Mason sat quietly beside his father’s hospital bed, his fingers drumming absently on the cold steel of the armrest. The steady beeping of machines was the only sound in the room. Charles’s chest rose and fell slightly, with the aid of the oxygen mask. Although Mason sat close to his father, he felt as if his father were miles away. "Why didn't you tell me about your heart sooner? We'd have found a solution for it earlier," Mason's voice was barely above a whisper, more for himself than his unconscious father. "Instead, you kept such a huge thing from me." He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "You never tried to explain what happened between you and Margaret," Mason continued. "You just let me believe that you’d forgotten about Mom. Maybe if you’d talked to me, our relationship wouldn’t have been so bad." His voice wavered slightly, breaking through his calm facade. Mason sighed deeply, running a hand through his hair. "You just do things without caring how bad it mak
"Get rid of her? What do you mean by that?" "Relax, I'm not talking about killing her. I'm not a murderer." Blair explained. "Neither am I, so how do you intend to get rid of her, without killing her?" Candice asked. "We'll make her leave on her own, trust me." Blair sounded so confident. Candice raised an eyebrow. "And how are you going to do that? You seem so confident." "Let's just say I know the one thing my sister can't stand, and that is being cheated on. Mason's betrayal would hurt her so much that she'll never want to see him again." Blair said. Candice crossed her arms. "Sister, huh? Let me guess, your sister has something to do with the state you're in, doesn't she?" Blair looked a little embarrassed. "All that matters is we have a common enemy. If we work together, we can get rid of her. What do you say?" Candice paused for a moment, considering Blair’s offer. Then, a slow smile spread across her face. "I think you and I are going to get along just fine," she sai
Raven, dressed in a simple white apron over her purple sundress, moved gracefully around the kitchen. The scent of sizzling bacon filled the air, accompanied by the rich aroma of coffee brewing as she whisked eggs in a bowl. She was making breakfast for everyone, scrambled eggs with fresh herbs, crispy bacon, golden hash browns, and fluffy pancakes topped with sliced strawberries and whipped cream. Mason stood by the entrance, watching as she worked her magic, flipping pancakes and stirring the eggs. She wanted to help in any way she could. After all, Charles had just returned home from the hospital, and her bestie needed all the love and support she could get now. As she bent over to check the oven where the croissants were baking, she felt strong arms wrap around her waist from behind, startling her momentarily. Mason’s familiar scent filled her senses, and she relaxed into his embrace. He rested his chin on her shoulder, pulling her closer. "You don't need to do this, Raven," h
Back at the mansion, Julie was scrolling through her phone when she stumbled upon the news. Her heart dropped. The headlines are bold and clear: RAVEN BARRETT’S SECRET AFFAIR WITH HER HUSBAND'S COUSIN. She rushed to Raven, finding her in the sitting room, drawing in her sketchbook. "Raven," she said breathlessly, holding up her phone, "you need to see this." Raven's eyes widened as she took the phone from Julie. The blood drained from her face as she saw the photos, Justin leaning in and kissing her neck, but it looked as if they were both kissing. "No," Raven whispered, her hands trembling. "This isn’t true. I didn’t---" "I know, and I'm sure Mason won't believe this either," Julie said softly, sitting beside her. "I hate how the media twists things just to get a good story. This is Justin’s doing, I'm sure of it." "Not just Justin, I know Blair’s involved in this." Raven’s heart pounded in her chest as she picked up her phone to call Mason. The phone rang, but he didn’t answer.
The next morning, Mason woke up groggily. His head was pounding as he blinked, the harsh sunlight streaming through the window. He tried to sit up, but something didn't feel right. Slowly, he turned to his side, his heart sinking as he saw Candice lying next to him, naked beneath the sheets. "What the hell?" He yelled, scrambling out of the bed and waking up Candice in the process. He began to panic when he couldn’t remember anything that happened last night. How did he end up here, in the arms of the very woman he despised? What had he done? Candice stirred on the bed, stretching before turning to face him with a sleepy smile. "Good morning, baby." She purred, reaching out to touch his arm. Last night was... incredible. I've missed how you touched me. Mason refused to believe anything that she said. This couldn’t be happening. He couldn’t have--- "What happened? How did you end up here?" His voice came out hoarse, his mind still trying to piece the pieces of last night together.
Charles shook his head as he waited for Mason to tell him what had happened. Not that Charles was clueless, by any means, but he wanted to allow Mason to tell him the truth. He leaned against the doorframe of his study as he watched Mason step inside. Mason sank into one of the leather armchairs, wondering why his father suddenly asked to talk to him. "Do you want to tell me what's going on, Mason? Or should you keep being reckless with your decisions?" Charles asked, his disappointment evident. Mason frowned, realizing Charles seemed to know something but unsure how. Then again, Charles always seemed to know what was going on and Mason had never figured out how. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, wondering just how much his father already knew. "What do you want me to say, Dad?" Mason muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "Where exactly were you last night?" Charles asked, folding his arms across his chest. "And don't try to lie to me because I know you met with your ex. I
Raven sat on the couch in her living room, her legs tucked beneath her, as she sipped her coffee. She had been working nonstop on her new collection and decided to take a break. It's been two weeks since Mason asked for space, and since then, she moved into the house he had gotten her when their marriage was still an arrangement. She decided not to fight him on his decision. She couldn’t bear to see the distrust in his eyes. When he said he couldn’t look at her, those words shattered her heart into a million pieces. And right now, all she wanted was to focus on herself. The Raven Prescott before Mason Barrett had always been self-reliant, and she was determined to find that part of herself again. The one who didn't need to beg to be loved. "At least I have my fashion studio now, that should keep my mind off him." She murmured to herself, glancing toward the dining room table, which was littered with sketches and fabric pieces. The office for her studio was finally ready, and her first
The time was 10 pm and Mason remained adamant. He wasn’t going back without his wife. Raven looked outside her bedroom window and found him still standing there. It was cold out there, why wouldn't he just leave? "Go home Mason, or you'll freeze to death." She yelled. "Then I'd rather freeze out here than return without my wife." He said, sounding so determined. "There's no home without you, Raven. I know I was wrong for not trusting you, and I'll never do that again. I love you, Raven. More than I've ever loved anyone else." "I found the evidence you wanted, I'll---" "I don't care about any evidence to know you'd never cheat. I trust you, completely." Mason said, cutting her off. Raven went downstairs, and as she passed the living room, Julie glanced at her, giggling silently. Raven paused in her steps. "It's late... and it's cold. I don't want him to get sick." Julie smirked, knowing her bestie couldn’t wait any longer to be in Mason’s arms. "Yeah, right." Raven hurriedly ope