When they returned to the mansion that evening, the house was eerily quiet."What’s going on?" Raven asked. "Where'd everyone go?""What's that over there?" Blair pointed to a small bouquet on the table. Attached to it was a note that read, Come to the garden.Raven’s heart skipped a beat. She followed the note’s instructions, and when she stepped into the garden, her breath caught.The garden was transformed into a romantic paradise. Twinkling fairy lights adorned the trees, and a path of rose petals led to a small table surrounded by candles."Mason did this," Raven whispered, her heart swelling. Suddenly her aching feet had disappeared, the back pain that had hit her while they were in Victoria’s Secret and signalled the end of the trip. Her exhaustion was gone and she was smiling so much her cheeks hurt. She was already close to tears as she took it all in.Just as she took a step forward, looking for Mason, a sharp pain shot through her abdomen. She grabbed her stomach and cried
One Year Later The Barrett estate was filled with life, laughter, and warmth. It was the twins’ first birthday, and the garden had been transformed into a magical wonderland with twinkling lights, pastel-colored balloons, and flowers. The scent of freshly baked cakes and savory treats prepared for the celebration filled the air. Raven stood in front of a large mirror in her bedroom, adjusting the delicate lace dress she wore. The gown hugged her figure in all the right places, a testament to how well she'd recovered after giving birth. She had lost some of her confidence after having the babies – her body had gone through so many changes, and she had hated looking in the mirror for a long time until Mason wouldn't allow her to anymore. The thing she was most self-conscious of was the scar from the surgery she had had to have after the babies were delivered. Mason bought matching lingerie and sexy sleepwear and refused to let her question how stunning she was. Every time he saw her h
TWENTY YEARS AGOCharles Barrett and Michael Prescott sat across from each other in the drawing room of the Barrett family estate, the room was decorated with dark wooden panels. Charles leaned back in his chair, a glass of whisky in his hand, while Michael gazed thoughtfully at an old painting that hung on the wall. Both men sat across from each other in the drawing room, their expressions filled with anticipation."This has been the best idea we've come up with so far," Michael said with a big smile spread across his face as he broke the silence. "So it's settled, we've come to a decision." Charles began, his voice holding the same excitement as Michael's. "This alliance between our families will guarantee our family's union for generations to come."Michael nodded thoughtfully, his gaze fixed on a particular painting on the wall. "The marriage would be between our firstborns, your son Mason, and my unborn daughter." He replied, his voice holding hope.Charles took a sip of his whi
Mason's POV Candice's response didn't guarantee whether or not she was coming to New York. I had invited her last night, but her hesitation stung. "It's too soon to plan a wedding when we just got engaged," she said. The frustration gnawed at me.My father had already invited the Prescotts over for dinner today, and this whole alliance fiasco had thrown me into chaos. One moment, I was planning a romantic dinner for my fiancée, and the next, I was dealing with a wedding my father was arranging for me and some stranger. Yes, I am aware of the relationship my dad has with the Prescott's but I thought it ended when Michael Prescott died years ago.I sent Candice a text, asking her to come to New York so I could explain things to her properly. I headed to the bathroom to freshen up, awaiting her response with bated breath.~~~~On my way to the office, a reply came in. "Fine, but I'll be arriving next week. I still have a ton of photo shoots this week."I groaned upon reading her text, n
Mason's POV The dinner table was filled with different kinds of food. When I first walked in, I thought we were having a feast and not just some casual dinner. Dinner with the Prescott’s seemed to be the longest I'd ever had, my first instinct when I saw the face of the girl I was supposed to marry was to find a way to escape this dinner. Yes, she was undeniably beautiful, but she seemed like the kind of girl who would become super clingy once I gave the wrong signals; I already had a woman I loved very much. So no matter how pretty she was, Candice would always be the most beautiful woman in my eyes. "Blair here has always had a huge crush on Mason ever since she was in high school." Lenora, Blair’s mother announced. I hadn’t been following the conversation closely, so I had no idea what they were discussing for her to say that. A crush from high school? It was irrelevant and, quite frankly, annoying. I could care less about some stupid crush."Mom! Why would you say that?" Blair’s
Raven's POVIt's been two months since I caught my sister, Blair, in bed with my boyfriend. Scratch that, ex-boyfriend, Jamie. The shock of the betrayal still stings, and my life has been on repeat since the incident. I just sleep, eat, read, attend lectures, and repeat the whole process. Telling my mom about Blair’s infidelity was a disastrous mistake. Not only did she dismiss my accusations as baseless, but she also decided to punish me by cutting off my allowance. According to her, I was disrupting the harmony of our "perfect" family with my groundless claims. Sometimes, I just want to run far away, but I have nowhere to go, so I'll just wait till I graduate from college, and then, I'm out of here.To the outside world, I have the perfect family. I mean, when you have a mom who's successful like mine and my sister who's one of the best models, you'll get what I mean.My mother runs a modeling agency, while Blair also works at the agency as a model. She's the face of the company,
