"Momma, what is marriage?"
"Marriage is uniting two people who love each other into a family." "Has you ever been married?" Ace asked innocently. I opened my mouth, wondering what to answer. But then I decided to be honest with him. "Yes. I was married. That's why you exist." I lightly pinched his full cheeks. His blue eyes looked up at me. "Momma married Poppa?" he tilted his head, his expression thoughtful. "But why didn't I ever meet Poppa?" it was a tricky question for a four-year-old. But I knew Ace was a bit more advanced than other kids his age. "I told you that Poppa is at work." I said. "To buy you lots of toys and cars, and bring a lot of mony so you can pay your debt to Princess Belle." Princess Belle was the nickname he gave to my sister. Ace blinked his eyes a few times and then gave a slight nod, his eyes sparkling. "I will buy a lot of cars later. Colourful cars!" He exclaimed enthusiastically. "Why hasn't poppa seen me yet, Momma? I want a car!" I raised an eyebrow and then chuckled softly. "You have to be patient, boy." I said. "Poppa is looking for a lot of money to buy you a lot of cars!" His lower lip came forward, and he gave a slight nod. "Alright, I needs to be patient." "Smart, kiddo." I cupped his little face and pecked his cheek a few times. The bedroom door opened, revealing Vito, my cousin who would take us to church. "Uncle!" Ace called out as he ran. He reached out for a handhold, and Vito did it immediately. "Hey, Kiddo. You're so handsome." Vito complimented me while I hung Ace's towel on the hanger. "Of course, Uncle. I have to be the most handsome boy for Auntie's wedding!" he replied enthusiastically. "You intend to beat me, huh? You won't be able to do it." "He can. He already beat you." I replied with a laugh. Vito rolled his eyes. "I almost forgot who else's blood was in his body," I snorted. "But your nature and Ace's father's nature are the same. I pray Ace's nature isn't like his." I retorted with annoyance. "What am I like, Momma?" I smiled. "You are a cute and cuddly baby Momma, kind and smart." "So, uncle Vito is not nice?" "You are right, he's far from nice." I replied jokingly. Vito just chuckled as we walked out of the bedroom. I picked up my bag. I looked at my reflection in the body mirror next to the bathroom. I was ready in a dark blue midi dress that covered my body up to my knees with an A-line model, my shoulder-length hair was down, and I had put on natural and not-too-flashy make-up. Hiring a make-up artist would add an unnecessary budget. After all, my make-up skills are decent, although still far from those of a make-up artist, but at least I am not embarrassed. Elizabeth was already getting ready. She was no less beautiful because I also told her to dress up. She stood up as we came out. "Are we leaving now?" I nodded. "I want to walk!" Ace struggled to get down, and Vito put him down immediately. He walked to the door first, along with Elizabeth, while Vito and I followed behind them. "Regina told me that your ex-husband was invited." I nodded with a heavy sigh. "Sadly." "Nothing will happen. I'll punch him if he dares come an inch closer to you." Vito's words sounded like he meant them, which touched me. "He can't possibly do that, Vito." I chuckled as we exited the hotel room. "He wouldn't do that to me, but he might do it when he sees Ace. That is, if hee cares, though." I sighed. "I'll just watch out for Ace. I don't want him to find out about Ace." I continued. "I'll protect him. You don't have to worry." ____ I sat on a long chair with my parents, aunt, and uncle as the vows began to be said. Inevitably, it made memories that I didn't want to remember surface on their own. On the one hand, it was bitter because the man who became my husband didn't want me and didn't love me, so the vows went stiff and flat, but on the other hand, for me it was sweet because I married the man I loved. And now I don't understand my own feelings about it because that sacred vow got me through the painful, bitter days that led to divorce, yet it also brought Ace into the midst of my dark life. He came like a blessing and grace that brightened my entire life. At that point, I decided that my life was not for myself anymore but for the handsome little boy who graced my life. I was determined to make him happy and give him the world. No one else, just me, and I had closed all access to anyone. Right now, my little boy was in the lap of his other uncle, Max. Even though Max always looked