Happy new year guys!😘
"You're not mad?" She asked tentatively. Alarm bells went off in Caesar's head. He was hurt, but not angry. He had known deep down that even if Anastasia did change her ways, it would take years, not three weeks. Infact, he was actually quite glad. Instead of breaking up with her and having to go through her tantrums and meltdown, she had made it easier for him. He would not be the one to be tainted all over the media either—not that he planned to make their break-up public—incase Anastasia took it to the tabloids. But if he acted like he was not angry, she would sense that he had wanted to end the relationship before. Anastasia had an uncanny ability for sniffing out the truth, even if she was a pathological liar and an expert manipulator. She would then turn everything around and blame him for making her cheat. He could just imagine her saying, "I knew you were trying to break up with me, which is why I wanted to sleep with him to hurt you." Anastasia was known for blaming every
"Listen Stassie," Caesar's voice was weary now. "I need you to leave my house. I'm calling off the wedding immediately. I decided long ago that nothing you do or say will get to me." "Oh yeah? Says the emotionally weak man who would turn to putty the minute my hands are on him. You have a weakness for me, Caesar. I have you wrapped around my little finger and there's nothing you can do about it." As soon as he sat down on the sofa, she went over to him and straddled him, kissing him aggressively, biting his jaw, his lips, his ear. He gently picked her up and dumped her unceremoniously on the other side of him. He then picked up his phone and called her mom. She picked up on the third ring. "Have your driver come pick up your daughter." He said to her mom and hung up. Stassie flew at him. "Are you crazy? Why on earth did you call my mom?" She shrieked. Just then, two security men entered the house and grabbed Anastasia. "What the hell are you doing? Leave me alone! Don't touch
The next day, Amaliah stepped inside an elevator going up to her office, hoping she would not meet any one of the office gossip. As the doors of the elevator slid shut, someone stopped it and stepped in. Amaliah glanced up from her phone and winced. It was Caesar. She moved back and he stepped in. "Hello, Ms. Rivers." He nodded politely in her direction and pressed the elevator button."Mr Masterson." She gave him a tight smile.As they went up, she continued to text Sheila while he admired how ethereal she looked. She was dressed in mom jeans and silk blouse with a pair of low heeled sandals. He cleared his throat."Er… how're you?" He asked, smiling at her."Very well, thank you. I'm sorry about your broken engagement.""Oh… there's nothing to be sorry about. I mean, it's nothing serious. I mean, she wasn't serious…we weren't serious." He realised he was blabbing and promptly shut up. "I mean, a lot of people show sympathy but I'm relieved that the wedding won't be happening.""You
Amaliah sighed. "What am I doing, Sheila? This is so wrong.""It's not. You're simply moving on, living your life." Sheila grinned, finishing off the last bit of Amaliah's make-up."I really shouldn't. The girls are still grieving." Amaliah sighed again and stood up."That's what you think. Anyway, why are you overthinking this? It's just a dinner party." Sheila laughed. "You're making it sound like you're getting married."Amaliah nodded. "Right. I should get going. Thank you for the make-up. You should start doing this professionally. You'd be a total hit.""As if!" Sheila laughed again and grabbed her keys. "I'll drop you.""You don't have to. I booked a ride already." Amaliah patted her friend's shoulder and left.She got to the venue, paid the driver and got down. She took a deep breath and ran her hands over her gown multiple times. It was loose fitting because of her pregnancy, but if anyone looked closely enough, they'd notice that she was pregnant right away. She didn't mind
Courtney Norman stopped her car in front of the small brownstone and unbuckled her seatbelt. She turned back to glance at her son. She smiled when she saw that he was fast asleep in his car seat with a cookie in his hand. She leaned over and brushed the crumbs off his face and his sweater. After looking at the brownstone for a few more minutes, she sighed, got out, and rounded the car to get her son. "Drew." She shook him gently. "Come on, baby, wake up." When he didn't respond, she unbuckled the seat belt and carried him out, wincing a little as his weight settled heavily on her. Courtney opened the small gate and walked up the short steps to the front door. She adjusted Drew's weight on her shoulder and took a deep breath before ringing the doorbell. The person who answered the door was a slender redhead with the most amazing blue eyes she had ever seen and a full, contagious smile that made her eyes sparkle. She was fully dressed in a beige silk blouse, white linen pants, and
Hi guys! I want to apologize for the delay in updating my book A Second Chance. Something came up with it and I won't be able to update it for a while. I'm very sorry for this inconvenience but I promise to let you all know when I'll start updating it regularly again. Thanks for your understanding and please no hate comments. Thanks.P.S: This has never happened before and it is rather unfortunate that it had to happen. If you have not read my other stories, please check them out and don't forget to vote and comment. Love you guys!
