Amelia stirred the eggs in the pan while often glancing at Ryan and Dora, seated at the kitchen island, both playing a game on Ryan’s phone. As much as she was livid at the man, the sight of her daughter so relaxed and happy in his arms had her heart-melting. Quickly, she returned her attention to the eggs, needing to prepare breakfast quickly so she could leave for work. She was still busy cooking when she felt the heat of his body beside hers.“You need a hand?”Amelia rolled her eyes at his act of kindness.“Whatever you’re up to will not change anything, Ryan. At the end of the day, you’ll walk out of our lives and get back to whatever you’ve been doing for the last five years,”“I don't ever want to go back there,” he murmured quietly, staring at her with remorse in his eyes. Amelia was quiet for a while, staring into his usually dark brooding eyes that now held a vulnerable expression, and for a moment, she forgot how much he’d hurt her and wondered what must have happened to
The weekend was finally over and it was the beginning of a new week. Amelia couldn’t be more thankful to begin another week, after all of the drama that Ryan’s return had caused. She could still vividly recall the look of betrayal in James’ face the moment Ryan spewed those lies from his mouth about them getting back together. That morning, they’d driven to work in silence with James ignoring her for the rest of the day. All her attempts to speak to him were in vain and she’d given up. But luckily for her, he called her that evening, demanding to know the truth and she’d vehemently denied Ryan’s word, filling him in on everything the man had said before his arrival, but not daring to mention the marriage certificate.She knew she’d lose James if he ever found out about it, and you may call her selfish, but he was the only light in her world apart from Dora and she wasn’t about to let Ryan Davidson steal that from her. Ryan could go to hell for all she cared, and he’d have to kill her
Amelia and James had successfully settled their differences, putting the weekend issue behind them. That afternoon, they had lunch together as usual and spent the rest of the day in harmony. After closing from work, James had offered to drive her home when he found out she didn't drive her car.“Why did you drive?” he asked Amelia, on their way to Dora’s school. Not that he didn't like being her chauffeur but he was just concerned.“It's a bit faulty. I had to board an Uber to drop Dora off at school and to get here,”She quickly lied, not wanting James to know the truth. Honestly, she hated lying to him but it was the woman Ryan Davidson had made her. As much as she hated it, she couldn't tell James that Ryan dropped her off_not after settling their misunderstanding. She couldn’t stand another week of him ignoring her.A comfortable silence descended upon them for the rest of the drive until they arrived at Dora’s school. As soon as the little girl sighted them, she ran towards them
Amelia stared at her reflection in the mirror, smiling to herself before doing a little twirl. Dressed in a navy bodycon dress that was knee length and her usually pin-straight brown hair falling to her shoulders in glossy waves, she was ready for her date with James.It was a Friday evening and James had mentioned taking her on a date just to enjoy the evening after having a hectic week at work. Amelia was excited to be spending some alone time with James. She couldn’t remember a time she’d ever gone out with him without having Dora as a company. Although her daughter wouldn’t be pleased with the arrangement, she had no doubt that James would find a means to pacify her. And just like she’d expected, the man arrived a few minutes later, with flowers in his hands and chocolate for the little girl.“Hello, little lady,” James greeted Dora, leaning to her level and handing her the banquet of roses and a box of chocolate.“You spoil her so much,” Amelia tried complaining but she couldn't
Amelia couldn't control her next actions as she landed a hot slap on Ryan’s face from the fury of his words.“How dare you?” she barked at him, surprising the man who was still reeling from the sting of Amelia’s slap across his face. He stood still, staring at her in shock. It was the first time he was seeing her so angry. Knowing he must have hit the wrong nerve with his words made him recoil in remorse, his lips opening to speak but she wouldn’t even let him breathe out a word.“How dare you speak against my motherly roles and care for my child, you hypocrite. Where were you when this child was conceived and born, huh? Or do you think you can just show up after five years and take on the role of the caring father? You have better think twice, Ryan.”He tried speaking again but she wasn't done as she quickly cut him off with her next words, striking his heart deeply as though he’d been stabbed with a knife. But truly, he couldn’t fault her as he deserved every insult she threw at hi
