28. Chapter 28
Chapter 28
Camila Flores
T he warmth of Vicente’s body still lingers on my skin as I slip out of bed, wrapping his shirt around me. The moonlight streaming through the curtains casts a soft glow over our tangled sheets.
My body hums with satisfaction, but my heart tugs me toward the one person I need to check on before I can rest.
Ava.
I quietly step out of our room, walking down the hall toward hers. As I push the door open, I find her curled up in bed, her plush duckie tucked beneath her chin.
Just as I’m about to turn to leave, she moves. Her sleepy eyes blink up at me before she reaches for my hand.
“Mummy, do you think Vicente really likes me?” she asks, her voice small and unsure.
“Ava,” I whisper, holding her cheek in one of my palms. “Of course he does. I don’t think he could be such a good actor and fake the way he enjoys spending time with you.”
She smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes.
“Ava, baby, you need to tell Mummy why you think he doesn’t like you?”
Panic starts rising through me. Has he done or said something for Ava to think this way?
“It’s just…” she starts but doesn’t continue.
A million alarm sirens going off in my head.
“It’s just that he calls you ‘wife,’ but he still calls me ‘duckling.’ He doesn’t call me ‘daughter,’” Ava says, her voice breaking as she dissolves into sobs.
My heart shatters into a million pieces. My sweet baby is feeling left out.
I’d love for Ava and Vicente’s relationship to grow stronger, for them to have a true father-daughter bond someday. But everything has happened so quickly, I don’t want to pressure Vicente into something he’s not ready for yet.
Ava’s cries echo through the house, sharp and heart-wrenching.
“Duckling, are you alright?” Vicente barrels through her bedroom door, his voice filled with concern.
Ava’s sobs intensify, and his panic quickly mirrors mine. He crosses the room in seconds, settling on the other side of her bed.
“What’s going on?” he asks, his eyes darting to me.
I can’t seem to speak, the lump in my throat feels like it’s choking me.
Ava looks at me with questioning eyes, and I nod. It’s best to tackle this head on. Him being here can only mean one thing.
After wiping her eyes, Ava grabs the plushie duck Vicente gave her. Looking up at him through her lashes, she says, “I was telling Mummy that I’m not sure if you like me.”
The panic on Vicente’s face melts into something tender. This man—he’s incredible.
“Why would you think that?” he asks, curiously.
Ava turns to face me instead. I sit down on her bed, and she immediately climbs in my lap.
“Can you tell him, Mummy?” she asks, wrapping her little arms around my shoulders and hiding her face in my chest.
Vicente looks at me expectantly.
I release a deep breath before speaking. “Ava has noticed that you now call me ‘wife,’ but you still call her ‘duckling.’” I widen my eyes, trying to leave the rest unsaid.
Vicente catches on. “Ava,” he calls her, and she lifts her head. “Sweetheart, I love you.”
The moment he says the words, she lunges for him, and he catches her without missing a beat.
“Can you please be my daddy?” Ava says against his chest.
Now it’s my turn to sob.
I have never hidden the truth about Konstantine from her, and I think it’s the cutest thing that she calls Vicente “Daddy.” Still, I often wonder if she wants a paternal figure in her life beyond Konstantine’s memory.
Seeing her so vulnerable with Vicente makes me believe she secretly always wanted a daddy but never mentioned it—perhaps out of fear of making me feel bad.
Even though she’s only five, Ava is a very emotional and empathetic child, always mindful of other people’s feelings, especially mine.
Watching Vicente wear his emotions on his sleeves has been a welcome sight for sore eyes. Day after day, through his actions and his love, he has erased my fears and apprehensions. The worries I once had about this marriage ending with Ava and me shattered have disappeared into the void.
I know Vicente is all in with us. Forming a family isn’t just a commitment—it’s truly his ultimate goal.
“It’d be my honor, sweetie,” he says, pressing a kiss to her hair. “Ava Flores, I would be the happiest father on earth if you would be mine. May I call you hija ?”
His voice is so full of tenderness that the weight of the moment overwhelms us. Emotion swells in my chest, and before I know it, we’re all dissolving into one shared, heartfelt sob.
It’s not lost on me that he used the Spanish word for daughter. Vicente never speaks Spanish. This is clearly a huge deal for him.
Ava is unable to speak but nods her head, and Vicente hugs her harder.
A moment later he opens one arm, silently inviting me into the hug. I step forward, wrapping my arms around them both, feeling the warmth of our little family.
“I’m sorry I upset you, sweetie. I just didn’t want to overstep,” Vicente says.
She frowns. “What does overstep mean?”
Vicente and I chuckle at the same time, immediately feeling lighter.
“It means I didn’t want to force you to call me anything you weren’t ready for.”
Understanding dawns on Ava, and she throws her arms around him once more, holding him tightly as if she never wants to let go.
After wiping the last of her tears and going through her bedtime routine again, Vicente and I quietly leave Ava asleep in her room.
It’s back to the office today. We took the entire weekend to unpack and settle back into London time.
