“Lord, have mercy,” Stephanie whispered as she saw Dominic nearly fall off the couch.
Louisa walked forward and placed the piece of paper on the table in front of the sofa for the both of them to sign. She motioned with her hand for Stephanie to join Dominic on the couch, which she did.
“Now, all I need are a single signature from each of you. Ste-” Louisa faked a cough to stop herself from saying Stephanie’s name after being told not to. “Ms. Greene, you sign here,” she pointed to the correct line. “And Mr. Knight, you will sign right here.”
Stephanie picked up the pen provided to her and looked at her family and friends. Isaac didn't tell Stephanie’s parents, nor his own mom, and Emile's dad was just there to photograph and mingle amongst people, so they all looked just as confused as she was.
Besides Emile, Kay and Eli were the only ones
Isabella returned home later that day with a million questions for her son. What was that tiny gadget that he wanted to be planted on Dominic Knight? Why did Matthew whisper “SOS” to her as soon as she got to the party? Why did Emile gather the family and close friends to watch Stephanie and Dominic sign one paper together about contacts in Asia? “Isaac?” she hollered as she entered the quiet, dark house. “I’m home.” “Up here, mom,” she heard faintly from upstairs as she took off and hung up the coat she was wearing. She walked up the steps and knocked lightly on the door to her son’s room that was left cracked open for her. She peeked in and saw Isaac at his computer with his headphones around his neck. He looked up and greeted her with a smile as he turned in his swivel chair to face her. “How was the baby shower?” “It was fine,” she answered vaguely. Her
I got a surprising call from Gwen the same week as the baby shower asking me to hang out for some “bonding” time with her. I’m still unsure whether or not I trust Gwen, so I came up with simple excuses every time she would ask. I’ve told her that I had morning sickness, was too tired, or had work to catch up on to get me out of having to spend any alone time with her. Something about that woman just gives me the creeps.Most of those were lies. But my showcase is coming up in just a couple of months and I have a lot to do to prepare for it, so it was more of a little white lie. Still, I didn’t feel good about it.Dominic had stopped asking me to check out the cabin with him, which I found odd, but brushed it aside and counted my blessings. I sure as hell wasn’t planning on asking him about it. He seemed rather distant. I wanted to know what was going on in that head of his but didn’t want to take a c
I was able to get Dominic out of the country for the next month after telling him he was welcome to network with my contacts in Asia for Knightingale Suits, which gave me time to get more work done than I have through my entire pregnancy. The house was quiet and glorious, and I found it calming with his presence missing. He got back just the other night, and it was so late that I was already in bed when he got home, so I didn’t get to see him or talk to him. Fine by me; the less time with him the better. My showcase for Claudette Reed is tonight and I’m excited about it. I’m excited to finally have an event that’s all mine; not mine and Dominic's. My company, my designs, my work are all on display for fashion’s most elite crowd. I can rub it in the faces of those damn investors and show them what a mistake they made by backing down and no longer funding me. A twisted part of me is thankful for Dominic. Without him,
The event space looked fabulous and I swelled with pride as I took in my surroundings. Everything looked so elegant and, well, with no better word to describe it, expensive. It was high-end glitz and glam with crystals inside flower vases, custom-made chandeliers, and butlers in black and white serving each person as they walked through the doors.I still can't believe that I pulled this off. Sure, without Dominic it wouldn’t have happened, but with the little time I had in the office to complete everything, I was proud of the work I had accomplished.There were few people here before me - mostly my employees working on finishing touches. I had been so nervous that I left the house early. That, along with the fact that I didn’t have to pick up anyone to walk the red carpet with, my driver Noah and I arrived sooner than expected.The car ride was dreadfully silent, and Noah noticed it to
“What?” I asked with the same line between my brows and a tone of disbelief. I handed the phone back to Louisa with some annoyance. “There’s no way that was Dominic's car.” He has been gone all day on a joy ride after getting his license back and I haven’t heard from him, but I certainly wasn’t going to get my hopes up. “How can you be so sure?” “Because I’m not that lucky,” I answered sharply but in a hushed tone so no one would overhear. I saw the corner of Louisa's lips twitch, threatening a smile. The amusement was shown on her face, but she glanced down at the phone again and her face became serious once more. “Look at the comments on it.” She pushed the phone in front of me, but I waved a hand in dismissal and didn’t look back at it. I heard her sigh and she brought the phone back to herself, reading the comments for me. They said, “Isn’t th
“Push! Keep pushing!”My body was exhausted and I wanted to claw everyone’s face as they hollered at me what to do. The stress of going into labor early had made my head spin and the pain of contractions was the only thing keeping a hold on reality for me.My parents were on either side of me holding my hands. My dad’s wrist was wrapped in a splint after I gripped it so hard at the event when he came to help me. I felt really bad about it.I was panting between pushes, and crying through the entire process. My emotions were in utter turmoil. I went from crying to screaming to yelling with annoyance at everyone. The TV in the corner was set on the news currently and it was pissing me off. Everyone should be focused on me right now, not the damn TV!“Will someone shut that off?! I will not have my son born with a high-speed car chase on in the background!
