“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
“Miss Deluca.”“Miss Taylor.”Both the ladies had not expected to come face to face with each other this soon. They spent the day busy with their work. Not meeting with each other was better for them but now that they had met, they put on a fake smile and began faking it. With Nicholas, Roseanne didn't have to fake but since Sabrina was her client, she had to stay polite and couldn't act like she usually did with him. “Why don't you join me for a drink while we talk about our partnership?” Sabrina asked. Roseanne didn't understand what Sabrina was doing here. Still, she took a seat. On the other hand, the bitch inside Sabrina had arisen. Nicholas had gone to bring her medicine from the room that she had forgotten. She wanted to show Roseanne that if the latter had any kind of interest in him, she should back off. She was trying to lay her claim on Nicholas Hart. Sabrina and Roseanne seriously began to discuss their deal. As Roseanne slipped into a relaxing mode with Sabrina, Nich
“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