The Deal: I Married My Brother

Fifteen Years Later A man as cold as a glacier, with eyes that seem to spit out fire. His perfectly curved brows were etched in a thin line. His lips tightened in an aggravated pout. He sat on the extravagant modern looking chair. The opulence that the house carried was that of an influential family. Of course, they were the most influential family in the country. The Winston Churchill family which had been traced down to several centuries of linked royal blood. Due to a bloody internal power struggle, the family's blood lines were cut off prematurely leaving only the old matriarch and patriarch of the Winston including the only heir to the vast empire. Vincenzo Winston. Being the only surviving son of the Winston family, the old matriach was deeply aggravated by his refusal to carry on the bloodline. Vincenzo had refused to get married to anyone but his long lost childhood lover. It's been fifteen years yet he had been unable to locate her but he wasn't giving up and he definitely wouldn't break his promise again to her. He had already broken it once. "You brat! Do you want me to die before you give me an heir?" An old voice cut through Viincenzo's thought. "Grandma, I have told you I can't marry anyone else!" Vincenzo said, his eyes looking straight at his old but agile grandmother." And you still look healthy" "You insolent child! I have had enough of your whining for the past years about a girl that cannot be found!" Grandma Winston said, her eyes brimming with anger. "Grandma…" "Don't you dare Grandma me today! I have had enough of your antics!" Grandma Winston flared. Vincenzo who was still sitting down, looking all frosty was becoming frustrated. He wondered why his grandma was always threatening him. "Grandma, listen…" "No, you listen to me. You are either giving me an heir or I will do it my way!" Grandma Winston said, glaring at her grandson. Vincenzo looked at his grandmother and discover she was looking very serious." Grandma, you can't threaten me with starvation!" "Threat? I give you three days to bring home a girl you want to get married to or else I will do it my way!" Grandma Winston said, scoffing. " Grandma! Do you expect me to bring home any random girl?" Vincenzo asked, getting frustrated. " That's also an option as long as you give me an heir or heiress!" Grandma Winston said, adamantly. Vincenzo looked at his grandmother's stubborn face, a frustrated look on his face. Vincenzo knew that his grandparents had already made up their minds. " Fine! Do whatever you want but I am not marrying anyone except for her!" Vincenzo said, walking out of the room in anger. Why were these old people getting him frustrated? He looked at his watch and discover today was the birthday of that girl. He always pays a visit to the orphanage on that day. This year, he decided to skip it. When he got to the parking lot, he walked towards his car. When he got to his driver, he glared at him." Get out!" The driver didn't need to be told twice. He immediately stepped out of the car, handing his boss the keys. Vincenzo, who was still brooding over his grandmother's words, needed some fresh air and taking a drive was what he was going to do. He drove for another thirty minutes but his phone rang as his assistant needed him for an urgent meeting at one of their mall. When he got to the mall, he was walking quickly so he could meet up with his appointment when he suddenly bumped into a girl. In order to avoid her falling down, he drew her close to himself. The next moment their lips touched! Did he just kiss a stranger? And why did she taste so sweet? He looked up to see the girl's striking sea blue eyes and golden hair that made her look alluring. With eyes spitting anger and fury, the girl whose golden hair flowed all over her face, glared at Vincenzo who just kissed her, accidentally. Although she knew it wasn't his fault, the girl was still furious that he kissed her! "You! How dare you kiss me! You took my first kiss!" She vented at him, her blue crystal-like eyes glittering with anger. “You should have given it to your boyfriend before bumping into a stranger. Next time watch where you are going” Vincenzo replied, raising his head to look at the fuming beauty in front of him. Vincenzo's eyes seem to look all over her face and body. Why did she look familiar? "Shouldn't you be apologizing, instead of acting like an asshole? Pervert!" the girl scolded, her face filled with anger. Did she just call him a pervert? Such a disrespectful girl! He would have loved to teach her a lesson if only he wasn't in a hurry. "Pervert? With this body of yours? I wouldn't even get it up if we were naked in an enclosed room!" Vincenzo retorted, raising his head to scoff at her.. They both stared at each other for a while and without another word, he walked out on her. “He is so arrogant Jeez,” the girl shouted loudly to his hearing. Her anger rose again and she ran to the man, holding his hand. Vincenzo admired the guts in the girl and he signaled to his body guards to step down. "You had better hope I don't see you again, pervert!" She whispered in his ears. Then she turned around, leaving Vincenzo who was staring at him. Vincenzo turned back to look at her while she was walking out of the mall, and he was sure her face looked familiar. “Mr. Vincenzo, welcome to our mall. We have been expecting you,” A young lady in a suit said. Vincenzo, who was still thinking about the girl earlier, turned to look at her without smiling as he followed her to the VIP area.

