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[Matilda]The upcoming baking showcase was fast approaching and I would say I was becoming a bit excited about itIt's three days away and managing my bakery which has somehow turned into the neighborhood's daily obsession and perfecting the signature desserts I planned to bake live, I barely had a second to breathe The two part-timers I had interviewed a few days ago weren't exactly what I was looking for and I ended up not hiring them. Now, I could only hope I'd find someone soon because handling everything alone was tearing me out "Are you done?" Julia's voice snapped me out of my thoughts as she strolled into the mini kitchen of my store. She had dropped by to help me out since today was her off dayI had closed the bakery for the day but I needed to practice for the baking showcase. They say practice makes perfect, isn't it? And while I believed in my skills, this wasn't just any event. It was an exclusive showcase featuring NYC's top pastry chefs "What's on your mind, young w
[Matilda]"What... what happened?" My heart slammed against my ribs, I pressed the phone tighter to my ear, straining to hear Ella"Ella I can't hear you, say something!" I growled, dropping the pan with a loud clatter"Ma'am, it's Aiden, he's...he's been vomiting and his body is so hot, I don't know what to do," Ella's voice was breathless, panic raising every word. "I tried cooling him down with a cold towel, but it's not working, it's just getting worse,"A sharp breath left my lips before she could finish, I was already ripping my apron off"Everything okay what's wrong?" Julia's voice cut in as she stepped in front of me"Ella please stay with him, I'm coming right away!" I hung up the phone, my eyes darting around for my car key, my fingers trembled as I patted the counter, my pocket —where the hell was it?"Talk to me, what happened?" Julia grabbed my shoulder, keeping me in place"Aiden—he's sick," I choked out, my pulse hammering in my ears. He was fine this morning before I
[Matilda]I bit my lower lip, quickening my pace, my jaw clenching harder with each stepSix years. That's how long it has been since I saw her but even from a distance, I could recognize her instantly — the woman who was part of making my marriage a living hellMy ex-mother-in-law"Where do you say your mummy is, baby boy," That annoying voice rang out making my jaw clench even harder as I came to a stop in front of my son"Right here," My voice was sharp, cutting through the air like blade Vivian's head snapped towards me and for a split second, I saw shock flash across her face — quickly replaced by the same look I've known so well. Hatred, the same resentment she has always thrown my way My eyes flicked from her sneering face to her hand, her filthy hands, still gripping my son's wrist. I inhaled sharply, stepping forward and yanking Austin away from her grasp "And what do you think you're doing?" Yes, That's the voice! The same voice that used to belittle me"And what does it
[Kaden]I tilted my neck for the umpteenth time today, my eyes fixed on my laptop as my eyes danced across the keyboard. Running Donovan's empire along with my businesses was demanding, but nothing I couldn't handleMy eyes shifted from my laptop to my phone as the ringtone pierced the air. My jaw clenched, did I forget to put this phone on silence? The last thing I needed right now was a distractionI exhaled, grabbing my phone from the desk, my brow creased together as I stared at the name on the caller ID. My eyes flicked to the clock. It was almost 8 pm. What the hell does my mother want this late? Because if this was another dinner invite, she could forget it. I hadn't even said a word to her after the stunt she pulled in my houseI declined the call and pushed my phone aside. Focusing my eyes back on my laptop but who was I kidding, it's Vivian Donovan we were talking about, if this phone didn't go off, she wouldn't stop calling. So I had only one optionI turned it off. My eyes
[Kaden] "What are you talking about?" "I went for my checkup at Brookside Health Center and I decided to take a stroll at the hospital, just to see how things were running," I gave her a firm nod to continue. Brookside was one of the hospitals I owned here in NYC"Then I saw a little boy," she continued, her brows furrowing. "And it felt like I was looking at a younger version of you. He looked exactly like you Kaden," Her lips curled in distaste before she added. "And then that good-for-nothing ex-wife of yours appeared and the boy called her mommy," Her face twisted in disgust, but I wasn't listening to her anymore, I pulled out my phone dialing Spider's number immediately"Boss," Spider's voice came through almost instantly"Find out what Tilda and my kids are doing at Brookside Health Center and get back to me immediately," I ended the call, shoving my phone back into my pocketI stared back at my mother, her eyes wide in shock"What...you...," I cut her off before she could
[Kaden]"Cherry I'm asking you a question," My jaw clenched as I tried to make sense of what she was doing in my office. Hadn't she said she was feeling under the weather and needed sleep? My eyes swept over her face, she didn't look sick in the slightest"I...I...," She opened her mouth to speak but shut it back, her gaze darting everywhere but meDisgust twisted my face as I strode towards my desk, my jaw tightening further at the mess of scattered documents — the same ones I spent fucking hours sorting. My gaze snapped back to her. She stood frozen like she'd lost the ability to speak "I'm going to ask you one more time," I ground out. "What exactly were you doing in my office, searching through my files without my consent," She spun towards me, her voice rising. "If you want to hear it then fine, I noticed that this past few days, you've been acting strange, distant and I knew something was wrong. I asked you days back and you said nothing," She exhaled sharply, taking another
