I spent some time meeting some people from my college alumni who could help with my appeal for a fair outcome. Yes, I looked for more investors for my cafe, but it ended in uncertainty. It ended with me sitting in front of my computer and staring blankly at the park behind my cafe. Everything was completely abstract and chaotic. I didn't know the future or darkness I would face.
I should have closed the café before everything went wrong because I was stalling for time, and I couldn't keep raking in my savings because I had Ace to support. It was his future savings, and I really had to give him the best.
On the other hand, some people depended on me. Some people would lose their jobs if I closed the cafe, and there were my parents who would be disappointed in me. Now I'm really stuck.
My head throbbed roughly. I massaged it and stopped when there was a knock on my door. I closed my eyes briefly and calmed myself before speaking, "Come in," I said.
Elle, my sweetest employee, appeared as the door opened. She looked at me with her wide smile that was always there, and she held a large parcel as she entered. "There's a package for you,"
"Package?" I raised an eyebrow. "For me? From who?"
Elle shook her head. "It only says 'Papa' as the sender."
I frowned. I stood up as Elle placed the parcel on my sofa table.
"Want me to open it?"
"No need." I smiled. "You can go back to the kitchen."
Elle nodded. "Bye."
I stared back at the big parcel with a big question inside me. Papa? Who is Papa? My father? But I call him Dad.
Following my curiosity, I took a scissors and opened the large parcel, and my eyes widened when I saw that underneath was Lego; the cardboard said that it was an expensive and famous brand of Lego. My eyes blinked a few times before looking around for something that might have been tucked away, I opened the box slowly, and there was a piece of light brown paper with handwriting on it.
For Ace, who is as good-looking as his Papa and as tough as his Mama.
From: PapaPapa...Is this from Papa that Ace met?
I tilted my head and shook my head slowly. How could anyone be so loyal to a child he didn't recognize?
But Belle said he was distraught over his family, so I couldn't protest. I don't even know the guy, and this is really not good because I don't like it when strangers get too close to Ace. I should turn this over to the sender before Ace finds out because he'll be hysterical seeing his treasure gone.But I can't seem to because Ace and Belle's voices can already be heard from outside my room. I stare at the box and parcel paper and how big it is. I can't hide it in time, and now he has opened the door with his cheerful singing.
"Momma!" he ran towards me. I looked at him with a distressed smile before scooping him. "Woah what's that?!" he exclaimed. He immediately rebelled in my arms and stepped quickly towards the Lego box I had opened. "LEGO!" he yelled enthusiastically.
I looked up at him. "It's from your Papa who you met at the mall yesterday," I said and sat on the sofa.
"Damn, I didn't expect it to be this soon," Belle said, sitting next to me. Together, we looked at Ace, who was enthusiastically opening the transparent package wrapped around his Lego.
"You gave him this address?"
She shrugged. "Sure, he asked for an address so I gave it to him." She said. "I don't think he meant it."
"Who the hell is this guy? He's so rich that he can afford these legos. This brand is really expensive, Belle."
"He is indeed rich." Belle muttered.
"You know him?"
"Yeah, I can tell by the clothes he's wearing."
"Tell me who he is. What's his name."
"Never mind, You still won't know him," Belle replied quickly and then approached Ace.
I snorted and then handed Ace the letter from 'Papa.' "Read this, Boy," I said softly, approaching him and stroking his hair.
He read the letter "For Ace, who is as good-looking as his Papa and as tough as his Mama. From: Papa."
Ace read it fluently, and I hugged him again tightly and showered his head with kisses. "You're so smart, baby. You can read fluently already!" I said proudly.
Even though he hadn't entered kindergarten yet, his ability with letters and reading was already so fluent. Plus, he could already count fluently up to multiplication and was so active in drawing. I was amazed and slightly flattered by Sebastian because Ace had inherited his intelligence, and that and his good looks were all I could recognize. I prayed that Sebastian's jerkiness would not be passed down to Ace.
Ace just laughed and went back to being busy with his expensive Legos. I smiled and rescinded my decision to return the box. For Ace's smile... I was willing.
