Shannon’s POVI held her breath as I waited for Ricky to respond. He had been silent since I spoke those words and I was starting to get worried that he might turn down my request which would be the end of everything I thought I was starting to build.I wouldn’t blame him anyway. If he had left me hanging dry like that, I would also be reluctant to do anything else with him. It was merely a normal reaction.“When?” Ricky asked.“Sorry, I didn’t get that?” I forced out, grateful that I wasn’t stuttering.“You said you wanted to talk to me in my office, right?” Ricky asked again.“Yes, I said so. There’s something I need to address in private.” “That’s fine by me. I was asking you when do you want to talk to me about it,”“Can we do it now? If you’ve got nothing on your plate.”“The last time I checked, you’re kind of my new personal assistant, Shannon.” Ricky chuckled as he shook his head. “You should know my schedule better than I do.”I quickly pulled out my tab and checked the detai
Shannon’s POVThe past few days were a reminder of how my life was before the Mayert triplets had decided to change their attitude towards me for no specific reason to date, they did it because they could. I used to think marriage was meant to be the apex for souls looking to be connected for a lifetime, a platform which they would use to strengthen their relationship and their bond against any formidable foe. It necessarily didn’t have to be born out of love but desire and willingness to achieve an expected outcome. This was the false hope that had been sold to me and I was so eager and so gullible to believe every word that had been said to me and I gobbled it up with ease, not bothering to doubt anything they had said for one second. The prospect of being mated was too much for me to ignore in the beginning. I barely saw any of them anymore aside from when I had to do a little bit of work for them. I wasn’t one to believe in coincidences or bad timings but ever since I walked in
Shannon’s POVMy plan had worked perfectly without any issues just as I predicted. I had gone through the process of making myself appear as calm as possible which wasn’t an easy feat for me given my temperament. But for the sake of my mother’s happiness, I was willing to put her desires before mine. The moment I heard she was finally getting married to Robin officially, I was stunned beyond measure. I couldn’t believe my ears and I knew that I had to see it for myself and that was why I was here to confirm if the marriage was real or if it was a sham and much to my shock, my mother was getting married and I couldn’t help but feel happy for her.She deserved this as much as anyone, Robin made her happy and it was pretty evident for everyone to see. My mother was rather overjoyed to talk in detail about the events that led to this moment and I could understand her excitement. I only knew that the marriage was going to happen and everything was being set in motion for it to be a succ
I made my way back into the house with the Mayert triplets trailing behind me. The house was practically empty at this point. The guests had all taken their leave and only the servants remained, cleaning up the mess they had made.I couldn’t believe that they had tried to make a scene out of that little exchange during the party and they had nearly embarrassed me, not that they cared about me or my feelings in the first place anyway. We made our way to the study and as soon as everyone made their way inside, Jules shut the door and immediately turned to question me as to why I had been conversing with a male friend alone.“I don’t see how that’s anyone’s business. I am a grown woman capable of making choices for myself.” I blurted out. I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that they were getting incensed and jealous over such a simple conversation that didn’t have any lewd or flirty remarks. “You’re not just any woman, you’re going to be a Mayert any time from now, you’re our mate
I nodded and made my way inside the dressing room. Jules wasn’t wrong, the entire room was filled with different kinds of clothes just for me and the shocking part was that they were all tailored to fit me perfectly. I picked out something modest and comfortable to sleep in, feeling nervous about showing skin in a room filled with three men to which she already felt attracted. I shook her head, it wouldn’t be a good idea. I could feel her cheeks flaming as she pictured them making love to me. I groaned, pulling down the zipper of my dinner gown. It was going to be a very long night and to be honest with myself, I didn’t know how I was going to survive the night. Deep down, I knew that neither Ricky, Jules, or Cole felt attracted to me. So it served as some sort of consolation that nothing was going to happen tonight and in a few hours, this would be all over and I would be back to the comfort of my room. I emerged from the dressing room to find that the three of them had changed al
I could feel the headache building up as my eyelids fluttered open. I blinked severally trying to regain my consciousness properly. Ricky. Cole. Jules.That was the first thing that came to my head and I suddenly remembered what they had done to me late last night and I instantly felt repulsed. They tricked me and I fell for it. That was all I needed to know that I wasn’t safe here, I didn’t know what I was going to do now that I had agreed to stay back but all she knew was that she had to get far away from everything I knew about the Mayert triplets. I felt a pair of eyes on her and I eventually forced myself to look up to see Ricky standing above me. I didn’t know who or what he was anymore but he didn’t look scary and repulsive like his nature was, he looked like Ricky, the Ricky that I had made love to. The intensity of his gaze made me scared as I could feel the tears building up at the back of my eyes. I didn’t want to be here. If he would let me go, I wouldn’t say a word ab