Everyone gathered around the bed where Isaac and I lay together, baby Micah cradled between us. The doctors came in to take him to the NICU and make sure that everything was alright, and with parting words and kisses, I let them take him.Once gone, I nuzzle closer to Isaac, and he wrapped his arms around me and kissed my head.“You named him after your brother,” my mom said with tears in her eyes and her chin quivering, her hand trying to hide her reaction. Dad held both her shoulders before hugging her from behind with a gentle smile on his lips.“Yes,” I responded. “Do you like it?”She threw her hand down and made a hmph sound as she answered, “Like it? I’m the one who picked it,” she and my dad both laughed. “We love the name. Thank you, baby.”It was past midnight now, and in the room
What did I want to happen to Gwen? I guess to answer that, I would need to know exactly what she had done before I tell them to lock her up. Maybe Ben and Isaac had learned that she wasn’t really Dylan's mom and we could start the search for his real mom? But what if his real mom was the woman in those dreams? The dead one, who was Dominic's high school sweetheart that he supposedly killed. “I don’t… I don’t know….” “It’s okay,” Isaac said as he pet my hair. “It’s been a long day, and you need to rest. We can talk about the rest later.” Too tired to argue, I merely nodded my head, and everyone slowly left the room. Except for Isaac, as I asked him to stay on the bed with me. We faced each other and looked at each other silently for a while. “I can’t believe you came,” I said as I stared into his hazel eyes. “It took me a while, but once I re
Whitney was put away after Ben found traces of her plotting with Dominic and Gwen, wanting to destroy Stephanie after she stole Isaac from her. Thanks to some good old fashion hacking of security footage that showed her purchasing the same green monster that was delivered to the Greene mansion, and some searching of phone records, she was arrested as an accessory and for conspiring.Eli and Isabella shared that they have secretly been an item for quite some time and are openly a couple now. It took Isaac a while to get comfortable with the idea, but he accepts their relationship and is enjoying seeing his mother so happy.He looked out at the rows of people and spotted them together, smiling at each other as Isabella adjusted his tie. There was an empty seat that separated them from Emma, who was speaking to Dylan, the ring bearer, about something before he was up. The Perry's were there as well; Emile and his parents Emmanuel an
Both Isabella and Eli looked at Isaac in shock with their mouths slightly agape at this revelation and blunt truth that just escaped his lips. They stood there like statues for a long moment before responding to him.“I, uh… you… you got another threat?” Isabella asked Stephanie to clarify.She nodded her head. “Yes. We have Ben right now looking for the name of the person who declared Dominic DOA after the crash to see who could have possibly done this.”“Well shit,” Eli mumbled.Isabella had her lips parted in astonishment and her eyes were slightly wider than usual. “Well, do you have any suspects?”Isaac peered over at the small eight-year-old that was near Matthew and Emma but remained silent. Stephanie shook her head as her mind was still in a baffled, hazy state. Emma thought of Louisa, and Mat
With the merriment of the day slipping away and the feeling of safety slowly withering, Isaac pitched the idea of heading to his mother’s house and spending the day there instead. With the lack of security detail on the Greene's mansion, no one protested leaving the place. After a phone call to Isabella, they each packed a bag and planned to spend the night over at her house. Stephanie, Isaac, and Micah would take Isaac's old room; Matthew and Emma would take the guest room, and Dylan so kindly offered to sleep on the couch. Isaac wasn’t too sure about this boy anymore. The devil’s spawn openly offers to sleep away from everyone else? Alone, on the ground level of the house? Since he became a father to Micah, whether biologically or not, he grew a new need to protect his family. It was more fierce than before. Before, he simply wanted to keep the people he loved safe; but now, it’s like a spark of fire in his veins that gets
After leaving Ben to his expert hacking to find the name of the person who identified Dominic’s body, Matthew returned to the living room with his wife, daughter, soon-to-be son-in-law, grandson, and newly adopted son Dylan.The room seemed to have gone still; the only noticeable movement and sound was the crackling fireplace. He glanced around at everyone to see them all lost in their own thoughts. His daughter was feeding his grandchild with a blanket draped over one shoulder for privacy. She looked under the blanket at her newborn with both adoration and worry.Isaac’s eyes were far off, almost seeming to be in another dimension with the lack of life in them. His wife’s eyes weren’t any more lively, though, and for a moment, Matthew regretted walking back in here without any good news. His heart skipped a beat once his wife turned her head to him, noticing him reappear in the corner of her eyes.
