“You’re playing a very dangerous game here, dear cousin,” Nadia said with a smile as she looked at her cousin who was about to lose her mind with anger. She wondered for a moment if this was how Kate felt as she humiliated her five years ago. There was a bit of satisfaction in what she was about to do, but it wasn’t enough to destroy her cousin’s life. Although Nadia had every intention of doing so when the time was right. “You think I won’t do it?! You think I won’t tell him about you,” Kate said in a crazed frenzy. People were starting to look at them and gather around them. She was pretty sure that they would be the talk of the town after this, but she didn’t really mind. Kate was digging her own grave. But she should do it somewhere else. Not in her mother’s store. Suddenly, there was a huge sound and the light went out. Just as she instructed, there was a commotion for a moment there and Nadia walked toward Kate putting her hand on her shoulder and whispering into her ear.
Nadia felt the cool metal against her fingers as she directed the gun toward the man before her. He was looking at her anger evident in his face. He was outraged because she was aiming a gun at him. Shouldn’t be the other way around? Shouldn’t she be the one getting angry because he was entering her office? No sneaking into her office in the middle of the night. The way her life was twisted sound their convenience to the point of denying her her most basic rights was maddening. This lunatic felt like he had some claim on her, and that she didn’t have the right to stop him. Well she did, and she was going to stop him. “You think I won’t shoot?” She asked calmly aiming at him her eyes focusing on him. He was advancing toward her but seeing her cold gaze and the determined set of her jaw, he paused. “Hah, You seem to have grown a backbone after all,” He repeated. “You tried to hurt my son. That’s as far as you get to go, Mark. You should have realized this a long time ago. You canno
“Hmmm, this is bliss,” Nadia hummed as she took a bite of her full breakfast the mixture of pancakes melting on her tongue. “Hmm, bliss,” Luke said as he leaned against her making her smile. “You two are acting like gourmet enthusiasts. What is it about breakfast that makes you go all starry-eyed?” Dean asked as he watched them with a smile. “How rude, breakfast is the most important meal of the day, Dean,” She said. “Yes, Uncle Dean! Breakfast is important!” Luke echoed making them chuckle. “Yeah, breakfast is very important,” he admitted. “Right, you’re a good boy, Uncle Dean. I will give you some of my breakfast,” Luke said reaching out with his fork and a piece of pancakes on it. Nadia was shocked to see her son share his pancakes with someone. Dean simply smiled and leaned forward supporting Luke not to fall as he took a bite from the pancake making yummy noises as he chewed. “Is it delicious?” Luke asked his eyes shining with anticipation. “It’s very delicious, maybe I w
Her hands trembled as she reached out for her phone. Slipping to the side of the building where no one could see her, she let the phone ring impatiently, waiting for an answer. But there was none. Cursing under her breath, she redialed again and waited, only to be met with a disheartening silence. She couldn't afford for Mark not to answer at a time like this. Panic clawed at her chest, and she could feel beads of sweat forming on her forehead. It was supposed to be a seamless operation, but now the walls were closing in on her. "Come on, Mark, pick up," she whispered fervently as the call continued to ring. Minutes stretched into an eternity, and every unanswered ring felt like a death knell for her carefully laid plans. She couldn't risk being exposed, not after all she had done. The hotel was her life, and she couldn't afford to lose it all. And if Nadia finds out what she had been up to, there will be no mercy for her. "Come on, Mark, answer!" she muttered through gritted teet
“You mean about how Mark Colt sneaked into your office last night and threatened you?” Nadia slowly lowered her cup to the table, giving Miller a cool look. The man’s confident smile was getting on her nerves. He wasn’t holding back trying to catch her with every word he spoke. But she wasn’t about to discuss this with Luke still here with her. Soon after a long silence which she intended, Donna appeared taking Luke away and leaving them alone. “Now that we’re alone, I would like to hear what you said again,” She said calmly and Miller who was watching her intently seemed startled when she spoke to him. “Oh, uh. Of course. Your son does look a lot like you,” He commented awkwardly. “My son, is five years old, Mr. Miller. No matter what the crime you are investigating, don’t you think it’s too much to bring him into this so blatantly?” She asked looking at him behind her sunglasses. “I’m sorry. I was out of line,” he admitted. “One more time, Mr. Miller. I am not under the habit
“Aren’t you going to answer?” Dean asked as he looked at Nadia. Miller made a show of pulling a seat and leaning back crossing his legs and making a showman’s gesture for her to answer with a smile. Nadia sighed at the overly dramatic agent taking the seat Dean was offering her and then looked at the phone. “I Should…” She trailed off. Nadia hesitated for a moment before tapping on the screen and answering the call. “Hello?” She could hear street noises on the other side and knew that the woman wasn’t in the hotel anymore. Did she run away? “Did you get my messenger?” Grace asked through the phone. “What are you talking about?” Nadia asked feigning ignorance for now. “You know very well what I mean, Miss Hotel Heiress. It must be nice living in luxury all your life,” Grace trailed off and Nadia put the phone on speaker and motioned for Dean to record the conversation. Dean nodded putting his phone beside hers. “I don’t know what you’re trying to say,” Nadia repeated and Gra
