Taming Mr. Cold And Arrogant

"I really missed this, Sophia!"

Craig exclaimed as he closed the door of his car behind him. We just arrived at the parking lot of the shopping mall near the studio. 

"I missed shopping with you, girl!"

I chuckled grabbing his arm as we walked towards the entrance. But I noticed his sticky gaze on my two bodyguards behind us. 

"Tsk.tsk. I can't believe your husband hired bodyguards for you." He looked at me smirking. 

"What's with that smirk?" I raised my eyebrow. 

"Nothing." He shrugged. "I just can sense the gradual change of hearts."

"Tss! Nothing changed, Craig and nothing will change."

"Hmm.. Okay."

I rolled my eyes and pulled him inside the women's boutique. 

We were about to enter inside my favorite Pizza store when someone called me from behind. 

"Belle!"

"Someone's calling you." Craig nudges my elbow. 

"My Belle!"

My breath hitched as my heart began to hammer when I recognized her voice. I slowly turned my head to the source of that familiar voice, and I was right, she's here. 

"My Belle!"

I was surprised to see her again. I didn't expect that after seeing her in Amador, I would see her again here in Los Angeles. 

She started walking towards me but I quickly moved away. 

"Baby!"

I heard her calling my name but I continued to walk away from her. 

"Isabelle, wait!"

She followed me and I clenched my jaws I felt her hand on my left arm. 

"Mia figlia.." (My daughter)

"I'm sorry Ma'am, but I don't understand you! I can only speak in English." I pulled my hand out of her grip. 

"Belle, it's me, your Mom."

"I'm sorry, but I think you're mistaken. Excuse me, I have to go. Craig let's go!"

"Huh? But I thought we're going to eat---"

"I said let's go!" I said glaring at him. 

"Oh, okay let's go." He nodded, confusion was clearly written on his face. 

"My baby, I'm sorry." I heard her voice from behind but I ignored her as I pulled Craig towards the parking lot. 

~~~~~~~°~~~~~~~°~~~~~~~°~~~~~~~

Flashback... 

"Mamma, dove vai?" (Mom, where are you going?)

"La mamma partirà per un po, ma tornerò e prometto di portari con me quando torno." (Mom will leave for a while, but I will be back and I promise to take you when I get back.)

"Ma perché hai una valiglia con te?" ( But, why do have a suitcase with you?)

"Sono solo alcuni dei vestiti della mamma." (It's just some of mom's clothes.)

"Mamma, non mi ami più?" (Mommy, don't you love me anymore?)

"Dove hai preso quell a domanda? Certo che ti amo, sei il mio bambino." ( Where did you get that? Of course I love you, you're my baby.)

"Allora perché te ne vai? Perché mi stai lasciando?" ( Then why are you leaving? Why are you leaving me?)

"Non posso spiegartelo adesso. Sei troppo giovane per capire cosa sta succedendo. Ma quando invecchi, capirai tutto e perché la mamma deve andarsene." (I can't explain it to you right now. You are too young to understand what's happening. But when you grow old, you will understand everything and why mommy needs to leave.)

"Promettimi che tornerai." (promise me you'll come back.)

"Lo prometto a mia figlia." (I promise my daughter.)

End of flashback... 

~~~~~~~°~~~~~~~°~~~~~~~°~~~~~~~

"I saw her again, Bryan." I said tears rolling down my cheeks. I was in the kitchen and reheating the food that Nanay Emily cooked earlier for lunch. 

I got home immediately after Craig and I left the mall earlier. 

"È di nuovo tua madre? Dove l'hai vista?" (Is it your mother again? Where did you see her?)

"Sì, al centro commerciale prima." (Yeah, at the mall earlier.)

"Oh, pensavo fosse ad Amador?" (Oh, I thought she's in Amador?)

"Questo è quello che ho pensato anche io. In realtà sapevo che era a Seattle, ma improvvisamente l'ho vista ad Amador. E ora è a Los Angeles. Che piccolo mondo, no?" (That's what I thought too. I actually knew she was in Seattle, but then I suddenly saw her in Amador. And now she's in Los Angeles. What a little world, isn't it?)

"Perché non le parli e chiedi la sua spiegazione? Sono sicuro che dopo tutti questi anni ha una buona spiegazione del perché ti ha lasciato prima." (Why don't you talk to her and ask for her explanation? I'm sure that after all these years she has a good explanation for why she left you before.)

"Non ho più bisogno di parlarle, Bryan. E non penso nemmeno di aver bisogno della sua spiegazione. mi è bastato che fosse mia madre da 10 anni, ma poi è finita. Non siamo più collegati l'uno all'altro!" (I don't need to talk to her, anymore, Bryan. And I don't even think I need her explanation either. It was enough for me that she had been my mother for 10 years, but then it was over. We're no longer connected to each other!)

