“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
Micheal’s breath hitched as Yvonne pressed herself even closer to him, her fingers trailing over his chest as she appreciate his well sculpted figure. The man hides lots of goodness under his usual former attire, not that he looked less captivating with clothes on, but Yvonne really like the unclothed version more. The world outside seemed to vanish under the intense atmosphere in the room, leaving only the two of them in this electrifying moment, tethered by the unspoken emotions and promises between them.Micheal tilted her face to draw her attention from his body to his face and kissed her again, slower this time, savoring the warmth of her lips, the softness of her skin as his hands roamed over her, brushing against her waist, her back. Yvonne's body responded instinctively, arching into his touch, her own hands trembling as they explored the firm lines of his shoulders and chest.Micheal’s hand guided her to sit around his thighs straddling him and before she could get comfortabl
Yvonne lay in the bed, her body still humming from the intensity of what had just happened. Her thoughts raced, trying to grasp the reality of the moment. She had just consummated her contract marriage with Micheal, and the sheer pleasure that coursed through her still lingered like a soft whisper against her skin. Was this real? she wondered. Her heart fluttered in disbelief as her mind replayed every tender touch, every heated kiss. The way he made her feel—loved, cherished, desired—was unlike anything she had ever imagined. She sighed softly, her thoughts drifting deeper into the memory. It was more than just physical, she realized. It was a connection that ran far deeper. She had given herself completely, and it had felt so right, so natural. Her heart pounded in her chest as her mind swirled with everything that had just happened between them. How could it feel this good? Micheal, lying beside her, noticed the faraway look in her eyes, her lips curved slightly in thought. He c
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
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