"You're sure he's a good person, right? There's no ulterior motive behind this?" I asked Belle.
She rolled her eyes. "There isn't. Oh my god. This is purely because he loves Ace."
"You need to at least tell me his name."
"That's-"
A knock brought her words to a halt.
"Boss, we need you in the kitchen," Elle yelled outside my room.
"Okay!" I replied in a shouted tone. "Momma has to go to the kitchen for a minute," I said to Ace, kissing his temple. I looked at Belle. "Please watch him for a minute."
"Sure."
"Someone ordered special chicken soup, and mongolian chicken. Only you can make it." Elle said when I was already in the kitchen.
I nodded and started to take the prepared ingredients.
"Oh, yes, and they are VVIP customers. They're on the rooftop." Elle said, and then her face leaned in close and whispered. "They are so handsome and rich. I can smell my bright future from now on."
I laughed lowly and shook my head, still focused on the ingredients before me. "Then you can ask for their numbers when delivering their orders later."
"Of course, I won't miss the opportunity," She chuckled.
We started cooking specials for the VIP customers on the rooftop, who Elle said were rich and handsome. I became curious about who they were.
***
I was tidying up the cafe when night fell. But it was still eight o'clock at night, and usually, we'd still be busy, but there were only one or two customers, and I couldn't bear to close my cafe before midnight because I was already tired and fed up.
I was still cleaning the register when the doorbell rang. "We're closed," my voice dropped when I saw who entered.
A man in his mid-thirties in the formal blue shirt I saw once a month was now in front of me. My expression tightened.
I smiled forcedly and bitterly. "Good evening, Mr. Walles. What brings you here at this time of night?"
He didn't return my smile. He just came closer and stood before me. "Isabella, I'm sure you know why I'm here. It's about your overdue loan payment."
I faltered a little but quickly regained my resolve that had been lost for a moment. "Why not tomorrow? We can talk about it."
"You're avoiding me," he said. "Maybe you're already planning to run tomorrow."
I let out a deep breath. "Look, I understand the situation, but it's been tough. My cafe has been quiet lately, not as profitable as usual, but I'm doing everything I can to turn things around."
He looked at me skeptically. "We've heard it before, Isabella. But excuses won't pay off your debt. We need a concrete plan to pay it off, and we need it soon."
"I am aware of my obligations, Mr. Walles. But pressuring me like this won't solve anything. I need time to think things over."
"Time is something you don't have much of, Isabella. We have been patient, but patience wears thin, especially when there is so much at stake." He said, looking at me sternly and sharply.
This drained my energy, and the darkness was already over my head. Frustration overcame me completely. I sighed with resignation. "I'll do whatever it takes to make things right, Mr. Walles. Just... give me a little more time. I have a few ideas I'm working on that could increase our café's revenue."
"Ideas are great, Isabella, but what we need are results. We'll give you a short extension, but I hope to see progress soon. If not, we will have to consider more... aggressive measures."
I could only nod, my jaw clenched, as Mr. Walles turned to leave.
I brushed my hair and supported my body on the table's edge. I looked down and sighed. The back of my eyes heated up, I was going to cry, but I held it back.
This is really fucking shit.
"Hey, are you okay, boss?"
I squinted, looking at Jane, standing behind the dividing door between the kitchen and the counter. "You still here?" I smoothed my hair and smiled at her.
"Yeah, I'm still here," she said. "It's my turn to look after the cafe, you know."
"I forgot, I thought you'd gone home."
Jane folded her arms across her chest and leaned closer to me. "He's that bank employee, right?"
I nodded. "Did you hear everything?"
"Sorry, I didn't mean to. I just..."
"No, it's okay. Its..." I sighed softly, I tried to speak, a little doubt tying my tongue. "It's the truth. We're..." I paused, looking away as I tried to talk about the truth to one of my best employees. "...losing customers lately, and it's massive, and I'm failing to cover all this shit, and..." I paced. "That dude came to collect a debt,"
"God, I can't believe this."
