Sitting quietly in his office, Micheal’s mind was a whirlwind of thoughts. He had just texted Yvonne, asking her out on a date—a gesture driven more by pity for how her life had unraveled than by genuine interest. However, when Yvonne responded by asking if he was hitting on her, Micheal felt an unexpected thrill. He had scoffed at her message but found it difficult to dismiss the idea. For some reason, the notion of keeping her in suspense intrigued him, so he replied, asking if it was a bad idea.Before he knew it, he had spent two hours scrolling through lists of movies showing in the cinemas, searching for something decent enough for their outing. They eventually settled on a romantic comedy that had garnered great reviews.Once the movie was decided, the reality of actually taking her out hit him. How should he treat her without causing a misunderstanding? Could he be kind without scaring her away? Micheal wanted to show Yvonne she was more than just David’s neglected fiancée, b
“Daddy, what does 'rosmantic' mean?” Lily suddenly asked, her face scrunched up in deep thought.“It’s ‘ro-man-tic,’” Jack corrected her with a slight emphasis on each syllable. “And you don’t need to know what it means, Lily. You’re still too young.”Micheal burst out laughing, a sound that was rare to outsiders. “And you’re old?” he teased, raising an eyebrow at his son.“Daddy, tell me!” Lily insisted, her voice taking on a playful, exaggerated whine. She was now more curious than ever after Jack’s refusal.“I said no,” Jack repeated, more firmly this time.Micheal shook his head with a smile. “Jack, you should know better. Where did you even learn that word?” he asked.“I Googled it,” Jack replied innocently.“Googled it? What are you, twelve years old?” Micheal asked, incredulous.“I’m four years old,” Jack corrected.“Almost four, Jack,” Micheal chuckled.“Daddyyy!” Lily pouted, her curiosity now at its peak.“No, Lily. You’re a girl, and you’re still too young,” Jack insisted,
The evening air was crisp as Yvonne stood outside her apartment, waiting for Micheal. She had spent more time than she’d like to admit preparing for this date, despite telling herself it wasn’t anything serious. Her nerves had been on edge all day, and even now, as she stood in the cool twilight, she could feel her heartbeat quickening.She couldn’t help but ponder how the night would unfold. Why had she agreed to this? Her heart raced with nervousness and uncertainty. Was she doing something she shouldn’t?Waiting for another man who wasn’t David—was that wrong? Thoughts tumbled through Yvonne’s mind, but it was too late to turn back now. Curiosity about what Micheal had planned had trapped her in this evening, leaving her no choice but to go along with it.When Micheal pulled up, Yvonne let herself relax, pushing her wandering thoughts to the back of her mind. He stepped out of the car, dressed casually in a navy-blue shirt and dark jeans, yet managing to look effortlessly put toget
Micheal appeared relaxed, as if enjoying his own movie playing out in the form of Yvonne's expressions. Her laughter was electric, sending a jolt of energy straight to his soul.But appearances can be deceiving. Micheal was anything but relaxed. His thoughts raced—about Yvonne, about David, about the delicate balance he needed to maintain tonight. He had promised himself to keep things light, to enjoy the evening without overthinking it. But now that they were here, he couldn’t ignore the weight of the situation.It was spiraling out of his control. Yvonne’s presence was affecting him more than he had anticipated. He had been right to keep his distance all along; spending too much time with her was clearly not a good idea.About halfway through the movie, a particularly sad scene caused Yvonne’s expression to drop. It was the first time Micheal tore his eyes away from her, forcing himself to focus on the screen instead.From then on, he willed himself not to look back at her. He didn’
Yvonne’s chest heaved, her lips slightly parted as if to speak, but the words refused to come. Micheal’s intense gaze locked her in place. “If you’re not ready to be my woman, don’t make me fall in love with you,” he said, his voice low and firm. “There will be no escape if that happens. Absolutely none.”Yvonne blinked rapidly, her lashes trembling as she processed his words. “I’ll… keep that in mind. But we’re too close. Could you step back, please?” she stammered, unable to control the pounding of her heart.Like a true gentleman, Micheal took a few steps back, his expression returning to its usual calm. But Yvonne was far from composed; she looked flustered, almost as if she had just run a marathon.“We could have talked without… all that closeness,” she managed to say, her voice a bit shaky.Micheal’s response was cool and straightforward. “That’s the consequence of all your teasing. I’ve controlled my urges to avoid making things uncomfortable between you and my children.”“Ur
The ride to Yvonne's home was steeped in an eerie silence. Yvonne, lost in her thoughts, stared out the window, refusing to process the whirlwind of emotions swirling within her.Micheal, on the other hand, mentally chastised himself. Why had he let things go so far?He had planned to make her feel special, to help her see how much more she was beyond the shackles of her emotions with David. Yet, in a moment of vulnerability, he’d spilled his own bottled-up feelings.He hadn’t intended to warn her about teasing him along with his children, but his words had spiraled out of control. Now, he feared she might distance herself from him and his children—a thought that filled him with dread.If she pulled away, his children would regress, transforming from the mature, smart kids they were into emotional wrecks. They would throw tantrums, banding together to worry him to death, especially with Lily's fragile heart. The stress could easily land her in the hospital.What had he been thinking?