tough, he loved children. Max held him while whispering to Ace. Who knows what he said that made Ace laugh. I looked back when the wedding vows were made. We all stood up and applauded when Bahms pulled Regina in for a kiss. My eyes filled with tears because I was happy for them. Two hours later, I sat at the round table eating lunch. Ace was next to me, eating his lunch, and then Max was on the other side. We were accompanied by Elizabeth, Vito and Belle, who also ate lunch while talking. I took a small hairpin to fasten Ace's bangs that fell forward causing him trouble as his eyes were covered by his bangs. "He looks a lot like Sebastian," Max said in his typical flat voice. "He's his father." I replied. "I don't know if I should be grateful or not," Max snorted. "You should be, but if there's no him then there's no Ace..." "Yeah, I don't know how to explain it but I'm thankful about Ace's existence." I replied. "By the way you're already fit to carry your own child." Max rolled his eyes. "Don't let my mom hear. She'll be inspired." "Why not? You're at a mature age to get married. Is there no one you like or are all women too low for your taste?" I sarcastically asked. He just chuckled. "For someone whose marriage failed, you're pretty brave," I grimaced at his sarcasm. "Yeah, sorry about that. Looks like I really forgot to look in the mirror," He snorted in exasperation. "But I didn't mean to attack you, I just wanted to ask." I shrugged. "Because I've never seen you with a woman, or... are you gay?" "I still like women. Absolutely adore women," he replied. "So?" "I just don't want to do it." He shrugged. "I'm already comfortable being alone." "Yeah, it's your life. Whatever you want to do." "Regina said Sebastian is coming over tonight. What about that?" he asked suddenly. "I'll be home later in the afternoon." "Tonight is the highlight of the event, Bella. You can't go." "I told Regina I could go," I squinted at him. "She understands that." "But your grandma is stubborn about keeping you here." I frowned. "Well, she hasn't told me anything." "Not yet." "She will understand." "Granpa won't." Yeah, and I'm sure that Grandpa would be happy to welcome my ex-husband. There's no denying what would have happened if I were still here. And then... was... was Killian's guess right? That, somehow, he had told the Sanchez family about Ace? My heart was racing. Even though Grandma told me that she told Grandpa not to say anything to the Sanchez family about Ace... still... Now Killian's words were haunting me. He was right. My grandpa was the greediest man in the world. There was nothing anyone could do to block his path to power, and he could have already told Sanchez's. Oh god. "Do you think grandpa told them about Ace?" Max shook his head. "You may know grandpa as a cruel man, but no... he didn't." "How can your sure about that? It could have been-" "He was a jerk but he wouldn't break his promise." Cut him. He was watching me with a frown on his forehead. "You haven't met him while you've been here?" I shook my head. "I haven't and I won't." "Go see him. You'll be surprised about his change." "Doubtfull." "Debatable." Max's reply was short. I couldn't reply to anything about that and chose not to think about anything else. But Grandma came over along with Regina, who embraced her hand. "I'll get your food," Regina said before letting our grandma sit beside me. "What are you eating, my dear?" she asked Ace, still stuffing cream of chicken soup into his mouth. "Soup cream. My favorite." Ace replied. "Did your Momma make it?" Ace nodded. "Momma is the best chef." I pulled a smile and ruffled his hair before turning to Grandma. "I'm going back to the hotel." "The main event is in the evening, I want all my family here." "You don't understand." "Your ex-husband is coming, I already understand." She replying like that was lighthearted. "If you're afraid he'll find Ace, you don't have to. Ace can be with his nanny or someone." "I can't stay away from Ace." My thumb pressed against my temple as my head throbbed. "Just for a little while. You can go after the cake cutting." She said. "And why do you insist?" My grandma sighed, and closed her eyes briefly. "The President's family is coming, and he wants to see you." My head was like an intricate rope now, the wrinkles on my forehead deepening. "And why?" "Because his son likes you, and he wants you to get to know each other." An incredulous laugh escaped my mouth. "I can't believe this." "Grandpa