YOUR PRESENCE WAS REQUESTEDOscar, her former teacher, regarded her as his pupil. The years she taught at the preschool made her many friends. Her life had changed a lot and now she was more at ease. She didn't think so much about her old life in the mafia anymore. Her son was more independent and was the darling of his grandparents. Her mother had retired and took care of her grandson while she was at home, picking him up from school when Cloe didn't arrive on time.Cloe was a strong-willed mother who loved to indulge her son but kept a firm hand on him and sometimes watched him sleep for hours. He reminded her too much of his father; his smile made dimples like his father's and even his front tooth was curved and looked like it was overlapping. It was complete perfection to her and her heart skipped a beat when he smiled and she saw that little tooth trying to climb over the other. It might sound crazy, but she felt it."Mum, did you know that Victor not only has a tablet, but also
I LOVE YOU SO MUCHShe cried and smiled at the same time. She thought she was going crazy, that she must be going crazy! Sitting on the ground with both hands on her head, her voice lost, and Túlio, her Túlio, the love of her life, was coming towards her. He walked up to her with that walk she knew so well. A movie played in her head as he walked towards her. That same smile that made her fall madly in love with him. He was older, his hair was cut differently, but it was him. She would recognize him anywhere, even in the midst of a crowd she would recognize him.Nothing else existed, only him coming to her, and through the curtain, the veil of tears, she looked at him and all she wanted to scream was that she loved him!Túlio knelt down beside her, took her face in both hands, kissed her lips and pulled away, but she wanted more. She wanted him to never stop kissing her. But he needed to tell her something first:"Love, it's very important that I tell you something. What I'm going to
THIS LINK WILL NEVER BE BROKENThere was her good friend, and Cloe started crying again as she hugged the woman. Layla was much older now, and as Cloe hugged and kissed her all over her face, she noticed the extra years on the old lady. Her fingers, once so agile, were now twisted with arthritis and she seemed more hunched over than before. Signs of senility peppered her skin and Cloe loved feeling the smell of rue that seemed to be forever ingrained in the old woman.She had so much to tell her, but before anything else, before telling her so many things that had happened to her in those ten years, she opened her phone and showed her pictures of her grandson. Layla cried like a child, her hands trembling as she held the phone and watched video after video of her grandson."He looks so much like his father," she said, repeating it over and over again as she eagerly looked at the photos and videos. "Even his voice reminds me of Túlio at that age.""He's also named Túlio, Layla!" she to
REMINDSTulio could not forget, there was no way to forget every step he took away from Cloe. He was completely happy to have her by his side and would soon see their son. He thanked the heavens for her having their son during the years they were apart. For many years, he hid and had only insane thoughts of hatred, death, and revenge. His heart was bitter. The nonconformity of what had happened, there were many bad thoughts that he had and what kept him above the quagmire was thinking of his Cloe, their son, and his grandmother. Many years were unjustly taken from him of being by the side of the people he loved. He remembered when he saw her years later, when he could finally leave his hiding place and see her, even from afar, it soothed his heart and validated the love he felt for her. There was also guilt, of course he had, had and still had.Tulio blamed himself for putting Cloe in his life, a life she did not deserve, and had caused her a lot of pain. He took her away from her hap
SHAY Shay thought Gringo and Sopapo were going to kill her when they found out she had been involved with Jânio in order to get Túlio. She was waiting only for Cloe's order. She saw in the eyes of the three men, Túlio's closest, best, and most loyal men, the desire they had to kill her. Nothing would stop them from killing her with refined cruelty, and she knew they would take turns inflicting as much pain on her as they could. But that was the first time she felt tenderness for Cloe. All the harm she had wished upon the girl fell apart at that moment. The pain she saw on the girl's face hit her deeply in the heart and soul. The emptiness, the discouragement, and the genuine pain she saw written all over the girl's face whom she tried to imitate tore her apart. And she could apologize, but she didn't deserve forgiveness. How could she have never seen this? Or had she seen it and not cared? Why had she done this to someone who had done nothing to retaliate? What was a broken finger w
SHAYShe no longer tried to seduce Tulio. That phase was already over. She joined him for revenge. Yes, both wanted revenge, pure and simple.When she visited him at the cabin, and now that the critical moment of his health had passed, now that he was out of danger, stronger and even exercising to recover the muscles atrophied by months without using them, the old man, Camilo was his name, had already become friends with the two. Camilo was no longer afraid of the strange girl. Shay no longer scared him and she laughed when he told them that he imagined that as soon as Tulio recovered, she would kill him:"Well, you should be afraid of him," she laughed and pointed at Tulio, "He's a thousand times more dangerous than me. Why do you think I asked you to take care of him?"Mr. Camilo widened his eyes at Tulio, who waved his hand, indicating that she was lying."It's true, sir Camilo. He is none other than the famous Incendiary Boy - and seeing that the man did not know who he was talkin
