ElenaI pondered her words, watching as she selected three pairs of shoes from the options the attendant had laid out.She placed them on the table and asked me to choose one. I pointed at a random pair, and she giggled with excitement, stating that she was going to pick the same pair too but asked for it in a different colour.I tried to push thoughts of what she had said about having a child out of my mind, but they lingered.They reminded me of what Thiago had said about Charlotte. He had assured me she wasn’t pregnant, but what if he was lying?Or worse, what if he had been misinformed? If Rogerio ever found out she was pregnant, our marriage would end before it even began. My conversation with Maria crept back into my thoughts, and I sighed. She was right. I’d never admit it to her face, but in some ways, she was. “Hey,” Keisha said, her voice breaking through my reverie. “Cheer up. You’re getting married - it’s not the end of the world.” She chuckled, and I mustered a faint
ELENAI looked around the empty church and chuckled as the priest slowly walked over to where Rogerio’s parents were seated, conversing with them in hushed tones. I turned to Keisha, who was visibly shocked at the outcome of things.I tried to say something, but no words came out when I opened my mouth. My heart started racing, and my palms felt sweaty as I lowered myself to the floor and sat down.Keisha tried to get me to stand, but I wouldn’t budge - I simply refused to move from that spot.“My worst nightmare has become a reality,” I muttered, chuckling, though nothing seemed funny at that point. I stared at Rogerio’s grandfather and his mother as they rose from their seats and walked toward me.The priest reached the altar before them, extinguishing the candles near the pulpit. He patted my shoulder and walked away without saying a word.I hated what this day had turned into - what was supposed to be a joyous ceremony had devolved into a spectacle of pity.A gust of wind blew thr
ELENAAs she spoke, I zoned in and out, trying to think of how best to handle the situation my way. It seemed like she was trying harder to convince herself that what had happened was a mistake than to make me feel better.At least she stayed to console my family, unlike my own, whose reputation - now tarnished - was more important than the emotional torture their child was enduring.I inhaled deeply, closed my eyes, then exhaled slowly. When I opened them, I noticed Keisha had gotten up from her seated position and was moving toward me.It felt like she anticipated what I was about to do before the thought even took shape in my head. I stood up, bundled up my dress, and started running out of the church. She followed suit, trying to catch up with me.“Elena!” she yelled, trying to get me to stop or at least slow down. “Elena! Where are you going?”“To fix this,” I answered without looking back or slowing down. “To get to the bottom of this rubbish and fix it before it’s too late,” I
ROGERIOI hadn’t planned to leave Elena at the altar until I received that message; in fact, I was resigned to my fate.As much as I hated how things had turned out, I convinced myself that I wasn’t going to track down Charlotte to confirm whatever suspicions I had.There was no use pining over a life filled with uncertainty or sulking over the road not taken - until I got that warning.The message warned me there would be a shootout at the wedding, and in all my years of being trailed by security personnel, I knew better than to treat such a message lightly.I discussed the issue with my head of security, instructing him not to inform the other guards or anyone else until we could trace the source of the message.Unfortunately, our efforts proved futile. The lead brought us to an empty, nearly dilapidated warehouse on the outskirts of Milan that was up for sale.When we inquired about the ownership under the guise of buying and renovating the property, we discovered the owners were d
ROGERIO“Elena, I assure you, I didn’t mean to hurt you or play any games. If I didn’t want to go through with the wedding, I would’ve let you know. I—”“You know, that’s what I thought for a moment,” she interrupted, pacing. “If you didn’t want to go through with it, all you had to do was call me. Did you even consider that, or was it fun for you to let me walk into the church and get embarrassed in front of everyone?”“Elena, let me explain… I wasn’t… I didn’t…” I stammered, but she stopped pacing and stepped toward me.“Since when do you stammer? Since when do you not know how to articulate yourself? Rogerio, you better say something that makes sense right now, or I swear to—” She stopped short as I raised my hands in defeat.“I was anxious!” I blurted out before I could think. I had been trying to come up with the perfect excuse, but nothing seemed adequate under the weight of her anger. The words tumbled out, unfiltered.“What?” she asked, her expression shifting to one of confus
CHARLOTTEIt had been a week since I started working at Thiago’s firm while also doubling as the manager at the club. Combining both activities had been nothing short of hectic.Every morning, I dropped by the office to review the previous day’s reports, stayed for an hour or two, and then rushed off to school for my classes, which had just begun.At night, I stopped by the club to supervise activities. I’d given up bartending for a while - it was clear that taking on that role too would be overextending myself.I also stopped spending the night at the club like I used to, knowing I needed at least a little sleep to function the next day.After a week of this chaotic schedule, I felt like I needed to drop something and focus on one thing. That morning at the office, I resolved to decide what worked best for me.Abandoning school was out of the question; I’d only just started, and giving up on something I so desperately wanted wasn’t an option.That left me choosing between the club an
