Chapter 47
“So shy.” Alicia remarked. “If you’re going to be a part of the Garcia family, you’re going to have to be shameless,” she told Zabelle who became tongue–tied
“Can I talk to you?” She asked and Zabelle could tell that it was for a serious matter.
“Of course,” she nodded, and she stepped aside, so Alicia could come into the room, after which she closed the door.
“I want to ask you something and I hope you can answer me truthfully,” Alicia started. “Are you happy with the marriage?” She questioned.
As much as she wanted to see Antonio
le down, the last thing Alicia wanted was for Zabelle to regret her decision of marrying Antonio, which was why it was better to call it off before they got married.
“I’m happy Zabelle lied. The truth was that she didn’t know what to feel anymore. On one side was the part of her that didn’t want to get married to Antonio, and on the other side was the part of her that wanted to get married to Antonio because of what he had to offer her.
All thanks to him, she was experiencing what it was like to have a normal and loving family, plus he could protect her from her actual family.
She felt loved and even though the love wasn’t coming from Antonio, she didn’t care. The fact that she hardly thought of Jeremy after what had happened was another big win.
However, she couldn’t explain all these to Alicia, and so she gave the answer she had to give.
“Come sit,” Alicia beckoned onto her, and they both sat on the bed. “I’m not oblivious to how my son is, and I want to make sure you know what you’re getting yourself into,” she stated.
“You’re the first woman I’ve seen that he’s giving so much attention to, and I know he’s obsessed with you, but I want to know you feel the same way, considering the fact that you weren’t sure you wanted to spend your life with him at first..
Zabelle squinted her eyes as she wondered what exactly Antonio had told his mother about how they met and all. That would be taken care of later, for now, she needed to focus on putting on a decent show to convince Alicia.
“I understand why you have such concerns,” she told Alicia.
“It all boils down to the family I was born in. Due to the way they treated me, I developed the notion that everyone was evil, which led to me not wanting to have any relationship with anyone.”
Alicia nodded in understanding, and her eyes told Zabelle to go on,
“I didn’t expect to fall for Antonio the way I did for me, and it scared me. Plus, Antonio isn’t exactly nice,” she remarked, and Alicia smiled a bit.
“And so I was scared about being hated by a person I plan on building a family with, but all that is in the past, as I want this marriage as much as I hope Antonio wants it.”
He definitely wanted it and would literally kill to make sure it happened, Zabelle thought to herself as she looked at Alicia hoping the woman had bought her story.
Zabelle felt guilty for lying to Alicia who was the nicest person she had ever met, but her hands were tied in the matter, and it was all thanks to her son who was an asshole.
“You don’t need to worry about your family, they are foolish for not loving a gem like you.” Alicia complimented and Zabelle fell her eyes well up with tears as it was rare for her to receive cumpliments.
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Chapter 47
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“You have a new family–William loves you as he’s always wanted daughter, and you have me,” Alicia asserted.
“I do, don’t L.” Zabelle smiled as tears dropped from her eyes. “Thank you,
She saw how it took Alicia a few seconds for her to process what she had just said, and the biggest smile she had ever seen appeared on the older woman’s face.
Alicia had told her from the first time they had met she was free to call her mom, but she didn’t do anything as she wasn’t comfortable yet with that, but that had just changed.
“You deserve a huge gift from me,” Alicia said as she pinched Zabelle’s cheeks. A knock on the tloor however disrupted their bonding, and Alicia cursed as she got up to open the door.
Zabelle saw her talking to the person who had knocked, and after about a minute the person left.
“I have to go check out something for the wedding,” Alicia told Zabelle..
“I’ll come along, it’s not fair that I leave the planning of the wedding to you alone,” Zabelle stated as she got up and grabbed a bag.
“Oh no, it’s fine,” Alicia shrugged casually. “Don’t forget you’re still recovering.”
“I feel better and besides, this is a time for us to bond,” Zabelle pointed out and that was all it took to convince Alicia.
“Come on then, she urged them, and they left the room.
