LILY“Are you sure?” He asked curiously.“They’ve been taking every direction I took, and they won’t stop following me.” I said, sounding more terrified than I thought I was.“Okay. Check for a signboard or anything and tell me if you can get an idea of where you are.” He demanded.My eyes were staring at both sides of the road. Even if I saw a signboard, before I could get a glimpse of the writing, I had driven past it. “Shit!”I kept looking for more signs, and I was lucky to see one. “Sparrow Dynasty. I think it’s a shopping mall or something.”“Sparrow Dynasty.” He repeated. “I’m on my way. Just keep heading towards the bridge, I’ll be there in a minute.”I kept driving slowly not to let those stalkers know I had noticed them. I was ten minutes away from the bridge, and I don’t know how long it was going to take Dominic to show up.Suddenly, the black car overtook me, speeding to my front. I matched the break paddle, stopping abruptly. Before I could revise, the men had already st
CLARAI went to the chapel as usual, trying to keep to the act of being a true Christian person. Initially, my reason was to check on Lucaa, we haven’t spoken for days now. If not mistaken, we last spoke the day she slapped Dominic.After our brief conversation which didn’t last long as usual, I headed back to the mansion. By the time I got there, Lily was seated in the living room, but not alone. Her wounds were treated by a doctor whom I guess was called by Mateo.Lily on her own wouldn’t dare involve a doctor like she refused to have one on the night of the attack. Mateo was the least I noticed because he had his eyes and attention on something else.He would only pay attention to Lily when she screamed or groaned too loudly. He didn’t say anything, though he looked like he wanted to.Lily’s breath was so rough that it looked like she had run a million-meter race. Her face was already stained red, and I could tell from the reddish colour of her eyes that it hurt so badly, and how m
CLARAWhy do I feel like there was more reason to why he had rushed his way into the bathroom? The long pause, and the way he was staring at me spoke so much I couldn’t explain. It felt like it was just our first time meeting, and he was trying every means to access me.I felt my cheeks hot as I smiled at the thought.However, Mateo left in a hurry, and he didn’t say anything else after our conversation. I went to check on Lily who was still asleep, then I had to pay a visit to the green garden. When everything began to bore me, I returned back to the room.For some reason, life here was silently becoming boring to me. It’s always the same routine all the time. Wake up, go to the chapel, phone Lucaa, have breakfast, do anything outside sleeping.Even though life outside was a bit... painful, at least there was more fun to it than being here. The only thing I get to enjoy is the rich dishes Christopher makes, which is something I’ll never regret. Ever!Lily and I weren’t the best girly
CLARAIt started with a long, awkward silence that almost ripped off my heart. I had no idea how this would go, but I was physically and mentally ready for whatever question she’d throw at me.Then, she started, breaking the long silence. “How have things been with you and my son?” My heart skipped a bit. Even though I expected that question, I never thought it’d come this sooner.“Well, like I said earlier, all has been well between us.” I tried my best to sound real so she wouldn’t have to think I was lying.She nodded, “Has he mentioned marriage yet? Or are you two still in the fantasy of engagement?”I stared at her for the briefest moment, mentally thinking on how to shape the words. “Honestly, Mateo and I haven’t discussed anything related to that for the meantime.”She frowned. “What?” She questioned. “Why the sudden delay?”“Mateo has been handling a lot lately, and he rarely had time for himself, not to talk about anyone else.”“Even at that, you’re his wife-to-be, he should
CLARAI was shocked. Don’t blame me, I didn’t see that coming.I had initially wanted to check on her and leave. But as soon as I saw her, and how pale she looked, I felt she needed my attention. What I didn’t expect was feeling her in my arms. Believe me, I still haven’t gotten over that yet.A part of me wanted to believe this was a new beginning for the both of us, the other part of me kept reminding me she had only done what she did because of her condition. All the same, it felt surreal.I could see the embarrassment on her face as soon as her stomach grumbled. I did want to laugh, but I held myself not to let her feel more embarrassed than she already was.“We need to get you something to eat. You don’t have to pretend like everything is alright.” I said, standing to my feet. “I’ll talk to Chris while you wait here.”I turned to leave but she grabbed my hand, stopping me on my track. “Wait. I’ll come with you.”That even surprised me the most. I had to pinch myself to be sure th
MATEOThe man knelt before Renzetti, shaking like a leaf. His hands were pressed together as he begged for his life, tears rolling down his face like streams, but Renzetti felt nothing. No sympathy. No pity. “I swear, I’ll return the money in two days! Just give me 48 hours!” he pleaded. Renzetti smiled, tilting his head slightly. “Two days?” He repeated, pretending to consider it. “Fine. You have 48 hours.” He looked relieved, and it was obvious in the way he sighed. Fool. “But,” Renzetti added, his voice suddenly turned cold, “if you even think about running or going to the cops, I promise you’ll regret ever crossing me.” He nodded quickly, swearing with his life. “I promise, I won’t. I swear on my life.”“I’ll have my men watch you,” he continued. “One wrong move, and you won’t live to regret it.” “Thank you! Thank you!” he stammered, scrambling to his feet. Renzetti waved his hand dismissively. “Go.” He stood up, dusting his knees before attempting to leave. That was his f
