Michael Austin:I arrived at 2 p.m. hoping to see Natalie. I had been waiting for her to call me, but there was no sign of contact.I called Franklin, and he shut me out, saying I was no longer his friend and not welcome in his home."Oh! How do I get to see Natalie? I really wish I had confessed my feelings for her when she was having marital crises with Franklin, but now they seem to be getting along. I have known Franklin all my life and knew when he was joking and serious. Damn it!" I cursed as I stood by the roadside outside the estate gate.Other cars were going into the estate, but the security men refused to allow me entry, saying Franklin didn't want to see me.As I contemplated going back home, knowing I had little chance of seeing Natalie, the sun beat down on me in my crisp blue shirt, black jeans, and black canvas shoes.I saw a red car approaching, which was Asher's car. I remembered seeing him last at the HW global conference.He slowed down his car, smirked, and called
Micheal's POV:After my sister ran upstairs, my father looked at me and asked, "Since when was Franklin married?""I just called Mr. Howard, and he never mentioned anything about Franklin being married. Are you sure, Micheal, or do you just not want your sister to be happy?" My father looked at me with narrowed eyes, and I laughed, almost drunkenly."Why not? I want Gloria to be happy, and she knows Franklin is married. Well, she just discovered it now, and it's too late for her," I replied, still drinking from the vodka I took from the bar."Hmm, but I don't understand why Franklin's marriage is kept away from the public. Or did you attend it?" My dad asked, and I nodded."Fine. I'll see Gloria later and discuss this with her," Dad said, looking away at the TV console. I finished my drink and went back to my room on the top floor. Although this wasn't my house, I just came home for other reasons.As I arrived on the second floor, I marched up to Gloria's room to see her. I could hear
Amelia's POV:Earlier, when I received a phone call from an unknown number, I thought it might be Franklin. I was bored at home with my three brothers monitoring me like television, and I was sex-starved. I wanted to be touched by a man.Yeah, I know Natalie has been accused of being a hoe, but I am sure I'm worse than her. My irritation stemmed from her snatching my dream man, and I wanted revenge, even if it meant setting her up. However, she declined every man I sent to ask her out on a date, even before I returned to this city.Natalie has been faithful to Franklin, and that made breaking their marriage difficult. Franklin now sees me as a villain after discovering that I was the mastermind behind him being drugged the last time.He believes I was the one who drugged him in the past too. Well, I'm not too bothered about that; I just don't want Natalie to be the woman beside Franklin.For now, their wedding hasn't gone public, and many folks, even in their club, don't know that Fra
Micheal Austin:The sound of my phone beeping got my attention. Damn it. I couldn't believe that I had slept with Amelia Jackson. She was such a horny bitch, and now I felt so ashamed that I had done it with her.I grabbed my phone and saw that she had already sent Natalie's number. Now I didn't know how to face Natalie or whether to contact her.It was late, so I assumed Natalie would be asleep. Later, I would call her and try to talk to her. I knew Natalie had already told me that she didn't want to divorce Franklin, but I wanted her, not Amelia.I stood up and went into the bathroom to freshen up, feeling sour and dirty from sleeping with Amelia.I didn't care to call Amelia to find out if she had gotten home. Once I was done bathing, I got out, put on my night robe, and went to bed to sleep. However, seeing the rumpled sheets, I pulled them off and replaced them with a new bed cover. As I lay on the bed, the memory of my encounter with Amelia flashed in my mind. I groaned and trie
Natalie Jackson:Waking up to a bright Monday morning and the fact that my husband has changed from avoiding me to loving me has been cool.I carefully sat up on the bed to the delicious smell of fried eggs and bread."Franklin..." My eyes widened in shock as my husband came in, dressed in a white robe and holding a tray containing tea, bread, and fried eggs.He smiled as he approached me, who lazily sat up on the bed."Good morning, sweetheart. How was your night? I didn't want to wake you up," Franklin grinned as he set the white tray on a stool beside the bed. He sat down beside me and kissed my forehead."How are you this morning?" Franklin asked, and I smiled and replied, "Cool. Aren't you going to work this morning? It's almost 10 a.m."My eyes flew to the wall clock in my room. Franklin smiled and replied, "No, babe. I told you I want us to go on vacation."He watched me get up from the bed, and I told him, "I am coming."I went to use the bathroom. I got out and joined Frankli
Franklin Howard:I was nervous when I saw my wife acting anxiously. Gaining her trust back was one of the happiest moments of my life. I knew I had been cruel to her, but with the type of women in this city, getting someone like Natalie was rare. I had judged her wrongly, and I did not want to lose her again."Don't worry, we will have a baby soon. Come, let's go upstairs and freshen up. I will give you a bath," I said to her, my gaze locked with hers as I rose from the couch first and carried Natalie up in my arms as if she were a baby."Franklin, put me down," she said in her sweet, delicate voice as I held her firmly in my masculine arms, grinning at her nervousness."Why? Aren't you my wife?" I asked her with a smile as I climbed the flight of stairs to her room."I am," she pouted her pink lips as I ascended the stairs.Natalie was shy, and I couldn't believe that she was still acting shy even after we had been intimate several times since we reconciled last week.I couldn't beli