wants you to stay here." "Oh, I see." I said. "He plans to use me again as a tool of his power. This time it's the President's son." I was well aware that our extended family wasn't of ordinary means, but even so, my father had never really drawn a penny from their business empire. He'd always been on his own since he'd been the only dissident son to marry my mother, who wasn't of the same family. But now, lo and behold, I, the child of a son he didn't like, became a tool for him to achieve his glorious power, once with Sanchez and now with the Italian President's family. "Does he know that I'm a widow and have a son?" I continued. Grandma sighed. "You just need to get to know each other. I won't let it go any further." "And what if I don't want to?" "I'll tell Sebastian Sanchez about your son. How about that?" The cold voice from behind me startled me. So did everyone else at the table. Everyone stared at the man behind me. I closed my eyes. Frustration ruled my head, and I looked at Ace who was staring at us innocently. I was trapped. Again.Night had fallen, and I had replaced my previous dress with a black, leg-length, tight halter-style neckline. Ace was already asleep after my mom and I struggled to get him to sleep. He was cranky from being in a foreign country and whined about going home. I had to give him extra effort and do everything I could to get him to stop whining and sleep. Now that he was fast asleep, I rubbed his hair and face, which looked peaceful.Now, I'm really amazed about his resemblance to his father.In their sleep, it was apparent. Ace is like a clone of Sebastian. And it makes my heart ache.If things were different, I would... I would what? I don't know.I sighed softly and chased away all my evil thoughts to avoid messing up. Now, I had to do what my grandpa told me to do, or he would carry out his terrible threat. If only I had power, I would just protect Ace from him, but right now, I don't even have anything, so the weapon to protect him from Sanchez is to do whatever he wants. That's wise.
"Hey, where have you been?" Belle greeted me first after I walked into my hotel room. Her mouth dropped open when she looked me up and down and then she shook her head again. "You-"I brushed past her and entered the bedroom, saying, "The flies will come in if you don't shut your mouth." I cut her off and looked into Ace's room, but he wasn't there. I turned to Belle, who had her mouth shut but was blinking rapidly. "Where's Ace?""He went with Vito and Max to the mall. They're going to buy him ice cream." She replied. "Seriously, where have you been? You didn't come home last night, and now you come in your party clothes from last night, and without your shoes." She chuckled. "What have you become? Cinderella?""Is Ace whining? Is he crying?" I changed the subject.Belle shook her head. "He didn't. He was just looking for you and when I said you were still taking care of things, he asked for ice cream.""He had breakfast?""Mom made it," she replied. "Stop changing the subject. Answ
"It's not good," Belle, sitting on the bed beside me, shook her head as she stared at her phone, a pen between her left fingers, and a paper in front of us with our cafe's revenue calculations. In front of us was a laptop lit up, showing our website, which was empty of visitors.I sighed, my head throbbing as I leaned against the headboard. "Yeah, I think we're going bankrupt."My sister disagreed. "Don't be such a pessimist." She said. "We have some things to fix and add." She tilted her head, thinking hard. "We can look for trending coffee flavors and modify them."' Joy, 'The café we built together was still busy, but not like the last or two week after another trend-setting café opened up a few blocks from our kafe. Plus, they seem to have come up with some interesting menus because it's only been two weeks since they've almost won over my loyal customers.I don't blame them. Maybe it's just because we're not up to date with current coffee trends. This wasn't a one-off, and normal
