Marcello’s POV I have never experienced fear like I did today. One minute I was smiling at the brief conversation I shared with Zara, and the next, I received a call that a strange man had abducted her. I ran like a mad man all the way to the control room and when I saw the video, I was paralyzed on the spot. Because there was no time to waste, I started barking out orders to track the vehicle that the abductor left in. After an unsuccessful hour of searching every security camera on the roads leading away from the company, did I receive a text. The text contained an address and a note to come alone. I tire out of there like a mad man to the garage. I barely got into the driver’s seat before Michael stopped me. I had punched him square on the jaw then but he quickly regained his balance and stopped me. “ Cello! Listen to me , man. You’re in no state to drive.”“ They took her, Mike. I don’t even know who did this. It’s all my fault. What if something happens to her?”But, he was q
Zara’s POV “Okay, Beatrice, am I supposed to know who you are?”She maintains the wide grin on her face but I see her left eye twitch a little. She flips her hair and continues. “ It’s Brenda”“ That’s what I said”She looks like she wants to slap me. The feeling is mutual. She gives me a cursory gaze from head to toe. " you're quite the plain Jane. I wonder what he sees in you."" excuse me?"“ you're excused.""Look here, you..."she raises her palm as if to signal me to stop talking.Marcello will be here soon so why don’t you run along and wait for him inside?”“Let me out of here and I promise I won’t make you pay for it.” She cackles loudly, dry and scratchy, like nails on a chalkboard. I have to physically restrain myself from wincing. She traces a line down the side of my face with her nail and lifts my chin with one finger. “I don’t think you quite get it , honey. I call the shots around here , not you. I’ve been very civil with you so far. We don’t want that to change, do
Zara’s POV The thing about regret is that it comes so belatedly. It waits until you’ve gotten so caught up in your actions , then it shows it’s face. I should have listened to him . I should have stayed home when he asked me to but I wouldn’t be Zara Parkinson if I became pliant.After I left Marcello’s office, I decided to go home because I had had enough for one day. My feet ache and there was a dull throbbing in my temple. It wasn’t until I got to the underground parking lot that I noticed something was off . I felt a presence behind me but when I turned , I saw nobody. Still, I couldn’t shake off the eerie feeling.I rushed to Mercedes C300 that Marcello let me use and searched frantically for my car keys in my handbag. But, just before I could insert the key, a heavy body slammed into me from behind. In the process, I slammed my belly against the car. Pain like I have never felt engulfed me, from my stomach to every part of my body. I scanned the vicinity for an escape opening
Marcello’s POV We sit in silence as the minutes go by. I am hyper aware of the passing minutes, of the sound of cars and people below. The scenery outside does nothing to calm my beating heart. I look at the woman opposite me . She is staring at the floor, fingers tracing the material of her dress nervously. I want to push her to tell me but I know she needs time to gather her thoughts. The chime of a clock, buildings away, breaks the silence. She looks up at me and meets my gaze already trained on her. I smile softly at her, in a bid to give her a semblance of reassurance. It’s all I can do to not think about what she called me earlier. Baby …The words left her mouth so easily but my pulse has been thrumming quietly since. I want to ask her who the clown outside is and why she looks so unlike herself. I also am in a dilemma, as to whether I am ready for what her endearing term entails. Yes, I know I call her some names but only because I enjoyed her reactions at first. Now, it h
Marcello’s POVAt this point, not listening to me is a full time job for Zara. She always feels the need to counter everything I say and blows little things out of proportion at any given time. She makes me want to pull out all my hair in frustration or preferably spank the attitude out of her. With this lunatic moving free, all I want to do is keep her safe but she just had to take my good intentions and spit on it. I don’t know what to do to make her listen to me but one thing’s for sure, it’s gonna be fucking difficult. Yesterday, after she stormed out like a brat, I had to put a secret security detail on her ass. He reported her every movement to me and even though it’s not the way I wanted it, she actually stayed out of the office yesterday, for which I was thankful.The landline rings and my secretary informs me that my 12 o’clock appointment is here. If I had my way, I wouldn’t meet him. He was one of those startup business owners who felt like big conglomerates you owed them
Zara’s POVMarcello intercepts me at the foot of the stairs as soon as I step off. My heart almost jumps out of my chest at his sudden appearance and I trip over my feet but he catches me just in time for any major damage to occur. “ Hey! Pregnant woman here. Don’t just jump out of places”He scans my face “ You okay ,Sugar? I didn’t mean to scare you”I scoff at his ridiculousness. “ Am I okay?” Hitting his chest with balled fists, I step out of his embrace. Stupid hard chest. Stupid handsome face. Scaring me so early in the morning.Regarding him, I notice his scrunched brows and the tension in his shoulders. He wears his usual brooding look but something tells me all is not well. I hope not. Still, I can’t help but worry.“ You good? You ran out earlier like your ass was on fire. What’s the reason you almost caused me to have a premature birth?”He regards me with bored eyes . “ Very funny, Sugar.”He says nothing further but by the look in his eyes , he is debating whether to t
MARCELLO’S POV I thought I would catch up on a bit of work before I have to go to the office but the thought of Zara keeps filtering through my mind. Acquiring a company seems like roses and extra profit on the surface, but so much work has to go in to make sure everything works without any hitch. So far, I have done some major balancing on the accounts through the merger. I know that the company employs only competent hands but I cannot afford to have mistake. Those are expensive and that’s why I have been working myself to weariness. She is fast asleep and has been for hours now but I can’t seem to catch a wink of sleep. She acts like she hates my guts most of the time but her actions tonight were on the contrary. Going as far as cooking meal when she can hardly stand on her own was what got to me the most. And that little peck on my lips earlier? Goddammit! I’m acting like a hormonal teenager. I have tasted every inch of the woman’s body but it’s that little kiss that has me ac
Zara’s POV I open my eyes to a silent room. The lights in here are dim and the atmosphere of the room feels cozy. I must have fallen asleep from exhaustion. Marcello wasn’t exactly gentle with me; not that I’m complaining. I heard him leave some minutes back, and that’s after he made sure to wipe me off with a wet rag. That was embarrassing as hell but it felt…nice.Sitting up, I scan the room in search of my clothes and find them folded neatly on one corner of the bed. I pick up my sore body and get dressed. I choose not to dwell on what transpired earlier in this place. The last few times were filled with me questioning my decision but this time, I’m just going to let it be. I can’t claim any innocence on this matter; after all , I reciprocated just as much as I was given. And I’m definitely not going to overthink the onslaught of emotions I felt today either. If I ignore it, maybe, just maybe , it’ll go away. I walk the hallway quietly as if there are other people on this floor
Zara’s POV Thankfully, the whole tabloid thing dies off in days. The company has been doing well , judging by how much Marcello has been cooped up in the office. And when he comes home, he barely sleeps, throwing himself into more work. I’m not gonna lie, I’m a bit worried for his health. He’s riding the wave of the recent increase in revenue that he’s neglecting himself. What the man does may not be my business but he has done his best to make sure that I do not want for anything during my pregnancy journey. So, I’m going to try to re turn the favour. I ask Mr. Phillip to stop by the local mart, so I can pick up a few things I may need. Last time, he cooked me a Mexican rice dish that I very well remember the taste of but can’t for the life of me, seem to remember it’s name. I just remember that it was rich in protein and veggies. So, I stock my cart with a healthy serving of beef and every other vegetable that looks good. On my way to the counter to check out the items I picked,