With Micah getting to come home just before Christmas, the entire family got to spend the holiday together. The family was in the living room on Christmas day exchanging gifts and taking turns holding the baby when the doorbell rang.*DING DONG*Everyone looked around the room at each other. It seemed like everyone was here. Who could be visiting?"Are you guys expecting anyone?" Stephanie asked her parents as her father got up to open the door.Her mother shook her head with a frown. "No, I have no idea who it could be."Stephanie was admiring her son in her arms when Matthew walked back to rejoin the group just a minute later. He stood next to Stephanie with a confused look."Who was it, dad?""No one was there. But this box was on the mat." He extended his hand to give her the small box. Step
The police came to the cabin, and an entire investigation began. It turns out, the remains found underneath the cabin belonged to a Dani Winter, who was Dominic's high school girlfriend. Her records showed that she had given birth to a baby boy on Dylans birthday, then disappeared shortly after, and they quickly put two and two together - leading them to investigating Gwen. Kay had been speaking with clients of hers, as she is a womens rights activist and only photographs females, and had come across a number of women to testify against Gwen. They said that they had gotten involved with Dominic romantically, but he would get aggressive, and his sister would cover it up for him and make up excuses. All of the women said that they felt she was dangerous. Also the mention of her obsession and protectiveness with Dylan was unsettling. Even Louisa testified and said that Dominic had threatened her boys lives if she hadn
The following day, it was confirmed at Dominic was the fatality in the crash, and it was reported to be an issue with the manufacturer of the car, so all rumors or claims against Stephanie were voided and her name was entirely cleared. The fact that she had her event and went into labor the same time as the wreck had also cleared her from any possible accusations of having something to do with his fatal crash as well. She learned of every person’s own original plan to destroy Dominic and felt so much love hearing that everyone was planning something different. Her parents shared that they were going to buy him out, and Stephanie felt relief that they no longer had to do that. She would have felt awful if her parents gave up everything, including her childhood home, to take him down. Besides, there was still the chance of backlash with that plan. Ben had heavily considered Matthew’s idea of wi
What did I want to happen to Gwen? I guess to answer that, I would need to know exactly what she had done before I tell them to lock her up. Maybe Ben and Isaac had learned that she wasn’t really Dylan's mom and we could start the search for his real mom? But what if his real mom was the woman in those dreams? The dead one, who was Dominic's high school sweetheart that he supposedly killed. “I don’t… I don’t know….” “It’s okay,” Isaac said as he pet my hair. “It’s been a long day, and you need to rest. We can talk about the rest later.” Too tired to argue, I merely nodded my head, and everyone slowly left the room. Except for Isaac, as I asked him to stay on the bed with me. We faced each other and looked at each other silently for a while. “I can’t believe you came,” I said as I stared into his hazel eyes. “It took me a while, but once I re
Everyone gathered around the bed where Isaac and I lay together, baby Micah cradled between us. The doctors came in to take him to the NICU and make sure that everything was alright, and with parting words and kisses, I let them take him.Once gone, I nuzzle closer to Isaac, and he wrapped his arms around me and kissed my head.“You named him after your brother,” my mom said with tears in her eyes and her chin quivering, her hand trying to hide her reaction. Dad held both her shoulders before hugging her from behind with a gentle smile on his lips.“Yes,” I responded. “Do you like it?”She threw her hand down and made a hmph sound as she answered, “Like it? I’m the one who picked it,” she and my dad both laughed. “We love the name. Thank you, baby.”It was past midnight now, and in the room