A few days later, Yvonne happily trotted alongside Lily and Jack as they sorted their toys in their new home. The twins, accustomed to sharing a room due to Lilian's health, were delighted to arrange their belongings in their new, smaller room. Although it was cozier compared to the spacious master bedroom they had in their main home, their eyes sparkled with appreciation as Yvonne assisted with the placement of everything, eagerly offering suggestions that the children immediately accepted.Micheal had given up his room for the children, opting instead for a luxurious inflatable bed in a corner of the large living room. The rest of the space was thoughtfully arranged to accommodate the children’s studies, with a comfortable sofa at the center, facing a large plasma screen for their cartoon time with their father. Despite everything looking good, Micheal felt a pang of embarrassment at the thought of inflating and deflating his bed every day.As the men helping with the furniture bega
A few days passed peacefully, with Yvonne growing increasingly attached to Lily and Jack as their house now stood beside hers. Micheal had relaxed many of his restrictions and even allowed the kids to sleep in Yvonne's room when they begged him for it.However, Yvonne's relationship with Micheal remained at a standstill, though she found herself unable to ignore his presence as easily as she once did. Ever since that night, she had become acutely aware of him as a man—not just a random person she could pretend didn't exist. She noticed how elegant he looked, even in casual clothing, and how his commanding demeanor was softened by the attentive way he observed his surroundings. When their eyes met, he would quickly look away, but the impact of those moments lingered.Yvonne couldn't stop the thoughts of how close he had come to kissing her from surfacing in her memory. She recalled his words, the feel of his touch on her skin when he tilted her chin to make her look at him. His every w
Micheal hadn’t moved from the same spot in hours. He had just tucked the kids into bed and slipped quietly onto the terrace outside their room.The night was still. The air held a gentle chill, the kind that slipped beneath the skin and settled deep in the bones. Birds chirped softly in the distance, and the wind rustled the trees, but even that felt far away—like he was underwater, drowning in everything he wished he’d done differently.She was gone.Yvonne had left him.She hadn’t said much—her words were soft but sharp, laced with pain. He could still hear her voice, low and trembling: “You should’ve told me. All this time, you knew something, didn’t you?”He had tried to explain, to reach for her hand, but she’d pulled away. Her eyes, once filled with cautious affection, now brimmed with something heavier—betrayal.And just like that, the air had left the room.An hour later, he was back in his study.Micheal paced the floor barefoot, his shirt rumpled, sleeves rolled to his elbow
The quiet hum of the ceiling fan was the only sound that filled the room for a long while. Yvonne sat propped up against her pillows, a warm blanket tucked around her legs, and her mother seated close beside her on the edge of the bed. The soup bowl sat in Anna’s lap, and she offered spoonfuls to her daughter between soft words and careful glances.“To say your father is trying would be an understatement,” Anna said gently, brushing a stray curl from Yvonne’s cheek. “He’s doing everything in his power to hold himself together… and to redeem himself the only way he knows how.”Yvonne gave a soft nod, accepting the next spoonful.“David was arrested. But… they had to release him,” Anna continued with a sigh, her voice growing brittle. “There just wasn’t enough evidence. Not yet. But your father—he’s not letting this go. He’s digging. Talking to people. Trying to make something stick. He wants to see that man locked away.”Yvonne let out a breath, slow and even, the soup lingering on her
To say Yvonne was surprised to be carrying a child would be an understatement. She and Micheal had been wild when it came to intimacy.It was impossible to deny—she had gotten addicted to his touch, to that other side of him that contrasted so sharply with the calm, patient father and composed CEO he presented during the day.Micheal was a passionate man in many ways, and Yvonne had grown to crave them all. He was attentive, tender, yet strong—always able to meet her desire with a fire of his own. There wasn’t a single memory with him that left her feeling regret or discomfort. And yet, they had been careful.She always took the morning-after pill, even when he held her afterward and stroked her hair with words that left her heart warm and content. It never crosses her mind that their relationship is deep enough to hope for a child together, especially when their deal was nothing but a dignified nanny until the children’s love and affection changed that notion in her heart.She remem
