The Bonus

“What?” She sits up straight. “What do you mean?”

“Just what I said.” I concentrate on keeping my voice calm, the last thing I want is for this to turn into a fight. “Ariana.” I take her hand in mine. “You’re a beautiful woman. Intelligent and sweet and every man’s dream wife.”

“But not yours?”

“No. You are.” I pause as I try to articulate my thoughts clearly. “This week I’ve found out some information that has changed the trajectory of my life.”

“What’s wrong?” she stammers. “Are you sick?” She takes my face in her hands and I pull them down into mine.

“No. It’s nothing like that.” I swallow the lump in my throat, I really don’t know if I can hurt her like this. “Sweetheart.” I push the hair back from her face as she stares at me. “I found out this week that I have six-year-old twins from a relationship that I had years ago.”

“What?” Her face falls.

“I lied to you last weekend and I went to meet them in Maine.”

Her eyes fill with tears. “Who, where…who is the mother?”

Here we go.

“Her name is Grace Porter.”

She frowns. “Do I know her?”

“No. She was my PA for seven years.”

She flies off the couch. “What?” she screams. “You got your fucking PA pregnant?” She begins to pace. “You got your PA pregnant, am I hearing this right?”

“Yes.”

“How could you?”

“It’s not something I’m proud of, believe me.”

“And you knew nothing of this?”

“No.”

“How much money does she want? What is she threatening?” she spits.

“It’s nothing like that.”

“It’s everything like that, Gabriel. You think it’s a coincidence that she has come looking for you three weeks before you get married.” She throws a cushion at my head; she’s flying off the handle and completely losing her temper.

“I went looking for her.”

She stills and turns back toward me. “You went looking for her?”

I nod, ashamed.

“Why would you go looking for her?” She drops back to sit down beside me, her eyes filled with tears.

I stare at her, the guilt in my soul feels like it’s about to smother me to death.

“I don’t know,” I whisper.

“Yes you do.” A tear escapes and rolls down her cheek. “For god’s sake, Gabriel. If you care for me at all, you at least owe me honesty.”

I roll my lips, unsure what to say to try to keep this from tipping her over the edge.

“Did you love her?” she whispers.

“I…”

“Back then, did you love her?” she says more sternly.

“Yes.”

“So why did you break up?”

“Because she wasn’t Italian.”

Her face falls as she puts the pieces of the puzzle together. “So you went looking for the woman you loved all those years ago to find that she has two of your children?”

I nod.

Her chest rises and falls as she battles for control. “You want a life with them…”

Her silhouette blurs, the lump in my throat blocking the air.

“Gabriel?” she whispers as her eyes search mine. “Please tell me I’m wrong…”

“No.”

“No, you don’t want a life with them?” she asks hopefully.

“I mean… You are not wrong.” I shrug. “The last thing I want to do is to hurt you, Ariana. I love you. You know I love you.”

“But are you in love with me?” she whispers.

I blink to stop the tears.

Slap.

I feel the sting of her hit as it turns my head.

“We are to be married in three weeks,” she cries as she loses all control. “How the fuck could you do this to me?” She picks up her wineglass and hurls it at my head, it smashes against the wall. Red wine sprays everywhere.

“Calm down.”

“Calm down!” she screams. “I will not fucking calm down. You are leaving me for another woman nineteen days before our wedding. What happened last weekend, did you sleep with her?” she yells. “Is that why we haven’t had sex this week, because you still had the taste of your trashy PA on your tongue?”

I stand, my temper beginning to rise. “Enough,” I yell.

“The invitations have already gone out, what do you expect me to do. Everything has been paid for.”

“Keep everything in credit for when you do marry, you can still have the wedding you want one day. Take your girlfriends on the honeymoon, go and enjoy yourself.”

“What?” she explodes. She picks up the television remote and throws it at me. “I don’t want a honeymoon with my girlfriends.” She’s in full-blown hysterics, crying and screaming. “I love you, Gabriel. How could you do this to me?”

“I hate myself for it. But what do you want me to do?” I cry. “I will not lie to you, you know that.”

“We work it out,” she yells. “Of course you are rattled, you just found out you have children. It’s bound to confuse you, but what we have is real.” She takes my hand in hers. “Don’t do this.”

“How do we get around it?” I shrug.

“We get married and we work this out like adults. All relationships have exes, Gabriel. Children from a previous relationship shouldn’t matter, I will accept them as my own. I promise you. We can be a blended family, your kids, and our kids.”

I stare at her heartbroken face and take it in my hands. “Sweetheart.” I kiss her forehead. “This isn’t just about the children. My affection for Grace is real. I wish that it wasn’t there, but I cannot deny it any longer. It has been with me all along, and now…I don’t want there to be three people in our marriage, you deserve better.”

She cries on my chest and I hold her tight. I can feel how hard her heart is breaking and there isn’t a damn thing I can do about it.

I hate myself for doing this to her.