With eyes spitting anger and fury, Anastasia Beverly glared at the young man who just kissed her, accidentally. Although she knew it wasn't his fault, he still kissed her! "You! How dare you kiss me! You took my first kiss!" She vented at him, her blue crystal-like eyes glittering with anger. "You should have given it to your boyfriend before bumping into a stranger. Next time watch where you are going" the man replied, raising his head to look at the fuming Anastasia. His eyes seem to look all over her face and body. Was he a pervert? "Shouldn't you be apologizing, instead of acting like an asshole? Pervert" Anastasia scolded, wanting to tear that look from the man's face. The man turned to look at her and they both stared at each other for a while and without another word, he walked out on her. "He is so arrogant Jeez," Anastasia said to herself angrily. She bites hard on her lips to hold her anger back. She wished she could hit the young man, however, the only reason why she controlled herself was because she was in a mall and she would not like to embarrass herself. Anastasia was a beautiful, golden-haired nineteen-year-old girl. She was a stubborn girl that loves doing what she wants. She refused to work in her parents' company because she thought it was her own and everyone would give her too much respect. She hated when people tried to ride on her just like the young man just did. Her anger rose again and she ran to the man, holding his hand. "You had better hope I don't see you again, pervert!" She whispered in his ears. Then she turned around, leaving the young man staring at him. Anastasia was about to drive away from the mall when she saw four men in suits walking closer to her, she put her hand on her forehead tiredly. "Not now please." She said to herself and they got to where she was standing. "Good day madam, your dad sent us to…" She raised her hand to stop them from speaking further. "Don't worry I know what you are about to say, '' she handed her car key to one of them and followed them in their car. While they were driving, she kept wondering why her dad suddenly wanted to see her. He had been calling and she kept giving him excuses and reasons why she cannot visit now. "I guess he got tired of my excuses," Anastasia said to herself and looked at the man sitting beside her. They finally got to her house and she walked inside. "Dad, I told you I'm busy with work," Anastasia said to her dad in a loud voice. She moved closer to her parents so she could kiss them but noticed her dad looked very sad and worried about something. She looked at her mom too and it was the same with her mom. She sat down on the chair and was wondering what was going on. "Mom, dad, what is it?" Anastasia asked her parents. Her mom turned to look at her, face filled with sadness and tears that were threatening to fall. Then all of a sudden her dad's phone rang, and he picked up the call immediately. Anastasia noticed he kept apologizing on the phone, this got her worried, what was going on? "Mom, please tell me, what's going on?" Anastasia asked her mom and her dad dropped the phone. The look on his face says that there was something wrong. "Please can someone talk to me, I'm going crazy," Anastasia said, anxiously. Her dad turned to look at her. Her mother was about to talk but her father knew it would not be easy for her to say it. "Don't worry I will tell her," Anastasia's dad said to her mom. Anastasia was slowly going crazy trying to think of what might be the cause of their moody face. "Sweetie, as much as I don't want to trouble you, I just have to let you know. We are going bankrupt," Her dad said, closing his eyes as he clasped his hands tightly. Anastasia closed her mouth with her hand. She never expected such a thing to happen this time. Her parents' company was doing very well. How are they going bankrupt all of a sudden? "How is that even possible, the last time you told me to help with the company finance it was more than enough to last us for the next ten years," Anastasia said to her dad, still shocked about the news of their bankruptcy. "Yes it was supposed to be enough, but we lost the contract we invested almost all the money on, and now we don't even have