The day after Anastasia and Damien returned from his house, she received an unexpected call. It was from her father who was asking her to come home for a meeting. She refused, saying she wouldn’t go back to his house but was willing to meet him elsewhere. Her father, Harold, then asked her to come to his office.Drressd in an elegant skirt and matching blouse from the collection Adeline and Lovelina had picked for her, Anastasia made her way to the office. As she waited in the lobby, Harold’s assistant came down to escort her."Miss Spencer, you can go ahead," the assistant said, holding the door open for her.Anastasia knocked, and upon hearing Harold's voice, she stepped inside. To her surprise, several men were already seated in the room. She greeted her father and nodded politely at the others."And who is this?" one of the men, who appeared to be around Harold's age, asked."That's my daughter," Harold responded."Oh, it’s Regina?" another man asked, frowning in confusion.Before
Harold couldn’t bear to see her cry anymore. It was giving him a headache. Big tears streamed down her cheeks and her nose had turned red and ugly from all the weeping. She looked utterly pathetic."Enough!" Harold snapped, his patience reducing each second.She looked up at him as her sobs filled the silence between them.“Regina was in danger because of Damien,” Harold said sharply. “Her name is linked to him in the media. If they find out that you are married to him, it will create a huge scandal and our family’s reputation will be affected.”Anastasia waited for him to continue. “I will wage a war against Damien, Anastasia. He openly disrespected me by hurting Regina and marrying you without my permission. You know better than anyone that I have the power to ruin Damien Callahan!” She stared at him, feeling the weight of his words. She knew he wasn’t bluffing, his ego was as vast as the ocean, and he would destroy anyone who dared to cross him. Though she didn’t want to cause any
"Where are you?" Damien’s voice came through the phone just as Anastasia stepped outside her father’s office.She was looking around for a taxi since her car was still at Adeline's. She hadn’t had time to pick it up as she had rushed over to meet her father. “I’m outside my father’s office,” she replied.“Wait there,” Damien said. “I will pick you up.”“It’s okay,” she replied, not wanting to inconvenience him. “I can manage.”But Damien wasn’t having it. “How? By taxi? Your car’s still at Adeline’s. I sent someone to retrieve it. Just wait five minutes; I will be there.”As he hung up, she realized it would take him at least half an hour to get here, more if traffic was bad. Yet, exactly five minutes later, a sleek car pulled up in front of her.Anastasia’s lips pressed into a faint smile. This man… he already knew she was here, didn’t he?Of course, he had a team of invisible guards following her everywhere. The car door opened and she climbed inside and turned to see Damien sittin
Inside the car, Anastasia took the pill and drank some water from Damien's bottle.“Will it be effective?” he asked, concern etching his features.“We will find out in a week,” she replied casually. Her period was due then and it would be clear if she was pregnant or not.“What if it doesn’t work?” Damien pressed, the worry evident in his voice. She turned to him with a playful smirk. “Then the poor Damien Callahan will be burdened with a child.”He quickly defended, “Children are never a burden.”“Unless they are unwanted and unplanned,” she shot back, raising an eyebrow.He countered, “If you get pregnant, would you consider our child unwanted?”Anastasia studied him, realizing he had a tendency to make everything personal. For some reason, he was overly emotional and sensitive almost as if he was the girl of the relationship. Sometimes, it felt like she was the one trying to be rational while he was the one who always sees things emotionally and sentimentally. It was not bad but
When they reached home, night had already fallen. Neither of them mentioned her visit to her father and the silence on the subject was mutual. He thought that if she wished to tell him about the topic, she would. And she did not think that she needed to inform him anything and if he expressed his wish to know, she would not hide anything from him. Despite their differences, she did not like to lie to him. If she could tell him the truth, she would. If not, she would keep quiet. Damien also understood this thing and thus he did not pressed further. But as they walked into the living room, they were met with an unexpected sight that quickly caught Damien’s attention. Sitting on the couch was someone he hadn’t expected to see in his house.“What are you doing here, Caleb?” Damien asked, surprised. Caleb almost never came to his house. What added to Damien’s unease was the suitcase sitting by the couch, a detail that immediately felt off. It was already strange that Caleb was here. What
On the other end of the line, Damien’s mother Carolyn sounded unusually agitated.“What did he say? That I threw him out of the house?” she huffed. “I will give that boy a piece of my mind!”Damien had never heard his mother so riled up. What had caleb done that infuriated his mother that much? He also wanted to know so he asked, “Mom, can you tell me what happened?”Carolyn sighed heavily. “You know how he is. He is moody, stubborn, doing everything according to his whims. A few days ago, I met with his teacher. I have lived a life of pride as Carolyn Callahan and no one has dared to shame me, but this boy failed miserably in his classes! I tried to be understanding, kept calm, and hired tutors to help him catch up. But he scared every one of them away! And today? He fought a classmate. A kid from the Jade family, no less!”Damien’s brows knitted. He knew how important the Jade family’s partnership was to their business. “I’m guessing they weren’t thrilled.”Carolyn scoffed, frustrat