[Matilda]The audacity of that bastard, how the hell did he even get my number? I wasn't surprised when he asked what I was doing in the hospitalI exhaled sharply staring at the number, I had immediately blacklisted him. What is giving him the guts that we need his attention or care? He should stay the fuck away from me and let me have some peaceI took a deep breath, dropping my phone as I made to push myself off the bed only to pause as the door swung open, and my two babies came running towards me"I came in first, I told you!" Austin sprinted to the bed, plopping down with a victorious grin. Aiden ran in behind me, settling beside his brother"Good morning Mom! Good morning Mom!" Their voice chimed together, bringing a smile to my lips"Good morning my babies," I sat up ruffling their messy hair. "How was your night, my loves?""Good," Aiden answered. My eyes lingered on him. He already looked much better. I had to stay in their room for hours even after they fell asleep, to make
[Matilda]I took a deep breath standing in front of the mirror as I examined my reflection. The crisp white shirt hugged me perfectly, with the tailored black skirt that stopped just above my knees. My dark hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail, but no matter how put together I looked, the nerves clawing at my chest refused to settleToday was finally the competition and despite the effort to stay composed, my heart pounded relentlessly. This was my first time stepping into something this big—something out of my comfort zone and Leo had been the one to make it possible"Breathe in Tilda, breathe out," I muttered, glancing at my watch. The event was to begin at 5 pm and it was already 3 pm. That means we had a little over an hour to get there Leo was supposed to be here by now. He had called me an hour ago that he was on his wayWith another deep breath, I grabbed my handbag and headed downstairs to the kitchen. The competition had strict rules, no bringing of personal ingredient
[Kaden]"What exactly is going on here?" I snapped, my brow creasing together as I watched the dude take a step back from my wifeCherry opened her mouth to speak but quickly shut it back. I was about to say another word when she quickly beat me to it"Baby, hi...I...you said you're supposed to be in court, I...,""I asked you a question and don't make me repeat myself. What exactly is going on here?" I snapped and she bit down on her lip, taking a step toward me"Baby, meet...meet my cousin's brother, Liam," Cherry said making my brow crease even more"Liam, my husband, you...the one I was just telling you about,""Cousin brother?" I gritted out watching as Cherry took a step back, her lips pressed into a thin line"I'm Liam, your wife's cousin. It's nice to meet you, I've heard so much about you," My eyes shifted from the dude's face to his hand. I blew out a breath and turned back to my wife"What cousin of yours do I not know about?" I gritted out my words. Cherry's parents reside
[Kaden]The second that gavel slammed down, my jaw clenched so tight it hurt. My eyes darted to the damn judge watching as he rose to his feet and the next second he was making his way out"What the fuck does this old man think he's doing?" My eyes shifted to Tilda and she was already on her feet as they all made their way toward the exitWhat the hell does he need my kids in court for?I blew out a deep breath as Richard walked back to where I was seatedI think I know exactly what to do."Sir, are you...,"I didn't wait for Richard to finish his statement. I rose to my feet and headed for the exitJust why the hell would he postpone the damn thing. Shouldn't he have given me what was expected of him? Full damn custody of my kidsMy heart clenched and for some reason, I felt like relieving this anger before it exploded but just before I could take another step ahead, my legs came to an instant halt as I watched Tilda right in the hallway with her phone pressed firmly against her ear
[Matilda]"Objection overruled. Counsel, you may proceed," the judge said clearly. I lifted my head, locking eyes with Richard, who wore that damn smirk on his face. The tears betrayed me, spilling freely no matter how hard I tried to fight them."Miss Matilda, your ex-husband visited a few days ago and met you in an intimate position with your lover? Then I would have no option but to ask this question—what exactly have these children been exposed to? They're minors. This kind of environment—well, I don't think it’s suitable..."I couldn’t take it anymore "That’s a damn lie," I snapped, my eyes burning red. "And throwing accusations with no proof? That’s not only wrong, it’s unprofessional. Leo is my friend. That’s it. Nothing inappropriate ever happened," I said, choking on my tears.This wasn’t the time to cry. Not for that bastard. Not for someone so vile he’d twist everything just to hurt me. Why the hell would he make all this up?"But is it true or not?" Richard pushed, voice
