AMANI“Amani! Oh my god, what did he do to you?” Zuri runs forward and pulls me into a tight hug the second I walk into the dressing room.I’m still in a daze so I remain stiff and unmoving in her arms until she notices and releases me. “Hey, is something wrong? Did that bastard do something to you?” I look her in the eyes when I say this, hoping she can understand my confusion;“Zuri, he called a doctor to check on me.”My best friend blinks in shock.“Wait, what?”The dressmakers are still trying to set up the different dresses that I’ll get to choose from, so I have time to pace the room and just freak out.“I became a little light headed at his office earlier and almost fainted. He called a doctor… because I swooned a little bit.”There’s that painful feeling in my chest again. I press my hand against my heart and massage gently, hoping to ease the stinging pain.“I swear the man blows hot and cold like a bloody dead fuse. I cannot seem to understand him.”Zuri grabs my arm and
AMANI“Oh no, she didn’t!” “Oh, yes, she did.” I confirm.“That dehydrated, cross-eyed donkey!” Zuri sounds angry as hell. “I swear, I’ll show her back to the stables where she belongs!”She shoots to her feet and makes to leave the room but I grab her wrist just in time, pulling her back into the padded chair. She lands with an angry “huff!”“Why are you stopping me? I’m trying to teach that thirsty bitch a lesson.”I almost roll my eyes. “Zuri, I heard Bhyron and Grandpa invited a lot of important guests for this party. Please don’t go out there and ruin things. Sharon isn’t even worth it.”She stares at me incredulously. “Since when do you care about Bhyron and his guests?”I swallow thickly. Zuri is extremely observant. I don’t want her to know about my new feelings for Bhyron just yet. “I don’t care about him. I only care about Grandpa.” The makeup artist is finally done with my makeup and I get to my feet. “Besides, we don’t have any proof, and even if we did, Bhyron will alw
AMANI“…Bhy, Amani is very disobedient.” She says accusingly. “You choose the colours of the day yourself and she deliberately went against your wishes. She’s embarrassing you before all your guests…!”The room is as silent as a tomb. The only audible sounds are that of my heart pounding with rage.My eyes stray to Sharon’s arms that are firmly interlocked with Bhyron’s and the red in my eyes burn even brighter. I fist my fingers to tamp down on my temper and retain my composure.Sharon’s right after all. The colour for the bride-to-be was cream and Bhyron had already chosen a simple yet beautiful cream dress for me. I hate him but gotta admit, he’s got great taste.Anyways, I’m currently dressed in a floor length dress that’s completely bare at the back and extremely revealing in the bust area — the complete opposite of Bhyron’s dress which was very modest.The icing on the cake? The dress is blood red — Bhyron’s most hated colour — and so are my lips. I’m evil, I know.Bhyron’s eye
“You will never hurt me and dictate how I react…”— AMANI***They say revenge is best served cold, but I’m smoking hot so I prefer my revenge to match.Zephyr walks into the ballroom like he owns the place. He just ran for Mayor of New York City the second time and won. He’s a man of the people. They absolutely adore him. And he’s the most perfect specimen I could ever choose for my revenge. Not only is he charismatic, he’s also the kind of man you would call “lethally gorgeous.”His hair is white-blonde like mine, his eyes the most piercing grey I’ve ever seen. It also helps that he’s above six feet with the body of a Greek god. So he’s both successful and attractive. Lucky, lucky me.Zephyr was definitely heartbroken when I informed him of my engagement, but in his exact words; “as long as you’re breathing, I still have the chance to take you from Bhyron and give you the life of your dreams. The life you deserve.”I zero doubts that Zephyr can indeed give me the fairytale life of
“I don’t need a weapon, darling. I am one…”***AMANI“…take it all back.”When I asked Bhyron for all of those things at the dining table that fateful day, heaven knows I was joking. I never intended to accept any of Zephyr’s gifts. Infact, I was gonna thank him and politely decline, but after hearing Bhyron’s harsh tone, the evil little bitch in me is having a rethink.I step forward, giving myself enough space to turn around and look straight into his angry blue eyes. I don’t want to cause a scene before the guests, so I fold my arms and say in the calmest voice I can muster;“And what right do you think you have to make that decision on my behalf?”His anger suddenly dims by a few thousand watts, leaving me confused.“What do you mean, Amani? Will you really accept his gifts?”I shrug, “and if I say yes? What’s the problem with that? You couldn’t get these things for me when I asked. In fact, If I remember correctly, you preferred to hold Sharon’s hand and walk away from me inste
AMANIIt’s been five hours since the disaster of an engagement party. Five hours since grandpa apologized to the guests and sent them on their not-so-merry way. Five hours since Bhyron disappeared… and there’s a strange, heavy weight in my chest that I can’t seem to get rid of no matter how hard I try.It’s currently past midnight and I haven’t slept a wink. Instead, I continue to pace the length of my room, occasionally peering out the window to see if Bhyron has finally returned home. Grandma Alice and grandpa have both called him repeatedly with no response. I even cajoled Aunt Ophelia and ordered Jay to call him, but there’s still no response. His phone is ringing alright, but he’s obviously refusing to answer.“…please, Zuri. Just try his number once. I promise I won’t ask for any other favours throughout this week.”Our wedding is in a few hours and Bhyron is nowhere to be seen. If his plan was to punish me by making sure I worry to death, I’m afraid to admit that he’s almost
AMANII’m dreaming. I swear I am. I hope I am.My wide eyes meets Zuri’s shocked ones and I silently ask her if she’s thinking what I’m thinking. The slight nod of her head says it all. My chest twists with cold nervousness.“Aunt, c-can we go to the hospital?” I ask, lips already chattering. “Can we see Zephyr?”Aunt Ophelia shakes her head; “there’s a storm going on, Amani. I’m not sure grandpa would let anyone out that door right now. It’s obvious that Zephyr was attacked. Grandpa has ordered that no one should leave the premises until investigations are conducted.”A bone chilling cold suddenly settles on my shoulders and I sink to the floor with my arms wrapped tightly around my middle. Aunt Ophelia and Zuri exchange a few more words but I’ve completely spaced out so I can’t hear a thing. I barely notice when she kissed me on my forehead before leaving the room.Once the door closes, Zuri runs in my direction and plants her ass directly in front of me so our knees are touching.