Ryan sat in his extravagantly furnished office, trying hard to focus on the documents he was reading through, but his mind kept on wandering to his last visit to Amelia, and Dora. He couldn’t get her backlash from his head, and as much as her words had hurt him, he had no right to be annoyed, not when he’d been the one to accuse her of being a terrible mom, out of pure jealousy.That evening, he’d been in Texas for a social event that ended quite early. Thereafter, he’d decided to stop by Amelia’s home just to see the kid and Amelia. But his plans of spending the evening with them was destroyed when he arrived to see Dora in the arms of a younger woman who claimed to be her nanny. Considering Dora seemed comfortable with her, he wasn’t alarmed. But his mood swiftly moved from cheerful to furious when he’d inquired of Amelia and he was informed she’d gone out on a date. Without second thoughts, he knew it was with her new boyfriend. He couldn’t hold back on the uncontrollable wave of j
A yawn slipped out of Ryan’s lips, as the figures on his computer screen began to blur before his eyes. It was getting late, and he was beginning to feel sleepy. For the past two hours, he’d been immersed in work in his home office, checking the record books of the company as there was an important issue with their finances that needed to be resolved. His manager had submitted the files to him in the afternoon. He was still staring at the screen, trying to figure out the issue when another yawn slipped past his lips. At this point, he realized it was pointless to keep working when he was obviously on the verge of falling asleep. Thus, he shut down the computer and rose to his feet with his phone in his hands, heading towards his master’s bedroom.The eerie silence surrounding him awakened deep feelings of loneliness in him, as he climbed the stairs that led to his bedroom. Although he’s been living in this penthouse since he was twenty, it was the first time he was truly realizing ho
As usual, Amelia was up very early the next morning, trying to make it on just three hours of sleep. She’d spent most of her night mulling over Ryan’s words. Hearing him admit he still had feelings for her after so long had her traveling down memory lane, recalling how amazing life had been with him before they parted ways. He also mentioned he was no longer with Selena. How was that possible?She wondered out loud, taking another sip from her hot coffee. Yes, she needed the caffeine to clear her sleepy haze and set her mind for the day. She could still remember how the man had informed her of his long-time crush on the woman, with so much affection and love dripping from his words. That night, he’d literally poured out his heart, telling her how much he adored the woman, in no subtle terms, while ignoring the reality that he was hurting her with his words.How could he suddenly say he was no longer with Selena? The same stunning woman she’d seen with him on the news, looking all lov
OCTOBER 26TH, 2022 Hello lovelies, Thank you so much for coming this far and for giving my book a chance. I'm glad to announce that this is the end of Amelia and Ryan's story, but their journey will still commence a bit in the next book that'll solely be Cookie and James' story. Also, if you'd like to know Sylvia's secret, it'll be in the next book, titled PLEASING THE BILLIONAIRE, set to release on NOVEMBER 26, 2022. Insight into the series: TITTLE: The Ruthless Billionaires Book One: A Contract with the Billionaire (exclusively available on Goodnovel and completed) Book Two: Pleasing the Billionaire (upcoming) Book Three: (still a work in progress) Also, don’t forget to vote with gems and leave your comments and reviews on the book’s page. They help me grow as an author.
Epilogue: A new beginning?Amelia stood at the entrance of the magnificent church building, dressed in her flowing wedding dress, with the transparent lacy material of her veil covering her face, and Liu holding onto her arm.Two months after her visit to his home, he got well and the preparations for her second wedding ceremony began. She’d asked him to walk her down the aisle and Liu had been honored.“Ready?” he asked, flashing her a loving smile and Amelia grinned in response.“Always,” Surprising her, he leaned in and gently brushed his lips to her temple.“I’m glad I made it to this day, and that you asked me to do this,”Tears welled up in her eyes, amidst her smile but she blinked them away. Deep down, she wished her mom was there too but it was all in the past now and she had a bright future ahead of her and intended to fully enjoy it without her past holding her back.“I’m glad too,” she breathed out in a barely audible voice but Liu headed in and he gently patted her back.
