Micheal stood rigid, his jaw clenched as he stared down his mother. "Mrs. Langston, I have said my piece. I do not care about the past. Lily and Jack are my children, and I do not require your help in securing a future for them. I can do that with or without the Langston group. Don't tempt me, Mother. I've reached my limit of tolerating you." His voice, low and unwavering, echoed through the room like a final verdict.He turned on his heel and strode out, his steps measured, controlled—a stark contrast to the storm brewing inside him. For a fleeting moment, Mrs. Langston caught a glimpse of the man her son had become: a father, a protector, someone no longer willing to bend to the will of the Langston legacy.Mrs. Langston's face hardened as the door closed behind Micheal. Her hands, clasped tightly in front of her, trembled with barely contained rage. This was not the obedient son she had raised, the one who was supposed to safeguard the family's legacy. No, this was a man who dared
Micheal walked towards Yvonne sitting on the couch, clearly waiting for him. As he took his seat beside her, he asked, "Why are you still awake? And how did the kids behave while I was away?"Yvonne let out a sigh, her expression a mix of exhaustion and amusement. "Oh, Micheal, the kids… they were something tonight. I don't know where their energy came from." She shook her head, unable to hold back a small laugh. "I should probably tell you about the… incident." Yvonne said with a dramatic expression. Micheal raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Incident?""Yes," Yvonne began, trying to find the right words. "So, there was this room in the apartment—one that looked like it was set up for a honeymoon or something. The master bedroom apparently. Rose petals everywhere, dim lighting, candles, and... other things." She glanced at him, her face a mix of embarrassment and amusement. "It was beautiful but also… well, very private, very adult."Micheal’s eyes widened slightly. "Okay… and?" He said
“And you’ve changed your mind?” Yvonne asked, struggling to hold his gaze. She wanted to study his expression, to read the emotions that words sometimes failed to convey.Micheal remained silent for a moment, his eyes searching hers before letting out a deep sigh. He looked ready to speak, but his hesitation felt like a heavy silence to Yvonne.She took it as a sign. She had spent over four years pretending not to notice when she wasn't cared for, and she wasn’t about to build another relationship on similar terms with Micheal. The curiosity about his gift still lingered, but she was prepared to let it go if he was uncertain.Yvonne felt a sting of embarrassment that he had overheard her conversation with Amy, though she didn’t know Micheal had only caught part of it before leaving her room. “It’s okay, Micheal. I understand,” she said quietly and stood up, ready to retreat to one of the many rooms in the luxurious place someone who claimed to be just a driver had effortlessly arrange
Micheal wasn’t sure how he managed to find an empty room amid the noise in his head. His mind was a chaotic whirlwind of disbelief and regret."You just had to lose your mind and confess to her. And then what? You made it seem unimportant!"He had been a man of control all his life. Even when his parents tried to make decisions for him, he was always one step ahead, secretly planning his own path. But ever since Yvonne came into his life, he had lost that firm grip on his emotions. Her presence seemed to unravel him in ways he never anticipated.Yvonne had been hurt before; he knew that much. He had to be careful around her, but he found himself constantly questioning what constituted ‘careful’ and when it crossed the line into 'too much.' He was unsure of the balance between showing her he cared and giving her the space she might need.Earlier at the beach, he had exercised every ounce of self-control. Her body had mesmerized him, but half his mind was focused on his children, who we
Micheal, Yvonne, and the twins finally returned to their home apartment. The children wore expressions of clear discontent, their small feet shuffling across the floor in slow, reluctant steps. The reason was simple: they were going back to the routine of separate rooms. It was as if the magic of their week together—their shared space, their closeness—was being erased, and neither of them wanted that.The week they'd spent together had been blissful, a glimpse of the family they'd all longed for. Micheal had smiled more than ever, and not just at them. Yvonne, who had embraced her role with a tenderness that enveloped the twins, had become more than just “Mommy”—she was their safe harbor, her warmth and love woven into every gesture. Now, the children feared that being apart, even in separate rooms, might unravel all that progress.“Daddy, can't we stay in our room or mommy's room? Any of it is fine, but we have to stay together,” Lily pleaded, her voice small but heavy with emotion.