Grace

I make myself a cup of coffee in the lunch room and walk through the office to head back to my desk. “You want to go to the Indian restaurant for lunch?” Marci calls.

“I wish,” I call back. “I’m on a budget.”

“Ugh, you’re so boring.”

“Not as boring as the lunch I packed,” I call back.

“Ha! Truth.”

I walk back into my office and sit down at my desk when I hear my phone ding as a text comes in. I ignore it, I’ll check it at lunch.

Another ding, then another.

Who is frigging texting me so much? I take out my phone to see it’s Deb.

Omfg Call Me!!!!

I roll my eyes and dial her number; she answers first ring. “Oh my fucking god,” she gasps as if the world is collapsing.

“Why are you being so dramatic?”

“He’s called off the wedding.”

“Who has?”

“Gabriel Ferrara has called off his wedding.”

My eyes widen. “What? How do you know?”

“It’s all over the news.”

“Hang on.” I instantly open Google and put in the search bar,

Gabriel Ferrara engagement

It seems the fairy tale is over for Gabriel Ferrara and his fiancée, Ariana Rossi.

Sources tell us that an email was sent out this morning to the wedding guests that the wedding between the glamorous couple has been called off.

Speculation is rife that Mr. Ferrara is the one who ended the union, as the notification to guests came from his personal email. All this only nineteen days before the wedding was due to take place.

Devastated Ariana will no doubt be wiping her tears, almost snagging the world’s most eligible billionaire…so close.

No information has been disclosed yet as to why the union ended.

Watch this space.

“What the fuck?” I whisper.

“I know.”

“Do you think he’s told her about the kids?”

My eyes widen in horror at the thought.

“He did call you the other night and was being weird.”

“What….You don’t think she left him because of the kids…do you?”

“Maybe.”

“If she loved him, she wouldn’t care. I mean, it was years before he met her.” I chew my thumbnail as I think out loud. “Surely not.”

“Maybe she gave him an ultimatum. Them or me.”

“No, she wouldn’t,” I scoff.

“What makes you so sure?”

“Because I’m sure she idolizes him.”

“How do you know?”

“Because all women idolize him,” I snap impatiently. “My next appointment is here, I have to go.”

“I’ll call around this afternoon,” Deb says.

“Okay.”

“So you haven’t heard from him at all?” Deb asks.

“Nope.” I stare out over the lake; the sun is just setting and we are in my favorite place, my jetty.

“You have to admit this is weird, he finds out about the kids, calls you and then his engagement ends all within a week.”

I shrug. “Maybe there was someone else?” I look over to Deb. “Surely he isn’t still a womanizer after all these years?”

“Maybe she cheated?” Deb frowns.

“No way.”

“Why are you so sure?”

“Trust me, if Gabriel were in love with you, you wouldn’t want for anything else.”

“I hope she slept with his brother.” Deb smirks. “Maybe gangbanged both of his brothers and his hot driver and he walked in on them.”

I giggle as I imagine the scenario.

“So what happens in this case, would she get a payout from her prenup even though they never married?” Deb frowns. “Would she walk away with nothing or…I mean, were they living together?”

“No idea.” I think for a moment. “If he was the one to end it, I know he would look after her.”

“What makes you say that?”

“He’s a good man.”

“He is not a good man,” Deb scoffs. “He’s a douche bag, don’t you ever forget that.”

“Oh, I know he’s a total douche. I mean he wouldn’t try and rip her off. Financially, his morals are strong. He looks after his people.”

“Except his own kids.” Deb raises her eyebrow in a silent dare.

“He did offer but I declined, I already told you that.”

“Pathetic half-assed attempt, if you ask me.”

My heart sinks. “Yeah…” I sip my wine. “It was.”

My gaze rises up at the pink sky, nature is putting on a spectacular show tonight, life is such a contradiction. It’s hard to believe, sitting here and looking over such incredible beauty, that I can feel such a deep, overwhelming sadness.

My children didn’t want his money, they need his love.

“I’ll put that paperwork through and we will be in touch.” I shake his hand. “It was lovely to meet you, Mr. Thompson.” We stand and walk toward the door.

“How long do loan applications usually take to process?” he asks.

“Every case is different, but I think yours will be relatively quick, being so straightforward.” I open my office door for him to leave.

“Fantastic. Have a good day.” He walks down the hallway and I hear raised voices coming from the reception area.

“I am not leaving until I see her,” a woman says.

“She is fully booked today, I’m sorry.”

“This is of a personal matter.”

I frown as I listen, that voice sounds familiar. What’s going on out there? I walk out and my heart stops.

It’s Elena Ferrara, Gabriel’s mother.

She turns and sees me, her chin tilts to the sky as contempt drips from her every pore.

Fuck…she’s not happy.

I drop my shoulders as I prepare for battle. “Are you here to see me?”

“What do you think?” she snaps as she marches past me down the hall and into my office.

“Who is that?” Marci whispers.

