ALEXANDER'S POV It wasn’t difficult for me to wake up since I had barely slept.The sun peeped through the blinds, and I grabbed the pillow next to me, using it as shade.Last night was the most eventful night of my life...no, actually the entire day. Yesterday was the most eventful day of my life.It felt like a dream, a terrible one but as I grabbed my phone and stared at the notification I got from the board of directors about the contract being sent to Katherine, I knew that it wasn't a dream.It was reality. My reality.Astra's behavior after finding out about Katherine's return was not surprising, and so was the fact that she threatened to ruin her life.Astra was crazy, really crazy and if she makes a threat, especially considering something that she thinks belongs to her, she would definitely go through with it and that terrified me.Her reaction when she found out that Katherine was a client of RodaTech was exactly what I couldn't stop thinking about.When we got divorced, s
KATHERINE’S POVThe hotel room felt suffocating, the air thick with tension and the weight of the world pressing down on my shoulders. My fingers gripped the phone so tightly that my knuckles turned white as I scrolled through the headlines. The media had wasted no time. Speculation about Franklin’s paternity was everywhere and just as I suspected, the frenzy was only growing. The paparazzi ate me like hungry vultures.My stomach churned as I read the bold, accusatory titles: “Alexander Blake, CEO of RodaTech has a Secret Love Child?”, “Katherine’s Return: A Scandal Revisited?”, “Who is the Love child?" Each headline felt like a dagger, twisting deeper into the life I had worked so hard to rebuild.Hazel paced the room, her heels clicking against the hardwood floor with every step. Her frustration was palpable, her voice sharp as she broke the silence. “This has Alexander written all over it, Katherine. You know it does. He’s not the type to let something like this slide. He’s play
ALEXANDER'S POV A million thoughts ran through my head as I swirled around in my chair. The sound of the clock ticking did nothing more than increase my anxiety with each passing second.My anxious fingers drummed restlessly against the polished mahogany desk, the rhythmic tapping the only sound breaking the oppressive silence and bringing a little bit of calm to my head.My mind felt like it was having a hurricane attack, being a whirlwind of anticipation and doubt, each thought spiraling deeper into the abyss of uncertainty.I didn't know how long I had to wait. But that wasn't what bothered me more. It was the fact that everything I planned depended on Henry's success, and the success seemed unattainable.Katherine was no fool. She managed to fool me for six years, managed to hide the fact that she was pregnant from me, she can do it again.She was as smart as anything, at least that was what I just recently found out with the business contract that she got and all that. She defin
ALEX'S POV The sound of the slap resounded in my ears again as I stared at Astra, the question still hanging in my head. If she could go to the extent of hitting Henry, my personal assistant, directly in front of me without being bothered, then what would she do to Katherine behind me?For some reason it had me questioning her and the things she might have done in the past that I wasn't aware of.I thought I knew Astra well enough, her anger, her tantrums, everything but it turns out that I was wrong all along.I've never seen this side of her and as I watched her, I felt a gnawing feeling bite at me.Astra’s chest heaved with anger, her eyes blazing as she glared at Henry, who remained standing ,his expression unreadable, even to me. For a moment, no one moved. The tension in the air was palpable, thick enough to cut with a knife. It was still a shock and I could tell that Henry was still reeling from it.“Astra,” I finally said, my voice low but firm, “do you care to explain what
KATHERINE'S POV Ever since Henry left, the room felt heavier, as if his presence had left behind an invisible weight that pressed down on my chest. Hazel was pacing again, her heels clicking sharply against the floor, each step a punctuation mark to her growing frustration. She stopped abruptly, turning to face me with her arms crossed and her expression tight."That's it?" I stared at her, confused because we just had a conversation about Franklin and Alex trying to take him away from me."What?"She sighed loudly and shook her head as if in disbelief that I was asking her such a question."What? I don't know, Katherine, Maybe it is the fact that Alexander's personal assistant just walked out from our hotel room, an accommodation that was so private that no one, not even the press would be able to find out.""Hazel, we've talked about this, right? I thought I told you, he didn't look like he was here on Alex's command. He wouldn't come here to warn me if it was Alex who sent him wo
ALEXANDER'S POV The morning sun filtered through the tinted windows of the car, casting a muted glow across the leather interior which would have made it beautiful if I wasn't in a sour mood. I slumped into the backseat, my posture rigid, my gaze fixed on the passing cityscape as we drove past them.The silence in the car was interrupted by the rhythmic tapping of Henry’s fingers on the steering wheel, which only further grated on my nerves as it served as a constant reminder of the tension that had settled between us since the previous day.I knew that Henry was still slightly unhappy with the way Astra treated him despite the way he kept brushing it away like it was nothing.His reactions now were obviously another way of him acknowledging that he was indeed uncomfortable with the way he was treated.My suspicions were proven true the minute he cleared his throat, interrupting the tense silence in the car."We need to talk."Right. Sooner than later, we were bound to discuss her.
