Zoe woke up at the same time Leo did for work and got ready to follow him without him knowing. Up until she spoke with Emily the previous night, Zoe had never guessed what Leo’s new job would be, and she was determined to find out. He had been more secretive around her lately too, and that heightened Zoe’s suspicions. She should better not catch him doing something bad or he would get an earful. Zoe’s pregnancy was pushing eight months, and it protruded out of every cloth she wore. No matter how big the dress she wore was, it did not still fully cover her enlarged stomach. She decided to just wear her normal clothes. It was not a shame to be seen pregnant. Zoe sneaked out of the house behind Leo, making sure her footsteps were silent enough and keeping a safe distance. She saw him make a phone call when he got to the bus stop. Then after some minutes had passed, a black SUV showed up. Its glasses were tinted so she could not see who was inside. Leo slid into the backseat as the c
Lucien stood before them, hands in his pockets, a devilish smile glued to his face. "We cannot let random strangers into the estate, Lucien. You know that," Rico said, terrified that Mario could come back any minute and see her there. All hell would break loose. "Why not?" Lucien asked. "One of our workers had a visitor. I could not just send her back." Lucien was stirring up trouble as always, and Rico knew it. If he was not Mario’s brother, he would have taken a good beating from Rico. "You are done for today," Rico directed to Leo who was shooting glares at Zoe. "Get you and your sister out of here before I lose my temper." Leo nodded and dragged Zoe out of their presence. Zoe looked over her shoulders continually, trying to remember where she saw the other guy from, but her memory was too hazy. The men at the gate opened up to let them pass. When they were finally out of the estate, Leo gave a deep breath of relief. "You almost got us killed, do you know that?" Leo said. "
Worry continued to cloud Henry’s judgment that he could not fully focus on work. He canceled too many business meetings that his dad had to scold him about it. His mood had been disoriented since he got to know of Zoe’s pregnancy. She was carrying his child alone, and he could hardly do anything about it. He had had his workers track the express card and they found out the card was last used in Italy. He had sent several men in search of her in Italy. But none returned with any positive news. It frustrated him. The penthouse was lonely without Zoe, or even his annoying brother Jack. It was times like this he needed someone to talk to, but Daniel claimed Jack had something else to deal with. He heard a car pull up at the penthouse and prayed it was his brother, not any of his parents. His prayer was answered when Jack strolled in through the front door, holding a wrapped white box."What is that you are holding?" Henry asked, pretending to be annoyed. "It is cake." Confusion was
Labor pains were brutal, and Zoe had overestimated her ability to withstand pain. She never imagined it would hurt as much as it did. Her water just broke when she was in the living room with Leo, and they both exchanged terrified gazes. He dashed upstairs to call the housewives, disappointed when he found none of them home. He barged into Greta’s room next, making the girl jump to her feet in shock. "What is the matter?" "Zoe’s water just broke. I think she is about to go into labor."Greta breezed past him, rushing downstairs to calm Zoe down. The housewives were the ones supposed to deliver the baby, but none of them were home and Zoe was already breaking out in thick sweats. "We have to do something!" Leo urged. "Can you not deliver the baby yourself?" "Delivering a baby is not easy! I am not skilled!""The both of you should just shut up and take me to a hospital!" Zoe yelled. Greta picked up the car keys, while Leo took his sister’s phone and purse, jumping into the car w
Zoe could see now that she had gotten all of Mario’s attention after mentioning his brother. The resemblance between the two brothers was there except for their difference in body size. Mario seemed like someone who spent too much time in the gym with the look of all that muscle. He walked closer to her bed and threw sleeping Maria a glance. "I do not know who your brother is," Mario said. "But I would advice he stops working with Lucien. He brings nothing but trouble." "I have been trying to talk him out of it, but his mind has been set. He is one stubborn kid." He stared at her baby blankly. Zoe smiled at how peacefully Maria was sleeping. "She is an angel." "Where is the father?" He asked gruffly. Zoe had done a good job forgetting about Henry for a while, but Mario just ruined it. "Me and her father are no longer together." "Sounds tragic," Mario commented. "Did something terrible happen?"It would have even been better if she caught him with a woman. But blatantly ignori
Zoe was visiting the Pablo’s estate for the second time. It was eight weeks since her deliveShe was much more nervous about it than when she went the first time. Maybe it was because she was going there this time for a jZoe had left Maria in the care of Leo who complained bitterly of not wanting to be a babysitter. He ended up giving in as he could not resist the sparkle in Maria's droopy eyeZoe adjusted her clothes repeatedly before approaching the estate gates. The man she had met there the last time still had his job. He looked down at her flat stomach and saw that she had put to bi"Your boss invited me here," she told him, hoping he understood a certain level of English nHe did not say anything to her, just picked up his phone and made a call. After ending the call, he slid open the gates to let her in. Zoe took a deep breath in through her nose and made her way into the house, adjusting her hair for the umpteenth tIt was not as if she was going for a job interview, then why
(FIVE YEARS LATER)Five years without Henry seemed to have healed Zoe’s heartbreak. Maria was five now and a bundle of joy in Zoe’s life. She was starting kindergarten today, unable to conceal her excitement about going to school for the first time. "I am going to make a lot of friends!" Maria declared at the dining table that morning when they were all having breakfast. Zoe smiled back at her. "Of course you would. Everyone is going to love you." "Uncle Leo would not be my only friend anymore. He is getting too old for me." "I am not old," Leo said."You are. I want friends my own age. You never join me in my tea party because they are not for grownups." Zoe chuckled at that. Maria was smart for her age, and oddly outspoken. Zoe felt it was natural for kids that age to be talkative and inquisitive. But Maria was extraordinary. "Eat up quickly or you would be late on your first day," Zoe told her as the little girl nodded. She was going to drop Maria at school and resume work
"Your dad wants you at the house. He has something to discuss." A lot of things came to Henry’s head when Daniel said those words. His father was an unpredictable man so Henry did not know what exactly to expect. Five years went by so quickly that it still felt like yesterday when he was trying to find Zoe. Reports from the men he sent to figure out where Zoe was came back that she was in Italy but no one was able to pinpoint where exactly. Why was it so darn hard?The child they had would have been five by now. He wondered what her name was. He wondered what Zoe would tell his child if the girl asked of him. He could only picture Zoe bad mouthing him. Henry could not blame her. He had been too childish back then and screwed everything up. Not that he was any wiser now at thirty but there would be things he would do differently. If only she could give him another chance to right his wrongs. "What time does he want me there?" Henry asked, looking at the time. "Six pm. He wants to