It was roughly a seven-hour flight to the Virgin Atlantic Island.It had left me drained, but the rough landing was the final blow. My stomach stirred as we touched down, my body rebelling against the turbulence. It was my first time in a flight but somehow I managed to act like I was a regular traveller.I tried forcing myself to stay composed as we stepped off the jet. My legs felt like they had given up, I had sat all through the flight.I had heard Pedro mention over the phone that we were going to a beach house.I had a few moments of solitude to process my thoughts. I had questions that begged for answers.The drive to the beach house felt endless. The cold early morning air pressed against my nostrils, the faint scent of saltwater drifting through the open car window. I kept my arms folded, robbing the back of my arms. Don Pedro, ever the sweet picture of ease, scrolled through his phone, not even sparing a glance my way, I presumed he was stressed by the flight as well.
My heart almost stopped when pedro slammed the door shut behind, I was still caught up in his arms. I continuously sobbed out of my own weakness and a sheer tiredness of being caught with him. His body was rubbing against mine. I felt so frail, so weak. I hated how small he made me feel. “Let go of me! Put me down pedro!” I cried against his firm grasp, but Pedro was far stronger, and he wasn’t in the mood for tantrums. “Stop whining,” he snapped. Without any warning, he flung me onto the bed. My heart leaped as I flew through the air and my body bounced against the mattress, I let outa loud gasp, my eyes flinching and I looked up at him in shock. How did this man at his age, have so much strength to carry me? Pedro crossed his arms,“So you are literally not only stubborn but weigh like bags of rotten vegetables,” he taunted. Embarrassment washed over me as I tried to gather myself together. I scrambled to sit up, my hands trembling from fright, I thought I had bro
I stared at the bag, then back at him. “Where are we going?”Pedro leaned against the dresser, arms crossed. “You know I Don't like it when you question me right? It’s a couples’ gathering at the lounge.”I blinked my eyes to be sure I heard correctly. “A what?”“A couples’ gathering,” he repeated. “Now you are making me repeat myself, It’s an event for couples.” His voice was teasing and I hated it.Couple’s gatherings were supposed to be for actual, what was this man up to again?I scoffed. “And why do we need to be there?”“Because we’re married, why else? and I also want to have breakfast,” he said flatly. “Now, hurry up. I don’t like waiting.”I held the bag tighter. “You do realise we’re not a real couple, right?”Pedro’s lips formed an inverted ‘U’, narrowing his eyes at me. “Tell that to the world, my lovely wife. And hurry up before I decide to help you shower myself.”My stomach grasped at the suggestion, I would drown him in the tub, if I could. I grabbed my towel and stor
Pedro had not said a word to me all day and I feel being in his space so long has rubbed off on me differently, he always had something to say to me.After dodging his kiss at the hangout, it must have bruised his ego, I low key enjoyed it. But why did I feel a type of way? Something along the lines of, I shouldn’t have aired him like that.The silence between Pedro and me had lasted all day and I liked it.I liked the way it stretched like an invisible rope; tight, suffocating but refreshing as I got to pace and gather my thoughts together. But I must admit that this kind of silent treatment meant something was on the way, It wasn’t the kind of silence that brought peace—it was the kind that hinted at an approaching chaos. I was not sure I was ready for anything new, being here, doing this, was already an attack on my mental health.What I did not know was that by evening, what I feared may be the case for Pedro’s silence would strike.It was past five in the evening when Pedro c
I had not seen so much food in a long time.The dinner was spontaneous—too lavish for my liking. To me, less was more.I liked the warm feeling of the dim golden lighting on my skin, a long table set with cutleries next to each plate, and servers moving gracefully between guests. Everything screamed busy.I wished I could enjoy it.Among the couples was her. Natalia.Tall, blonde, and sculpted like a fitness goddess. She was the kind of woman who could wear a potato sack and still look stunning. She also had the kind of confidence that made other women shrink in her presence, except me though, I just liked her opinionatedness.All through the dinner Pedro acted like I wasn't there with him and it was absolutely fine as I’d rather listen to Natalie than have an exchange with him. I did not contribute to the conversation because I felt it was shallow, there were so many things to talk about at a dinner party, so why did it have to be a topic that most often time judged people on wha
AUTHOR’S POV (THIRD PERSON POV)Tessa pulled the thin shawl tighter around her shoulders as she made her way back toward the mansion. It had begun to rain all of a sudden.The wind howled in her ears causing her to wince, whipping against her wet clothes as the rain poured down mercilessly.Just moments ago, she had managed to slip out of the suffocating dinner Pedro had dragged her to, she prayed her humiliation would wash off with the rain and she still the raw feeling of embarrassment from his careless remarks about her weight. But now, rain seemed determined to make her suffer even more. She hated the rains but they were a better company than kiki-ing with the other couples.She could hear heavy footsteps behind her, splashing through the puddles. She didn’t need to turn around to know who it was.“Tessa! Wait!” Pedro’s voice was barely audible over the crashing thunder.She ignored him, quickening her steps despite the sandy ground beneath her.“Tessa, stop!”His voice was clo
