~Gunther~I was gone for a mere second and Agathe had already attracted a bunch of men shopping around the store. The worst part, one of them boldly approached her and it was none other than Thaddeus.My closest cousin. We are the same age. Thaddeus never bothered to strike up a conversation with those women I had brought into his boutique before.For him to introduce himself to my wife first is something. He must have been enthralled by Agathe's exceptional beauty. Even in a plain gray hoodie jacket and sweatpants of mine, she still stood out. She wasn't wearing makeup or anything for that matter. Her charm was further enhanced by her long, wavy, reddish hair. It was something that could kindle a man's desire in any way. Not to mention that her ocean-blue eyes were the kind of strongest weapon she didn't know she had. I came to a realization that those orbs could gradually tame the Devil in me, little by little if I wasn't careful. I should probably ask grandma the next time I
~Gunther~I punched Thaddeus straight in his face, he stumbled on the tiled floor. That was a massive blow I am certain would make his lips swell for a few days. "Gunther!" Agathe screamed right after but I was too enraged to hear her cries. Everyone around us was alerted. Though, no one dared to come closer because they unequivocally knew what I could do to them and their families. I own this fucking city for Pete's sake! "Quit screwing around my wife, bastard! You just met her and you dare to act like I owe her to you or something! Are you for real!" "Gunther, please!" Agathe embraced my body and attempted to pull me away from Thaddeus. She was crying, begging me to stop. Which is so unlike her.Why is she crying, anyway? Who is she crying for? Is she trying to protect Thaddeus from me? Is that it? Calixto and my bodyguards entered the scene seconds later. They must have seen the commotion from the glass wall. "Get him away from me, Cal! Or, I would forget that we are shar
~Agathe~Hence, even before we met, he already belonged to someone else.Some woman had already owned his heart, probably the mother of the little girl. All of a sudden, I could feel my heart exploding in agony. It was painful, I could barely breathe. I should have known better before letting my guard down around him. Grr. I am fully aware I should not be feeling that way. I have no right to complain, no doubt about that. 'Cause who am I, anyway? We just met yesterday morning to be exact. Not a fancy meet-cute or anything. Besides, I am nobody who owes him more than a million dollars for my mother's surgery. Though, truth be told, there was a part of me that had that wishful thinking.What if fairy tales are real and we are actually meant for each other?It was I who also dismissed that idea.Silly, silly me. I turned to look at them again and noticed one thing. For the first time, the bellend seemed so gentle and soft by the way he embraced his daughter. Gone was the terrif
~Florence (Gunther's mother)~The past does indeed repeat itself. I never imagined that my worst dread would return to haunt me again. In this instance, it was that woman with cerulean eyes, flowing red hair, and a grating aura. She was a bête noire. The bane in my son's existence. It was still fresh in my memory, the day Gunther had brought her to this mansion for the first time, four years ago. Back then, that woman was so young.She was just fifteen. Gunther was twenty-three. They were eight years apart in age, a tremendous gap making their relationship forbidden in my eyes. I didn't like her from the start, for this, among other reasons. Not to mention that she was from a poor background, and hailed from a low-income family. She wears clothing that resembles rags, smells like cheap perfume, and lacks grace and finesse. No matter what she does, she could never match our level.So, I loathed what they had. Detested and cursed her to death for stealing my son away from me.
~Agathe~ I am not a mother, nor have I given birth to a child. But, why do I feel like the moment I saw Carlyle falling from the stairs, my heart was instantly shredded into pieces? I could feel it being ripped apart. I was not imagining it. It was not because I hated seeing other people get hurt. It was something else, something unexplainable. It beats me how that little girl and his father were able to stir up so much emotion in me ever since I met them. Gunther reached his daughter's side. He got down on his knees and gathered Carlyle's unconscious body into his arms. "Hey, baby. Wake up. Come on. Carlyle. ." For the first time, I noticed Gunther shedding a tear. Though, he was quick to wipe it away. That scene made me numb. All of a sudden, I felt a strong feeling of anger and resentment toward Gunther's mother. How could she do that to a child, to her granddaughter for that matter? I wanted to run toward Carlyle, too. To check her condition as well. I am aware, h
~Agathe~ I felt incredibly hot and weary as soon as I opened my eyes. I was feeling woozy, my vision was somewhat dark. Took me a few seconds to adjust it, and when it did, I met Gunther's dark-amber eyes. His face was only a few inches apart from mine. "What happened?" I asked softly, noticing that I was curled up on a cushy couch. My body was covered with his black suit. It was quite cozy and smelled just like him. "You fainted, sleepyhead." He responded, and his large, calloused hands were warm against mine as he assisted me in sitting up. "I fainted?" Surprised, I ransacked my head to remember how it happened, but to no avail. How come I can't recall it? "For how long?" "Two hours." "Two hours? Really?" I couldn't believe it! Perhaps, it was the lack of sleep and rest talking since yesterday morning. "Here, drink this first." He handed me a glass of water, as he kneeled in front of me. I accepted it and drank. It instantaneously made me feel a lot better. "How
~Agathe~We arrived at Gunther's house with Carlyle falling asleep in my arms. She wouldn't let go despite Gunther's efforts to pry her away from me. "Mommy. ."Carlyle murmured and went back to sleep again. God, how could I possibly resist that cuteness? My heart constricted in pain. I didn't tell Carlyle anything about her proposal from the hospital. Yet, here she is. Wholly accepting me as her new mother. It was so unlooked-for, never in my wildest dreams would I imagine myself being smitten with someone's daughter. I bit my lower lip and stared at Gunther apologetically, fighting the urge to shed a tear. "You know, I didn't tell her to call me that. It was her who-"Gunther cut me off. "I know, love. I overheard your conversation with her."My mouth parted. "What? You eavesdropped on us?" "Yeah." He looked away for a second, probably wanting me to drop the topic. "Here. Give her to me."Gunther opened his arms one more time.I transferred Carlyle into his lap as gently as p
~Gunther~I wanted her to get jealous. I wanted her to snatch my heart away. I wanted her to help me heal. I want her to want me, to own me. Yet, she chose to wipe away her tears and raise an eyebrow at me instead.Did I see the hurt in her eyes, or was it merely a figment of my imagination?"How can you say you're in love with her, if you're sleeping with other women? Hmm?" For a while, I was unable to speak. I have to confess, she had me there.Though, she made a mistake by believing that lie. That cock and bull story of mine. "Did you honestly fall for that lie, love? The only woman I slept with was you." The look on her face when I said the last part was priceless, I nearly cackled. "Well, almost. I almost slept with you." I took the initiative to correct myself. She scoffed, trying to process what I said. "So, I. . I cheated with you?" My head tipped to one side, leaving a crease across my forehead. "What?" "We cheated on Carlyle's mother, didn't we?" She appeared to be