The rumbling sound of the thunder finally stopped, but it was still raining heavily.
The shivers from the frigid wind had Davide dragging the bedsheets as he struggled to cover his bare body, but just then, the high jingling sound of his phone made him grumble as his hand moved on the bed in search of the phone.
When he finally grabbed it, a blissful moan escaped his thin lips, and quickly, he answered.
"Hello..." His deep husky voice broke the silence of the night, and he further squeezed himself inside the sheets. Davide was struggling to stay awake.
"Davide..." A woman's voice called out on the other end, and instantly Davide was wide awake.
He froze for a minute, resting on his elbows, and quickly glanced at his phone's screen.
It was Avery, his wife.
His lips slowly curved into a smile as he realized it was his beautiful wife. The satisfactory warmth from her voice gripped his nerves making his lips keep parting wide apart.
There was a sudden increase in his heartbeat, and it sounded melodious to his ears.
In their three years of marriage, Avery barely calls him, yet, Davide's heart never swayed. His love for Avery was enough to overlook every difficulty.
"Avery?" There was a pause on the other end, making Davide's heart pound faster.
"Where are you? I've been calling. Where are you?" Her voice shrieked at him, sending tremors down his spine.
Davide was anxious. His fingers clenched at the already wrinkled sheets, further crumpling them.
"Where the hell were you?" She shrunk at him again.
He held his breath as if waiting for judgment, and then he answered, "I was..." He barely finished before she cut him short-
"I need you in the hospital. Now!!!" There was a momentary silence in the air as the frigid wind hit Davide's bare chest. A tear trickled from his eyes and dropped on his lips, and that's when it dawned on him-
She needs his blood.
"I'm on my way." He muttered before the call disconnected.
Tears well up in his eyes, and a small smile appear on his lips.
He couldn't believe he had thought for a moment she was going to invite him for a dinner date.
In their three years of marriage, the only time Avery contacted him was to ask him to go to the hospital and donate blood for her mother.
Avery married him just for his rare blood type, but that wasn't the case for Davide.
Davide sighed.
The subtle rustling of the sheets filled the air as Davide got up. He was strikingly tall and had chiseled, handsome features. His deep blue eyes looked like the clear blue ocean.
He quickly dressed the bed and rushed out before another call. He knows how impatient Avery can get.
Davide hailed a cab by the roadside, but he spent a few hours in traffic, and Avery kept calling him to the point where Davide's heartbeats increased at every sound of his phone ringing.
He stopped answering the call at some point, but his ears almost bled out from the shrieking sound of her voice; suddenly, his phone died out while listening to her complaints.
"Oh no, no, not now..." He kept tapping his phone's screen, but his battery was dead. He bit his lips and kept looking out the window; he kept tapping his feet, and immediately they arrived, he exited the car in a hurry.
Standing before the hospital, Davide breathed a sigh of relief, feeling bittersweet inside.
When he gets to the ward, he instantly meets Avery's intense gaze.
Holding her phone in one hand, with delicate eyebrows and a frown that made Davide's skin crawl, Avery screamed at him, "Why the hell are you standing there?"
Davide apologized to her as he got closer, but Avery only scoffed at him and said, "You can't do anything right. You couldn't even get here early."
"I'm sorry, there was traffic." Davide couldn't hold Avery's gaze for a minute.
"Get inside and do the blood transfusion right now!"
With his words hung on the tip of his lips, Davide turns towards the private ward.
As he pushed open the door, he saw Avery's mother, Maria sitting up in bed, her eyes blazing with anger. "Davide, where have you been?" she snapped. "You said you would be here hours ago!"
Davide felt his stomach drop as he braced himself, "I'm sorry, there was traffic."
Maria snorted derisively. "You can't arrive early at the hospital? You are so not reliable. You've never earned a penny for this family, Davide. You're worthless. And to donate blood, you can't even do it right."
Davide lowers his head as a tear trickles down his cheeks.
"I know I haven't been able to contribute much," he said, his voice trembling slightly.
"But don't forget I graduated from the best college in London, but you forbade me to work. So that I can continue donating blood to you, is that all my life is to you?" His voice was trembling.
Maria frowned, "Yes, that's what you live for, to donate blood for me. That's what your life is worth."