Author’s POV (Third Person) Tessa sat stiffly in Pedro’s arms, listening to the wind whistle outside. The thunder rumbled again, but this time, it felt… distant. Less threatening. Or maybe it was because Pedro’s warmth dulled her fear. His arms were solid around her, his chest rising and falling steadily. She admitted how strangely she felt being comfortable in his arms. But right now, pressed against him, with the world outside experiencing a raging down pour, she could almost forget why. Pedro’s hand moved slightly, his fingers tracing slow circles on her back. The touch was absentminded, casual even, but it sent an unsettling warmth meandering through her stomach. “Better?” he asked softly. Tessa hesitated. “A little.” “You can admit when you need me, you know.” She scoffed, shifting slightly, but he didn’t let go still. “Don’t flatter yourself.” Pedro giggled. “You say that a lot.” “Because you always need to be reminded.” His grip on her waist tightened slightly
He actually got a mouthwash?A small laugh slipped out before I could stop it. I struggled as I gasped for air.If only knew that whatever I said last night was out of anger and not necessarily true, and as the good person that I am, I felt a type of way.I had said it just to hurt him—to wipe that smug look off his face.I never expected him to actually do something about it.My fingers snaked around one of the bottles, turning it over in my hands. Peppermint flavour. Extra strength. Typical Pedro—if he was going to fix a problem, he would fix it with the most expensive solution money could buy.A faint smile tugged at my lips, but I quickly wiped it away.I refused to find anything about him excting.He was still the same arrogant bastard who had trapped me into this marriage. The same man who humiliated me in front of strangers and paraded me around like some exconvict.I couldn’t forget that.I wouldn’t even if I tried..But the second I turned toward the door, I felt it—His eyes
“Tessa, kindly Leave the serving to the chef. You are too clumsy for such delicate work,” Dame Rossa said, her voice icy and as a matter of factual. Tessa stopped, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. “I’m trying,” she protested softly. “Enough please, I dont want to loose my appetite,” Dame Rossa snapped. She cleared her throat and then addressed the entire table, her voice rising in a commanding tempo. “The purpose of this dinner is to have a heart-to-heart while we enjoy a proper meal as it appears that all we do is eat. With all of this generational wealth, all we do is eat—but not once have any of you children of my late brother and his wife in blessed memory, thought about preparing for the future. How will you produce the next generation if you never care to bear children?” A unassuming silence swept across the table. Dame Rossa’s gaze landed on Regina. “Regina, tell me, has your womb turned to rocks? Are you unable to have children, or are you simply unlucky at finding
Dinner was ready! The Long tables were dressed in immaculate white cloth, adorned with fine china and silver wares, freshly plucked fruits in between. At the head of the table sat Dame Rossa, and to her right, Regina was seated, their expressions stern, unassuming and watchful as they awaited Don Pedro’s arrival. At that moment, the doors swung open. Don Pedro strode into the room looking tired and weary. He had being busy and about. He glanced around, his eyes narrowing slightly at the dinner table . “Is there a feast going on?” he asked in a measured tone, his voice carrying both amusement and expectation. “I ask because Regina never eats at the dinning table but in her room, it has to be a feast” he added wryly. Dame Rossa, seated at the far end, fixed him with a cool stare. “Don Pedro, do take a seat and join us for dinner,” she commanded. “I want us all to sit together this evening.” Pedro paused at the entrance. He cleared his throat and replied, “I’m not hungry actually
AUTHORS POV Tessa was making her way down the quiet hall way when she nearly collided with Franco. Whatever she was thinking was rudely interrupted as she became aware of her consciousness, and she barely managed to steady herself as she met his eyes. “Franco,” she said, her voice edged with irritation yet curious to know where he was heading to, “where are you hurrying off to?” Franco paused, looking around as if expecting prying eyes. “I’ve got a few errands to run for Don Pedro,” he replied. His eyes held a tinge of emergency, and for a moment Tessa wondered what could be so pressing that he’d nearly bump and crashed into her. “Errands?” Tessa asked, narrowing her eyes. “Then could you at least point me to the kitchen? I need to sort out something” Franco frowned slightly, a hint of surprise passing over his initial features. “The kitchen?” he repeated. “What exactly do you need there?” Tessa hesitated before speaking. “Dame Rossa has asked me to cook dinner,” she said in a