Natalie Jackson:I was in the closet, checking out what to wear since Franklin had said that we were going shopping for the things we would need for our honeymoon. I wanted to tell him to leave it, as we hadn't recently gotten married, but Franklin was happy and excited to travel with me, and I didn't want to kill his joy.The sound of my phone ringing in my room caught my attention. I swiftly went to check who was calling me, knowing that I had blocked most of my family members. Although my dad had told me to unblock them, I was still hesitant to do so.As I neared my phone, which was plugged in to charge, I furrowed my brows upon seeing that it was an unknown number. Maybe Gloria had decided to call me from another number, or was it Amelia or her three brothers? I scowled, wanting to end the call before my mind urged me to answer it."Hello, who's this?" I inquired, and my heart skipped a beat as I heard Michael's voice."Good morning, Natalie. How are you doing?" he asked. My brows
Natalie Jackson:I silently glanced at the road as Franklin drove the car out of his estate and headed for the shopping complex.A few drives later, he pulled to a stop and announced, "We're here.""Okay," I said, snapping out of my trance as I harbored thoughts about Michael in my mind. This shouldn't be my concern, but I couldn't help but feel bad for Michael, wishing he had a woman in his life and didn't spend his time chasing after a married woman.I am still amazed that Michael likes me. It was surprising to me because I knew many people loathed me because of my mother's history.I sighed, stepping out of the car as Franklin helped me pull the car door open, and we walked into the shopping plaza together."Must we shop for what we will be wearing here?" I asked him, whispering into his ear as he held me closer, like a celebrity couple."Yeah. We have to shop for our honeymoon clothes here, so we will travel with them instead of ordering from abroad," he said, his hot breath fanni
Amelia's POV.I exited the hotel building and saw Paul standing beside his car, waiting for me."Good evening, Paul," I greeted him with a smile as he stood by his car. He smiled and replied, "Well done, Amy. How was your day today?"Paul wore a crisp white shirt, black trousers, and shoes. He looked handsome and didn't seem to have changed in his looks or his smile, even after it had been long since I last saw him."My day was fine; and yours? You shouldn't have come here to pick me up," I told him, and he nodded with a smile, still standing beside his car in the hotel's parking lot and looking at me."You're right. But I couldn't help but desire to see your pretty face. Can we go now? I want us to visit somewhere special and reminisce about old times since we haven't seen each other in a while," he asked me in a gentle voice like a perfect gentleman.I blushed and replied, "Alright." I looked back at the hotel's magnificent building and got back into my car.I then drove off to anot
Amelia's POV:I continued the rest of the day working at my counter and attending to the hotel’s new visitors.My job was to collect their payments while the staff assisted the guests in finding what they wanted and showing them to various sections of the hotel: the rooms, the restaurant, and the event center.The hotel was a luxury hotel, and I don't regret picking this job. It gives me a view of all the drama that unfolds and the top-notch guests that arrive.I saw when Michael came in; he cast a glance my way but immediately looked away."What's going on between you and the boss?" Ivory asked me, and I sighed, not wanting to tell her about my affair with Michael.While most of them were aware that Michael had a child out of wedlock, they knew he was still single because he only posted my son on his social media profile. In short, he used my baby as his display picture, and he didn't even have to ask me to send photos of Almond to him. He would save any picture he liked from my page
AMELIA JACKSON:I awoke in my room and saw my son awake on the bed, playing with his toy.Meeting his gaze that looked like Michael's made me smile. Though Almond was fair-skinned like me, he was Michael's carbon copy.I smiled, getting off the bed as I remembered the kiss that Michael had given me. I set off to leave for work. Although I recalled Felix's refusal about me working in a hotel, I knew my three overprotective brothers would have dug out the name of the hotel I worked for. So I avoided leaving my bedroom the previous night and stayed in my room with my son, having dinner with him.Getting off the bed, I went to prepare my bath and to bathe my son as I was in a good mood. Sometimes I bathe him, and other times I allow Nancy to do it.As I prepared to bathe Almond first and help him strip off his clothes, Lady Nancy arrived with a smile, and I greeted her, "Good morning, Ma."She donned a white top and black skirt, and she replied with a smile, "Morning, Amelia. Your father
