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
TANYA’S POVI wanted to type some nasty words out to Enzo as a reply. What did he take me for? A puppet of some sort? Did he think he could jump orders in me and expect me to follow suddenly?And asking me to go against Rodrigo at that...he was really getting bold. I might not have minded naturally, but not now when I was starting to build a connection with Rodrigo, no matter how small. I didn't want anything to ruin it. Typing all my thoughts out would be extremely stressful, so I decided to put a call through to him to give him a piece of my mind. That is if he would even pick up. I'd already concluded that I was calling in vain when the phone began to ring endlessly. What was the point of even calling in the first place? Then Enzo shocked me by answering. "You know it's not safe to call this number, right?" he asked. I felt chills go down my spine at the sound of his still voice. He still sounded muddled, which made me wonder if he always wore masks over his head. I was tempted
TANYA’S POVI stared at the directions Enzo had texted me, wishing I could ignore them and get the hell on with my life. But I knew I couldn't. As dangerous as it was to meddle with Rodrigo, I knew that Enzo was also dangerous, if not more harmful.Besides, I'd already started. I had no choice but to go on with what I began. Enzo said to find a guard at the end of the hallway that Rodrigo's home office was in.From where I stood at the start of the hallway, I couldn't see anyone waiting for me there. I narrowed my eyes as I moved forward. If this turned out to be a bloody prank, it wouldn't be funny at all."Is anyone here?" I called as I walked. The lights were off. The only source of light was a window at the side. Why didn't I turn on the light as I stepped in? I scolded myself.Just knowing that someone who worked for Enzo was waiting for me was enough to make me scared of such a simple place."What's the code?" a deep voice replied to me, and I jumped. The voice seemed to come fr
TANYA’S POV They say life can fuck you up within the glimpse of an eye. Well they didn’t lie because my Father did.Never did I think I will be standing in front of this ruthless man my Gambler of a Father sold me off to, in a bid to pay off his debts. I could feel his eyes glued on me in the desperate attempt to get under my skin, probably to find out what I was thinking.We were standing inside a club. I was looking at my feet, ignoring the other girls around me. Some of them changing into another wear while some adjusted their make-up.I felt my heart pounding so loudly against my ribcage. My hands were shaking vigorously while I bit on my lower lip to stop myself from breaking down.My Father ruined me. He just jeorpadized every chance of me going back to school again just like back then that I had to drop out because we ran out of money while he continued to show up with betting tickets.I thought his addiction would only last for a while and maybe soon he would lose interest b