..."Noooo!" I shouted and jerked myself up. Sweating profusely, I held my rapidly beating heart, trying to take a deep breath. After long minutes, my breathing subsided as I grabbed the jug and poured myself a glass of water. I chugged it down, dropping the glass.It's the nightmare from last time. My demons won't let me be. I almost succeeded this time in seeing the man behind the mask. How could that stuffy suffocating cage be that dark and scary? I thought goosebumps prickling down my skin.A knock came in. I was still stuck in that nightmare unable to pull myself back to reality but when it came again, now a little too loud I had to answer. "Please come on in," I said, sitting upright.The door opened and the uninvited guest came in. Why wasn't I surprised to see it was the housekeeper? I should've known Lorenzo always makes good on his promises. Ellabelle bowed respectfully raising her head. "Good morning ma'am Sophie." She greeted.I forced a smile, waving at her. There was
...I won't actually say I didn't notice the changes in my room as I walked in. I brushed and packed Miguel's hair with a ribbon. "I've been so angry at him since last night but perhaps he was right. I really needed a helping hand. But that's aside. Today is his day. He can at least celebrate it with me by his side. I shouldn't be moody," I said to myself, standing up I stared at Miguel. "My baby boy. You're so adorable. Wait for mummy here. I'll be right back." Miguel smiled and nodded his head. He can understand me now.I removed my dress and entered the bathroom. After I was done showering, I stepped out and wrapped my body with the towel. I re-entered my room and went to the closet. I stared at the sets of designer outfits and couldn't make out the one to choose from. "Hmm... I'll just go with this ballgown then," I mumbled as I pulled out the beaded purple ballgown. I wasted no time in wearing it before I removed the ribbon that held my hair in place. My hair cascaded down
..."Stay here. I'll be right back." He said and walked away. He saw Ellison from afar as she was looking all over the place. He tapped her back as she turned to him. She bowed before raising her head. "I'm sorry for being late sir. The traffic was an unforeseen event. It caused the delay but I hope I'm not too late?" she asked with a smile, blushing.Lorenzo shook his head. "You're not. The occasion is merely starting."She handed him the present. "Happy birthday, Mr. Cordero." Lorenzo took the gift with a smile. "Thanks Ellison. Let me introduce you to my wife." He said and held her hand. He took her to where l was standing and stopped. He let her go and touched my shoulder. I turned to know who it was. "Sweetheart, this is my secretary, Ellison." he turned to Ellison. "Meet my wife, Ellison. She goes by my name. A Mrs. Cordero." He said, proudly.Ellison kissed my cheeks. "Nice to meet you, ma'am." I smiled at her. "My pleasure Ellison. Thanks for coming."She nodded and tu
...Sophie, Sophie honey. I know you're mad at me but please, please come back to me. He prayed within. He stood up and ran to the hotel's security and demanded to access the CCTV. "You can go ahead and look through our hotel footage. You might see what you're looking for."Lorenzo nodded and checked it out. He saw three unfamiliar men walking out of the restroom and one of them had Sophie thrown across his shoulder. His anger was filled to the brim as he curled his fists to a tight ball, breathing heavily, before he knew it his fist had already collided with the man's jaw, releasing a strong blow. The poor guy grunted and winced at the sharp sting, wondering what the impulsive act was for."That's for not doing your damn job right," Lorenzo said as if he could read his mind. "And don't you go off telling people about this ordeal... yet."The man nodded as he ran out.He went off searching futilely at the premises and the parking lot but didn't find a trace of them. It was as if the
...Spike shattered the phone and wrapped his hand around my throat, tilting my head. "My gorgeous pet. Why did you do that? Who said you could interfere?" he said so calmly."Let go of me, Spike. I'm not your pet. I'm never gonna be your pet, you sociopath. You need to see a doctor."He tightened his grip for a few seconds before letting go. I coughed, my eyes watering."What did you just say?" He asked, fisting his hand.I cowered, shaking my head in instant denial for fear of repercussion but the cold asshole still did it anyway. Punching hard on my stomach. "Oh God!" I yelped, tossing and turning as I held my belly."Don't you curse at me, Sophie. I don't wanna hurt you. At least not yet but if you push me to the wall... I'll have no other option but to instill some manners in you. Am I understood?" He asked.I sniffled, nodding. "Crystal," I answered breathlessly."Good." He hauled me up, easing my back against the headboard. I couldn't maintain eye contact with those brown eye
...Twenty minutes earlier.Lorenzo had almost gotten Sophie's location when the line got disconnected. He gulped down his drink and exhaled. The call he had with Spike also didn't help matters but he was happy with one thing. He delayed the call long enough for his trackers to be able to pinpoint their location. Almost.Lorenzo went to his room, opened the drawer and brought out a pistol. He strapped it on his waistband and covered it with his jacket. He barged out of his room and went to where his trackers were working. He stopped and checked out the location. He knew there was no point in them continuing the tracking and dismissed them. He'll continue from where they stopped.Lorenzo was just about to leave when he saw his two friends coming out from the guest room. He stared at them and looked away. He wasn't thinking straight at the moment and wasn't in the mood for any kind of chit-chat. He flung the glass. He had been waiting patiently for them to leave for him to sneak out a
SOPHIE. I sat alone in my bedroom, staring out the window into the dark night sky. The room was dimly lit, with only the faint glow of a streetlamp shining through the window, casting a soft light over my face. I sat there for what felt like hours, lost in thought and staring up at the stars. Three days ago, my ex-boyfriend Parker had come to beg for forgiveness, but I couldn't bring myself to forgive him, not after he had cheated on me for the second time. The memory of catching him in the act was still fresh in my mind. I had come home early from work to surprise him, only to find him in bed with another woman. Turns out that he has a wife and a child that I never knew about, and he had been using me. Playing me. The betrayal was devastating, and I knew that our two-year relationship was officially over. I was left to raise our child on my own. Tears threatened to spill over as I thought about my current situation. I was 23 years old, pregnant and alone. The weight of my future
SOPHIE More than a year later….I walked into the production company, my heart heavy with uncertainty. I had been working in the R&B department for the past year, trying to save enough money to relocate to Holland and start a new life for myself and my son, Miguel. I had a special talent for discovering new talents and my boss, Alex, had recently promoted me to a supervisor position.But the time had come for me to leave and I wasn't sure how Alex would take the news. I also had another reason for relocating, to find my father who I had recently found out was alive and not dead like my mother had made me believe all these years.I found Alex sitting at his desk, staring at his computer screen with a frown. He didn't seem to notice me enter, so I waited patiently for him to finish his phone call. As I stood there, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness. Alex had been a good boss to me, always understanding and supportive of my situation.The office was dimly lit, with a few fluor