MATEOI was so vexed that I left without saying a word to anyone. I didn’t care to notice Isaac De Mante even when I could clearly hear him calling my name.“Get me out of here!” I ordered, and without questioning, my driver drove me off. “Damn!” I yelled, slamming my fist at the passenger seat. “Bruno!”“Is everything alright?” My driver asked, staring at me from the rearview mirror.“Just drive me home and quit asking.”As soon as we arrived home, I didn’t wait for him to open the door, I did it myself, slamming it behind me. I stormed into the mansion, only to meet the three women engrossed in a conversation. My appearance caused them to stop, and I stopped abruptly, staring at their faces.“Mateo, is everything alright?” Mom asked, giving me a questioning look. “You look... angry.” She gasped, pointing at my face. “Please don’t tell me you got into a fight with someone.”My gaze shifted from her to Lily, who looked concerned, and then to Clara who had a confused look on her face,
CLARAMs. Antonia still looked worried. At first, I didn’t want to ask, but I had no choice. “You don’t look good, Ms. Antonia. Why not check on him and ask what the problem is. You’re his mother, I’m sure he’ll definitely talk to you.”She shook her head. “I tried, Clara, but he prefers to lock himself in there like I don’t mean a thing to him. I don’t want to believe he can handle it all by himself, but... he won’t give me a chance to understand his pain.”I felt sad for her. I wasn’t bold enough to take the step to ask him what the problem was. He couldn’t even give his mother a chance, would he give me?She held my hands. “What about you ask him yourself, I’m pretty sure he’ll listen to you better.”My eyes flew open, she was joking, right? How am I supposed to approach him with his current condition? I’m certainly sure he wouldn’t even listen to a single word out of my mouth.“Ms. Antonia...”She didn’t let me talk, she cut in. “You don’t have to say no to this, besides sooner th
CLARAI woke up the next morning, feeling groggy but well rested.The baby chose that moment to start kicking and I rubbed my hands over my belly, hoping to calm me down.It took me a few moments to remember that I wasn’t in the master bedroom but rather in the guest bedroom, Lily usually uses. Damn, yesterday must have taken a lot from me but I could only imagine that Mateo didn’t take too kindly to me not sleeping in the bedroom.Well, that was his business. I had no regrets and I was definitely not going to apologize to him.The door opened and Lily walked in holding a mug. Her eyes lit up when she saw me awake.“Oh, good. You’re awake. I was worried I was going to have to wake you up,” she said.I smiled at her. “Good morning, and thank you for letting me spend the night here. I didn’t want to be alone,” I said.She walked over to me and set the steaming mug of coffee by the nightstand.“You’re welcome. Besides, I liked the company. I think it was another bonding moment for us and
MATEOI heard stomping in front of my office and I knew who it was before the door was thrown open.My mother came into my office wearing a frown I recognized all too well.I had expected her earlier but a look at the security cameras at the house told me that they were still in the middle of their party and they seemed to be having a blast.For the life of me, I had no idea why I needed to be there, it was a ladies’ affair so if you asked me, my mother’s anger was clearly misguided.“It’s late, Mom. Aren’t you tired after the day you’ve had?” I asked.“What the hell has come over you, Mateo?!”My mother hardly cursed except she was very pissed and that was what she was.“I’m working, Mom, and I don’t appreciate the interruption,” I said.“I don’t care about what it is you’re doing. I didn’t raise you to act the way you did this morning. It was unacceptable and you will apologize to Clara for that.”I sighed and ran my hand through my hair. I’ve had a long day and I didn’t intend to a
CLARAWhen Mrs. Antonia put her mind to something, there was no stopping her.I had barely gotten home from my appointment yesterday when a courier came to collect the envelope from me as per her request.She also informed me that she had spoken to Mateo about using the family room for the gender reveal and he didn’t object so things were on track.The family room was unrecognizable by the time I walked in. The room had been decorated in a tasteful shade of pink and blue. I wondered how they were able to get all this work done without making any noise.I retreated and went into the kitchen to find, Mrs. Antonia sipping a cup of coffee.“Good morning,” I greeted.“Morning dear. You’re up earlier than I expected,” she replied.“I had an early night,” I explained.“Well, I the guests would be arriving in a few hours so have some breakfast and go get ready,” she said.I opened my mouth to respond but someone else beat me to it.“I didn’t expect you here this early,” Mateo said.“Good morn
