No matter how many times I tried to pinch myself mentally, it couldn't change the fact that right before me in all glory and unholy honour and demeanor stood the man I once loved. I once cherish and the same man that had sent me parking without even a dollar on me.

With no phone, no money, no card or even my purse. He had ordered his best security men to ensure I was seen out of his penthouse immediately and that I never returned. That he should never let his eyes drop on an eyesore like me.

Oh the harsh words of Alejandro Black. Sometimes, within this six years that I had let my brain let me look back into time, I've found myself wondering if he had ever felt the desire, the lust, the love I had felt.

I would be a fool to not say that the six years we've spent apart didn't do wonders on him.

Heck!
His hair has grown a lot more. His new haircut was a sight. He had done well to finally let his hair grow into dark locks.
Not to long to be put into a ponytail but long enough to tug at. Long enough to loose the sight of my fingers if I tread them in.

But who was I kidding? That would never happen. He had sworn with all his might to ensure that we would never be in the same city together, let alone the same room with me running my fingers through his hair.

He was beginning to let a little stubble grace his rock hard jaw. It must have been as a result of stress because the Alejandro I knew never liked anything out of place in his pristine look.

The Alejandro I knew. How comical and ironic that felt.

Unlike him who had been enjoying the lavish life, spending life most probably on a reserved island or on one of his many Yachts, these six years has toughened me. Had taught me how to put on the hardest armor I could obtain as I had to start from the very scratch.

Everyone had left me. Even the damned father I thought loved me. And no one picked up the phone when I called after I had been sent out like a spoilt orange from a bunch. No one except the little stranger I stumbled by a the train station where I had sat dejected and soaked wet, shivering.

No matter how humble Alejandro tried to portray, words still ran out before him. And for being the first son of the prominent Rafael Black, it was never hard to find him on the front corner of everything magazine. If you'd just tilt your head to the right, you'd see him. It works if you tilt to the right too. And that was how I knew that moving on from the daughter of a thief like me was as easy as taking a deep breath.

As soon as he and Marcelo, had restored Blackheart Ltd back to its feet, he was up and shinning. And soon, Cassandra Davis was nestled in his arms.

And dare I say that it hurt. It hurt like crazy. Like the sharp sting of a wasp. That was when the serious wave of heartbreak hit me like a crazed bull deep in blood lust.

And that's one of the major reasons why I stood here, in my boss's office paralyzed and more so shocked as different voices, different emotions ran through me.

And that's why this crazed emotional moment must stop. Because the Cecilia of San Jose is not the same Cecilia in Sacramento. Because this Cecilia is tough and she's not going to mop about and let one man's decision spoil her morning.

Heck!
I had a lot planned for tonight with Claire and her five year old daughter. Claire was the stranger that had given me shelter. She was pregnant as of when she had picked me up. Her husband, Stephen was in the army and was recruited for a mission.

Tonight, we had planned to have a girls only night. We'd go out to watch the movies with some popcorn.

I wouldn't have gotten here if not for Claire and her husband. They had helped me sustain this job at GIA, the Gemological Institute of America. One of Stephen's brother happened to be an appraiser in the company.

He had helped me get the job and once I had gotten it, I ensured that I built myself up to the top.

And now, I was working and now a lab and research professional. I owned a modest bungalow and a comfy black Toyota Avalon 2015 model even if I knew that in my past life, I would never had considered it and option. I also owned a cat, Garfield. A comforter when I felt lonely.

And I must say, I'm happy with where I am. And I'm happy with where life has brought me. And I'm completely thankful to Claire, Stephen and most surprising Alejandro Black.

******
And it's a wrap once again.

Thanks alot to my first reader @Justkammy.
Much love from this corner.
I'm indeed grateful that you read this book

See ya next time
😘😍

Once again
I love ya
Xoxo