Camila's protests died on her lips as Antonio's hands found their mark, his fingers expertly finding the places that made her shiver and made her forget all about alarms and meetings. Her "no, no, no" dissolved into a breathless moan as he leaned in against her neck. The fight simply evaporated.It was always like this with Antonio – his mischief, his touch, the way he just knew what would make her melt. One minute she was all professional resolve; the next, she was a happy tangle of limbs again, just like earlier, lost in the rhythm of his body against hers, the scent of him, the intoxicating heat."One more round" had turned into several.The alarm clock was silent now, probably having screamed itself hoarse and given up. Camila lay tangled in the sheets, Antonio's arm heavy around her waist, his head still nestled comfortably against her breast. A soft, satisfied sigh escaped her. She stretched a bit, feeling the ache in her muscles.She glanced at the clock on his bedside table: 7
Camila was a happy tangle of limbs with Antonio in bed, lost in that post-sex haze. His soft breathing filled the quiet space, his head resting right in her cleavage, his cheek against her skin. He always did this after each round, using her breast as a pillow. It was weird but cute. Now, staring at his sleepy face, she couldn't ignore how adorable he looked sleeping like a baby with no care in the world.She brushed his hair back, real slow at first, but then just ended up stroking his head.How could someone be so greedy? Like, totally lost in the moment, completely forgetting about the mountain of reports, calls, and work waiting sharp at 8 AM? She wiggled a bit, snuggling closer, feeling his hip tucked against hers. It's not like she didn't have fun. Every touch, every kiss, every breathless second was awesome. But as the early morning hours just kept slipping away, her brain, always the practical one, started adding up the cost. Not money-wise, but in lost sleep and the total scr
Jose and Julie just kept at it, sharp words flying back and forth. Jose's jaw was clenched, spitting out every syllable like it was a tiny, painful jab. Julie, though, was really losing it, her voice getting higher and higher. She even lunged a bit, not exactly at him, but as if the pure force of her anger could somehow make him take back what he'd said.Then, clatter!Diane's crutches hit the floor. Both Jose and Julie froze, heads snapping over to the sound. Diane didn't say a word. She hopped a few shaky steps, picked up the crutches, steadied herself, found her balance, and then, with this weird, quiet determination, she started to drag herself away from the couch. She moved right between both of them.Their eyes, totally fixed, followed her. She didn't even look at them, didn't make a sound. Her gaze was just straight ahead, like she was looking at something way past the messy living room as she headed for her bedroom."Diane—""Nope, don't even explain." Diane snapped, cutting J
Jose and Julie had spun around, but Diane just stayed put, her crutches clutched tight in her hand. Her eyes were glued to her parents, wide and fixed, like a five-year-old watching her folks fight for the very first time. Was this what the disability did to her, making her seem so fragile, so helpless, so weak?"And why are you here?" Julie was the first to speak, her voice sounding like a knife's edge. "I don't remember letting you in."Camila chuckled. "Relax, I'm not the reason you two are going at it, so ditch that tone." She smiled, her voice calm even though she knew she was adding fuel to the fire right now. She caught bits and pieces of the argument, enough to know it was heavy, but she couldn't just jump to conclusions. Was Jose seriously kicking Julie out? Whoa. That was not what she expected from these two, who always seemed glued at the hip. What could possibly be the root of this blowout? It was something Camila absolutely wanted to find out.Jose, still poker-faced, fin
It's been exactly a week since Jose's abrupt, "Gotta go. We'll pick this up later, alright," and the line went dead. And since then, nothing. No texts, no calls. Even when Camila called, it went straight to voicemail every single time. And Cole? Since then, he didn't really say much. He didn't even bother to check in, aside from one quick call asking if Jose was reachable. Camila has even thought about just throwing in the towel, closing the whole case. It feels like a losing battle, right? Even if she hated to admit it. Maybe if she hadn't even tried to fight for her inheritance, maybe Jose wouldn't have flipped out or bothered to drop the adoption bomb. Now, she's standing in front of Julie's home, on the porch, about to knock. It's 7 AM. Yeah, early, but this is the surefire time to catch those two busy bees before they buzz off to their respective morning routines. Camila figures if she wants some real talk, maybe some closure, and definitely someone to just vent to about all
"Oh, sorry, what did you say?" Jose finally responded, sounding a bit distracted.Cole snapped, "Are you serious right now?""I don't mind repeating what I said just now," Camila chimed in."Look, it's not like I wanted to hide it from you two. Julie forced my hand, honestly. She was relentless. I just... I couldn't keep this under wraps anymore. Julie... she's always been hounding your parents about their money, like a leech sucking them dry. She's the eldest, technically, but your father got most of the wealth. So, they made a deal. She gets most of the assets, the properties, the liquid cash—""Wait, wait, wait, let me get this straight," Camila cut him off. "Despite being adopted into this family when we were practically babies, growing up here, being their children... we have no right to their inheritance? That's what you're trying to say?""I wasn't done, missy. Your parents didn't completely desert you. Cole got the company. As for you, Camila... there's something you should ha