CLARAThis time round, I was driven to the hospital by one of Mateo’s guards. I had tried to protest, but he wasn’t having it.It’s more like he didn’t even give me the chance to argue, so I just went with the flow.I was lying down in the exam room waiting for the doctor to arrive. I read that at this stage, there was a high chance for me to start dilating since I was dangerously close to term.All in all, I just wanted everything to be okay.The doctor walked in a few moments later, saving me from my mental torture.He smiled at me and asked, “How’re you doing today?”“A bit uncomfortable, but overall, I feel quite good,” I answered.He nodded. “A little discomfort is to be expected since you’re in your third trimester.”“Well, I’m about ready to evict this baby from my womb, so let’s get on with this appointment,” I replied.“Very well then, lift up your shirt for me, please,” he said.I raised my shirt, exposing my huge belly.The doctor squirted the cold gel on my belly and ran t
CLARAI was officially in the awkward phase of pregnancy where I could no longer walk properly. Instead, I waddled like a penguin.And the discomfort, God, I was so uncomfortable. My feet were swollen and I had taken to wearing crocs and slippers because I could no longer tie my shoes on my own, also because those were the only footwear I owned that were comfortable enough.Not to talk about the fact that I was in a constant shitty mood so I was grumpy. Christopher had taken the brunt of my bad mood and he had been gentle, calm, and understanding through it all that I felt really bad for snapping at him.Let’s not talk about how I’ve been actively avoiding Lucaa and Mrs. Antonia because with them it was always something new. Ever since they began planning my baby shower, I haven’t known peace.Did I mention that Lucaa changed her vision board three more times?Yes, she did because she wanted everything to be perfect and the previous ones weren’t doing it justice.Now I was hiding out
RENZETTII slammed my office door closed, still fuming after the disaster of the meeting.What the hell was wrong with those fuckers!Didn’t they realize that I had the power to get rid of them if I wanted to?!I really needed to tighten my leash on them and make them remember who was in charge, and never forget it.How dare they challenge me when I was the one that called for the fucking meeting?Carlos, my second in command walked in and I turned my furious gaze to him.“I need to do something about those fuckers before they get any crazy ideas. They need to remember that I hold their fate in my hands,” I growled.He nodded. “I agree.”It’s not like he could disagree in the first place. That was why Carlos has been such a good right-hand to me. He knew when to shut up and do what he was told. I had also never questioned his loyalty.“But first I need to find the idiot who was stupid enough to order a large shipment of guns on my watch and he even killed my men!”“Whoever is responsi
BRUNO“You’re not going to offer me a drink?” Mateo asked and I glared at him.“Here I was thinking you were a hospitable host,” he added.“I’m only hospitable to people I invite into my home, you just decided to show up,” I replied.He nodded. “Fair enough, but what was that all about?” he asked.“Nothing important, she was just a girl that I brought home last night. But she seemed to have no idea what the concept of a one-night stand is. Somehow she got it in her head that we had something special going,” I explained.“And her accusation about you being gay?”“She heard our conversation and I told her I was expecting a guest. She interpreted it to mean that it was a lady and when you showed up, she made assumptions.”“Hmm… you sure do know how to pick them, Bruno. I never would have pegged you to be a player,” Mateo said.“Oh, please spare me the righteous act, like you don’t go chasing some tail from time to time,” I retorted.“Unlike you, I don’t sleep around and even if I did, br
BRUNOI ended the call and turned to look at her.“Oh, good. You’re dressed. Do you want me to call you a cab?” I asked.“I thought at the very least, you would be a decent human being but here you are propositioning another person when I’m still in your house,” she said, glaring daggers at me.“Last I checked, I don’t owe you any explanation about how I live my life. Who I do or don’t invite into my home is none of your damn business,” I replied.“I can’t believe this. You used me and now you’re just trying to dispose of me like trash?”“Now, I’m not going to let you continue slandering me and assuming things I never even said. I have been patient enough with you and accommodating your shit. There’s a limit to the amount of shit I can take so don’t even push your luck, Linda.”“My name is, Lacey!” she yelled. “Jeez, you can’t even get that right.”“And what does that tell you?” I asked. “Why don’t you do us both a favor and just go.”She pursed her lips into a stubborn pout and sat d
BRUNO“Is that supposed to be a threat?” Alfred asked.I was in no fucking mood to deal with, his antics. Alfred did not know what personal space was and worse, he did not know when to get a fucking clue.That was going to get him killed one day.“I don’t make threats, Alfred, and I was just giving you a subtle reminder of what happens to people who refuse to mind their business,” I replied.He looked to Mateo, probably expecting tobe backed up but, Mateo just shrugged and closed his car door.His driver took off, leaving me alone with, Alfred who has refused to get a fucking clue and move on. “You don’t want to make an enemy of me,” he said and I laughed.Oh, he was hilarious. Just because he held the title of a lord, he thought he could threaten me with the little territory he controlled.“I don’t bother about people like you, Alfred. And just so you know, Mateo and I might be enemies but one thing that’s constant in life is change. You just pray that this change does not end up get