Rodrigo's pov This wasn't my room, and it was too girly. The wallpaper was off, and I'd never chosen this bright yellow color for myself. I sat up and immediately regretted it. My head swam, but still, I looked around the room, clenching my fists to take a quick swing at anyone who was about to take a strike at me.As it turned out, there was only the sleeping figure of Tanya beside me. Well, she was sleeping until she opened her eyes, and I realized she was wide awake."Rodrigo," she began.Ignoring the dull ache in my head, I swung my legs off the bed. "What am I doing here?"I didn't recall coming in here at all, so she'd better have a good explanation for that cos I wasn't feeling very patient now."You... you walked in here last night. You were drunk," she said, sitting up too."Damn it," I thought, pausing. I usually kept myself locked up in my room whenever I felt the need to indulge, so why was last night different?I glanced at her, hating that she had seen me drunk. I proba
TANYA’S POV I watched the smug look spread across Rodrigo's face with a frown. Usually, I wouldn't mind him getting the title he'd always wanted, which got me in this position in the first place. But it was getting more challenging to feel happy about anything he did lately. With his behavior and all, I was starting to hate him. I felt like the morning after he told me about his mother didn't have a good closure, and he didn't even attempt to speak to me after that. Back to our usual routine of only speaking when it was necessary. I was tired of this routine. How could he go back to ignoring me after telling me something so personal? Was he that cold? I watched as he moved away from Fabio to mount the podium. Fabio was an entirely different case. He had a bitter look, and then he glanced at me. I quickly looked away, not wanting him to know I was staring. I couldn't decide how I felt towards him after our last meeting. I always thought he was the more excellent version of
TANYA’S POVI swiped my lock screen up, contemplating calling my father. When he sent me to that bar, it was not to make some stupid deal with a ruthless man. This marriage to Rodrigo was not a part of the agreement, noI was done with this nonsense.True, I had no choice when I agreed to this fake marriage, but I had a choice now to either leave or stay. And leaving would mean he might set out to look for me and kill me.Hopefully, my father would have a way to hide me until everything dies down.The thought itself was silly. How could my father, who sold me off, be willing to protect me, much less break some protocols to make sure Rodrigo doesn't find me?Just thinking that way was enough to dwindle the little hope I felt. But I pursed my lips, a resolve forming. I always thought I got myself into this mess, but in truth, my father did. If he didn't sell me off, I would be a free woman by now.I'd paid enough for his mistakes now; it was time for him to repay me by getting me out of
RODRIGO’S POVI walked between the men arranged in rows before me, nodding at the uniform formation. They were trained always to be alert, just like they were when I stepped into this room. They had assembled quickly, no slackers at all. With this kind of team, I was sure that the new goals I was putting forward would actually be possible. "My father was unable to get the complete payment of the loan we gave to the Albans." I continued with a frown on my face. Everyone knew the story of the Albans, a company that was trying to regain lost ground after a legal tussle. They needed capital, and my father provided that for them, and he kept doing so till the money piled up much more than they could repay at the arranged time. I didn't know for sure the reason why my father didn't put much heart into getting that money back from them, but I had a feeling it had to do with the Albans' first daughter and my father's own emotions. Things I didn't particularly appreciate because they made h
TANYA’S POV I retreated from my hiding place, where I could watch and hear what was going on in the doorway of Rodrigo's room. From what I heard, it was the same thing already going haywire. Earlier, I was able to sneak in closer so that I could hear what he was telling his men. It's something about getting some debt from a company called The Albums. I didn't think that was important; hell, I didn't even know who those people were. I would have stayed there hoping to hear snippets of a more relevant announcement, but then Antonio started walking towards where I was hiding. Even though I had seen him in time and could scramble away, it was a miracle that he didn't see me. The Antonio I knew would notice every slight detail. Anyone who works under Rodrigo would. Luckily, he didn't see where I went to my hiding place. I guessed a lot was on his mind, and judging from his pacing before the door, I was right. Because of his presence, I was subjected to waiting for an indefi
RODRIGO’S POV Her eyes widened, and I felt my frown go deeper. Further confirmation that there was something she was hiding. On my way out with Antonio, I changed my mind and returned to speak to Tanya. It had been a while since I did that, and I was not too fond of it. Thinking of how I spoke to her the last time we said it didn't make me that happy. Sure, I didn't know she was supposed to talk to me much, for my good and hers, but I didn't want her to wallow in self-loathing either. I was trying not to get too comfortable around her, but I didn't want to hurt her either. I was already at the end of this hallway, about to ask some servants if they had seen her, when I saw her walking out. She looked troubled, not to mention the fact that she was coming from the direction of where I was addressing my men. I will see to that later. For now, I just wanted to know what put such a desperate look on her face. I was the only one allowed to do that, so seeing that someone el
TANYA’S POV I didn't want to let go. I wanted to stay in his embrace forever. He was so solid, like the one stable thing I needed to hold on to, or else I would fall. But then his phone had to ring, and he had to accept the call. Now, he was standing a few steps away, speaking to Antonio. I couldn't hear what he was saying in his calm tone, but I hoped it was nothing serious. I really didn't care about what he was discussing with Antonio. I vaguely remembered that I was supposed to be eavesdropping on every conversation Rodrigo engaged in, but I didn't have the will anymore. All I wanted was for him to hang up that cell and get back to kissing me. I wanted to feel that safety I'd always craved from him. It felt like this was a different Rodrigo. I would have concluded that he was Fabio, but for his voice, that was unmistakably Rodrigo's. Maybe something happened to make him realize that I was hurting. Perhaps he regretted being harsh to me. Something happened; I had no
RODRIGO’S POV I wondered what Antonio was talking about through the drive to my father's mansion. His words on the phone kept coming to me, but they didn't make any more sense the more I thought about them. "I've tried the keys," Antonio had said. "They won't open the door. We need your help." What was I supposed to do? Break the door down? But that wasn't what troubled me more. I was sure I gave him the right keys, so his report was really far-fetched. Maybe he was making a mistake, or he didn't try hard enough. Either way, I had to see things for myself. My mind drifted back to Tanya. She'd probably still be where I left her. I wished Antonio hadn't interrupted us, but there was nothing I could change about that. As much as I would have liked to stay with her, there was always something more important to do. I shook my head, trying to arrange my thoughts. I shouldn't be thinking so much about her. That wasn't nice for both of us. How was I supposed to keep her from