Semua Bab WILL I EVER LOVE AGAIN?: Bab 41 - Bab 50

“I want to put you out of business the old fashioned way.” I made myself smile, but there was no mirth in my lips. “I’m forming my own company to compete with yours. It won’t be hard; I have plenty of practice after building New Philippines Digital Marketing from the ground up. My new company will be like yours in every possible way. We will hit the ground running. But you won’t go out of business immediately. Oh no. It will be slow. You’ll see your market share gradually shrink. Your margins will narrow. Your quarterly earnings will get worse, and worse, and worse. Like a noose around your neck, eventually you won’t be able to breathe. And then, and only then, will you know that you made a mistake by fucking over Melissa Villar.”The cork on the champagne popped, and bubbles gushed out over my hand. There was genuine humor in my smile now. “Who wants glasses for a toast?”The Ross demanded to leave immediately. Joemar, having expected this, obliged them. They were on the helicopter a

Carly texted me on the third day of the journey to apologize for blowing things out of proportion. On the fifth day, she excitedly described a toucan that had perched on the terrace while they drank coffee one morning. By the time they flew home on day twelve, Carly was back to treating me like nothing was wrong.I called my mom every day. Now she was complaining about how we hadn’t invited her and Dad down to the island before it was converted into a research facility. I told her that we would make it up to them with another trip around the world somewhere.“Anywhere but Thailand,” she replied instantly. “I saw a report on Dateline about the food they eat. I want to go to Italy, or France.”“I’ll see what I can do,” I promised.It was almost a shame to eventually reach Rhode Island. When we arrived, I packed up my things and carried them up to the helicopter pad.“Are you sure you don’t want to stay here?” Manuel asked. “It’s going to take months for me to settle all my assets, and I

Long Years Had Passed.....Mother's FuneralAs Raul Villar thanked the mourners who had attended his mother’s funeral a figure standing in the distance caught his attention.He wouldn’t dare to come here!Not today of all days.The tolling of the bell in the small Sicilian church had long since ceased, but it still seemed to ring in Raul’s ears.‘Condoglianze.’Raul forced himself to focus on the elderly gentleman in front of him rather than the young man who stood on the periphery of the cemetery.‘Grazie,’ Raul said, and thanked the old man for his attendance.Given the circumstances of Melissa Villar’s death, and fearing Raul’s father’s wrath, most had stayed away.Joemar Villar had not attended his wife’s funeral.‘She was a fake woman when I married her and she goes into the ground the same.’That was how he had broken the news of Melissa Villar’s death to his son.Raul Villar, having been told of a car accident involving his mother, had travelled from America’s to Rome back to C

The blonde beauty walked past his table, and he could not help but notice the delicate row of buttons that ran from neck to hem on her dress. But he pointedly returned his attention to his computer screen rather than mentally undress her.That she was with someone rendered her of no interest to him in that way.Raul Villar Soriano loathed cheats.Still, the morning scent of her was fresh and heady—a delicate cloud that reached Raul a few seconds after she had passed and lingered for a few moments more.‘Good morning,’ she said as she took a seat, and unlike her companion’s the woman’s voice was pleasant.‘Hmph.’Her greeting was barely acknowledged by the seated Englishman. Some people, Raul decided, simply did not know how to appreciate the finer things in life.And this lady was certainly amongst the finest.The waiter knew that too.He was there in an instant to lavish attention upon her and was appreciative of her efforts when she attempted to ask for Breakfast Tea in schoolgirl I

Raul was right. Lydia had felt utterly alone then, and for the most part she had felt the same since.She was looking at him, but not really, and then his voice brought her back.‘And you forgive her because how could you not?’‘Her?’ Lovely checked, her mind still on friendships that had failed.‘Venice.’ ‘I wasn’t there long enough to forgive her,’ Lydia admitted.‘What happened?’‘Just being a teenager...’She could easily dismiss it as that, but it had been more. Oh, she didn’t want to tell him that her father had just died and left behind him utter chaos, for while it might explain her unhappiness then, it wasn’t the entire truth—it had been more than that.‘Schoolgirls can be such bitches.’‘I don’t think it is exclusive to that age bracket.’‘No!’ Lovely actually laughed at his observation because, yes, those girls were now women and probably still much the same.She glanced at her phone, which had remained silent.Arabella hadn’t responded to her text.Neither had she respond