Raven's POV He ran his hand through his hair, clearly agitated. "Look, I'm in a tough spot, and I’m not asking for a lifetime commitment. Just a temporary one. I promise you that once things settle, you’ll be free to do whatever you want. There won’t be any strings attached."I stood there unable to comprehend the nonsense this man was sprouting from his mouth. Who in his right senses would ask a girl he doesn't know to marry him? My only theory was that this dude had lost his senses. Thank goodness his madness only started and not while I was alone with him in his car."I'll pay you, any amount. Whatever you want, okay?" His voice tinged with desperation. "My fiancée isn't here, and I need to get married today, or I'll be forced to marry the girl my parents have chosen." He explained, sounding desperate. "P... Please." The man standing beside him gasped like he just did something special. So he has a fiance."I don't even know your name, how do you expect me to just marry you?" I as
Mason's POV After a long, sleepless night, today had finally arrived. I was eagerly anticipating the look on my father’s face when he discovered I was already married. Last night, I overheard him discussing plans with Margaret, something about the Prescotts visiting again today to finalize wedding arrangements. I still couldn't comprehend why that girl couldn't take a hint and understand that I was not interested in her. She seemed so wrapped up in her world that she failed to see that I had no interest in getting married to her. I glanced at my watch and noticed it was already past 10 am. What was taking her so long? I sent my driver to go pick her up an hour ago, so why isn't she here yet? The anticipation was gnawing at me. I already instructed someone to move my belongings to my penthouse; as soon as she arrives, I'll introduce her to my dad, and then we're out of here. The knock on the door pulled me from my thoughts. Julie walked in, her face a mask of frustration.
One Year Later The Barrett estate was filled with life, laughter, and warmth. It was the twins’ first birthday, and the garden had been transformed into a magical wonderland with twinkling lights, pastel-colored balloons, and flowers. The scent of freshly baked cakes and savory treats prepared for the celebration filled the air. Raven stood in front of a large mirror in her bedroom, adjusting the delicate lace dress she wore. The gown hugged her figure in all the right places, a testament to how well she'd recovered after giving birth. She had lost some of her confidence after having the babies – her body had gone through so many changes, and she had hated looking in the mirror for a long time until Mason wouldn't allow her to anymore. The thing she was most self-conscious of was the scar from the surgery she had had to have after the babies were delivered. Mason bought matching lingerie and sexy sleepwear and refused to let her question how stunning she was. Every time he saw her h
When they returned to the mansion that evening, the house was eerily quiet."What’s going on?" Raven asked. "Where'd everyone go?""What's that over there?" Blair pointed to a small bouquet on the table. Attached to it was a note that read, Come to the garden.Raven’s heart skipped a beat. She followed the note’s instructions, and when she stepped into the garden, her breath caught.The garden was transformed into a romantic paradise. Twinkling fairy lights adorned the trees, and a path of rose petals led to a small table surrounded by candles."Mason did this," Raven whispered, her heart swelling. Suddenly her aching feet had disappeared, the back pain that had hit her while they were in Victoria’s Secret and signalled the end of the trip. Her exhaustion was gone and she was smiling so much her cheeks hurt. She was already close to tears as she took it all in.Just as she took a step forward, looking for Mason, a sharp pain shot through her abdomen. She grabbed her stomach and cried
Later that night, Raven was on a call with Blair, discussing the transformation of Lenora’s modeling agency."I was thinking we could add a design department," Raven suggested. "That way, we can focus on both modeling and fashion."Blair’s excitement knew no bounds. "That’s a great idea! I’ll handle the modeling side, and you can oversee the designs.""Deal," Raven said.After a brief pause, Blair asked, "You sound a bit down, not yourself. What’s wrong?"Raven hesitated. "Nothing, I’m worried about Mason.""Why? You two have been great lately, you’re perfect for each other. You’re even closer than before."Raven bit her lip. "I thought he’d ask me to marry him again by now. But he hasn’t mentioned it and I'm starting to get anxious. What if he doesn’t want me? What if the babies are scaring him off? What if he thinks I’ll be like Candice? What if-"“Raven, breathe. Have you talked to him about it?" Blair asked."No. That’s not something you can just bring up," Raven said.Blair chuck
