"So, let me guess arrange marriage" Alana grins as she sips on her drink while Flora laughs.

"Oh, please as if we ever have a choice. We all know from the families we are in it's a blessing if we even get to wear the choice of colors we want"

"Totally understandable" Alana nods her head.

"So, how old is Leon Jr?" Alana asks.

"Weird Lucero tradition to have their first-born name after their father"

"Thank God Richie don't have such tradition not that I would let him name our son after him, totally unacceptable" Alana argues.

"Things are not same in our worlds even if we are part of one" Flora smiles as she stares at her son who throws his hands and legs up in air playfully.

"So, how long have you been married?" Alana asks.

"A month" she smiles and Alana narrows her eyes.

"How long have you been engaged?" she enquiries making Flora laugh.

"Forever"

"Oh, oh you two had...oh I get it" she laughs before shutting as Flora just smiles.

"Leon is not mine not that it's any secret to anyone"

"He is..."

"At least your husband looks at you with affection, mine I will feel more human if he spared a glance my way"

"So why did you marry him, knowing he is cheating on you" Alana asks with a frown.

"Because he had no other choice but to marry me, refusing to marry me means he loses many of his followers...

And it's a bit of a woman's pride and ego within me that I could not let him go and he knows he has that hold on me...

Just as much as I know, he cannot keep turning his back on me" she smiles while Alana frowns in confusion.

*******

"Well I am glad my marriage is not as fucked up as yours"

"I would not wish even for my enemy to have a marriage like mine"

"So, why are you walking around with a child that is not yours?" Alana asks curious.

"Because if I cannot have one Leon she cannot have another one, one of them will be known as mine if not both" she grins wickedly and Alana narrows her eyes at the woman.

"You are messed up"

"I know" she smiles as she picks up her drink.

"But why are you sharing all of this with me?" Alana asks not understanding why the woman she just met is sharing the dark side of her marriage.

"Because is that not why we are here? To share our sadness and become best of friends to rely on while our husbands try to empower themselves...

If I have to stay by his side and act as his wife I may as well make some friends and make this a little bit bearable, I have never pretended the feelings and emotions I did not have and I do not plan on"

"You should not be so honest with everyone, they may think it as your weakness" Alana warns her.

"Sometimes your weakness is the only thing that gives you power"

"I think I like you" Alana smiles as she picks up her son and holds him in her arms.

"He is nine months" Flora replies as she caresses her son's cheek.

"I would have shot Richie on his balls if I knew he was cheating on me" Alana speaks making Flora smile.

"I would rather make Luc's life miserable along with mine than shoot him, if I am hurting being his wife he better be hurting too being my husband"

"Do you know who she is?" Alana dares ask.

"A woman never forgets the face of the woman whose child she snatched"

"Now I have mix feelings regarding you"

"I am not everyone's cup of tea"

"I like coffee" Alana grins.

"I am glad you do" Flora smiles.

********

"I hope we did not leave you ladies for too long" Richie states as he walks and drops a kiss on Alana's forehead as he take his son in his arms.

"It was a pleasure talking with Alana, I look forward for our visits and meetings" Flora smiles.

"The car is here" Lucero informs and Flora nods as she holds the handle of the baby's cart.

"Oh, before we leave, do join us for dinner. We will be celebrating Jr Leon's baby brother's arrival"

"Oh congrats, I did not know you were expecting" Richie smiles politely.

"Actually, he was conceived last night, a healthy boy. So, yeah congratulations are due, but I am not the one to have it" she smiles as she walks away while Lucero stands with an emotionless face.

"We will discuss about the contract later on" Lucero speaks as he shakes Richie's hand and follows hot on heels behind his wife.

"Well, are you hungry?" Richie asks not knowing what else to say.

"Cheating is prohibited in our relation" Alana speaks at once making him chuckle.

"I would have to be out of my mind to ever do that to you" he smiles wrapping his arms around her shoulder.

"My head is spinning at what just happened actually"

"Men cheats, women too you know. World is not a virgin place to live on" Richie comments before wincing as Alana hits on his arm.

*******

"You really are crazy" Alana comments as she stares at the scene in front of her.

"What?" Flora chuckles as she walks to where Alana was seated.

"I do not get it?" she questions as she continues while Flora just looks at her in curiosity.

"Why are you even having his kids with yourself?" Alana asks incredulously.

"Because I am their mother"

"What?"

"Well legally, I am his wife which makes them mine"

"You are all sort of crazy"

"Not that I have any choice, if I do not claim them as mine they will be turned into a slave, and Luc's blood runs into their veins they are after all part of him...

A Lucero, I cannot punish them just because their father fell in love with a slave, they are innocent on all of these just as me" she whispers and Alana nods.

"Won't anyone protest for them being here?"

"Not as long as I have them, they may have been born from someone else's womb but they will be known as mine"

"This is insane"

"This is how our life works in, unlike yours we do not value love"

"But your husband seems to value it seeing how he..."

"If he did valued love then I would not be babysitting his sons and I would not be whispered as another woman in his life"

"What's his name?" Alana asks changing the topic.

"Liam, Liam Lucero"

"Oh thank god, for a second I was fearing you will name him Leon the third" Alana jokes making Flora smile.

"It's appealing" Flora comments making Alana laugh aloud.

********

"I thought we were having dinner" Alana speaks as she takes a seat only to find Flora walking out of the dining room.

"The food will arrive soon" Flora smiles as she walks away and Alana turns to face her husband who shakes his head asking her to stay quiet.

"What the hell was that dinner all about?" Alana asks on the way back to the hotel.

"Lucero never dines with his wife"

"And why the fuck not"

"Because she refuses to seat on the same table as his"

"Jesus their life is more fucked up than my head" Alana sighs rubbing her forehead.