enough to pay our staff. The board is saying if we can't settle this I'll have to step down as the CEO," Her dad explained. He had opened his eyes and was staring at his daughter. Anastasia was particularly shocked about this because her dad told her the story of how he worked his ass off to build that company. She will never let anyone take it away from him. "No, no one will take that company from you dad," Anastasia said to her dad. "We called you here to tell you about it so that you can understand if you don't get anything this month as your monthly allowance." Her mom added, Anastasia stood up and sat in the middle of her mom and dad. She held both of their hands and they looked at her. "I still have some money in my account, why don't we…" "No, that will not be necessary dear," Her dad interrupted her immediately. She turned to look at her dad. She knew he would never accept her idea but she still wanted to try. "We will get through this," She said to both of them and rested her head on her dad's shoulder. Her dad was only trying to be okay. He was not because the calls were getting too much, he wanted a solution immediately. "Dinner is served." The maid came to interrupt them. She used her hand to tell the maid to leave, she looked at her mom and her dad then she stood up. She knew if she was not in the house her dad and mom would not eat anything. So she was happy she was around and did not go anywhere. "Let's go eat something then we will talk about how to settle the bankruptcy." Anastasia encouraged them. Her dad smiled, he was happy they had a daughter like Anastasia that can help them hone their spirit when they are down. "We will get through this, dad," Anastasia said, leading them to the dining room. But as soon as they sat down, one of their maids rushed in, panting and panicking. Without being told anything, Anastasia's father held his chest tightly as he slumped to the ground. "Daddy!," Anastasia screamed, rushing to her father. She prayed fervently not to lose him. ****** "Daddy! You are not allowed to die on me!" Anastasia screamed as she performed first aid on him. Her mother stood petrified as her daughter tried to revive her husband who just had an attack. It wasn't that she doesn't want to help or the fact that she can't scream. The issue was she was too afraid to feel anything. "No. You can't leave me, James," was all she could whisper to herself. Soon, there was a long drawing of breath as her father slowly opened his eyes. Anastasia, who hadn't noticed her father had opened his eyes, kept bawling her eyes out until his hand touched her golden silky hair. "Anny, I am-fine. I just had-an attack. I will-be fine," Her father said, trying to wipe her tears away. "Daddy, don't you dare leave me and mom! I won't forgive you!," Anastasia said, embracing her father with her tears flowing freely. "I won't, sweetie. I am sorry for frightening you and your mother. Celine, come here," James beckoned to his wife. Anastasia's Mother, Celine who had frozen since her husband collapsed, breathed a sigh of relief. She still looked petrified and her hands were still shaking. At her husband's command, Celine walked towards him, her eyes never leaving him. "You… you want to leave me alone because we… we are about to go bankrupt?" She stuttered, her voice shaking and laden with sorrow. She was staring at him accusingly. "I am sorry, Celine," James said, trying to sit up. Just that word and Celine burst into uncontrollable tears. Anastasia held her crying mother tightly as she whispered words of comfort to her. That was her mother. She was the type that rarely reacts even in times of difficulty but when she does, it's difficult to comfort her. Except her father. Anastasia watched as her father consoled her mother while she accused him. "You promised to always protect me when I marry you! If you die, who is going to protect me?" Celine accused her husband amidst sobs. Anastasia's mind suddenly felt foggy as a Deja Vu flashed through her mind. Why does it feel like someone had also told her this before? Was it an illusion or real? But she has no recollection of anything. She quickly snapped out of it and continued consoling her mother who had been crying a river.