Micheal’s mind churned as he replayed the grainy footage, his jaw clenched tight. The recovered videos from five years ago had given him something—but not enough. Not enough to piece together the full picture. Not enough to explain the nightmare that had haunted both him and Yvonne.In the feed, he could see himself staggering down a hotel corridor, disoriented, clearly intoxicated—or worse. He barely recognized the version of himself swaying, confused, squinting at the doors as if trying to find the room number he couldn't make out.Then she appeared.A woman stepped into frame, speaking to him softly. Her hand pointed at a specific room. Without hesitation, his silhouette obeyed, walking toward the door she’d indicated. She turned and walked away like her part had been played.At first, Micheal had been baffled. The footage stopped there—nothing out of the ordinary. But something didn’t sit right.Then it hit him.He rewound. Slowly. Frame by frame.And there she was again.Sammy.T
The house felt like a tomb. Silent, suffocating, and filled with ghosts of emotions Yvonne couldn’t name.She had locked herself in for days, refusing contact with the outside world. The mere thought of facing reality made her sick to her stomach—literally. Every meal her mother forced upon her barely made it past her throat before nausea clawed its way up, rejecting the sustenance she knew she needed.She was wasting away.Her reflection in the mirror had become a stranger—sunken eyes, hollow cheeks, a shadow of herself. And yet, she couldn't find it in her to care.Because how could she?How could she pretend to be okay when the one person she had given her trust—her safe place—was the very reason her world had collapsed?Michael.She had once whispered his name with reverence in her heart, with an aching sort of longing she never dared admit to him yet.Now?Now it felt like a curse.She should be grateful, right? Fate had played a cruel joke on her, but in the end, she hadn’t los
A few hours after David’s arrest—outside the police station.Sammy stood stiffly by the station’s entrance, arms crossed tightly over her chest as she watched the doors swing open. David stepped out, his expression set in a tight scowl, flanked by his lawyer.She had done all she could. After failing to secure help from the company’s legal team, she had arranged a private lawyer for him and stayed with him through the exhausting process. But it hadn’t changed much.Yvonne’s father had opened a case against David, and while there wasn’t enough physical evidence to detain him, the investigation was ongoing. David had been warned—he could be summoned at any time.Just as David took his first breath of fresh air, a furious voice cut through the tense atmosphere."You used my daughter."David barely had time to react before Yvonne’s father stormed toward him, each step fueled by pure rage. His cane tapped harshly against the pavement, his other hand pointing a trembling finger straight at
A lot had happened that day.Micheal had barely left the twins’ room when he received an urgent call from his personal assistant, Sandra. The moment he answered, her voice carried a mix of urgency and disbelief.“There’s chaos at the company, sir. Something big happened early this morning.”Micheal frowned, gripping his phone tighter. “What kind of chaos?”Sandra took a deep breath before delivering the bombshell.“It’s about David… He was arrested.”For a moment, Micheal said nothing, his mind processing the unexpected turn of events.Apparently, Yvonne’s father hadn’t been able to stomach the full scope of what his daughter had suffered. And unlike before—when he had turned his back on her—this time, he had taken action. He had wasted no time in seeking legal justice, making sure David paid for what he had put Yvonne through.The arrest had sent shockwaves through the company. Employees had been left speechless, watching in stunned silence as one of their highest-ranking executives
The Twins' Innocent ConfrontationAs soon as Micheal left the twins' room, Rebecca took a deep breath, regaining her composure. Now that she knew the truth, her purpose had shifted—this wasn’t just about being a temporary nanny anymore. She was genuinely ready to care for the children in Yvonne’s absence.With renewed confidence, she approached the twins, a warm smile gracing her lips."Let’s get you two ready for school."But the moment her words left her mouth, she noticed a familiar exchange of glances between Jack and Lily—silent yet unmistakably purposeful, like they were communicating without speaking.Then Jack turned his gaze to her, his small brows furrowed. His voice, though soft, carried an unmistakable weight of accusation."Why did you lie to Mommy?"Rebecca's heart skipped a beat. The innocent yet mature expression on their faces made her falter, the sheer seriousness of their demeanor contrasting with their adorable features.She swallowed, suddenly feeling exposed unde
A Father's RedemptionThe embrace lingered for a few precious moments, a silent exchange of love and reassurance before Micheal kissed the twins' foreheads. He pulled back gently, his hands cupping their small faces as he gazed into their wide, trusting eyes. Before speaking, he subtly wiped away the remnants of his tears, determined to steady himself."What I want you two to know is that your mother loves you so much," Micheal said firmly, his voice carrying the weight of his emotions. "She was super sad and sick when she thought she lost you two. So, have it in mind that she would never, under any circumstances, leave you again."Jack and Lily nodded, their tiny faces etched with a seriousness that melted Micheal’s heart. He would have smiled at their cuteness if not for the crushing despair that lingered in his chest. What he was about to say next mattered more than anything.He took a deep breath. "So, what I want to say is… if you two want to go to her now, she won’t say no. But