ONIKA'S POVI was silent for what felt like a whole minute, unable to bring forth any words.He looked embarrassed, his foot lightly tapping on the floor. “Should I leave?” He scratched the back of his neck sheepishly.I needed to get my shit together. “Okay… I mean no, don't leave. Sit with us”Laura glared at me as I said that and she stood up, carrying her bag. “I think I should give you two some privacy. Onika, I'll be at the counter, inform me when you're done” That was all she said to me before she walked off the counter, setting herself on the low stool.I looked back at Kent, forcing a smile. “So you're here. I wasn't expecting you to be here”He glanced down and back up at me again. “Iㅡuhㅡ I just wanted to see you and your employees said you weren't at the office again so I decided to try here and if you weren't here, I'd come over” He explained.“Yeah sure. I know I said I'd call you so we could meet up but I wanted to have coffee with Laura first, sorry if that delayed your
ONIKA'S POV Laura came over to me and the first thing I heard was a low whistle from beside me before she spoke up. “I watched the entire conversation and I swear that I can't determine the outcome from the look on your faces. What the hell happened? Good or bad?” She asked, sliding in the seat beside me.I looked at her, a sad smile on my face. “Just there, I guess. He understands, I hope he does but we're cool. Maybe we'll have dinner again tomorrow or something or catch up properly”Laura sighed and placed a hand on my shoulder, her fingers digging into my flesh from how tight she gripped me. “Honey, don't punish yourself, okay? It's not your fault that you don't like him and let me tell you now. You don't have to feel shitty in any way for it, understood?” She asked, her eyes peering into mine as she waited for an answer.I couldn't help it, I laughed slightly at that and nodded to that. “Yes ma'am”She leaned back in her seat. “Man, who would have ever thought your love life wou
NATHAN'S POVThe way her eyes lit up as I pulled to a stop made every doubt I had about choosing this place for our date disappear. She looked ethereal with that goofy grin on her face.I knew she would love it. “Like it?” I couldn't stop myself from asking.She turned to look at me and her gaze softened before she leaned as far as the seatbelt would allow to press a soft lingering kiss to my lips.Instinctively, I froze for a brief second before I melted into the kiss and just as I was reaching a hand to pull her closer to me, she pulled away with a small smile. “What was that for?” I asked breathlessly.She shrugged. “Just to show you how much I love it” She chuckled seeing the dumbfounded look on my face.“I should really surprise you more” I muttered under my breath as I tried to unbuckle my belt.“Why? So that I can kiss you?” I heard her ask and I turned to look at her, my brow raised.“That and to see that priceless look of happiness on your face. I want to see it more often” I
ONIKA'S POVMuseums had always fascinated me—the way history was captured in colors and sceneries. Every painting, every sculpture had a story, and I loved trying to decipher them. But today, I felt different. I was distracted.By him.Nathan walked beside me, hands in his pockets, his usual composed expression in place. But there was something off. He wasn’t entirely present. His eyes weren’t focused on the paintings or the tour guide’s explanations. They were on me. And somehow that scared me as much as it thrilled me.I glanced at him, raising a brow. “You know, you’re supposed to be looking at the art, not at me.”His lips twitched. “Can’t help it.”I rolled my eyes, unable to help myself. “Smooth.”He let out a quiet chuckle but didn’t say anything else.I turned back to the guide, trying to focus, but I could still feel his gaze on me.We stopped in front of a Renaissance painting, a grand scene of a woman reaching toward a man standing in a boat, his hand just out of her reach.
