After his second visit to Roseanne’s Cafe, he visited it a couple of times. Each time he would be in the cafe, Roseanne would be on pins and needles. Maria would usually inform her about the arrival of Nicholas and she would stay in her office until then. Usually, she took part in other activities outside the office but whenever Nicholas was in a cafe, she would confine herself to the office. Each time Nicholas was in a cafe, he would try to catch a glimpse of Roseanne but she would never be found anywhere. Every time, he would sit in the Library section which would be very quiet and peaceful. He read a couple of books and it reginited his adoration of reading again. Due to his busy schedule, he had forgotten about relaxing. He used to read a lot before but along the way, he lost his habit of reading. For certain circumstances, Nicholas had to extend his stay in Italy for about a month or so. He was growing weary of hotel accommodations and so he instructed Johnson to find a villa f
“Okay,”Nicholas replied. He extended his hand and introduced his name, “I'm Nicholas.” Sensing that the name might be difficult for a child to pronounce, he added, “You can call me Nick.” Coco smiled and shook his head, “Oh. Hello, Mister. I'm Charlotte. Since I hate my name, you can call me Coco.”Nicholas laughed. “What's wrong with Charlotte? It's such a beautiful name. I knew a beautiful woman whose name was Charlotte.”She crinkled her nose and said, “Knew.”“It's a little old–”Nicholas agreed. She said, “It's centuries old.”Nicholas laughed. “Not exactly.”“So, Charlotte.”This time, she threatened him with big eyes, “Coco.”Nicholas laughed at her cuteness and added, “Okay, Coco. Shall I help you with a house for your babies?”“Do you know how to do that?” She asked, happily. Nicholas said to her, “I can try “She rolled her eyes and said, “Oh please don't be like my brother. He is very bad at tires.”Nicholas said, “I will make it.”Coco said, raising her brow, “I will jud
The following day, Roseanne had dropped kids at their school and went straight to the cafe. Lisa, the receptionist was not there and so she was sitting in her place. Since she was quite close to her staff and there was no other person to cover Lisa’s shift, she didn't mind covering it. As she was doing her work sitting on Lisa’s seat, she saw someone placing a book in front of her. She looked up to find Nicholas holding a couple of books. “This is?” She asked, confused. “There is a section to donate books,”Nicholas told her. “I want to donate these old books.”Roseanne looked at the books that looked so fresh that she knew he took them from the books stores just a few moments ago. “Maria, take these books from Mr Hart,” Roseanne said. “He wants to donate them.”“Thank you, Mr Hart,” Roseanne said. Seeing the politeness between them, he felt uncomfortable. She was always polite to him yet he felt sometimes that she was keeping him at arms length. She would not entertain him. She
To say that Roseanne was scared to be an understatement. She put on a mask of bravery and asked him, “What does it mean?”“I am just saying that you should not ignore me,” Nicholas said, taking a sip of the coffee. He acted nonchalant after throwing a big bomb at her. “What made you think that I was ignoring you?” Roseanne asked him. “Each time, I am around, you try to hide or run away from me,” Nicholas told her. “Don't say that I'm thinking too much. I am not. I have noticed it.”“What is it that you can not be around me?” Nicholas asked, crossing the boundaries that he had made around him. He did not want to act on his impulses but this woman was making him crazy. He had been trying to stay away from her but it was harder for her. Each day he found himself running to her cafe. Initially, he used to tell himself that it was because he liked how this place felt. But soon he realised that he was coming here to catch a glimpse of her. She had made him starved with her attention. Wh
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
His voice dropped lower as he confessed, “Oh, Sia baby, I have dreamed of this every single day.” Leaning in, his lips found her neck, planting a trail of kisses that sent shivers cascading down her spine. Each kiss was deliberate, slow, and tantalizing as his lips explored the soft curves and bumps of her skin. He sucked and nipped gently, leaving her breathless and causing her to arch her back in excitement. His tongue darted out, tasting the warmth of her skin. The sensation was electric, making her clutch the bedsheet to steady herself. She was completely at his mercy, her body responding in ways she didn’t fully understand. Every touch was igniting a fire within her. He moved lower while his lips brushing the space between her breasts. Her hands instinctively found their way to his thick hair, tangling themselves in the silky strands as his touch consumed her entirely. He moved further down kissing his way down to her navel but stopped just right above her pussy area. H
When they reached their room after dinner, his gaze fell on her. She was sitting on the stool in front of the mirror while trying to remove her earrings, but she was struggling. He walked closer to her and whispered, “May I?” She silently gave him permission. He gently swept her hair to one side and carefully removed her earrings. As he worked, his hands lingered on her shoulders and their eyes met in the mirror. A soft blush painted her cheeks. Her eyes, though tired, but sparkled with life. He softly made her stand while turning her to face him. Dipping his head, he kissed her lips tenderly. After a moment, he murmured, “In five years, I see myself kissing your soft lips every day.” He whispered against her lips, “You are so beautiful, Sia baby.” Then, he claimed her lips in another kiss which deeper and more consuming. As he kissed her, her entire body trembled with need for him. She wasn’t embarrassed by the way her body craved his touch, how every fiber of her being begged