"You have to," I retorted, tilting my head as I chuckled softly. "You believe that all business will always run smoothly? That's naive."
She looked at me in surprise. "Wow."
I sighed, looking at her. I rubbed my face roughly. I shook my head, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be rude, I'm just done with everything. I'm upset, I'm angry, I'm stressed, I'll probably end up in a mental hospital soon."
Jane looked at me with concern and sadness. She approached me and gave me a brief hug. "It's gonna be okay, boss. We'll get through it." She said as we broke our hug.
"Yeah, keep praying." I smiled. "Everything is ready. You should just go home, I'm going home too. I've tipped over for security so you don't have to worry," I said soothingly.
Jane nodded. "Have a good night, boss."
"Have a good night too."
***
I waited for Jane to leave, and after turning off the lights in certain parts of the room, I went out of the cafe, closed the door, and locked the cafe.
With a soft breath, I turned my body around and squinted when I saw the figure of the man I didn't want to meet anywhere and anytime.
He was now in front of me.
He tilts his head and smiles.
"Sebastian," my heart skips a beat, blood streaming down my face. My chest felt like it had been hit by so many rocks that it gave a brutal pressure, a terrible scourge.
He still smiled casually and took a step forward.
I stepped back, looking at him warily.
Sebastian Sanchez, my ex-husband, is here now.
In front of me with his horrible grin.
"Wanna try something new? Cause I found you."
His gaze was fixed on me. My heart raced as a whirlwind of emotions flooded my mind.My pulse quickens, and my stomach tightens with worry and nostalgia. Seeing Sebastian after so long stirred up memories I thought I had buried deep in my heart. There's a flash of vulnerability hidden behind the veil of calmness I'm trying to maintain.The air crackled with tension as I prepared myself for whatever was happening next, and I tried to calm myself with that."What are you doing here?"Sebastian wasn't the same, and how stupid was it that I thought he would be kinder and gentler? What happened was the exact opposite. The man was looking more and more dangerous. More... charming and deceptive. Maturity radiate better in him. Everything about his physique was already very alluring from the first time I saw him, and it had increased many times over. However, I knew that it was just a mask. A deliberate facade to attract more victims, to cover up all the rottenness inside him.I should have k
I was wearing a t-shirt, jeans and a leather jacket as I left my house to head to the Club after spending an hour getting Ace to sleep. He didn't want to be separated from his legos and was eager to invite anyone to play with him.Elizabeth even fell asleep in the playroom, hugging the lego while accompanying Ace to play in the playroom. Ace is good with time limits, though. He stopped when he saw Elizabeth was bored and then he would rest too. It is only when he is exhausted that I can put him to bed.Now I was in front of Kate's older brother; Beau's Club, and of course with Kate because I never dared to come here alone. Beau's Club is one of those expensive clubs with a clientele that doesn't mess around, and I'm just afraid of looking like a lost woman if I show up alone.A large bodyguard blocked our entrance. Kate widened her eyes and snorted. "Seriously! You don't know me?" with her chatty voice, she started to scold the man, but then the man next to him whispered, and his ster
"Thank you for today." Dante Romano's words made me stop as I entered my house."You're welcome. It was a good show anyway," I smiled at him."Really? I didn't expect you to like it. You were silent throughout, making me think that you don't like those kinds of social events.""Ah, no. I was just tired.""Take a rest, then. I'm sorry, today I seem to have been very troublesome for you." He said with a guilty look.I could only nod my head and smile slightly. I was still standing in the courtyard when the Italian President's son's car drove away and disappeared behind the fence of my parents' mansion. I immediately took off my smile, turned flat, and breathed a sigh of relief that I was free from the damn fake attitude that I had to wear for the past two hours. It was exhausting, it wasn't me.This must all be because of my grandfather. A few hours ago, Vito and Stella-his girlfriend just come from Milan to Boston on business, and they were with the President's son, which surprised me
