LOGINALEXANDROI was about to head out to check the unloaded shipment when my phone suddenly rang. Glancing at the screen, I saw Karylle’s name and number."Hi," I answered when I picked up."Привет, малыш. Как ты? Я так сильно по тебе скучала!"(Transliteration: Privet, malysh. Kak ty? Ya tak sil'no po tebe skuchala!)(Meaning: Hey, baby. How are you? I've missed you so much!)I took a deep breath and didn’t dwell on what my fiancée said.Yes, Karylle is my fiancée. I decided to marry her because I was so lonely, and I wanted to give my daughter a new mother.But Kai doesn’t like her."You’ve been gone for over a month, and this is the first time you’re calling just to say you miss me?" I asked dryly. Karylle laughed, as if I was just joking."Baby, are you mad at me? You know how busy I am with the underground business. You can come visit me here if you want—""We’ll talk when you come home. I’m swamped right now," I cut her off."But baby—" she tried to explain, but I’d already ended th
ISABELI stared blankly ahead, my mind tangled with worries about how to ask sir Alex for such a huge sum of money. Every possible scenario played through my head, heavier than the last.“Nanny Isabel, why do you look so sad?” Kai asked suddenly. I only then noticed both father and daughter watching me.Flustered, I looked down and forced a smile. “I-It’s nothing,” I replied quietly."Are you sure? Because you look—""T-This is nothing, really..." I answered her quickly, trying to giver her a bitter smile “Are you certain?” sir Alex pressed. Although I wanted to ask him right now, but I just nodded slowly in answer.He kept his gaze fixed on me, intense and unreadable, until I finally turned away and walked off.I can't!I don't even know if he'll help me.The pressure felt heavier than ever.I SPENT MINUTES pacing and thinking of what to say. I walked back in forth in the kitchen, until I spotted him walking out of the mansion. I hurried to catch up.“S-Sir Alex,” I called out his n
ALEXANDROI barely slept for seven straight days, wondering what the DNA test results would show.Today was the day I would finally know the truth.“Here it is, Boss,” my man said as he handed me a sealed envelope. I took it quickly, rising from my chair as I tore it open.I pulled out the paper and read the words slowly.Probability of Maternity: 0%I swallowed hard as the truth sank in, sinking back into my seat. My hope had crumbled all over again.Isabel was not Kai’s mother.Which meant.... Isabel was not Emily.I let out a long, heavy breath. I should feel relieved. If I would never find Emily and if she really was gone forever—then Isabel was here. She could fill every empty space my wife had left behind.THE REST OF THE DAY passed in a blur of meetings at the company and dealings in the underground syndicate, until I finally returned to the mansion. I was about to head upstairs when I spotted Kai and her nanny by the poolside, talking and laughing together.I walked slowly, wa
ISABEL I stood with the other maids, chefs, and bodyguards along the edge of the dining area, watching the father and daughter as they ate. My heart felt light seeing Kai no longer afraid to speak to her dad. “You know what, Dad? I got a perfect score on my quiz earlier! I answered all the recitation questions too, so look, they gave me a star stamp!” Kai told him proudly, showing the mark on her hand. “That’s wonderful, Kai. I’m very proud of you,” sir Alex replied with a soft smile. Even while he cut his steak carefully, his full attention stayed on his daughter. “Thanks, Dad!” Kai beamed, then her voice turned gentle and quiet. “And..... I also want to say sorry, Dad.... a-and to you too, Nanny Isabel.” I tilted my head a little in surprise. Both of them turned to look at me. Kai gave me a sweet smile, while sir Alex’s gaze lingered on me for a moment longer. “I’m sorry for dumping paint all over you that day,” Kai said to me. “U-Uhmm..... that’s all in the past now.
ALEXANDRO “Are you f*cking serious, Xandro?” Steven asked me in disbelief as I showed him Isabel’s photograph. “Could she actually be your wife?” “Impossible. I ordered my men to dig deeper into Isabel’s background, and they confirmed she is the biological daughter of her parents,” I replied. “But it still doesn’t make sense that Kai’s nanny looks exactly like Emily, does it?” Steven said, stepping closer to face me. “You never saw Emily’s body after the accident, Xandro. That means.... there is a chance she could still be alive after all these years.” “I refuse to get my hopes up that my wife is still alive, Steven!” I snapped, annoyed. “You don’t have to hope, you just need to know the truth. For now, the smart thing to do is find out for sure if Emily is alive or not. Why not have the nanny take a DNA test to your daughter, Kai?” I paused, his suggestion catching my full attention. Slowly I turned to look at him, and saw him grinning widely, raising his eyebrows in a knowing w
ISABELI was tidying up Kai’s room, but my mind kept going back to what happened between sir Alex and me earlier. My heart had been racing non‑stop from fear.//-FLASHBACK-//“You are not going anywhere from now on, Ms. Ramirez. You work for me now.... and I am not just some wealthy businessman. I am a billionaire.... and the head of a powerful mafia.”I swallowed hard. I couldn’t even bring myself to look him in the eye. My whole body felt heavy with fear just standing near him.“M‑Mafia? D‑Does that mean..... you are a bad person, sir Alex?” I managed to ask.He stayed silent for a moment, then smirked and slowly stepped back, giving me space again.“If I told you no, would you believe me?” he asked back. I fell quiet, thinking hard what I could possibly answer.“I‑I honestly don’t know....” was all I could say.Everything I knew about the mafia said they were cruel, greedy, and heartless. It seemed impossible sir Alex belonged to such a world because he seemed reasonable, and even