As soon as they stepped inside, Yvonne hurriedly turned to face Micheal. “We’re here, so start talking,” she said, her chest heaving with anxiety.It felt to Yvonne as if she was on the verge of losing the fragile happiness that had recently formed in her life. Micheal’s calm expression wasn’t helping, and her frustration only grew.“Calm down, Yvonne,” Micheal said softly, walking toward the couch. He sat down, Yvonne trailing behind him, her eyes locked on his.“Calm down?” she repeated, her voice shaking. “You say that, but all I know is that something serious happened and you’re acting like it’s no big deal!”Micheal gestured for her to sit beside him. “It was serious, yes. But Lily’s breathing stabilized, and she’s resting. You don’t need to keep worrying.”Yvonne’s brows furrowed in confusion. “And what caused her to pass out?” she demanded, almost sarcastically. His calmness was beginning to irritate her.Micheal’s eyes softened, and he sighed. “Lily has a heart condition. It’s
Micheal’s jaw tightened as he leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees. Yvonne could sense the shift in his demeanor—he was about to tell her something that weighed heavily on him. The room felt quieter, as if even the air around them held its breath.“You wanted to know about Lily and Jack's mother,” he began, his voice low but steady. “Well, to understand that, you need to know about my family.”Yvonne nodded, her gaze locked on his face, bracing herself for what was to come.“I ran away from my family’s suffocating grip years ago,” he continued. “Their traditions, their expectations—it was like living with a noose around my neck. They had my whole life planned out from the moment I was born. Who I’d marry, how I’d run the family business, everything. So, I left. I needed to breathe, to figure out who I was outside of their control.”Yvonne’s brows furrowed as she listened, her heart aching for the man in front of her. She could see the pain and frustration etched in his ex
Micheal’s heart skips a bit at the weight of her words. He could feel it- this moment that hung between them, thick with emotions. “You don't?” He asked softly, as if needing to hear it again to be certain. Yvonne nodded meekly, her cheeks flushing, warmth creeping across her skin, betraying her vulnerability. The silence that followed was charged, their eyes locked, each breath shared between them. Time seemed to slow as they sat there tethered to the moment. Yvonne broke the stillness, her voice trembling. “Micheal I wasn't confused about the desire I sense from you. I was confused about myself….. I am broken Micheal and although I might seem like I have moved on, I'm terrified. I am afraid that one wrong move, one unintended mistake, will shatter me….. and destroy everything we have built.” Her voice cracked, the raw honesty of her confession filling the room. She swallowed hard, her chest rising and falling with every breath as she gathered the courage to continue. “I don't
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
The Weight of Truth The morning light filtering through the curtains should have felt warm, comforting even, but it did nothing to ease the cold tension hanging in the room. Rebecca’s finger hovered over the call button, her pulse quickening as she struggled to think of another way to handle the children’s sudden withdrawal. The silence from the twins was suffocating, their usual bright energy drained into something distant and unreadable. Just as she was about to press the dial, a deep, weary voice stopped her. "Don’t call her." Rebecca jolted, her grip on the phone tightening. She turned swiftly, her gaze landing on Micheal, who stood at the doorway, his face shadowed with exhaustion. His usually sharp eyes were dim, weighed down by sleeplessness and something much deeper—regret. Without another word, Rebecca ended the call, slipping the phone into her pocket as she stepped aside. She recognized the authority in Micheal’s voice; this was a conversation meant only for him and his
The night stretched on, thick with unease, shadows pressing against the walls of Micheal’s home. He sat in his dimly lit study, the amber glow of his whiskey swirling in the glass he hadn’t taken a sip from. His hands clenched the armrests of his chair, knuckles white from the pressure.He was drowning in emotions too intense, too suffocating.Anger, at the sheer audacity of David and Sammy—the realization that Yvonne’s misery had been orchestrated for a business deal.Confusion, at how he had been placed at the centre of it all without his knowledge.And above all else—fear.Fear of what this truth meant. Fear of the possibility that he had unknowingly been the reason Yvonne’s life had unravelled. The woman he loved. The woman he had vowed to protect.Was he her nightmare?He wanted to reject it, to push the thoughts away, but they wrapped around his mind like chains, dragging him deeper into torment.He needed answers.If his mother had orchestrated this, then she was not above lyin
