Three"Wake up, Hailey!"I groaned angrily, rubbing my sleepy eyes as I stared bleary-eyed at the smug face of my best friend?What kind of best friend wakes you up in the middle of the night or before morning?Right, Susie.Rolling my eyes I glared at her. "What?!""Shush!" She placed a finger on my lips, and I attempted to bite it off. She was quick to withdraw her hand, giving me a questioning look.I shrugged. "A girl's gotta do what she can to survive."Susie shot me a glare before giving me a sweet smile. "Granny is asleep."I rubbed my eyes again, yawning, "I know but why's that relevant?"Susie grinned from ear to ear, "It's time to go."I stared at her, still looking confused. "What are you talking about right now?"Susie facepalmed. "It's ten days to your wedding and we made a to-do list to remember."Suddenly alarm bells went off in my head. I remembered a to-do list but that was like when we were kids.Warning bells went off in my head and I eyed her suspiciously. "Yeah? W
I swallowed as I stared at the 6ft5 figure standing a few meters away from me and my thick-headed friend."Hello, Sir." I greeted politely with a smile trying to gain back his attention on the good side.He ignored me and focused his steel blue eyes as cold as ice on us."If you had taken your time to read about the church history you would have known that a vestibule is meant for baptism and as Catholics say baptism..." He left the sentence hanging, fixing a penetrating gaze on Susie."Er... Family?" Susie gave him a coy smile.I mentally slapped my inner mind for agreeing to let her come with me, she was an embarrassment to me and the church. I had to salvage the situation so not waiting for him to give an answer I butted in quickly, "Baptism is the door to the church."He turned his cold eyes to me and nodded, "You're the bride.""Yeah?" It wasn't a question, he said it like he was sure.What gave it away?"They all know what a vestibule is so they'd like to make a good impression
I believe we all need to calm down, I wanted to say but bit back my tongue as I met Duncan's eyes. He was scowling at me.For the love of God, I just want to spend some time with my husband before kids. Is there anything wrong with that?I turned away from him and focused my attention on the two main characters in the room—Susie and Father Ryland.I feared one of his veins might pop if he kept on turning more red with anger.I glared at Susie but the darn girl barely acknowledged me. Ugh! Typical Susie."Susie, you need to apologize to this honorable council for that foul language you use here," Father Ryland stressed the word "foul" like it was a curse on his tongue.Susie made a face, her phone directly in front of Father's face. "Guys, it's not a crime to use the word 'shit' in the church, it's just an exclamation word."She was doing a live video and was sharing personal information with the public! The nerve of this girl.I facepalmed, then quietly stood up and snatched the phone
"Father Ryland said you did excellently well in today's class, Hailey."I nodded, still frowning at grandma. She had yet to tell me where she had gone this morning."Why the frown honey? You did not enjoy yourself?" She asked me worriedly.My excuse of a friend scoffed, "There's nothing to enjoy in that boring place."Granny turned her piercing eyes to Susie, "Indeed. I was told what an excellent orator you were today."Susie grinned, "You know you can always count on me granny to make you proud."I rolled my eyes. Soon she would realize that granny was making a mockery of her."Yes," Granny nodded, a glint in her eyes, "Proud enough to have been excluded from all conversations."Right, grandma did it."Granny, I wasn't excluded, they just didn't want to talk to me," Susie sulked.Granny turned to me ignoring her, "What is the problem, sweetie?""Where did you go to that was so important, granny?" I inquired curiously.I saw something flash across her face then it disappeared immediat
🎶 Wake up! Wake up!! Wake up!!! 🎶I groaned as I tossed around on the bed trying to locate the source of my nap interruption.I located the darn phone under my pillow, right beside my ear where it was blaring off the alarm ringtone.My phone flashed at 9:30 pm and I released a string of curses that should granny hear it she'd probably die from a heart attack.Curses and damnation upon Susie!Turning off my phone, I went into the bathroom and took a quick shower. As quietly as a mouse, I crept into my room without making a sound, and opened my wardrobe, pulling out the pieces Susie gave me, calling it a dress.Fucking bloody hell!Please, allow me to curse to my heart's content tonight, I'm pissed as hell right now and the cause of my anger will be in front of my house soon.Peering at the silk fabric in my hand, I pulled it over my head and winced at how tight the dress was.It clung to every inch of my body, revealing all my curves in a way that would tempt a man to sin, the emeral
🎶 Red cups and sweaty bodies everywhere 🎶I looked around and saw they all had red cups in their hands and they were all sweaty.🎶Hands in the air like we don't care 🎶They didn't care, else they won't be here in this noisy place. The music was noisy.🎶 'Cause we came to have so much fun now 🎶Fun? They were having fun by smoking and grinding bodies together?"For once admire the scenery and stop over analyzing everything," the voice of the devil—Susie echoed in my ears.I glared at her. This is what she called scenery? This poorly lit place flashing with multiple color lights that were harmful to the eyes, loud music that could blow your eardrums, tons of sweaty bodies grinding together, alcohol in abundance, hormonal teenagers making out, outrageous games—the list was endless. So this ain't scenery.I felt a tug and saw a random guy was holding my wrist. Dude, let go."You look hot!" He yelled through the loud music.I glared at him. "Let me go!"He chuckled, his breath stank
