“Do you know how to play golf?” Jackson asked as he savored his piece of grilled meat. He looked the very image of power and grace as he ate. “I remember the Lazer's were the best golfers I had.” His voice was slow and measured when he spoke again. Victoria froze momentarily. He was right, his family played golf regularly. “But, I was never really family, so, not me!” It took her a moment to answer the man.Her father had never taught her how to play, which was why she didn't know how to play golf. But that wasn't the point, because even if she did know how to play golf, she wouldn't be interested in playing golf with Jackson.“That's great. I'll teach you.” The young woman found herself at a loss for words, and honestly, he had gone too far.“President, I think you've misunderstood, because I'm not interested in doing anything that involves spending more time with you, let alone learning to play golf.” Victoria took a deep breath and replied. “You've got it wrong, I'm simply i
“Let me go, Bruno.” Victoria wasn't interested in starting an argument with the man. “I'll scream for help if you don't let me go.”“Go ahead and shout for help. Let me see which rich guy you've hooked up with now.” Bruno was also from a wealthy family, so he wasn't afraid. But he didn't expect to feel a heavy thud as soon as he spoke, just as he didn't expect a golf ball to hit him directly in the leg.Bruno howled in pain and released his grip on Victoria instantly, and the young man grabbed his leg, fell to the ground and began writhing in pain.Amidst Bruno's pained howls, Jackson appeared with a golf club in his hand, and looked at the other young man. “Don't let me see you get your hands on Victoria again, because I guarantee you, you'll be hit by something much more painful than a golf ball.” His voice was as harsh as winter.The promise of pain was clear in Jackson's eyes, and his voice was cold and intimidating.Bruno grabbed his injured leg, and the spot throbbed with pain
His lack of consideration made things worse.Jackson led her to the stretch of the golf course they had passed earlier, then he pulled his fingers out and turned to the caddie. “Get Miss Lazer a golf club.”The caddie nodded before pulling a silver golf club from the golf bag he was carrying and handing it to Victoria.Victoria took the golf club, but she had no idea what to do with it, so she decided to try her hand at the game and figure things out on her own.She wasn't interested in taking instructions from Jackson.Jackson took his place behind Victoria without saying a word, and in the looming shadow of a high wall, circled the young woman with his arms and placed his hands gently on hers. Then he clasped his hands, leaned over and dipped his head. His voice was a whisper in her ear.“Remember to put your weight behind the swing. The ball won't go far unless you do.”Victoria hummed softly and tilted her face instinctively. She wanted to put as much distance between the two o
“I know that you would be able to afford a decent apartment with your mother's inheritance. But we have no idea if you can successfully claim the inheritance. You know the Lazer's, they're cruel and petty. They won't go down without a fight. “ Valentina patted the back of Victoria's hand gently. “Victoria, listen to your aunt. We're going to sell this apartment. We'll be able to pay the down payment with the money from the sale of the apartment and any savings you've set aside.” “Auntie! “Victoria was adamant that she would not let her aunt sell her house. “I'll manage on my own. Don't worry.”“I've made up my mind. It's settled.” Valentina said softly. “You must concentrate on your work and looking after the children. Make sure Jackson doesn't steal your children away from you.”Victoria wasn't ready to end the conversation, but Valentina seemed to have made up her mind. She decided to keep silent.She had to talk to the lawyer Cindy had recommended to her about the house.about the
Jackson spent some time thinking about Samanta's pre-wedding vacation spot, then finally pulled his thoughts back to work.He spent the next 30 minutes buried in work, when Cornelios, his lawyer called. “President, Gabriel is almost in our pocket. I think we can start work on the land, I just need to know your availability.”“Let's not rush things too quickly, after all, Lazaro won't give up so easily. Make sure the legal paperwork for Gabriel is ready.” Cornelios understood what Jackson was trying to tell him, and his response showed an equal measure of caution. “Don't worry, President Carson. I'll make sure everything is taken care of.”“That's great. Keep working on it,” said Jackson. He trusted his lawyer.“Don't worry, I know what to do. “ replied Cornelios.Jackson turned off the call, and began to twirl the pen he was casually holding.It was obviously an expensive pen, and the young man stroked his chin thoughtfully as the image of Enzo appeared in his head.He remembered h
Victoria wasn't particularly bothered by Ciara's threats.Ciara's threats, but the mention of Bruno brought a frown to her face. Why had Ciara mentioned Bruno? It didn't take long for the young woman to realize why, after all, that day Bruno had caught her and Jackson playing golf, and Jackson had issued a stern warning to the man as well.He must have spoken to Ciara and told her, which was why her dear sister was here this morning, screaming at her like a mad woman.“What's the point of attacking me? It's pointless. You should talk to President Carson, and ask him if I'm throwing myself at him, because that's the only way you'll get your answer then and you can finally leave me alone, and I'd really appreciate that. “Victoria simply scoffed.Having said that, the young woman tightened her fingers around the draft and walked away, without giving her a chance to reply, away from the reception.Victoria's total contempt for her drove Ciara mad. She felt her blood burn with rage, and