AMANIMy fingers are trembling so badly, I end the call and barge away from the window like it’s on fire. My knees finally give way and I sink to the floor beside Zuri, trying hard to control the rapid pounding of my heart.“Amani, what happened? What did he say?”I open my mouth to speak but the phone rings again, shattering the tense silence. I don’t have Bhyron’s number saved on my phone but the moment I glance at the screen, I know he’s the one.“I can’t…” I whisper mindlessly. “I–I can’t…”Zuri looks worried as hell now; “Amani, who’s calling you? What did Bhyron say? What happened?”I shake my head over and over, covering my face with my hands. I know my reaction to Bhyron’s request is a bit extra, but for some reason, I feel like my heart is about to explode. “Amani! Speak to me, goddammit. Don’t me slap it out of you!”The phone keeps ringing and my panic keeps rising. Bhyron is relentless as usual.“Fine. Don’t tell me anything. I’ll answer the call myself.” Zuri huffs.Befo
AMANI God, everything hurts. The wild banshee in my brain is back, and it’s screaming at the top of its lungs. I feel like shit and I’m pretty sure I look like shit, too.My eyelids flutter open and I wince as the bright white light pierces my poor eyeballs.“It hurts.” I whisper softly. “The light’s too bright.” Then I hear his voice. It slips through the fog in my brain, calming me and soothing my aches like nothing else ever will.“She’s awake! Adjust the lights, Duke. Her eyes are hurting.”The lights are adjusted immediately and my heart beats frantically as my eyes rove the room in search of him.Bhyron Macaulay. My husband.Finally, his face fills my vision and I break into a loopy smile. “Bhyron…”“Hi, my pretty baby.” His voice, strong and husky and soft all at the same time wafts over me like a comforting blanket.Wait. His eyes are red. Was he crying?Even if it hurts like hell, I raise my hand and trail a finger across the wet tracks on his face.“Were you crying?”“Don
BHYRONEIGHT MONTHS LATER…“I’m sorry, sir, but your wife’s condition is extremely critical. She will not be able to push this baby. We’ll have to perform an emergency C-section if we want both of them alive and healthy.” Five hours ago, Amani’s water broke. We were having a mini family dinner with everyone in attendance when it happened. She was only eight months and two weeks along so it came as an unexpected surprise. I’d tried my absolute best to keep her healthy during the course of the pregnancy. I don’t understand where I went wrong. I’m pretty sure I read every pregnancy book on the earth’s surface. My wife is stubborn as hell but I always managed to keep her on a good diet and ensure she exercised daily. Right now, a part of me registers that I’m panicking. This is all my fault. Definitely my fault. I must’ve done something wrong. I didn’t take care of her properly. I missed a step. I overlooked something…“Mr. Macaulay, I’m still waiting for your response.” The doctor’s u
AMANII’m scared, shocked and shaken to the core, and I don’t think I’ll ever get over the cold expression in Mrs. Emily’s eyes when she spoke about her late sister. Grandpa Ayutthaya never mentioned that he had a daughter who died during childbirth. How strange.But the main reason for my fear is Bhyron.He hasn’t said a single word since we left Beauty and Roses. Not one word.I tried to talk to him, to cajole him into saying something…into telling me how he felt. But I got nothing. Nada. Zilch.He just urged me into the car, wrapped me in his arms, pressed his nose to my neck and remained that way until we arrived at the penthouse. Now he’s inside his office behind closed doors, and he’s been there for the past two hours.I’m gradually losing my mind.“Duke, I don’t know what to do anymore. I don’t wanna disturb him. I’m scared that he won’t speak to me. Help!!.”I’ve been on the phone with Duke for the past five minutes, explaining what happened.“Take him on a mini vacation, Ama
BHYRONThe past few days have just been a rollercoaster of revelations. It’s crazy how so many secrets can be swept under the rug for years. It’s even more appalling how lives can be ruptured by these secrets within seconds.I asked my mother for an urgent meeting and of course, she tried to come up with excuses. But I told her in a not-so-kind tone that we had something important to discuss. Then I hung up. I’m not sure if she’d actually want to see me, but something tells me that I need to speak to her. Today.I want to send Amani home but she’s feeling a bit nauseous so I’ve decided to keep her by my side. I need to keep a close eye on her.Right now, we’re walking through my mother’s clothing company, Beauty and Roses, Amani’s smaller hands firmly clasped in mine.“Oh, Mr. Macaulay. Your mother already informed me of your coming. She’s waiting for you in the office.” I nod at Carla, the receptionist. “Sure. Thanks.”Seconds later, I’m knocking on the heavy oak door. The door swi
