I Want You Back

Sofia Andrew

Today is the day of the presentation, and I'm beyond stressed because Angel kidnapped me all day yesterday when he surprised me in the morning with a reservation at Camp Anthony, a spa retreat for couples with a beautiful view of the sea. We received a good massage as a couple, and Angel did not like it much because it was a man who touched him, while it was in my favor because no woman will grope my man.

"So, Angel, let a man give him a massage?" Amelia mocked.

"It was that or letting a man give me a massage; he didn't like the idea." I giggled.

"Look, he has gone too far, and you still haven't forgiven him."

"Who said I haven't? I already did, although he doesn't know it yet, but I think he'll figure it out soon enough."

Amelia hummed and looked at me. "I see, friend, you look more radiant, and your mood has improved a lot. You look really happy."

"I won't forget everything that happened, and I still have my reservations, but I have to give him a chance; otherwise, we will never move forward."

"I'm happy for you, really; it's about time," Amelia said with sincerity in her voice.

I smiled at her. "We are not going to let anyone come between us; we are going to trust each other. Plus, he was so romantic, Amelia."

"Who would have thought that behind that arrogant and stoic man there is a sensitive and romantic man, and from what I see, a stud too?"

"You have no idea," I replied, and we both laughed.

"So I take it that you already told him that you are the owner of Let-technology?" She mentioned my dilemma, and I sighed and shook my head while her eyes widened. "Sofia! Why not?! What are you waiting for?"

"I don't know; I guess I'm just afraid that he will want to claim something about the company or that he won't like it."

No man likes a wife to be so intelligent and independent with so much business power. Much less a sexist like Angel.

"He hasn't claimed anything from Lee Andrew's, Sofia; what you're looking for are excuses."

I smacked my lips before answering. "Lee Andrew's is a fashion company, and though it earns a lot, it cannot be compared to Let-Tech, don't forget that he wants to do business with us, and I rejected him."

"It is an advanced technology company with a good security and communication system. Sofia, anyone wants to do business with Let-technology.".

"I know that I should tell him, but I just can't find the time or chance."

"Okay, but if he finds out elsewhere and gets upset, it will be your fault. And don't say I didn't tell you. Anyway, how are your in-laws? Any news about them?"

As if on cue, the door opened without warning, and my dear mother-in-law barged in like she owned the place.

"I think I just summoned the devil," Amelia whispered in mockery.

"Couldn't you summon another person?" I hissed at her and straightened up.

"We have to talk," Martha stated with her head held high.

While I was annoyed by her sudden appearance and rudeness, I remained neutral. "Good morning, Mrs. Leffman, what do I owe this surprise?"

"Uhm, I'll leave you now. I still have to resolve some matters in court. Then we'll talk so you can tell me how the presentation is going and..." Amelia whispered to me and gestured towards my mother-in-law. "Alright. Take care of yourself."

Amelia nodded at Martha on her way out, but the latter did not even look at her. She left, and my mother-in-law took the floor.

"What brought you here?"

"You must be ecstatic. My son has turned his back on us; people can't stop talking about us, and your father has closed my husband's business," she said with accusations in her voice.

I remained seated and crossed my legs. "Angel's decisions regarding his family have nothing to do with me, and, as for my father, well, your husband did horrible things to us, so he did the right thing. You should be grateful that he only did that."

"My son would never turn his back on us; it is because of you who took everything we had from us. And you consider yourself better than Elisa? Please! You are selfish, spoiled, and arrogant." She sneered at me, and I remained calm.

"Madam, let's make something clear: I didn't take anything from you that wasn't mine. You and your family enjoyed the benefits I provided for years: the clubhouse, parties, events in exclusive locations, status, promotions in stores and restaurants, and much more. But I have a limit. For years, I tolerated your bad comments, the bad attitude of your daughter, and the abuse and hypocrisy of your husband, all because you are Angel's parents. However, you have crossed that line."

"My son deserved a woman of his status."