CharlotteI took Thiago’s advice and decided to make the best of the situation. Surprisingly, things began to take a turn for the better.The meeting with the board exceeded my expectations; they understood the reasons behind the drop in sales and were eager to suggest solutions, even refining the ideas I’d presented.Their willingness to collaborate reignited a sense of purpose in me.After wrapping up at the firm, I headed to the university to pick up my schedule for the semester and familiarize myself with the campus.It felt strange to be surrounded by so many young people leading lives so different from mine. There was an energy here - a mix of excitement and uncertainty - but I decided to embrace it.I wasn’t ready to dive into any of the pre-formed cliques, nor was I eager to make friends right away. I resolved to take it slow and let things unfold naturally.The other classes I’d been taking to prepare myself for the semester were voluntary, but now it was time for the real de
Charlotte“Well… it might be because you’ve been with the club since its inception. You’re familiar with the system you created for it,” Sonia suggested, turning her gaze back to the road. “If you feel out of place at the firm, why not take some time to learn what makes the company tick?”I mulled over her suggestion for a moment, then chuckled lightly.“That’s a great idea, but I already have so much on my plate. I can’t imagine adding anything more to the pile…” My words trailed off as a spark of inspiration lit up in my mind.“What is it?” she asked, glancing at me briefly before refocusing on the road.I sighed, a small smile forming. “I think you’ve just given me a brilliant idea.”She looked over, her expression confused, before returning her attention forward. “I don’t know what you’re planning, but whatever it is, keep thinking about it. You already look better just talking about it,” she said with a chuckle as the car came to a smooth stop in front of the house.I reached for
CHARLOTTE“Hello, Maria,” I said as I pushed the door open and walked into the room. I had been waiting a long time to see her face, and the instant I had the opportunity to do so, I didn’t wait one second longer.I made sure things at the club were going as planned, entrusted the care of the business to Sonia’s hands, and left L.A. at the crack of dawn the next morning.Leaving the city I had run to for a fresh start and going back to a place I didn’t think I’d ever return to in a very long time filled me with apprehension. I wasn’t sure what to expect.Maria didn’t know I was coming for obvious reasons. The last thing I wanted was to make her worry about me, but this had to be done.This was my fight, and I had seen enough of what happened to people who got caught in the crossfire to know that I needed to be there to handle things myself.A part of me hoped I wouldn’t see Rogerio. I hadn’t thought about him in a while, and I was happy about it.I expected him to be married to his ne
CHARLOTTEI stood in that spot for a few minutes, thinking about what I had heard and wondering how to salvage the situation. I hated the feeling of helplessness that enveloped me as I contemplated the available options I had.It felt like I had been boxed into a corner with my hands tied, and all I could do was watch as things went south.There were a few things I had grown accustomed to loathing, and feeling like this was one of them. I had to do something to ensure everyone was safe, but there wasn’t much I could do from here. I glanced at the phone’s screen and realized I had spent more time than I had initially scheduled.Pressing the button to open the elevator doors, I stepped in and tried to push the image of Maria lying in a hospital bed out of my mind, but that proved futile.Her feeble voice and coughing fits were on a loop in my mind, and what made things worse was the fact that I could be of no help since I was far away. I started thinking about making a trip to Milan, bu
CHARLOTTEI spent the rest of the day ensuring everything was in place for Thiago to resume the following day. I had made up my mind to return to managing the club and had sent him a text to that effect.Being on the board meant I still had access to the firm, and if I ever needed to look through other files, I could do so with ease. I was delighted to return to the club and my office.This switch also meant that I would have time for other things, and I embraced it with open arms.When I finished for the day, I handed the reports to the secretary and exited the building. Sonia and the driver were waiting in their usual spot when I reached the parking lot.She seemed a little distracted, immersed in responding to someone through the walkie-talkie she occasionally hung on her belt. I chalked it up to work-related stress and decided not to ask if everything was alright. After all, if something was wrong, there wasn’t much I could do about it anyway.As the car pulled out of the lot, I p