SHAYHer joy was short-lived. She felt relieved when she saw the car go up in flames and Tulio spoke on her earpiece:"Shay, the first bomb is done. Do you think we should detonate the second one?"Mysteriously, a van was coming down the dirt road where they were and it made her stomach churn. She did not expect Jânio to have left more men on alert, and apparently, they were coming from the farmhouse, alerted by the explosion. The second detonator was in her hands. "Wait!" she said to Tulio.To her complete amazement, she heard Jânio's cough and the guys who got out of the van next to the upside-down smoking car. One of them shouted:"The boss is alive! Help me get him out of the wreckage!"Tulio could also hear through Shay's earphones and became desperate. The driver of the car where Shay was also got out of the car with a fire extinguisher in hand, and screams could be heard from inside the burning car. Shay looked at everything without believing that her and Tulio's well-planned p
THE FALL OF ONE MORE PAWNBefore he died, the last thing he heard was the voice of his beloved. The voice of the only man she had ever loved."For God's sake, Shayenne, don't do this!" - and that was the only time he called her that, and she let out a choked laugh and replied only in her mind, "I finally touched you, huh?" - that's what she wanted to say to him, but she didn't say it, her mouth didn't open to speak. She was done here. This was where their friendship and complicity ended, and then the explosion almost made his ears bleed, his eardrums hurt with the noise of the blast.And Shay was gone. She sacrificed herself for him. Paco wouldn't know he was alive. He had not been alerted by Jânio thanks to Shay.From where he was, Túlio couldn't see anything, but the crackling of the fire was very audible in his headphones, and he fell to his knees more than a hundred kilometers away from where Shay had lost her life."Oh, God," he exclaimed with a choked voice.So much death, so mu
FINAL ENLACE "Layla, do you think I should wear white?" She asked the lady who was walking through the dress store with her mother, pulling the hem of one dress after another. "I think your mother is right in saying that you can choose whatever color you want, Cloe. It's your wedding, and I believe it's the only one you'll have." "Yes, the only one. Unless one day we marry again, Túlio and I, and renew our vows." "I think vow renewals are so beautiful," Liz said. "Listen to your heart, my dear. How did you imagine marrying Túlio, in white, ivory, or off-white?" "When I met him and fell in love, I imagined marrying him in white, actually." "Well, then get married in white, my dear. Just like you imagined marrying him." "Oh, but I don't know. I'm no longer a young girl, and I have a grown son. Don't you think it's strange? Please tell me the truth!" "Oh, sorry, but I have to interfere!" One of the lovely saleswomen in the store, Sônia, joined the conversation. "Your mother and gr
EVOLUTIONNow there he was. Years later, with Jânio dead, Paco dead. It took him years to eliminate one by one the powerful men he wanted to avenge Paco's death.Eliminating Paco was easier than he had supposed, simpler than eliminating Jânio, but what made it more difficult and complicated was that with the fall of the mob boss, he had to hide and keep constant watch over Cloe and her son and grandmother. And it was a great torture to stay away from his son and Cloe and still have to keep them safe, and it was almost impossible for him to trust their lives and safety to others. But there was nothing he could do about it, since if he appeared, many could die.And it was worth it. Seeing Cloe after so many years, seeing her fall to her knees relieved, crying and saying she loved him, made everything worthwhile. Now he was the leader. He was in Paco's place. And at this very moment his son slept in between him and Cloe and he felt suffocated looking at the two of them there. Túlio Filho
THE FALL OF ONE MORE PAWNBefore he died, the last thing he heard was the voice of his beloved. The voice of the only man she had ever loved."For God's sake, Shayenne, don't do this!" - and that was the only time he called her that, and she let out a choked laugh and replied only in her mind, "I finally touched you, huh?" - that's what she wanted to say to him, but she didn't say it, her mouth didn't open to speak. She was done here. This was where their friendship and complicity ended, and then the explosion almost made his ears bleed, his eardrums hurt with the noise of the blast.And Shay was gone. She sacrificed herself for him. Paco wouldn't know he was alive. He had not been alerted by Jânio thanks to Shay.From where he was, Túlio couldn't see anything, but the crackling of the fire was very audible in his headphones, and he fell to his knees more than a hundred kilometers away from where Shay had lost her life."Oh, God," he exclaimed with a choked voice.So much death, so mu
