The silence in the car was awkward as both of them would not stop looking the other way. After the drama at dinner, Mr. Blackwood didn’t even know what to say to Anna, he felt a little bit of embarrassment for starting an argument only to get schooled by his father, after losing the first round of verbal confrontation.To break the silence, he began. “So… What about Jennifer? I haven’t heard of her in a while.Anna hummed with a little smile, reluctance to answer on her face. “You are not the only one having Daddy issues,” she couldn’t resist making fun of him.MB frowned as he turned to her. “What does that mean?”“Well, Jennifer returned home to sort things out with her father. They are also not on good terms, fathers! I am sure you must understand that. After all...”“Do you have something to say to me, Ann?” Mr. Blackwood interrupted.Anna laughed. “Okay, I am sorry, let’s not talk about your father.”“Good, I appreciate it.” He replied with a straight face.“Just out of curiosity
** Anna’s POV **There was a knock on the office door and I let out a sigh, who could it be now? I had resumed work three days after the incident with Mr. Wilson. The company staff seemed pleased with his dismissal and has openly expressed their approval of my decision to fire him.The attack was still an inside thing because I didn’t want to ruin his reputation, just the top staff knew what really happened that led to his dismissal.“Come in,” I muttered after the second knock.The door was pushed open and a delivery man walked in. I immediately recognized him, he was the same guy that had delivered the car to me when I got employed by Mr. Blackwood.“Hi Ma’am, nice to see you again.” He said with a small smile as he strolled in.I returned a warm smile of my own. “Hey… is there a delivery for me?” I asked as my eyes scanned the content of the box in his hand.“Yes, these are for you.” he replied and then he brought out a flower vase and an envelope.I groaned. “Did Mr. Blackwood se
“Hey…” Mr. Blackwood finally found his voice. “Are you really here?” he asked to be sure, a little chuckle escaping his lips.Anna smiled and then she extended her hands to him. Why don’t you tell me?” she replied softly, feeling for him.Mr. Blackwood took her hand, her skin smooth and clear like milk. “Welcome, I was starting to think you would really leave me hanging.”“Well I couldn’t afford to have you get drunk, I promised your mom that I will take care of you,” she joked and MB laughed softly.“Please have a seat.” He ushered as he pulled a seat out for her.Anna blushed, she loved this side of him, made her regret all of the stupid decisions that had made her unable to accept his proposal. As she sat down, her eyes traveled around the club, things were different in here today.The quietness, the decorations, it was like he had shut down the entire club for her sake tonight and turned it into a big romantic date. The candles, the flowers, the white table spread, the fruits, eac
“Ann, What do you mean? What are you talking about?’ Mr. Blackwood asked in confusion. He was still trying to get a hang of what she was saying? How does he fit into any of this?“Don’t pretend with me, you did this, didn’t you? You set my house on fire!” she blatantly accused.Mr. Blackwood was shocked and completely lost. “What? Why would you even think that?” he queried, the surprise written all over his place, he had not seen this coming.“Because it is obvious, you invite me out for dinner and coincidentally my house is on fire, no electric malfunctions, no lit fires inside but a raging fire suddenly breaks out at my apartment while I am away. Admit you did this in your desperation to have me come back to you.” She fired at him.“Anna, that is a very foolish thing to think, let alone say it out loud. I would never do something like that, is this really what you think of me?” Maxwell uttered the disappointment very audibly in his tone.“Don’t try to gaslight me, we both know you w
** Anna’s POV **Showing up at the office today might have been a big mistake, thanks to last night, I could barely concentrate the whole day. Aside from the swollen eyes from crying and lack of sleep, I was having a headache and regretting most of the things I had said last night.Now to worsen my problem, the phone was endlessly ringing. It was Mr. Blackwood on the line, he had been calling me for the past two hours but I didn’t want to answer. I have no idea what to say to him after everything that happened between us last night.I wasn’t in a good place last night but I should not have said the things I said to Maxwell. Even if there is a chance that I was right with the accusations, I still think I overstepped but I wouldn’t bring myself to admit it before him.Mr. Blackwood was right, this pregnancy is doing stupid things to me, but how do I explain to him without letting the cat out of the bag? Like every other time I have faced a problem, my first instinct is to run from it.A
** Omniscient Narrator **Anna took a few steps closer to Jimmy, the tears pooling in her eyes. “Tell me it is not true, Jimmy. You didn’t do it, did you?” She begged for reassurance, she was just finding it difficult to believe that the man she had willingly shared her bed with for so many months would try to take everything away from her; a man she loved with everything in her.Jimmy scoffed as he looked up at her. “That is your problem Anna, you are always having so much faith in humanity, always trusting blindly, always trying to be the bigger person, the saint, seeing the light in everyone, but you are not just being naïve, you are being a very big fool.” He spat at her.Annabel couldn’t believe that he said those words to her, she shook her head in regret. How she wished she never met this guy, let alone share her whole life with him.