As soon as Vincenzo got out of the mall, his phone started ringing. He looked at it and it seemed he was going to have a strong headache. He turned to his driver and instructed him to drive to the old Winston's Villa. Thirty minutes later, a frustrated-looking Vincenzo was looking at his grandmother. "Grandma please stop," Vincenzo said to his grandmother in a low tone because he cannot be too loud with her. She looked at him as he stood up from where she was sitting. "My dear Vincenzo, can't you see I'm old already? I'll die soon." She said to him in a tone that proves that she was about to cry. He walked closer to her and held her on her shoulder, "Grandma, you are not going to die soon, the last time I checked you are totally fine medically so don't worry you are not going to die," Vincenzo said to his grandmother. He wondered why she always threaten him with death. Grandma Winston was disappointed in herself that her plan did not work. She wants to see her grandchild before she dies and Vincenzo knows all about her tactics. "Vincenzo." She called his name and gave him a sad face. She knows he hates seeing her sad so she had to give him a sad face so that he can know she is serious this time. "Sarah come on, leave the boy alone" Vincenzo turned back when he heard his grandfather's voice. Finally, there was someone that can rescue him from his grandmother. She turned to look at her husband with a sad face. He was walking closer to them with a paper in his hands. The paper looked like a newspaper. "Why do you always stop me from telling him the truth?" Grandma Winston asked, glaring at her husband. Grandpa Winston knew she was trying to emotionally blackmail Vincenzo to get married and he also knew that there was nothing anyone would say to Vincenzo that'll make him get married to anyone. "I have not stopped you. I don't just want you to force anything on him, you know how stubborn he can be." Grandpa Winston said, smiling at his wife. Does she think Vincenzo hasn't seen through her plan? Glaring at the two men, Grandma Winston walked to the dining room without saying anything to them again. Deep inside she was plotting what to do. Vincenzo thanked his grandfather from where he was standing without saying anything to him. His grandfather also wants him to get married but he knows that there was no way the topic will end if he continues the topic with his grandmother. He just looked for a way to end the topic peacefully and he was happy to have succeeded in doing so. Vincenzo and his grandfather joined his grandmother in the dining room and they started eating. While they were eating, his grandfather kept asking him something about work to avoid his grandmother from asking him anything about marriage again. When they were done eating Vincenzo quickly escaped to his room because of his grandmother. When he got to his room, he lay on his bed deep in thought. His room was so large but very few things were inside because he likes his things large and without too many loads. The interior of his room looked perfect. He remembered he hadn't even changed. So he sat up straight on the bed and removed his shoe. That old woman didn't even allow him to undress before barging into him. While he was removing his tie he suddenly remembered the girl he saw in the mall again. She looked so familiar and he could tell he had seen her somewhere before. He remembered when he was little he had a friend but he couldn't get hold of her anymore. But he always remembers that she was the one he promised to marry and he will look for her till he finally finds her. He smiled when he remembered the kiss. Although it was an accident, he can't deny that just a touch of her lips on his sent tingles down his body. She tasted nice. He remembered how the girl yelled at him in the mall and he was surprised to see himself smile again. He quickly frowned his face, no girl has ever made him smile since he parted ways with his childhood love. He checked the date and he realized tomorrow will be the thirteenth of August. The same day he left the orphanage, he always visit the orphanage on that day. He picked up his phone and placed a call across to his secretary. "It's tomorrow, I hope everything is ready?" Vincenzo asked his secretary. "Yes sir." The secretary replied to him almost immediately. He hung up immediately, then he picked a framed picture of himself and Anastasia, he got the picture from the matron when he visited recently, and he also collected the one that has the picture of all the other kids in the orphanage. While he was looking at the picture he remembered the face of the girl that hit him in the mall, they looked so much alike. "How are they so alike?" Vincenzo asked himself then he remembered when he hit her she had an injury on her thumb that looked so much like the burn Anastasia had in that fire incident. "I must be going crazy," Vincenzo said to himself and closed his eye so that he can stop thinking about such nonsense. He dropped the frame back on the shelf and walked to the bathroom to take his shower. When he was done he wore his sleeping wear and lay on the bed. When he was about to sleep he thought again for a minute if they might be in any way related. "Stop it, Vincenzo. That girl was so feisty" He said to himself. As he closed his eyes to sleep, there was a knock on his door. He wondered who could be knocking on his door. He prayed it shouldn't be his grandmother. "Vincenzo." She called his name. He shut his eyes knowing he had been caught red-handed. He took a deep breath before standing up to open the door for her. He faced his Grandma with a fake smile. "Yes grandma" He replied as he escorted her inside his room. She stared at him for a while before she started talking. "I know you might think I am disturbing you about getting married, I have always longed to see our family's heir before I leave this world and I am ready to do anything just to make sure I see an heir or heiress before I die. I won't let you end our lineage" Grandma Winston said, looking at him sternly. Vincenzo was shocked to hear what his grandmother said. He saw it more as a threat. He looked at his grandmother very well and she looked really serious. She wasn't joking. "Why does she look like she is about to hit me?" Vincenzo asked himself while staring at his mom. Vincenzo noticed she was done talking and the way she was looking at him was so scared he could not stand there anymore but before he could say anything, she turned around and walked out of his room. "What was that?" He asked himself. He has a bad feeling about his grandmother's threat. What was she planning to do?

