The following day5:00pmMariana glanced at herself in the mirror.The dress she wore was really mesmerising and expensive. It was a sequin, sexy gold evening bridesmaid V-neck long dress.A pair of crystal earrings dangled from her ears, the only pop of colour that was in loving contrast to her lips.She grabbed her purse and headed downstairs to meet Marcello, who was waiting for her.As she descended the stairs, a hungry look overtook Marcello's face as he took her in.She descended the stairs like a stunning angel coming down from heaven. Her exquisite shape was perfectly complemented by the beautiful gold evening gown that hugged her body in all the right places. She'd pulled back her hair into a ponytail, revealing her swan-like neck.Brown eyes. Fair skin. Red lips. A beautiful goddess, his wife."I'm ready." She said this as she got to his front.He didn't reply. He just kept staring at her, undressing her with his eyes."Stop staring at me like that." She flushed.His gaze me

"Oh, a joke? If it's that funny then I might need to hear it as well. I mean, we all came out to have some fun, didn't we?" Marcello said, with a stoic face.Leonardo shot a rash look at Mariana before saying, "You don't have to know about it.""Good." He returned. "I want to dance with my wife." He manoeuvred himself between them and pulled Leonardo off her with a little more force than necessary. Leonardo frowned."Go make some other woman laugh but not my wife." "Have a pleasant night," Leonardo finally said, smiling, then turned to walk away—a scowl replacing the smile on his face."What were you two talking about?" Marcello asked."Don't worry, Marcello. You don't need to know about it." Mariana snarled at him as she felt his warm palm gliding on her waist and then resting firmly on her back.Marcello gritted his teeth and tightened his hold on her until she gasped."Is that so?" He guided her across the dance floor. "I don't want to see you anywhere near Leonardo.""You sound j

Gabriella scoffed. "Do you want to deny it in front of everybody? Go ahead, try it!" "I'm not denying anything. But that doesn't mean Hannah is my daughter. I might've been high when we had sex, but I'm fully aware that I used protection." He chuckled dryly. "I can't even imagine fucking you without a condom." His skin crawled at the thought of fucking Gabriella without a condom. He'd rather stay for twenty years without having sex. Gabriella's face reddened in embarrassment. Why are any of her plans not working? "I'm speaking the truth." She whined. Mariana was confused, but she still had to stand behind her husband no matter what, and she wasn't going to let Gabriella have her way. "Enough, Gabriella!! Aren't you just shameless? You've chosen now to bring this up? And what if he slept with you? Weren't you ashamed to take advantage of a drunken man all because of your desperation to get him to sleep with you?" Mariana fumed, but she didn't lose her composure. "How dare..." Ma

Mariana sniffed. "That was a horrible experience for a child to go through but now, you're the strongest man that I know and you also have me.""I have no control of whatever comes next but that doesn't mean that I don't have to always be prepared. And with these challenges popping up, I may be away sometimes.""But we can make it work, right? You, me and our future?" She said, taking his hands and placing it on her stomach."Yes, we can make it work." He said and she held him, pulling him into her embrace. "Are you happy?"She nodded. "So happy. But not when you were telling me your story. It was so saddening.""I'm sorry for not saying anything to you when you told me about the pregnancy.""I don't care about that anymore, not right now. I know you won't let anything or anyone hurt us." She said, referring to the baby."I wouldn't let anyone hurt even a strand of your hair." He kissed her forehead, before getting up. "I'll be back before it gets dark.""By the way, before I leave—"

An Hour Later. "Get the sack off her head." Leonardo ordered one of his men. The sack was removed from her head and Mariana tried to adjust her eyes to the rays that emanated from the light bulb above her head. "Y–you?" Her eyes widened when she recognized the face of her kidnapper. It was the man from the gala. The man who introduced himself to be Leonardo. Why was he keeping her hostage? What does he want from her? He laughed, a cruel sound that sent shivers down her spine. "Yes, me. Did I surprise you?" Now, Mariana understood why Marcello had told her to stay away from Leonardo. "When Marcello finds me, just know you're a dead man…" She said through gritted teeth. Her chest heaving. Leonardo's eyes glazed over with a burning rage. He slapped her across her cheeks and it stung. "Who is the dead man now?" Mariana really didn't see that coming until his palm landed on her cheek. The sting on her cheek caused tears to well up in her eyes. "Answer me! Who–" he was cut off a