AUTHOR’S POV Dame Rossa had gone downstairs by the time Regina came out of Don Pedro’s room. She was making her way to the staircase when she spotted Franco in the hallway. Without wasting a second, she caught up to him and grabbed his arm. “Franco, we need to talk—now,” she said hurriedly Franco tried to pull away, glancing nervously over his shoulder. “Regina, please, not here. Someone might see us,” he protested, his voice several notes lower and urgent. Before he could finish his sentence, Regina yanked him into a small, empty room off the main corridor, it was the store room. The door closed behind them with a soft lock. T The air in the room was cool and still, although it smelt like old newspapers and decaying books, nobody had been in there for days if not weeks. “Why do you always make me chase you like this?” Regina demanded, her voice mid-high as frustration and something that bordered on desperation trailed it. “How do you mean?” “My call’s you fool, you are not
AUTHORS POVIt was on days like this that she missed Sergio. It was as if the long travelling hours had dried up the blood flowing through different parts of her body.Sergio would have given her a therapeutic body massage to ease the tension coursing through her, but then the thought of him as she sat alone in the bedroom—angered her. He had no place in her thoughts.She would rather think of her job instead, she thought to herself, surrounded by stacks of unattended work files.She missed the life she had before Pedro, before the wedding and more so, before the so‐called cursed honeymoon on the Virgin Atlantic Island. The soft rustle of papers as she schemed through them, and the steady ticking clock filled the quiet atmosphere as she worked through the backlog, trying in vain to regain some sense of normality, but it did not work one bit, there was just so much work to do.Her mind, however, was not on the files. She searched her mind for what could be missing as she remained re
I straightened, trying to maintain my composure. “Medlin, this is not the right environment,” I replied briskly. “You’re about to be married to Rodolfo, and here, at a club meeting, such matters are best left unspoken.” Her eyes were devilishly lusting, undeterred. “Married or not, you always had a way of drawing me in. I insist we talk, moreover, your dick is saying otherwise.” Before I could protest further, the noise of the club’s lively chatter filtered through the corridor. Reluctantly, I stepped aside, gesturing for her to follow me into one of the private rooms. We entered a well furnished office looking room off the corridor, the room was quiet with the blinds covering the large windows. I closed the door, leaning against it as I tried to regain a semblance of control. “Medlin, listen,” I began, my voice was even but firm. “This isn’t the time or place. We have obligations—especially with the tournament coming up and everything else to be sorted for Monterrey.” She
DON PEDRO’S POV Inside the club’s main hall, the president of the Golf club, a dignified gentleman in just a pair t-shirt and shorts, cleared his throat and began the roll call. “Don Pedro?” he called. “Don Rodolfo?” “Sir Princeton?” “Miss Medlin?” “Sir Renato” “Sir Vince” “Don Nathan” and continued to mention others, each name was met with a firm “Present!” from the assembled members. I offered a short nod as my name was pronounced. “Thank you all for coming on time,” the president continued, his was laid back and formal. “I do apologise for my lateness this evening; I assure you it will not become a habit.” He paused to laugh, a few others joined, I did not. “Now, the purpose of today’s meeting is to finalise the arrangements for the upcoming Monterrey Golf Club International Tournament. This event will, I believe, bring about significant development in our region, and we must ensure that all aspects of our proposal are watertight in terms of collaborations, sponsorships and
AUTHOR’S POV Don Pedro led the way and Tessa followed in sheepishly, stepping aside as he slammed the door short. “Which way is the bathroom?” she asked impatiently. “That way” he pointed. Tessa barely had time to admire the braggadociousness of Don Pedro’s master suite before the call of nature hit her with a reverberating kind of urgency. The long flight, the delay at the airport, and the insufferable formalities with his aunt had left her holding it in for way too long and she only just realised her bladder would burst open if she did not ease herself. Now, as they stepped into the room, all she wanted was to relieve herself and catch her breath, she had been still for too long. Pedro was right beside her, loosening his belt as he made a beeline for the bathroom. Tessa’s eyes widened in alarm. “This way” he motioned. “Wait, wait, wait! I need to go first,” she announced, already moving toward the bathroom door. Pedro stopped in his tracks, turned to her, and raised a br
AUTHOR’S POVTessa sat stiffly in the car as it rolled to a smooth stop in front of the Lorenzo mansion. She first muttered ‘Thank You Jesus’ under her breath. Her stomach rumbled, and her bladder was full but despite that, she felt empty, absolutely empty.The jet lag was hitting her so hard, her entire body aching from the long flight, the internal clocks in her body were ticking off an alarm signalling she needed to shut down and rest a bit, but she barely had a moment to process her exhaustion before she caught sight of the people waiting at the grand entrance.What the hell is going on now? She asked.A line of guards, perfectly aligned, stood in silence, their black uniforms dashingly smart and intimidating, they were like giant towers, all with bald heads. Beside them, the house staff—maids in immaculate pink uniforms, their heads slightly bowed—as though they awaited orders.While they were in the car, the chauffeur exited first, walking around to open the passenger door. Don