CHAPTER 684. RED PROMISE. This Isn’t Over“What did you saaaaay?!” Mauro’s face was shocked as the room erupted with voices scolding Jhon.“How could you say that to him?!”“Can’t you see you might give him a heart attack, and then it really won’t work anymore?”“Don’t scare my husband like that!”Amid the scolding, Mauro let out a sigh and smiled because Ainara calling him “her husband” was the sexiest damn thing anyone had ever said to him.“Calm down, love. You just need therapy to walk properly, that’s all…” Ainara murmured, leaning in to give him a gentle kiss. Jhon patted Mauro’s shoulder.“Exactly, physical therapy. Otherwise, you’ll be making your next kids to the rhythm of ‘La Cucaracha,’” he teased. “♫♪ La cucaracha… ♫♪ One, two, three… because I’m hobbling… ♫♪”“Jhon!”“Well, well, my mission here is complete,” Jhon said with a grin. “And don’t give me grief. This kid interrupted way too many of my attempts to make babies with Chiara with his ‘Uncle, let’s go to hockey.’ So
CHAPTER 685. RED PROMISE. A VerdictAinara held her breath. This was something she hadn’t expected—perhaps because she was used to Senator Rosso going to great lengths to erase any trace of her existence or their relationship. It didn’t surprise her at all that he had paid off a detective to halt the investigation. However, the rest of the police department, now exposed by the video, seemed to care deeply.“Do you think he’ll try something against us?” Ainara asked through clenched teeth.“We don’t know,” the detective admitted. “What we do know is that he’s facing criminal charges and will lose his Senate seat. Desperate people are capable of doing anything foolish.” He sighed. “I think we’ve just proven that.”Mauro gave a subtle nod of agreement, aware that his Uncle Jhon was prepared to mobilize whoever was necessary to protect them. The detective said his goodbyes, leaving them alone.“Don’t worry, babe. I’m not going to let anything happen to you or our little one. Got it?” Maur
CHAPTER 686. RED PROMISE. The End of a ChapterFor Ainara, it wasn’t good news, bad news, or any kind of news at all. She had never seen Senator Rosso’s son as her brother—not even her half-brother—and the fact that he was contacting her after the scandal had come to light was clearly no coincidence. The question remained: what were this man’s intentions?“He wants to meet,” she murmured with a sigh, and Mauro stiffened.“You can say no. You know you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to,” he told her.“I know, but I thought… I don’t know. I think I’d rather know what I’m dealing with. If his intention is to hurt me somehow, I’d prefer to face him and figure it out sooner rather than later,” she declared.Mauro wrapped her in a powerful hug and kissed her head gently.“Alright, we’ll do it your way. Just promise me you’ll let me be there when you see him. I couldn’t stand the thought of anything happening to you—do you understand?”She nodded slowly. While Mauro returned to thei
CHAPTER 687. RED PROMISE. A Family MadnessAny other woman in her position would have jumped for joy. It wasn’t every day that a Keller got down on one knee to propose. But Ainara wasn’t the type to make a scene over something like that—because a wedding meant little to her when she already had a marriage that felt entirely real.Her eyes welled up with tears for a beautiful moment, and she stepped back to look Mauro up and down with a sigh that was nothing short of coquettish.“I’ve got to admit it: I never thought I’d actually see you down there, pretty boy,” she whispered.“I never thought I’d get the chance,” he sighed, though his voice trembled with hope. “The first time was all protocol, doll, but now I want to do this right, and I want to do it for real. I love you, and I want the chance to repeat the promise I made to you, this time loud enough that any of my brothers, cousins, uncles, parents—anyone in the family—will have every justification to shoot me if I ever lose focus.
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
CHAPTER 4: This is War!Trembley's face visibly reddened, and the hardness in his eyes remained."Waiting for Andrea?" he growled. "Are you trying to be funny, or do you not know that interpersonal relationships are prohibited in this company?""Well, I'm a slow learner, but I tend to imitate," Zack replied sarcastically. "Maybe I got confused when I saw you climbing on her like a lizard needing sunlight."The old man clenched his teeth and released Andrea abruptly before walking up to Zack."Don't get in my way, kid. You're just a newcomer, and I can...""What? Fire me?" Zack interrupted with a cold voice. "Well... you can try, but you'll find my job here doesn't depend on you. I belong to the team of the company owner, and only he can fire me. I'm sure he wouldn't look kindly on a manager trying to dismiss me without justified cause."Trembley clenched his fists and glared at Zack with a malevolent, defiant expression."Maybe your job is safe," he spat, "but hers leaves much to be