***** "You're kidding, right, Bianca? I really don't believe it." Maks greeted hurriedly as soon as Bianca appeared and took a seat in front of him. "Do you think it's worth it for me to make a joke out of Maks? What for?" Bianca replied while straightening her clothes. Bianca did not dare to look Maks in the eye as she spoke. Maks took his fourth sip of wine from his glass, trying to hide the anxiety and frustration that was evident from the sweat that was starting to bead on his forehead. His gestures were pathetic, a handsome man who seemed to have settled down in his young age. Now it looked like he was about to become a carcass, and had no hope of survival. "Listen to me carefully. I don't think I was that self-conscious not to be able to control the situation that night, Bianca. Please, what other games are you going to play this time? I've had enough, I've had too many problems in my life because of you." Maks half snapped. Bianca looked a little surprised. "What do you mea
For some reason Maks began to tear up as he heard and internalized the words spoken from the mouth of the old man before him. Maks agreed, he really felt useless for all the passion, ambition and hard work he had done. He realized that the end of all this was death. Then why should he make his life difficult for himself? Shouldn't it be that simple? "That's it!" cut in the old man as if he was following the conversation inside Maks' mind."Enjoy it, you just need to calm down a bit, notice where the problems are, solve them one by one. There won't be a single problem that you can solve with passion," the old man said again. "When your hand heals from its wounds, don't use it again, even if your brain tells you to. Just listen to your heart. Listen to your heart, young man. Listen to your heart." "Listen to your heart, listen to your heart, listen to your heart." Those words kept repeating and spinning inside Maks's head, more intoxicating than the bottle of bourbon he had consumed a
"I think I've thought that too. Sometimes everything feels so heavy, indeed. Even the suffering seems never-ending." Flora replied, now turning the tables. Siena turned to look at Flora this time. "Even until this moment, it's still not uncommon for dreams of the day my parents died to come and haunt me. Those times are always the worst memories. And you know where the amazing thing is?" Flora interrupted her story with a question. Seiena just shook her head innocently. "Actually, nothing drastically changed in my life after that day. Four days after my parents left for good, I started working at La Carino. My wages have always been the same. And I still had to provide for my two younger siblings who were still in school. Everything seemed to be fine now, as if there weren't any problems. That means, since that time I actually didn't have any problems, right? It's all just a trick of what we call grief, heartbreak, disappointment, regret, sadness, anger, and whatever else you want to
"Just go back to your town if this city can't make you feel at home. I never asked you to come here in the first place. Let alone stay with me in this place," Siena said in a slightly high tone. Now Maks' face looked panicked, he really didn't want his beloved wife to be angry with him again, apart from him not wanting to be ignored anymore, he also remembered the doctor's message that Siena should not be stressed and think about bad things a lot. "It's not that, dear. I mean, I love this city, everyone is nice and friendly, it's a very comfortable city to live in. I feel at home here," Maks explained."So?" asked Siena briefly. "I mean, about this place, this apartment. Isn't this place going to be too small for us? Even the three of us will be," Maks continued to explain."Alright, then what's your best idea, mister filthy rich?" asked Siena with a playful smile at Maks. Maks was really relieved to see the look on his wife's face. It felt like years since Maks had seen that smile.
"So, you're asking for payment?" Siena pursed her mouth, pretending to be annoyed. "Yes. I asked a little brother for Lucio," Maks chuckled. Siena laughed. She already understood what her husband meant. Siena and Maks' romance had rekindled after the events that had rocked their household. Now, they are like a pair of newlyweds who are sweetly savoring happiness together. *** Maks has taken care of everything and Siena's flower shop has been established in just two weeks. Now, every day, Siena goes to the shop by driving her own car, and doesn't want to be driven by a driver. She even asked Flora, her new best friend from Le Ciela, to help her at the shop. She happily agreed. Her salary was double what she made working at the cafe. Siena was so happy to be able to repay Flora's kindness back when she was stranded at La Ciela. "You know, Siena. When I met you, I never thought that you were the wife of Balt's company boss," Flora chuckled. That afternoon, the two women were
Buying an apartment for Bianca was not a difficult thing. But, if he had to divide his time with Siena for Bianca, it would be very difficult. Maks bought a luxury apartment for Bianca in the center of Caracas. He provided many nice amenities for her. When Bianca asked for a car, Maks bought one. However, his presence with Bianca is still very rare, and he hasn't even accompanied her since he bought the apartment for her. "I don't know what I'm going to tell Siena," Maks said as Bernard joined him for a drink at the bar. "You have to be honest, sir. Don't let Miss Siena find out from Bianca. That would complicate things." "You think if I'm honest, Siena won't get mad? Oh my God! I just got her heart back. Now I'm going to hurt her again." "But, things are different, sir. It's already happened and Miss Siena knows about it. As for Bianca's pregnancy, it will certainly shock Miss Siena, but she'll understand eventually." Maks took a sip from his whiskey glass. "So, I should be
"You're... going to marry me?" Bianca's laughter escaped her. She could not believe what she was hearing. A bodyguard wanted to marry her? Ah-that's right."Yes, I will marry you. I will be the father of the child you are carrying." Bianca massaged her forehead. "Do you realize what you're saying? Do you realize who you are?" Bianca asked arrogantly. "I'm just an employee. But, I assure you, I can be a good husband for you." Bianca was silent. She really had no other choice. The baby in her womb had to have a father. But, why was the man who was willing to be her father not the man she expected. Maybe Bernard wasn't poor, but he wasn't rich like Maks either. "The decision is yours, Miss," Bernard said, making Bianca gasp. Bianca stared at the man in front of her. Physically, he looked dashing, and his face was quite handsome even though he was not her type. Maybe she should accept Bernard's offer. *** Bianca walked into Bernard's apartment with a sluggish face. Her simple white
"How are the newlyweds?" Maks teased Bernard. That day Maks took Bernard for a drink at the bar, to unwind from work. "Not very good, sir," Bernard said, looking resigned. "Is he still too cocky?" "Sort of, sir."Maks patted Bernard on the shoulder. "I'm really grateful to you. You saved my marriage to Siena. By marrying Bianca, you can even keep an eye on her movements."Bernard smiled. "I married her because I really liked her, sir." Maks raised both eyebrows. "Oh, good, Bernard. Make Bianca fall in love with you. You can do it." Bernard laughed. He took a sip from his whiskey glass and poured another. Bernard was tired that day. Bianca always annoyed him with trivial things. But, he tried to be patient. Bianca's words always seemed to put him down. But, Bernard also tried not to take it to heart. Because, he liked Bianca. She was beautiful, albeit haughty. Ah--the story of his love from the tribe never went smoothly. And in the evening, as usual, before dinner, Bernard alw