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When the paths of a mafia's runaway daughter and a grieving businessman cross paths, with a contract as the intersection. • • • Genesis lives a pretty contented life as a nurse. Her life has no drama outside the ruckus she faces at the hospital. Smooth and somewhat steady, that was how her life was moving until she was assigned to a little boy that had temporarily lost his ability to walk. The kid was not a problem, however his father was. Dante De Ambrose was one hell of an unpredictable man, quite like his son. He had resorted to facing his child and his business after he witnessed the gruesome murder of his wife and first love. Until he came across a force that cracked his shell, a woman that easily reached into his heart and touched those parts that he had been hiding away for so long; a woman that made his son smile like he never had since they both lost the most important woman in their lives. A contract marriage comes into the mix as things begin to get more complicated. For Dante, it is for the sake of his son; and for Genesis, it's simply for the extra funds. All in all, for both of them, it is nothing more than an agreement... or is it really?
DANTE
Dante was aware that his son was full of surprises. The little boy said the most unexpected things, words that would jumble one's thoughts and leave one tongue-tied.
Today, during their drive back home, the kid had asked a rather innocent question; yet, Dante had no answer for his son. Even as he scanned some documents in his office, the question still floated in his mind, disturbing his peace.
"Daddy, when will I have a new mommy?" the boy had inquired from Dante.
This question was rather different and milder than the intricate questions the little boy normally asked. But Dante would rather answer a million of those than the one thrown at him at that moment.
So, he had glanced at his son briefly and focused back on the road ahead before he responded, "El, let me focus on driving."
He was fortunate enough that Elon did not prod any further even after they had gotten home. If the kid had given up or had just forgotten, he did not know. But one thing he knew was that he would be cornered with the same question again, sooner or later.
As he stacked papers neatly, he decided that that would be a problem to worry about later. But as he strode out of his study, he heard the most heart wrenching scream he had heard in his life, one that felt like a bullet in his heart and sent painful shivers down his spine.
That was his son's voice. His Elon had let out that scream filled the darkest of terrors. He did not even realize it when the movement of his strides gained speed and he was sprinting down the hallway.
As soon as he reached the flight of stairs, he stopped right in his tracks. The sight before him had rendered him stiff and unable to inhale. Nothing in this world could have prepared him for the gore he was beholding. And his son was right in the middle of it all, looking like every source of life had drained from his body.
When Dante managed to croak out a question, it was, "what happened?"
With quivering lips, one of the housekeepers responded, "he slipped from the top of the stairs."
'From the top of the stairs,' he reasoned to himself. A flight of stairs that had over fifty steps, his son had slipped from there. And that was when a sense of urgency sparked in his head, numbing the waves of shock he was feeling just seconds ago.
He lifted his son from the pool of blood and ran as fast as he could out of the door and into his car. Against the steering, his fingers shivered. He had never been that scared in his life, not even when he witnessed his deceased wife at gunpoint. And he, Elon, was the only piece of her he had left.
His world would crumble into dust if anything should happen to the boy.
He must have violated a thousand speed limits that night, maybe a thousand and one, but they had reached the hospital within a few minutes. And as he watched nurses gather his son, rolling him into the emergency room, he sent a silent prayer to heaven.
If God were to any of his prayers, this should be the one to consider.
•°•°•
His knees were beginning to hurt from pacing to and fro in front of the ward. Nobody had come out to give him any update, and all the staff he had asked all told him the same stupid sentence,
"Sir, you need to calm down."
But how!? How was he supposed to be calm when it felt like there was only a thin chance that his son would come out of this? The only tinge of hope he had to hold on to was that silly little prayer he made moments ago. And now, he was seriously fighting the urge to burst through those doors to see things for himself.
With his sleeve, he wiped the little dots of perspiration that had formed on his forehead; despite the air conditioner on full blast, sweat still broke through his skin.
Just when he was about to stop another passerby nurse to bombard with questions, the double doors opened. That expression the doctor's face carried, he did not like it; the man looked downcast, and when Dante's eyes met with his, they held an emotion Dante both hated and feared: pity.
And for the first time in a while, Dante felt weak, helpless even. Within him, he hoped that that would be a prank, the way that doctor was looking at him, just like those tv series his wife used to watch.
"He's alive." the doctor started, and all the air trapped in Dante's lungs escaped with a sigh, it was a little easier for him to breath now.