It's already late and Anastasia lay on her bed in the mansion. Due to her wanting independence, she had gotten an apartment that she stayed close to her office. But tonight, she did not return to her house because this was the time her parents needed her the most. "I have to do something," Anastasia said to herself. She stood up from her bed, she couldn't sleep well because she kept thinking of how to help her family out of this bankruptcy issue. Lately, she has been unable to sleep at night. That's because she always had nightmares of herself in an orphanage and sometimes an accident scene where she was in a car with two old people but their faces are never visible to her. She asked her mom and dad about it when the dream became too frequent but they did not tell her anything. Instead, they told her to forget about it and that it was just a dream that would go away in no time. Although she was satisfied with their reply, she had no choice but to accept it. But the more she dreamt about it the more she wasn't convinced that it was a mere dream. She even asked them if there was a time she stayed in an orphanage, but they always tell her to forget about it. Feeling restless, Anastasia walked downstairs from her room and sat on a couch in the sitting room. It was really hard for her to sleep these days and especially now that her family was facing a serious problem it had only made things worse. She sighed sadly and suddenly had a craving for strong wine. Her father must have some in the wine bar. She went to the wine bar and saw a bottle of vodka. She poured herself a glass and down it immediately. Apart from the fact that her family was facing financial setbacks, her birthday was tomorrow and she can't even celebrate it. "Ha! What an unlucky year to turn twenty!" She said to herself, chuckling. Anastasia heard her phone message sound and she picked her phone up immediately and it was the address to the place. She smiled when she saw the message. It was a message from her best friend, Clara. Clara was the only friend she had for the past two years after she got a job in her father's company. They had become friends when Anastasia found out that Clara was very good at finances too just like her. She found out when she helped her dad two years ago with his company's auditing. She already talked to her best friend, Clara, to help her with the location of the orphanage home. Since she lost her memory, she didn't recognize Clara or the fact that both of them had memories of them in the orphanage. She heard Clara was from an orphanage so she begged her for a favor. With the little description from her dreams, she asked Clara to help her find the orphanage. Unknown to Anastasia, her parents had already made a deal with Clara not to disclose anything to her. They even helped her with her education and after which she started working in Anastasia's father's company. Clara kept to her promise to them and date she has never brought it up. Each time Anastasia tells her about her nightmares she always has a way of directing it so that Anastasia will not have any idea that she was from there. When Anastasia told her to help her find the location of the orphanage she refused at first but she later succumbed to it because she thought that if she kept refusing, Anastasia would even become more desperate and hire an investigator instead. Anastasia kept staring at the message on her phone. Finally, she had gotten the location of the orphanage. "I have to visit this place tomorrow," Anastasia said to herself. She hoped to find the answers to her questions. ****** "Oh my god, why can't I sleep," Vincenzo said to himself and sat up on his bed. It's always like that every year when it's Anastasia's birthday. He always felt guilty for not coming back with her candy floss. "She must hate me," Vincenzo said to himself as he stood up from the bed. He never stopped blaming himself for their parted ways. If he had not gone with the Butler who came to pick him up, they would be probably married now. On that fateful day, Butler James had taken him back to his family after the conflict had been settled. Vincenzo had become depressed and when his grandfather noticed, he decided to adopt the little girl. Unfortunately, they got there a little bit too late as her real family had adopted her. The matron refused to reveal the Identity of the people that adopted her, not even his grandfather could persuade her to reveal it. Since then, he had been searching for her all to no avail. He remembered his promise to Anastasia the day before her birthday. He promised to get her candy but he never returned. He also promised to protect her and marry her but he could not fulfill any of his promises to her. He felt disappointed in himself and continually