ALEXANDER'S POV "Mr Blake, as much as I would love to help you.. and trust me, I really want to, it's impossible. We have to stick to the procedures and it has to be two days. It can't be done anything less than that."I glared at him, his words only further adding to my already irate temper.Two days? I came here personally, should he not have gotten a little hint of how important this was to me?Two days was too much."I don't think you understand what I just said," I said as I leaned closer and stared at him.He licked his lips, his eyes shaky as he tried to stare back at me."Mr..."I banged the table hard and clenched my other fist, I saw his eyes widen from the corner of my eyes."Oh, don't you dare... How much have I given to this hospital? How much?? I donate the highest amount among all your sponsors, I do the best job by promoting your hospital. The majority of your clients are from me, they are here because of me. I made you, it's time for you to pay me back. Give me the
ALEXANDER'S POV Finally Saturday!Forty-eight hours of restless pacing, sleepless nights, and a gnawing anxiety that refuses to let go. The DNA results are due today, and the silence is suffocating me. It was quarter past nine and my feet won't detach from their attachment to the ground as I kept pacing from one place to the other.The fact that I was this close to finding out the truth was one reason why I was a bit bothered but then there's Hazel, Katherine's friend.Her words have refused to leave my head ever since we had that phone call at the hospital.It was all just too strange. Why would she call me all of a sudden? And what was that cryptic message? There's a storm coming??Hell, what does that even mean?What does she mean?I’ve tried calling her back a dozen times, but the number has been disconnected. It’s like she vanished into thin air, leaving behind nothing but questions and a growing sense of unease. Why did she call me in the first place? Somehow I found myself
ALEXANDER'S POVI shouldn't be surprised. Why did I assume that something was going to change between us just because we slept together?She must have just been out of her senses, and well, I was also.But even as I tried so hard to pretend like I wasn't that affected by the reaction she gave me, I still couldn't. A part of me hurts, my heart especially."You called for me?" Henry's voice interrupted my thoughts, and I lifted my head up to stare at him.Right now, all I could think of was how to get Katherine, how to discuss with her one on one.Ever since Susan's wedding, she hasn't shown up at work and refused to pick up my calls.It was pretty obvious that something was going on, but she wouldn't tell me what it was; heck, she refused to spare me an audience."Yes, please."He eyed me, his brows raised and that familiar worried look in his eyes.If there was anyone who would understand what I was going through, it was definitely him."You met with her."It was a statement, not a qu
KATHERINE'S POVI shouldn't have done that. His hurt eyes danced around in my mind, and I tried to push it out.I didn't know how to tell him the truth.That I was not only afraid, but I was also being blackmailed.But it was best that I kept silent about it, at least for both of us and our son's sake.The words that man said to me just before Alexander walked towards me rang in my ears."You're going to ruin your reputation again. This time, it'll be your fault. So choose, Katherine—your six-year-old son or your ex-husband?"I blinked back so hard to fight the tears that threatened to fall off my face as I walked towards my car.Why does this keep happening to us?Anytime I try to get close to Alex, anytime I get the slightest hint that we were going to be able to get back together, something happens.Now, after what happened upstairs, I get blackmailed to leave him alone.The man's face was not familiar, so it was hard to tell if he was a reporter or just someone sent by someone els
ALEXANDER'S POVI almost choked on my drink at her words, and I turned to face her with widened eyes.I didn't know that she was going to be this direct with what she knows, and that only made me more flustered."What..?" I asked as I used the back of my palm to wipe off the drink that had splattered on my face.She had that amused look on her face, one that showed that she knew and enjoyed what she was doing to me."I asked if Katherine had a good sleep also.""How would I know that? You invited her. Ask her if she did."She smiled."Yeah, right. You really need to be more subtle if you're really going to hide what happened from me."I let out a soft groan.Fuck! The disadvantage of having someone as your twin—you can't hide anything!"How did you know?"She smiled, her eyes dancing with triumph."You've been staring at her since you walked back in. Besides, I noticed when she went in after you. I'm pretty sure Kelvin also noticed it."I raised my brows.If he did, then he definitely
ALEXANDER’S POVKatherine lay beside me, her chest rising and falling, her skin glistening with a thin sheen of sweat. Her eyes were still half-lidded, lips swollen from our kisses, her body wrapped around mine like she never wanted to let go. And damn, I never wanted her to.I could still feel the way her body burned on me, the moans she screamed out as we made out some minutes ago.It was still echoing in my ears.But reality had a cruel way of creeping back in. The muffled sounds of music and laughter from downstairs seeped through the walls, a reminder of what awaited us.The wedding reception was still in full swing, a celebration happening just beneath us while we lay tangled in sheets, lost in our own world.A world that wasn’t supposed to exist anymore, at least, not after the fight we had back then at the hospital.This...I turned my head to admire her pale body and half-closed eyes.This wasn't supposed to happen.I swore to stay away from her, to respect her desires to be
