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85|As It Should Be
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2024-10-29 19:42:56The sun was still high up in the sky when Eden left the office and walked to her car in the staff parking lot.
She unlocked her doors but couldn't bring herself to jump in behind the wheel because she was still racking her brain for an excuse, a reason, a plausible lie for the mark on her cheek.
Brenda would fret as soon as she saw it, and Eden was not ready for the coddling, however, well-intentioned.
She didn't want all the inevitable questions and a few minutes in the sun was what she needed, she decided, as she turned up her face to the sky and soaked in the warm rays.
It was a perfect Indian summer afternoon, and for a minute, everything was as it should be as she released the long breath she had been holding in the whole day, leaving her lungs empty.
She felt as light as a feather while she imagined herself drifting away, like a balloon floating in the sky. But then her phone rang, shattering her moment of bliss.
Sienna wanted to
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"God, someone, please take him away," Eden complained as she booted Lydia off the bench and sat down. Her friends gasped and fussed at Lucy's handiwork when she took off her oversized sunglasses. They were outraged and wanted blood—Lydia more than the other two—when Eden told them all about her office renovations and her fight with Lucy. "Who the hell is this bitch?" She yelled, startling Aiden playing at their feet with his toy bucket and spade. He thought she's shouting at him, and he yelled back, "no!" Eden groaned. "That's his favourite word now. Today especially, everything is a huge 'no' for him." "Well, he's probably pissed his mom was assaulted." Sienna leaned over and ruffled his hair. Aiden looked up and smiled sweetly at her, the small dimple on the side of his mouth—the only thing he'd inherited from Eden—blinking at them as he sprayed sand everywhere and chuckled his little heart out. "I found her address," Lydia a
Begin Again 87|Under His Skin
Liam rolled up his sleeves and threw off his tie as he scanned the bar. He sighed loudly, disappointed to see he's still out of bourbon and whiskey; Gibby and Clara hadn't had a chance to stock up. But—he decided—any alcohol would do at this point after the hellish day he'd had. So he pulled out two six-packs of beers and took them back to the couch. Glaring at the wrinkled blazer beside him, he opened one of the cans and thought back to a conversation he once had with Gibby when he was still trying to get Eden to sign with the company. Back then, he'd laughed off her comment, but he understood now what she meant about his assistant being very much like a wife. If his intense fight with Eden was a prelude to marital bliss, he wanted no part of it. It wasn't for the faint of heart for sure, and as Laura had said, he doesn't have a heart. Maybe a life of loneliness and alcoholism was the only thing on the cards for him, and as he brought the ice-cold liquid to
Begin Again 88|No Blurred Lines
Liam woke up sometime before 4:00 AM, surprisingly calm and clear-headed for someone who had spent a restless night on an office couch. He picked up his iPhone from the floor, grimacing at the spiderweb cracks covering the screen. Seconds after switching it on, the Apple logo flashed to life before his battery complained about being empty, and the screen went black again. Ordinarily, he would have lost his shit because he could not be without a phone. Being off the grid even for half an hour meant he was losing money, but after the miserable night he'd had, a dead phone was way down the list of his priorities. He had too many problems on his plate today. A multi-million Rand deal wasn't going to sign itself, and pushing it off again was not an option. He called his assistant from his office line. Wide awake and buzzing from her second cup of coffee, Gibby answered almost immediately and promised to bring him a change of clothing and a new phon
Begin Again 89|If Sorry Was Enough
They were supposed to meet at the Portuguese restaurant on 8th Street, the same place where Eden had dinner with Liam a few nights ago. But a last-minute appointment with a new client forced Isaac to move their lunch in-house at Hayes & Jones' cafeteria. "Are you sure you're okay with it? I wanted to take you to a decent place," Isaac asked on his end for the millionth time, and Eden assured him for the millionth time she didn't mind at all. There was no need to splurge over a handyman interview. Besides, the restaurant would always remind her of Liam now. She didn't tell Isaac this, of course. They hung up with Eden promising to see him at 11:00 AM. She normally took her lunch break at midday, but today she had to avail herself for Liam's session with Linda. Turning to the window, Eden sighed and spent a long time people-watching Isaac's colleagues on the rooftop. Since her confrontation with Lucy—it was hard to believe it was jus
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Isaac was already waiting for her with a bouquet of white calla lilies when Eden walked into the lobby of Hayes & Jones. She didn't know if it's because she hadn't seen him in over a month or if it was the tailored dark suit he wore that made him look all the more dashing. "Traveling incognito, I see," he smiled and pointed at the massive shades covering her eyes before pulling her in a warm hug. "Of course," she beamed at him when they drew apart. "We can't allow my deranged fans to mob me, you know." "And what might you be famous for?" Isaac carried on with their banter as he hooked their arms and led her to the elevators. "That's for me to know and you to find out," Eden blurted, regretting the words as soon as they were out, and she caught the intrigued look in his eyes. "I see," he rubbed his chin thoughtfully as his gaze lingered on her face. "A woman of mystery. I like that!" Eden blushed, wishing she could kick hers