blamed himself. That's why he never promised anyone anything again. The only person he will ever make a promise to would remain Anastasia and he was going to make sure he fulfills the promise. And also get married to her because he had promised himself never to get married to any other woman except Anastasia. Once, he met a girl in his high school, Tracy Turner. The girl looked so much like Anastasia and she was usually bullied by the big girls in the school. Due to the guilt, he was having towards Anastasia, he decided to protect the girl. Slowly, he started having illusions of Tracy being Anastasia. He was slowly developing feelings for her until one day he told himself that they must bear the same name and face the same problem but they are not the same person. And after that day he stopped caring for the girl and broke off whatever illusions he had of her. He was determined to be faithful to just his Anastasia. Vincenzo walked out of his room and headed downstairs, when he got downstairs he went to get water from the fridge then he walked to the sitting room. He usually goes to the orphanage on Anastasia's birthdays because he had a feeling she might visit one day. ****** The next morning Vincenzo woke up very early, he took his bath, got dressed, and left the house immediately. He did not bother to greet his grandparents because he was starting to avoid his grandmother. He headed straight to the orphanage and hoped today was his lucky day. When he got there, he was satisfied with the preparation that his assistant had made. The matron came to greet him. She was already getting old but still looked energetic. "Matron Kilsby, I hope everything had been arranged as usual?" Vincenzo asked, embracing the old woman. "As usual, boy, you strive for perfection. The children are so happy, especially the abundant candies on display and of course, Anastasia's favorite Candy floss" Matron Kilsby said in her croaked voice. Vincenzo smiled as he led her around the garden. This was the garden he shared with Anastasia whenever she was sad. "Matron, do you think she might come this year? I have a feeling I am going to meet her today," Vincenzo said, his eyes filled with hope. The old matron looked at the young man who hadn't forgotten that little girl he saved from bullies in the orphanage. She remembered that he almost died saving her from a fire breakage too. Was this true love? "I hope she comes to. Your wish should be granted. My son, you have been so persistent in finding her. May I ask why?," Matron Kilsby asked. "Should I say I love her or should I say I am patiently yet eagerly awaiting to fulfill all the promises I made to her? Could it be because of my guilt of leaving her that day without a goodbye? Matron, I truly don't know the reason but I know that I just can't get her off my mind" Vincenzo said, smiling faintly. His assistant and best friend, Martins, who was nearby, sighed softly. Only when Vincenzo comes to this orphanage does he seem like a normal human. If the workers or even his business partners saw him smiling just now, they would have been stupefied. Vincenzo was perfect in appearance. He was drop-dead gorgeous with full lips like a woman. His eyes were of emerald green topped with lashes as thick as the forest. He had that striking smile with deep dimples and his brows were shaped like a well-curved half-moon. His only flaw was the fact that he never dates a girl for more than three months and all the girls have similar features. Martins guess they must have had features like the girl he was looking for. He wondered if they would ever see that girl. "Martins, stop daydreaming and get the party started already. Are the cakes here yet?" Vincenzo asked. Martin was surprised to see him already at his front. Wasn't he just discussing something with the matron? When did he get here? "They are on their way. I want to go and check the lighting at the entrance. I think it's a little faulty," Martins said, concealing his surprise. Vincenzo thought a little about it and decided to fix it instead. There are still some things Martins needed to do inside. "Just go and handle the other stuff, I will fix the lighting," Vincenzo said, taking the tools from his friend. Martins, who was surprised, just nodded and left him to fix it. He hopes Vincenzo can do it, "You have to put this on. Don't soil your clothes." Martins gave him a coverall before going inside. Vincenzo walked up to the entrance and started fixing the lighting. He was still on it when he heard a girl laughing. "Pffft! I never knew you were just a light technician and you have the guts to act pompous?" Vincenzo turned to see the face he had been thinking about all through last night but his face became shrouded in anger at the girl's words. How dare she!

