Roman left the private dining area the second sweet little Tatyana Taylor came in and introduced herself. I had to stop my amusement from showing on my face but I could tell just father and Monica were not pleased, Bertha's expression was even worse and Roman's? Well he walked out. Victoria called pit to him angrily and I got up with an apologetic smile, nodding at everyone before following behind him. It is only proper that his wife follows. A good excuse to leave, finally. I found him in the parking lot, leaning on his car, frantically trying to light up a cigarette but his lighter seemed to be having issues. I didn't know he smoked. His perfect brown hair was touseled like he's ran his fingers through it a few times. Seeing him so frantic and tired made me almost feel sorry for him. His foot tapped impatiently as the lighter clicked repeatedly and from the low growls that left his throat I could tell he was reaching his wit's end. He didn't even notice
Roman didn't say another word, his expression was grim as we drove through the city. Again I was in awe of so many changes that had been made, willing myself to look away from him and staring at the view appreciatively, then I remembered something. I turned to look at him, my nerves spiking up as I tried to figure out the best way to tell him what I needed to. When we reached a familiar road I knew was close to his estate, I cleared my throat and summoned false courage. “Roman?” He didn't say a word, but his gaze drifted to the side, acknowledging my call. “I have a favor to ask before we get back to your house,” His eyes narrowed as he stared ahead, he shook his head. “I can not make any detours for you, Amelia, I will drop you off and get back to work,” He said firmly, not bothering to hear me out. The asshole, to think I'd almost considered being nicer to him. I bit my tongue and nodded, disappointment spreading through my chest. “That's alright,” I repli
ROMANTo say I was exhausted would be an understatement. I found myself rethinking every decision I took that led me to this point. On the opposite side of Bertha, on the receiving end of my mother's constant plotting and my father's usual silence. I never once expected him to speak up for me, or tell my mother it was none of her fucking business if I decided to have kids with Amelia or not. Which will never happen. I was exhausted by how slowly the investigation was going, I wanted to know who it was that tailed my car a few weeks ago and why. I feared what I would find yet I was eager to get to the bottom of it. No one has asked how I'm doing…all they speak about is how difficult my decisions make things for them and how they have better ways of tackling the situation. If they can all run it so perfectly, then why the fuck have I spent five years of my life slaving away for them? For this fucking company? Not even Bertha has tried to find out how hard it has been for
I walked up the stairs, my mind filled with conflicting emotions. The shopping bags Amelia had given me felt heavier than they should, laden with a significance I wasn't ready to acknowledge. Reaching my room…which was once a guest room, I shut the door behind me and set the bags on the bed. For a moment, I just stared at them, reluctant to look inside. What could she have possibly bought for me? Why did I even care? An early birthday gift. She had said. My birthday is in three days, I figured she wouldn't remember, how exactly did she know about it? With a deep breath, I finally reached for the first bag. As I pulled out its contents, my breath caught in my throat. It was a tie, deep royal blue, the exact shade of that breathtaking dress she'd worn in the store. The material was silky smooth, clearly expensive. The second bag revealed a suit jacket and trousers in the same striking color. I held up the jacket, noticing immediately that it was slightly larger than my usual
AMELIANever have I met a man as infuriating as Roman. One second he is the nicest person, gifting me things I've never received from anyone, smiling at me like we could get along, and the next? He's an asshole who treats me like I am not human. I slammed the door hard behind me but winced when the sound reverberated in my ears. I plopped down on the mattress with a heavy sigh and buried my face in my palms. “I need to leave this place,” I muttered into my skin. I fell asleep with that single thought weighing down on me yet, in my dreams, I was plagued with blue eyes and a rare smile that was meant for me. I dreamt of a garden, somewhere I knew I'd been before yet I couldn't remember when or how I got there. I was there with Roman, he looked different in my dream. His hair was longer and was blonde rather than the black I was used to. It was tied back into a low ponytail and his blue gaze was as sharp as shards. He was dressed in an all-black attire that only showed his neck
I pulled on a black dress hurriedly as I prepared for a small gathering Roman put pm the schedule. We were attending the wedding anniversary of a major shareholder called Mr. Martinez and truth be told, I had no intention of leaving the house. Yet, the glare Roman sent my way said otherwise. I can't say no to him. I have to be careful as well, one wrong move and my mother's company might also be affected. So I begrudgingly put on some light make up and wore red heels along with a red clutch to match before meeting Roman down stairs. He didn't spare me more than a glance, which I wish didn't sting as it did. Making the image of him back at the mall seem like a false memory. We had a driver this time so I had to sit in the backseat with him. Something he looked visiblly upset by. I stayed on my side while fiddling wigh my fingers already feeling nervous for what was to come. My father never took me to such gatherings nor did he ever bother you teach me the way