Begin Again 91|Rare Moment Of Honesty
Liam was already in Linda's office, pacing the room when Eden scrambled in, huffing and puffing from taking the stairs because the public elevators were out, and she didn't think she was entitled to use the service elevator on her own. "You're late," he snapped as soon as he saw her, grunting inaudibly under his breath as he crashed on the couch. Eden checked her watch, frowning when she saw it was 12:02 PM. She didn't think his level of irritation was warranted, considering she was only two minutes late. But late was late, and she had to accept her mistake with grace and humility. She smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry the elevators are out, and I had to take the stairs." "If you'd left your date earlier, you wouldn't have been late." The frown on Liam's forehead deepened the longer he glared at the flowers in her hands. "I'll do better next time Mr Anderson," Eden said, still making no attempt to step inside the room. There wa
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"Your bracelet," Linda said. "It's beautiful. May I see it?" Eden didn't want to hand it over, of course, but anything to make the forty-five minutes go quickly. "Sure," she said as she slipped it off and gave it to her. "You're into astronomy?" Linda asked as she held it up, and the tiny star and moon glinted in the sunlight seeping through the window. Eden looked at the clock again. Forty-three minutes. Don't fuck it up. She smiled brightly at the therapist. "I guess. Aiden's obsessed with the moon." "So this represents him?" Linda asked, tapping the moon charm dangling on the gold band. "And you are the star?" Eden nodded, happy to keep this line of enquiry going. "I don't see the sun, though?" "That's his father." Eden blurted without thinking. "Is he not in the picture?" Eden shook her head quickly. "No, he's not." "Maybe someday you'll get to add his charm?" Linda re
Begin Again 93|Vengeance
Days after the incident with Lucy, the mark on Eden's face was gone, but Liam's rage still burned bright and hot, more so when he thought back to their session with Linda and how broken she was when she spoke about the assault. No matter how hard he tried to distract himself, nothing would soothe his fury. He thought if HR gave everyone a warning, he'd be okay, and once the chats were gone, he'd be happy. But three days on, Liam was nowhere close to any feelings of contentment. He wanted vengeance. And blood. Lucy's blood. He was running on three hours of sleep and not in the right frame of mind to be making decisions of any kind, especially ones that would impact someone's future so drastically. Backing the hell off was the best thing to do. But he picked up his office phone anyway and called Gibby in. She knocked once and let herself in. "Yes, Mr Anderson?" "Bring Lucy Edison in. I need to deal with her."
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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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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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Liam headed straight to his study as soon as they got home and spent almost an hour on the phone with his father. Like he'd expected, Clarke was against the meeting and even more disturbed when he brought up the idea of dropping the charges. "Are you insane?" His father barked on his end, and if they were in the same room, Liam knew he would have likely throttled him. "We almost lost you. You almost died! How can you even think about this?" "What other choice do I have, Dad? He's watching Eden. We're getting married in three weeks. I don't want to keep looking over my shoulder. What kind of life will that be for Eden and our children?" "James told you there's a way to handle this. Aleksei and his brother are dogs. They should be put down." "And what will that make us?" Liam asked sadly. "I didn't call to ask for your permission. I was simply informing you the meeting with Andrei is happening." He clicked off before his father could pus
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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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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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Later that evening, when Eden walked into Liam's ward with Aiden in her arms, she was surprised to find him clean-shaven and fully clothed in joggers, sneakers and a hoodie as if he was ready to go somewhere. "Dad!" Aiden shrieked with joy as soon as he saw his father rolling around the room in a wheelchair. Liam roared right back at him, his voice thundering through the room as he opened his arms. "Kool-Aid!" Eden set their son down, and he ran to his father. Liam scooped him up despite his visible agony but yelped out in pain when he tried to throw him up in the air. Eden was instantly at his side, worry dancing in her eyes, the travel bag in her hands falling at her feet with a dull thud. Aiden, too, look just as concerned. "I'm okay," Liam assured them, but the anguish on his face told a different story. "Why are you even out of bed?" Eden scolded him, much to Aiden's disapproval. "Mom, no!" He shook his hea
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