“Maybe I was wrong about you all along, you are not different from the rest of them out there, you are just a thug and opportunist, and you are
After spending hours at the office, Mr. Blackwood drove Anna back to his house. This time around, it was her idea. She had pleaded to stay with him for a few days because Jenny was leaving town again tonight and she didn’t want to stay in Jenny’s house alone.Arriving at the multimillion dollar mansion, Anna couldn’t help but notice that everywhere was more quiet than usual, although it was night already but not even the chirping of crickets could be heard.“Where is everyone?” she asked in a whisper as she looked out the car window.“Oh, I gave them a break earlier today, except the cleaners, they would be away for a whole week.” He responded.“Oh,” she mouthed. “What about your mother?” she asked in a cracked voice.“Mom… The last time you were here, perhaps you remember her promising to return to Mr. Forbes,” he said, carefully evading the word father.“Ah, that is true.” Anna smiled as she thought back to that iconic dinner with OG Forbes, not something you forget in a hurry.Max
Sunlight shone through the half-opened curtains, reflecting on the soft carpet of the beautiful bedroom. Anna stretched her body on the bed with her eyes still closed, and the unfamiliar comfort of the large bed sank into her bones. Last night felt like a dream but the soft sheets and light jasmine smell told her it was real.She opened her eyes and slowly sat up, looking around the room for a better view. She never thought she'd spend the night at a billionaire's house, let alone in a room that looked and felt like a royal apartment.As Anna got up, she immediately thought back to last night when she had felt that her secret was out but it was not MB in the room, it was the vacuum machine that had fallen to the floor, one of the maids must have left it behind.She got up and went into the bathroom, she didn’t come with a brush so she just had to rinse her mouth with water and wash her face as well, then she walked to the exit, hovering her hand over the shiny brass knob as she left.
Maxwell Blackwood stood patiently at the Altar, his eyes zooming to the door every second. He couldn’t wait to see her, his parents had kept her away from him for over twelve hours because apparently it is bad luck to see the bride before the wedding. Not like he believed in that shit but he had to respect their customs.The small gathering of family and friends fell silent when the doors creaked open. Everyone turned towards Annabel Joseph who had just walked in with her father holding her hand. She was wearing a simple yet exquisite white gown and looked stunning in it. A transparent veil covered her face but anyone could tell that she was dazzling beneath it.Maxwell's breath hitched. In that instant, the world around him seemed to fade away. All that mattered was Anna, her beauty chasing away the anxiety that had enveloped him before now.As Anna reached the altar, her father, his eyes shining with pride, placed her hand gently in Maxwell's. A soft squeeze from her hand sent a jol
The white room felt like a tomb. Anna fidgeted in the hard plastic chair, her heart hammering against her ribs. Every nerve in her body screamed at her to turn and run, but she forced herself to stay. Today, she was facing her past, a past she'd hoped to bury forever, she had to do this in order to move on.A buzzer sounded, and a thick slab of reinforced glass slid down, revealing the face she'd dreaded seeing. Jimmy. Gone was the cocky swagger he used to carry. His once-bright eyes were dull, his hair matted, and his face gaunt. A pang of something akin to pity lanced through Anna, quickly replaced by a surge of anger; she shouldn’t be feeling bad for him, he brought this upon himself.He stared at her, a flicker of hope igniting in his eyes. "Anna," he rasped, his voice raw. "I knew you wouldn't abandon me for long. Not when we have a child on the way."Anna scoffed, the sound harsh in the silence. Abandonment. The word twisted like a knife in her gut. But she wasn't here for a fig
Anna and Maxwell split ways when they arrived at the airport; while Max headed for the Forbes mansion in the SUV that was waiting for him, Anna got into a car waiting to convey her down to Jennifer’s office.Anna left the noise and chaos of JFK Airport behind her as she walked out into the bright Nevada weather. With a happy smile on her face, Anna slid into the cool leather seat. As the car pulled away, she looked out the window and was fascinated by what she saw.It was Las Vegas, a place she had never been to before. The tall buildings and fast-paced life of New York City were gone. In this area, the scenery was mostly made up of huge casinos with crazy themes and lots of neon lights. She would see a huge copy of the Eiffel Tower one minute and a pirate ship with sails flapping the next. In the best way possible, it was too much to take in.In contrast to Manhattan's crowded, narrow streets, these roads were wide and smooth, making it easy for cars to move along. The warm breeze ma