Nadia was stepping toward the road as soon as she glimpsed Grace walking toward them purposefully and without hesitation as if she knew what she wanted and was heading towards it.As soon as she glimpsed Nadia there was a smile on the woman’s face as if she was granted salvation after a long time of suffering. That look pierced through Nadia’s heart because she knew exactly what it felt like to be hoping for a moment of salvation. For someone to reach out their hand for you.She was probably like that when she met Dean’s parents and Mrs. Payne. So in the split of a moment, Nadia decided to help this woman as much as she could.“There she is…” She told Dean and he paused for a moment mis argument with Miller who was insisting on tagging along with them.Just as Nadia was about to cross the road, she heard the sound of an engine and the tires rolling on the concrete. She felt a hand on her stomach and Dean was pulling her back from the street and stepping back toward the walkway shocking
“He killed her?!” Leilah exclaimed in a hushed tone as she sat before Nadia in the company’s lobby. Her eyes were wide as she stared at Nadia barely comprehending what she just heard. Nadia sighed and leaned back in her seat. “He tried to. She’s in a coma now barely hanging in there,” Nadia answered and Leilah shrugged. “It’s the same thing! The most important thing here is that he tried to murder her. I can’t believe this, seriously, is this guy a psycho or something?” Leilah said outraged and Nadia nodded. “As a matter of fact, yes he is…” “It’s kind of scary how you made your peace with this fact,” Leilah said. Maybe it was… But she knew better than to expect better from a cruel human being like him. “That’s beside the point. More importantly, thanks to this my plans are all over the place. I carefully set the ground for Kate’s downfall but thanks to this, all of her bad behaviour will be overshadowed by the news of the incident. Trying to bring her down now is too risky,” Na
Nadia woke up with a start breathing heavily as sweat dampened her temple. Feeling someone shift beside her, she shivered at the whisk of air passing through her damp skin as Dean sat up in bed beside her.“Hey…” he whispered and Nadia sighed covering her face with her palms.“I’m so tired of this…” she said hotly as she tried to suppress the frustration tears that threatened to fall down her cheeks.She felt a blanket being thrown on her shoulders before Dean’s big and warm hands stroked her back slowly soothing away the nerves that had been keeping her body tense.“Come on, lay down…” he said in a soft tone and Nadia followed his command laying against him as he circled his arms around her.His fingers combed through her hair slowly massaging her skull. Her heartbeat was begin in to slowly return to its natural rhythm when he finally spoke again.“Maybe you need to say your goodbyes..” he said slowly.The way Dean spoke and how he acted was becoming their routine. Since her days in t
Three weeks later, "So, how was your last check-up with the doctor?" Nadia asked as she sat at the bedside of the huge man before her.The man chucked and gave her a wry look as if asking her if she was really asking him this question."I should be the one asking you this question, Miss. You're the one who got admitted recently," he said with a smile."Oh, come on, Blake! Mine was just a flesh wound and too much drama. You're the one who was about to cross to the other side for a moment there," She answered with a fake frown.Blake, the man who saved Luke when he was kidnapped, regained consciousness only after Nadia was admitted to the hospital. The first thing the man asked for was his hospitalized daughter and Luke.Nadia had made a vow to herself that she would do her best to protect the man and his daughter no matter what. So once she heard that he was awake, she visited him and they began talking. It turned out that the man wasn't a criminal and that he only did this mission b
Dean raced down the seemingly endless corridor, each step echoing with a sense of dread. This floor had been reserved exclusively for Nadia's penthouse, accessible only with her permission or a special keycard. Yet, Dean knew that Mark had the potential to breach the security. Nadia had been aware of this vulnerability in the system, which was why she'd consented to have a bodyguard with them at all times.But Miller, in his attempt to spring this trap, had incapacitated their bodyguard, leaving them vulnerable just when Mark arrived. As they approached the open door, Dean's heart raced with a mix of fear and determination. Agents ahead of him cautiously entered the room, assessing the situation. When Dean was finally permitted to move forward, the sound that greeted him was heart-wrenching.Nadia's muffled sobs pierced the air, a stark contrast to the chaos within. Mark lay on the ground, his face a grotesque mask of brutality. Nadia was in Karl's arms, her tears flowing uncontrollab
