"I just felt a little nauseous. I'm all better now," I said, shrugging off how sick I felt earlier. We had so much to do and worry about. I couldn't let Percy put all that on his shoulder just because my body suddenly decided to be unwell.Grace immediately slipped out of my office. I couldn't blame her because Percival seemed displeased. "Do you feel anything else?" he asked. "Why would you want to keep it from me? I thought we wouldn't hide anything from each other.""Because you'll ask me to rest while you deprive yourself of it. You've already made a sacrifice--one you didn't have to do. Please, you are not the sole pillar of this family. Stop trying to lighten my load."I knew what he had to do for that DNA test. I knew he had to talk to Gilbert if we took this path. That was why I was against it. But he did it anyway. "I had to do it. We already have our hands full, Tali. If the situation with Salazar escalates, Marcus will be involved in that mess. We can't have that.""You d
"Lift your head, Raya," I said because even though I wasn't looking at her, I knew she hadn't moved a muscle. "It's really okay. So, calm down, and let's all focus on this." I finished up my work early with their help. There was a missing document that I had to sign, but it wasn't urgent so I told Raya to look for it, and I'll sign it then. We heard a knock on the door when I was about to dismiss them. I smiled, thinking it was Percival. "You two may go," I said. They scrambled to grab the files. The door opened, and Natalie walked into the office before the two could leave. My smile faltered when I saw that it wasn't my husband. "What brings you here?" I asked. Natalie waved the paper in her hand and gave Raya a side glance. My forehead furrowed as she approached my desk to hand me the paper. "I saw that on Raya's desk," Natalie said. "I reminded her earlier about this contract that you need to sign. But it seems she forgot to bring them to you." "Right," I said. "I was look
I didn't want to hide anything from Percival, and I knew he didn't believe my earlier lies. But he received a call from his men stating that they had Linda. She had not fled the country but was hiding in a province. While we waited for them to bring her back to the city where they could interrogate her, we took that time to put Marcus to sleep and get a bit of rest. But I knew we were both itching to finally get the answers to our questions. Percival and I had to push back moving to the house until tomorrow morning. He insisted I stay with Marcus and rest, but I wanted to accompany him. I wanted to know how she could do that to Marcus and why she had decided to surrender and cooperate now. But above all, I was eager to learn who was behind this. If we could finally identify that individual and put this behind us, I could finally allow myself to worry about my pregnancy. "Rest your head," Percival said as he tapped his shoulder. We were in the backseat of our car. Koen arrived at the
My mind went haywire. It was calculating all the possible outcomes of this conversation. And I didn't know which outcome I wanted. What would I do if Percy saw it as another burden to worry about with our situation? Would I want him to be happy about the news? Both ideas made me anxious because I hadn't settled with a feeling myself. I didn't feel excited, but It wasn't like I didn't want it. I had always wanted a little family like the one I had growing up. A family I could share my victories and defeats with--but am I ready to add another member to that family? To complete that family when I haven't made it up to the one I have right now? Percival watched me fidget, and the whirlwind of thoughts probably reflected in my eyes. I didn't want him to worry. I didn't want him to see disappointment in my eyes when I got a response. So, I shut it all down. The thoughts that bickered in my head. The emotions that flooded my chest. The fidgeting of my hands. "Percy, I'm not sick or anythin
PERCIVALTali was still asleep when I opened my eyes. In college, I'd often hear people say that she probably slept with her arms crossed over her chest. . . like a vampire. Would they believe me if I told them Tali slept with her arms wrapped around my waist? That she would snuggle closer to my chest when I touched her hair? I wouldn't believe it either.The hardest part of the day was to get out of bed. I wake up a little earlier than my alarm every morning for this little time with her. When she was sound asleep and unaware of how glad I was to wake up next to her every morning. I sighed and kissed her forehead. Despite my desire to stay next to her the whole day, I slowly untangled her arms from my body. Careful so I wouldn't wake her up. I wanted to slow down mornings to have more time with her, where I could lay in bed for a while before heading to my son's room to see if he was also still asleep. I want all that at the beginning of each day. Leaving the house where my son and
PERCIVALThere was no fighting whatever they put in my food. So, I stopped struggling to save my energy. Alarms were blaring, that much I could register in my mind. They were having a hard time getting me out of the building. The voices and shouting indicated that my security had been alarmed. But I was already held hostage. They wouldn't be able to do much now. What I was counting on was for Andrew to fix this mess. If our trained men weren't spread too thin, they would've been here by now. Perhaps Katalina was right. I was being too stubborn. I should've brought more of our guards on my side--no, I should've been more cautious even around our relatives.The rest of it was a blur. I lost consciousness along the way. I opened my eyes to an unfamiliar room. I still didn't have control over my body, but I wasn't as bad as before. I tried to lift my arm, but it was too heavy and numb. Dammit."How long have you been awake?" A voice came from the corner of the room. I couldn't figure out
"Natalie? What are you doing here?" I asked when I opened the door to see my cousin instead of Raya. Despite being my relative, she doesn't know about Marcus, and this house is far smaller than the penthouse. So, we were careful with who we invited over.I told the guards that someone from my agency was coming over. They knew Grace, but anyone else was asked to identify themselves. Since Natalie was a relative and a person from my agency, they probably let her in without too many questions. "Raya and some of the other staff had food poisoning earlier. So, I came to bring you these instead," she said, handing me the magazine and portfolio I asked Raya to bring. "I also got you these. Saw them while I was on my way."Natalie handed me a box of what seemed like pastries. I smiled and thanked her as I took the box and everything else."Food poisoning? How are they?" I asked. "Was it from the cafeteria?""Oh, no! It was food from outside that they shared. But they all seem fine, just a bi
My eyes scanned the place to spot anything unordinary. Then I looked at my son and checked his clothes. Since Natalie had been here, I had to move Marcus to a safer place. So, I had to make sure nothing would track him. I gazed at Grace and Marcus' nurse and pressed a finger against my lips.There wasn't time for my questions to be asked or for the betrayal to be felt. But something told me that my relatives worked with Helena because of my uncle's greed. He had always wanted my father and brother's company for himself. How could they do this to us? Their family?"Natalie. She's been here," I said quietly. Grace began digging through her clothes, and the nurse followed her lead. They both knew the protocols, and we couldn't be too careful. Rocco gestured for us to follow him, and everyone did. We hurried to the back, with my son still in my arms. The next thing we knew, we were running toward the woods and into a shed. Thoughts were racing in my mind, but I stayed calm and focused o