•LUCIUS•“Are you sure the report is accurate?” I asked my financial advisor after he ran me through the financial status of Airbyte.“Yes, Mr. Hall, the report is accurate. Airbyte’s financial losses top fifty million dollars over the past quarter, and failure to retain current clients and attract new ones could result in twenty percent staff reductions before year’s end.”I leaned back in my chair in my office and exhaled. “Three accounts pulled out, and they were our major accounts. We are left with only minor accounts that barely generate any income.”“I think you need to sit with your marketing team and figure out a way to bring new clients. Maybe you should brainstorm new ideas and strategies to sign more accounts before the company makes less money than it spends on its expenses.”I looked at Keith and sighed. He was right, but I didn’t know how I would execute the plan he gave me.My mind was all over the place. I was thinking about Camilla and her child and how I was going to
•CAMILLA•In the morning, when I woke up, it was as if nothing horrible had happened last night.I took a shower, dressed in one of my best outfits, and called Louis, my secretary from the Ross and Banks company, to find out if any pending meetings needed my attention.“I spoke with John Hales from Hales Logistics, and he said he would call you directly to discuss the new contract amendments.”“Alright, that’s all?”“Asher sent a complaint to the company about our payment delays. I told him you would call and talk since –”“What did he say?” I interrupted her. I guessed Asher didn’t want to talk to me.“He said I shouldn’t mind—he will wait until the company sends payments to shareholders.”Asher was in charge of dispatch, and since he was my brother, he had to be involved.“That’s good. Next time he calls to complain about our payment system, please tell him to read our email updates to shareholders. He can’t expect payment whenever he wants.”“Yes, Miss Ross. I’ll do that.”“Thank y
•LUCIUS•I didn’t believe it when Brandon and Nevada showed me the pictures of the boy. I thought it was coincidental that he looked like me.But there I was, looking at my direct replica down the aisle in the grocery store. Camilla couldn’t see me, and neither could he.They were laughing and having a good time. I thought of how bad I would feel if I ruined their fun time, but I needed to know if that was my son.So, I picked up my cell phone and called my mother first. I wanted her to be the first one to know that after she drove me to send Camilla away; she was already pregnant with my son.While on the phone, I followed behind Camilla and the little boy at a far distance so they wouldn’t suspect anything.“Hey, Lucius. I was looking for you, honey. Where are you? I thought you weren’t working today.”“I’m at the grocery store in Manhattan, looking at Camilla shopping with my son. She didn’t tell me she was pregnant when she left, Mother. You told me she was barren, remember? So te
•SANTINO•Text: “I know you took my diamonds, and I’ll come for you and all your families. You better pray you kill me first before I kill all of you one by one.”“What’s the plan?” I asked when I gave Cole back his cell phone.“We are still brainstorming. We don’t know what Vin’s capable of, and after stealing forty-eight billion dollars from him, he’ll come after us. He won’t let this go.”“Where’s Camilla? Is she okay? I have to make sure she’s safe from all of this. If Vin sends his men after us and they get to her, I won’t forgive myself.”Cole sighed as he pulled over the chair on the side of the bed and sat down.“If you want to protect her and Nico from Vin, you must end your relationship with her and stay away from her until he is handled. When she comes to check up on you, you must break the news to her.”“No,” I scoffed. “I can’t do that. Camilla’s going nowhere. I won’t lose her again, Cole. It can’t happen, buddy.”“You don’t have a choice if you want to keep her safe. It
•CAMILLA•“You love me?”I didn’t know what to say. Those words came out unexpectedly, and I hadn’t thought about how I felt about him.“That’s not the point. You and I are raising a child together, so I don’t want to lose anyone in my family, and definitely not you.”“Oh, I thought you said you loved me. Anyway, this has made me realize we should take a break. Step back from the wedding preparations and work on ourselves for some time. I also need to heal after what happened.”“Are you breaking up with me?” I asked, confused and wondering why he was doing this to me now.“I think we need a break, Camilla. We’ve had a bumpy road, and I want us to rewind and figure out this relationship separately. I don’t want us to get stuck in places we don’t want to be, just because we got married and locked down.”I inhaled and leaned toward him, refusing to let him see I was hurting. He was an asshole anyway. He probably killed Valentino, so this was the best thing he could do yet.“Oh, well, you
•CAMILLA•I kept pacing in the waiting room, waiting for Francesca’s surgery to be completed.It had been an hour and a half since I arrived in the hospital, and my mind was racing.Luckily, Roy’s surgery didn’t take time. They were done with his surgery within an hour.He had minor injuries and underwent surgery to remove the glass that sliced through his stomach.The glass didn’t cause any damage to his vital organs because it only got stuck in his fat tissues under the first layer of his skin.“Miss Ross.” Finally, a doctor came.“Doctor Graham,” I breathed. “How’s Francesca? Are you done with the surgery? Is she going to be alright?” I was panicking and was worried about her.“She’s fine, ma’am. We are done with the surgery, and I think she wants to see you.”“She does?” I furrowed my brows. “Isn’t she under the influence of anesthesia?”“No, she’s fine. You can come and see for yourself in her ward. But please, be careful with her. She’s stressed out and won’t make sense of some