Anna sat alone in the sitting room, wearing a simple but elegant dress that touched her knees. Sunlight streamed in through the tall windows and danced on the plush carpet, but Anna didn't pay much attention to her fancy surroundings.She was focused on her hand, where a single diamond ring sparkled on her thin finger, and she smiled as she remembered the beautiful moment of the previous night, when Maxwell got down on one knee and asked her to spend the rest of her life with him.Anna’s attention was called to the sound of footsteps climbing down the stairs and she quickly changed her position, hiding her smile."Ready to go, beautiful?" he asked, his voice laced with a sleepiness that only made him seem more endearing.Anna's heart did a little skip. "Yes," she replied, the single word holding a universe of emotions. She stood up immediately, hiding the ring she had been obsessively admiring behind her back.He crossed the room in three long strides, pulling her close. The warmth of
Maxwell wakes up feeling disoriented. He is confused as to why he was in that room, what happened? He could barely remember any of it. Most of all, why was he half-naked?He grabbed his phone on the blanket immediately and checked the time, it was midnight. He also noticed that he had missed over twenty phone calls, mostly from Annabel. As he tried to remember what happened, he felt a sharp piercing pain in his head.“Arrgh!” Max groaned and rubbed his temple.He got up from the bed and quickly, eager to find out what had transpired. Was the party over? He didn’t remember getting drunk so why does it feel like he had a hangover?Mr. Blackwood put on his shirt and rushed for the door, but as he dragged the handle, he ran into Annabel who looked like she was about to walk in, there was anger and rage in her eyes.“Annabel, what happened?” MB asked almost immediately.Annabel scoffed and walked past him into the room, she was fighting the tears in her eyes. She stared at the bed to confi
After over ten minutes of knocking, the door was finally opened and Anna walked out with a frown on her face. “Who locked me in there?” she yelled.“I am sorry, Ma’am. I was actually walking past when I heard you knocking, I have no idea who locked it.” The maid who had just opened the door replied.Anna sighed and waved her head, instantly regretting why she raised her voice. “It is alright, I am sorry for speaking to you like that. Thank you for opening the door.”The maid nodded. “It is no problem, Ma.”Annabel walked away, heading down for the party. She wondered who thought it was a good idea to lock her inside a bathroom on her birthday, perhaps they were playing a prank on her. It could be one of her silly friends, the Cruz twins in particular were capable of such mischief.As she climbed down the hall, the party was still steaming hot. She found the girls giggling at one end, they waved at her when they saw her and she smiled. Maybe it wasn’t them after all, she could recogniz
“Where did you get the dress, Ann? It is so nice.” Belle complimented as she touched the fabric.“Oh, Jennifer had it made for me.” Anna replied with a smile.“Uh Uh… It looks expensive,” Belle chirped in.“Oh, it sure is expensive.” Jennifer smacked proudly.The ladies were still chitchatting when Jenny’s phone began to ring, she checked the caller ID and blushed, quickly covering it with a smile.Jennifer quickly rejected the call as she looked up back to her friends, she caught them staring at her with suspicious eyes.“Ooommm…” Belle cooed. “What is the new guy’s name?” she asked teasingly“What guy? I don’t know what you are talking about.” Jennifer denied, her cheeks getting redder with each passing second.“Oh come on, since when are you shy about these things, spill it already.” The Cruz twins urged.“His name is Marshall and he is standing right at the door.” Anna suddenly announced.Jennifer’s jaws dropped. “It is a lie,” she muttered to herself as she quickly turned around
Anna hummed to herself gladly as she walked away, she didn’t know what plans Maxwell had but the moment she saw Linda, she knew it was now or never. If she ever wanted to get rid of Linda, this was her chance.It was not like she didn’t trust Maxwell to get the job done but this is someone he used to care for, someone he made love with for months, he clearly still had a soft spot for her or she wouldn’t be here today. She didn’t really blame him, knowing how exes can be manipulative; Jimmy for Example.“Hey! Anna!” A familiar voice called to her attention.Annabel turned to her left and her eyes met Megan. “Megan! You made it!” she said excitedly and they embraced each other.“Of course, sorry I am late, I had to go pick up Ugochi from the airport.” She announced.The name struck a bell but Anna couldn’t recollect where she had heard it before. “Ugochi?” she muttered and then she gasped. “Oh my God, you mean the bar lady from Botswana?”Megan immediately pointed to her where she was s
Maxwell Blackwood and his little sister, Abigail climbed down the staircase, his eyes scanning the room in search of his brother. He couldn’t have Simon causing mischief here tonight.The first familiar faces his eye met were those of his mother, Anna and her own mother. It seemed like Anna was introducing them to each other. Maxwell didn’t want to get involved in that right now, he walked past and up next was Jennifer giggling and pouring champagne with her friends.Then to the left, Maxwell caught sight of his brother speaking to a lady, although she had her back to him, she looked very familiar. He walked down to them immediately, a frown on his face.“You know you could have politely taken an excuse before walking out on us like that.” He growled softly, trying to hold back the anger. This was not supposed to be a big deal but for some reasons, it pissed him off.The lady didn’t flinch or turn around, she remained rooted with her back to him, her long hair rolling against her bac