“Are you sure you’re ready to do this?” Ryan asked Amelia for the umpteenth time as they drove through the gates of Liu’s estate in Beijing.After the incident with Lara and Benjamin, and after Ryan settled with his family, Amelia thought it was finally time to hear her father out. She recalled the words Jian spoke to her when she’d run away from Ryan after Selena showed up to destroy their wedding and she decided to give Liu a chance to explain himself. But by the time she called to set up a meeting with him in Jian’s home, her stepbrother informed her that their father was very sick and couldn’t leave his home in Beijing where he was receiving intense care from one of the renowned medical practitioners in the world. Amelia felt terrible that he was ill and they still hadn’t settled their differences. Thus, she’d insisted on seeing him, if he was up for it and she also wanted to finally introduce him to Dora.“I’m ready,” she breathed out, smiling weakly at Ryan. As if he could under
It’s been two months since Ryan began the search for Alan Masters, yet no traces of him have been found. At a point, his family had given up on the search and had decided to move forward. With Benjamin in prison and Ryan out of the family, there was no one to run the family’s business and no one was ready to take over because they weren’t ready to start another feud that may end terribly. Left with no option, a meeting was held and Ryan and Amelia were invited. The sole aim of the meeting was to plead with Ryan to return to the family and take up his old position as the heir and the CEO of DCL Inc.At first, Ryan had flat out refused their offer because his new business was flourishing well and he had no intentions of still working for his family or even being the sole heir of the Davidson’s empire but after many pleas from the family and Amelia, who thought he should give them a second chance to right their wrongs, he finally made a decision.He informed them that he’d take up the af
Jian pushed Lara into the living room, where Amelia and Ryan were waiting for her. He stopped beside one of the sofas directly opposite the one Amelia and Ryan were seated on and tried carrying Lara from the wheelchair, to sit on the sofa but she waved him off, offering him a little smile.“Are you sure?” he arched a brow at her and she nodded.“It’s fine,”Jian exhaled and left her, taking the sofa closest to her.It’s been two months since Benjamin was apprehended and in all of that time, Lara was slowly slipping out of her pills-induced state. Although her injuries hadn’t properly healed, she was now aware of the happenings around her and was often awake for a few hours, during which she could speak with people. After the incident with Benjamin, no one was allowed in the home, except Amelia, Ryan, and the doctor who treated her.The first time she’d woken up, she’d been confused, but after her head was clear of the haziness, she told Jian of her last conversation with Benjamin, whe
It was already evening by the time Benjamin returned to the hospital. He walked into the waiting room and was about to head to Lara’s room when the nurse at the counter called him.“Hello, Mr. Davidson,”Benjamin glanced at her, annoyance radiating off him but he managed to keep it hidden, schooling his features into a concerned expression.“Are you here to see Miss Zhang again?” the nurse inquired and he stepped towards her. “Sure,”“Oh well, she’s been moved. She’s no longer here,”Benjamin’s brows furrowed and he stared at her as though she’d just sprouted a second head. The nurse saw the confused expression etched on his face and went on to clarify her words to him.“After you left in the morning, her sister and brother came to move her away. I suggest you ask them about her new location,”Benjamin tensed, his jaw clenching hard. He nodded curtly.“Thank you,”He stormed out of the hospital, his annoyance doubling as he inwardly cursed at Amelia for destroying his plans. If it wa
Amelia was singing cheerfully, swaying her hips and trying to dance to the song she was singing as she prepared breakfast. The rays of the bright morning sun streamed into the kitchen, lighting up the entire place, considering it was still early. She was preparing Dora’s breakfast. She’d woken up early to prepare her breakfast and lunch and to also prepare her for school. After Ryan had healed, they’d quickly moved out of his Manhattan penthouse and had moved over to Brooklyn, away from his family, to start up their lives and his new business. It’s been two months and things were going well for them. For now, she was just a stay-at-home mom, but she’d never been happier, with her fiance and their child. They were living a simple life, with no family members swamping them or even calling for unnecessary meetings. She’d also heard of Benjamin’s immediate take over of the Davidson’s empire on the news and she was glad that Ryan wasn’t concerned. His new business venture was going well,
Ryan was still shocked and trying to wrap his head around what the maid, Mia, had revealed to them. By the time they got home, Dora was already fast asleep. Amelia took her to bed while Ryan retired to their bedroom to prepare for bed, but all he did was stand beside the floor-to-ceiling window of his bedroom, overlooking the city below as he replayed Mia’s words over and over again in his head.He was so lost in his head that he didn’t hear Amelia walk into the room until she wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her body hat tightly to his back.“Don’t be too hard on yourself,” she whispered, trailing one of her hands to his chest and patting him lightly. “We’re not sure if it’s true. It might just be a misunderstanding,”Ryan let out a deep breath.“What if it's true?”Amelia was quiet, not knowing what to say.“We’re no longer safe in their midst,”“What do you want to do?” her hands fell off him and he turned around, staring intently at her.“I think we need to leave this
It’s been a week since Ryan was discharged from the hospital. He’d returned to his home with Amelia and Jian had stopped by to drop Dora off and to also say hello to Ryan. Some of his family members, even Lara, Benjamin, and Adeline had also stopped by to check on them. After that week of his recovery, he decided to call a family meeting to inform them of his plans. Just like he’d told Amelia at the hospital, he’d meant it and as soon as he was discharged, they’d been secretly making plans.It was the weekend and all of the Davidson family were gathered at Clifford’s home to hear Ryan out. He’d informed them that he had some important message to pass on to them. Benjamin and Adeline were also there, and so were Amelia and his daughter. Everyone wondered what he could possibly want to tell them, even his parents but only Amelia was aware of his plans.As soon as the meeting was ready to kick start, Adeline was the first to signify that she had something to say. Li na glared at her. Le