GIULIAIt turned out Mary was June's first daughter. I met her a week later when she returned for the weekend. It was funny how I ended up at her house after everything. Our reunion was emotional, with Mary hugging me like I might slip out of her fingers should she not do so. She was overjoyed to see me, that she spent the entire day conversing with me. If she thought anything about my pregnancy, she didn't show it. June was so happy to learn I was the best friend her daughter spoke of. Hearing those words made me guilty. I didn't consider her to be a best friend. It was more like a good friend. Learning she considered me to be more than a good form caused me to feel ashamed. “How are you feeling today?” Mary plopped down next to me on the couch, lifting a brow as she asked the question. “Mother said you slept through yesterday.”“Aren't you supposed to be at school?” I frowned, sitting up on the couch. Mary left for school on Monday morning, but here she was, on a Tuesday afternoo
MARKThere was a ray of hope, at least.James promised to get right to work and get back to me later that morning. I wish he didn't say that because I became too anxious to sleep. Every second of distress pushed my sight to the silver clock just beside the door, a continuously painful reminder that I still had six solid hours before the sun rose. Was this the universe's way of punishing me? Maybe if I hadn't hospitalised Kenzo, he might have given me a reasonable amount of solace. At least, I wouldn't be so lost in the eerie claws of anxiety. I stopped by the balcony's double-glass doors and peered outside. A deep breath followed my eyes involuntarily closing. The wind hit my shut eyelids, temporarily soothing my troubled soul. I needed a vacation. A long one. Somewhere far away. Somewhere not here. A vacation to an island close to the sea sounded nice, but a partner would go well with such a setting.If—When—I eventually found Giulia and apologized for my foolishness then successfu
GIULIAI had just dropped the cup and turned to leave, only to freeze when my ears picked up a familiar voice. There was no way in hell I wouldn't recognize that voice. It was the object of my fantasy. The rich baritone that always floored me whenever I heard it.Gulping, as sweat beaded my forehead, I walked towards the sitting room, as goosebumps materialized on my skin, and my heartbeat escalated. I tried to tell myself I had just imagined it. He wasn't the one in the sitting room with June. There was no freaking way in hell that could be the case. Yes. That's right. I must have imagined it. It could be because of Mary's words. “Guilia? You have a guest!” June called out to me, further petrifying me. I couldn't even move. I stood in a place, trying to regulate my heartbeat as I sought to tell myself Mark wasn't the one with June. He's in Spain. I tried to tell myself.There was no freaking way in hell. He would never leave Madrid, not for me. Yes, that's right. Talking about
MARKCried in the car to the airport, cried on my flight, and cried in the airport's washroom in Seattle when my flight landed.Keeping things bottled up for so long took a huge toll on my emotions. Who would have thought that I was only adding hot soup into a pot, slowly pushing towards an overflow? But, finally, I was going to see Giulia.I'd swore June to secrecy that she wouldn't tell Giulia that I was on my way. And, to my great relief, she agreed."Thank you," I said to the attendant who helped me stay with my bags while I ran into the restroom to bawl. I passed him a tip and grabbed my bags, but he offered to help me to a taxi.I didn't bother trying to pretend I didn't need the help. If he was strong enough, I wouldn't mind sitting on his shoulders as he helped me into the backseat of a taxi, pulling alongside my bags. My knees were weak.I had not been this weak in a long time. I was scared, anxious, fatigued and hungry. At the same time. I should have grabbed something to ea
MARK"Didn't you bring a bag?" June continued whispering as she led me through the hallway and into a waiting room where she made us pause. We were holding hands as I followed her lead."I did. The men didn't release them."She sighed. "I told them to let you through," she grumbled."Seems the instruction didn't cover the bags," I shrugged, quirking my brows when she started giggling. "I love the fact that the men are very security conscious.""Yeah, they are."We got to the sitting room, unanimously severing the contact of our hands and driving a knife into the conversation. I was more pressed than before, an overpowering need to pee making my toes curl."June, I wanna pee," I said lowly, cradling my crotch for emphasis. June shot me an amusing warning glare and whispered for me to behave.She must have thought I was trying to escape into the bathroom. I really wished that was the case. Any moment now my bladder would explode."GIULIA, YOU HAVE A GUEST!"Oh my God... My heartbeat inc
NOTE: You can read this work as a standalone, but for better clarification, I would recommend that you read the first book.GIULIAI kept peeking behind me as I dashed down the busy streets of Madrid. Most of the pedestrians gave me curious looks as I weaved through them. My heart was thumping violently in my chest. I was sweating, but that was the least of my problems.I knew there was no way those monsters could have tracked me from the States to Spain, but I couldn't help my intrusive thoughts.I securely gripped my purse, clutching it to myself to discourage pickpockets. The minute I left the airport, I went to a Bureau de Change to get my currency changed from Dollar to Euro. I only had 700 Euros with me, and I hoped to use it sparingly.I intended to find a motel that wouldn't cost more than £3. If that was possible. I didn't mind living in a rat-infested place until I got a job, which didn't sound like something that would have happened anytime soon.“Sorry!” I apologized to a
MARK"This isn't all." For the second time, I grabbed the bundle of cash on the table, threw it up, and promptly caught it midair. "You're lying. This isn't all."The idiot, who stood by the fireplace with his palms clasped before him, laughed nervously."Boss, that's all."I sighed and leaned better into the chair, so my head could rest on the pillowy boobs of the lady I was to spend the night with. She promptly weaved her fingers into my hair and began to massage my scalp.The room was dark—I had ordered all the lights to be turned off—because it was better to think in the dark, and I didn't want to miss the natural glow from the sky.The embers in the fireplace combined beautifully with the glow from the moon to give the sitting room just the amount of light sufficient for me."Kenzo," I called out softly. A figure materialized from the dark and stood before me. The room became pin-drop silent."Yes, boss. You called me." A dark handsome man with a few scars on his face — his pride
GUILIAFucking arse hole! I gritted my teeth, trudging down the street, still thinking of that weirdo. Grumbling, I shoved what I purchased into my purse. I would have to eat that when I got to the place I would spend the night in. My stomach rumbled, but I ignored it. It wasn't as if this was the first time I had gone hungry for the entire day. My foster parents frequently starved me whenever I did something they warned me against. And did it work? Of course, not. Mary, most times, laughed at how willful I was. A pity she never fully got to know why I was that way. Halfway down the streets, my eyes landed on a neon light. 'De Parish Bar.' Huh? I frowned at the long line of people waiting at the door to be ushered in. I peered around the place, noting how deserted it was. In my angry state, I didn't realize where I was heading. It seemed I left the road I took to the convenience store, for the one behind it. I grimaced as a certain thought came to mind. I touched my purse. The