The room was thick with silence—so heavy it felt suffocating. The air itself seemed to pause, unwilling to carry the weight of Yvonne’s confession any further.Yvonne had just summarised everything she had been through, leaving out the fact that Micheal happened to be the man who had been the catalyst of her horror. The man had unknowingly become a tool to ruin her life.Across from her, her parents sat frozen, their expressions carved from pure shock. Her mother’s lips trembled, her eyes wide and unblinking, while her father’s face had lost all its color, drained of warmth, of disbelief, of every ounce of composure he once held.Two minutes passed. Not a single word was spoken.Then, like a fragile thread snapping under unbearable tension, her mother let out a heart-wrenching sob. She clutched her chest, shaking her head as if she could somehow will away the truth. Tears streamed down her face, and with a broken cry, she lurched toward Yvonne, wrapping her in the fiercest, most despe
The moment Yvonne stepped through the grand gates of her family’s estate, a heavy weight settled onto her chest, pressing down like an invisible force threatening to suffocate her. The sight of the familiar stone pathways, the towering oak trees lining the driveway, and the grand house standing against the twilight sky—all of it should have been comforting. But instead, it shattered her. This was home. The place where she had once felt safe, loved, untouchable. And yet, it had also been the place where she had been cast aside, left to fend for herself in a world that had swallowed her whole. Her legs barely carried her as she stepped into the house, the familiar scent of lavender and aged wood filling her lungs. The warmth of the golden lights did nothing to chase away the chill in her bones. She was trembling, her hands clutching her coat as if it could shield her from the memories clawing at the edges of her mind. Her mother was the first to see her. “Yvonne?” The voice was s
A lot had happened in one day.Micheal paced his study, his hands trembling as he replayed the events of the evening in his mind. The image of David’s smug face, the sound of his own fist connecting with David’s jaw, and the suffocating fury that had consumed him—it all played on a loop. He paused, his fists clenching at his sides as his chest heaved.What had come over him? Why had he let his anger drive him to such an impulsive act when he had the resources to destroy David in a hundred calculated ways?He sank onto the edge of the couch, his head in his hands, disbelief washing over him. He was Micheal Langston, a man who prided himself on control and strategy. Yet tonight, he had thrown that all away."Yvonne..." he whispered her name, his voice breaking as his mind wandered to her. She had suffered enough, and now, David’s cruel revelations had reopened old wounds. Micheal felt his blood boil.The past had haunted him long enough. If Yvonne truly was the woman he had slept with f
The silence after Micheal’s departure was suffocating. The sound of the door slamming shut echoed in the grand foyer of David’s villa, leaving Sammy and David alone in a thick tension that hung in the air like a storm cloud.Sammy’s chest heaved as she stood frozen, staring at David, who leaned against the wall, clutching his bruised side and dabbing at the blood on his split lip. The sight of him—disheveled, angry, and utterly unbothered by the disaster he had just ignited—sent a surge of fury coursing through her veins.“What the hell is wrong with you?” she shrieked, her voice trembling with fear and rage as she stormed toward him. Her fists came down hard on his chest, again and again, with a strength born of desperation. “Are you trying to ruin us? Is that it? Do you want us to lose everything we’ve worked for?”David winced but made no move to stop her, his eyes blazing with defiance. “I’m not the one ruining anything! That bastard Micheal—”“Don’t you dare blame him for your id
The silence in the car was deafening, broken only by the faint hum of the tires against the asphalt. Yvonne gripped the steering wheel tightly, her knuckles white from the pressure. She didn’t know where she was heading initially, but as the skyline of the city blurred past, one destination solidified in her mind: her parents' house. She hadn’t willingly stepped foot there in years, but something about tonight—about everything—pulled her back. She just wants warmth and her mind couldn’t help but drift back to when she was still little and doted on by her parents.They had expressed regret for what they had done and although Yvonne still couldn't bring herself to forgive them, she needed that warmth.Amy is miles away and not in the condition to shoulder her burden with her. She has no one else to reach out to. Her phone buzzed on the passenger seat, jolting her out of her thoughts. She glanced at the screen. It was Micheal. Her first instinct was to ignore it, but then she thought ab
Yvonne ended the call with Amy, her heart pounding as the words replayed in her mind. She glanced at the dashboard clock—barely an hour had passed since her confrontation with David, but it felt like an eternity. The silence in the car was oppressive, the faint hum of the engine doing little to soothe her nerves.Her grip on the steering wheel tightened as she pulled onto the main road, the familiar route to “Micheal’s” house filling her with dread. It wasn’t home anymore—or was it? Her thoughts spiraled as her breathing grew shallow.The children. Jack and Lily.She could picture them now, curled up in their beds, innocent and blissfully unaware of the chaos that had consumed her life. They were hers. The realization still felt unreal, like an out-of-body experience. Her chest ached at the thought of them waking up to find her gone.“I can’t leave them,” she whispered, her voice trembling. However she didn't want her children to see the pathetic side of her either.Additionally the t