Everything in my body froze. My eyes widened to look at my son, who was staring at Sebastian with his big eyes.At the same time, Ace's crying subsided. He even immediately clung to Sebastian's leg.Sebastian released his embrace on my body and looked at Ace silently. I looked at him, his expression shocked, but there was another mixture that I couldn't decipher."Papa. .. buy me a train, will you? Please Papa...," Ace said as he pulled Sebastian's hand, asking for attention. His seductive expression appeared, and he blinked his blue eyes a few times; it was what he had always used to get someone to comply with his requests.Ten seconds...Twenty seconds.Sebastian was silent.I was silent, too. Frozen with my breath rising and falling. I wondered what Sebastian would do."Buy me a real train, Papa! Now!" Ace finally cried out in annoyance because Sebastian was silent. Ace went back to crying, rolling on the floor while shouting the word real train over and over again.A few seconds a
I sat on the sofa, linking my fingers, looking down at the police officer's room. I've been here for almost three hours, waiting for Vito with Stella, and Mommy. But there was no sign of Vito coming out of the interrogation room."Has this news reached your grandpa?" Mommy asked me."If there hasn't been a call from him then he still doesn't know," I answered quietly, wringing my fingers in agitation. "What if he doens't knows?" I asked her."Then he must be told," she replied. "Only he can provide a way out."I wasn't sure about that because Vito was the golden boy of our extended family because of his political connections that could make Grandfather increase his power. On the other hand, I felt Grandfather wouldn't be happy because Sebastian Sanchez had always been in the water in the desert for him. He wouldn't let that opportunity slip away. He'd probably let Vito go to jail somehow and lick Sebastian's boots to make my ex-bastard's ego happy.The door opened, and the attorney ca
I could hardly close my eyes, always open with anxiety and restlessness. My mind couldn't stop running. I was already wandering to images of Ace being snatched from my arms.I lay beside my son and held him, stroking Ace's thick black hair and handsome face as he slept peacefully. Can't imagine what would have happened to me if Sebastian had taken him away.Even my heart hurts now.I may not be able to breathe if the time came.I hugged Ace when the back of my eyes felt stung. I held it in because I didn't want to cry. If I cry, it wouldn't stop, and it would be a loud cry and disturb Ace. I didn't want him to see me crying. He would be sad, too.I kissed his forehead and held him while staring blankly at the blue window curtains in Ace's room. I'll be like this until my head is exhausted, and then sleep.But the vibration on my cell phone on the table made me pull my gaze towards it. What kind of crazy person calls at two o'clock at night? I sighed softly and moved slightly to reach
From: UnknownHow is My Princess doing today? Are you ready to surrender? Do I have to pick you up in a horse-drawn carriage?I read the message with resentment vaporizing in my chest. My heart was beating rapidly with annoyance. I deleted the message, and I am not replying to anything.The throbbing in my head became a terrible throbbing like there were a thousand needle pricks in there.I put down my phone, looked down, pressed my head firmly with my fingers. My eyes burned, and I cried out. There's no one here. Killian has gone home.And I can cry.I can scream.I do.Standing breathless, chest burning with emotion, I threw everything on my desk. Everything, including my laptop and my work tools. Everything was a mess as it fell on the floor.I collapsed on the floor, sat up and pulled my knees up to my chest.My head was buzzing.And I felt nothing a few seconds later.All I knew was the darkness that picked me up.***"I made you some honey tea, to calm you down. I hope it will m
People say we can't pin our hopes on someone. No matter how good they are. Humans are fallible creatures, and we can disappoint others unintentionally. We can also abandon others. Our hearts can flip. One second, we love someone. The next, we can hate them.So what can help? It's by not expecting anything from someone. I've done it before, and when it hit me my whole life, I was devastated. But I found hope in myself again, which comes from trusting myself and realizing that no one else but me can make me happy.Happy with someone else? That's a bonus. But now, I don't want to accept the idea of being happy with someone else because I'm still afraid to do so.Especially since out of all the men in my life, I've had to deal with the jerks. Like Killian Davenport, he's my best friend, but it's possible that it could happen. But he's last on the list because aside from being my best friend, he's also being the jerks boyfriend for his woman. He cheated on Lynsey, his fiancee, a few times,