed to sleep with him, she was just dilly-dallying. Nicholas would convince her sooner and she could not see
Roseanne had dinner with her kids, tucked them in the bed and poured a glass of wine for herself as she took a seat near the window, looking at the bright moon. The dinner was anything but uneventful. The children were over the moon to be here. As for her? She was miserable ever since she saw Nicholas and Sabrina together. She told herself many times that it didn't matter if they were together. However, she would be lying to herself if she said it didn't hurt seeing them together. She had loved Nicholas to the point of losing her sanity but he threw all away for a woman who left him. If she had known that he was in love with a woman, she would not have chased after him. She would not have dared to fall in love with him. Only if she knew. Now that she looks back, she realises that she has always been kept in the dark about a lot of things. Be it her husband's real identity, love life and the main reason behind their marriage. She couldn't help but feel disgusted for marrying such a m
While Nicholas and Sabrina were sitting together, consoling each other, a man was sitting in the dark on the other side of the room. There was a long scar on his face. He was smoking a cigar with his comrade. “That man looks like Nicholas Hart,” The man with a long scar on his face said to his comrade. “How can it be him?” His comrade Tito asked. Why would Nicholas Hart be in such a backward town which didn't even have everything to cover his basic amenities? It was even hard to get mobile reception here. How could Nicholas be here? Tito reminded him, “Europe is off-limits to him.”Everyone in the Mafia business knew that Europe was off-limits to Nicholas. He couldn't just come here and do anything. It belonged to someone else. Everyone had to respect the rules. Jack grumbled, “It's Nicholas Hart. I remember that bastard.”“Are you sure Jack?” Tito asked. He looked grimly at his comrade and said angrily, “What makes you think that I can forget the man who gave me this gruesome s
Today was the day of Carter King’s birthday party. Along with Charlotte, Sia was invited too, and since she decided to attend, Leon was her plus one. It was not a big event but a very intimate birthday party. Still the guests surpased a few hundred. Charlotte was nervous the whole way. Thankfully, she was attending with her brother and best friend. She dragged Callum as her plus one since she didn’t want to appear alone.Sia and Leon entered first.All the while, Sebastian’s gaze was on the door as if he was waiting for someone to enter. When that person arrived, his eyes lit up, but it soon diminished as he saw her holding a man’s arm. The man looked younger, but he couldn’t tell much.When Charlotte appeared to greet Carter, she intentionally didn’t look at Sebastian, but she could feel his gaze bore a hole into her head. As Carter saw Charlotte, he forgot all the guests.He didn’t bother with formalities and hugged Charlotte. “My girl. How are you? It has been months since I last
From across the room, someone was watching the entire scene unfold with an amused glint in his stormy grey eyes.Sebastian leaned back as his lips curled into a half-smile, clearly enjoying the drama, but there was something else in his gaze. Something deeper and darker.“Mr. King, what are you watching?” one of his business partners asked, noting Sebastian’s lingering attention.Sebastian’s eyes never wavered from the group. “Mr. Jones, I hope you don’t mind, but I just spotted an old friend. Would you mind if I went over and said hello?”“Not at all, we are done here,” Mr. Jones replied, excusing himself as he walked away.Meanwhile, Charlotte, having just made her point to Ronan, turned to rejoin her girls. But as she did, she froze. Her gaze met a pair of stormy grey eyes. Eyes that seemed to burn with a quiet intensity.For a moment, Charlotte thought it was just another mirage, a trick her mind was playing on her. She moved as her steps were hesitant, but those eyes followed her
Tonight, the Hart girls had planned a much-needed night out. Charlotte and Abella took the lead, guiding Sia, Kate, and Estelle to one of their favourite clubs. Over the past few days, Estelle had been spending time with Abella, and despite their age difference, the two had become fast friends. So, when Abella invited her to join the group, Estelle didn’t hesitate.Estelle had a naturally chill personality. Even though she was a bit more reserved, she knew how to let loose when the moment called for it.“Boss, I missed you!” Kate exclaimed as she threw her arms around Sia, hugging her tightly and refusing to let go.“Come on, Kate, I’m not your boss here,” Sia said, laughing as she tried to pry Kate off, but Kate clung to her like glue.“I know that! But calling you by your name still gives me the shivers,” Kate grinned mischievously. “You are scary.”Charlotte raised a brow and teased, “How can Sia baby possibly be scary?”The girls burst into laughter as Sia shot them a glare. Norma
“Where are you taking me, Leon?” Sia asked, her voice tinged with curiosity and amusement. He had covered her eyes with his hands and was carefully guiding her along the path. From the moment they met that morning, she could see the anticipation in his eyes. There was excitement, almost boyish, but beneath it there was a hint of nervousness, as if he wasn’t entirely sure how his secret plan would unfold.“Just a minute,” Leon replied his voice brimming with eagerness. “Once we are there, you will see.”They walked along the winding and uneven path, Sia grumbling at every step. Finally, after what felt like an eternity to her and just a blink to him, he stopped.“We are here,” he announced softly. Then, his voice took on a deeper and more heartfelt tone. “Before you open your eyes, I want to tell you—I love you so much, and I can’t wait to start this new chapter of our life together.”Sia felt her heart skip a beat at his words. Slowly, Leon removed his hands, and she opened her eyes.