Davide's anger boiled over, and he met her gaze, "This is ridiculous," he muttered. "I didn't spend years studying and working hard just to be stuck at home, doing nothing, and only to be your blood bank."
Upon hearing their conversation from outside, Avery interrupted. She looked tired and worried as she approached them-
"What's going on here?" she asked, her voice sharp with contempt. "Why are you arguing with my mother, Davide? Don't you understand that your only task right now is to save her?"
Davide felt a knot form in his stomach as he heard Avery's words.
"I know, Avery," he said, his voice heavy with disappointment. "But it's not just about your mother. I need to work. I need to feel like I'm doing something to help our family."
Avery shook her head in disbelief. "How can you be so selfish?" she asked, her eyes filling with tears. "My mother's life is on the line, and all you can think about is yourself."
Davide felt a pang of guilt as he saw the hurt in Avery's eyes. He didn't want to make his wife unhappy, but he couldn't help feeling that he was being unfairly treated.
"I'm sorry, Avery," he said, his voice softening. "You're right. Your mother's health is the most important thing right now. I won't argue with your mother anymore."
....
After an hour of donating blood to Maria, Davide's skin instantly became pale. He was weak, yet, he struggled out of the ward as he couldn't bare to be close to Maria for any more minutes.
Just as he walked into the hallway, the giggling sound of Avery with another fellow alerted his ears, and his gaze turned toward the direction of her voice.
Avery leans against the man's arm affectionately as they chat.
Davide felt as if he had been struck by lightning when he saw how relaxed and intimate they were. He didn't know how to respond for a moment.
His lips trembled, and his thumbs curled into fists.
The sight made Davide's heart sink. Avery's smile was one he had never seen on her face in the last three years, and he couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy coursing through his veins.
Davide quickened his pace and approached them, but as he got closer, he slowed down and glanced at the man, "who is he?"
Davide stares at Avery with reddened eyes. He was waiting for an explanation, but she only looked at him and ignored him. Davide's heart sank as he saw Avery's demeanor change once again. Her warm smile faded, and her expression became cold and distant. "What's going on?" He asked again; his voice tinged with concern.Avery looked at him, her eyes narrowed. "Noah is a friend of mine from college," she said, her voice icy. "We met by coincidence here at the hospital."Davide glared at Avery, seeing how she latched onto the man's arm. Her smile widens even more, making Davide furious. He quickly retracted his gaze and said, "A friend?" Avery shrugged with a smile and glanced at Davide, "Yes, a friend. Is there a problem?" There was a coldness in her voice, and her expression showed no emotions. Avery felt inexplicably irritated seeing Davide like this. Davide's gaze drifted to Noah. Noah's hands were wrapped around Avery's waistline. Davide's fist tightened, the veins of his bot
It's morning; the weather was cold due to the rain from last night. Davide was sitting on the floor. His back leaned on the bedframe. He has been in that position since he came home last night. His eyes swollen from all the tears. The gusty wind was whistling through him, and despite his shirt being unbuttoned, Davide couldn't feel the cold. He spent the night thinking about how frustrated he had been for the past three years. He needed a break!When the 7 am alarm beeped, Davide's gaze flickered, and only then did he realize it was dawn. Davide put away his phone. He suppressed the pain in his heart and the burning sensation in his body. He stood on his feet and looked at his reflection in the mirror.It's been three years, and he, indeed, has grown older. Before he married Avery, he barely had a beard, but now, they were perfect around his lips and connected to his hair. He was initially sturdy, but over the three years of donating blood nonstop, he lost weight, so even the s
Davide scoffed at her words as the atmosphere became tense for a moment. His lips are pursed tight as he stares at the woman indifferently.He didn't know if she was serious or if he looked like a random stranger she thought to pull off a joke with. With this thought, Davide swallowed and squinted his eyes at the lady, waiting for her to bluff out that she was mainly joking.As he contemplated within himself, the woman slowly got out of the car. "I'm sorry for coming at you like this, but you see, I'm sought of in a hurry." The lady walked closer to Davide, but he took a few steps backward."I'm sorry for not properly introducing myself." She cleared her throat and then stretched her hand towards him, "I'm Zeta, secretary of the West's accounting firm." Davide pouted. His eyes trailed her outfit and her shoes, and it instantly narrowed as he said,"You are not joking, are you?"The woman looked at Davide, and a proud smirk played on her lips, "You seem to know about the firm." Wes
