The days following the proposal were a whirlwind of excitement and preparation for Fabio and Sophia. They basked in the joy of their engagement, making plans for their future and dreaming of the life they would build together. However, in the midst of their happiness, an unexpected twist was about to turn their world upside down.Fabio had just returned from a business meeting when his phone buzzed with an unknown number. He hesitated for a moment before answering. "Hello?""Fabio, it’s Nikki," came the voice on the other end, sounding unusually calm. "I have something you need to know. Meet me at the old warehouse in an hour. It's about your father."Fabio's heart skipped a beat. His father? What could Nikki possibly have to say about Duncan that would be so urgent? Reluctantly, he agreed to the meeting.At the old warehouse, the atmosphere was tense. Fabio walked in, his eyes scanning the dimly lit space until he spotted Nikki standing near a stack of crates. She looked different—mo
The story of Duncan Mateo and Thompson Smith began long before their children, Fabio and Sophia, were even born. Their journey was one of ambition, brotherhood, and eventual corruption, rooted in a small, working-class neighborhood in the 1970s. 1970s: The BeginningDuncan Mateo and Thompson Smith grew up in neighboring houses in a tight-knit community. Their families were close, and the boys were inseparable, sharing dreams of escaping their humble beginnings. They were both ambitious, intelligent, and determined to build a better life for themselves.Duncan, with his charisma and charm, and Thompson, with his strategic mind, made a formidable team. After high school, they decided to go into business together. They started small, running a local convenience store, but their aspirations quickly outgrew the modest venture."We’re meant for bigger things," Duncan would often say, his eyes sparkling with ambition. Thompson agreed, always the quiet planner, meticulously mapping out their
Thompson's alarm alerted him to wake up and get ready for the adventures ahead. He wasn't a coffee drinker, but he couldn't sleep last night as he was thinking about the struggles he was plagued with. He recently lost his job as a waiter in an exquisite restaurant after he got into a fight with his Boss. Since then, life has been difficult for them. Living in the slums of Lake Mississippi was very challenging for him and his daughter, Sophia."Finally! It's time let's do this,” sighing heavily, Thompson said to himself and hoped he would get a job. Glancing at his wall clock and could confirm it was 8:30 a.m.They lived in a faded bungalow with cracked walls and worn-out creamed colored paint with his daughter, Sophia, after he lost his beloved wife. He already embraced his fate and was ready for whatever life had for him. The penny earned from his previous job wasn't enough to pay his wife's medical bills. Sadly, she died of Cancer."I know you are in a better location right now.
Thompson ran after the moving vehicle, shrieking like a lunatic. He didn't know what just hit him. It took him a few minutes to acknowledge he had just been ripped off. Wrapping his hands around his waist, he nodded his head in contempt and sat next to a gigantic fence outside. He couldn't report to the cops or inform anyone what happened."Where do I go from here? I don't even have a dime on me right now. What do I tell my daughter? How will she respond to the devastating information?” Facing the sky, Thompson besought silently in a faint tone. He got so engrossed in his thinking and napped outside, unbothered by the scorching sun melting his skin."What are you doing here?” A passerby woke him."I'm good,” replied Thompson. He yawned and stood up."I need to call my daughter immediately. She must be concerned about me,” ransacking his pocket for his phone, he screamed. He immediately went cold after he realized his phone was gone."Can I please use your phone?” Extending his hand, h
"Don't be silly. I don't want to believe you've got nothing inside that big head of yours. I don't want my father to find you here. We should think of getting you out of here before he walks inside,” She whispered. Her head is spinning already. She could barely think straight to come up with a solution."And I asked us not to make love here. We could have just gone to your place. Now see the mess you caused me.” She blamed Johnson for what was happening."Enough with the self-pity. It wasn't my fault. Don't act like you didn't want it, too. If you were so serious about this, you would have declined. But no, you jumped on the bed and consented.” he clapped back and taunted her. Leaning forward to her room door, Thompson called out again, this time, screaming out his lungs.“Sophia, I know you're in there. Why are you not answering? I've been calling for over an hour. I need you downstairs this minute. Are you trying to play a prank on me?”Making an indistinct chatter, Sophia ordered J
Fabio caressed his cheeks in anger and returned to his room only to find Nikki packing her stuff and set to leave the house."What the heck are you doing here, man?”"I presume you're not blind, are you? I overheard everything your father said to you. I'd rather sleep in my apartment tonight. I can't stand the heat,” Nikki wailed as she attempted to exit the room with her luggage."We can still discuss this, right?” he pleaded and grabbed her box."There's nothing to discuss. Didn't you hear the conditions? You'd be stripped of your inheritance. You're not that stupid to choose me over fortune, right? What I don't understand is why your Dad keeps controlling you as if you were a kid. I can't take this. I'd be back when the drama ended. But right now, I'm out of here.” She wept like a child and departed. All efforts to make her stay proved abortive.The damageThe relationship saga hit Sophia so hard and pierced her heart like a dagger. She got carried away and forgot where she was."G
Fabio and Sophia's tense stare-down seemed to stretch for an eternity, each harboring their secrets and resentments. The air in the room grew heavy with unspoken words, suffocating any chance of reconciliation.Duncan, Fabio's father, shifted uncomfortably in his seat, his eyes darting between his son and his potential spouse Sophia. He had hoped their first meeting would lead to a pleasant acquaintance, but the palpable animosity between them left him bewildered."Do you two know each other?" Duncan's voice broke through the silence once again, his tone tinged with a hint of desperation for answers. He had sensed something amiss from the moment they laid eyes on each other.Fabio's jaw clenched as he weighed his response, grappling with the tumult of emotions swirling within him. Sophia's mere presence stirred memories he had long buried, memories of a past he wished to forget."Is she the one I'm supposed to marry?" Fabio finally spoke, his voice laced with uncertainty as he tried t
CHAPTER 6Acceptance Sophia opened the door of the office, her movements graceful yet purposeful, and stepped out into the corridor. Fabio followed closely behind, the weight of their shared history hanging heavy in the air between them."So you're the one I marry?" Fabio's words cut through the silence like a knife, his tone laced with bitterness and resentment. "Your poor wretched family wants to reap where you guys didn't sow."Sophia stopped abruptly, her heart pounding in her chest as she turned to face Fabio. The hurt and anger that had simmered beneath the surface for so long threatened to boil over, her emotions raw and unfiltered."How dare you?" she seethed, her voice trembling with barely contained fury. "You think you can just waltz back into my life and pass judgment on me and my family?"Fabio recoiled slightly at the venom in Sophia's words, the sting of her rebuke cutting deep into his wounded pride. He had never intended to hurt her and had never imagined that his wo