"Yeah that" he shrugs his shoulder.

"Well I hope you appreciate my presence more" Alana adds staring at her husband.

"I thank God every day for giving you to me"

"Lies" she rolls her eyes.

"My feelings are always lying to you"

"Oh no, please do not be mushy" Alana shivers.

"Well I ignore you, you become sad I appreciate you again you become sad"

"Aha! So, you admit you ignore me" she grins in victory and Richie just sighs.

"At the end of the day it's all about what you think in here not from here" he speaks as he knocks on her head once before pointing where her heart lies making her frown.

"At least I do not think from there" she grins pointing at the lower part of his body making him laugh.

*******

"Hello there" Alana smiles at her son who squeals seeing her as he starts to move his hands and legs.

"You like it here" she asks as she holds his moving legs and starts to massage it and he squeals loudly.

"Someone is in good mood" Richie comments as he walks out of the bathroom to find his son cheerful.

"Yes, he is" Alana replies as she tries to change Rick's clothes.

"Up we go" Richie smiles as he picks up his son.

"He will get cold" Alana protests.

"He is fine, let him be out of clothes for a while" he speaks playing with his son who starts to coo and make little noises.

"Oh wow, daddy gets special treatment and mommy does not" Alana pouts seeing her son trying to talk with his father.

"Maybe mommy does not let him talk at all" Richie teases before he pecks on Alana's lips as she tries to comment.

********

Returning back home, Richie focuses on work while Alana is left alone with her son. After coming back from their visit with Lucero she has been in contact with Flora Lucero, in whatever weird way it is both of them seem to be good friends.

Sharing each other's kid's stories while complaining and moaning about their husbands. In one of her conversation Alana invites Flora to visit the city and Flora accepts it at once. She coveys the message to Richie about Flora's visit which makes Richie a bit wary but he comes around it letting Alana go meet Flora.

"I did not even know you would be so ready to come see us" Alana grins as she meets Flora in a café.

"I needed a change" Flora smiles as she hugs Alana before pinching Rick's nose who shifts uncomfortably and Alana holds her breath scared her son will start to cry and thankful when he does not make a sound.

"Don't worry, I do that with Leon a lot" Flora laughs seeing Alana worried expression.

"Still every time I watch him cry it unsettles me" she confesses.

"That's motherhood for you"

"So, where are you kids?" Alana asks as she finds Flora alone.

"It's one thing I claimed his sons it's another if he let me take them out of the house"

"Does your husband even know you are here?"

"You think your husband won't inform mine before letting me be here?" Flora asks incredulously making Alana groan.

"That's why he easily said yes to the prospect the second time, he must have talked with Lucero"

"I am glad you invited me, I needed a change of scenario"

"Not that I have any say but may be change in your married life is a must" Alana shrugs her shoulders.

"I will be damned if I let her win, she can sleep and have any number of babies with him but at the end of the day I am the one who has his surname attached and a ring in my finger"

"That's pity" Alana winces.

"That it is, from where I come from I have no control on anything in my life. Everything was pre-planned, Luc was the only one stable thing for me...

He was the only one that would never change in my life, the fact he was my fiancé even before I born was a truth I can never escape from...

Yet, instead of falling for me he goes and chooses a slave, and nothing hurts a woman's pride than that. I heard she is beautiful well her sons sure are...

But, I am not so bad myself. He knew he was to marry me yet" Flora smiles sadly shaking her head.

"I never understood why you said all these things to me, I mean we hardly know each other" Alana speaks.

"True, but you may hardly know about me but I know a whole lot about you. I know how much you hate what my husband does...

Your brother's blood may have dried but his memories are still in your head"

"How did you know?" Alana asks a bit angry.

"I have met him few times while he accompanied your father. I never knew why he was even around, he was too young to know things that runs inside...

He was like a sore thumb around the place and I was bored..."

"Bored, what the hell..."

"I was bored one day, so I went and talked with him. Relax, nothing else. I have always been in love with Luc, because in my head he has always been my one and only...

Your brother was just a sweet boy, I liked how he did not want to be there just as me yet he was there. Our few meetings turned into friendship, he talked a lot about his naïve, snappy sister he loved a lot...

Ricardo was too young to understand, he was too young to die yet he had humanity left within him to know it was wrong, that things around him was wrong...

It's really nice to know you named your son after your brother and I hope the same passion Ricardo had will settle in your son's soul" Flora speaks as she stares at the little Rick who was busy clapping his hands and making noises.

*******

"Why did you protested when you knew he was sleeping around on you?" Alana asks as they enjoy their dessert making Flora laugh.

"You think it matters? It's a man's world, Alana and if you think one man will stop everything and fight for you, you are wrong...

They can do anything, kill, cheat and yet sleep soundly while you smile sweetly towards a man and you are called names...

There is nothing fair, there is no justice in this world especially for a woman. We will always be known as a weak species no matter how hard we try, how strong we make ourselves, they will always find a way to break us, to keep us silent...

I may refuse to share my bed with him, I may refuse to eat alongside him and I may refuse to see his face but it never matters...

Because in his eyes I never mattered, I am just a way for him to upgrade his powers and now a way to save his kids from being slaves because any children that a slave bears are slaves"

"You know it all yet you are there are you not to make your point clear" Alana states making Flora laugh once again.

"I am a bit hard-headed, I may be just a woman in his life but I am a woman. They may think I am weak, they may make me feel weak...

But my weakness is my power, there is nothing for me to fear or loose. Even if he is mine, he never was mine, so what's there for me to lose?

If I am going to fall apart hard I may put a dent on the floor while I fall down"

"All the best, May the best Lucero win" Alana grins as she scoops the last of her dessert and eat it.