After hanging up with his mom, Damien went downstairs to find Anastasia and tell her about the changes ahead. When he reached the dining room, he paused at the doorway only to be surprised by what he saw.Did not his mom said that Caleb was on hunger strike? Well, it did not seem like that. Caleb was seated at the table and was calmly eating a bowl of noodles. It was the kind of noodles that Anastasia usually prepared just for him. She always tried to make it seem like the chef had done it, but Damien knew better. She made those noodles from scratch carefully considering his health and allergies. And now here she was, serving that same dish to Caleb.Beside the noodles was a glass of milkshake, prepared in the same way she did his which was naturally sweetened with fruit instead of sugar given his dietary restrictions. This was his daily routine, a meal made for hi, and yet now Caleb was the one being served with the same care and attention. Damien felt an odd discomfort at the si
At dinnertime, Damien found Caleb already seated at the dining table, waiting patiently for the couple to arrive. Damien raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing here?"The spying agent sent by his mother was quite relentless?Caleb looked up, his expression unreadable once again. "Food," he replied flatly.It infuriated Damien to no end that the boy who could muster up a whole sentence for everyone barely acknowledge him with a word or two. It would be a miracle if he would use more than one word for Damien. Damien’s brow furrowed. “Didn’t you already eat?”With a pitiful glance in Anastasia’s direction, Caleb answered, “I want to eat dinner.”Anastasia tried to steel herself, reminding herself that he was likely a spy sent by Carolyn. Still, she couldn’t shake the feeling that he was just a vulnerable boy, caught up in the Callahan family’s schemes without a mother to care for him. His situation tugged at her heart. He was motherless just like her and so she could not be strict to hi
It had been a week since Regina moved in with Damien. Today, she felt a bit confined inside the house, so she decided to step out for some fresh air. She had been very unwell. Ever since she was discharged from the hospital, she had been experiencing nonstop bleeding. When she asked the doctor, she was told that they had found a cyst in her uterus and had to operate on her. Because of this, she was facing several symptoms.But Regina felt as though her body had gone through too much. She was not the same person she had been a few months ago. She had gained a lot of weight, and her breasts were always achy and swollen. She didn't understand what was happening to her body, but the doctors assured her that it was all due to the medication.Stepping out of Damien’s house, she exited the main gate and began strolling through the neighborhood. It was a quiet and charming place with beautiful houses and families playing in the gardens. Suddenly, the sound of a baby’s laughter caught her atte
At Abel’s house, Ronan was patiently guiding him on how to handle the babies. The twins kept them both busy, and although Ronan’s parents were around to help, he wanted to learn everything himself. Abel, too, was determined to learn despite the exhaustion; he wanted to be there for his daughters in every way possible.“Yes, look, you rocked her to sleep,” Ronan praised, watching as Abel gently cradled one of the babies, soothing her into a peaceful slumber.Abel carefully placed the sleeping infant into the crib before turning to the other. He repeated the same motions, soft rocking, quiet hums and soon, the second baby was asleep as well.A breath of disbelief escaped him. “I can’t believe I did it,” he whispered, staring at his daughters in awe.Ronan smiled. “They know you, Abel. They recognize your scent, your touch. You make them feel safe.” He patted Abel on the back. “The more time you spend with them, the easier it’ll get.”Abel nodded, his heart swelling with both pride and s
The two of them lay tangled in the sheets as their bare skin pressed together. Damien held Anna close, his arms wrapped around her as he kissed her between moments of quiet peace. She lay there with a soft smile, feeling safe in his embrace.After a while, they shifted positions. This time, Anna curled around him, pressing gentle kisses along his shoulder and neck, her fingers tracing lazy patterns on his skin. It was her turn to spoil him, to love him the way he always loved her.Later, they sat on the floor together as they began to share the meal Damien had brought. The warmth of the food and the comfort of their closeness made everything feel peaceful.Anna took a bite and sighed happily. “Mmm… I missed this,” she said, leaning in to kiss his cheek. Then, her voice softened with guilt. “Damien, who is taking care of your meals? I’m so sorry I haven’t been paying attention to you.”Damien chuckled. “Come on, baby. I’m fine. Just like you told me, no alcohol, no sugar, and no extra