"Ma Belle, qualunque cosa sia successa, è ancora tua madre." (But belle, whatever happened, she is still your mother.)

"Una madre non lascia suo figlio, Bryan. sacrificherà tutto per i suoi figli." (A mother does not leave her child, Bryan. She will sacrifice everything for her children.)

"Belle, non conoscerai mai la sua ragione se non le chiedi." (Belle, you will never know her reason if you don't ask her.)

"Perché dovrei chiederle di lei? Qualunque sia la sua ragione, non è ancora abbastanza per riempire i suoi fallimenti come madre per me." (Why should I need to ask her? Whatever her reasons, it's still not enough to fill her failures as a mother to me.)

I chuckled sarcastically, wiping my tears that blurring my vision. 

"Perché, se le chiedessi, potrebbe riportare come sarebbero stati i miei ricordi d'infanzia? Non può riportarlo indietro, Bryan. Perché se non se ne fosse andata, non avrei mai sperimentato ciò che avevo vissuto da Joseph!" (Why, if I asked her, could she bring back what my childhood memories should have been like? She can't bring it back, Bryan. Because if she hadn't left then I would never have experienced what I had experienced from Joseph! 

"Yzabelle.."

"L'ho aspettata, ho pensato che sarebbe tornata. Per ogni mio compleanno, ogni Natale e ogni occasione della mia vita, l'ho aspettata ma non è mai venuta! Fino a quando non mi ci sono abituato senza di lei." (I waited for her, I thought she would come back. On my every birthday, every christmas and every occasion in my life, I waited for her but she never came! Until I got used to it without her.)

I paused as I took a deep breath. 

"Non so cosa ho fatto, perché Dio non mi ha dato una famiglia completa. Perché devo provare quelle cose? Sono così stanco, Bryan!" (I don't know what I have done, why God has not given me a complete family. Why do I have to experience those things? I'm so tired, Bryan!)

I continued talking not noticing that someone was watching me from behind. 

"Voglio solo una vita semplice, ma perchéè così difficile averlo?" (I just want a simple life, but why is it so difficult to have it?)

I bite my lips just to control my sobs. 

"Ehi, ecco perché sono qui. Craig e io siamo qui per te e stiamo facendo del mio meglio per trovare Layla. Quando ciò accade, prometto che tutto tornerà alla normalità." (Hey, that's why I'm here. Craig and I are here for you, and I'm doing my best to find Layla. When that happens, I promise that everything will go back to normal again.)

'Sì, spero che la troverai presto, Bryan." (Yeah, hopefully you'll find her soon, Bryan.)

I closed my eyes as I took a deep breath. 

"Belle..."

"Hmm...?"

"Non essere mai prigioniero del tuo passato, è stata solo una lezione, non un ergastolo." (Never be a prisoner of your past, it was just a lesson, not a life sentence.)

I smiled half-heartedly but didn't utter a word. 

"Comunque, devo andare, chiamami se hai bisogno di qualcosa, ok?" (Anyway, I have to go, just call me if you need anything okay?)

"I will, thank you."

I put my phone back to my pocket and wiped my tears with my hands. I was free to speak and moved in the kitchen because I knew Nanay Emily was not home and Daniel was in his office. 

But what I didn't know, the last person in my mind was just a few steps away from me. 

~~~~~~~°~~~~~~~°~~~~~~~°~~~~~~~ 

Daniel's POV:

I left some important doc.u.ments for my meeting this afternoon, and I was just a few minutes away from the house so I just decided to get it instead of calling Andrew or Denise. 

I heard a faint cry the moment I entered the house. I followed the voice and I frowned as it was getting clear while I was walking towards the kitchen. 

And it really surprised me to see Sophia in front of the oven, she was talking to someone on her phone while she was crying. 

I tried to listen to what she was saying but to my dismay, I couldn't understand what language she was using. The only clear word that registered in my head was 'Bryan'. 

I formed my fists as I can feel the rage surging inside me just by hearing his name. She was lying all this time, I thought. She said they were just friends but why she's now crying over him? 

I was about to walk back in the living room when I heard her last word before she ended the call. 

"I will, thank you."

-'Tss! Is that what you called 'friends', huh?'- I mentally asked throwing daggers on back and killing that Bryan inside my head. 

I decided to leave and went straight to my study room. She didn't even notice that I was just a few steps behind her and even when I left the house again. 

"Let's go back to the office!"

I told my driver Erwin as I slammed the car door closed beside me. 

-'I was right about her! She was just like the other girls lying and whoring around just to get money'-