"That's ironic because according to you, I was the woman he needed to achieve everything he wanted. Otherwise, your husband would not have drawn up a marriage contract or deceived Angel. Neither would he have claimed that I said he had raped me under the influence of drugs to force him to marry me."

"That doesn't give you the right to keep my son away from his family."

"I have not taken your son away from you; you did when you lied to him. Look, ma'am, in life, one has to be grateful. I gave you and your family everything you wanted. I never complained or set limits on your excesses. You had everything you wanted just by mentioning my name. But you and your daughter took it upon yourselves to say that I was nothing to your son, that I did not deserve to be part of your family, that I was a spoiled and arrogant woman. You even told your son that the right woman for him was Elisa." With each word that left my mouth, her frown deepened. "I have nothing to do with your family now. For me, you do not exist. And if you don't exist, you have no right to enjoy anything that is mine. What did you expect? To continue enjoying everything at my expense after everything you did to me? Oh, no, ma'am. Life doesn't work that way." "We do not ask for more than we deserve. My son sacrificed himself to be with you; he sacrificed his dreams, all for you, but you are an ungrateful bitch." She spat, and my eyebrows almost reached the roof.

"No, you're wrong. Your son did what his father asked based on a lie, and I had nothing to do with it. You are the ones who did not respect what he wanted, his dreams, his goals. You played with him, with the love and respect he had for you. You can't put the blame on me now that you are reaping what you sowed. For you, social status and money were more important than what your son wanted. For five years, there was not a single day in which you did not enjoy what was given to you. However, none of you approached or asked what Angel wanted or how he was! You didn't support him with his dreams or anything!"

Martha looks so livid now that I'm afraid her veins will burst. "You don't know what we have done for our children! Now you're ruining my daughter's future, and my son doesn't even want to see us!

"You are the one ruining the future of your daughter. Let her study, let her get ahead, let her stand on her own like her brother because she is intelligent but lazy and spoiled. If you are referring to her social status, I'm sorry, I can't do anything about it. As for whether Angel wants to see you or not, ask yourself what you did to make that happen. Angel is not a man who allows himself to be bossed around, nor is he easy to manipulate, something he learned these five years."

"Mother, what are you doing here?" Angel interrupts us when he arrives.

"I came to talk to you because you haven't come home, and you don't answer our calls. We miss you, son." The monster earlier suddenly became tamed when she saw her son.

Angel wasn't too happy, however. "Then why didn't you go to my office instead? You should not have come to Sofia's. She has nothing to do with my decision. Besides, I know you, and I know you're not here for that." "Angel, I just want to have my son back."

"Me or the benefits I give you?" Angel asked straightforwardly.

"Don't talk to me like that; I'm still your mother!"

"Mom, Sofia, and I have a meeting right now; we don't have time for your complaints, so please leave and don't think about bothering my wife again."

"But, Angel..."

Angel didn't let his mother finish. "Goodbye, Mother," Martha glared at me before leaving and slammed the door behind her. Angel shook his head and shot me an apologetic look. "I'm sorry she came to bother you."Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.

"She didn't; she just wanted to know why her son hadn't come home. It seems like dad isn't making their lives easy."

"They deserve it, and I'm not going to argue with your father about them."

"But Angel, they are still your parents. I'm not saying that you forgive them or give them the benefits they want, but you won't lose anything by talking to them."

He looked at me and smiled. "Only you would think of me talking to my parents after what they have done and how they have treated you."

I just shrugged nonchalantly. "They are your parents, and one does not choose one's family."

"Okay, it's better if we forget them. Come on, you and Diether will shine in the presentation today."

Together, we go to the meeting room, where everyone is already waiting. Some greeted us kindly, while others looked doubtful when they saw us arriving together. They must have heard the rumor and saw the prey. I can't blame them because the last time they were here, Angel told them we were breaking up, and that was almost five months ago. Wow, time does pass quickly. It seems like it was just yesterday.