Brilliant golden lights welcomed us as we walked into what I assumeed to be the man's house yet it seemed more like a castle with a rather extravagant design instead of a house. Roman's expression remained rigid as we stepped in, he was in a bad mood and he wasn't hiding it. It made me stiffen up and feel unsettled walking by his side. I had no idea who this Mr. Martinez was, though I tried my best to research a bit on him and his wife, I barely got enough info online. They stayed off social media and didn't like meeting up with the press from what I read. Though the people considered them a perfect couple, they've done countless charity works, have two teenagers who also engage in charity work…too clean. “You shouldn't look so glum,” I whispered into Roman's ears as we fell into the hustle of the golden crowd. There was not a tie or necklace out of place. Everyone held themselves with a certain elegance and grace that made it clear they were the top of the crop. They
Why is he so opposed to the idea of giving his mother a grandchild?Roman looked downright pissed off after we’d walked away from Tatyana, his expression darkening even further when we spotted his parents with the Martinez couple, the very people we were looking for.I could tell he didn't want to go, so I waited silently for him to make the first move.I didn't want to seem like I was meddling so I stayed silent despite the growing curiosity in my chest to understand the relationship between Roman and his parents.That includes his sister, they don't seem too close either.The entire family seemed rather tight-knit on the outside but in the few days, I've gotten to know them, I've come to realize they're almost as dysfunctional as my family.“We should just say hi, isn't that why we’re here?” I breathed while squeezing his arm lightly. Everything in me did want to be nice to the man yet, I sort of understood what he was going through, having parents who were only affectionate in the e
The restaurant hummed with a soft, elegant ambiance that seemed to cocoon us from the outside world. Soft jazz played in the background, its mellow notes dancing around our intimate table. Roman had chosen a secluded corner, giving us the privacy I hadn't realized I needed after the day's emotional confrontation."We should do this more often," I said, taking a careful sip of my sparkling water. The crystal glass felt cool against my fingers, and I watched Roman's face – the way his eyes crinkled slightly when he smiled, the way the soft lighting caught the sheen in his dark hair.He raised an eyebrow, leaning back in his chair. "Go out to dinner? We do that quite frequently, my love."I rolled my eyes, the tension of earlier melting away with our familiar banter. "I mean just... be. Together. No work, no family drama, no complications. Just us."Roman's hand reached across the table, his fingers intertwining with mine. "Always," he said simply, and those one word carried more promise
The Carlton merger meeting had dragged on longer than expected, but we'd finally reached an agreement that satisfied all parties involved. As the board members gathered their papers and began filing out of the conference room, my phone buzzed against the polished mahogany table. Roman's name flashed across the screen, right on time as promised. A smile tugged at my lips as I reached for it, already imagining his impatient tone asking where I was.It was time to leave, I realized. We were supposed to have dinner. I'd been too lost in my thoughts and constant feeling of dread along with the meeting to remember our plans. But he did. I felt sort of bad. I could feel the weight of scrutinizing gazes from the remaining board members. They'd always viewed me with a mix of skepticism and barely concealed disdain, after all I had stopped letting my father control all of my decisions and I took charge of my position, dismissing Bertha when it was proven she could barely handle her role pr
The moment we stepped through our front door, the tension from the disastrous lunch seemed to melt away. Roman's hands found my waist, and before I could even set my purse down, he pulled me into a kiss that made my knees weak. His fingers traced delicate patterns on my face, thumbs brushing my cheeks with such tenderness that I felt tears prick at the corners of my eyes. The familiar scent of his cologne mixed with the underlying warmth that was uniquely him enveloped me, making me feel safe, and warm all over. His tongue traced my bottom lip before slowly entangling with mine and reached for his hair instinctively, burying my fingers in his silky locks and deepening our kiss. He pulled away slowly, his breathing was steady and his eyes were so intense I'd almost looked away. "I can't believe you kept this from me," he murmured against my lips. His blue eyes, still rimmed with residual emotion from our earlier confrontation with his parents, now held a different kind of intensity
