Ivan I must have woken up from the wrong side of the bed, but something didn’t feel right. That damn gut feeling that something would happen today. I couldn't just kick off that irking feeling no matter how hard I tried. “Are you ready?” Cristiano asked, pulling me closer by the waist. “Why do you look stressed?” He mumbled in concern, tilting my chin up. I breathed out, shaking the thoughts from my mind. “Nothing,” I said dismissively, taking a step back. “It’s my first time in your family's house. I don’t know how they would take me.” I replied briefly, giving him a half-truth. His parents were the least of my problems. They couldn’t be worse than mine nor could they hurt me around their son. “You’ll be fine.” He gave me a reassuring smile, draping his arms around my shoulder as he pulled me out. He put me in the front seat of his car, caressing the back of my hair with a smile playing on his lips.“I could never let anyone hurt you, Tesoro.” He whispered, crossing the seatbelt
Ivan “You’re home.” I beamed with a drowsy smile staring at Tiana’s face. He nodded, tugging my hair behind my ear with a smile that didn’t meet his eyes. His mood wasn’t great.“Did something happen?” I muttered in curiosity, sitting up from the bed, “With Lorenzo?” I clarified, arching a brow. He rolled his eyes back, retracting his hands. If I thought he wasn’t happy, he looked far worse after I mentioned Lorenzo’s name. “Go to bed.” He dismissed, getting up from the bed. I scoffed, pulling his arms to keep him still. He glanced at me, his jaw clenching in anger. “Let go.” He commanded, but I shook my head stubbornly. He doesn’t get to chose what to tell me. It must be my toxic trait, but I preferred aggressive him than the redundant man who was scared of fucking me too hard because he doesn’t want to hurt me. “What did he do?” I questioned, tightening my grip on his wrist. “Did you kill him?” I pestered with my eyes popping wide. “Why? Would you hate me if I did?” He shot bac
Cristiano “This isn’t the way to the Giovannis, boss,” Lorenzo announced, glancing through the window. I hummed in response, gripping the wheels. My meeting with them could always wait, but I couldn’t let the damn traitor out of my sight even for a second.“Was there been a change in plans?” He asked curiously. I nodded, choosing to ignore his existence till I got to the main house. There was no way I would sit still, and let him roam around after finding out his involvement in everything that happened the past month. He was partly why our company was crumbling slowly with little to nothing supporting it. We may be wealthy, but we were just like others who would face a major financial crisis if a source of income were cut off. “Remind me how old you were when you came to this family?” I asked, my eyes glued to the road. “Was it thirteen or fifteen?” I glanced at him, arching a brow.“Fourteen.” He clarified. “Is there a problem, boss?” He pressed further, the uneasiness reflecting i
CarlosMy eyes twitched as I stared at Ivan in a silky robe, his smile radiating warmth. His eyes were stuck on his phone, his hair was messy, and a little drippy. I found myself smiling as I trailed behind the guard who led me inside. “Mr Hernandez.” The guard called his attention, and he jumped in shock, his eyes wide as he raised his head up. I laughed at his reaction, waving the guard off, but he didn’t react. I gritted my teeth, reminding myself that he didn’t answer to me. “Carlos?” Ivan broke the silence, his eyes squinting. I gave him a half lopsided smile, sitting next to him. My eyes followed the subtle movements he made to create distance between us. He waved the guard who he spun on his heels, exiting the building.“Have we come to this?” I blurted out, unable to hide the disdain in my eyes. “Am I some contagious disease you need to avoid?” I added, my eyes hardening as I stared at the space between us. That bastard was to blame for everything happening right now, but ti
Cristiano “This contains all the information on Luca,” Lorenzo announced, handing me a file. I lowered my gaze to the document, my lips curling into a smile. “Took you long enough,” I remarked, the accusatory voice dripping in my voice. He gulped nervously as I snatched the folder in his hand, his eyes looking everywhere else but at me. I smiled, taking out the pictures and papers inside the file and as expected, it was the same as the private investigator’s. Coincidence? No, they were working together to make Luca the bad guy. “What’s this?” I asked, my brow furrowed together as I pretended to be stunned by the proof he showed me. “Are you saying Luca is working with the Martinis?” I pressed, throwing the file on the table angrily. “Of course not!” He defended, raising his hand in defense as I shot him a glare, “I gave you details of his whereabouts.” He explained with a nervous smile. What were the odds that he was speaking the truth? After the betrayals I’ve seen in the past,
Ivan “You look pale,” Cristiano commented, reaching for my hand. I scoffed, hitting his hand and resting my head on the window. He let out a deep breath, before asking. “What did he do to you, Tesoro?” He seemed genuinely curious about my relationship with my grandfather and why I appeared to be scared of him. “Don’t you always know everything?” I asked sarcastically, a bitter smile etched on my lips as the memories of years back flooded into my head. There was a reason why my dad sent him to another border and was only allowed to visit. The year I’d officially become a Hernandez was one of the most memorable moments of my life and not in a good way. My grandpa would use knives, forks, or any other sharp object he could lay his hands on. He said it wasn’t hatred, but love. But how do you emotionally and physically abuse a person all in the name of love? I didn’t know why he hated me when he was an illegitimate son, but I did know he was on Mia’s side. As to why he didn’t break the