I groaned holding my head in my hand as I sat up on the bed. Wait—a bed? How did I get to bed?My eyes flew open instantly and I regretted it as the sun rays almost blinded me."Ow! This Sun is a bitch!" I growled."Keep your voice down for fucksake!" Another familiar voice growled beside me.I pried my eyes open and saw Susie snoring lightly on my bed. My grandma was sitting down on the recliner chair in my room."Holy mother of Mary!" I yelled when I locked eyes with her."Have mercy on you!" She yelled back at me.Susie sat up rubbing her eyes, "What's all this ruckus about?"I stared at granny, my heart pounding in fear. Did she know what happened last night? How had I gotten back home? I just can't seem to remember anything.I shot Susie a questioning look, she shrugged."Granny, good morning," I greeted timidly."Good afternoon, Hailey," she replied."Why are you sitting over there granny?" Susie asked in a teasing tone.Granny glared at her. "It's none of your business."I ment
Did I slap a handsome guy kneeling in front of me asking for my hand in marriage?I heard a clap and whirled around just in time to see a man with an imposing aura step into the house. He was clapping and laughing.He was tall with black hair, not a single trace of gray hair. He had steel blue eyes just like Xavier's own. He was pretty muscular, must have been a hottie during his days in his youthful age.Closely following behind him was a woman, a blonde woman. She was beautiful in an artificially loud way and had a bitchy aura.I could tell that she was one of those cheerleaders that oppressed nerds and as if to confirm my claim she rolled her eyes when she saw the scene before her.A hot guy kneeling and clutching his cheeks and me looking flustered—oh add Duncan that just stepped out of what I presume to be the visitor's bathroom and the scenario is complete."Wonderful, I love this girl." I heard the man's voice. He stepped close to me and patted my hair.Xavier stood up, shootin
"Aww you look so beautiful," Laura commented, dabbing her eyes with a napkin as she pretended to cry. I laughed and twirled in my Cinderella wedding dress, feeling every bit like a Princess.Susie pouted, sitting on my bed and rolling her eyes. It had been a month since Xavier had dropped in on my launch day. We were finally getting married. A real marriage. I was super excited. Finally, Xavier and I would be together without the influence of the people or his mother. It was thrilling. It seemed that I was finally having my dream life. And it had been a long time coming. After all the betrayal, hurt, heartbreak and pain I had to endure. I deserved this. I deserved a happily ever after. And I was going to cling onto it forever. Susie however seemed less excited than I did. Which was quite understandable. "Aww, are you still sad that I'll be going for the honeymoon?" I teased and she huffed at my words. "Do you guys have to go that far? Who's going to do the accounts? You know numb
"When will you go to the Cafe?" He asked, his hands still doing crazy things on my skin. "Uhm... In an hour." I murmured sliding my hands under my breasts to prop them up further into his touch. "We've got time." He said, capturing my lips again, this time for an even deeper kiss. He tasted familiar. His kisses were hot and filled with so much passion, I thought I would combust. Hanging on to him tightly, I moaned as he slipped his tongue into mine, stroking and clashing with mine several times. "I need you," I whispered between kisses as we broke apart to catch our breaths at intervals. "We can't go too far baby," he hummed, lifting me up by the waist until my legs were wrapped around his. Striding towards my bed, he lowered himself to the bed, sitting with me on his lap. "Why not?" I protested, taking hold of my shirt and dragging it off. Xavier's breath hitched at the sight of my babies encased in a lacy black bra. "Oh Hailey," he murmured, unclipping the underwear behind m
"What?" I exclaimed, trying to wrap my head around what was happening right in front of me. Xavier smiled, his hands covered mine and he held them between us, holding my eyes. "I love you," He said again. "I don't want to let you go. I cannot do so. I tried this past month," he chuckled. "Let's just say more women would love my head on a pike right now." "But you... You always... You never..." I was a rambling mess at this point.His smile turned sad. "I know." He kissed my hands gently. "And I'll spend every day of my life making atonement for all I have said and done to you Hailey, only if you allow me to." "We're not married anymore. You don't have to do this to pacify me-""Technically, we are still married. I haven't divorced you yet." He grinned. "I could divorce you." Xavier chuckled and pulled me to his chest, wrapping his arms around me. "And then I'll marry you all over again." "Don't get cocky. I haven't said yes." I snapped, sinking into the warmth of his body despit