“What?” Roman's eyes narrowed as he looked at his parents. Victoria seemed to be more shaken than she was surprised which meant that she knew about this decision. Roman, on the other hand, looked lost. His fists that rested on the dining table clenched tightly and I noticed how his breathing had slowed. Of all the things I expected Yaakov to say, this was not it. “I understand it came as a shock but…your mother and I have come to this decision after much deliberation,” Yaakov explained firmly, looking unfazed by his mind shattering announcement. Victoria scoffed, her lips twisting into a disdainful frown, “Did we both come to the decision or did you and your new cock sucker decide on it?”I'd never heard such vulgarity from Victoria before. She looked so pissed, face red with anger like she was about to explode. Yaakov's expression darkened when he heard her words and he turned abruptly to face her. For a moment I thought he was going to hit her but instead he slammed his fist do
I stared at my reflection in the bathroom mirror, running my fingers over my still-flat stomach. A part of me still had doubts but the three pregnancy tests hidden in my makeup bag, all positive said otherwise, and I still couldn't quite believe it. What I now realized was morning sickness among other things, had started weeks ago and I was constantly thinking I had a big or something My hand trembled slightly as I applied my mascara. Today would be perfect to tell him, after the meeting with his parents of course. I would tell him everything and we would figure it out together. Right? But something held me back, a nagging uncertainty that made my stomach clench with more than just morning sickness. Roman appeared in the doorway, looking unfairly handsome in his tailored black suit. His hair was still slightly damp from his shower, and he smelled of that expensive cologne I loved so much. But there was tension in his shoulders, a tightness around his eyes that made me hesit
AMELIAAt first, the words were at the top of my tongue. He felt so warm, so perfect holding me and in that moment that was all that mattered and I was going to tell him, I really was. But then I remembered how we parted and I went still in his arms, unable to look him in the eyes. “Did you manage to do everything you wanted to?” I responded with a question of my own, taking a few steps away from him, my tone more distant than I'd intended. I noticed the change in his expression, the confusion of my sudden mood change and then realization darkened his features. “Are you still mad at me, Amy?”“That depends,” I crossed my arms over my chest, “Are you going to tell me why you went to Russia and barely communicated with me for two whole weeks?”There it was. The chill in his expression I had now grown used to. What exactly was I to him? His wife? Or just another obligation to add to his list of responsibilities? A heavy silence descended between us and Roman let out a frustrated s
AMELIAI looked down at the test results with shaky hands. At that moment, I was emotionally and physically a mess. I hadn't eaten breakfast and the strong scent of the hospital seemed to upset my stomach, making me throw up a few times which of course added to the throbbing pain in my head that hasn't gone away for the past week. “I'm…pregnant?”And now these test results were saying the reason I've been feeling like shit for the past two weeks isn't because my brain damage had worsened but because–“Oh God, I'm going to be sick,”Jessica immediately reached for the trash can in the corner and handed it over to me as I emptied the contents of my stomach into it. Over and over again until there was nothing left but liquid and a bitter taste on my tongue. “Oh God…” I gasped, my knees trembling and my stomach feeling like it had done a backflip a few times. Everywhere was spinning and my ears were ringing so loudly that I could barely hear my panicked thoughts. Pregnant. Me? “Ta
JESSICA What do you do when faced with a man who has plagued your dreams for months, a man whose face has consumed your waking moments and even your attempts to sleep. I let him in. I knew I shouldn't have, but he looked so goddamn pitiful! He looked…vulnerable. But then again, every drunk man looks like a child that needs their parent. He on the other hand. I watched as his chest rose and fell steadily, he was sprawled on my couch which I once considered big but seeing how his large frame struggled to find comfort in it I began to think otherwise. Why is he here? Why is he drunk? That's were the questions I would've asked if he didn't just walk in and lay on my couch like he was only here for it. I let out a low, even breath, watching him with countless conflicting emotions swirling in my chest. I wanted to move closer, see every detail of his face because I feared after this time a few more months would pass again before I can get a glimpse. But I opted to stand
JESSICA“Will you be attending the funeral?”Amelia stared down at her feet with a conflicted expression, looking like she couldn't decide. Her skin had become quite pale, she was sick. I noticed she's been from the past few days but she claims it's something she ate. I think otherwise. “I really don't know,” She finally managed, leaning back on the sofa in my apartment with a heavy sigh. “I had thought that I wouldn't feel anything if he died you know…” She sighed, “I guess I was wrong,”I shrugged, “He was your grandfather, no matter how complicated the situation was, it'll definitely bother you,”“Ugh…” She groaned for the nth time in the hour, reaching for the glass of water in front of her and emptying it. Again. “My head hurts…Alexander has been pestering the hell out of me,”Right. Alexander. Hearing his name alone was enough to make me tense up. For some reason, he had that effect on me, even without being here. “You should go to the hospital and get some tests done, Am