Amaliah grappled with shock, disbelief, and anger as she stared, nonplussed, at the woman before her. The stress weighed on her, making her wonder if she had misunderstood Courtney. It must be a joke, she hoped, unable to summon the courage to ask. Sheila intervened, demanding, "What the hell are you talking about? My best friend is Rafael's legal wife, his one and only wife." "You're not wrong," Courtney conceded. "But I'm also his wife. I have proof if you want to see." Amaliah's voice sounded strange to her ears as she uttered, "When could he have... how could he..." Her voice trailed off, perplexed by the news of Rafael's betrayal. Despite not knowing Courtney Norman, she could tell from the woman's expression that it wasn't a prank; Courtney seemed too sophisticated for such antics. Amaliah realized there were countless things she didn't know about her husband until his passing, including inquiries about his childhood he had ignored. On their wedding day, his side of the fa
Caesar stepped out of the elevator as its doors swished open, breathing in the air and feeling better than he had five minutes ago. He had taken the elevator to the rooftop to escape from everything, and now, he really didn't want to go back.Inhaling deeply, he slowly exhaled while loosening his tie. He'd been bombarded with calls from Anastasia's mother, pleading for him to take her daughter back, and making ridiculous promises about Stassie changing her attitude. Today, she went a step further by paying him a visit, leaving him very uncomfortable with her tears and pleas.It had been the same old story, and he'd had no choice but to flat out tell her that he wasn't ever getting back with her daughter because he no longer had any feelings for her. Just like her daughter, she transformed into a totally different person, lashing out at him and calling him names, but he politely let her rant until she was done, and then she stormed out of his office."Women," he muttered, shaking his h
Amaliah set her iced tea down, her gaze fixed on Caesar. “Was it because of you that Ms. Rodriguez called Mark to her office?” she asked.“No,” Caesar replied firmly. “She heard the rumors and assured me she’d handle it herself. I had nothing to do with it.”Amaliah tilted her head thoughtfully. “He seemed very upset when he came back. I wonder what she said to him.” she mused.“Whatever it was, it should stop him from spreading more lies about you,” Caesar said with a reassuring tone. “But honestly, out of a thousand employees in the company, why did he choose to target you?”Amaliah shrugged, muttering under her breath, “He thinks I’m a snob. He doesn’t like that I won’t answer his million questions about my personal life.” “He should spend less time gossiping and more time focusing on his work,” Caesar said sharply, only to pause as his phone vibrated in his jacket pocket. He ignored it at first, unwilling to let anything interrupt the moment with Amaliah. But when the buzzing pe
Amaliah stood at the lectern, double-checking her slides on her laptop one last time before starting her presentation. Nerves churned inside her, but she trusted herself enough not to let them get the best of her. Caesar had even reassured her, confident she'd do well, and she was determined not to let him down.Her heart pounded as the double doors to the conference room opened, and the board members filed in with expressions that gave nothing away. These were the same people who had watched her stumble through her previous presentation’s opening minutes, and she could almost feel their silent doubts, wondering if today would be a repeat—and if Caesar might consider giving her presentation to someone else.But she had other plans. That wasn’t going to happen; she was set on making sure everyone left this room impressed. Caesar and Francine entered last, and as the doors closed behind them, she watched them take their seats before she took a steadying breath and dimmed the lights with
As they tidied up the apartment after the party, Sheila glanced at Amaliah with a knowing smile. "So, am I allowed to assume you've finally decided to give Caesar Masterson a chance to woo you?" she asked.Caesar had left just five minutes earlier after Sheila playfully pushed him out the door. It was late, and he’d mentioned having a breakfast meeting with his father's friends the next morning. Though he’d wanted to stay and help clean up, Sheila insisted he go, even threatening to ban him from any future birthday parties if he didn’t. He finally relented, giving each of them a hug. Before he left, he reminded Amaliah of her promise to let him accompany her to her next hospital appointment.Amaliah chuckled, glancing over her shoulder. "Woo me? What are you talking about?"Sheila huffed. "Oh, you know exactly what I'm talking about. I watched you two all night. You were practically glued to each other, talking and laughing. I think I saw you laugh more tonight than you have all year
