With tiny hands firmly grabbing onto his nanny Naëlle's arm, Xavier held on to her sleeve. He hadn't let go since they left the country home where he had been hiding the last few years. The boy's wide blue eyes shone with unanswered questions, questions the woman with him was unable to address. Burke sat at the front, hands on his knees. Beneath his controlled behavior, his thoughts went wild. He had often seen Xavier over the past years, striving to keep a thread of familiarity between the youngster and the family he had been parted from. But this—bringing him home, back to a house he had never visited and a family with old memories... “We’re almost there,” Burke murmured, eyes still fixed on the horizon. Behind them, the nanny gave Xavier a soft squeeze. “Remember what I told you, mon chou? Mommy and Daddy missed you so very much.”Xavier didn’t reply. He just nodded and turned to stare out the window.Coming into sight was the estate. 'Welcome Home, Xavier!' balloons were swayin
Silvia sat down, running her fingers over the picture of Xavier, their first son who was still staying with his nanny because of the tension between her and her husband when Ralph had lost his memory. Ralph didn't want him then, and she also didn't want him around until it was absolutely safe for him to be brought back.Staring at his picture now made her feel a wave of guilt. Was she a terrible mother for doing what she did? She couldn't help but feel like she was the cruelest woman that had ever lived.He would be seven in December; his birthday normally fell on The Royal Association anniversary. Maybe that was the reason Ralph didn't really care when he was ill. When he got better, though, both of them had constantly kept in touch with the nanny. The constant threats to their lives had pushed them to make the tough decision of keeping him away, ultimately for his safety.That was not enough, though. She felt like a stone should be fastened to her neck at this rate. Damn it! How cou
Marco sat on the sofa on the balcony looking at up the sky. Eyes dark, jaw tight. Becca had been dodging him for days now, ever since Laurent had that little chat with her. Sure, this place was huge. Plenty of rooms to disappear into. But they were all locked on the same damn floor, so what was the point? She couldn't continue this forever. Every meal was the same rubbish. She'd sit there, avoiding his eyes and purposefully ignoring him, staring at her plate intently. He pondered whether to go meet her now that Laurent wasn't around or he should hold his peace. Laurent was out doing whatever the hell Laurent did all day. Marco could go find her right now. Hash this out. Or he could sit here like an idiot, letting it eat at him.His chest felt tight. God, he was pathetic. Falling for someone who'd never look at him the way he wanted. Someone who was probably laughing at him behind his back. But the matter of the heart can not be dictated, although controlled.Nothing was going accord
A few months laterSilvia sat on the two-seater couch with Ralph while Celia stood beside them, the two of them staring at the chef Ralph had brought like a horn had suddenly sprouted on his head the moment he walked into the house.Celia was definitely drooling because she had never seen a hot chef with broad shoulders, pink lips, well-shaped lips—the kind you wouldn't want to let go of once you claimed them—and a sharp jaw. She had only seen handsome chefs in movies, not even when she went to culinary school. She scoffed at the thought.Her eyes traveled to his hands. There was no way those hands had ever held a knife in their entire existence. They were too smooth and soft to have gone through that kind of stress.Celia came back to reality when Silvia pinched her thigh. She glared at her for ruining her imagination.How sure were they that he was even qualified as a chef? Did Ralph hire him because of his looks? Why throw away money when she could definitely be his wife's nutritio
Ralph woke up beside Silvia, staring at her in admiration. This same woman who had gone through so much for him still managed to give him the most precious gift after her recovery. She was just so full of surprises. Nothing was capable of holding her down from giving him a perfect life.He caressed her hair, pushing back the strand that had slipped over her cheek. "Beautiful," he said in awe. Her hair spread out against the pillow as he ran his hand along her shoulder. He could still smell the soft scents of her vanilla and gardenia musk.He traced her stomach, which carried another child of his.Listening to the cadence of her breaths, he realized the sun had already risen, and the birds could not possibly have sung more beautifully today-or maybe it was just that it was the first time he had really listened.He had always been too busy to listen to how sonorous their voices were, even without understanding what they were saying. God did create, and it was certainly true that he made
Celia stood by the counter watching her phone ring for the fifth time, and it looked like Laurent would not give up until she either answered the call or turned off her phone. The scene in his car flooded her mind, making her stomach flutter. It was clearly sinful to have such thoughts towards her ex-boss, and now that the deal with the cousin lies was over, there was nothing for them to meet for.She eventually picked up the call. "Hey Celia, how are you doing? I was wondering what was keeping you busy from answering your call on time," Laurent's deep, crackly voice rang out of the phone.She frowned. The last time she had checked, they weren't that close on personal matters. It was the same night that Ralph had told her he wouldn't be back home until tomorrow. He had gone to be with Silvia, and Tina had been nowhere to be found since the incident.After that night, nothing seemed to add up in the house, especially Tina's disappearance, which made them believe that she had been an ac