FRANKLIN POV:I got a call from Wesley regarding the man that Chris hired to attack me upon learning that I was in the hospital with Natalie. It raised my suspicions about what had gotten into Chris.I quickly swung into action and had the man arrested as soon as I left the hospital room where Natalie and her mother were, as the police came in time and whisked the man away.Being worried about my wife and twins' safety, I requested extra security personnel to privately safeguard them, as I hadn't hired bouncers before to look after me. Most families living around here were rich, so there was no point in my walking around with bodyguards. But right now, I couldn't take that risk.As I exited the hospital grounds and went to my car, I called Chris directly on the phone and cautioned him, "Chris, what games are you trying to play with me?"Chris was silent on the line and pretended not to know."What are you talking about, brother?" he asked jokingly, and I told him, "You will find out s
AMELIA JACKSON:"You sent for me, sir?" I asked Micheal, emphasizing "sir" so that he would understand why he summoned me."Yes. I did. What relationship did you have with my cousin?" He bluntly asked me, and I looked taken aback."Your cousin? Well, he is my ex, so that makes us familiar," I replied. Micheal rose from his office chair as he walked out to meet me.His office was extremely spacious and painted in white, similar to Franklin's office. I think they had the same taste, as Micheal's home seemed similar to Franklin's too."Familiar enough that you would have to kiss him? Is that how horny you are, Amelia?" Micheal reached for me and grasped my arms, but I shrugged him off."What's wrong with you? You shouldn't be concerned about whether I'm into his cousin or not. You don't want me, so stay away from my affairs." I wanted to leave, but Micheal caught me and pulled me closer to him. Before I could react and push him off, he sealed his lips on mine and kissed me hungrily."Mmm
MICHEAL AUSTIN:"You sent for me, sir?" my assistant asked; he was a 30-year-old man."Yes, I did. Who is in charge of employment, and why is Amelia here?" I glared at him, and he looked at me in shock and asked, "Amelia? I don't know who she is, sir.""Really? Who employed the staff today?" I asked him, and he said, "The human resources management, sir.""Get the staff here. Anyway, it's okay. You can leave," I dismissed him, knowing that my hotel has a way of employing highly trained staff to avoid any misconduct and theft.He looked at me and bowed. "Alright, sir."Once my assistant left my office, I picked up my phone and contacted Amelia's number directly. We had to finish this conversation, and I needed to know why she was here.I was angry, especially after seeing Paul kiss her."Hello," Amelia picked up my call, and I had almost thought that she wouldn't."Hello, Mike," she said, sounding nervous, and I told her, "Come to my office right away.""Your office? Where is it?" Amel
MICHEAL AUSTIN:I was on a phone call with Paul when I came out of the hotel to welcome him. Paul was a top attorney abroad, and he came back for my parents' reunion. Well, we were cousins, and I hadn't expected that he knew Amelia. When I came out to welcome him upon his arrival, I was taken aback to see how Paul swiftly caught Amelia by her right arm and pulled her back to his masculine chest. Before I could react and move to separate them, Paul sealed his lips on Amelia's and kissed her hungrily.My anger boiled upon seeing the way he kissed Amelia. As far as I wasn't in love with Amelia, I had studied the type of person she was. I thought she was the type of lady who threw herself at men because she had forced me to sleep with her. I found out that she hadn't been in any relationship since she returned from school abroad. I tried to mask my anger upon seeing my cousin and Amelia kiss. However, I couldn't even mask it, even as Paul greeted me.I was furious to see that Amelia
AMELIA JACKSON:"Natalie is my daughter, and you don't expect me not to bring her up. I have ignored how you treated her over the years. For goodness' sake, you take care of other people's children who aren't even related to us. Why can't you overlook Natalie and do the same for her? I promised never to cheat on you and maintained that. Yet, we went as far as to lay a curse on Natalie, whereas you are helping other outsiders by doing your charity and philanthropic work!" Dad sounded so angry, and Mom snapped, "I will never see Natalie as my child, and since you want a divorce, fine. I will sign the papers and leave. But this won't be the end of it.""Mom!" James rose to stop her from leaving the dining table."Mom, we all know you're angry, but a mistake like Natalie cannot be corrected. She is our sister, and you should forgive Dad and let go before you ruin all your years of hard work over annoyance. Fighting doesn't solve a problem; it damages it," James said to Mom, and she tried
AMELIA JACKSON:The next morning, I set out to leave for work, leaving my son, Almond, in the care of his nanny. I haven't considered registering him in a baby school yet because he is only a year old, and I thought it was best to discuss this with Michael first before enrolling Almond in any nearby baby school.As I was set to leave for my first day at work, I had applied the previous week at Michael's hotel to work there as their cashier. Well, I hadn't told him; I just wanted to be in the same workplace as him.It was a five-star hotel, and I was curious about what kind of job they had for me since they had already sent me a text message the previous evening.I donned a white top, a black straight skirt, and black shoes, adjusting my hair in front of the mirror. I moved back to meet my son in his baby walker and gave him his toys to play with.Lady Nancy arrived as she went to discard his diaper after helping him have his bath and changing him out of his old clothes."I am going to