ONIKA’S POV"Wait," I laughed, his hand covering my eyes as he led me forward. "Are you ever going to tell me where we're going?""Patience," Nathan murmured in my ear, his breath warm against my skin. "We're almost there."I sighed dramatically. "I don’t like surprises, you know.""You like my surprises," he countered.I bit my lip. Damn him. He wasn’t wrong.We walked a few more steps before he finally stopped. I felt his fingers lift from my face, and I blinked against the darkness.The sight before me stole my breath.A picnic. But not just any picnic. A perfect one.A soft blanket spread across the grass, candles flickering around it, casting golden light against the dark blue sky. A bottle of wine chilled in an ice bucket, and an array of my favorite foods—cheese, fruit, chocolate, pastries—was set out elegantly. Nearby, an easel stood with a blank canvas, a second one right beside it.I turned to Nathan, stunned. "You... planned all this?"He smirked. "You sound surprised.""I
ONIKA'S POVLuckily for me, I managed to get myself together as I walked into my office the next morning. I spotted my assistant, Amara, standing just behind my desk, her phone in one hand, a file in the other.She looked up as I entered, her brows furrowed. "Miss Onika, I've been trying to fix this all morning."I set my bag down, sighing as I put a hand on my head. "What exactly is the complaint?"She exhaled, flipping through the file. "One of the pieces in your exhibition is being challenged for copyright infringement. Someone is claiming that your painting is a copy of their work."I stilled. "That’s ridiculous. Which painting?""The abstract one—Resonance. That's the one."I frowned. "That's one of my most personal pieces. I created it from scratch.""I know," Amara said quickly. "But the complainant insists it resembles their work. They sent an official letter and threatened to escalate it if we don’t withdraw it from the showcase."I inhaled deeply, rubbing my temple. "Did you
ONIKA’S POVThat evening, I lounged in the bathtub, my body sinking into the warmth of the water as I rested my head against the edge. This was pure bliss.The day had been exhausting, from dealing with the exhibition controversy to witnessing Regina’s downfall in court.Still, despite everything, I felt… lighter. The weight on my shoulders had shifted, if only a little. Despite the exhaustion seeping in my bones, I felt…happy.I closed my eyes, letting the scent of lavender and chamomile fill my senses, my fingers tracing slow patterns along the water's surface. My thoughts drifted—to the exhibition, to my work, to Nathan.It was still strange sometimes, knowing we were engaged again. That after everything, we were here. Together.A sudden noise—footsteps, the faint creak of the front door—snapped me from my thoughts. I stiffened slightly, then exhaled, realizing it could only be Nathan.Shaking off my distraction, I reached for my bathrobe, wrapping it around my damp skin as I step
ONIKA’S POVI could hear the applause as I made my way up the stage, the next night. Despite my clammy hands that were shaking from nerves purely, I couldn't help but notice the one thing rushing through me like a storm. Happiness.I smiled as I looked around the room. The turnout was even bigger than before. Some faces were familiar—critics, collectors, artists—but there were new ones too. People who had come to see my work as usual. Each turnout always managed to make me smile.Nathan stood near the front, his gaze locked onto me, a small smirk on his lips.I cleared my throat, gripping the microphone. "Good evening, everyone. First of all, thank you. Truly. This exhibition started as a personal journey, a way for me to express the emotions I couldn't put into words. And yet, here you all are, experiencing it with me once more. That means more than I can say."A few people nodded, some smiling encouragingly.I took a breath, scanning the room. "Most of my pieces in this collection r
Nathan's POV "What's are you waiting for Onika, it's almost 7 pm you would be late for our dinner" I said to Onika, it was almost 7pm and she wasn't ready yet. "I'm coming she said walking down the stairs making me open my mouth in awe" she was wearing a long white flowing gown it was armless. Though her dressing was simple she still looked really elegant and beautiful in it. I felt so happy that she was going to belong to me soon, she's going to be my wife, my partner and the mother to all my children and I'm going to make everyday of her life a beautiful fairytale. "If you keep staring like that then I'm not sure we would be able to get to our destination before 7" she said teasing me. "It's not my fault, I just can't help but stare at the beautiful angel in my front. You look so beautiful honey" I said pecking her cheeks. Holding her hand we walked to where our car was parked entering it we went to our destination. As we arrived at the Cable Beach, Onika's eyes widened in aw
Onika's POV Nathan still wouldn't tell me where he was taking me to he kept insisting that he was a surprise and that I should just be patient and see what was going to happen. "Are you sure you don't want to tell me were we are going Nathan?" I asked for the hundredth time while on the flight. "Just be patient Onika, you would know when you get there" he said with a smile on his face. As the plane touched down, I couldn't help but feel a rush of excitement. Nathan still hadn't revealed our destination, but the warm tropical air and palm trees visible from the plane window hinted at a paradise. We collected our luggage and made our way to the taxi stand, where Nathan finally revealed our destination: Nassau, the capital city of the Bahamas.The taxi ride to our resort was a blur of colorful buildings, lively music, and the sound of waves crashing against the shore. As we checked into our luxurious beachfront villa, I couldn't wait to start exploring. Nathan handed me a tropical fl