"What a pleasure to see you together." Oscar, one of the partners, greeted us warmly.

"As it should be," Angel answered, smiling at me.

"Good afternoon." My father greeted everyone when he arrived. "I hope I arrived on time because it looks like everyone's here."

"You arrived just in time, Dad." I greeted him and gave him a kiss, and he greeted Angel kindly with a hug. "We're waiting for Diether to start; he's on his way here."

"Okay, let's see what we have this year."

"Give us a preview, Angel. We are intrigued," George, another partner of ours, requested.

"I'm afraid we're in the same situation. I'm telling you that this time I had nothing to do with it. Diether and Sofia are responsible for the wonders that we are going to see, so all the credit goes to them."

"You didn't participate in anything?" My father asked in surprise and suspicion, while the others were just as surprised.

"No," I intervened, "Diether is the new design director. Therefore, Angel has to wait like all the partners at the meeting to see the new collection that we want to launch by the end of the year." "That's surprising. Hasn't he let you see anything?" Dad asked Angel.

"Nothing; she prohibited me from entering the workshop if Diether was not there." He responded with a chuckle, and everyone teased him.

"Good afternoon. I'm sorry for the delay." Diether apologized as he entered.

"You're on time, son; don't worry. Sofia and Angel were just updating us. Apparently, you are responsible for the new collection?" My father asked him in a casual yet business-like voice.

"With the help of your daughter, sir, she also designed one of the cars," Diether revealed, and Angel looked at me in surprise. "And she also helped me with mine."

"I only helped with a few details, like feminine touches that a man can't have, but the designs are yours. Okay, I did one, but I had help as well," I said, and Angel winked at me.

We started the presentation, and Diether faced everyone. He was nervous at first. The first two designs were conventional, one executive and one family, with all the luxuries. They have four doors, are spacious, and have LED screens on the pilot and co-pilot seats to entertain rear-seat passengers. In addition, we included GPS with a built-in map, a digital dashboard, and a 12.3-inch high-definition display.

The vehicles maintain the five driving modes, incorporate high-quality speakers, and have a safety system for the little ones that include an adjustable baby seat, avoiding the need to buy additional chairs. They also have LED lights on the back and reflectors, and for ladies, they offer a makeup, paper, and accessories organizer section.

The trunk has a large space, and an additional compartment is added to store tools or objects. The heating system has three levels, and the vehicles are equipped with an 8-liter V8 engine, which produces 563 hp and 900 Nm of torque. Drivers can choose to use it in a more ecological way or gasoline reserve mode. In addition, the roof can be removed, allowing you to enjoy crystal glass for greater luminosity. The vehicles come in three colors: black, gray, and gold, maintaining a unisex image.

The other design was an HD engine truck with 7.6 liters V8 that generates 401 HP and 1,230 Nm of torque, 4x4, four doors, all-terrain, brings a 12.0-inch vertical touch screen, 380 L transmission servers, blind spot monitoring, car detection from 1 meter away, forward collision warning, Ram 1800, hybrid system, trunk and dashboard with the same characteristics as the previous one, armored and available in black and gray colors.

And lastly, came my design. It was a super sports car with a turbo engine with a capacity of 5.0 liters and 8 cylinders, grip on the asphalt, reaches 234 km/h, but can reach 100 km/h from a standstill in 4.6 seconds, an all-wheel drive system, and two atmospheric engines of 132 and 184 HP. It also features a removable roof to make it convertible and has an 18-inch digital system in black. It has an elegant, fresh, dark, but sophisticated appearance in black and navy blue.

All three have a security system with a fingerprint in case the keys are forgotten. The system responds to the owner's voice with an anti-theft security code integrated into the cell phone or computer, which makes it easy for the owner to lock the system or movement of the car even if it is being driven, and that will only be reactivated from the Let-technology platform.

After the presentation, the partners were impressed, especially with the technology system, obviously because I'm a genius. Angel looked impressed as well. They congratulated us and approved the models, which are already in preparation because we knew they would like them. "A very nice sports car," Angel told me once we were alone.

