Prisioner In Your Arms

Bruno wondered what would happen if Nicole got pregnant again; perhaps then she would agree to marry him again. As for the religious marriage, they could renew their vows.

It goes without saying that he put a lot of effort into it all night long.

At dawn, Bruno got up, took a quick shower, and got ready for work. He had to make up for lost time the day before and reschedule all the postponed appointments.

Nicole woke up shortly after, feeling very tired.

“Good morning, my sleeping beauty,” Bruno greeted.

“Good morning, Mr. Leone,” she replied.

“How did you sleep?” he asked with a laugh.

“To be honest, I didn’t sleep much. There was something in the air that didn’t let me sleep,” Nicole said.

“Well, judging by that big smile, I can guess that you enjoyed whatever that something was,” Bruno teased. Nicole blushed at the memory.

“Haha, your face has turned completely red,” he loved that she still blushed.

Nicole smiled, then got up and headed to the bathroom, this time not covering herself with the blanket. Bruno enjoyed the beautiful view that was presented to him. It would be a complicated day, so they had to hurry. When Nicole came out of the bathroom, Bruno had already ordered breakfast.

“We’d better have breakfast now; we won’t have time later,” he said.

Nicole thanked him for breakfast, and they hurried to eat before heading out for the day.

Bertha was already in her place and, seeing them so close, immediately imagined that they had spent the night together. She smiled at them, hoping that they would finally resolve their problems.

Meanwhile, at Sergio’s house, Deborah was feeling very upset.

“Just get over it, woman. It’s not worth it,” Sergio said, tired of hearing her say the same thing over and over again.”

“You should have seen how his face transformed with hatred when he realized who I am. He’s definitely sick. He shouldn’t hate me; I’m his mother, even if neither he nor I like it.”

“You have to keep insisting. We need him on our side. He could convince Nicole not to claim our fortune.”

“It’s such a nuisance having to put up with him, but you’re right. We need him on our side. We’ll do whatever it takes to keep what’s ours.”

“I’ve been investigating, and Rina has been making several moves to try to harm me. We have to act quickly, or we’ll end up on the streets.”

“Ending up on the streets is an understatement. If we don’t act before her, we’ll end up in prison.”

“It won’t be easy to win Bruno’s favor.”

“I know. I hate having to pretend what I don’t feel.”

On the other hand, Sophie and Dante were preparing for their wedding. The concern they felt upon learning about the pregnancy had turned into excitement.

“I want a beautiful dress. The pregnancy isn’t noticeable yet, so I’ll still look good.”

“Even as the pregnancy progresses, you’ll look beautiful, I assure you. By the way, my mother will come to help us with the preparations.”

“That’s great. She’ll be a great help. I want everything to be perfect,” she said as the excitement reflected on her face.

“My favorite crazy girl, soon we’ll be husband and wife,” Dante approached to embrace her.

“When I met you, I didn’t think we would come this far. After all these years, look at us here, about to walk down the aisle.”

“You came to change my world. You made it a better place. Before you, I was completely lost.”

“I love you, Dante Leone.”

“I love you even more, future Mrs. Leone.”

Everyone was making plans, concerned about their own lives, unaware of the storm that was approaching and would sweep them all away.

Leandro pretended to agree with his father’s plans, even pretending to have a liking for Deborah. He listened to them plan and complain.

“That woman was despicable, ambitious, and shallow like no other. She and her father were two peas in a pod.

Leandro tried to spend as much time as possible with them. Only then would he earn their trust and they would confide in him. He continued to struggle in a relationship with Shelsy, a relationship that wasn’t yielding results, but what they had was better than being alone.

“You still can’t forget her?” Shelsy asked curiously.

“I don’t want to lie to you. No matter how hard I try, I can’t,” Leandro replied.

“I understand. I feel the same way about Bruno,” she resigned herself, knowing she had no chance with him.

Leandro embraced her. Their relationship was based on consoling each other, sharing their sorrows and providing support.

In the afternoon, Sondra waited outside the Leone Corporation. Her parents had kicked her out of their house when they found out about everything she had done. They had canceled her credit cards, and she had no way to survive. Working was not an option for her; she had held a high position in her father’s company, so begging for a job elsewhere was out of the question.

When she saw Bruno coming out accompanied by Nicole, she lunged at them and grabbed her sister by the hair.

“You damn bitch! You’re the one responsible for my misery!” Sondra wanted to make her pay for all her suffering.

“Let her go, Sondra,” Bruno futilely tried to pull her away from Nicole.

“I won’t let her go. Now you’ll see what I’ll do to her,” Sondra took out a pair of scissors and attempted to cut Nicole’s hair. Bruno held her arm and took away the scissors.

“You’re a damn crazy woman, Sondra,” he said.

“You love me and not her, why don’t you realize it?” Sondra screamed, completely unhinged.

“Go away, Sondra. Don’t ever come near me again,” Nicole tried to maintain her calm despite the commotion.

