And Then You Came

Chapter 1

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[Cover by Itzel]
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Monserrat's almond blue eyes were pierced onto the screen of her iPhone, scrolling apathetically through countless posts, pictures, and what not on every social media ever created. I had been speaking to her for quite some time now and I can not help shake off the feeling of being unapologetically ignored by the girl I adore. I tried to sway my mind into believing that maybe she was paying attention to me and what I was trying to say.

I studied her face. My eyes followed the contour of her defined jaw until I got tangled at the corner of her luscious full lips, tinted matte violet. She was beautiful beyond description at times when I tried to caress her insecurities. I sometimes found myself thinking what I did to deserve such an elegant spawn of angels in my life. Her golden skin reminded me of the sun as it sets underneath the horizon. Her eyes, those sky blue almond shaped eyes, could melt me into butter every time I gazed upon those openings to heaven.

 I always tried to outweigh the negative and unpleasant attributes she possessed with the positive. I agree I sometimes feel like she gets bothered or annoyed by me. Occasionally she has moments where she explodes on me and abandons me like a child for weeks. But at the end of the day, she made me genuinely happy regardless.

"Are you listening babe?" I ask after staring at her silently for minutes.

"Oh! Yea. Of course I am honey. I just had to reply to a quick text Samantha sent me. So what were you saying?" She responded while taking one last glance at her phone before tucking it underneath her right thigh.

"Never mind. It wasn't that important anyway."

Monserrat briefly looks at me awkwardly before returning her attention back to her phone. I involuntarily shake my head in disappointment and abruptly get up off the leather couch that adorned the spacious living area of my parent's luxurious estate. I walk away hesitating to turn back to Monserrat.

---

"Next week I am going to make the announcement to everyone at the headquarters that you'll be taking over the chair. I want you to be there Leonardo." My father said as he exhaled a cloud of smoke into the air.

My father, Sebastian Carta was CEO and founder of perhaps one of the most successful architectural companies in the world, "CARTA". He had founded the business alongside his best friend over 30 years ago in New York. His business is internationally recognized for taking part in the building of structures such as the One World Trade Center, the FNB Stadium in South Africa, and Burj Khalifa in Dubai. The company skyrocketed almost in a blink of an eye and now sits comfortably atop of a net worth of $321 billion dollars.

"I'll be there dad. I'll let Monse know if she wants to come." I tell my father as he continued to suck on the cigarette he held in between his fingers.

"Great idea! Better man up and marry soon. I would like to see my legacy carry on. You already know that I was married to your mother when I started Carta." He scolded.

"I don't want to rush things with her. I want to give her all the time she needs. We've been together for only two years so I would understand if she's not ready." I reply.

"Do what you need to do. Remember that after I retire from this game, you will be carrying billions on your back boy and before you know it, whores everywhere will try to get a scoop of my hard earned success." Sebastian warned.

"I am only interested in her dad. No other girl could ever make my heart beat as hard as she does. I promise you that."

---

The time 3:45AM shined brightly above the door weakly illuminating the large dark bedroom I was in. I laid still in my bed as Monserrat slept peacefully on the other side with her back faced towards me. I could hear her quiet breathing as the oxygen escaped from her slightly parted lips and entered through her perky nose.

I couldn't stop my mind from wandering all over the place. I was a bit overwhelmed with how distant Monserrat was acting lately and how I was about to inherit a multi-billion dollar company. I knew that my future was about to drastically change, ideally for the better, but coiled deep within me was a gnawing feeling of unease. I had a disturbing feeling that something or someone was about to change all of that.

"Are you still awake Leonardo?" Monserrate said in a quiet raspy voice. I didn't say anything to her but rather wrapped by arms around her waist and pull her into me. Her broad back clashed against my bare chest softly as my hands traveled her stomach up and down. She let out a soft groan as I buried my face in her blonde thick and coarse hair absorbing the scent of fresh lavender.

"Leonardo?!" she said a bit louder, "Go to sleep and stop touching me. You know I don't want to do this until we get married or at least until you put a diamond on my finger."

I stayed quiet as I pulled back my arms away from her. I knew she wanted to keep her virginity until she got married out of respect for her parent's culture and traditions. We have been together for 2 years and not once has she allowed me to touch her beyond restraint. It was frustrating both mentally and physically but I knew I had to respect her decision of us staying "pure" until we became husband and wife.

"Good night." I whispered, but she was well into her sleep by then.