CHARLOTTEAs expected, the pasta I had there was great, and the service was even better. I ordered extra meal packs for Sonia and the driver, who had refused to set foot in the diner but decided to stand watch outside while I ate.I also requested an extra pack for myself and some pastries to eat later in the day. When I stepped outside, I handed the packs to the duo, who gave me a confused look for a moment.Then the aroma of pasta wafted through the air, and Sonia gave a knowing smile. I walked away as they expressed their gratitude and matched my pace. The driver got into the car first while Sonia helped me with the door.As he started the ignition, I decided to go on one more trip, but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do it with people watching me, especially if those people were Thiago’s loyal staff. “I’d like to go somewhere else,” I said before I had the opportunity to change my mind.Sonia held the car door open and arched an eyebrow. “Where?”“It’s... private. But I’ll tell you w
CHARLOTTEI opened my eyes and glanced at the clock as sunlight ricocheted off the walls. The curtains had been pushed open, and an empty bottle of wine lay on the floor.My vision blurred as I tried to focus on the clock, and my eyes watered.I closed them and sighed, the day had come too soon. But to be fair, I had spent all night buried in things that reopened old scars.My thoughts shifted to the files I had been reading a few hours ago, and I pondered what to do with the information I had uncovered. As I considered my options, a dull throb settled in my head, but I didn’t move an inch from where I was lying.I had too much to think about, and a hangover headache was the least of my problems. I shook my head, chuckled a little, and decided to stick with the decision I had made earlier.There wasn’t much I could do anyway, I would simply be walking into more trouble than I bargained for, and that was the last thing I needed at this point in my life.I thought about my relationship
CHARLOTTEI sent Sonia a message telling her to give me a few minutes to wrap things up before stepping out of the office. My hands trembled as I typed each word, but I knew it had to be done or she would waltz into the building looking for me and eventually find me here.I didn’t want anyone, especially not someone who reports directly to Thiago, to know what I had stumbled upon. I stared at the device for a second, then placed it into the box. I shook my head and placed the other files on the box, but left out the one I wanted to read earlier.The conversation I listened to left me feeling very confused. I knew there had to be a reason why Thiago had been helping me, but discovering that he was part of the reason I had a terrible life growing up left me in a constant state of bewilderment.I reached for the file left on the floor and skimmed through it. Each page left me feeling numb as it contained documents giving periodic reports of my activities from when my parents died up unti
CHARLOTTERealizing that I had gone through life feeling alone and struggling through everything on my own wasn’t because I was alone in the world.Nor was it because I didn’t have a family that cared for me. It was because a group of people had decided to serve injustice on a platter and make my life a living hell to serve whatever purpose they considered proper.I stared at the file sitting in my lap as tears formed at the corners of my eyes, and memories of the life I had led flashed through my mind.Everything would’ve been easier, or at least there would have been a smidge of hope lurking in the corner, if someone from either side of my parents’ family had found me and taken care of me.I started to think about the possible reasons they would have to do something so treacherous, but I couldn’t wrap my head around it. Were they scared that I would come back seeking revenge if I had lived with a family member?Why didn’t they make my death a reality then? That would’ve been so much
CHARLOTTEThis wasn’t the time to cry. It was the time to find out why Thiago was linked to my parents’ death and why this information had never been made public.I kept reading and discovered that he had been a teenager when the accident occurred. While he had been willing to testify, his family had bought off the detective in charge of the case and silenced anyone who attempted to investigate further.I pressed my palm over my mouth to stifle a scream, glancing around the room in a panic. I couldn’t afford to draw attention to myself. My curiosity had led me to this place, and now it felt like I had stumbled into a torture chamber, each revelation cutting deeper than the last.I didn’t know how to process this avalanche of information, but I couldn’t stop now.This was just one folder. The rest of the files still lay scattered on the floor, and the shelves were lined with others. As I looked around, my stomach churned at the thought of what else I might uncover. Would I even be able
CHARLOTTE“What… How did this get here?” I muttered, picking up the picture and staring at it intently. My eyes scanned the room as waves of confusion and curiosity coursed through me.My thoughts were a jumbled mess. Where was I, and why was there a picture of my family in the company vault?One question after another sprang to mind, and as my gaze fell back onto the stack of folders scattered on the floor, I knew there was only one way to get answers.I had to go through the files in this room, every single one of them if that’s what it would take.Ignoring the dust, I sank to the floor and reached for the folder from which I assumed the picture had fallen. Its name tag bore only one word: Edwards. My family name. My voice barely above a whisper, I repeated, “Edwards,” and opened the folder.I tried to calm my nerves as I began reading, but with each sentence, my heart pounded faster. The first page contained details about my parents and their real professions, information similar t