CHAPTER 666. RED PROMISE. A Classic Approach"What do you mean, nothing? What are you trying to say?"Mauro pulled his uncle into one of the house’s private offices, shutting the door firmly behind him and ensuring no one was around to interrupt."Exactly what I said. Nothing. The only two men connected to her in any way are Senator Rosso—which we already know isn’t true, obviously—and Lugh, who also isn’t the father because their blood types are incompatible for a father-daughter relationship.""Yeah, and he’s not powerful enough for Ainara to be afraid of him, honestly," Mauro mused. "So… not a single lead?""None. There’s also no record of either of them at any hospital, as if June’s birth took place at home or something. So whatever Ainara’s hiding from you, it’s probably not something pleasant," Uncle Jhon warned."Well… to be fair, she’s not exactly hiding it from me. She was going to tell me last night, completely voluntarily…""But?" Jhon interjected, raising a condescending e
CHAPTER 667. RED PROMISE. PendingShe was sweet, adorable, cheerful… and when she was hungry, she was like a wet gremlin. Mauro’s heart melted as he saw that little face peeking over the side of his bed, only to realize it was barely six in the morning."June…? Sweetheart, why are you awake so early? Did you have a bad dream?""No, Daddy, I’m hungry!" the little girl complained, rubbing her sleepy eyes. Mauro felt a tenderness he’d never experienced before.He could roll over and wake Ainara, but he wanted this moment for himself. So he jumped out of bed, scooped June into his arms, and carried her to the kitchen.He sat her on the breakfast bar and rubbed his hands together as if preparing for the ultimate battle. June watched him curiously as he did four squats, three push-ups, and thumped his chest twice like Tarzan."Alright! Now! What does a five-year-old eat for breakfast?" He opened the fridge but then reached for his phone. "Better ask Saint Google…""Milk," June said, and Mau
CHAPTER 668. RED PROMISE. The Wrong ManAinara was excited—she couldn’t deny it. Working with Senator Rosso had its moments, or more precisely, whatever Lugh said would bring in the most money. She didn’t complain, though, because, honestly, she couldn’t afford to. But the truth was, she was thrilled to be dedicating herself to something that genuinely filled her heart.And Mauro seemed more than willing to entrust her with these projects. However, when they arrived at the office, his secretary looked visibly nervous."Sir, I’m so glad you’re here! I’ve been trying to reach you all morning, but… well… your phone was off!"The young woman knew it was poor etiquette to blame her bosses, but it wasn’t her fault that the company CEO had his phone turned off while someone so important was waiting for him."Is there a problem?""You have an important visitor. No appointment… or rather, one of those who doesn’t need an appointment," she replied. Mauro narrowed his eyes. There were only a han
CHAPTER 669. RED PROMISE. No Matter WhatRolf Weber might have anticipated any reaction from the man married to the woman raising his daughter, but being knocked to the floor with a punch wasn’t one of them.“Are you out of your mind?!” he yelled, clutching his nose, a thin trickle of blood escaping.“Quite the opposite. And for the record, I’m so clear-headed that I controlled my punch just enough not to break it. I imagine it would be rather embarrassing to give one of your famous speeches with a bruised face, wouldn’t it?” Mauro hissed. “But if you ever disrespect my wife again, I guarantee I’ll do a lot more than that. Got it?”Rolf Weber scrambled to his feet, glaring at both Mauro and Ainara, who had risen from her chair in shock and fear.“You’re an idiot! How can you let a woman control your actions?!” he growled furiously. “I came here to offer you a good deal, to take the child off your hands… I just want to take her with me, to live with me…”“And why the hell would you do
CHAPTER 670. RED PROMISE. Why?Her lips trembled, and she couldn’t stop it. Ainara knew Mauro had every right to demand answers, to make a scene, to rage over what that idiot Rolf Weber had just told him. But to her surprise, Mauro was as calm as if he hadn’t just punched a senator in the face in the very same office.She felt his arms around her and buried her face in his chest with a nervous sigh.“Her mother’s name was Luzia,” she murmured slowly, without lifting her head. “She had… an affair with Weber, though I’m not sure you could call it that. I mean, I understand how hard it must be to say no to a powerful man when he’s fixated on you…”“You’ve experienced that firsthand, haven’t you?” Mauro sighed, his voice tinged with regret.“No,” she said firmly, lifting her head and meeting his eyes, her voice full of certainty. “Not even in your worst moments have I ever been just a whim to you.”Mauro gently cupped her face, brushing her lips with his. He loved this woman with a kind o
CHAPTER 1. More than one way to break a heart**JANUARY SEATTLE**"How could you do this?!" Zack Keller's furious roar stopped his girlfriend right at the door as soon as he saw her arrive.Giselle saw a piece of paper in his hand and had no idea what he was talking about, but she had never seen him so upset as he was at that moment."I don't know what you're talking about...""Of course you do! You aborted my child! You lost it on purpose!" he accused her angrily. "Did you at least have the damn intention of telling me anything?!"The woman in front of him turned pale."How... how do you know...?"Zack threw the paper in her direction and looked at her with disappointment."Do you forget you're on my company's health insurance?" he spat, approaching her. "As soon as your last name appeared in the payment records, they notified me. Imagine my joy when I found out the insurance had paid for a pregnancy test and then for an ultrasound!"Giselle stepped away from him, her face red with e
CHAPTER 2. Something is Very Wrong...**NOVEMBER. VANCOUVER**"Andrea! To my office! Now!"The shout from her boss, a middle manager at SportUnike, made her jump in her seat, anxious because she knew he was in a very bad mood that day."Is this a damn joke?" he growled, throwing a folder of documents at her face. "I clearly told you I needed the budget reports for the water sports division from last month!"Andrea's eyes widened."But... Mr. Trembley... I'm sure you said you wanted this month's reports...""Don't argue with me, you useless idiot!" her boss snapped. At fifty years old, Peter Trembley was as unpleasant as his bulging belly, but Andrea had to endure him because she had barely managed to get a job as his assistant, and she and her daughter depended on it to survive. "Don't you realize what's happening? SportUnike is gone! A Swiss bastard bought it, and now we'll just be a part of his company! Do you know what that means?"Andrea knew. The arrival of a new owner had create
CHAPTER 3. A Possible AllyBut if Zack thought something was wrong with the company, his instincts went on high alert when he went down to the parking lot and saw the woman leaning against one of the walls. She was trying to change from high heels to low sneakers, but her hands were shaking.He was tempted to go talk to her, but something in him still resisted getting involved in other people's problems. He had a new company to run; if he wanted Andrea to feel better, he just had to fix his company, not the woman's personal life.Finally, he saw her adjust her coat and step out into the cold street.He watched from a distance and saw she didn't take a taxi or a bus, so she probably lived nearby. He had no idea how wrong he was because Andrea didn't live remotely close; she simply couldn't afford any form of transportation.For forty minutes, the young woman walked through the cold of a Canadian winter, and by the time she finally reached her building, it was almost dark."Good evening