“What do you want to know about her?” Carter asked, his tone measured as he observed his son’s restless demeanour. He wondered if his son recalled anything about her? As much as he knew that stubborn yet kind woman, she would not come to him again. “Who is Charlotte?” Sebastian asked directly, his voice tinged with both curiosity and apprehension.Carter leaned back in his chair, folding his hands together. “She is your wife. Or rather, she was your wife.”Sebastian frowned. “Our divorce isn’t finalized yet,” he corrected.“Great,” Carter said with a small satisfied smile.Sebastian raised an eyebrow, surprised by his father’s reaction. “Are you happy that we are still married?”“You bet I am,” Carter replied with a nonchalant shrug.Sebastian leaned forward, his confusion evident. “As much as I know you, you are an overprotective man. How on earth did you approve of a woman who married me after what was, by all accounts, a drunken mistake?”Carter chuckled, his expression softening.
“What’s up?” Sia asked, leaning casually against the doorframe. Charlotte was sitting quietly in her room, staring at nothing in particular.“I met Sebastian,” Charlotte said flatly, her voice devoid of any emotion.“Oh?” Sia raised an eyebrow, feigning ignorance. “How did that go?”It was as if she was not sitting with Anne and scheming about Charlotte. Charlotte gave her a look. “Knock it off. I know you already know everything. Whatever you are thinking, it’s not going to happen. He asked me to sign the divorce papers, not to be his wife.”Sia stepped into the room, sitting across from her. “The real question is, do you want to be his wife?”Charlotte’s gaze faltered. “He doesn’t even remember me, Sia. And don’t forget—he loves Emily. Always has, always will.”“Did you ask him if Emily is still in his life?” Sia pressed, tilting her head.Charlotte shrugged. “How does it even matter?”“Coco,” Sia said, “How does it not matter? Why are you being such a coward? We both know you still
“So, Saturday night at Apollo’s? It’s a date,” Andrew said, taking a chance with the woman of his dreams. They were standing on the porch of the café. With Charlotte’s high-heeled boots, she stood an inch taller than him.Before she could respond, a smiling hunk with his arms crossed over his chest approached and said, “No, it’s not.”Charlotte froze at the sound of the deep, husky voice that had haunted her dreams. She didn’t dare turn around. What if it was him? What would she do? And if it wasn’t him, how would she handle the crushing disappointment?Andrew frowned at the interruption and asked, “Who are you, man?”“Why don’t you ask the lady?” the stranger replied, cocking an eyebrow.Andrew turned to Charlotte. “Do you know him?”Without even glancing at the man, Charlotte said firmly, “No.”Andrew wasn’t convinced. There was an undeniable tension between them with her avoidance and his unwavering stare. It was as if an unspoken history filled the space between them.“Well,” And
“Mr. King, welcome,” Kate said with a professional smile. “My boss sent me over with the revised agreement. If everything looks good to you, we can proceed with signing the contract.”“Miss Swift certainly lives up to her name,” Sebastian remarked as he skimmed through the document.Kate chuckled softly. “Her last name is Swift for a reason,” she quipped.Sebastian let out a low, rich laugh, his grey eyes glinting with amusement.Kate felt her ears heat up as her heart started pounding unexpectedly. What’s happening to me? she wondered, trying to focus. She had a boyfriend—a perfectly nice one who might even propose soon. So why was she reacting like this to a man she had just met?“Miss Kate,” Sebastian said, pulling her attention back. “I have reviewed all the clauses. I’m ready to sign.”Kate blurted out in surprise, “So quick?”Sebastian leaned in slightly, his voice playful. “I’m quite swift even without the last name, Miss Kate.”Her cheeks flushed crimson as she realized he had
“Coco, did you reach?” Sabrina asked over the phone. She was thrilled that her daughter was on a date. She was so grateful to Sia for making it happen. Seriously, no one else would have the guts to pull what Sia did. Charlotte glanced at the café Sia had booked. It wasn’t just any café—it was Anne’s Café. Seriously, was Sia so unoriginal? Or was she planning something?“I did, Mom,” Charlotte replied. “He is here. I will call you later.”“Have fun, sweetie,” Sabrina said. “Your daddy and I are rooting for you.”Charlotte hung up and took a deep breath. She looked over at the table and saw the charming Andrew Jackson sitting there. His curly hair was his best feature, paired with a smile that could sell anything—even to the devil himself.She walked over, took a seat, and said, “Hello, Andrew. I’m Charlotte.”Andrew looked up and gasped. “Damn, it must have hurt when you fell from heaven.”Charlotte rolled her eyes. “Too cheeky and old, but I will take it. And not heaven—a demon brough