“I’ll come back for you, Nicole, have no doubt about that,” Sondra said, her eyes filled with hatred, briefly scaring Nicole.

She ran off when she saw the security guards approaching.

“Are you okay?” Bruno approached Nicole.

“Yes, Sondra is unwell. I don’t understand the reason for her hatred. I truly don’t understand it.”

“Don’t think about her anymore. Come on, I’ll take you home, and I’ll get to spend some time with my son.”

“My Santi, I haven’t had much time to be with him,” she said sadly.

“I would like the three of us to go on vacation. I haven’t spent much time with him either. We could go mountain climbing, camping, and fishing together.”

“That sounds good. He’ll be thrilled when you tell him,” Shelsy said. The idea made her forget her sadness.

Later, Santi shouted excitedly, “We’re going fishing, Mom! I’m going to catch a fish this big!” He opened his little hands wide.

“Now, that will be a really big fish,” Nicole exclaimed as she laughed.

Santi and Bruno played video games while Nicole prepared dinner. Bruno got up, approached her, and hugged her.

“So, this is what it feels like,” he said.

“What?” Nicole asked.

“To be a family,” Bruno replied, and Nicole felt warmth in her heart upon hearing his words.

Shortly after, the three of them had dinner. Sara had made an excuse of feeling tired and apologized, giving them space. Santi was talkative throughout the meal, eager to share everything with his father.

“Dad, a boy tried to hit me at school. He made fun of me because he said my parents don’t live together,” Santi said.

“What did you do?” Bruno asked.

“I defended myself. I put him in his place without hitting him, and the girl I like came up to congratulate me.”

“You like a girl?” Nicole asked.

“Yes, Mommy. Boys like girls,” he replied, making gestures that Nicole found adorable, although she didn’t like the idea of a girl liking her son.

“Are you jealous, Mom?” Bruno asked, amused.

“You don’t have to be jealous, Mommy. You’ll always be my first and true love,” Santi said.

“Hahaha, where did you get that from?” Nicole asked.

“They always say it in the novels that Nanny watches.”

“I’ll talk to Nanny about that.”

Santi insisted that Bruno stay to sleep with him.

“Mommy, could the three of us sleep together? Come on, say yes, so tomorrow you can take me to school, and my classmates can see that I have a family too.”

Nicole felt a tightness in her chest. Her son shouldn’t have to pay for his parents’ mistakes.

“Yes, son, as long as your father agrees to stay.”

“I’d be delighted. I’ll call to have some clothes brought over.”

“Yessss, Dad, tonight you’ll tell me bedtime stories.”

That night, Sondra sought out Leandro.

“What do you want here?” he asked.NôvelD(ram)a.ôrg owns this content.

“I need your help. I need money.”

“Why do you think I would give it to you?”

“Because of the friendship we had some time ago.”

“You’re mistaken. You won’t get anything from me, so please leave.”

Leandro left, leaving Sondra alone in the living room. Immediately, Sergio entered.

“How much money do you need?” he asked.

“Are you willing to give it to me? I imagine there will be something in return.”

“You imagine correctly. I want you to get close to Nicole, pretend to be remorseful to gain her trust.”

“I can’t do that. I hate her, and it’s something I can’t hide.”

“Not even for this check with a lot of zeros?” He placed a check with a significant amount in front of her.

“Well, that changes things.”

“When you manage to get close to her, pass on as much information as possible.”

“I hope Bruno allows me to get close to her. He seems to be her guardian dog.”

“Even the fiercest dog has its weak side.”

“That’s right. Bruno’s weakness is Nicole and their son.”

“That child is the key to getting what I want.”

“Without that child, Nicole and Bruno will have nothing to keep them together.”

Leandro was unaware of the plans being concocted by his father and Sondra. He had left the house, it was a place he couldn’t stand to be in. He entered a bar, needing a few drinks. Forgetting his love for Nicole was his goal. He called Shelsy to join him.

A beautiful redhead approached him. He had already had a few drinks. The girl came closer and sat on his lap.

“Hello, handsome,” she said.

“What do you want? Go away.” Leandro was annoyed by the excessive perfume; it was too sweet, almost nauseating.

“Don’t be so rude. I just want to keep you company for a while. Come on, say yes.”

Shelsy, who arrived at that moment, watched with disgust as the girl, while caressing Leandro, tried to steal his wallet.

“Well, well, not only a whore but a thief too,” she exclaimed loudly.

“Get out of here. I saw him first. You’re not coming here to take away my client.”

“I’ll count to three, and you better get off my boyfriend’s lap as soon as possible.”

“Your boyfriend?” the redhead asked.

“Yes, my boyfriend,” Shelsy replied, exasperated.

Leandro, dazed by alcohol, watched with amusement as these two beautiful girls argued over him. It wasn’t something that happened every day.

The redhead got off his lap and walked away, swaying her hips exaggeratedly. She had lost a client, but she would find another one to pay her fees for the night. Too bad he was so handsome.

“You’re such a fool, Leandro. That woman was about to steal your wallet.”