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28|A One Time Thing
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Eden watched the older woman dash down the hall and vanish from view, painfully aware of the thick tension swirling in the room, occasionally drowned out by the sounds of office chatter, phones going off and the keyboards rattling away.
She figured she should leave as well while things were still a bit civil between Liam and her, especially if she wanted their future chat about Aiden to happen.
But, one glance from him, as if he could read her thoughts and see deep into her soul, fixed her in her chair.
He reached for the tray of refreshments Eden had forgotten until now and took one of the brightly decorated styrofoam cups, with a Rise Coffee Shop logo stamped to its side, and the word 'macchiato' scrolled in pretty, feminine-like handwriting on the white lid.
They had outlets nationwide, mostly in shopping malls, but Eden remembered seeing one in the food court, on the first floor, when she played with the interactive map.
She's a sucker for
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Eden didn't know how she managed to drive home in the emotional state she was in. She couldn't even remember leaving Anderson Logistics. She must have, though, because she only realised she's home when a perturbed Brenda dashed out of the house and ran up to the car. "Is everything okay? Did you forget something?" The sitter asked as she pried open her door and helped her snap off the seat belt. Eden heard her questions, saw her lips move, but she couldn't process. Her mind was too tired to compute, let alone form coherent thoughts and translate them into spoken words. "Did something happen? Are you hurt?" Brenda carried on as she pulled her out of the car and flipped her around a few times, checking for any visible signs of trauma. She paused and frowned when she couldn't see anything wrong. "Say something," Brenda asked. "Are you hurt anywhere?" Eden sighed and touched her chest. Yes, she was hurt, right there, in that place
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Liam was home for hours, but his mind was still in the meeting room, reliving his encounter with Eden. He sat on the edge of the bed and absently twirled the glass of cognac in his hands. To say his plan had unravelled as soon as he saw the shrew was an understatement. He'd acted like an inexperienced schoolboy, jumped her the first chance he got. Not his fucking proudest moment that's for sure. The ring on her finger too had pissed him off greatly, more than he cared to admit, and he couldn't understand why. He loathed her, and the only reason he'd gone through such lengths to get her to sign with Anderson Logistics was so she could fix him and make him whole again. He really shouldn't care that she's married, that she's wearing some other guy's ring. But he did. And it pissed him off— "Aren't you coming to bed?" Laura purred in his neck as she tried once more to take off his shirt. Liam shrugged off her hands, and pushed her away again, wish
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Franco's was everything Eden would never have imagined—well, the exterior at least. As she gaped at the concrete structure, located on the east side of Forrest Creek, the industrial part of the neighbourhood, she thought she might have taken a wrong turn somewhere, but her trusty GPS— with Siri's help, of course—had followed the directions to the T. There's no way she was lost, no way she's at the wrong place. But the flat-roofed, single-story building, with its murky windows and rusty steel door, was—Underwhelming. Disappointing. Not at all what Eden expected from a revered hairstylist. The inside though was a different story, Eden could swear she'd stepped into the grandest hotel in town. The decor was exquisite, the furniture lush, and the service top-notch. As a smiling hostess placed a complimentary mimosa in her hand and showed her to one of the few empty armchairs lining the room, Eden understood why the man charged so much even for a h
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Eden and Cassandra spent a few minutes outside the hair salon, making plans for the weekend. They parted ways soon after her friend got a call from her assistant. Something about a burst pipe. "God, I'm not cut out for this business crap!" Cassandra grumbled as she snapped on her helmet and jumped on her bike. "Thanks again for doing this," Eden called after her as she watched her pull away from the curb and race down the street, towards her studio not too far from the Civic Theatre. Eden turned to her car and sighed as she touched her hair, wishing it was all a dream, and Franco hadn't gone crazy with the scissors. At least it's soft; she consoled herself as she unlocked her door. It smelled amazing too, so there's that. She was about to slip in behind the wheel when her phone rang. It was a private number, and despite common sense telling her not to—because whoever was on the other end was only calling to sell her insurance or other such services she couldn't possibly afford—she
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"You look amazing! Love the hair!" Gibby gushed when Eden sat down. "Thank you," she smiled demurely. She was still unsure about the angled lob, but Franco and Cassandra had assured her she looks great. She would have preferred to have had some say when it comes to the length though. But, she liked what the hairstylist had done with the colour. Franco had decided to go with warm hues but kept her roots dark for an ombre effect, and layered the blunt chop with soft medium curls. Admittedly, the new style was the most daring Eden had ever gone. She just hoped she wouldn't regret ever meeting Franco when the maintenance became too much. "If we can please get started, I need to return to Aiden," Eden said, feeling self-conscious under the other woman's scrutiny. "Of course, but would you like something to drink or to eat perhaps?" Gibby asked. Eden looked through the menu card and settled for a slice of tiramisu and a chai latte. "
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Eden opened the folder, took one look at the offer and pushed it back. "I'm afraid I'll have to decline. If I'm so important to Mr Anderson's recovery, he can do better than that."Gibby stared at her, mouth agape, almost as if she's seeing her for the first time."You said so yourself I'll be performing two roles." Eden carried on, not caring at all that the other woman thought her shameless.One thing she learned from sitting in in too many of her father's Economics lectures—through no choice of her own—was the art of negotiation and bargaining. She was in a much better position to negotiate because Liam needed her more than she needed him.He really should have taken her when she was still okay with just the R325K, Eden thought as she picked up her cup with a much steadier hand."Let me chat with him," Gibby said as she called her boss. She kept him on the phone while she scribbled another figure and passed the contract back.