Without hesitation, I pushed the door open and stormed in. The scene before me was a surprised Xavier, lying on his bed with his hand wrapped around his junk. Holy smokes.My cheeks flamed up and I murmured a quick "Sorry," before turning to run out of the room. "Close the door Hailey," came his calm voice before I could slip out. "I'm covered, you can look now." Ashamed of my thoughts and actions, because who barges into someone's privacy thinking horrid things about them, I turned around slowly. "I'm sorry," I grumbled. "I heard sounds, I thought..." That you were balls deep in some woman? Bah, if I said that, he would probably laugh his head off."You thought?" Xavier urged, rising suddenly and I yelped in surprise. "I won't cover up if you don't tell me what you thought, Hailey." The deep timbre of his voice when he called my name had my thighs clenching with need. He was just a few meters away from me. Unclad. We were alone. The realization came with torrents of desire fl
Whatever it was that the two men had said to each other, nobody knew. And I doubted anyone would ever know. All we knew was Walter threw a punch at Xavier and even though he had been able to dodge it in time, there was no way Xavier Lowell would let it slide. He threw one at Walter's jaw in return. And a brawl broke out. "Oh shit," Susie cussed. "I'm guessing that means we can go out now," I murmured and raced out of the cafe. "Stop it right now!" The men, however, pig heads that they were, continued fighting as if I wasn't screaming my guts out, running from the other side of the road. "Stop it right now!" I yelled again when I reached them, trying to pry Xavier from pounding Walter's head to bits. "Xavier! Xavier stop it! Please!" But something had possessed Xavier and it seemed it wouldn't let go. For someone who had always cared what the people would think, he was acting quite recklessly. I latched onto his arm, tugging at it. "You're causing a scene!"That got him to let go
My world turned upside down and for a minute I just stared at him confused about how to react. Did he need me? What the hell was happening at the moment?! It better not be a prank. Fuck it, prank or not, I had work to do and he had to get out of here. So instead of swooning and falling at his feet, I opted for a second option.I laughed and shook my head. "Okay, seriously, why are you here?" Hurt slashed across his face and I was taken aback. I had never seen him look so vulnerable before and it was unsettling. He's pretending. A voice in my head whispered. You know he is. I knew. I did. But that didn't make me feel any better. Why would he need to pretend? "I..." A shadow fell on his face and he shook his head. The vulnerable look in his eyes was gone and replaced with the amused expression he always wore around me. I wasn't sure which one made me hurt worse.Taking a few steps back, he surveyed the kitchen and clasped his hands behind his back. "I just wanted to see. The news
"Sir!" I hissed, not wanting to yell because I didn't want to call people's attention to us. One paparazzi was already too much to handle. If all of them came to the counter, my first launch day would all be in the mud. The man in the hoodie stopped trying to get in through the side door. And then he lifted his head, staring me in the face with familiar dark blue eyes that grazed my entire body and sent me into freeze mode. "Xavier," I whispered, blinking rapidly to be sure he wasn't an apparition. Xavier stood before me, dressed in a hoodie and cargo pants. The last clothing I would ever imagine he would wear in public. It seemed he didn't want people to recognize him. "Let me in Hailey." He murmured. Susie gasped behind me when she heard his voice and shook her head. "Don't you dare! Go fuck yourself, Xavier." He ignored her, his eyes holding mine and sending my brain into overdrive. What was he doing here? He was not supposed to be anywhere near me! He was supposed to be in V
I eyed the crowd that had formed outside the cafe from the glass walls warily glanced back at Susie and mouthed "Oh my God." We stood in the cafe, setting the tables and getting ready for the launch which was in twelve minutes! To say I was nervous was an understatement. This was a huge deal for me. For Laura and Susie too. And it did not help that ever since I had stepped out of the house without the blonde wig, half the people we met on the road recognized me. One of them must have tipped off the paparazzi because that would explain how there were so many people with cameras and recorders, eagerly waiting. "I'm screwed," I told Susie and she shrugged beside me. "You knew this would happen." She said, I glared at her. "That doesn't mean I can't be nervous about it! Everyone will have questions! I can't handle a crowd that big!" She grinned and slid an arm over my shoulders. "You're not alone, woman. We got you. Look and you got Walter too." I looked in the direction she was tip
It was barely morning when I stumbled into Susie's car, my face stricken with tears. The sun had just begun to rise, lighting up the sky slowly. I slammed the door close and thankfully, Susie asked no questions. She simply drove out of Xavier's townhouse and sped down the road. Placing a hand over my mouth, I sobbed furiously, my head leaning against the window. It wasn't supposed to hurt so much. Leaving him finally. It wasn't supposed to feel like a part of me had been torn away and left behind with the many miles that increased between us. I closed my eyes as I recalled when I had woken up. It was my phone ringing somewhere in the house. I hadn't the slightest clue where I was at first but Xavier's peaceful snores and his heavy arm around me reminded me quickly. It had taken quite a while to slip away from the bed without awakening him and at first, I hadn't even been able to walk properly. Even now as I sat in the car, I was so sore. The caller had been Susie. We had planned th