KATERINA The tears that I have been fighting hard to hold back burned its way out of my eyes, hard for me to hold back a minute longer. Lucas wrapped his strong hands around me firmly as though he could shield me from the pain, the reality.However, the weight was still heavy on my shoulder. It was so heavy that it made it hard for me to breathe properly. I wanted to wriggle from his arms, to act all strong but…I couldn't.He rubbed my back, helping me to calm down though it seemed nothing could help. All the things that Monalisa has done to me. Every single one of them flashed in my head. Making my head throb. I cling onto him, shutting my eyes as if it would the memories stop but…Lucas held me in his arms for a while, gently stroking my hair and I allowed him to. I couldn't fight. I didn't have the courage to.“When I found out that I had a stepbrother. It felt as though my whole world had shattered.” He paused,then heaved a deep sigh.“It wasn't because I had a brother. It wasn'
KATERINA “No this can't be. Please let it not be true. This can't be.” I chanted in my head as though it was some sort of mantra. Pleading desperately.It felt as though time was moving in slow motion. I opened my mouth to say something, anything that could change the new information but-couldn’t find any.My mind was blank.I pushed the chair back, rising from the chair with no idea where I was going. I wanted to go somewhere, anywhere.“Katerina, where are you going?” Nanny asked, running after me. She caught hold of my hand when I was about to walk out of the door. Her face was full of worry and her eyes pleading for me to stay. I looked away, avoiding her eyes.“I can't breathe. I need some fresh air.” I choked out, my eyes blurry with unshed tears, emotions choking.Slowly, I pulled my hand from nanny's hold and walked away. I dropped at the couch on the balcony, my mind spiraling. I tried to take deep breaths but…nothing seemed to work.Why?Why did it have to be Monalisa? I co
KATERINA ONE WEEK LATER It was silent inside the dining room as the nanny and I ate our breakfast. Just a comfortable silence that we both enjoyed.It has been all good. I have been so absorbed in the company that I didn't have enough time to enjoy breakfast this much.Even though I didn't want to admit it out loud, Lucas has been supportive. Despite being busy with his company, he dropped by to check how I was holding up with the company and sometimes he would offer help.There are a lot of things to work on and that's what is holding me in Aurelian city. Heaving a deep sigh, I shoved the thoughts at the back of my mind and decided to enjoy breakfast and worry about work later.I felt nanny's eyes on me and I couldn't help but raise my head, meeting her gaze.“Are you sure about visiting Stephanie?” She inquired, her eyes full of concern.The corner of my lips curved into a smile when I heard her words. I have never been this sure in my life before.“Yes, don't worry because I’m go
KATERINA It was quiet at the dining table, the only faint sound that could be heard was from cutleries making contact with plates. I turned my attention to stare at Arabella who was sitting beside me and she gave me a smile.“The chicken pie tastes good, mommy.” She whispered only for me to hear what she had said and I couldn't help but smile.“Don't forget about the fruit salad.” I whispered back, nodding to a plate which was untouched and she made a face. I knew damn well the plate would be abandoned and that's why I was reminding her. I stared at the boys who were sitting on the other side of the table, David and Lucas sitting on either side.I thought it would be good to invite David over for dinner since he has been so supportive about the merging. He was among the people who helped me to convince the investors and for that, I was grateful.A small sigh escaped my lips when I gave it a thought. I couldn't believe the day was finally over. Even though my heart ached a little fo
LUCASDamn!I didn't want this moment to end. I have never wished time to move in slow motion. Having Katerina in my arms, her head resting on my chest, my jacket around her protecting her from the biting cold, my arms strongly wrapped around her as though ready to protect her from anyone or anything that had intentions of harming her…What else would I ask for?I wanted the time to drag by because I knew it wouldn't last forever. It was borrowed time and once it goes off, we'll be back to normal like it never happened.Like I never held her this tightly I could smell the flowery shampoo in her hair and her sickly intoxicating scent.If she wasn't feeling sad, I was pretty sure we couldn't be this close. The only reason why I had her in my arms it's because she was sad. She needed someone to be there for her. To assure her that she had made the right decisions with her parents' company. To make her feel powerful again since she was feeling powerless after giving all the rights of her
KATERINA It was quiet inside the meeting hall. Both parties were present, sitting on the long table on either side, everyone inside the room holding a copy of the contract in hand. We’re half way through the contract, going through every single clause and agreeing on it before we move to the next. All the parties had to agree on, making sure we’re on the same side so that there wouldn't be future complaints about the contract.I couldn't tell how long we had been going through the document, however, I could tell that a couple of hours had passed by. I sipped on my bottled water to quench the thirst. Lucas was sitting beside me on the big table while Paula was sitting at the head of the table.She had a serious face which she always puts on while making business decisions. I released a breath, continuing to listen to the clauses and following up on the document.Another hour passed by, perhaps two or more since I wasn't following closely on the time…“Are both parties agreeing on the