KATHERINE'S POV My eyes closed as he pressed his lips to mine. Every inch of my brain screamed for me to leave, to push him away and exit the room but it was almost impossible. I didn't know how badly I wanted him until I felt the taste of his tongue in mine; the mixture of rum, coffee and something sweet. I missed him! He pulled me closer and I sighed softly, leaning more into his body and wrapping my arms around his neck. This wasn't what I planned to do. this shouldn't be happening. Alexander and I were over, what we had was in the past. But just for now. For today. I want to push everything away from my mind; the past, the pain and the revenge I planned. Everything. Only for today. He wrapped his arms tightly around my waist sending shivers down my spine at his touch and I let out a moan against his lips. I badly wanted him to take me and to claim me. My body burned with a different kind of heat, which only he can cure. But I couldn't say a single word, not while h
ALEXANDER'S POVThe house was bustling with activities, caterers arguing, event planners chattering, and the giggles of Susan and her girls.I was grateful for the distraction. It was enough to make me forget... at least for some time.For the past few weeks, I'd been actively avoiding Katherine, refusing to show up at the meetings and making sure that I didn't accidentally bump into her like I did the other day, and for what it's worth, it was successful enough.But I still had the jarring pain in my heart whenever I thought of her. I still dream about her, the words she said to me, the things she did, and the way she looked at me like I was nothing but trouble for her.Leaving her alone was the right decision to make, but it still hurts. Hearing her voice as I walk past the conference room, seeing her walk out of the lobby, and the torture of knowing that she was that close to me yet I couldn't approach her.I sighed heavily and walked out to the balcony of my room overlooking the g
KATHERINE'S POV"So here's the deal, we need to make sure that the design is outstanding, since it's the first of its kind. We want to attract a lot of people, especially the young ones, so we'll love it if you keep these in mind while creating the designs for the collaboration project."I nodded my head as I stared at Henry. It's been a week since I was hospitalized, since I had that argument with Alexander, and surprisingly, he kept to his word.As soon as I got the email from RodaTech informing me about the project starting today, I knew immediately that Alexander was going all formal with me.But I never expected it to be this serious.He didn't show up for the meeting we had this morning, and now, as we discussed the issue of the design, he was nowhere to be found.It was unlike him.Alexander would never sit out on a project that he considers serious or important, and the fact that he chose to stay out of it, sending Henry to represent him, shows a lot about how hurt he is.I wa
KATHERINE'S POV The door slammed shut behind Alexander, the sound echoing like a gunshot in the sterile hospital room. My chest tightened, my fingers gripping the sheets until my knuckles turned white. "I won’t bother you anymore." His words looped in my mind, sharp and final. This was what I wanted, wasn’t it? For him to walk away? To stop reopening old wounds? I wanted to forget everything, right? I should be happy and satisfied that he had finally decided to leave me. Then why did it feel like my ribs were cracking? Why did it hurt? Why did it feel like I would never see him again? Maybe because I was worried that he would try and do something else to me. Maybe because I was scared that he would come back for Franklin. But his last words resounded in my ears, and I knew that he meant them. Alexander was everything but a scoundrel. He was a man of his word, and if he said that he didn't want to have anything to do with me again, then he meant it. "You shouldn't have been t
ALEXANDER'S POV I paused and stared at both of them, who still seemed oblivious to my presence in the room. My heart squeezed with both anger and a slight pain as I watched Charles beside her, his hand wrapped protectively around hers. Suddenly, he turned to the door. His expression shifted from concern to outright hostility the moment his eyes landed on me. Katherine, pale and fragile-looking, turned her head slightly, her breath hitching when she saw me standing in the doorway. For a moment, no one spoke. The machines beeped in the background, filling the suffocating silence, and the sound of my still-racing heart filled my ears. I didn't want to go further. I stared directly at Katherine, her eyes looking so empty and her face pale. It was the first time I was seeing her that way since the day she was hospitalized back then. After some moments of consideration, I stepped forward, my throat tight. "Katherine..." Charles stood up almost immediately, his hands outstr