[Matilda]"Thank you." I had said those words so many times to Sage since we stepped out of the courtroom. But I couldn’t stop myself. I didn’t know how else to show him my gratitude. He’d somehow managed to flip the script and push things slightly in our favor—giving us a breath of air on a battlefield that had nearly suffocated me.Still, I knew better than to think Kaden was done. His lawyer had made it clear, they were still pushing forward. That statement alone had my stomach in knots. Whatever they were planning, it wasn’t going to be light.“We have to head in. The court will be resuming soon,” Sage said, voice cold, not sparing another glance in our direction as he turned and walked awayJulia arrived just minutes before, standing next to me with her arms folded tightly under her chest.“Why’s he acting so cold?” Julia scoffed loudlyI turned to her, my brow knitting together, clearly telling her to shut up. “You don’t expect him to be all smiley, do you? And keep your mouth s
[Kaden]My jaw clenched hard as I watched Matilda walk right out of the courtroom, with that bastard right beside her, fucking holding her handsMy eyes snapped towards her lawyer. Did I underestimate what he was capable of doing?I almost laughed my ass out when he started questioning the witness not until he flipped every dam thing. The fucking whispers behind me, I heard them loud and clear — people calling the witness a liar and how she was trying to frame Matilda upMy eyes shifted to Richard as he made his way back to where we were seated and without sparing him a glance, I stood up and made my way outI tucked my hand into my pocket, walking right to the lot where my car was parked with Richard following behind meI took a deep breath and leaned against my car turning to face him"I hope you have a way to fix this," I drew in a deep breath, my hand curling right into my pocket. "Because you know that losing is not an option. And like I said if you don't pull through consider yo
[Matilda] I couldn't help the tears that rolled down my eyes as I watched Clara on the witness box spilling things that she knew to herself were all lies Have I ever dropped my kids at Clara's house? Of course. But that were a few times when my kids would ask to go over to play with her daughter This woman who was right at the witness box was the only true friend I had in Miami. I wouldn't say we were so close but we were more than just an acquaintance. She was there for me a whole lot of times because Miami was a new city to me when I relocated. and I was new to so many things. I wouldn't deny that she was a very great help to me But what I didn't expect was for her to stand right there and spill out lies about me I wasn't surprised that Kaden would do this kind of thing. This is a man who would go to any length to see me suffer. To see that I shed tears "Counsel for the respondent would you like to cross-examine the witness?" The judge's voice pulled me back to the moment "Yes
[Kaden] "I would love to call forth our first witness. Mrs Clara Williams," Richard called out and I couldn't help how my lips curled into a big smileMy eyes shifted to Tilda and my lips widened even more as I watched the shock on her faceShe's fucking too little to think she can stand against me. I know she would never in her lifetime be expecting her friend from Miami to be here today as a witnessShe was her very good friend from when she arrived in Miami and was almost the only close friend she had over thereWell I could go any length when I want something and she's fucking too small to think she could win against meMy heart clenched as the image of that bastard hugging her a few days ago in her room made its way to my head again. The fucking statement that left her mouth that day.I tilted my neck, shifting my gaze away from her to the main entrance where the red-headed lady was walking in majesticallyI blew out a deep breath, turning my eyes right back at Tilda, and damn t
[Matilda]"Counsel for the respondent, please step forward," the judge called out and my heart pounded loud in my chestThis is truly happeningI held my breath as Sage rose from his seat, his movement smooth and calculated. I blew out a breath, my hand curling tighter, finger digging into my palmThe air was thick with tension as if the courtroom was closing in on me. I was acutely aware of every second. The tap of Sage's polished shoes against the marble floor as he made his way to the front row of the courtroom, standing tall and composedI took a deep breath, watching as he introduced himself, his calm demeanor making me feel a sense of calm for a split secondThe judge nodded as he was done introducing himself, signaling him to proceed"Your Honor," Sage continued. "I am here on behalf of my client Miss Matilda Millers. Mr Kaden Donovan, my clients ex-husband has filed for full legal and physical custody of their two minor children. While we respect Donovan's right wanting to be
[Matilda]The soft hum of the car's engine barely registered in my mind as I took a slow deep breath. My heart was trembling and despite my best efforts to stay calm, it still felt like my chest was tightening with every passing second. It was finally the day that had given me a sleepless night for a while now. The day I would be facing Kaden in courtMy jaw clenched as I tried to calm my racing heart. My kids haven't stopped asking about him since the day he left a few days back. He had once called to talk to them but I denied him access, telling him that the kids were asleepI blew out a breath, my eyes shifting to the driver's seat, where Leo was seated with ease, his hand firm on the steering wheel, the other hand gripping the gear tightlyMy hand curled around the hem of my fitted black knee length gown"We're almost there," Leo's voice pulled me out of my daze. I turned my attention to him, watching as his eyes locked into mine before he turned his attention back to the roadI