My heartbeat accelerated, and I mentally cringed at the thought of being found out. "Diego!" Caesar called, his voice laced with razor sharp menace. "What a delightful surprise. We meet again." Their gazes met in a silent duel. Bemused, my gaze flickered between the two of them. I recalled Caesar telling me he knew the Fernandez family but the animosity crackling in the air spoke of a deeper discord. They were like wolves circling each other. Diego ignored him and averted his gaze to me, a silent question hanging in the air. I swallowed a ball of nerves in my throat as I awaited the inevitable questioning. I was already thinking of an excuse to give but it seemed Diego wasn't interested after all. "Nicole, shall we get out of here?" "Wait a minute," Caesar stood in front of me like a protective shield. "Is this how you treat your acquaintances? Oh," he face palmed. "Of course, how could I forget?...that's who you are. And more importantly, where in the world do you know
Diego's brows furrowed. "To a party, where else?" "She just got discharged from the hospital!" Sergio rasped. "She doesn't need this right now. She's not all about that lifestyle." Diego scoffed, the sound sharp and dismissive. "Seriously, Sergio? It's not a big deal. I don't understand why you're blowing it way out of proportion. When I was leaving the house, I met Nicole in a bad mood and decided to invite her to join me. Just to uplift her mood. Nothing more." I titled my head to the side, a sly smile stretching my lips. I was enjoying the drama a little too much. It felt almost as if the two brothers were fighting for my attention. What an interesting twist. Sergio heaved a sigh, running his fingers through his hair in a gesture of frustration. "Look, Diego," he started, his voice strained. "I didn't mean to, you know..." He trailed off. "It's just... when I returned, she wasn't in her room. I got worried. She's my responsibility, after all." "I understand," Diego
THIRD PERSON Walking out of the room, Sergio puffed out his cheeks. He had no idea what Nicole was doing, but whatever it was, he couldn't deny the fact that she had an effect on him. Looking into her eyes, he could see the sincerity, the innocence and longing in them. It made him feel a tad sad because he knew he could never give her what she wanted... He wasn't in the position to anyway. Things were much more complicated than they seemed. Shaking his head to get rid of the thought, he made his way to Diego's room. He couldn't help but feel anxious. He wondered what Diego had to tell him for he looked and sounded very serious. It was atypical of him. Yes, Diego had always been a little too serious with outsiders, but never with family. "Diego," Sergio called before pushing open the door. Diego was standing by the window, staring blankly into space. Despite Sergio's arrival, he didn't turn to face him. "You've finally gotten my time." "What do you want to talk to me about?" S
After our last encounter, Sergio had become a ghost in his own house. It seemed he was intentionally ignoring me. Not completely because he had replied to my message earlier, but he had decided to keep his distance from me. I couldn't help but wonder why because it was pretty glaring that he was interested in me. It had been more than a day and I hadn't even seen him. It seemed he didn't even sleep in the house. "Is he running away from me?" I scoffed, collapsing on the edge of the bed. Coming into the Fernandez mansion, I didn't expect to complete my mission easily, but at the same time, I didn't think with my beauty, it would take a lot of effort to charm either one of the brothers, Sergio or Diego. Still engrossed in my thoughts, a knock on the door jolted me to reality. My heart hammered a frantic rhythm against my ribs. Could it be Sergio? Had he returned? "Nicole?" Helen's voice filled the room, shattering my fragile hope. "May I come in?" I rolled my eyes. What did
"Scarlett!" Helen squealed, throwing her arms around her in a tight hug. I was too stunned to speak. I looked at Sergio, but he seemed to be in another word. He wouldn't look at me, talk more of talking to me. His attention was on his 'fiancee' and the little reunion they were having with his family. I suddenly felt out of place. "I have missed you so much, Mom," Scarlett said in a singsong voice. "I'm so glad to be back!" "And we're so glad to have you back, sweetheart," the mother said, untangling herself from the hug. "Dad!" Scarlett walked over to where he was standing, her smile widening. "I've missed you so much too, my governor!" Mr. Eduardo pulled her into a fatherly hug. "Welcome home, my daughter." Based on what I was witnessing, how she was interacting with the family, I could tell the family were fond of Scarlett. She was like the perfect daughter-in-law in their eyes. The excitement in their eyes were like none I had ever seen. Scarlett, on the other h
As soon as the words emerged from my lips, Sergio stepped into the room and shut the door behind him, his eyes cold. I stilled. I could literally feel his breath on face. "Don't ever say something like that again. Someone could have heard!" I rolled my eyes. "You asked me what was bothering me, and I replied. What would you have had me do? Lie?" "Look, Nicole," Sergio's breath uneven. "I know we've..." he trailed off. "Kissed," I completed his sentence for him. "More than once." He nodded in acknowledgement. "But that was a mistake," he paused, studying my demeanor. "I'm sorry of you thought it might degenerate into a relationship or something. You're a wonderful person, Nicole." Why did his words feel like a breakup? I almost teared up listening to him say those words to me. "Fun to be with and to converse with. I enjoy your company, I won't deny it, I do. I care for you. As a person," he added with emphasis. "You're like a little sister to me," he paused ag
I was jealous, Sergio. Despite how hard I tried to get those words from Nicole out of my head, I couldn't. They kept repeating themselves like a mantra. I heaved a sigh of exasperation and shut down my laptop. I couldn't even have any work done. I reclined against the chair, the image of Nicole's disappointed face flashing in my mind and my heart tightening against my chest. "Stop!" I gently slapped my face. "Are you out of your mind, Sergio? What the heck!" "Talking to yourself?" Scarlett's voice instantly sent a wave of guilt over me. She was my fiancee, yet I was preoccupied with the thoughts of another woman. I felt even trashier when I recalled the times Nicole and I kissed. It felt like I didn't only cheat on her physically, but emotionally as well. Scarlett was the sweetest person I had ever come across, and that was the reason we could maintain how relationship for so long. Betraying her was the one thing I never saw myself doing. She always put up with my workaholic
I felt shivers run down my spine as his lips moved against mine softly at first, then, his arm snaked around my waist, pulling me closer to his body and evoking sensations that I never knew I was capable of feeling before. My arms instantly wrapped around his neck, savoring the taste of his plump lips. I was kissing him back with the same passion. Then, he stopped, and stepped back. In his eyes, I could see a mix of regret and satisfaction? "I'm sorry," he started, breathing deeply. "I shouldn't have..." I scoffed, taking a few steps away from him. It was my turn to give him a dose of his own medicine. "Then leave, Sergio." "Are you okay though?" he asked, closing the gap between them. "I just want to make sure." "I am," I answered, wiping nonexistent tears from my eyes. "I'll be okay." "Nicole..." Sergio began to speak but the rest of his words died on his lips. "We shouldn't—" I rolled my eyes, annoyed at his indecisiveness. One minute, he was saying someth