SHAYHer joy was short-lived. She felt relieved when she saw the car go up in flames and Tulio spoke on her earpiece:"Shay, the first bomb is done. Do you think we should detonate the second one?"Mysteriously, a van was coming down the dirt road where they were and it made her stomach churn. She did not expect Jânio to have left more men on alert, and apparently, they were coming from the farmhouse, alerted by the explosion. The second detonator was in her hands. "Wait!" she said to Tulio.To her complete amazement, she heard Jânio's cough and the guys who got out of the van next to the upside-down smoking car. One of them shouted:"The boss is alive! Help me get him out of the wreckage!"Tulio could also hear through Shay's earphones and became desperate. The driver of the car where Shay was also got out of the car with a fire extinguisher in hand, and screams could be heard from inside the burning car. Shay looked at everything without believing that her and Tulio's well-planned p
SHAYShe no longer tried to seduce Tulio. That phase was already over. She joined him for revenge. Yes, both wanted revenge, pure and simple.When she visited him at the cabin, and now that the critical moment of his health had passed, now that he was out of danger, stronger and even exercising to recover the muscles atrophied by months without using them, the old man, Camilo was his name, had already become friends with the two. Camilo was no longer afraid of the strange girl. Shay no longer scared him and she laughed when he told them that he imagined that as soon as Tulio recovered, she would kill him:"Well, you should be afraid of him," she laughed and pointed at Tulio, "He's a thousand times more dangerous than me. Why do you think I asked you to take care of him?"Mr. Camilo widened his eyes at Tulio, who waved his hand, indicating that she was lying."It's true, sir Camilo. He is none other than the famous Incendiary Boy - and seeing that the man did not know who he was talkin
SHAY Shay thought Gringo and Sopapo were going to kill her when they found out she had been involved with Jânio in order to get Túlio. She was waiting only for Cloe's order. She saw in the eyes of the three men, Túlio's closest, best, and most loyal men, the desire they had to kill her. Nothing would stop them from killing her with refined cruelty, and she knew they would take turns inflicting as much pain on her as they could. But that was the first time she felt tenderness for Cloe. All the harm she had wished upon the girl fell apart at that moment. The pain she saw on the girl's face hit her deeply in the heart and soul. The emptiness, the discouragement, and the genuine pain she saw written all over the girl's face whom she tried to imitate tore her apart. And she could apologize, but she didn't deserve forgiveness. How could she have never seen this? Or had she seen it and not cared? Why had she done this to someone who had done nothing to retaliate? What was a broken finger w
REMINDSTulio could not forget, there was no way to forget every step he took away from Cloe. He was completely happy to have her by his side and would soon see their son. He thanked the heavens for her having their son during the years they were apart. For many years, he hid and had only insane thoughts of hatred, death, and revenge. His heart was bitter. The nonconformity of what had happened, there were many bad thoughts that he had and what kept him above the quagmire was thinking of his Cloe, their son, and his grandmother. Many years were unjustly taken from him of being by the side of the people he loved. He remembered when he saw her years later, when he could finally leave his hiding place and see her, even from afar, it soothed his heart and validated the love he felt for her. There was also guilt, of course he had, had and still had.Tulio blamed himself for putting Cloe in his life, a life she did not deserve, and had caused her a lot of pain. He took her away from her hap
THIS LINK WILL NEVER BE BROKENThere was her good friend, and Cloe started crying again as she hugged the woman. Layla was much older now, and as Cloe hugged and kissed her all over her face, she noticed the extra years on the old lady. Her fingers, once so agile, were now twisted with arthritis and she seemed more hunched over than before. Signs of senility peppered her skin and Cloe loved feeling the smell of rue that seemed to be forever ingrained in the old woman.She had so much to tell her, but before anything else, before telling her so many things that had happened to her in those ten years, she opened her phone and showed her pictures of her grandson. Layla cried like a child, her hands trembling as she held the phone and watched video after video of her grandson."He looks so much like his father," she said, repeating it over and over again as she eagerly looked at the photos and videos. "Even his voice reminds me of Túlio at that age.""He's also named Túlio, Layla!" she to
I LOVE YOU SO MUCHShe cried and smiled at the same time. She thought she was going crazy, that she must be going crazy! Sitting on the ground with both hands on her head, her voice lost, and Túlio, her Túlio, the love of her life, was coming towards her. He walked up to her with that walk she knew so well. A movie played in her head as he walked towards her. That same smile that made her fall madly in love with him. He was older, his hair was cut differently, but it was him. She would recognize him anywhere, even in the midst of a crowd she would recognize him.Nothing else existed, only him coming to her, and through the curtain, the veil of tears, she looked at him and all she wanted to scream was that she loved him!Túlio knelt down beside her, took her face in both hands, kissed her lips and pulled away, but she wanted more. She wanted him to never stop kissing her. But he needed to tell her something first:"Love, it's very important that I tell you something. What I'm going to