Davide's mind spun as he processed Zeta's words. The traffic lights turned green, but Davide didn't seem to notice. "Davide, the lights." Zeta whispered to him. Davide drove to the corner of the road, as he stepped on the brakes, and he gave Zeta a death stare. "Wait, what did you just say?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.Zeta looked at Davide with a mixture of sympathy and amusement. "I said that you're the young master of the West's family," she repeated patiently. "You're the heir to your family's fortune."Davide felt a jolt of shock shoot through him. He had grown up in the orphanage, and he had no idea of who his family is or if his parents were alive. "You must be mistaken," he said, shaking his head. "That can't be true, I'm an orphan."Zeta smiled gently, "Oh, it's no mistake, Davide," she said softly. "Your family's wealth has been kept a secret from you for your protection. But now that you've come of age, it's time for you to claim what is rightfully your
A black luxury car drove into the West's plaza and stopped at the parking lot.Davide looked out of the window and saw that they had arrived at a grand plaza, adorned with towering skyscraper and opulent architectural designs. "We are here." Zeta said as she turned off the engine of the car. "This is the headquarters of your family's business in the city." The two stepped out of the car, and entered the plaza. Davide subconsciously studied the plaza in awe, his lips left opened. The skin of his forehead tightened as his eyebrows remained raised. His eyes were wandering around.As they walked towards the receptionist, Davide saw a familiar silhouette appeared. He stared straight at the man, and a scoff escaped his lips. It was Noah.Davide thought, since Avery will no longer be part of his life, then he wasn't going to see Noah again, but he was wrong.He tried to look away, but every step closer to the reception only made him glare at the man. He recalled how he treated him back
Zeta's heart raced as she faced the board of directors. There was a sudden calmness running through her veins that slowly drowned the rage piercing deep into her bones. She flashed a confident smile at the board of directors, who seemed puzzled by Noah's presence.Zeta then turned to Davide who seemed confused.Davide was stunned, seeing how they lowered their heads to Zeta made him want to question everything but instead, he caught a glimpse of Noah.A smirk played on Davide's lips, seeing Noah still trembling. He wanted to pull his tie and punch his face. He wanted to embarrass him like Noah did to him, but Davide suddenly felt Zeta's hand on his arm. He stared at her hand, his brows raised in curiousity, he looked back at her meeting her gaze. Zeta met his eyes, she urged him to calm down silently praying that he gets her message.Davide nodded slightly."Who is this man?" Zeta asked the board of directors.She could feel rage coursing through her veins. She pointed at Noah, he
Davide looked at the board of directors and accepted their apology in a composed manner. His eyes wavered between their faces, expecting to see a glint of familiarity in their eyes, but they didn't seem to know him.'They don't know me?' He scoffed and his gaze drifted to Zeta. Zeta's lips widened as she smiled at Davide. She held Davide's hand, "Let's go." Davide stared at her for a moment, and sighed. When he looked at the board of directors, the confusion on their faces seemed to have worsen seeing Zeta was holding his hand but none said a word.They entered the elevator, heading to the 54th floor which was the highest floor in the building. Within minutes, the elevator opened. Seeing how big and exorbitant the plaza was, a sudden rush of doubt rushed through Davide's spine. His heart thumped faster, and his mind was a whirlwind of emotions. He couldn't believe that he was now the owner of the biggest company in the city. Excitement, fear, and a sense of overwhelming respons
The middle-aged woman sat in her office, her face red with anger. She had called Sarah, the underling, to her office, and she was not happy with what she had to say."Sarah, how could you not tell me in advance?" the woman cursed, her voice rising in frustration.Sarah felt wronged by the accusation. "I sent you an email, but you didn't reply," she protested.The middle-aged woman sneered at her underling. "You think that's an excuse? You should have made sure I got the message, it's all your fault."Sarah's heart sank. She had been working hard to keep up with the demands of her boss, but it seemed like nothing was ever enough. She tried to speak up, but the woman cut her off."Enough. You'll just have to help this young man finish the process. And don't mess up again, or else you'll be out of job."With that, the woman sat back in her chair, pulling out her cell phone as if nothing had happened. She suddenly paused and turns to Davide who gave been quietly watching her and Sarah."G