"But,"
That one word from the doctor siezed Dante's breath again. Buts were never good news; at least, not one that came from a doctor staring at him with utmost pity and concern.
"He has sustained a series of injuries," the doctor let out a heavy breath. "Contusions, dislocations, and..." the man pursed his lips for a moment, and Dante's heart missed a beat in that moment, too. Then he continued, "he also has an injury to his spinal cord."
Dante staggered backwards, his knees had suddenly grown even weaker, so much so that he had to support his weight against the wall. He knew what that meant, even before the doctor said it to him.
"Your son may never be able to walk again."
Betrayed by her mate and sister on the eve of her wedding, Makenna was handed to the ruthless Lycan Princes as a lover, her indifferent father ignoring her plight. Determined to escape and seek revenge, she captured the interest of the three Lycan princes, who desired her exclusively amid many admirers. This complicated her plans, trapping her and making her a rival to the future Lycan queen. Entwined in jealousy and vindictiveness, could Makenna achieve her vengeance in the intricate dance with the three princes?
Lindsey's fiancé was the devil's first son. Not only did he lie to her but he also slept with her stepmother, conspired to take away her family fortune, and then set her up to have sex with a total stranger. To get her lick back, Lindsey decided to find a man to disrupt her engagement party and humiliate the cheating bastard. Never did she imagine that she would bump into a strikingly handsome stranger who was all that she was currently looking for. At the engagement party, he boldly declared that she was his woman. Lindsey thought he was just a broke man who wanted to leech off her. But once they began their fake relationship, she realized that good luck kept coming her way. She thought they would part ways after the engagement party, but this man kept to her side. "We gotta stick together, Lindsey. Remember, I'm now your fiancé. " "Domenic, you're with me because of my money, aren't you?" Lindsey asked, narrowing her eyes at him. Domenic was taken aback by that accusation. How could he, the heir of the Walsh family and CEO of Vitality Group, be with her for money? He controlled more than half of the city's economy. Money wasn't a problem for him! The two got closer and closer. One day, Lindsey finally realized that Domenic was actually the stranger she had slept with months ago. Would this realization change things between them? For the better or worse?
Due to the plight of her family, Phoebe had no choice but to embark on the path of selling herself. In an accident, she had a tangled night with Alexander. Everything began to derail, and even if she fled to the ends of the earth, she would still be found by him and entangled... *** Phoebe screamed in frustration, "What do you want from me?" What was this supposed to be? He raised an eyebrow wickedly. "What do I want? You'll find out soon enough." With that, he hoisted her up and carried her back into the office. The door slammed shut with a kick, and he cleared the desk with a sweep of his arm before laying her down on it, his body pinning hers in place, completely trapping her in his grasp. Every cell in his body was telling him he wanted her. He wanted to claim her again. This time, there would be no escape for her-he wouldn't let her slip away. Never again. If he had suffered for five years, then this woman wouldn't get off easily either!
Lucia Balstone thought she had chosen the right man to spend the rest of her life with, but he was the one who ended her life. Their ten-year marriage seemed like a joke when her husband stabbed her with a dagger. Fortunately, God is never blind to people's tears. Lucia got a second chance. She was reborn at the age of 22, before all the terrible things had happened. This time, she was determined to avenge herself and let those who hurt her pay! She made an elaborate list of her goals, and the first thing on her list was to marry her ex-husband's enemy, Alonso Callen!
Janice, the long-forgotten legitimate heiress, made her way back to her family, pouring her heart into winning their hearts. Yet, she had to relinquish her very identity, her academic credentials, and her creative works to her foster sister. In return for her sacrifices, she found no warmth, only deeper neglect. Resolute, Janice vowed to cut off all emotional bonds. Transformed, she now stood as a master of martial arts, adept in eight languages, an esteemed medical expert, and a celebrated designer. With newfound resolve, she declared, "From this day forward, no one in this family shall cross me."
Yelena discovered that she wasn't her parents' biological child. After seeing through their ploy to trade her as a pawn in a business deal, she was sent away to her barren birthplace. There, she stumbled upon her true origins—a lineage of historic opulence. Her real family showered her with love and adoration. In the face of her so-called sister's envy, Yelena conquered every adversity and took her revenge, all while showcasing her talents. She soon caught the attention of the city's most eligible bachelor. He cornered Yelena and pinned her against the wall. “It's time to reveal your true identity, darling.”