The dining table was filled with different breakfast dishes: fluffy pancakes topped with berries and syrup, scrambled eggs with herbs, smoked salmon on toast, and fresh fruit bowls. In front of Raven was a large bowl full of bacon, strawberry jam, and chocolate sauce – her strangest and most intense craving.Mason sipped his coffee, stealing glances at Raven as she hummed softly, her hand occasionally resting on her baby bump. He had become more attentive than before – which was already overboard according to Julie. He was more proud, more focused, and a lot more protective. Watching her scoff down her food now, still looking as sexy as ever, made his chest hurt a little. So much had happened; she had been through so much; he just wished the worst of it hadn’t been because of him.She sighed and looked up at him, offering him a genuine smile.“What are you looking at?” she asked, but all he could do was shake his head and smile back at her. “Well, you’re being very strange.”“Yeah, bu
Justin found Mason sitting quietly in Charles’s office. He didn’t sit at the desk, rather, he sat at the sofa to the side where they had argued so many times. He stared at his father's desk as if he could still see him sitting and working as they watched when they were children. It was the only thing he and Mason had ever been able to do together without fighting. Thinking back to those moments, Justin couldn't understand why he always felt like he had to one-up Mason, why they couldn't have been friends.He turned to leave him in peace when Mason spoke up.“Remember when we'd just sit here and watched Dad working?” he asked as if he had sensed his presence.“I was just thinking about that.”Mason looked up at him with tears in his eyes, shocking Justin with the vulnerability in the other man's eyes.“Did he suffer?” Mason asked softly, trying to hide the sob that threatened.“No,” Justin said, sitting in the seat across from him. “He just sort of… went.”Mason turned back to look at
Mason pulled up to the Barrett mansion early that morning. He had deliberately left his penthouse early, avoiding Candice while she packed her belongings. The last thing he wanted was another confrontation. He wanted no part in her theatrics, they just made his headaches even worse than the blinding migraines he often suffered with.He exited the car and made his way inside.He had barely entered the living room when he spotted Justin coming down the stairs as if he owned the place. He looked… smug.Smug?Or something else?Mason couldn’t quite place it, but it rubbed him the wrong way to see him in his father's house. Justin had never been anything more than a snake in the grass, always waiting to take what Mason had."What the hell are you doing here?" Mason demanded, narrowing his eyes and letting the door close louder than necessary behind him. "Here to gloat about your little affair with Candice? Or measuring the curtains – you know you’re not inheriting the place, right? I’m sti
Mason hesitated."Did you and Damon?"Raven shook her head as tears sprung to her eyes."He wanted to wait, to make sure I was thinking about him, not you.""Oh," Mason muttered. "I’m… I’m sorry.""You don’t have anything to apologize for," Raven said, hurt and… anger filling her voice. "We’re not married, anymore. And… you are in a relationship with her. I should have expected-""Raven, stop. You’re going to pass out if you don’t breathe!"Raven took a deep breath, steadying herself."I need to go," she whispered, getting to her feet. Before she left, though, she made a decision. “Mason... would you like to come to the ultrasound? We’ll find out the sex of the babies.”He smiled at the thought of being part of the moment. "I’d love to.""Okay, I'll text you the details."Raven left.~~~When Raven returned home, her mind a racing with emotions. Damon was waiting for her in the living room, his expression unreadable as she walked in."How did it go?" he asked.She sank into the couch,
Taking a deep breath, Raven stepped out of the car. Damon watched her until she disappeared inside. Before he drove away, he spotted Mason waiting for her. He wanted to run inside and stake his claim on her but he couldn’t. He took a deep, shaky breath and pulled out into traffic, leaving her to face the man who had once been her everything. The soft chime of the door announced her arrival, and Mason looked up from his seat. His breath caught in his throat as he saw her surprised at how radiant she looked, her pregnancy giving her an ethereal glow that left him momentarily speechless. He was pretty sure there was more to his feelings than how she looked, but he wasn’t ready to explore that right now; he still had Candice at home, waiting for him. "Hi," she said, her voice tentative as she approached him. Mason stood and pulled out a chair for her, his movements stiff but courteous. "Hi." She smiled faintly and sat down. "Thank you." They placed their orders, the silence between t
The sound of Damon’s car filled the silence between them as they drove toward the Barrett mansion. Raven stared out the window, watching the city blur past, her hands resting on her growing belly. Damon occasionally glanced her way. He wanted nothing more than to take her pain away and regretted the decision he had made. Their conversation broke his heart and he wanted nothing more than to crawl inside and beat the crap out of himself for being such a dick. He knew he had done the best thing for Raven and the babies, but it made him wish he could have been more selfish and held onto her."Are you sure about this?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.Damon nodded, his hands steady on the wheel. "Mason agreed to meet with you, this is what you wanted. It’s what you need to do.""What about what you want?" she pressed, turning to face him, tears shimmering on her cheeks. "Don’t you want to be with me?"He sighed, his gaze fixed ahead, and reached across to hold her hand. "Of cou