Those couple of days were definitely necessary to try to get used to living in a palace. I don’t think there’s any other way to describe Vicente’s place. We not only employ maids, we have chauffeurs, gardeners and even personal chefs. I’ll never understand why he spent all those nights in my dainty apartment, eating regular food when he had all this.
Ava came back visibly tired from Colombia, but I’ve never seen her smile more. She’s taking all these changes in stride, and I couldn’t be more proud of my girl.
Vicente and I arrive at work well before anyone else. I guess everyone took the paid time off Vicente gave them too seriously.
The moment Samantha, the receptionist, sees me, her eyes light up like two bright stars. Without hesitation she makes a beeline for the coffee bar, where I’m brewing a pot.
“Camila, good morning. Or should I say Mrs. Godoy?”
My face contorts. How could she possibly know that we got married?
“Oh, here,” Samantha says, taking a magazine out of her bag.
My mouth forms a perfect “O” as I read the cover: “Billionaire Vicente Godoy Ties the Knot in a Private Ceremony with a Mystery Woman—Exclusive Photos Inside.”
I forget about the coffee and head straight to Vicente’s office, but before I can make it there, Samantha calls me back.
“Camila, you got this letter.” She extends the envelope to me.
I grab it, and when I read who sent it, my confusion ramps up.
“It’s a law firm,” Samantha adds when she sees me staring at the paper.
What would a law firm want to do with me?
I turn around and start again for Vicente’s office.
I don’t even bother knocking—I just walk right in.
When he lifts his gaze and sees it’s me, a gorgeous smile spreads across his lips.
Damn, I love this man.
“What’s wrong?” he asks when I don’t return the smile.
“Did you know we’re on the cover of at least one gossip magazine?” I say, shaking.
His eyes go wide as his eyebrows shoot to the sky.
“Samantha came in this morning with this.” I pass him the magazine and take a seat on the sofa across from his desk to open the envelope.
Camila Flores,
You are hereby notified that the most notable Owen Clarke has retained our legal services concerning the paternity of the minor, Ava Flores.
Mr. Clarke asserts that he is the biological father of the minor, and, as such, formally requests a paternity test to establish his parental rights. He seeks visitation and shared custody of the minor.
Failure to comply with this request will result in a lawsuit against you, in which Mr. Clarke will seek full custody of the minor, Ava Flores.
Please contact our office at your earliest convenience to address this matter. You may reach us via email at [email protected] .
Sincerely,
The office of Charles Shulz & Derrick Watt
London, United Kingdom
I hear Vicente talking loudly with someone on the phone, but I’m in complete shock.
How can this man pretend he’s my baby’s father?
He knows we were done way before I got pregnant. Why is he doing this? I’ll die if someone tries to take Ava from me.
When I look at Vicente, he hangs up the phone and rushes to me. “Camila, what is it?”
Unable to use words, I pass the letter to him.
“ Fuck! ” Vicente shouts as he stands, balling up the letter before tossing it to the floor.
When he looks at me, he kneels in front of me and wipes a tear off my cheek I didn’t even realize had fallen.
“He’s just bluffing. There are no legal grounds for him to request such nonsense,” he says, kissing my temple.
I remain frozen in place, my mind unable to comprehend what’s happening.
I’m not sure how long I stay on the sofa, unmoving, but Vicente comes and sits beside me. Placing my hands in his, he gives me a kind smile.
“I spoke with my lawyer. He sent an email to Owen’s lawyer and set up a meeting with them tomorrow at ten in the morning. Do you feel like you can handle meeting with our lawyer today?”
“What about Ava? I don’t want her to know about this,” I say, my voice breaking.
“Please believe me when I tell you there’s no way he can get through us to get to Ava. Even if it means giving him my entire fortune—Ava is not going anywhere.”
Vicente pulls me into his arms, holding me close.
I breathe a little easier knowing I’m not facing this alone.
“I spoke with Mrs. Evans. She's happy to spend the night in our home,” he adds.
Home. That palace doesn’t feel like a home—but this man sure does.
“Thank you,” I murmur against his neck, inhaling his familiar scent.
He pulls away to face me, a frown forming on his handsome face.
I chuckle. “For what?”
I press my index finger on his lips and continue, “For loving me. For showing me with your actions. Every single day.”
He smiles as he presses a kiss to my ring finger. “I told you, wife. You and Ava are my entire universe. I’d do anything for you.”
He grabs my hand, removing it from his face before leaning in. Our lips tangle in an unhurried kiss. The more his lips explore mine, the more I feel peace seeping through me.
This man has me like no one has ever had me before.
I’ll be grateful for his presence in my life for the rest of my days.
“Mr. and Mrs. Godoy, please have a seat,” Vicente’s lawyer says, greeting us the moment we walk into his office.
“Patrick, we don’t have much time for pleasantries. Please explain how we can get rid of this ridiculous request,” Vicente cuts in, his tone firm.
I squeeze Vicente’s hand and frown at him. Where are his manners?