"You made the base."

"Sofia, you changed the entire design of the car." Angel denied it with a pointed look.

"And does it bother you?"

"You created a sporty, elegant, superb, and powerful monster. Were you inspired by anyone?"

"Maybe." I turned my back on him, and he turned me around so I was facing him.

"I am elegant, proud, and powerful, aren't I?" He asked in a teasing manner before yanking me close to him. "And it's in silver, navy blue, and black. Do you have a makeup cabinet on the board?"

I threw my head back and laughed. "I didn't think about that. I should consider it."

"A very advanced technology system. What technology company did we hire for such beauty?"

"Let technology," I answered, and he raised his eyebrows.

"Mm, Isaac is clever; he manages to do business with you while he evades me."

"It's called loyalty; he couldn't work with both of us now, could he?"

"Is that so? Is there no other reason?"

"Like what?" I asked in confusion because it seemed like he was hinting at something.

"I don't know, you tell me. You get along better with him than I do," he says as he plays with my hair.

'Say it, Sofia, tell him that you are the owner of the company and that you created all of this.' I urged myself, but couldn't find the will to do so.

"Did you like the car?" I questioned instead and called myself a coward.

"I fell in love with it; in fact, I want one. I can stop driving mine for that one." Angel responded in pure enthusiasm.

I took a deep breath before breaking the news to him. "I'm glad you liked it because I made it for you." I waited for his expression, and he looked surprised. "Surprise! It's my early anniversary gift for you."

He then chuckled and shook his head. "How can we have the same idea?" I was confused by his comment, but he just dismissed it. "When I saw it, I suspected that you did it for me; who else can have those characteristics? Now, I have a very important question." "Your questions worry me; you come up with everything."

"Can we have s*x in that car? It's just that my wife is a little insatiable and she can't keep her hands off me. I'm irresistible like that, you see."

"Angel!" I stopped him, my face heating up. "You're impossible and self-centered!" I hit him, and we both laughed. "But yes, we can have s*x, and if not, we'll find a way.

"God, I don't know if I've created a monster, but I like the way you think, and let me tell you, that dress looks great on you."

"Thank you; it is a little tight on my chest, and it wasn't like that before. I think I am eating too much, and it's starting to show." "I am not bothered by that, but my hands won't be able to handle them soon."

"Hush! I'm going to stop eating like there's no tomorrow because I'm going to end up as huge as a tank." I complained with a pout. "Skinny, fat, plump, petite, tall, whatever, I will still like you, so it's no problem for me."

"I don't doubt it, but I'm still not going to take the risk of someone with curves showing up and you liking it."

Angel chuckled before kissing my cheeks. "I love you, my little glutton. Thank you for the gift; it's beautiful." "Happy early anniversary."

He swooped in for a kiss, and I didn't push him away. In a matter of seconds, the kiss heated up.

"Guys," Dad interrupted us, and we jumped away from each other. "What a shame."

"Dad!" I exclaimed in surprise.

Dad cleared his throat. "Well, I'm glad to know that you two are getting along."

"That's where we are, father-in-law, although I can say that it's not easy to earn your daughter's forgiveness." Angel teased me, and I pinched him.

"I see," Dad replied, and there was a moment of silence. Can this be more embarrassing? "I wanted to invite you to dinner tonight if you don't have any plans."

"It's Friday, and on Fridays, we have dinner at your house."

Dad hummed under his breath. "True, but we haven't done it in a long time."

"But we're going to resume that custom, right, beautiful?" he asked me, and I nodded.

When we left the office, I took advantage and went to Let-Tech. I had already told Isaac about what I wanted for the car system, and he was more than happy because he had come up with certain ideas.

"I thought you would tell me that we're going to accept the Autos-Let contract, but if you had told me that you were going to do business with the company, I wouldn't insist so much."