I could feel the headache building up as my eyelids fluttered open. I blinked severally trying to regain my consciousness properly. Ricky. Cole. Jules.That was the first thing that came to my head and I suddenly remembered what they had done to me late last night and I instantly felt repulsed. They tricked me and I fell for it. That was all I needed to know that I wasn’t safe here, I didn’t know what I was going to do now that I had agreed to stay back but all she knew was that she had to get far away from everything I knew about the Mayert triplets. I felt a pair of eyes on her and I eventually forced myself to look up to see Ricky standing above me. I didn’t know who or what he was anymore but he didn’t look scary and repulsive like his nature was, he looked like Ricky, the Ricky that I had made love to. The intensity of his gaze made me scared as I could feel the tears building up at the back of my eyes. I didn’t want to be here. If he would let me go, I wouldn’t say a word ab
Three days laterThe alarm chimed for the fourth time this morning and I snoozed it while tying my shoelace. I didn’t know how to turn it off because it was spoiled and I didn’t bother to replace it. I found it one time when I was coming home from school. It was not of good quality but it was the best I could find so I decided to take it back home and I brought it here with me when my mother and I moved to the Mayert mansion.Now, it chimed repeatedly every morning until it decided that it was ready to stop. I slept heavily last night and it was already past the time when I usually went to school. A heavy knot tightened in my stomach when I remembered what was waiting for me in school because I came late. I always liked to come super early so I could hide in the shadows, away from the bullies of my school but I didn’t get the privilege to wake up early every day.Today was one of those days, unfortunately. Ever since the Mayert triplets had tricked me into sleeping with them, I had be
Shannon’s POVIt was midnight already. The maids had returned to my room two hours earlier to help me get ready for my wedding to the Mayert triplets alongside my seamstresses and a couple of other servants. They had forbidden me from lifting a finger to help myself so I had resorted to staying put unless I wanted to risk the ire of the women helping me dress up and I wouldn’t even dare to do that. At the stroke of midnight, I was standing at the entrance of the hall already adorned with palatial decorations with cascading floral arrangements hanging from every side of the grand room, sparkling white chandeliers hung high above with delicate draperies completing the settings designed to evoke an atmosphere filled with love and warmth.A group of violinists was positioned at a corner, setting the tone for the exchanging of vows that were about to take place. We were five years late, but this was the perfect time for it to happen. It was better late than never and there was no bette
Shannon’s POVI couldn’t believe that this was how my life was going to end up. A few hours ago, I thought that I would eventually have everything that I had always wanted out of life but Joshua handed me a reality check. I hadn’t seen Eve since I sent her to deliver the letter to the Mayery triplets so I had no way of knowing if she succeeded or if she had been killed before she even got there. I had no idea if my son was dead and Joshua was merely forcing me to do this to keep me by his side. I was completely hopeless and powerless in this. I stood in front of the officiating chief with Joshua standing opposite me, he had a huge satisfying smile on his face and I wanted nothing more than to wipe it off his smug face. “You need to say your vows, Shannon,” Joshua said, his smile never leaving his face. As I opened my mouth to speak, a familiar scent wafted through my nose and I felt joy wash over me. If they were here, it meant that they had gotten the letter and had rescued our s
Ricky’s POVI couldn’t believe what I was holding in my hands. Had he been lying to me all along? No, no. I couldn’t believe it. There had to be some sort of explanation for what was going on currently and that meant I had to speak with her immediately. There had been a mixup somewhere during the night and I had to get to the root of it all. “She played us all, Ricky,” Jules said. “Jules might be right this time around, Ricky. We thought we had her back and we were ready to show her that the past will never happen again, what did we do wrong?” Cole asked. “I don’t think this is real. I don’t mean the letter — I mean the whole scenario. Just yesterday, she told us about our son and she was willing and eager to get into a relationship with us and this morning, she’s getting married to Joshua. C’mon, boys. I need you both to think critically about this before you conclude.” I said. “You think she’s being blackmailed or worse?” Jules asked. “That’s my best guess but we need to see h