“Just…give me ten minutes.” I practically run to my office to find Elena sitting calmly at my desk. Her dark hair is swept up in a glamorous up-style, she’s wearing a black fitted dress, nude stilettos with a matching nude Chanel bag. Her back is ramrod straight and everything about her screams elegance.

I feel the blood drain out of my body, I look like total crap today and am wearing the oldest shoes I own.

Help…

I close the door and sit down. “Hello, Mrs. Ferrara.” I fake a smile.

She glares at me, her face emotionless and cold.

I feel myself begin to perspire as her animosity fills the room. “How can I help you?”

“I think you know.” She sits back and crosses her legs.

A bead of sweat runs down between my breasts. “No. Actually, I don’t.”

Her phone rings and she glances at the screen, she declines the call and puts it down.

My phone rings and she looks down at my screen as it sits on my desk.

Gabriel

Oh hell…worst timing. I let it ring out and it immediately rings again.

She raises her eyebrow. “He knows I’m here.”

“I don’t…”

“He has you under guard,” she says almost to herself.

Wait…what?

My phone rings again.

Gabriel

Oh hell, this is an actual nightmare. I pick up the phone.

“Don’t you dare answer that.” She sneers.

“I wasn’t going to,” I lie. I calmly turn my phone off. I begin to sweat bullets; this woman is such a bitch. “How can I help you, Mrs. Ferrara?” I say more assertively.

Her cold eyes hold mine. “How much do you want?”

“Excuse me?”

“Do not insult my intelligence, Grace, we both know you have an agenda.”

I begin to hear the adrenaline as it screams through my body.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Oh please,” she scoffs. “Do you really expect me to believe that?”

Knock, knock, knock sounds at the door. I glance over. Who is knocking so urgently?

Knock, knock, knock.

The door busts open and a man walks in, he’s wearing a black suit and looks terrified. “Forgive me for intruding, Mrs. Ferrara.” He holds a phone out. “Gabriel wants to speak to you as a matter of urgency.”

My eyes widen, what the fuck…he does know she’s here?

I’m being watched…what the…?

She snatches the phone from him and turns it off. “Get out,” she orders him.

Please don’t.

He scurries out of my office and I glance around for a window to jump through.

“How much?” Her cold eyes hold mine.

“For what?”

“To get out of my son’s life,” she snaps angrily. “What else could it mean? Do you really think you can seduce my son, get pregnant without telling him, and turn up three weeks before his wedding to the love of his life, ruin everything and get away with it? You are nothing but a manipulative bitch and I won’t stand for it.”

My mouth falls open in shock…she did not just say that.

“Let me guess… You seduced him on his desk one night after work?” Her eyes hold mine. “I’m assuming you were wearing something sexy, maybe a suspender belt that you purposely let him see?” Her smirk breaks into a sarcastic smile. “And the earth moved for you, but he wanted nothing to do with you after?”

I stare at her, shocked to silence.

“I’ll let you in on a little secret, Grace Porter. Gabriel has had sex with most of his PAs. You are nothing special.” She looks me up and down. “I mean, look at you.”

Boom.

Boom.

Boom…goes my heartbeat in my ears.

She sits forward in her seat. “If you think you can hold my son ransom with your bastard illegitimate children, think again.”

I clench my jaw as I imagine tipping my glass of water over her nasty head.

“He’ll be over this Brady Bunch fantasy in…” she glances at her watch, “…about two weeks from now, and where will you be then?”

Tears threaten, and I get a lump in my throat as I try to hold them in.

“Ten million dollars.”

I stare at her, speechless.

“Fifteen.” Her cold eyes hold mine.

Gabriel has had sex with most of his PAs…

“Twenty million dollars. Don’t be a fool, Grace, he is going to dump you eventually. There is no way you can hold a man like Gabriel Ferrara. We both know that. Take the money now because, trust me, you will get nothing later.”

I pick up a framed photo from my desk and I pass it to her. “The illegitimate bastard children you speak of have names, Lucia and Dominic. They are six.”

Her face falls as she looks at them, the resemblance to Gabriel is striking, she can’t deny it.

“They are just like their father,” I whisper. “Take a long last look at that photo, Mrs. Ferrara, because over my dead body will you ever see them again.”

The air swirls between us, a conjuring of evil like you’ve never felt before.

“Don’t underestimate me, Grace,” she sneers. “That could be arranged.”

“Is that a threat?” I feel a little of my equilibrium return. “Please, threaten me again so I can tape it with my phone. I’m sure Gabriel would love to hear what Mommy dearest has to say to the mother of his children.”

You could cut the air with a knife as we glare at each other.

“You’re making a big mistake,” she whispers.

“Leave.” I stand and open the office door. “Security,” I call.

The two security guards come into view.

“Escort this woman from my office, please, and call the police. I want a restraining order put on her. She just threatened my life.”

She gasps as she stands. “I did nothing of the sort.” Her furious eyes come to meet mine. “How dare you?”

“You picked the wrong woman to mess with.” I smile at her shocked face. “You…and your twenty million dollars…can go to hell.”