Victoria froze momentarily, and an embarrassed look flickered in her eyes. “I'm sorry, I hit a traffic jam on the way, and I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long.” His voice sounded slightly subdued. “Don't worry about it, she doesn't have any appointments in the morning.” Said the receptionist brightly. She knew that Victoria was an important guest and was especially friendly with the other woman, and her friendliness helped Victoria, who stopped feeling so bad about having left Samanta waiting for her.She ran after the receptionist as they made their way to the dressing room, where Samanta was.When they reached the dressing room, the receptionist opened the door and Samanta was sitting on the sofa, dressed in a long, flowing dress. She seemed to be waiting for Victoria.“I'm sorry to keep you waiting, Mrs. Barros.”Samanta didn't mind the wait, and looked up and gave the young woman a warm smile. “Come on, sit down. Then show me what you have for me.”“Of course. “Victoria
Victoria eyed the Maybach curiously, but before she could get a good look at the license plate, the Maybach's door opened, and a familiar-looking young man stepped out of the car.Jackson?A deep crease wrinkled Victoria's forehead instantly, after all, what was he doing here? Did he know about her meeting with Samanta?Before Victoria could give this thought any further consideration, Jackson approached her, reached forward and grasped her wrist in a firm vise-like grip. “Shall we? Have lunch with me!” Victoria found herself pushed hard into Jackson's black Maybach by the man himself, and she quickly tried to open the door, but it was locked before she could get out. Finally, she turned and looked at the man sitting next to her. The hint of impatience on his face was as strong as day. “President Carson, what do you think you're doing?”“It's lunchtime, isn't it? Let me buy you lunch!” Jackson said, before snapping his fingers at the driver.Hearing the loud snap in the air, the d
“Well, thank you for thinking of her, President Carson. As you can see, she's fine, so can you go now?” said Victoria.Jackson didn't seem to be in any hurry to go, in fact, he gave her a long look before changing the subject without any warning. “And how was your meeting with Mr. Spector?” he asked over dinner, and Victoria frowned. What was wrong with the man? Why had he mentioned it?“That's none of your business, President Carson,” replied Victoria, struggling fiercely to free herself. “I won't agree to another DNA test. It's inappropriate and disrespectful to my cousin, after all, they are her children.”No matter how hard she struggled, she couldn't free herself from the man's grip, and Jackson simply laughed softly. He seemed to be tickled.“Your cousin is the mother, and your cousin is the father? Right!” Jackson tightened his grip on the young woman. “So why do his children look so much like me?” His warm breath hit Victoria's cheeks like waves of heat. Victoria couldn't m
The twins immediately stood up and started waving their chubby little arms. Victoria ignored the twinge of pain in her chest, walked past her angels and pulled Jackson up from the floor. “President Carson, can we step outside for a minute, please?” Then she turned to her children, they looked ready to throw their little bodies at her, but she pushed down the anguish growing inside her. “Enzo, Lara, your aunt needs to go out for a minute. I'll be back before you know it, okay?” She didn't give Enzo or Lara time to react to what she had just said, and instead, she dragged Jackson out of the apartment immediately, and soon after, Valentina ran towards the children and hugged them. “Enzo, Lara, have you forgotten what Mommy said earlier?” Enzo looked totally clueless. Lara was equally perplexed. She had no idea what Valentina was talking about. “Don't you remember what Mommy told you?” Valentina said patiently. “She told you to call her 'auntie' when Jackson is around. If
“Don't panic. Keep him busy. I'm coming back now.”Victoria hung up immediately and then turned to Harvey with an apologetic look on her face. “I'm sorry, Harvey, there's been an emergency at home, and I need to get back now. I'm so sorry. I can't believe I'm letting you finish dinner alone...”Harvey was not a stingy man and he knew he couldn't keep Victoria there when she clearly had an emergency to attend to. He knew that Victoria wasn't lying. He had heard parts of the conversation before. He knew that something terrible had happened. “Don't worry about it, Victoria. Let me give you a ride.” The man rubbed his lips lightly with his napkin before getting up, but Victória wasn't going to bother him for a ride.She was leaving in the middle of dinner. That alone made her feel terrible enough. She shook her head apologetically. “Thanks for the offer, Harvey. I can go home on my own, don't worry, but I'm really sorry. I'll buy you dinner another time.”Victoria seemed insistent, and