Jeremy took a deep breath as he approached the Pierce mansion. Vanessa’s parents were a huge pain in his ass as they kept on pestering him about their missing daughter,
He didn’t care if Vanessa was missing or even dead for that matter. All he was focused on was Zabelle and her relationship with the asshole.
However, he had to pretend and so, there he was. Getting to the mansion, he got out of his car and got in.
“Where’s Mr Pierce?” He asked the first helper he saw, and he was directed to the study. Upon getting there, he saw Lily and Gabriel sitting with a grave look on their faces.
“Mom, dad, I’m sorry, I still haven’t found her,” he informed them in a gentle voice, one to show he cared.
“Antonio has her,” Gabriel informed him, and a frown appeared on his face.
“What?!” He wasn’t sure if he had heard right.
“Antonio took her, and he said he won’t release her until after the wedding, Lily responded impatiently
Was Antonio challenging him? Jeremy gritted his teeth in anger First he took Zabelle and now Vanessa. This wasn’t going to happen again on his watch.
Bring her back,” Gabriel instructed, and Jeremy nodded. Withou wasting time, he immediately left the Piece mansion and proceeded to call Antonio.
“How do the riffrall keep getting my number?” Antonio hissed in irritation as he answered the call.
“Release Vanessa!” Jeremy ordered Antonio, and he was met with utter silence before the call got disconnected. Did the bastard really hang up on him?” He asked himself as he proceeded to call Antonio once more.
“Are you really to talk like a civilized person?” He heard Antonio ask, and he hissed under his breath.
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“Vanessa, you have her, let her go.” Jeremy rephrased his words.
“Just like I to “*
her parents, she’ll get released after the wedding and if you ask me to release her one more time, I’ll do it in bits and pieces of her, Antonio threatened
“Well, if you don’t release her, Zabelle will
be at the receiving end. Do me a favour and ask her about the get–together in three hundred and six,” Jeremy told Antonio, and the silence on the other side made him smile.
“You have until the end of the day to return Vanessa to me,” he told Antonio, after which he disconnected the call.
Antonio had been riding on the assumption that he ruled the world, and it was time he made the asshole realize that he was a nobody.
Meanwhile, back at his office, Antonio stared at his now blank screen as he wondered what Jeremy was talking about. He sounded too cocky and he already hated that face.
Looking at his time, he saw that it was already past five, which means the ultimatum in about two hours
Without wasting time, he proceeded to call Zabelle who answered on the second ring. “Where are you?” He probed.
“On my way back to the mansion. Why?” He heard Zabelle ask him, but he didn’t bother responding as he hung up and immediately got up so he could head home.
The incident Jeremy had just mentioned didn’t come up in the report he read about Zabelle, and he wondered how grave the event that a good job had been done in order to hide it.
Before he however left the office, he called Martin, his head of security. “I need you to do something for me…”
Upon getting up, he learned that Zabelle was in her room, and he headed there without bothering to change his clothes. “Antonio?” Zabelle’s face contorted into confusion when he barged into her room without knocking, “Did I do something?” She asked Antonio.
Had he finally come to punish her for what happened in the moming? She asked herself as she gulped in fear.
“Care to explain the get–together in room three hundred and six” He raised an eyebrow, and he watched the colour drain from her face and, to his shock, she fell to the ground.
“H–how did you know about it?” Zabelle strutted and acted whenever she was nervous or scared and at that moment, she was both.
“How I know doesn’t matter, what happened there and no lies,” he warned her.
“I H–he… I–1–L… Zabelle tried to speak, but she kept on stuttering and her breath turned heavy.
Antonio squinted his eyes at her before carrying her from the floor and placing her on the bed, as it seemed he was having a panic attack.
“Breathe, Zabelle, breathe,” he soothed in a calm voice as he straged her hair and she did as he had told her.
A few minutes later, her breathing became normal again. “We’re going to be here till you tell me what happened,” he told her, and she shook her head in refusal, as she didn’t want to talk bout it.
“Meredith.” One word, it was just one word, but the weight it carried was heavy.
“Now, what happened?” He asked once more..
