DONT FORGET TO READ AUTHORS NOTE!
[THIS BOOK HAS SOME GRAMMAR ISSUES AND ERRORS!!! SOON TO BE EDITED!!]
BOOK 1
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Aurora Diaz, a successful chef and restaurant owner in New York City, moved there to start a new life after enduring years of torm...
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FIVE YEARS LATER...
After Lorenzo passed away five years ago, I was consumed with grief. I genuinely missed him. There were days I wanted nothing more than to make the bastards who killed him pay, and other times I cried myself to sleep, heartbroken that he wouldn't get to see Ophelia grow up.
At Lorenzo's funeral, I struggled to maintain my composure. Watching Ophelia while everyone cried around us made me feel utterly helpless. I knew some women were gossiping about me, but I didn't care.
I remember Theo being worried about me. We argued, and I ended up sobbing on his shoulder as he held me. Theo took care of Ophelia and me shortly after, but I quickly told him not to.
Theo didn't want to relocate to Vegas initially, but he eventually agreed. He deserved to be happy and have someone by his side. He warned me to text or call him at least once a day, threatening to fly back to New York if I didn't. Though overprotective, I was grateful he still cared about Ophelia and me.
Lorenzo's lawyers informed me that he had left me his house and everything in it before he died. He had appointed me as the CEO of his firm until Ophelia was old enough to decide if she wanted to take over. At first, I was perplexed as to why he chose me, with no experience in business management. But Daniel, Lorenzo's former assistant manager, helped me understand how the company functioned.
Since then, I've been managing his business, and to my surprise, it's going well despite my initial fears. Recently, I learned that Riley and Trevor had been apprehended, jailed, and identified as Lorenzo's killers.
As I got out of my Range Rover and stood in front of it, waiting for Ophelia's school day to end, I wiped tears from my face. The school's exterior bell rang, snapping me out of my reverie.
I took off my sunglasses and smiled as Ophelia ran towards me, a smile lighting up her face. Despite losing her father at such a young age, Ophelia has managed to keep smiling, and I am incredibly proud of her.
She hugged me tightly, and I hugged her back. "How was school, my dear?" I asked as she pulled away, jumping with excitement while recounting her day.
"It's been amazing, Mom! We learned about the moon and the stars," she said dreamily.
"Wow, that's amazing!" I replied. She continued, "Yeah, and I got an A+ on my test!"
"Oh my God, I'm so proud of you!" I said, high-fiving her as she beamed with pride.
"Since you did such a great job, how about we get some ice cream?"
"Yeah, ice cream! Mom, you're the best. I love you," she said, giving me a quick hug before running to the other side of the car.
Tears welled up in my eyes as I replayed what Ophelia had just said. To be honest, I didn't think I could do this, but here I am, taking care of her. I smiled to myself as I got in the car and drove to the ice cream store.
Over these past years, I've realized that not everything in life stays the same forever. If you had told me I would fall in love with the person I hated in high school, I wouldn't have believed it. Even though there are days I wish Lorenzo and I could have had our happy ever after, maybe we have that in another world.
And that's okay.
Lorenzo taught me what love is and how to love someone. Thanks to him, I found myself, even after everything he did to me back in the day. I also realized that God sends people into your life for a reason. Though Lorenzo isn't with me now, he remains the best part of me, and I will always be his angel face.