I spent some time meeting some people from my college alumni who could help with my appeal for a fair outcome. Yes, I looked for more investors for my cafe, but it ended in uncertainty. It ended with me sitting in front of my computer and staring blankly at the park behind my cafe. Everything was completely abstract and chaotic. I didn't know the future or darkness I would face.I should have closed the café before everything went wrong because I was stalling for time, and I couldn't keep raking in my savings because I had Ace to support. It was his future savings, and I really had to give him the best.On the other hand, some people depended on me. Some people would lose their jobs if I closed the cafe, and there were my parents who would be disappointed in me. Now I'm really stuck.My head throbbed roughly. I massaged it and stopped when there was a knock on my door. I closed my eyes briefly and calmed myself before speaking, "Come in," I said.Elle, my sweetest employee, appeared a
His gaze was fixed on me. My heart raced as a whirlwind of emotions flooded my mind.My pulse quickens, and my stomach tightens with worry and nostalgia. Seeing Sebastian after so long stirred up memories I thought I had buried deep in my heart. There's a flash of vulnerability hidden behind the veil of calmness I'm trying to maintain.The air crackled with tension as I prepared myself for whatever was happening next, and I tried to calm myself with that."What are you doing here?"Sebastian wasn't the same, and how stupid was it that I thought he would be kinder and gentler? What happened was the exact opposite. The man was looking more and more dangerous. More... charming and deceptive. Maturity radiate better in him. Everything about his physique was already very alluring from the first time I saw him, and it had increased many times over. However, I knew that it was just a mask. A deliberate facade to attract more victims, to cover up all the rottenness inside him.I should have k
I was wearing a t-shirt, jeans and a leather jacket as I left my house to head to the Club after spending an hour getting Ace to sleep. He didn't want to be separated from his legos and was eager to invite anyone to play with him.Elizabeth even fell asleep in the playroom, hugging the lego while accompanying Ace to play in the playroom. Ace is good with time limits, though. He stopped when he saw Elizabeth was bored and then he would rest too. It is only when he is exhausted that I can put him to bed.Now I was in front of Kate's older brother; Beau's Club, and of course with Kate because I never dared to come here alone. Beau's Club is one of those expensive clubs with a clientele that doesn't mess around, and I'm just afraid of looking like a lost woman if I show up alone.A large bodyguard blocked our entrance. Kate widened her eyes and snorted. "Seriously! You don't know me?" with her chatty voice, she started to scold the man, but then the man next to him whispered, and his ster
"Thank you for today." Dante Romano's words made me stop as I entered my house."You're welcome. It was a good show anyway," I smiled at him."Really? I didn't expect you to like it. You were silent throughout, making me think that you don't like those kinds of social events.""Ah, no. I was just tired.""Take a rest, then. I'm sorry, today I seem to have been very troublesome for you." He said with a guilty look.I could only nod my head and smile slightly. I was still standing in the courtyard when the Italian President's son's car drove away and disappeared behind the fence of my parents' mansion. I immediately took off my smile, turned flat, and breathed a sigh of relief that I was free from the damn fake attitude that I had to wear for the past two hours. It was exhausting, it wasn't me.This must all be because of my grandfather. A few hours ago, Vito and Stella-his girlfriend just come from Milan to Boston on business, and they were with the President's son, which surprised me
Everything in my body froze. My eyes widened to look at my son, who was staring at Sebastian with his big eyes.At the same time, Ace's crying subsided. He even immediately clung to Sebastian's leg.Sebastian released his embrace on my body and looked at Ace silently. I looked at him, his expression shocked, but there was another mixture that I couldn't decipher."Papa. .. buy me a train, will you? Please Papa...," Ace said as he pulled Sebastian's hand, asking for attention. His seductive expression appeared, and he blinked his blue eyes a few times; it was what he had always used to get someone to comply with his requests.Ten seconds...Twenty seconds.Sebastian was silent.I was silent, too. Frozen with my breath rising and falling. I wondered what Sebastian would do."Buy me a real train, Papa! Now!" Ace finally cried out in annoyance because Sebastian was silent. Ace went back to crying, rolling on the floor while shouting the word real train over and over again.A few seconds a