FAZER LOGINAlthough I had a knot in my stomach and throat that made it hard to think straight, I knew I had to move. The Russian mobster had kidnapped me for money; but those who sent me wanted something deeper, something personal. That thought weighed heavy.
I approached Sebastian, trying to hide the storm raging inside me. His calm gaze steadied me, like an anchor in the chaos. I forced a small smile before pointing to the boxes I had chosen.
“What about
The day passed relatively normally, considering I now had a badly injured and apparently abused stranger in my house.Even so, her presence didn't bother me, although it stirred something deep inside me that I wasn't sure how to describe. It did make me feel less alone; it was something different and new amidst everything that had been happening recently, to say the least.While I tried to distance myself slightly from everything that was happening, the burden of work and having to take care of Olivia a little more than necessary was settling in very deeply. But if I got married, what would happen to her?I couldn't just throw her out on the street, but maybe when I recovered my assets, I could come and find her a good place to stay.I can't believe I grew fond of her so quickly that I was thinking about securing her future, as if my life depended on it... well, maybe not mine, but hers certainly did.I turned to look at her; she was on the sofa, watching television with tenderness, a
I tried to say something, but the words seemed stuck in her throat. She looked at me and shook her head, telling me she wasn't born this way. Before I could open my mouth again to ask her more questions, she got into the water so she could see me at eye level.I frowned as she settled into a dimly lit area and stuck out her tongue.I straightened up, my mouth agape, unsure how to react to what I saw. Her tongue was injured, with deep cuts that didn't look recent. When I looked more closely, I saw that her teeth were chipped and she had scars, not only on her tongue but also all over the inside of her mouth.The scene chilled me to the bone. Her silence was no longer a mystery, but a wound etched into her very being. The water rippled around her, reflecting the scars that spoke louder than any words. I wanted to ask who had done this, but the question burned in my throat, heavy and dangerous.Olivia's eyes met mine, pleading, warning me, and I understood: her story wasn't ready to be t
I heard a knock on the door behind me and thought maybe it was Carlos who had returned for something, but my distrust made me open the door more slowly than usual. Standing before me was a fair-skinned girl with curly red hair, slightly taller than me. She had an innocent aura about her. She looked at me with her emerald green eyes, and for a moment, she stirred something deep within me, a feeling I couldn't quite describe, but one that made me frown, my hands on the door."Who are you?" I said, my tone curt.The little girl was hugging her shoulders; she seemed cold or disoriented. Perhaps both. She looked at me with a face that told me she wanted to tell me a thousand things, but for some reason, her voice wouldn't come out. She sighed, and it seemed like she was about to faint.For some strange reason, the feeling I got from her wasn't a threat. I opened the door completely, and she practically crawled in; she seemed to be having difficulty, and I was right when I saw her bare feet
Carlos sat on the sofa with a sheet of notebook paper in one hand and his cell phone in the other. He was looking at places and things we needed for the rehearsal dinner plan."Okay... today is April 3rd," Carlos said thoughtfully, "and the wedding rehearsal dinner is on Friday, April 17th, so we can have the official ceremony on Saturday the 18th, right?""Yes," I said as I walked to the other end of the sofa."So... do we have the guest list of important people yet?""All the investors and suppliers for my company, yes," I replied immediately.Carlos tapped the paper with the back of his pen.“Investors and suppliers… too many business faces…”I sat at the other end of the sofa, as far away from him as possible, smoothing the edge of the sofa cushion. “They’re not just business faces. They’re
The morning light filtered through the curtains, soft but persistent, as if reminding me that the outside world kept moving on. I opened my eyes slowly, feeling the weight of the previous night, but also something different: a spark, faint but undeniable.I got out of bed, my body stiff, but my mind clearer than it had been in weeks. The silence of the apartment no longer felt suffocating; it felt like a blank canvas. For the first time, I didn't see emptiness, I saw possibility.I went to the window and let the sunlight caress my face. I placed my trembling hand on the glass, and although the pain was still there, I no longer saw it as a curse. It was a reminder of survival, of battles fought and won. My hands might never be the same again, but my spirit wasn't broken. I was still Sofia, and I still had something to offer.Memories of my father's pride returned, not like daggers, but like fuel. He had believed in me when I was just a girl with sketches and dreams, and I owed it to hi
The crying left me exhausted, as if each sob ripped away a piece of strength I no longer possessed. I sat on the floor, surrounded by empty boxes ready for disposal, my breath ragged and my eyes burning. The silence of the apartment was absolute, and in that silence, the memories began to surface, one after another, relentlessly.I thought about the last few weeks since my father died: the sleepless nights, the plans that seemed to crumble the moment I tried to make them, the promises I made that I wasn't sure I could keep. I remembered the last time I'd had a simple conversation, the last time anything about my life had been bearable, before the night I learned my father had died and I had to plan his funeral.I saw myself back in the office, working late, convinced that saving the company was the most important thing, and planning a marriage of convenience. I saw myself arguing with Kathe, laughing with Mia, accepting Sebastian's help even
Sebastian's POVWatching Sofia fall asleep so peacefully as soon as I put her in bed stirred a cocktail of emotions in me that I couldn't quite understand. This woman had fought not only for her life, but for mine as well, without even knowing me well. I sighed, as I looked closely at her wounds; a
I approached where Sebastian and the man named "Ian" were. I approached Sebastian and the man named Ian. Sebastian placed his hand on my shoulder as he introduced me to Ian."This is Sofia," he said. "As you can see, we've just been through a rough time, and we need to find a good place to stay."I
While I was talking to Mia, I received an unexpected call from Sebastian. When I saw his name appear on the screen, a question popped into my mind. I answered."I never saved your number, right?" I asked.Sebastian seemed about to reply, but his voice sounded agitated, as if he'd been running from
A few days passed normally, as normally as things could go in my situation. Some suppliers had begun to show their support for my uncle, and their true colors were becoming obvious. My stationery and ink supplier contacted me to say they had to raise prices due to external company measures.Similar