The lovebirds were truly basking in each other’s company. Leon had planned a perfect evening, starting with a romantic sunset walk along the beach as their feet were sinking into the soft sand as the waves kissed the shore. Later, they moved to a cozy candlelit dinner he had arranged just for her. The gentle glow of the candles was reflecting in her eyes as he sat in front of her. “Leon,” Sia’s soft voice broke the serenity as she called his name. “Yes?” he responded, his gaze meeting hers with warmth. “Let’s play a game,” she suggested, her lips curving into a playful smile. “Okay, which game are we playing?” Leon asked, tilting his head with interest. “Let’s play twenty questions,” Sia proposed. Leon chuckled. “Quite cliché, but fine,” he agreed. Since the moment felt too magical to let slip into silence, the game seemed like a fun way to keep the mood alive. She pouted in mock offense but pressed on, “Are you a sunrise or sunset person?” “Definitely a sunrise person
“Sia?”“Hmm,” he murmured in reply, feeling his finger trailing along her shoulder. The rays of the sun bathed her body as they lay near the sea. They were on one of the private beaches in the Philippines, one of the most breathtaking places she had ever seen. For the past three days, they had been travelling. The first two days were filled with adventure, but today was a much-needed lazy day for both of them.“I think you need sunscreen,” Leon said, his voice low and teasing. “Hmm,” she replied, her eyes still closed. She felt him scooping sunscreen into his hands, the cool sensation was contrasting with the heat of his palms as he began smoothing it over her body. His touch lingered as he worked the lotion into her neck while gliding down her back, tracing every curve and dip with deliberate care. Then his hands moved lower, over her hips and along her legs. Just as she thought he was done, his hands reversed course and they have begun gliding upward with an unhurried sensuality. S
After a few days of silence, Charlotte was nowhere to be seen. Leon had been patient, giving her the space he thought she needed to handle whatever was going on in her life. But as weeks turned into a month with no sign of her, he had had enough. He grabbed his phone and called her. She picked up just as it was about to go to voicemail. Her tired face appeared on the screen. “What’s up, little brother?” she asked, her tone lacking its usual energy. “Charlotte Hart, where the hell are you?” Leon snapped. “Somewhere on Earth. Why? What happened?” she replied nonchalantly, though her eyes betrayed exhaustion. Leon’s frown deepened. “Do you know how frustrating you are? You told everyone you were painting, but this doesn’t look like your apartment, and you look like crap.” He paused, taking a closer look. Her hair was longer, browner, and wavy which was completely different from her usual style. His brows furrowed as something else caught his attention. “Wait a minute… are you
Sia smiled widely at Abella and gave her an encouraging pat on the back. “I like it, girl,” she said with genuine warmth. Abella lowered her head, her voice tinged with embarrassment. “I’m sorry. I just… I made the plan, but they ditched me because Cade was interested in me. And, well, Leslie has a crush on him too. You know… the usual college drama.” Sia tilted her head sympathetically but kept her tone light. “I’m glad you ended up spending the evening with me instead. Those people made you cry, and they don’t deserve your energy. You should let them know you don’t care about what they think. You have got people who care about you, and tonight, we are going to have a lot of fun! You are in college, and there is no curfew.” Abella muttered with a small pout, “I still can’t drink until I’m 21.” Sia laughed. “I will show you how to have fun without needing a drop of alcohol. Trust me, tonight is going to be unforgettable.” And it was. The two spent the evening laughing, tal
Sia had just wrapped up her work at the office when her phone rang. Seeing the caller ID, she raised a brow in surprise. Softening her tone, she answered, “Hello?” “Hi, Sia,” came Abella’s slightly nervous voice. “Are you busy?” Sia glanced at the clock, noting the upcoming meetings on her schedule. But she brushed them aside and replied warmly, “Not at all. Just finished my work.” “Cool!” Abella sounded a little more at ease. After a brief pause, she asked hesitantly, “Would you like to go shopping with me?” Sia blinked, momentarily caught off guard. Abella was usually reserved and rarely expressed her wishes so openly. The invitation felt like a rare and meaningful step. “Of course,” Sia said, her voice full of encouragement. “When do you want to go?” “Now?” Abella suggested tentatively. “Perfect,” Sia agreed. “Where are you? I will come pick you up.” “I’m at my dorm. Can you come here?” “Absolutely,” Sia assured her. With that, they ended the call. Sia turned to
After spending the entire night with Sia, Leon decided it was time to visit his parents, whom he hadn’t seen in two weeks. When he arrived, the house was lively as usual. Along with Nicholas and Anne, Rhys, Callum, Abella, and his grandparents, Ellora and Nikolai, were all gathered around the table. It was a joyous occasion for the family to be under the same roof. “Dad, can you take over for a month?” Leon asked, leaning against the doorframe. Well, if he had to be gone for over a month, he needed capable hands to look after his work. Who did he trust more than Nicholas Hart himself? Nicholas raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. “Do I look stupid to you?” Why on earth would he want to return to that cold office building? He recalled the time when the kids were young and he would find all the opportunity to not go to work. He had waited a lot for his retirement. There was no way, he was going back to work! “It’s just a month,” Leon persisted, his tone almost pleading. Nich
“Leon?” Sia’s voice trembled with surprise and excitement as she spotted him standing at the door of her study. Without hesitation, she ran to him while wrapping her arms tightly around his waist. “You heartless man! You went on a business trip for a whole week! Did you even miss me?” “I’m sorry, Sia baby. I’m a bad man,” he murmured, pulling her closer and kissing her cheek. “I’m sorry. Next time, I’ will take you with me.” She pouted, muttering, “What would I even do there?” He smiled, his voice soft and affectionate. “Stay with me all day. Who cares what place or task it is, as long as we are together.” Her lips curled into a contented smile and she nodded, looking every bit like a satisfied child who had just been given her favorite treat. “I love you, Leon,” she whispered. The words were rare and reserved for moments that carried her true and raw emotions. He pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. “I love you more, Sia baby.” Without another word, Leon scooped her i