“I’m sorry,” he says as he releases a breath. “It’s just…as you can imagine, we’re beside ourselves.”
“I understand. No need to apologize,” the lawyer says, his tone calm. “If it’s alright with you both, I need to know every single detail about Mrs. Godoy and Mr. Clarke’s relationship.”
I take a deep breath. If I want to fight Owen—leaving him no chance of getting away with whatever he’s planning—I need to spill my guts to the lawyer.
“I met Owen during the winter of 2017. I was here for the holidays, hoping to practice my English, so I signed up for an English as a Second Language class at Lion University. We met at a pub one night—he was with a group of friends, and I was with some of my classmates. You could say it was lust at first sight.”
Vicente clears his throat as he tries to remove his tie.
“All I’m trying to say is that there wasn’t a real connection between us—it was only physical.”
I can hear Vicente inhaling deeply through his nose, and although I know Owen didn’t mean anything to me, this cannot be easy for Vicente to hear.
“We hung out for about six months, always meeting in pubs or clubs. I never met his family, and he never introduced me as his girlfriend. I knew we were a no-strings attached thing.”
I pause, a vivid memory surfacing—the day I told him I wanted to stop seeing him.
“As I spent more time here in London, I started making new friends. And since I knew things weren’t really going anywhere with Owen, I decided to let him know I wasn’t interested in hanging out anymore.”
I look at Vicente, whose face is hard, but the moment our gazes lock, I can see a flicker of the amazing man he is behind his armor.
“Owen didn’t take it well. He texted me for weeks, letting me know everything he really thought about me.”
“Do you still have those texts?” the lawyer asks.
I take my phone out of my bag. “I’m not sure if texts are stored for that long, but let me check,” I say, opening my messages app.
“We can retrieve them if needed. We would just need your phone number and mobile provider,” Patrick explains, looking at Vicente before shifting his gaze to me.
Vicente and I nod in unison. I squeeze his hand, silently thanking him.
“Very well. That would be a good start to unmask Owen. But the real kicker will be making him aware of Ava’s genetic condition,” Patrick advises.
I inhale deeply, knowing he’s right. I still don’t want Ava to know anything about this.
“You have to promise me—my daughter can never know.” My voice trembles. “I can only imagine how devastated she would be if she ever learns there was a man trying to take her away from me.”
Vicente immediately wraps his long arm around my shoulders, and I inhale his scent, a mix of whiskey and wood. So masculine, so him. It immediately calms me down.
“Trust me, Mrs. Godoy. I’ll only use this if they continue pushing after we show them the timestamps on the messages. I hope it doesn’t come to that, but if it does, this will definitely shut them down.”
I nod and go on to tell him how I met Konstantine and how he passed away even before I knew I was pregnant with Ava.
Patrick takes notes, and once I’ve given him all the information I have on Konstantine, he promises he’ll have a file ready for our meeting tomorrow morning.
As we leave Patrick’s office, I wrap myself around Vicente’s arm like a koala, craving as much contact with him as possible. The peace he gives me is something I can’t explain, but right now, I need all the peace I can get.
I can’t believe the lengths some people will go for revenge. That’s the only reason I can come up with for Owen’s actions. But revenge for what? Our fling ended ages ago.
Is he really so greedy to want Vicente’s money? From what I read online, he married into royalty. He must be swimming in money. Not to mention, he and Vicente used to be best friends.
Why would he want to hurt him?
Nothing makes sense, and I don’t have the energy right now to figure it out. I need to focus on Ava and how to keep her unaware of this madness.
“What are you thinking about so hard over there?” Vicente asks as we make it to the lift.
Shaking my head, I give him a smile, but he won’t stop looking at me.
After a sigh, I say, “I’m just trying to understand what is going on? Why would Owen do something like this?”
Vicente leans down and gives me a kiss on the top of my head. “Sadly, there are people in this world whose only motivation is money.”
He leads me out of the lift, and we start walking toward his car.
“I know that because I used to be one of those soulless motherfuckers before I met you,” he admits, a chuckle escaping when my eyebrows shoot up.
“It’s true,” he continues, opening the car door for me. “I used to call myself a ruthless businessman, but now I realize I was just a greedy bastard.”
Although it’s a harsh assessment, I can see the truth in it.
“This day has been beyond surreal,” I say, getting comfortable in Vicente’s car on our way back home. “I was so worried about the Owen request that I forgot to ask you who leaked our wedding?”
I place my hand on top of the gear shift, and he places his hand on top of mine.
“That was taken care of immediately. I hired a PR company that specializes in dealing with tabloids. They’ll get sued and will never want to mess with us ever again.”
I raise a brow at him as he shrugs. These past few weeks have revealed a new side of my husband—but whenever he’s defending us, he’s cold-blooded. And I love that about him—now. How fierce he is when it comes to protecting us.
“No one is going to fuck around with my family and get away with it,” he says as he places a kiss on each of my knuckles.
I smile at him, believing every single word. We are his family, and everything is going to be okay.
Though, I can’t help but wonder what’s really behind Owen’s charade.