Anastasia woke up very early that morning so she could take her father to the hospital for a check-up. After which she would go to the orphanage before going over to her father's company. She had her day planned out. She quickly freshened up and went to her parent's room but there was no one there. She was surprised and a little panicked. As soon as she came out of the room, she looked downstairs and saw her parents sitting on the couch. She breathed a sigh of relief. "Mum, dad! You nearly gave me a bigger fright than last night!" Anastasia said as she walked up to her parents. "Sorry, sweetheart. I just wanted to sit here for a while before the doctor comes" Her father replied, beckoning her for a morning kiss. Anastasia grinned at her father. Whenever she was at home, her father never forgets to give her a morning kiss. She walked up to him and gave him her cheek. "Mom, are you still jealous?" Anastasia teased her mother. "I have long outgrown my jealousy right from the moment you were born" Celine replied, smiling at her daughter. "Mom, you mean dad had been doing this since I was born?" Anastasia asked. "Right from that morning you were born, he gave you your first kiss to welcome you to our world. That same moment, he called you our morningstar. He never stopped giving you these morning kisses except when you…" her mother explained but stopped at the last sentence when her husband touched her. "Except when, mom? Dad, why are you suddenly becoming romantic towards mother?" Anastasia queried her father for making her mother confused. "Young lady, she is my wife! I can be romantic towards her as I want!" Her father said, feigning seriousness. "And she is my mother! I can… I can… oh dad! You are so mean! I don't even know what to say anymore!" Anastasia complained, pouting. The family of three burst into laughter. Not long after, their family doctor came to check on him. "Uncle Edd! Thank you for coming so early" Anastasia beamed at the doctor. "You don't need to thank me. You need to admonish this stubborn father of yours to be careful with his health" Doctor Edd said, glaring at James. "Don't worry, Uncle Edd. I will always be here to take care of him" Anastasia reassured the family doctor. Doctor Edd smiled at her before he started his treatment. He had been the family doctor for a very long time and he knew the only thing that could cause James to collapse was stress and overthinking. He hopes everything is settled as soon as possible. As soon as the doctor was done with her father, Anastasia made an excuse to her parents before leaving. She was eager to see the orphanage and hopefully, she might find answers over there. Anastasia entered her car and drove away. While she was driving, she brought out her phone so she could follow the directions. She had driven more than two hours before she finally got close to the place. She suddenly started feeling nervous. The road to the place looked like there was no house around it. She started wondering why she will be remembering a place like this. After driving for hours, Anastasia finally got to the end of the road. She saw a very big building with huge trees behind it and the ambiance was so peaceful and calming. She looked at what was written on the gate and she was shocked to see it was an orphanage home. She parked the car and came out of it, she stood outside and started looking around the orphanage home. She looked around and started wondering why a lot of things about her are related to this place. Just after the big gate, there was an entrance leading to another smaller building and it looked as though it was someone's birthday. Anastasia wondered who could be the person that has the same birth date as her in this orphanage. The person must have come to celebrate with the children here because the place looked so sophisticated. Only a wealthy family can afford such a place. As she was in thought, she looked up at the entrance and a handsome face appeared before her. She looked at the familiar face with emerald green eyes and lashes thicker than hers. High cheekbones with a straight nose that highlight his striking beauty and a perfect body build filled with masculinity. What the heck! Why was she drooling over that arrogant pervert that she met at the mall? Seeing him working as a light technician, she decided to mock him. "Pffft! I never knew you were just a light technician and you have the guts to act pompous?" She said, crossing her hands across her chest and wearing a condescending expression. The man looked down at Anastasia before ignoring her. He looked like he had no time to argue with her. But Anastasia wasn't ready to give up. "Instead of acting arrogant, you can just apologize and I will get you a nicer job," Anastasia said, grinning. The man stopped working before replying to her." Apologize? For what?" "You know the reason," Anastasia said, her face turning red from embarrassment. She remembered how their mouths touched each other. "Why would I apologize for a mistake that affected both of us? You also kissed me. Aren't you also going to take responsibility for it?" He asked, raising his eyes Anastasia was shameless at his shamelessness. And just as she turned to leave, she saw a little girl who was running behind a boy of around ten years. Her voice was filled with sorrow as she talked to the boy. It looks like the boy was being adopted by another family and he was leaving. "Brother! Brother! Don't leave!" The little girl cried as the boy was trying to walk away. "I am not leaving, Leila. I just want to get you some candy. Just wait for me, okay?" The boy told the little crying girl. "You promise? Are you coming back?" The little girl asked, looking at the boy with hope. " Yes. I promise. Now, go inside and wait for me," he said, smiling at the girl. Feeling reassured, the little girl grinned widely before running back into the orphanage. Something rushed into Anastasia's head and she suddenly felt a very sharp pain in her head. She tried to control it but it was becoming worse. She started hearing voices in her head. Voices of a little girl crying profusely as if she was the one. " Arrrrrrggg!," She screamed, holding her head as she started falling to the ground.

