Prologue: The Borrowed

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Borrowing is not much better than begging; just as lending with interest is not much better than stealing.

-Doris Lessing


Leandro Salazar's POV

"I have the information you need, Your Excellency."

Finally, I thought with satisfaction as I survey the land that spread to my view from my study room in, Castillo de Joya, which my family owns for centuries here in the valley in Andalucia, Spain.

"What did you find out?" I asked as I retain my gaze outside. I owned as far as my eyes could see from where I stood.

I heard my bodyguard moved further inside the room as he silently closed the heavy wooden door behind him. "According to the news that I gathered, sir. Señorita Laila Fiorenza is in America now."

"America?" I turned around to face my trusted bodyguard for years now. My eyebrows snapped together.

My bodyguard, Diego Suarez, nodded looking straight into my eyes. "Yes, Your Excellency. She's in New York to be precise."

New York? So my Laila is in New York right now, after she run away from me two months ago without even a note that she's ending our affair I'm surprised to hear that she's in New York. I thought somewhere in the Caribbean. She told me before that she hates the chilly weather.

So why New York? I asked myself silently. Does she think that if she went there she can escape me? I have some good news from my runaway mistress.

I heard Diego cleared his throat loudly that dragged my attention back to him. "There's more, sir."

"What?"

He avoided my gaze as his eyes rested on the carpeted floor in my study room. "She's already married to a Greek man billionaire named Nikos Pallis."

My eyes widened at my trusted bodyguard. Did I hear it right? She's already married to someone else? "When?" I swallowed, trying to clear my voice.

"When what, sir?" Diego asked warily as he glanced in my direction. I tried to calm my anger but it's so damn hard right this moment. I want to wring that pretty neck of her once I see her. Dios mio, how can she marry someone else when she just slipped off my bed?

"When did she marry this Greek man?"

My trusted bodyguard sighed deeply. "About two months ago."

Rage swirled in my chest. After she left me without a single note she went to New York to marry this rich man, has she? She wanted a rich husband to shower her with luxury in life. She's like my previous mistresses who will hop to the next rich man when I get tired of them—not that I get tired already of that Sicilian beauty.

"What do you want to do now, Your Excellency?" Diego asked carefully as he eyed me silently. Right now, my anger boiled inside me.

I smiled thinly at the man stood in front of me. I wonder what Laila will do if she learns that her previous lover is a Spanish count — that I'm far richer than the man she married. I want to see her face when that happened.

"Have my plane to be readied, Diego," I announced with a cruel smile on my face. "We will go to New York to visit the señorita."

I could hardly wait for my reunion with my heartless mistress...

On my plane ride bound for New York, I thought about how to tell that scheming woman what opportunity she threw when she married that Greek man instead of staying with me. I don't intend to take her back in my life even if she begged or promise that she will divorce her husband. I will just inform her of what she threw away. But I didn't expect what I felt when she opened the door of the house she shared with her new husband. The radiant smile on her beautiful face greeted me.

And at that moment I knew my plan has suddenly changed.


Leila Fiorenza's POV

I looked outside the window of my bedroom here in the cold palace my father fondly called his home. Nothing had changed in this place since the last time I left. This soulless house turned so cheerless since my twin sister, Laila lived in New York with her husband.

I smiled at the thought. Who would have thought that my dutiful twin sister will fall in love with a man like Nikos Pallis?

I instinctively put my hand in my still fat belly. Tomorrow I'm getting married to Rafe Moretti it's just purely business. He proposed a marriage proposal at the wedding reception of Laila and Nikos wedding and I accepted it against my better judgment.

I'm sorry baby, I told the growing life inside me silently. I'm going to marry a different man who is not your father. He will be a good father to you I can see it.

A knocked from my door dragged me out of my reverie. "Come in," I said brightly.

"You have a phone call from your brother-in-law." The maid said as she presented the wireless telephone.

"Thank you, Maria." I smiled at the housekeeper as I took the telephone in her hand. I waited for her to left my room before answering Nikos. "Hello?"

"Where is he?" My brother-in-law said without preamble on the other line.

I frowned as I gaze back outside my window enjoying the calm scenery outside. "Who are you talking about Nikos? How's Laila?"

"Your groom," He said snappishly. I could sense that he's in a foul mood. "I want to talk to him. No, I want to kill him!"

My eyes widened at his outburst. I know that he doesn't like Rafe Moretti. After all, he's jealous of the poor man because he's my twin sister's, first love. Seriously, men will never change. I rolled my eyes. "Why do you want to kill him, brother?"

"He abducted my wife!"

"What!" I stood dead in my place. Did I hear him right? "What are you talking about?"

"Laila is missing," He said furiously on the other line. I could hear that he's pacing the room nonstop from New York. "Someone abducted my wife."

"Oh my God," I placed my hand in my mouth about the news that someone kidnapped my twin sister. "H-how did you know that it was Rafe that kidnapped her? He's just here a while ago reminding me about the wedding rehearsal tonight—wait, have you seen the CCTV?"

"Yes," Nikos breathed angrily. "I saw a tall man wearing an expensive suit holding my wife in his arms. I'm sure that he's one of your husband's cohorts. If I find out that your groom-to-be is behind this I will kill him mercilessly."

"Rafe will never do such a thing, Nikos." I defended him. I know he's in love with Laila but he will never do such a thing. Laila's happiness is everything to him.

"You're not sure about that, Leila."

Then out of blue, an image of a man crossed my mind. I started to shake badly but reassured myself that I'm just thinking too much. He will never bother to find me. "Can..." I swallowed hard as I tried to take several steady breaths. "...can you please tell me the description of the man who took Laila?"

I heard my brother-in-law sighed furiously. "A dark-haired man, at least six-foot-four in height, ruggedly look with five o'clock shadowed beard and aristocratic face. He told the concierge that he was my friend and my wife passed out he will take her to the hospital."

"Maybe he just took her to the hospital," I told him hopefully.

"That's a lie!" He snapped at me. "No one called me or even my secretary. "He abducted my wife. I already called my friends to help me search for Laila."

"I'll see what I can do." I disconnected the phone call and reluctantly dialed his number. I knew that he's the only one who can do this. I gave him my twin sister's name during our affair so it a common sense that he will come after my twin. After a few rings, I prayed that he's in that house and answer the phone call. After a few more moments he finally answered. "It's me," I said shakily. "You got the wrong woman. That's my twin sister. You are looking for me, right? Please don't hurt my twin I will come to Spain right this moment. Wait for me, Leandro."

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