"It's nice to see you always running to the rescue of your fiance... But we can't have you going in there ruining our plans yet," Miller said with a smile as he looked at his agents and nodded."Make sure they won't run away," he ordered."Hey! What are you doing!" Keith protested as they surrounded him."You were in on this all along..." Dean said gritting his teeth as he struggled against the agents that were holding his hands back.How had he not seen this?"Wait a minute, What are you talking about?" Miller asked looking at him with a frown."You're acting like nothing is wrong, then why are you standing at the door of our apartment building stopping me from getting inside? Is the agency now supporting Mark, or were you on his side all along and we were the idiots believing you?" Dean asked feeling helplessly frustrated as he pushed back against the men holding him only to be overpowered again."Wait a minute, I think there is a misunderstanding here..." Miller trailed off and Dea
"Dad, call the bodyguards and make sure to keep an eye on Luke!" Dean told his father as he made his way to the front of the house where he parked his car."What's going on?" He asked following him."Mark managed to escape from the police. The first place he would be heading to is where Nadia is. I need to head there right now," Dean explained and his father nodded."Okay, be careful. I will call the police to make their way there too." His father said as he closed Dean's car door after he got in.Dean nodded and started his car starting to back up when the passenger door opened and Keith jumped inside."Think that I would let you go alone this time too?" He asked with a smirk."It's gonna be dangerous," Dean warned."The more reason I need to go with you," Keith insisted, "What are you waiting for?"Dean sighed and backed away from the spot making his way toward the penthouse. He sped through the street his car eating up the road between them. He had never regretted the distance bet
Nadia opened her eyes as she felt someone lean against the bed beside her. Looking up, she found Dean smiling down at her the sunlight streaming through the window making him look as if there was a halo around his head.Groaning, she shidted to her back readying herself to cover her face with the blanket only for him to stop her with both arms."You need to wake up," He said softly."Said the guy who wore me out last night," She retorted with a sigh, "You're way too bright for me to look at, go away,"He chuckled finding her statement funny, even though she wasn't joking."It's already noon, you're going to sleep all day at this rate," He informed her but she simply shook her head stubbornly."I can't move... My muscles are sore," She complained.Dean smiled and leaned down against her pressing a kiss against her neck, right where he left a mark last night."Realy? Even though I went easy on you last night. I was having such a hard time holding back while you called out my name, in mo
"Oh, it's finally here..." Nadia remarked as she walked past Dean at the kitchen counter. He nodded absently as he stared at the test making Nadia wonder for a moment if there was something wrong with it. Leaning over his shoulder, she could see the positive green letters standing out like neon lights in the darkness."It's positive," She stated."Yeah..." He said with a satisfied smile kissing the palm of her hand as he resumed staring at the paper. Nadia smiled shaking her head at the man, he was just way too cute. Ruffling his hair, she resumed walking toward Luke's room to see if he was ready."He should be here anytime now," She informed Dean who nodded again not moving from his spot.Nadia found Luke in a similar state to his father bent over his toy his shoes and socks only half worn."Luke! You're supposed to wear your socks. Our guests will be here any moment," She said with a smile."Who's our guest?" Luke asked as he finished wearing his socks."It's my father..." Nadia s
"You..." Dean took an exasperated breath letting it out slowly..Nadia sat on the couch uncomfortable as she looked away from him. She was readying herself for another scolding when she felt a hand on her head softly patting it. Dean was looking at her with a gentle smile."If this is going to give you some peace of mind then by all means, let them meet. But I don't want you to do it at the expense of your feelings," Dean reassured her."I want Luke to meet him and know that he has a grandfather... But I can't bring myself to trust him. I don't believe that someone can change like that overnight..." She explained.Dean leaned back and she leaned against him snuggling into his arms."I always thought that it was strange that your father seemed to always think that he was the victim. It was as if he felt like he was betrayed by you but in fact it was Kate who was lying to him about you all the time. Perhaps he was never that bad of a person in the first place..." Dean said, then he corr
Standing before the hole in the ground, Nadia was filled with so many thoughts and feelings. One of them was that she was probably a hypocrite standing there wearing black and listening intently to the prayers of a man who knew nothing.Another thought is that... Well... It was sunny. Nadia always had this conception that it never was sunny on funerals, it was always raining or gloomily grey. But no, it wasn't, it was sunny, and flowers were blooming around while butterflies were mating. Burds chirping and most of all... it was warm and pleasant.To sum it up, it was the weather that destroyed her conception of funerals...Nadia watched silently as they started lowering the coffin to the ground. The coffin was made from dark wood. One Kate would have hated. And decorated with white spider lilies. Kate hated white. She always said it wasn't a color. Although she would conveniently wear it whenever she felt like the situation would require from her to add a flare of innocence. Mainly w