Under the Millionaire’s Shadow
Camila put on a short black wig that reached just above her shoulder. The straight hair framed her features nicely. She donned a black lace mask and wore a tight-fitting black dress.
She arrived at the club and immediately spotted Tadeo, sitting in front of the bar, looking distracted as he hurriedly downed one drink after another.
Approaching him, she changed her voice deliberately.
“Hello, handsome. Want some company?” She inquired suggestively.
“Get lost,” replied the detective without even glancing at her.
“Come on, handsome. You seem desperate. What’s going on? Trust me, I’m a good listener.” She persisted; Camila was determined not to give up on Tadeo. He was worth it.
That was enough to make Tadeo start recounting his entire story without turning to look at her. He talked about Ava and then about Afrodita, how he had come to believe she might be the woman of his life. A smile appeared on his face as he spoke about the adorable freckled children they would have.
He noticed the girl had fallen silent. When he turned, he saw that she had removed her mask, and thick tears were wetting her cheeks. He thought that his story had touched this unusual girl deeply.
The raven-haired girl took her short hair and, pulling it, let a long cascade fall.
Surprise was written all over Tadeo’s face. This girl was Afrodita.
She didn’t allow him to speak. She took his face in her hands and kissed him. Tadeo felt the warmth of that kiss coursing through him, all the way to his heart.
He held her tightly, getting lost in the scent of her long hair. As he inhaled that soft aroma, he felt at ease.
After a while, they decided to leave the club. Camila needed to talk to him.
They arrived at Tadeo’s apartment, entered, and sat in the living room, facing each other.
“I need you to listen to me without judgment. I don’t want to have a relationship with you based on lies.”
“Go ahead, I’m listening.” Tadeo was willing to do anything for her.
“For years, I’ve developed a certain obsession with Mateo Licciardi. I always tried to stay updated on his life and his interests, using the media, gossip magazines, and social media to do so.”
“He had never been seen with any woman, and there were even rumors that he was gay. When he announced his engagement to the secretary, it seemed like an impossible love for me. But when it was reported that he had broken up with her, I thought I might have a chance to get closer to him.”
“I decided to pose as a secretary, forging some documents since I hadn’t finished college. I dressed up in a sexy and attention-grabbing way and applied for the position at the corporation. I watched other applicants come and go, all of them very voluptuous women. I saw him reject each one of them, so I rushed to buy clothes that would give me an image completely opposite to those of the girls he had turned down.”
“It worked, and I got the job. I thought about gradually winning him over. When I saw him suffering because of Grecia, I decided to approach him. I thought that since he invited me to accompany him to important events, he might be interested in me. But he rejected me. Nevertheless, I persisted in my determination to conquer him. A girl named Clara approached me, asking if we could work together to harm Grecia, but I brushed her off. She seems to be an unstable and dangerous woman.”
“Do you know where that woman is?” Tadeo asked, startled.
“She got into my apartment, and she won’t leave.”
“Why didn’t you say so earlier? That woman is wanted for attempted murder against Licciardi.”
“I didn’t know,” Camila said, distressed.
“I’ll call for them to come and get her immediately.”
“You know that if you do that, they will implicate me for having her in my apartment,” she said sadly.
“I hadn’t thought about that. We need to find a way to get her out of there.”
“On one occasion, Teodoro Miller approached me after work and offered me a large sum of money in exchange for information about Mateo. That man scares me. To get rid of him, I told him I would think about it. But he has been sending me messages for days to see if I accepted his proposal. He asked me to call him if I decide to accept.”
“That could be of great help in stopping that criminal. And tell me, if you are so in love with Licciardi, why did you come to me?” He asked bitterly. Apparently, his destiny was to be in the shadow of the millionaire.
“I thought I was in love with him, and I didn’t realize that I was only attracted to the power image he projected. The day you came to Akiro’s club, after my performance, I thought you would come to my dressing room. But when you didn’t, something inside me hurt. After that, I looked for you, and you refused to see me. That was when I realized that I love you, that I couldn’t go on without you.”
“Are you sure about what you feel?” Tadeo asked, still reluctant.
“Absolutely” Camila answered, completely sure.
They looked into each other’s eyes and kissed, a kiss unlike any they had shared before, where they could feel all the love they had for each other.
That night, for the first time, they made love. Everything before had been just sex. It was a completely new experience for both of them.Original content from NôvelDrama.Org.
The next day, Tadeo woke up, and he saw the beautiful girl still sleeping on his chest. A tender smile appeared on his face. After all, perhaps soon he would have a little freckled child in his arms, just as he had always desired.
Tadeo had loved Ava so much since he met her years ago that it had become an obsession. It hadn’t allowed him to develop feelings for any other girl, which is why he had turned to bondage. It satisfied his desires, but without committing to anything more. But with Afrodita, everything had changed. He wanted to have her by his side forever.
In another place, a man smoked on a balcony at the top of a building. It was Teodoro Miller. He had left Italy to stay out of Licciardi’s reach and the police.
He hadn’t been able to communicate with the high-ranking officer who protected him. Something must have happened to him. He paid him a good amount every month for protection and for turning a blind eye to his dirty businesses, of which the high-ranking officer had recently become a partner.
He was in Germany, and that night he had to receive a shipment at the port of a nearby river.
He headed to that place, where a large container ship was anchored near the dock. Teodoro had the place well monitored, and his men had already been deployed before he arrived. He entered a large warehouse where several girls were lined up, all with their hands tied and heads bowed. Teodoro smirked sinisterly as he saw them.
That very night, there would be an auction, and men from various nationalities would be present. The best customers were men from Japan, Germany, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates.
Later, the girls were dressed provocatively, one by one they walked down a runway, and the men there watched them closely, choosing some of them until there were no more girls on the runway.
The poor girls were terrified, silently crying, but none of those men cared about their suffering.
This business was what mattered most to Teodoro; everything else was a front to justify his income.
In the penthouse, Ava and Mateo received a visit from Mateo’s grandfather and mother, and Lola had also come to see them, bringing Matt with her. The three women prepared dinner while Mateo and his grandfather watched a soccer game, accompanied by Matt, who seemed to be developing a liking for kicking the ball.
The two men paid more attention to the little one than to the actual game. They were amazed by his intelligence and his antics. For such a young child, he already spoke very clearly. Guido told Mateo that he had also spoken clearly from a young age.
They had a lively dinner, and Lola reminded Mateo that they had a pending conversation. Mateo apologized, saying they would go out to dinner soon to talk with her. That night, the couple announced their engagement, and the others celebrated the event joyfully.
They left after midnight, and Mateo’s grandfather and mother offered to take Lola to her apartment, leaving Matt with his parents.
Shortly after, the little one was asleep in the room next to his parents’. From there, they could hear perfectly if he woke up during the night, although Ava didn’t think he would. He had tired himself out playing.
Later, Ava emerged from the bathroom wearing only a light nightgown. Upon seeing her, Mateo felt his heart race, as they hadn’t been intimate for days. She needed to recover from everything they had gone through.
As Ava lay down and hugged him, she noticed Mateo’s heart beating rapidly. She slid her hand over his chest, and his heartbeat quickened.
She knew they had to wait a few more days as the doctor had indicated. She moved her hand down and realized the level of excitement Mateo was experiencing.
He let out a growl and pulled her hand away.
“We can’t do anything yet, my love. It’s best if I take a cold shower to calm myself down,” he said, laughing.
“That, or maybe I could help you solve your little problem,” Ava suggested.
“Do you think it’s small?” she asked, feigning seriousness.
“I didn’t mean that, silly,” Ava couldn’t help but laugh at the tone she used.