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31|Give Her The World
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2021-06-19 17:22:08The house was quiet. Dave and the housekeepers had all retired for the night, but Laura was still in his bed.
Liam took one look at her and made a beehive for his study.
He couldn't bring himself to sleep beside her. Not when he was so confused. Not when his mind was racing with thoughts of Eden in his arms, and his dick grew hard just thinking about her.
He turned on his MacBook and tried to work through the agenda notes for tomorrow's board meeting, but his mind kept drifting back to Eden's reasons for leaving him.
He tried to think back to that night at Crush two years ago, but he couldn't remember ever mentioning marriage to Eden.
He could see why she would jump to that conclusion though.
Julian and Matthew had invited a few friends from college for a night out on the town to help him accept his future as Anderson Logistics' CEO.
A group of guys at a club and one of them mentioning it's his last night of freedom can easily
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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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The minute they were alone, Liam threw his glass across the booth, it hit the wall partition and splintered into crystal shards on the floor, splashing brown liquid everywhere.He watched the mess, but his rage did not cool, and he was not satisfied.He grabbed the still-full bottle and was about to subject it to the same fate when Julian sprung to his feet and snatched it away from him."Whoa, dude chill! You know how damn expensive this is!""I paid for it," Liam grunted and eased back in his seat, his heart still pounding out control, his anger roaring in his ears way louder than the music blasting from the overhead speakers."What's gotten into you, and why was Laura so pissed off?" Matthew asked and waved at their waitress—a Jade or some other stripper name Liam forgot as soon as she introduced herself when they first arrived— to bring them an empty glass.The lingerie-clad blonde bombshell, whose tiny bra was struggling to
Last Updated : 2021-06-19
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[Six Months Later]... After months of preparations, Eden's weeklong exhibition at Fugue was a smashing success. She even managed to sell two of her paintings. But with all the smiling and pandering she had done to Rock Castle's uber-rich, she would not have expected anything less. So when Saturday rolled around, the only thing she wanted to do was to crash on the couch and put up her feet. Not a lot for a girl to ask. But she wasn't destined to enjoy the little things in life. Having tried every trick in the book to get her to give up her spot on the couch and leave the house with him, Liam finally let the cat out of the bag. Her friends had tasked him with the sacred job of dropping her off at Heat for a surprise baby shower. Eden didn't want to go anywhere, but she would never hear the end of it if she didn't show up. So she threw on a pair of black leggings—the only thing in her closet that still fit her— and Liam's denim
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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 botanical gardens were in the northern part of Rock Castle, and on a good day, it would have taken them under ten minutes to get there from Van Holt Industries. But, it took them almost twice as long because, by the time they left the doctor's rooms, every man and his dog was out and about, running their morning errands. By the time they arrived, the place was almost packed to capacity. Everywhere they turned, they were greeted by people on their picnic blankets with their wicker baskets; others were on camping chairs under big shady umbrellas, already sipping beers and turning sausages and steaks on their braai stands even though it wasn't even 10:00 AM yet. "Look at this place," Eden murmured, her eyes flitting everywhere. "We can't let Aiden out of our sight. I don't want a repeat of the aquarium. What if Aleksei is here?" "He's in jail, remember?" Liam reminded her as he lifted her chin. "He can't hurt us." "But his brother is around—"
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Liam never thought he'd survive two weeks in hospital. But he did. With lots of patience, tons of reports and proposals to keep him sane and an endless supply of meds to ease his pain. Before he knew it, the dreaded family fun day, months in the making, finally snuck upon them. However, Anderson Logistics' big day coincided with his hospital release and their first check-up with Dr Emily. Eden was highly strung, anxious out of her wits when she came to pick him up. "There's so much to do today," she wrung her hands as they watched James scoop Aiden up and grab Liam's travel bag. It was amazing how much stuff he had managed to collect over the past couple of weeks. His duffel bag was now heavier than it was when Eden first dropped it off. "Tell me what's wrong," Liam said as he wheeled himself around the room and paused in front of her. He didn't need the wheelchair now, but he found it very comfortable, way better than sitting on the stiff bed. "So, what's wrong?" he pulled her do
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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
