“Then tell me. To you, who would the right person be? What should I do to get in the right direction?” Thaddeus put down the knife and turned to the side to meet Mona’s gaze. It was as if a beast was trapped behind those obscure eyes. Feeling a chill down her spine, Mona clutched onto her coat and replied, “You have a fiancée. Samantha is the rightful owner of the ring.” Thaddeus asked in a flat tone, “Did Raymond tell you the price tag on the ring?” “He did. He said it’s priceless, and the ring could fund an entire economy.” “Nope. It can only buy you a handbag, and you probably have to wait until a season clearance sale to afford that handbag with the ring.” Mona was puzzled. “What do you mean?” Thaddeus furled his lips nonchalantly. “Nobody wants something engraved with someone else’s name no matter how expensive it is.” Mona whipped out the ring and ran her fingers along the band. She found a word engraved in the inner section of the ring. It was her name. Mo
Shocked and appalled, Thaddeus looked at Mona, who had a knife to her neck. The woman was as stubborn and headstrong as a mule. There was nothing he could do about it. “I never said I’d take the kids from you. I’ve even moved in with you. Isn’t it enough to show my good intentions?” Thaddeus reached out to take the knife away from Mona and calm her nerves. “No one is taking your children from you. Take it easy.” “You must promise me and honor your promise that you won’t take my children from me.” Mona put her guard down. “Of course. When have I ever lied to you?” The man turned around and carried on slicing the fish on the cutting board. “Check on the kids. I’ll call you when dinner is ready.” Mona observed the man’s back, unable to figure out what was going through the man’s head. Now that he was staying here, what about his fiancée? Besides, Mona and Thaddeus were divorced. It would make them cohabitating partners to be living under the same roof. “Thaddeus, I neve
Mona shook her head. No! She could never possibly let that happen. “That’s enough, Millie. Let your daddy go back to making dinner.” Mona drew close and pried Millie from Thaddeus before locking the girl tightly in her embrace. “You forget about everything when you’re having fun. You’re drenched in sweat. Be careful not to catch a cold.” While speaking, Mona carried Millie into the bedroom to bathe her and get her into a fresh change of clothes. Thaddeus watched Mona’s slender and tiny frame. His eyes were dark as something stirred within the man. The woman did not look like a mother with two kids. Her supple skin and killer figure were more of an eighteen-year-old. The man moved his gaze to his reflection on the floor-to-ceiling window. Thank goodness he had the looks to match the whole family. By the time Mona was done showering the little girl, Thaddeus was serving up a feast of color and flavor on the dinner table. Mona carried Millie out, not realizing the front of
That night, Marcus brought Thaddeus’s suitcase to Mona’s place. Marcus walked through the door to find a man in a pink apron doing the dishes. Marcus’s jaw dropped in surprise. In all the years working as an assistant to the CEO, Marcus had never seen Thaddeus busy in the kitchen. He had to say that the CEO looked tamed running the household like a housewife. “Sir, this is the minutes of the management meeting today. There are a few documents needing your signature on the computer.” Marcus reported while putting the suitcase and paperwork on the table. Thaddeus wiped the cutlery dry, glanced at Marcus, and offhandedly uttered, “Marcus, from tomorrow onward, cancel all business dinners and send the deputy chiefs in my stead. Free up my time from four to eight o’clock. If you need me for anything work related during that time, try and report to me after seven.” Marcus nodded and responded affirmatively. During their conversation, Mona came downstairs. Marcus took notice of
Rising to his feet, Marcus made himself look busy. “Oh, yes. Thanks for the reminder, sir. I should get back to work.” Marcus hurried to put on his shoes at the entrance. Prior to leaving, he looked back and waved at Mona. “I got to go, Ms. Ortega. See you.” Scowling, Thaddeus grabbed Mona’s glass and took a sip of water. Only the cup knew how much force Thaddeus exerted in his grip. Marcus made a quick exit. He let out a heavy sigh of relief the moment the door shut.He knew his presence had been untimely, and there was no doubt he would be getting it from the boss tomorrow. Nevertheless, how else was Marcus supposed to put a fire in his CEO to face his feelings? As someone who worked closely with his CEO, Marcus knew Thaddeus too well. Thaddeus was prone to restrain his true emotions. Now that the couple had children together, the best way forward was to get married again. Marcus rubbed his chin and chuckled to himself. He must have done a good thing today. The CEO would
“Here. You must abide by these rules if you want to live here.” Mona handed the house rules to Thaddeus. The man took a look and read out, “No entering into respective rooms without permission. No invasion of respective privacy. No…” The man looked up and voiced his disgruntlement. “Are all these no’s to restrict me?” Mona gave a nod and handed a pen to the man. “It’s to restrict you and me. We can be fair. You can write your demands, and I will obey them if I see fit.” The man raised a brow. “If you see fit? Aren’t you getting a big head?” “You might want to consider moving out if you can’t accept the rules.” The man shook his head and put his name down under the ground rules. “Happy now?” Pleased, Mona put away the paper. “Now that your name is on it, you better keep your word and obey the rules.” She then drew close to the window and set up an easel to spread out a blank sketchpad. Mona had promised Tim and Ben she would help design for their studio. Since she was
The man’s raspy voice drew the children into the story. Soon, they closed their eyes and fell asleep. It was after midnight by the time Mona was done with the sketches. Ready to hit the sack, Mona went upstairs to check on the kids and found Thaddeus and the two children sleeping on one big bed in the children’s room. The man had one arm wrapped around each child. Thaddeus jolted awake when Bobby turned his body in his sleep. He glanced at the boy, only to realize it was a false alarm. Mona drew close and bent over to tuck the kids in while Thaddeus got up out of bed, bleary-eyed. He stood alongside Mona by the bed and watched the kids. Bobby and Millie had their butts propped up like a caterpillar. It was an amusing sight for the parents to watch. A warm night light lit up the children’s room, giving off a warm and inviting tone. With the light bouncing off the couple, Thaddeus observed his shadow over Mona’s as if he had the woman covered and protected. “How did we know
Mona pursed her lips and stared at Thaddeus’s menacing face. Knowing she had hit a rock, Mona said nothing more and retreated to her room to rest. The information about her mother left her tossing and turning. Despite the long reflection, she could not gather her thoughts. In the end, she simply forgot about it and dozed off. Probably because she did not get a good rest, Mona slept through her alarm in the morning. It was half past seven by the time she got up. Mona got out of bed in a rush and walked out of the bedroom just in time to hear the door close downstairs. It seems Thaddeus had made the kids breakfast, and they were setting off to school. Mona went downstairs and stood behind the window to watch Thaddeus carrying one kid in each arm into the car. He looked every bit like a loving father. There was breakfast on the dining table. The man had made sandwiches and fried eggs. It was unexpected that the man could cook. A simple breakfast or a full dinner was no task