THIRD PERSON POVRegina stormed into her room, almost in tears, her emotions barely contained beneath light make up, her face had turned red as she packed her hair in front of her mirror. The conversation with Tessa had had her feeling a type of way. It had reminded her of how unrewarding being Pedro’s sweet and obedient little sister has been. The door hadn’t even closed properly before Franco followed, shoving it shut behind him with a force that vibrated the walls.At first she flinched at the sound of the banged door, she turned to face him, crossing her arms, her chest rising and falling, struggled with controlled breaths.“My love, This is the only time I could come,” Franco said, his voice low, urgent. “Any moment now, I’ll be leaving with Don Pedro and Tessa for their honeymoon.” “And you expect me to be fine with that?” Regina fired, taking of her ear ring and jewelries.Franco sighed, stepping closer to her. “It’s not like I have a choice, Regina.”She scoffed, shaking he
Tessa’s POVI could swear I heard Aunt Nora’s voice as I made my way down the stairs.The few hours I had spent in this house were suffocating, just yesterday I was in my small space crying over Sergio, and today I was going for a honeymoon I did not plan!I wore a black dress I had gotten from a thrift discount sale. I got it with my money. I wore it in mourning of the death of my old self; soft and sweet Tessa.The sweetness of my past self must have been the reason why Sergio threw the towel on us and accused me of cheating.And cheating with whom?A tall awkward fool with ugly hair who still thinks he is in his prime.God forbid!!I wore that black dress to also make a statement, a small act of rebellion in a war I refused to lose. Just because I was his wife now did not make me his street dog.He wanted to marry me right? He will get exactly what he ordered.I got to the last step of the staircase, ignoring the chauffeur who had been waiting. I did not ask him to wait, I wondered
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
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
It was midday by the time they finally stepped out of the arrival gates, the surrounding outside wet, as it had rained earlier. Inside was cold The airport was busy with travellers moving here and there, airport staff and patrols roaming around, and the air smelt of jet fuel. Tessa barely noticed any of this, she just wanted to get home and get some sleep too. She was exhausted. Six hours of delay, followed by a long-haul flight, had drained every ounce of patience from her body. Her back ached, her feet throbbed in her heels, and the bright sun glaring down on the tarmac only made her crankier.She could count how many times she blanked out or assumed her brain had stopped working. It was difficult to keep her eyes open for a few minutes because her eyes were burning so much. Pedro, on the other hand, looked completely unaffected. Not a single wrinkle on his brown shirt, not a trace of exhaustion in his sharp stares or the way he shot glances at any lady he found attractive. He w
This man has got to be insane, dear lord. My head throbbed—the air had gotten thinner and I found myself struggling to take in more air. I really did not recall most of the things I said to him earlier but I know I had made a fool of myself, and now he had every intention of rubbing it in. “Why so tense, querida?” he asked, his voice smooth, teasing. I exhaled sharply. “I wonder why. Perhaps if you back off a little bit, I won’t be.” Pedro smiled a silly kind of smile, his gaze dragging over me like a slow burn. “Nice dress,” he murmured, looking down at my hands. “You have not even seen it on me yet” I muffled. I didn’t acknowledge the comment, I felt it was backhanded. It was the first piece of clothing I had grabbed from the closet—a simple black dress with thin straps—and I wasn’t about to let him turn it into something else or make it seem like I intended to wear it for his satisfaction or to please him. I would have appreciated it if he kept his compliments to himsel