Shannon’s POVI nodded. “So this culprit behind what I’ve been experiencing, is the same person who forged this letter and brought Melissa here?” “Yes, it’s the same person,” Ricky said. “Tell me who this person is and I’m going to have them dealt with,” I said, already getting furious. “Joshua,” Ricky said. “He’s being the flashbacks you’ve been having and after following him for the past couple of days, we’ve also figured out that he wrote the letter and he has spies in your household, in my pack, and Melissa’s camp as well. That was how he was able to set up all of these with ease.” I paused. Joshua and I hadn’t been seeing eye to eye on several things for the past few weeks after I turned down his proposal but would he ever go to this length to punish me for rejecting him?“Are you sure about what you’ve just said, Ricky?” I asked. “I swear on my life, Shannon. Joshua is behind all of these. He doesn’t want to see you with anyone other than himself and he’s willing to do anyt
Shannon’s POVI couldn’t categorically tell what was happening but I knew that a lot of things were changing. I had been plagued by things from the past, things that served as a reminder of how hurtful my past had been, and no matter how I tried to stop them from happening, I couldn’t do anything about it.Before the past couple of days, things with the Mayert triplets had been smoother than they had ever been for the past five years but the flashbacks and reminders that I had been getting were forcing me to remember how they used to treat me all those years ago. I didn’t know what to do or how to stop it so I decided to stay away from them to regain my sanity. Maybe then, I would have an idea about what the fuck was going on because as it stands, I didn’t know what to make of the entire situation. “Are you sure about doing this, Ms. Shannon?” My maid asked as she brushed my hair. I had instructed her that I didn’t want to take any calls from the Mayert triplets and I didn’t want t
Shannon’s POV“What do you think you’re doing?” Joshua asked as he walked into my tent. He was visibly pissed and I could understand his anger. I had pulled him out of whatever he was doing and brought him here under the guise that we were going to war and now, I was pulling out before we even had a chance to fight. “I don’t think I have the stomach for this conversation anymore, Joshua. I understand that you’re pissed but this isn’t what I need right now.” I said. “If you’re thinking of shutting me out like you always do, it’s not going to work today, Shannon. I need answers and I need you to give them to me.” Joshua said defiantly. He wasn’t going to budge and we might just as well get over with this as soon as we possibly can. “So tell me what you want to know and I’ll answer your questions,” I said, gesturing to the empty couch in front of me. “Everything, Shannon. I want to know everything.” Joshua said as he sat down. “Everything? I don’t know where to start and—“ “You l
Shannon’s POV“And you think it’s going to happen in a day or two days?” I asked them.“No, we don’t. We don’t want you to make a decision about forgiving us here and now because we don’t want you to be under any pressure of any form, so we’re going to let you take your son and go home.” Ricky said. “And what happens next?” I asked. “We’re going to call you once again, for the last time, to know what your decision on the matter is. It’s not going to be an easy decision to make and if we were in your shoes, we would feel exactly how you’re feeling at this point.” Ricky answered. I paused for a bit, their words swirling around in my head. Had Melissa done all of these because she wanted to ruin both of us or what was her end goal? Truth be told, it was pointless now. The ruse had been discovered and there wasn’t any need to go to war over a lie. Maybe by the next time we met, we would have a lot more to talk about and indeed, there was a lot to talk about. “A couple of days for m
Shannon's POV"We have nothing to talk about, Ricky." I sighed. "Just tell me what you want and I'll give you in exchange for my son's safety." "Don't you still get it, Shannon?" Ricky said."What are you talking about? There's nothing to be understood here, this is a simple negotiation that you've been dragging on for minutes now. Are you keeping me here on purpose? Is there something you have planned?" "If this were to be five years ago, your son would've been killed, and not just that, you'd have been tricked to come here under the guise of us wanting to return your son and when you come, you'll be beaten, and battered, then forced to surrender if you want to see your son alive and when you do, I'd have killed him in front of you before killing you as well. I hate to paint this vivid imagery of what we would have done but you know this is the truth.” Ricky said.I shivered slightly as his words registered with me.He wasn't telling a lie, five years ago, this is what they would h
Shannon's POVI knew how to get into the pack without anyone seeing me as I had done it a thousand times five years ago whenever I tried to escape being bullied by the Mayert triplets. It was pointless to have told Joshua about where I was going, it would've led to a lot of arguments that I didn't have the stomach for, not when I had no idea what was happening to my son at this point. I didn't want to imagine the worst but Ricky's letter had been very convincing and I had to force myself to believe everything he had said in it because the truth was that, I had no other choice. If this was a trap, Joshua would come for me and he would bring the pack down with fire and brimstone if that was what it would take for him to avenge me. Aside from the fact that I was scared for my son, I was also scared that the Mayert triplets would eventually figure out the secret I had kept from them for the past five years. As I had predicted, it had been easy to bypass their security and it would've