~Zia~
“Lu, Bo,” Xavier grunted, fighting his way through the hallway that led to the basement. “I really need you two to move your fucking asses now!”
“This is a fucking sewage system!” Lu grunted. They had the job of setting up explosives under the manor. A big argument took over before the two agreed to do this. They wanted to be on Xavier’s side, to protect their boss and friend, but they had a bigger task at hand. “It would’ve been easier if we came in with you, you idiot!”
Xavier grunted, taking cover on the busted wall of the hallway. A Luciano family portrait hangs above him, swaying with each wave of gunfire through the air.
“Did you just call me an idiot?” Xavier chuckled.
~Zia~ It doesn’t matter if we are alive and breathing. The emptiness written all over our faces screams we lost more than what we gained. Xavier got out safely, but the manor didn’t survive the explosion. Part of our plan was to make the crime scene look like a gas leak under the estate, making it easier for our people in the government to investigate and conceal this chaos. There’ll be a lot of questions asked, and for the most part, everything we’ll say would be a lie. We headed back to the safe house to spend the night and tend to our wounded. Xavier was silent the entire drive; we all were, for that matter. He gave me a quick peck on the forehead when we got to our room and headed directly to the bathroom to clean up
~Zia~“Xavier!” I pressed my hand on my lower back, the other set under my huge belly, breathing in and out. The cramps were different. Dr. Shiovan told me I would know when it was time. And it’s damn time.Still in his pajamas, Xavier came rushing into our room with flour decorating the black apron around his neck. He was making a ravioli for me, my request last night, and he promised me he’d make his pasta for the dish, which became my go-to food in the third trimester of my pregnancy.“It’s time?” he asked, helping me up from the reading nook where I spent my entire morning.“Fuck,” I hissed, feeling another contraction. “He’s coming out.”Xavier&rsquo
~Zia~My parents have been traveling back and forth from New York to Seattle for about two months now. They have the penthouse next to ours to their name. They wanted to be close to Franco. I mean, they even hold him longer than I do when they’re around. I only get to hold him when he’s hungry; where’s the justice in that?Mom and Dad were sitting in the living room, admiring Franco as he cooed, yawned, and fluttered his eyes because he was already sleepy.I stare at them from the kitchen, eating my salad with a pout on my lip. There’s a small part of me that feels a little possessive about my son. I knew my parents only wanted to be with their grandchild. They’ve been waiting for him excitedly, like Xavier and me. They’ve been deprived of this chance when Nadia lost her baby; now
~Zia~Like always, Xavier had everything planned out. We took a drive to Club Sky and met with our friends. I haven’t gone out with any of them since I gave birth to Franco. Sure, they visit our place often, sometimes for no apparent reason.Diego would pop up the most; he even had his things in the guest room since he’s been sleeping there a couple of nights a week. One time, I interrogated him about why he’s always in our place. I don’t mind having them over, but Diego is a pain in the ass. He whines when we run out of Batangas coffee. It’s cute. He’s a child that cries when there’s no cereal in the morning. And his response was even infuriating.‘You hoard the best coffee in town,’ was his nonchalant response. I pity the girl who would fall for this kid.
~Zia~ About thirty minutes into the drive, Xavier parked in front of the cabin by the lake. My mind was somewhere else through the drive; another guilt feeling washed over me. This was our night together, and I pushed my worry about Lu and Penny aside for a bit. I just have to trust that they’ll work things out. Xavier slid out of the car; I took this chance to shake my worry away as he skirted over to my side, opening the door for me. Trees shadowed over us, creating a dancing pattern through their leaves as the sliver of the silver moon slipped between the gaps. The gentle purr of the summer wind made the small lights anchored from tree to tree swayed like sparkling stars within my reach. In my awe, I admired the cabin, small, cozy, made of glass and wood. Yellow l
Extreme darkness has always been an enemy of mine. I hate not knowing what’s coming for me or what’s already there, but for the love of my life, I’m willing to face my fears. “Miss Zia,” my driver and closed-in security detail Erik called before I could slide out of the limo. Erik is like a father to me, but I know I’m giving him too much headache that Dad doubles his salary every year. “Come on, E,” I pouted, “it’s Calvin’s birthday. Give me some boost here.” At the age of forty-one, Erik is still as fit as a man in his thirties. He had to be in keeping up with my exceptionally stubborn behavior. He has no job other than to be with me - guard and protect me - all the time, which has proven to be a challenging task. Since I was thirteen, the bodyguards assigned to me quit even before the end of their first month
My fiance’s room housed the cacophony of their moans. Her whimpers of pleasure mingled with his grunts of satisfaction. She screamed his name; he groaned hers - Ashley, that is her name. For a moment, I wished I reached the wrong balcony, although I am a hundred percent sure that I didn’t. For a moment, I hoped I heed Erik’s request of waiting in the morning when the party is all over to come and see him. It lasted for hours, maybe minutes, but who the hell cares? Clearly not them. I backed up on the wall beside the sliding door, needing something to lean on to, looking up at the sky, loving and hating it at the same time. I loved this place; I loved this room; I love the man fucking Ashley, only a few feet away from me. The sound of the headboard banging against the concrete wall is deafening. His commands to her to get into every position are loud and clear
My throat is as dry as a desert under the scorching heat of the sun. It’s painful to quaff down air. My mouth can’t even produce its own moisture to relieve the searing pain caused by the dryness of my throat. I didn’t know how my night turned into this embarrassing nightmare. First, I heard my fiance fuck his secret lover and promised to divorce me five years after our marriage so that they could be together. Second, I am acclaimed to be an excellent climber and almost fell 40 feet because of my weak gripping. Third, I am facing Xavier, fiddling like an uncomfortable idiot. I feel so small that I wanted to shrink into his gray sheets. “Uhm…” I cleared my throat, setting the empty rock glass on his bed, reaching for my phone inside my dress pocket as I stood. “I better leave, E must be waiting for me.” As I fished out my phone, the condom I packed and aimed t