Past:
SWEET TALKS, SWEET DATES
Stanley took Michelle out for dinner at least once a week, sometimes twice. And they talked about everything, arts, politics, sports… They enjoyed sharing facts about their lives, their dreams. She often mentioned how much she was relieved for not having to go to jail.
“At least some good came out of all this stress, Stanley.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, according to the conditions of my loan, and again, thank you so much for that… In six years, I will have paid all my debts and become the proud owner of a nice restaurant. I can finally have my own business which has always been my dream.”
“And you made a new friend.”
“Yes, Stanley. You are the cherry on top of my cake.”
“Sweet silly girl.”
“I am not so young anymore. I am already 26.”
“Tell that to a guy who is 38 and you will make
Life is full of surprises and it had shifted in Michelle´s favor. Not only had she married within few months of the proposal but also she found herself completely in love with her husband.Stanley had taken her to Paris for a wonderful honeymoon. You can´t get more romantic than dinners at candlelight and romantic walks to explore old monuments. During these walks, they often told each other about their love and made many plans for the future.Stanley also insisted that they visited the most exclusive clothes stores and he showered her with gifts. Clothes, shoes, hats, gloves… Nothing was missed. Not to mention jewelry, makeup, or perfumes.It was really like a dream. For both of them. It was curious how Stanley got the same amount of excitement in buying these gifts as Michelle felt by receiving them.When Michelle told him of her concerns about him spending too much on her, the answer was that a man is lucky if he is not reduced to bu
It turned out that the beach house was a great acquisition and Michelle enjoyed being there with Stanley and Scott. She made sure to bring Nancy along because when Stanley went to exercise at the beach or locked himself in his office to take care of some businesses, Nancy kept her company.Scott was a smart and healthy five years old boy. He made friends with the neighbors´ kids and they took turns playing their games in each other´s houses.One afternoon, while they were sunbathing by the pool, Nancy told her friend,“I never thought this could happen to me.”“What do you mean, Nancy?”“Well, living in a mansion with you and Scott who I love dearly, and spending most weekends and all the vacation months in this magnificent beach house. Maids come here to serve us ice tea, imagine that. A luxurious life like this was not even part of my dreams since I considered it impossible to happen.”&ldquo
From the day Bethany was born, Stanley started to shine. He took the baby on his lap and danced cheek to cheek with her.Stanley sang to her, talked to her, and bought her many clothes and toys.He was generous to buy them for Scott too. The truth is that Stanley enjoyed being a father. Many of his appointments were canceled because he would rather go to the park with Michelle and the children.They spent weeks at the beach house and he explained to Bethany about the ocean, and the sky, the trees, and nature in general. She couldn´t even speak but she seemed to be paying attention to her dad and she followed his hand as he showed her around.Scott also loved Bethany with all his heart and he called her ‘little sister’. He often gave her his toys and offered her ice cream or chocolate. Michelle explained to him that the baby only drank milk for now, but it was very kind and generous of him to offer. He was proud to be a big brother.<
Michelle was in such a happy phase of her life that it amazed her that they had already celebrated Bethany´s third birthday. Time seemed to speed. The birthday party had been mentioned by every paparazzi in town. Hundreds of guests who belonged to top society came to wish the best to the toddler. They brought bracelets, necklaces, and earrings made of gold. She also received the best clothes and toys as presents.And Bethany had a smile for everyone. People were drawn to her and she welcomed them all. Of course, her favorites were daddy, mommy, and Scott which was expected because they also loved her much. Bethany liked grandpa too but she saw little of him because the billionaire man traveled a lot on business.Life was so perfect that Michelle was not ready for the tragedy that came her way. One afternoon, while Bethany was taking a nap and Scott was busy at school, she noticed that Stanley was already late to get home. He was supposed to be getting ready since
Michelle had made up her mind to provide happy memories for her children because she had experienced pain and strong battles when she least expected. She was thankful for this peaceful period with her beloved children and being so full of energy, Michelle decided to take them to visit the world.All the effort she had dedicated in negotiating debts she had not made due to Tom´s dishonesty and the hours she had consumed in tribunals because of her father-in-law´s injustice, Michelle would use now to plan wonderful trips for her family.She started with amusement parks and children´s museums around the world. Bethany owned a bank, so money was not of consequence here.When they went to the first amusement park, they stayed in a luxurious hotel and dined with characters from the movies they loved. Bethany would be dressed as a princess and Scott would usually dress like the prince charming or some other themed character, only to please her. He was
Bethany had decided to study business administration because she wanted to follow in Stanley´s footsteps and that was what he had majored in.She decided on living at home and attending a nearby college because she felt that she had been apart from Michelle long enough and the going to college experience didn´t attract her as much as being with her mom.Scott had gone to college in another town and lived in a fraternity with friends as eager as him to enjoy their youth. They went from party to party and practiced many sports like wrestling and judo, mainly to impress girls. Somehow, he had managed to graduate in computer science. He had a position at GWB, the Global Bank of the World, but being already twenty-six, Scott traveled a lot on his own and people could rarely find him behind his desk. Though he had enjoyed traveling with his mom and little sister, it was time he went on some adventures with his buddies. They went to search for polar bears, crocodi
Bethany had kissed other men before. But it had been an encounter of lips, not an encounter of souls, as was the case when she kissed Omar.She woke up thinking about him. His dark hair which was so soft to touch, his bright eyes that weren´t afraid to transmit to her what he was feeling, and his mouth. It felt so right to kiss him and she wished the kiss would never end.But all these feelings upset her. What was she? A powerful tycoon woman that could change and impact people´s lives or a very silly young girl who was in love with a prince?For a moment she chose the second option, only to be able to kiss Omar again.But then she took the decision of not indulging in these daydreams.The nerve of the man. He had kept away for many years without any contact with her to finally show up demanding kisses? Unacceptable.And what was all that talk about marriage? As if she had been sitting around idly waiting for his decision about h
It was kind of a relief when the weekend was over and Bethany could go back to the familiar environment of GBW bank. From that building, many decisions were made regarding the conglomerate to which Bethany was the sole heir. The truth was that the Worthgolds had always used the top floors of the bank building as a sort of headquarters to hold meetings with their directors, suppliers as well as partners and clients.And Bethany had continued with that tradition since the bank was near her house. She loved that place because grandpa had taken her there since she could walk. She spent hours drawing at her little desk or making her homework from school, waiting for grandpa to finish some meetings. When Christopher was over with his compromise he would immediately go to the adjoining room and check on Bethany. Every time he complimented her childish drawings and even hang some on the walls. Her babysitter Lucy was then told to get a cab back home. Christopher paraded Bethany to hi