Thank you for reading. The next chapter is tomorrow afternoon.
"What about now? Are you a man already?" The question took Alexander aback. He felt slightly offended, but at the same time, he knew it was all his fault. Alexander sucked in a breath and looked into Savannah’s hazel eyes. For a moment, he studied her features. Her red hair was tied into a messy bun. Her face had been cleared of make-up, showing off those light, sprinkling freckles on her skin. He used to think those freckles made her look naturally beautiful. Going back to her probing, he hesitantly replied, “Yes, I am a man now, I guess.” “I met Kendra after we... we sort of had a fling, and everything changed for me. We were continents apart, both chasing our dreams, and I just assumed it would never work out. I should have told you. I should have at least called, but I did not have the courage to tell you how my feelings changed, and I’m sorry.” “I’m sorry, Savannah,” he repeated, spotting how she averted his gaze. “Hey?” He asked, recognizing her silence. Still looking a
Back in Braeton City. From inside her bedroom, Kate was hugging Carlos number two. She had her arms and legs around the huge bear, her face nuzzled on its head. If not for Carlos number two, Kate would have struggled to sleep, especially after the shooting incident in Paris. She had to admit that Carlos’ gift was somewhat effective in replacing his absence. She heard her alarm get off, but she ignored it, burying her face against the softness of the stuffed toy. Her eyes were still shut as she complained, “I’m sorry. I don’t want to leave Carlos yet.” Her alarm snoozed on its own, and Kate relished in the added minutes of embracing the teddy bear. When her alarm went off again, she was inclined to stop it, but it ceased on its own. Her eyes widened, and she turned to her bedside table with a frown. “You don’t have to go to work today.” At the sight of the real thing, Kate’s lips thinned into a smile, and her eyes sparkled. Carlos. She tossed Carlos number two on the side of he
“Go ahead, son. Read the results,” he heard Samantha encourage. While unfolding the paper in his hand, Carlos sensed his heart galloping. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead. His emotions were all over the place. It was a mix of worry, excitement, and fear. In every second that passed, Carlos sensed his surroundings hushed. Cold air seemed to have engulfed him, and chills ran down his spine. His eyes landed on the set of letters and numbers that were alien to him, but what really mattered the most were the lines written at the bottom of the page. He gulped as he read, “Based.” He blinked before resuming, “Based on testing results obtained, the probability of paternity is 99.9999998%.” The test results suggested that the man in the grave was, in fact, Manuel Ronaldo, Carlos' father. Dead air fell upon them as Carlos shut his eyes. His hand let the paper fall to the floor. He leaned forward and covered his face with his hands, and he continued to take deep breaths again and a
The Wright family and Carlos’ guests were having tea or coffee, nearly concluding their dinner. The joyous gathering had dropped Carlos’ sadness over the DNA test, and while everyone was chatting merrily, Alexander’s eyes were glued to his phone. Eventually, unable to hold back his curiosity, he turned to Carlos and asked, "Did Savannah contact you, by the way?" Carlos and Kate were whispering to each other when Alexander spoke. The Devil turned to his friend, lifting his brow. He responded, "Why? She has no reason to contact me.” Carlos crossed his arms at Alexander and inquired, “Did you contact her? I hope you used a VPN.” “Relax, I did,” Alexander replied. "I'm always playing it safe." When Carlos did not probe any further, Alexander suggested, “Can you text her, man? I checked on her if she was feeling better, but she did not answer.” Carlos chuckled and reminded him, “Alex, it’s probably two AM in Ireland right now.” “Yeah, I know, but I texted her in the morning,” Alexa
Kate strove to breathe, feeling Carlos’ weight on top of her. She groaned while opening her eyes. Her hands unwittingly pushed Carlos’ frame upward. “Carlos,” she said under her breath. “You are so heavy.” Carlos and Kate were skin to skin, with The Devil above her, butt-naked from their last round of lovemaking. He fell asleep on top of her, out of exhaustion. Hearing her complain, he hummed and slightly carried his weight. His sleepy grey eyes met Kate, and he smiled at the recognition of her beautiful face. He squirmed his hips against her pelvic area, greeting, “You are so beautiful. Good morning, my Kate." “You are a sight for sore eyes,” Kate responded in a whisper. She caressed his face, her hands tracing his chiseled jaws until her touch landed on his chest. “I love you,” Carlos said before moving his hips. Kate gasped at the realization that he was still inside her from their last round of lovemaking. She asked, “Is that? You are hard again?” “Hmmm,” Carlos sealed h
Kate had her entire team, including a web developer, in the main conference room, preparing for the afternoon presentation. She checked each slide of the PowerPoint, making sure there were no mistakes. Then, after, she went through their official social media pages and website. She tested the customer service page and the chat boxes, and she checked if each site had a mobile view. From time to time, she would have last-minute instructions for her team, including some changes to the presentation and the website layout. At that point, everyone was scrambling to accomplish Kate’s added task that morning. While all this was happening, Lindsey, Kate’s marketing associate, stepped outside to fetch herself a cup of coffee. Molly was standing outside the conference room, observing. “You know, you guys would not be in a panic mode if your boss showed up for work yesterday,” Molly remarked, her arms crossed against her chest. Lindsey glanced at the glass wall of the conference room befor
“They are here,” Catrina announced. She pointed to Kate and said, “get ready, Kate.” Looking at those who were present in the room, Catrina warned, “Be at your best. Our superstar bosses are here.” Hearing the arrival of Alexander and Carlos, Kate nodded, suggesting she was ready. In one of the seats, however, Molly smirked. She sat next to Raffa and then whispered to him, “Are you ready for a good show, Raffa?” “What show?” Raffa inquired back, curious. “Just watch and enjoy,” Molly said with a mischievous grin. Kate sat at the frontmost of the table, with Lindsey as her presentation navigator. She smiled, secretly excited about Carlos’ arrival. Although they slept on the same bed, Kate still longed for him. Perhaps it was the distance and that he was away most days of their newly made relationship that she could not get enough of him. While she was looking forward to their meeting, Kate understood how she and Carlos would still keep their relationship a secret. There was
“Kate! Is my girlfriend!” Carlos’ forbidding tone gave everyone in the room chills down their spine. Blood drained from Molly’s face, and she felt her knees turn weak. She looked around, hoping for her colleagues to spell it out for her, but they were all equally taken aback by the revelation. Stuttering, Molly clarified, “Whaat?” “You heard me! Kate is my girlfriend. There is no Hailey because Hailey and I were never in a relationship! It had always been Kate! She is my Kate, the one and only,” Carlos disclosed. His forehead creased as he instructed Arman, “Check the surveillance cameras. Find out who made this video. It’s evident it was meant to humiliate my Kate!” “Clearly,” Alexander remarked from his seat, his arms folding against his chest. “And to whoever did this, the joke is on you!” Carlos announced. While he may have acted to look around, his eyes thinned in Molly’s direction. “Carlos. It’s fine,” Kate tried to soothe him down, but The Devil's blood was boiling. He m