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34|The New Offer
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2024-10-29 19:42:56"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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Begin Again 35|The Art Of Negotiation
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.
Begin Again 36|And He Appears
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
Begin Again 37|Savage As Fuck
"Are you okay?" Eden turned to the all too familiar gravelly voice and spewed out a string of expletives under her breath. She really must have been a very terrible person in her previous life to experience so many misfortunes in one night. "Simon," she said quietly, her lips pressed together, her arms crossed over her chest. When she found out she's pregnant, she lost interest in all things Simon, never thought of him, never stalked his social media pages and never wanted to hear about him. She forgot him the moment she moved to the Blue Mountains. But now, here he was, in all his Greek god glory, still very much the handsome devil he was when he sent her a breakup text. He looked happy, healthy, and still very married if the ring on his left finger is any indication. "Hi!" Her ex-fiancé waved at her, his mouth curled upward, his face beaming as if their chance meeting was a much anticipated joyful reunion when in reality it was anyth
Begin Again 38|The Trash Is Out
"Finally, the trash is out!" Laura clapped her hands with glee, her eyes sparkling with joy, as they all watched Eden McBride and her entourage leave the club. Liam picked up his drink and sipped it slowly, trying his damnedest to put a firm lid on the quiet rage swirling in his heart as he appraised his ex through narrowed eyes. Coming to Crush was a mistake. But coming to Crush with Laura was a terrible idea. He knew that as soon as she called—hysterical and in tears, for the second time this week—insisting she didn't want to be alone tonight, she was still struggling to come to terms with their breakup. Liam had wanted to let her down gently as he had earlier in the week. But riddled with guilt for ending things so abruptly, he'd agreed to one drink. He should have listened to Matthew and Julian and cut off all communication with her. "You reported her?" He drawled, in a calm voice belying the fury in his eyes when he was sure he co
Begin Again 39|Crazy Notion
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
Begin Again 40|Is He Mine?
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Begin Again 41|A Missed Chance
His question was so unexpected for a mindblowing nanosecond Eden didn't know what to say or how to react as her mind raced in a million directions. —This is her chance to come clean, tell him about Aiden and offer him visitation on weekends. She won't ask for anything from him, only that he doesn't upset the nice life she's built for herself and their son. And she's more than happy to leave his name out of the birth certificate if that's what he wants— "I guess he's not," Liam carried on cooly, not allowing her a moment to process his question, let alone give him an answer. "I mean with your track record, who knows how many other men you've been with since that night." Eden didn't know why she was shocked, she shouldn't even be hurt by his words, considering their showdown just days ago and how savage he was. But she was hurt. And she was shocked. This time, though, his words didn't have the power to render her speechless and send her
Begin Again 42|Panic Creek
Determined to put her anger and hurt feelings aside, and feign amnesia over the breakroom incident, Eden sat up and took off her glasses and wiped them with the hem of her dress before she snapped them back on. She was about to annoy Liam again and ask him for help with accessing her laptop when Clara and Gibby arrived to save the day. Clara granted her initial access and reminded her to change her password, while Gibby briefed her about Liam's schedule for the day. As part of her training, she had to sit in all his meetings for the day, coordinate his gym visit with his personal trainer, arrange his lunch, pick up his dry cleaning, and type up some reports and presentations. Eden thought it's too many tasks for one day, but she didn't dare complain. Not after her salary demands. She was still going through his schedule when the two men she saw with Liam at Crush last night stopped by her desk. They chatted with Gibby and Clara for a b
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Begin Again 196|We'll Always Be Together
[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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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.
Begin Again 194|First Day Of The Rest Of Your Life
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
Begin Again 190|We Don't Kill People
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
Begin Again 189|It Will Always Be Yes
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Begin Again 188|A Lifetime Of Kisses
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