"Yes, by the way, Angel thinks you're smart for making a deal with us instead of him," I shared, and he frowned.

"But I haven't done business with Angel; I didn't even know that he wanted to do business with the company." God, me, and my mouth.

"Okay, let me clarify: Angel is the owner of Autos-Let," I revealed, and he was shocked. "No one else knows, except Amelia and my dad. Therefore, do not accept the contract. He doesn't know that I am..."

"The owner of the company," he finished, and he gave me a look similar to that of Amelia. "And when are you going to tell him?"

I sighed and looked away. "I don't know; I'm still looking for the right moment."

"Sofia, there is no right time; you have to tell him."

'I'll do it; I just..." I trailed off, and he didn't believe me, so I just decided to leave. "I'm leaving; I have dinner with my father. If there's anything, call me."

"Okay, Sofia!" He called me when I was about to leave. "You must tell Angel."

"I will do that. Bye."

I left the company thinking about how to tell Angel that I am the owner of Let-technology without him thinking that I lied to him or hid it from him, which I did. God, Sofia, you can't let time pass because he's going to get angry, and it's going to be your fault. I arrived where my parents were, and Angel was already there.

"My dear, you're here." My aunt greeted me, and I kissed her cheek.

"Sofi! Angel came to see me!" Bella interrupts us, wearing her pretty dress. "Mommy said he wasn't going to come anymore, but here he is," she added, happiness written all over her face.

How can I not come to see the most beautiful girl in the world? "Angel said as he carried Bella and spun her around in the air.

While watching the two, I couldn't help but think that he would be a great father. God, what am I even thinking?

"Well, come on, you're just in time; dinner is served," Dad says, interrupting my thoughts. "And we're hungry."

"Where were you anyway? They told me that you had left the company, then I dropped by Lee Andrew's, but you weren't there either," Angel asked, and I avoided his eyes.

"Uhm, I went to fix another matter. I'm here now, so let's eat."

We went to the table that was indeed prepared, and I saw plenty of meals. I noticed that Angel suddenly turned pale.

"Son, are you okay?" Mary asked him in worry, and Angel hesitantly nodded. "Are you sure? You are pale."

"I'm fine; I just have a problem with food lately. Please give me a moment." He excused himself and left.

"Is he okay, Sofia?" Dad asked me when Angel was gone.

"Yes, Dad, it's just that everything I cook disgusts him because he won't stop vomiting," I informed him, and I tried everything on the table. "These are delicious; I feel like I can eat them all. Lately, I have a lot of appetite." "Mm, he's nauseous while you have a big appetite," Mary commented with a strange expression on her face.

"Yes, stress has us a little moody, but I don't know who gets the worst of it-he who gets nauseated from everything I cook or me, who has non-volatile mood swings."

"Do you also have mood swings?" she asked in excitement, making everyone look at her.

"Yes, but why do you say it in that tone?"

Mary seemed to realize this and cleared her throat. "Not at all; I'm just finding it weird."

Angel came back and sat beside me. "I'm sorry about that."

"Don't worry, son, that's normal, strange, but normal," Mary said again, and Angel looked at me without understanding what she said.

"I don't know; she's been acting weird," I whispered to him.

Angel barely tasted the food, while I almost devoured all of it. My aunt was strange throughout dinner, and my dad seemed happy. Then, Dad went with Angel to his office and left me in the living room with Vanessa and Mary. "Sofia, I see that things with Angel are going well, and I couldn't be happier," Mary told me while holding my hand and smiling happily.

"Yes, we are giving ourselves a chance, and I think we are on the right track."

"That's good."

We spent a while talking about Angel and me and our plans, which were still uncertain until it was time to leave.

"Sofia, it's time to go," Angel told me once he's done talking with Dad.

I got up but stopped when my head spun. "Sofia, are you okay?"

"Uh, yes, I just got a little dizzy. I think I got up too quickly and..." I didn't get to stop what I was saying because dark spots appeared in my vision and I succumbed to darkness.