Chapter thirty one Catherine sighed, sinking deeper into the bed, covering her face with her hands. "I know... I was so stupid. I told him everything, thinking he couldn’t hear me. But he wasn’t fully unconscious—he could hear every word." Hayden’s eyes widened as she sat down beside Catherine. "Catherine, how could you let that slip?" She looked utterly shocked, her voice laced with concern. "What are you going to do now?" "I don’t know," Catherine muttered, her voice muffled by the pillow. "Dario doesn’t seem angry, but... I feel like I’ve made everything more complicated. And then there’s Ronnie..." Hayden raised an eyebrow, leaning closer. "Ronnie? What about him?" Catherine let out a frustrated sigh. "Dario and Theo think he’s in love with me. They said he’s been jealous this whole time, that he doesn’t even care about Lucy." Her voice wavered with uncertainty. "But he’s engaged, Hayden. And I don’t know if they’re just trying to make me feel better or if I should even belie
Chapter thirty two Catherine opened her eyes to find Ronnie gazing at her, a mix of emotions swirling in his eyes. He hadn’t said the “L” word back yet, but at that moment, she didn’t care. "Good morning. How long have you been awake?" she yawned, stretching. His fingers tangled gently in her hair as he replied with a breathtaking smile. "I don’t know... long enough." Her eyes widened. "Seriously? You’ve just been staring at me?" He nodded, a sheepish grin spreading across his face. She felt a rush of embarrassment and covered her eyes with her hands. "What if I drooled while sleeping?" she pouted, half-laughing. "You’d look cute doing it, just like you do now." He leaned in and stole a kiss, leaving her momentarily speechless. Wait—what? She hadn’t even brushed her teeth! Last night had been unforgettable; it was her first time, and they’d made love more than five times after she confessed her feelings. She could still feel the aftershocks of those intense moments. "I love
Chapter thirty three Morning light filtered through the curtains as Ronnie and Catherine caught their breath after a wild night. They had barely finished round two—one in the bedroom and another in the bathroom—when Ronnie, still feeling the aftermath, decided it was time to call for breakfast. Just as he reached for her phone, a knock echoed through the room. "Room service!" came the cheerful call. Before Ronnie could respond, the door swung open, revealing Dario and Theo, grinning ear to ear as they wheeled in a lavish breakfast spread, the aroma of fresh pancakes and sizzling bacon filling the air. "Wow!!!" Theo exclaimed, his eyes wide as he took in the scene, glancing between the two of them. Catherine instinctively tugged down her t-shirt, trying to shield herself from their amused gazes. "It’s not like I haven’t seen it before," Dario quipped, dodging a pillow thrown at him by Ronnie. "Relax, just joking!" "What are you two doing here?" Ronnie asked, feigning annoyance bu
Chapter oneHe sighed and sank into his chair. He ran his hand over his face, his jaws clenched, a new headache forming. He knew this was a bad idea, he knew his father would one day decide to make his life miserable but he didn't think it would be this soon. He inhaled and allow himself enjoy five seconds of peace before he decided to call his shitty best friend for advice.Shit! Shit!! He knew this was a big mess.Dario massaged his temples and brought his cell phone to his ear with his free hand. He paused going over what he wanted to do, he was over thinking again, he had to stop. He slowly waited for his friend to pick the call, on the fifth ring just when he decided it was a bad idea Aaron picked the call."Well, well, well if it isn't Dario Simpson." He mocked as his voice came through."Aaron Wellington." Dario rolled his eyes but mimicked his tone."How are you doing and how's business?" Aaron asked.He sighed wishing he could
Chapter two"Did it work, did you find any?" She asked anxiously as Elena walked in.Elena shook her head and she sighed. She needed a job badly, she had checked for online jobs but none was available, her best friend Elena tried to get her a job in the Del monte's coffeehouse where she works but all to no avail."I'm so sorry Diane," Elena was apologetic. "I tried to talk to Fabio but he just bounced me."She flashed her a warm smile. Of cos Elena just likes to be dramatic she knew Elena had done her best even if she hadn't she would still be greatly indebted to her.Three years ago, Elena took her in when she was in her most difficult time. She was four months gone when her so called boyfriend disappeared from home one night, she was so devastated that she looked for a way to get rid of the pregnancy, to rid herself of anything that belonged to him, at that moment she didn't wan
Chapter three He walked into the house tiredly, today he tried looking for a suitable bride for the Simpsons enterprise but all to no avail. All the girls he saw at the bar he went to, no one was suitable, he was sure if he presents any of them to his dad, he would loose the company in a twinkle of an eye. After the death of his fiancee Caitlin, he moved out of the Simpsons mansion since everything there reminds him of her. He also planned to move out of the city but his mom wanted to be close to him, she still treats him like she did five years ago when he lost his fiancee. He looked around the sitting room, it was littered with toys, toy cars, action figures and other stuffs. He clenched his jaw at what he saw, how could Dennis leave all this here. "Daddy!, daddy!!"Dennis called running into the sitting room with a toy gun. He moved away from Dennis quickly, avoiding th
Chapter fourGoing to the Del monte's coffeehouse was his regular morning duty, a place where he goes to escape from the harsh reality of life, funny how a coffeehouse turns into a place of solitude. Today was different, he didn't want to go to the coffeehouse but he kept having this gnawing feeling deep down and then it turned into a sudden craving for cappuccino coffee which was extremely weird considering the fact he didn't like the taste and it not being his regular.He walked into the coffeehouse and took a seat at his regular spot awaiting a waiter or waitress. He stared at his wrist watch, it was five thirty PM.He sighed disappointedly and ran his hands through his face, muttering under his breath"what the hell are you doing here Dario," just as he was about to stand up and leave the coffeehouse a waitress stood in his front."Good evening and welcome to the Del monte's coff
Chapter five Dario closed his eyes and focused on clearing his head, he sat with his brother Ronnie who had come on an unannounced visit to his office. He didn't know why he couldn't get the red hair off his mind, why he offered her a job, why he even considered finding out what the problem was, why he didn't snap at her for insulting and mocking him or for rejecting his offer. His jaw ticked with internal rage, he boiled with a vast amount of anger, why was he thinking about her, he was dishonouring Caitlin memory. "Dario," he heard his brothers voice bring him out of his thought. He looked towards him and raised a brow. "What's wrong?" Ronnie stared at Dario with full concern etched on his face. He wondered why he looked like he wanted to kill someone a minute ago and he also wanted to know how long Dario had actually tuned him out. "It's nothing." He said and swirled his chair