ALEXANDER'S POV I don't know what hurt the most, having evidence that Franklin was my son but still not being able to hold him or the fact that Katherine didn't believe that Astra was the one behind the Scandal that nearly destroyed her life.It was weird and while I understand her point, I could not also believe that she would think that low of me.What did I do to make her think that way?The DNA results stared back at me, mocking me for the failed attempt to get my son back even with concrete evidence and I turned my face away back to the door.It's been almost 48 hours and there was still no trace of Astra yet, Henry came back with nothing, Not even a link to where she might have gone.A part of me was worried because her disappearance might mean further mischief on her part but at the same time, it felt relieving to finally have an apartment free from tantrums, giggling over new bags, and the usual social media chatter she does every night at dinner.I smiled as my gaze fell on
ALEXANDER'S POV"She signed a contract with your company??" Mom asked, her voice raised with surprise.I had to force my face from Susan's ever-knowing glance and turned to stare at Mom."Yes, she did," for some weird reason, my tone was laced with pride and I felt my heart swell with pride as they both looked surprised that she was capable of signing a contract with a company as huge as mine."A contract? For what?""Mom, seriously?" Sue interrupted and rolled her eyes."What?""You're acting like you didn't know that she had that much potential in her. She's an artist mom. You just heard us talk about her exhibition.""And? What does an artist have to do with a tech company? Are you sure she's not just reaching out to you, Alexander? She's showing you that she's still interested."As much as I wanted to believe Mom's optimistic Statement, I knew more than anyone that it was impossible.If anything she was definitely showing off what she could do to me, that's if she was actually awa
KATHERINE'S POV The hushed sounds around the room as I walked in were exactly what I expected. Of course, they wouldn't be all too happy to see me, not after they know what I'm about to do.Hazel walked in behind me and grabbed a chair for me at the center of the table before sitting next to me.The men cleared their throats and I watched as their representative stood up and looked around the room.It was time to start."Welcome, ladies and gentlemen of the board. I'm sure some of you are aware why we are gathered together today especially with a stranger in our midst. Well, for those of you who aren't aware, especially the ones who have no idea who's in our midst, I'll repeat myself."He kept silent for two seconds and took one glance at me before he continued. "This is Miss Katherine Bethany Luthers. Daughter of Mrs Agatha Katherine Luthers, the founder of this company. And we're here to discuss the ownership of this company."I watched as some of the men and women took in the new
KATHERINE'S POV I turned to look at who had the guts to land their hands on my face and all blood drained from my face as I stared at the one woman I hate.Elizabeth Shane.. my stepmother.I stared at her, unable to bring myself to say anything. Shock held my tongue captive as I stood transfixed in a spot, my hands still on my face."Mom! Thank goodness you are here. This bitch dared to step her foot inside the Shane company and I was just putting her in her place."I scoffed and shook my head, the shock finally leaving me."Shane company?" I repeated."How dare you come back here? I heard you were back in town, I heard everything you were doing, showing up at your ex-husband's company and causing chaos. I knew you would show up here next. Why can't you live a life free from chaos? I understand that you're obsessed with being on the camera but it shouldn't make you try to ruin our good reputation."I laughed, slowly at first, then more, then more again, my hands clutching my stomach
ALEXANDER'S POV "Astra..." I managed to say as I stared at her in surprise. It wasn't what I expected. She didn't look disheveled but she looked like she had been crying for days and it was surprising.Why would she cry? Wasn't she the one behind everything?Mom didn't say a word..she didn't have to though, her face already said a thousand words as she glared at the sad face Astra was pulling and then Susan. She was looking weirdly disappointed to see her."What's going on?" I asked finally, taking another step toward her."Alex.. I'm so sorry. I couldn't. I couldn't do it."I frowned, confused."What? Do what?" She sniffed, tears falling off her face."I tried to, Alex, I promise you. I tried to kill myself because I deserve to die. I wanted to punish myself for you. To do what you would want to do to me but I couldn't. I can't. Alexander, please forgive me."I blinked, utterly confused at what was going on.So Astra really did try to commit suicide? Why?"You tried to kill yourse
KATHERINE'S POVThe sight of Henry standing outside the building sent a jolt of unease through me. His presence here, of all places, couldn’t be a coincidence. My mind raced, trying to piece together why Alexander’s assistant would be here, especially after everything that had just transpired inside. Was Alexander keeping tabs on me? Or was this something else entirely?Hazel’s grip on my hand tightened, her eyes narrowing as she stared at Henry through the car window. “What the hell is he doing here?” she muttered, her voice low but laced with suspicion.I didn’t have an answer. My thoughts were a chaotic whirlwind, torn between the confrontation I’d just had with Elizabeth and Clara and the sudden appearance of Henry. My heart was still pounding from the adrenaline of standing up to my stepmother, and now this? It felt like the universe was testing me, pushing me to my limits.“Let’s go,” I said quietly, my voice steadier than I felt. “We’ll deal with this later.”Hazel nodded, but
ALEXANDER'S POV The room felt heavy with tension after Astra’s tearful confession and my mother and Susan’s abrupt departure. I sat in silence, my mind racing as I tried to process everything that had just happened. Astra’s sobs had quieted, but her presence still lingered, a reminder of the chaos she had brought into my life. I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to her sudden remorse than she was letting on. But for now, I had bigger things to worry about.My son. Franklin. The boy I hadn’t even known existed until a few days ago. The boy who had called me “Daddy” without even knowing who I was. The thought of him sent a pang of guilt and longing through me. Katherine had kept him from me for six years, and now that I knew the truth, I couldn’t just sit back and let her dictate how this would play out. I needed to see him, to talk to him, to be a part of his life. But how?I glanced at Astra, who was still standing awkwardly in the middle of the room, her eyes red and pu
KATHERINE'S POV"What's this call I just got, Katherine?" Hazel asked as she walked into my office.It's been hours of arranging and rearranging my mother's former office and trying to make it look exactly as I remembered it looked like.It wasn't easy ..no, everything since this morning hasn't been easy.Ever since I found out about Alex's involvement in the company, and then that visit of his..? Something just didn't stick to me, it just didn't seem right. I sighed and dropped the pile of files I was carrying and turned to stare at Hazel.The look on her face told me that she was angry and I could already tell that this was going to add to my already piled-up list of worries."What call?" I asked as I stared expectantly at her."What else??"The rolling of her eyes And the frown was enough for me to know who it was about.I sighed again and slumped on the seat.Great...just great."What did he do this time, Hazel?""He went to Franklin's school, Katherine, that's what he did."I sa
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