Author's pov:
To understand this book, I'll have to take you to the place it all began and lucky for me… us it happened in a place I know all too well, in fact who didn't?
It was only the house of the accomplished; well-known billionaire Michael Castro. A man well in his forties but surprisingly didn't have a single wrinkle to show for it. One would think that in his chaotic line of work, the 'poor' guy's age would certainly showcase its face but as usual Castro never misses the chance to put us in our place.
However, in this scene he wasn't the tycoon with agents known to seal a deal in mere seconds, neither the monster who unflinchingly waved off pleas from his debtors; who apparently needed 'more time' nor was he the lucky man who managed to whisk himself the lovely Camille. We'll get back to her in due time.
Tonight he was just serving one of the most vital roles any man could have the privilege or rather decency? To serve … Fatherhood. A job he didn't quite seem to master despite doing it for over a decade; twenty two years to be exact. As his fork dug into the catastrophe of a salad served to him, at the request of his lady, the lovely Camille White; who I must add, finally put her foot down after the death scare that recently hit them due to his ill feeding pattern , Michael couldn't help but feel blessed.
You know what they say, money can't buy happiness. Well, whomever came up with that 'outrageous' statement, probably lacked Sir Castro's three jewels. Oh! Don't tell me a being as sophisticated as you are, believed his fame was based purely on his riches?
I guess I am to blame for that, how dare I fail to mention the heirs to the Castro name. Michael not only had two fine species of the human male to carry on his heritage but also a fierce looking gem he held closely to his heart, his one and only daughter Lana.
Michael was a man of many talents, everyone who knew him knew this but there was this one little thing that not even his family... let's get a little deeper shall we? Not even his wife, one he cherished with his entire being could know of. It was a 'mistake' he made in his youth, one that would surely have dire consequences if it were to ever come to light. I mean everyone makes mistakes. He was just a kid! Barely even fifteen; a victim if you ask me... how could he have known of the impact the sudden turn of events would have on his life? He needed the money fast and if that was the only way he could get his hands on some quick cash, so be it! Right?
You can be the judge of that, I'll stick to what I hope I do best, narrating… gossip.
Michael Castro's little secret; yes the man mindlessly munching on the meal he was slowly growing accustomed to, lived just underneath the table that held his family's delicacy, under the woolen rug that never lost its perfect fluffiness despite the many hours it spent in laundry. Yes! Beneath the concrete stone that was the mansion many desired to catch a glimpse of …just ten feet down the firm soil was his guilty truth... one he ensured could no longer haunt him.
Real smart if you ask me, cause... who'd look for the lost in plain sight?
He had learnt to accept his mistake and was doing everything in his power to make up for it... how? Just ask Talia; his personal secretary, smiling fondly whenever her eyes with met those of her crush; one she knew was clearly was out of her league...we'll get back to that later but for now lets get back to the dinner, shall we?- and i can proudly say that he was slowly but surely walking the path to recovery but on days like this; days approaching the anniversary of his dreadful past he couldn't help but feel vulnerable?... No! Terrified, that his despicable crime would once again see the sun.
(I was like should I give them a hint, then my brain went like naaah let them sweat it out. Hope you're enjoying the book though... Okay let's go!)
Camille's pov:
"So..." I whined getting the attention of everyone at the table, who mind you had barely touched their food; the food I spent hours preparing... I know am not the best cook... ok am still learning how to...goodness fine I don't have a single clue what to do when it comes to cooking! Don't you dare judge me! No one's perfect!...but come on how bad could it really be?
We were having a Crustilon-something an easy recipe for beginners; it may or may not resemble the result but that's beside the point! The thing is, I went an extra mile thus deserved to be appreciated for this smudge?.. whatever this is.
"what do you think?" I added, smiling sweetly at my gorgeous family, watching the look of horror they unapologetically wore while zeroing on my 'masterpiece' (as if ready to tackle whatever beast's about to jumb out. Pscht, just cause it's still sizzling doesn't make it mutated kids)... turn to that of utter disgust after cautiously digging in literally was enough to show their distaste.
I would be lying by saying the act hurt cause frankly i expected nothing less. Let's face it cooking just wasn't- isn't my line of expertise, something I have fully embraced if the countless burns on my tips are anything to go by but on seeing the smug look Michael 'my considerate husband' had so desperately 'tried' to hide (playing it off as an obviously forced coughing fit)... I knew it was time to pull the big guns and trust me the guns were pulled hard!
"I mean it's ok if you hate it... I just spent was it ten... twelve hours making it so-"
"Mum!" (Ha! Who's laughing now darling)
Liam's deep voice cut through the still silence of the night, drawing all the attention to him; pushing my silent victory aside i aimed for a completely defeated look (Play the mum card people, works everytime... hihi wimps).
"I think it's lovely, right Lu?" he inquired giving his brother a not so 'light' nudge (one that made him turn to glare at his younger, who was already too far gone in his thoughts to feel the effect of the prying eyes) to intervene and as usual his response was wanting luckily I think it's safe to say, i lost my rights to be picky so i'll take what i'll get thank you very much.
"Yeah I mean it has this hint of-um... yeah that makes it much better." Okay Lucas... okay.
So if you didn't notice my eldest son isn't really the smartest, don't get me wrong he's my little baby and i love him with all that i have, it's just what it is. Did you think I meant this in terms of brainpower...no? Okay, cause his IQ is on point, it's just... he's not really smooth especially when they spotlight is randomly on him, guess he got that from Mic. I mean I basically had to do all the flirting when he approached me, but that's beside the point what's eating up my brain is the fact that he managed to get himself not just any girl but a really good one... a little too good.
Don't look at me like that, I'm a mum, ok? I know when things are not right. It's like my sixth sense; (this messed up feelings every mother gets when something awfully horrible is about to happen) ticks whenever I look at her, pardon my language but she seems a little bit plastic... everything about her seems fake!
It had been a week since he introduced her to us, which might be normal if it were any of my other kids but not him, not my Luke. He was never one to get attached the longest he'd stayed with one was a day two tops but a week! Now that had to set off the sirens. So I did what any good mum would do when faced with such a situation... got backup.
I needed some alone time with her to get to the bottom of this, you know get her to slip up and say something... anything that would feed my suspicions but how on earth would I do that with Luke basically shadowing her every move? Well that's where Lana comes in... my diversion.
Author's pov:
Conversation in the Castro dinner seemed to flow naturally, the awful food completely forgotten as they randomly talked about what they deemed appropriate or found rather entertaining at the moment. The light buzz that filled the room from the laughter that erupted every few seconds gave a certain someone ample time to think of the encounter that happened just a few hours ago; one that had him smiling fondly underneath the thin, creamy napkin in his grasp.
Liam wasn't one to feel, he was more of a in the moment kind of guy, emotions just didn't sit well with him. I mean, with a history as dark as his; I couldn't say I blamed him. Every well-known family has that 'black sheep' that made the headlights in every paper, that who was closely watched by the paparazzi, patiently waiting for their slip up to air it to the world and as you must have probably guessed by now, Liam was the holder of this title and from the look of things he wasn't losing it anytime soon.