Ashton sat on the couch in the living room, his small hands clenched into fists as he frowned. His frustration was clear. "Why is Aunt Regina living in our house while we have to stay here?" he asked Adeline, his voice filled with confusion and hurt.Adeline looked at the little boy, seeing the sadness in his eyes. But then, in a much softer voice, he whispered something that broke her heart. "I can’t sleep without Daddy… Is he sending us back to the orphanage?"Her chest tightened. Ashton and Asher had been through so much, and even now, after finding a family, his fear of being abandoned hadn’t gone away. The instability of his life had left deep scars, and now, with his mother missing and everything changing again, he was scared.Without a second thought, Adeline pulled him into a warm hug, holding him close. "No, sweetheart. No one is sending you back. You have Mom and Dad, and they love you so much. And Aunt Addy and Uncle Austin? We love you, too. You are never going to be witho
"What happened here?" Ronan and Adeline rushed in but looked tense as they saw the two other men with tensed expressions. "Regina woke up," Abel answered."Really?" Ronan's breath hitched as he stepped forward to enter her room and meet his bestfriend. The moment Ronan saw Regina sitting up in bed, his vision blurred with tears. She was awake. Alive. Looking around in confusion as if nothing had happened. The past few months had been a nightmare as she had suffered so much, more than anyone should endure. And still, here she was, sitting before him like it was just another day.Without thinking, he rushed to her side and pulled her into a tight hug."Ronan," Regina muttered, startled by his reaction.He felt her stiffen in his embrace, and when he pulled back, her brows furrowed as she asked, "Why are you acting like I died and came back?"Her words sent a chill down his spine. She truly had no idea."You gave us the scare of a lifetime," Ronan admitted, his voice filled with emoti
Just then, the doctor entered to check on Regina. Seizing the opportunity, Damien grabbed Abel by the arm and dragged him outside.The moment they were alone, he turned on him. "What the hell did you just say?! She is my fiancée? I am a married man, Abel! Anna is going to kill me!"His pulse pounded as he ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "I have kids! I am not sending my children somewhere else so I can play house with your wife!"Abel looked at him with an exasperated expression. "Then what was I supposed to do? Tell her the truth? That she is actually married to me?"Damien gritted his teeth, trying to suppress the urge to throttle Abel. "You could have said literally anything other than ‘Damien is your fiancé!’"Abel sighed, rubbing his temples. "Look, we need to take this one step at a time. Her mind is fragile right now. If we push her too hard, we could make things worse."Damien exhaled sharply, his patience wearing thin. "Fix this, Abel. Fast."Abel ran a hand through h
"Regina!"Abel’s voice cracked as he rushed to his wife, wrapping his arms around her the moment her eyes fluttered open. He had dreamed of this moment. Heck, even prayed for it, but now that she was finally awake, the reality felt almost too cruel to bear.For weeks, he had watched over her lifeless form, hoping against hope. And in those weeks, everything had fallen apart. Too many things had gone wrong. Too much had changed.But as he held her, Regina stiffened. Her hands pushed against his chest, her brows furrowing in confusion."What's wrong with you?" she demanded, looking at him like an outsider. Her voice carried no warmth, only suspicion. "Why are you hugging me like this?"Abel pulled back while searching her face, but all he found was cold detachment and the same distant, disdainful expression she had once reserved for him."Why are you looking at me like that?" he whispered, his heart pounding.Regina ignored his question, her gaze shifting around the hospital room, takin
Anna’s voice dropped to a whisper. "Something is missing. Something I don’t know yet. A piece that doesn’t fit. Regina worshipped her mother, and yet, suddenly, she named me as the guardian of her children in case of her and her husband’s death. Why? She hated me to me death." Her eyes narrowed. "There is something deeper at play, and I need you to find out what it is."Damien nodded. "I will get on it."Anna took a deep breath before revealing the most critical information. "And there is something even more important. The drug that Claire injected Regina with, I managed to steal a sample of her blood and sent it to a lab for testing."Damien’s grip tightened on her arms. "And?""The results came back. The drug has severe side effects. If Regina wakes up, there is a high chance she will suffer from amnesia. The extent of it is unpredictable, as she might lose all her memories or have selective amnesia. It depends on how her body reacts to it."Damien added. "Her pregnancy already weak
"What are you doing?" Lisa tried to ask without letting her voice tremble.Damien’s arm snaked around her waist while pulling her close with effortless ease. A smirk tugged at his lips as he whispered, "What do you think?"She stiffened, placing her hands on his chest to push him away. "You are a married man. Stay away from me."His grip didn’t loosen. Instead, he tilted his head as his eyes gleamed with mischief. "Am I?"Lisa’s breath hitched. "I know that you are.""Then tell me why I can’t seem to stay away from you," he murmured, his breath warm against her ear.Her pulse quickened as she tried to hold her ground. "Your wife won’t appreciate this."A deep chuckle rumbled in his chest. "Oh, I don’t think she will mind me having you."That was the last straw."Ouch!" Damien groaned as she elbowed him hard in the stomach. He staggered back, clutching his side."You jerk! You absolute asshole!" she fumed, eyes blazing. "I disappear for a few days, and you’re already out here seducing