Meanwhile, outside the Village, Jackson had collected his car keys and was going to pay a visit to Valentina's apartment to see Lara and Enzo. Before leaving the restaurant, he called Maison, who was supposed to come to the restaurant now and wait outside. “If Harvey doesn't give Victoria a lift home after dinner, you'll take her home,” Jackson instructed. Having given his orders, he started the car and headed towards Victoria's apartment.He stopped at a shopping center and bought some expensive toys that he knew were extremely popular with children. He hadn't seen Lara since her attempted kidnapping. “I guess I should stop by and see if she's recovered from the incident,” he thought. It had been a long time since he had cared for someone, and the girl seemed like part of his family. The results of the DNA report said otherwise, but his instincts told him that she was his daughter. “I'm going to do another DNA test. If the results remain unchanged, I'll give up,” he decided. Thi
Was this Noemia's plan all along? Was Noemia trying to set her up with Noemia's cousin?No matter how strange the atmosphere, they had to get through dinner somehow, and Victoria needed Harvey's help, and the man agreed to help her. She couldn't get up and let him dine alone, so she put aside her feelings of embarrassment and started browsing the menu before placing her order.Harvey filled his glass with red wine and studied Victoria in silence as he swirled the wine in his hand. He had met countless beautiful people in his line of work. However, few were as beautiful as Victoria. He was overcome by the urge to have her as soon as his eyes landed on her, and it had been some time since Harvey had met a woman as attractive as Victoria.The man silently admired Victoria's beauty. Meanwhile, Victoria had no idea that she was the object of the man's appreciative gaze, and she placed her orders and handed the menu back to Harvey.“I've already ordered,&
The man smiled faintly before slamming his foot on the gas pedal.The car left Valentina's apartment and drove down the street, neither of them speaking during the journey, the car filled with a tense silence. A silence that was punctuated by their breathing, and there was something terribly suggestive about it all.Victoria tried to stop staring at the man, and turned and looked out of the window at the lights streaming past her. The gears in her head began to turn furiously. How was she going to get rid of Jackson? Should she tell him to leave her alone? Maybe she should ask him to join them, but the latter option didn't seem appropriate.She was having dinner with Noemia's cousin because she needed his help as a lawyer, and she wasn't really going on a date. What was she supposed to do? Victoria couldn't think of a solution, no matter how hard she tried, and they were going to get to the restaurant soon.“Don't worry, I'm not having dinner with you. I'm not interested in becoming t
The young woman went to the elevator and pressed the button next to it, heading for the lobby. Noemia wanted to give her a ride to the restaurant, but something came up unexpectedly, and she wouldn't be able to do it for dinner. She texted Victoria the address of the restaurant and told her to call a cab, and she would pay for the ride.Victoria didn't want to be late for her first meeting with a lawyer, so she rushed to the entrance. Perhaps she was in too much of a hurry and didn't pay much attention to the man coming towards her, smoking a cigarette. The moment their shoulders brushed, the man reached out and grabbed Victoria by the wrist, pulling her towards him.Victoria fell heavily against his firm chest.“Where are you going dressed so nice at night? Is it a date?” The young woman heard a low, husky voice in her ear.There was a clear possessive note in the man's voice, who spoke as if he owned Victoria. At that moment, the young woman instantly raised her head, her eyelids tw
“I'm doing this for Jackson's sake.” Mattew's lips curved into a smile. “You want him to be happy too, don't you? So think of a way to get her to join us for the trip.”“But maybe she really doesn't want to,” Samanta replied thoughtfully. “She doesn't seem to like Jackson.”“That's why he's interested in her. He wouldn't be if she was throwing herself at him,” said Mattew before tossing the card in his hand onto the table.“Men are such strange creatures. What's wrong with going after someone who likes you too? Why force yourself on someone who doesn't like you? You'll only let them go once you've broken up with them and got bored. Those poor girls. They're the ones who end up getting hurt.” Honestly, Samanta was convinced that Jackson was just trying to have fun with Victoria.She knew men like Jackson and his cousin. Except for the partner his family had chosen for them, all the other women were simply a casual fling, and that included all the women who had the misfortune to catch h
Here is the text with the lines in quotation marks:Elisa knew all along that Jayric was interested in Victoria, but what she didn't expect was for him to be so madly in love with her, and because of Victoria, he exploded in the office and showed his temper. She desperately wanted Victoria to leave. “Don't worry, Victoria. You can go back to work now!” Jayric turned and said gently to Victoria after shouting at the rest of the company.In fact, Victoria looked a little scared. She had never seen Jayric raise his voice to anyone, and was this what every man looked like when he got angry? Did they look exactly like Jackson?The young woman secretly berated herself, because that man was the cause of all her problems and the source of all her pain. So how could she compare him to Jayric? What was she thinking? “Thank you, Jayric, and sorry about that. My family life is a bit complicated... I'm sorry for the trouble it's caused the company.” “It's no big deal, and you can always talk t