As the car pulled up to the curb across the road, Caesar gazed up at the apartment building and sighed. The building had aged gracefully, showing signs of wear but still retaining the charm of being one of the oldest structures in New Ashford—a city roughly an hour's drive from HavenHill Central."Pick me up in a few hours, Ashton," Caesar instructed the chauffeur, grabbing his bags from the floor and opening the door. "I'll give you a call.""Alright, sir. Enjoy your visit," Ashton replied with a nod.Caesar returned the nod with a smile, stepped out, and closed the door. As Ashton drove off, Caesar ran a hand through his hair, exhaled deeply, and crossed the street. He caught his reflection in the building's glass doors, hoping he hadn’t overdone it for the party. Black jeans, a black shirt, and a brown bomber jacket paired with black shoes gave him a relaxed yet polished look. His only accessory was his father’s Rolex, adding a subtle touch of sophistication.He pushed open the do
Caesar applied the brakes, bringing the car to a stop in front of Amaliah's house before turning off the ignition. He stepped out when she did, quickly moving to open the back door to retrieve her bag and laptop before she had a chance. Shutting the door, he walked around the car to meet her."Thanks for the ride," she said, accepting the bags from him."I'm sorry again…for everything," he replied."It's okay." She gave him a warm smile, waved, and headed up the steps to the front door."Take care of yourself," he called after her as she unlocked the door."You too," she replied. "Drive carefully.""I'm always careful," he grinned.With that, Amaliah stepped inside, shutting and locking the door behind her. She set her things on the hallway table, then cautiously walked to the window. Pulling the curtains back just a little, she watched as Caesar climbed back into his car, started it up, and drove away.Sighing, she collected her bags from the table, made her way to the living room, a
Caesar felt like a complete failure as he watched Amaliah sleep. It was his fault she was lying there, and the weight of guilt pressed heavily on him. He doubted he could ever forgive himself for hurting her so deeply. He had to admit, she had been right all along. He had convinced himself that he could handle her rejection, but the reality had hit him far harder than he expected. Even Anastasia's indifference, the way she treated him like he wasn’t worth her time, hadn’t stung as much as this.He reminded himself that Amaliah still belonged to someone else—her late husband. Despite the man being gone, her love for him lingered, and Caesar knew he could never force her to feel the same way about him. She was carrying her husband’s babies, a constant reminder that Caesar had no place in her heart or her future.He paced the room, his eyes never leaving her face as he anxiously waited for the doctor. The pain etched on her face when he’d first brought her in had disappeared, replaced b
As they walked back to their office, Mark stated, "I don't know if it is just me, but I think the boss didn't like your presentation, Amaliah. Did something happen between the two of you?"Feigning ignorance, Amaliah replied, "Something like what?""Did you have a falling out of sorts?" Mark inquired with a frown."We were never..." Amaliah paused, catching herself just in time as she wondered why she had been about to explain whatever had happened in the conference room. "It wasn't just me. He was clearly in a bad mood." She responded."Uh huh," Mark nodded, looking unconvinced."Ms. Rivers?" Francine Rodriguez, their boss, called from behind them.Mark and Amaliah both turned around to look at her. Francine had an indescribable expression on her face that didn't bode well for Amaliah. Whatever had happened in the conference room wasn't Amaliah's fault but Caesar's. He had interrupted her halfway through her presentation and called on Mark to continue with it. The presentation she h
Amaliah clenched her hands, her fingers digging into her palms as the elevator ascended rather slowly to the rooftop. She was content with the slow pace, as it gave her time to think. She didn't want whatever was happening with Caesar to turn into something more than friendship. She knew that Rafael would be sorely disappointed with her for even talking to Caesar, let alone considering becoming his friend. However, even if Rafael were still alive and she had learned of his infidelity as she now knew, he wouldn't have been in a position to dictate whom she could befriend.She couldn't tell him about it either, as that would be like admitting she'd been thinking about it a lot, and he would definitely tease her. Before she could change her mind and press another button, the elevator arrived at the rooftop. The doors swished open, forcing her to step out, and then they closed behind her. Caesar stood there with his hands in his pockets, staring at the vast sky. He must have sensed her
Amaliah's opportunity for a discussion with Caesar was thwarted when Mark Robles, the office gossip, informed her of Caesar's one-week trip to Belize. She hadn't asked him, but he had willingly offered the information when she accidentally mentioned going up to the executive floor to see Caesar.If she were someone else, she knew he would have bombarded her with questions until he was satisfied."Why do you want to see Mr. Masterson?" Mark questioned, his raised eyebrow nearly vanishing into his hairline. "You two are seeing each other, aren't you?"Despite knowing his tactlessness and lack of a filter between his brain and mouth, she still felt offended by his assumption. She was starting to show, and office rumors were circulating about the real identity of the biological father of her baby. She knew the entire situation originated with Mark as the source, yet she hadn't bothered confronting him as she deemed it a waste of time. After all, he would only twist her words when recount