AMANI“I want to see grandpa today.” I mutter excitedly as I fly down the stairs.I woke up an hour ago to an empty bed. Bhyron was gone, but there was a note on the bedside table that made my heart flutter.“Little Caramel,I prepared a scented bath for you. Soak in it so you can relax. Afterwards, come downstairs for breakfast. Your husband is waiting.”I literally swooned all the way to the bathroom.If anyone had told me that Bhyron and I would be together today, I would’ve probably laughed on their faces. But here I am, skipping across the penthouse, my heart giddy at the thought of seeing him again after I’d all but slept inside his skin last night.I love him so much. “Bhyron!” I squeal when I arrive at the dining room.My husband looks up and his whole face lights up when he sees me. God, this man is gorgeous. Too gorgeous.He’s clean shaven this morning and dressed in a blue sweater that does magical things for his eyes. I can spot black slacks beneath. Does this mean he’s n
AMANI“Duncan, get the car ready. We’re going back to the Hope Fortress in the next five minutes.” Bhyron’s voice swims like a fog above me, pressing into my tired brain as the sound of sirens fade into the distance. He swings me into his arms and I cling onto his neck for dear life, burrowing into his chest, breathing him in.God, he smells so good. I would give anything to slide under his skin right about now. “Baby, are you okay?” He whispers as he lifts me through the revolving glass door. “How are you feeling?”“Tired.” I mumble pitifully. My emotions are all over the place. Tears currently sting my eyes but I chalk it up to pregnancy hormones.I’m just glad it’s all over. I’m glad that King Murder is finally going to jail. I hope he gets a death sentence for all his atrocities. His death would never bring back the hundreds of children he kidnapped, sold and killed, but its a start in the right direction. A monster like him does not deserve any more chances at life.When we fi
AMANIBhyron hasn’t said a single word since Sharon announced herself. Beneath my palm, his shoulders are stiff as a rock. His gaze, cold and blank, is firmly fixed on Sharon. The bitch doesn’t even have the decency to look ashamed of herself. She pats her belly with a smug expression, holding his gaze head on.“Sharon.” He seethes. “Start explaining. Now.”She shrugs unapologetically and lifts her chin. “My explanation is simple, Byron. I don’t owe you one. I tried to get us married the first time and you abandoned me at the altar. I tried again but you kept choosing her over me!” She snaps, jabbing a finger in my direction. “You and I went through so much together after she disappeared. I was by your side while you tried to build your business. But the moment Amani returned, you tossed me to the gutters like I meant nothing!”She flicks a glance at her perfectly manicured fingernails and lets out a cold chuckle..“Did you expect me to spend the rest of my life waiting for you? I m
AMANIOkay, what in the actual fuck is going on here?!I turn around and panic grips my throat like a vice as I watch Zuri stumble backwards, her eyes wide and hazy with shock.“Zuri!” Without thinking, I pull away from Bhyron and lunge towards her, grabbing her before she falls to the concrete floor.“Zuri. Baby, can you hear me?” Fear slithers down my back when she doesn’t respond. Her eyes are wide open and she’s looking straight at me, but she seems distant, almost like she’s fallen into a trance.“Bhyron, she’s not responding!”A shadow falls over me and I look up to find Duke staring down at us — at Zuri — his eyes flashing with a deadly mixture of fear, worry and rage.“Give her to me.”It’s a command. Not a request.I don’t bother arguing. I hand Zuri over to him, my heart squeezing as I watch the big man delicately maneuver my best friend into the safety of his arms. He strokes a lock of her curly blue hair out of her eyes, lowers his face to hers and whispers softly; “Zu
BHYRONThere’s something very suspicious about this entire situation. After the disaster of our wedding, I went on a fucking rampage. I burned and destroyed every single last one of King Murder’s properties that came within my reach while he went into hiding. Thinking about it now, my blood heats with the fierce hint of violence.I have to give to him, he was wise enough to hide. Because only the devil would’ve been able to look at his body once I was done with him, if I’d gotten my hands on the bastard then. I hold Amani’s soft, smaller hand in mine, still amazed by her show of strength. Yes, I would rather she stayed back at the office and out of harm’s way, but there was something about the defiant spark on her eyes when she told me she’d like to confront King Murder that stirred my stony heart.I make sure to keep her behind me, shielded by my body as we make our way down the hall. I flick a glance at our joined hands and my heart beats a painful, comforting rhythm.She didn’t p