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A waiter, dressed in nothing but a glittery thong showed Eden and her friends to their VIP booth. His butt cheeks flashed different shades of neon from the strobe lights above as he leaned over to take their cocktail orders. Lydia, always the naughty one and never able to resist temptation, smacked his ass cheekily. He turned to her, flashed her a megawatt smile as he said something in Spanish. The only Spanish Eden knew is 'mojitos' and 'tapas', so whatever the waiter said to Lydia, flew right over her head. From the way her friend blushed though, she figured it was something filthy or hot or both. Still, as she watched José jot down their orders, Eden couldn't help but feel bad for him, there was nothing cute or nice about being groped and fondled. "Lydia!" She frowned at her friend still ogling José like he's a piece of luxurious wagyu beef or something just as exotic. "What? If they offer the service, we should use the service," Ly
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As Liam watched Eden slowly make her way to him, he was overcome with emotion. The whole day he had tried to keep it together, and he had lost track of the number of times his cousins had had to stop him from running to her guest suite to see her. And now that she was here, and they were so close to the start of their next chapter, hard as he tried to blink away his tears, Liam couldn't. He choked back a sob, unable to believe how lucky he was. He had never seen that many brides before, but Eden took the number one spot from the few that he had. She looked incredible in her dress, a vision of grace and elegance and beauty, exactly how he imagined a real-life princess would look. But then again, she was his Princess, his hell, his paradise, and her slow progress down the aisle wasn't working for him. He crossed the room in few quick strides, and in a heartbeat, he had her in his embrace as he kissed her fiercely, much to everyone's surprise and cheers.
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Wedding fever hit town as soon as the press release about Eden and Liam's impending nuptials went out. For days the announcement, posted on Anderson Logistics website and all the company's socials, was the number #1 trending topic on all social media platforms. The internet was in disbelief. Thousands of Liam's adoring fans couldn't accept that the day they had dreaded was finally upon them, and the Three-Month Prince was officially off the market. Well, almost off the market. Like most people who have an unhealthy obsession with their idols, they had to share their outrage and sadness with strangers on the internet. Overnight, Eden became the villainess, the woman who had ruined all their fantasies, and they couldn't understand why, out of all the beauties in the universe ready to fall at his feet, Liam would choose her. She had to have used some kind of witchcraft or love spell on him, they said. And when Sienna's exposé on t
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The thought of spending an indefinite amount of time in the hospital did not please Liam at all, so as soon as they returned to his ward after their brisk walk, he tried every trick in the book to get Eden to speak to the doctors and get them to discharge him. But she refused to do his dirty work, much to his dismay. He thought she would want him home as soon as possible. "Whose side are you on?" He glared at her. "Yours, of course. I don't want to take any chances, you know," she said as she helped him up on the bed. Their son was now sitting on the floor, craning his neck at the blank TV screen in the corner and sipping his boxed juice. Liam had never met a kid who loved TV as much as Aiden, and he wondered if it was normal. Maybe spending all that time with Brenda during the day wasn't such a good thing. Maybe he needed to start going to school to get his mind stimulated. "I'm someone's fiancée now, you know, and I need the groom pr
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Eden looked up, startled out of her mind to see his eyes were open. "Liam!" She was instantly on her feet and kissing him on the lips as she sobbed so loud she thought she'd wake the patients in the neighbouring rooms. "Oh my God, it's true. You're awake! I was starting to think they lied." "If you keep crying, I might just pass out again!" He growled and patted the empty spot on the bed. "Come here!" She sank beside him, and he drew her closer and placed his hand on her tummy. "How's my little warrior?" Eden burst into tears again at his words. "You heard everything I said that night?" "Of course I did," he smiled tearfully as well. "I may have been dying, but I'm not deaf, you know." "And you're not angry?" "Why would I be angry?" Liam asked. "Because you just found out about Aiden and now—" "Now our family will be complete," he pulled her down, and she nestled in his arms, careful not to touch his wound. "I l