As she was about to fall, strong arms held her waist tightly, preventing her from hitting the ground. The man's scent hit her nose and she found herself lost in it. But when she saw that it was the arrogant pervert, she pushed him away from herself. "Are you trying to kiss me again?" She asked, angrily. Without another word, Vincenzo released his hands and Anastasia fell to the ground. " Ouch! You! Why did you make me fall? You are not just a pervert but also heartless!" She glared at him from the ground. She was so embarrassed that she quickly stood up. " I don't want to kiss you, again. I didn't even like the first one" Vincenzo simply said before turning to fix the lighting again. Stomping her foot, Anastasia turned to walk away from him and headed to the other side of the orphanage. She promised to ignore him and just focused on the reason she came here in the first place. She was trying to know why she always dreams of herself in a place like this and also with two old people. Although the image was always blurry, she was sure there was a relationship between the two dreams. When Anastasia told her parents about the two old people, she was told it must be her grandparents. They both had an accident on their way to her birthday party. Since then she had always taken flowers to their graveside. She would be going there later with her family for the memorial service. As she came to a beautiful garden, she stopped to take a closer look at it. The garden seems familiar to her and it looks like the headache was about to hit her again. Anastasia closed her eyes when the images started flashing again. She was trying desperately to stop thinking about them. She promised herself not to think about it again so that her family would stop thinking she was crazy. "Why will I be remembering myself in this garden?" Anastasia asked herself. She quickly left the place to avoid her falling from dizziness. Anastasia was lost for a moment, she could sense a lot of things familiar in this place but she could not remember anything. "Why does this place look so familiar?" Anastasia asked herself again. She was wondering why she started having flashes of images she doesn't understand as soon as she came here. Why was she connected in every part of this orphanage? Anastasia was still trying to solve this puzzle but it looks like they are getting harder. They seemed impossible to be solved. She turned to look at the garden again. Her mind was in turmoil and she was starting to regret coming over to this place. "How can we help you?" Someone asked from behind her. Anastasia turned to look at the person and noticed it was a middle-aged woman. Could she be the matron of this place? The woman waited patiently for her answer as she stood in front of her. Anastasia was going crazy already for coming here. So many things around her are making her want to go crazy. The whole thing was getting more complicated. How does this place relate to her? Why does she keep dreaming about this place? These are the questions she needs to answer but no one seems to understand her. Instead, the place was making her confused. She was finally convinced that it was a bad idea to come here. "I'm sorry I came to the wrong place," Anastasia said to the woman. She turned around and ran towards where she packed her car. Getting there, she entered the car and drove away. **** Vincenzo was a little angry at that foul-mouthed girl who he had met twice now. At first, he hadn't noticed much about her at the mall but looking at her today, he noticed she looked a lot like the little girl in his memory. Her golden wavy hair was swaying all over her shoulder and face due to the winds. There was this shine in her eyes that made him think of the little girl's eyes. Although he had come across a few girls who looked familiar to the little girl, this girl surpassed them all. She looked exactly like how the little girl might have looked if she were grown up. But why does she seem so familiar? Vincenzo would have sworn she was the same girl but… her mouth! He always feels comfortable around her until she opens her mouth! Maybe he should have just kissed her to shut her mouth! Such a foul mouth for a lady. Vincenzo continued checking the lighting and finally, he finished the repair. He smiled unknowingly to himself as he thought about the kiss. It was brief but he enjoyed it. And he won't give her the satisfaction of knowing how he liked it. A few minutes later, he saw the girl hurrying away toward the gate. He could see she looked confused. What happened to her? Was she unwell or something? Vincenzo wanted to ask her but she ran past him with speed. Just behind her, he saw the assistant matron walking slowly toward him. "Mr. Vincenzo, the party is about to begin," The assistant matron said. "Mariam, do you know why that girl was running away just now?" Vincenzo asked, puzzled. "I don't know, Mr. Vincenzo. I saw her close to the garden and she was staring at it. A little later, I saw her looking pained while holding her hand. When I approached her, she just apologized and ran off" Mariam explained. "Alright. I will be there as soon as I wrap things up here" Vincenzo said, nodding his head. Mariam smiled before turning to leave. Vincenzo thought it was strange. Who exactly was this girl? Some hours later, Vincenzo and Martin left the orphanage after the party was over. He decided to go home and freshen up before going to the office. As the car drove into the mansion, he saw a slender figure coming out of the house. One look and he could tell who she was. But why was she in his house after all these years? Did his grandmother call her over? As the thought came to his mind, he was suddenly filled with anger. He got out of the car and walked briskly towards the girl. It had better not be what he was thinking!