Nathan's POV I couldn't stop myself from laughing when they both looked at me as if they had heard something bad. "I'm just joking no need to be so serious about it" I said making Laura laugh also."Well I was already planning the way you were going to carry the next baby," Onika said looking at me mischievously. "Com'on ladies can we go and do what we came here for, we need to check the wedding dress fitting for Onika today." I said they both needed. Soon the designer called Onika to come over to try her out her wedding dress. Onika came out of the dressing room looking like an angel the long white dress fitted her perfectly. It was an off shoulder fitted dress with a cape around the waist. I could help but open my mouth agape in shock. "The dress looked perfect on you" I complimented her and she blushed shyly. She change to her old dress while the receptionist packed the wedding dress into a shopping bag. "So my Onika is finally going to have her happy ending and even her dre
Onika's POV It was already time for me to be discharged from the hospital. Nathan has been very happy since the birth of our child, he has always been around, he even went as far as learning how change diapers saying he wanted to act like a normal father and not a billionaire. This act makes my heart melt in love and happiness. My Nathan was no longer the proud and arrogant father, he was now a loving and doting father. "Lucas get the car ready, we need to get going now" Nathan said to his assistant as he carried Daniel in his arms. We finally decided to name our child after Nathan father. Daniel it was such a nice name. Nathan mother was very happy and touched when she heard the name we gave to our child. "Your dad will be so proud and happy when ever he is" she said with a smile on her face. We need to get going now Onika Laura said with a smile on her face. We walked out of the hospital only to be met by the media outside. "Congratulations Miss Onika on giving birth to your
Onika gives birth Nathan's POV Four months later. "Com'on Onika can't you be any faster we need to go shop for child's clothing" I called out from downstairs. I've been waiting for her to get ready for over an hour now. She's already in her due month and she could give birth anytime in this month. We were able to find out the child's gender even though we didn't mean to. Onika's was feeling really skin and we had to do a scan on her that was how we found out about our child's gender. We even did our child's gender reveal party a week ago, everyone was happy especially my mom and her best friend Laura. "Will come and drive me to the boutique or will you keep on day dreaming about God knows what." Onika said smiling looking a bit irritated. She is easily irritated by things these days, I asked my mom about it she said it's because of her pregnancy. I could only nod in confusion not understanding pregnant women and there mood swings.As we arrived at the boutique, Onika's irrita
Onika's POV Nathan mother was standing at the door smiling sheepishly at me, I thought I was dreaming until she spoke up "can I come in?" She asked. I could only nod my head walking back inside as she followed me quietly. "Who's that babe?" Nathan asked while serving the dish on the table."Nathan" his mother called from the living. Making Nathan look up in shock, it was obvious that he had no idea that his mother was coming. "What are you doing here mum?" He asked his face looking stern. "Can't I come to see my son and my future daughter in-law" she said making both of us look up in shock. She walked over to the dinning table sitting on down to have breakfast with us, "will you keep on standing or will you both join in for breakfast" she said serving food into her plate. As we sat down at the table, the tension was palpable. Nathan's eyes were narrowed, and his jaw was clenched. I could tell he was still upset with his mother.Willow, on the other hand, seemed determined to ma
Onika's POV "Let's leave this place" I said to Nathan feeling nauseous after see so much blood. I still can't believe that Gina killed herself just like that. Even though she made my life a living hell from the beginning, I was still willing to forgive her but she ended her own life just to escape prison. I feel like I'm the one to blame for this. Nathan held my hand in a comforting manner "it's not your fault Onika she brought it upon herself" he said leading me out of the hospital. Nathan drove us back to the house in silence, he seems to be contemplating on what to say. "How are you feeling now?" I asked smiling a bit. "I'm okay, I just had bruises on my stomach and my head" he said making me look up at the bandage on his head. It was already turning red now. It seems his wound has reopened. I made a mental note to myself to change it when we get home. As we arrived home, Nathan seemed to be struggling to keep his balance. He was weak and pale, and I could tell that he was in
Nathan's POV I opened my eyes slightly looking around to see the doctors and nurses walking around my room carrying trays with some medical stuffs on them. "Doctor, Mr Nathan has regained consciousness" one of the nurses said calling the attention of the doctor. He came closer to me checking my vitals and injures to see how I was doing, "thank goodness mr McAllison you woke up sooner than we expected. Do you know where you are or do you recall anything?" He asked. "Calm down doctor I haven't lost my memory yet" I replied him jokingly looking around the room in search for onika. "Any problem Mr McAllison?" He asked when he noticed me looking around confused. "Where is onika, doctor?" I asked him as he looked at me confused. "The police contacted Miss onika when you got an accident but she is yet to come Mr Nathan" the doctor said. "What that can only mean that something bad had happened to onika, call my assistant for me" I said feeling really anxious. "Sir, you are awake, are
Onika's POV I braced myself for death.Tears streamed down my face as I waited for the gunshot that would end my life. My chest tightened, my breaths coming in shallow gasps. My child... they wouldn’t get to see the world, to take their first breath, to feel my love.It was heartbreaking.I squeezed my eyes shut.But the bullet never came.“What the hell?” Gina's voice dripped with rage.My eyelids fluttered open, and through my blurry vision, I saw her shaking the gun, pulling the trigger repeatedly. Nothing happened.The gun was empty.A dry laugh escaped my lips before I could stop it.Gina’s furious gaze snapped toward me, and for a split second, I saw something else beneath her anger, panic. She hadn’t expected this.Her face twisted, and before I could react, she struck me hard across the face.Pain exploded in my skull, my head snapping to the side. Blood filled my mouth, the sharp metallic taste making me gag. I gasped, blinking through the ringing in my ears.“Just wait, Oni