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Dared to love Decisions, Decisions
Five million dollars? The message kept playing in Lorraine's head. How on earth was she supposed to come up with such a huge amount of money? Could she even consider asking Clay for it? And was Shawn's threat even real? These thoughts raced through Lorraine's mind since she read that message. She tried to figure out what secrets Shawn might be talking about in particular as he didn't know about her marriage with Clay, but her mind drew a blank. She couldn't think of any career-threatening or life-threatening secrets she had.After much introspection, Lorraine began to suspect that Shawn might be referring to her marriage with Clay. She was determined to fight for her marriage this time."How did he find out?" she wondered, considering the possibilities. Only Celeste knew about her marriage with Clay, or so she thought. Doubts crept in as she questioned whether Celeste could be involved with Shawn. The uncertainty weighed heavily on her mind. She couldn't help but wonder why this was h
Dared to love The Enemy of My Enemy
Lorraine borrowed her dad's car and left through the front entrance, feeling overwhelmed by everything that had happened. She was anxious about how to deal with Shawn. To her, five million was too much, and even though Clay might not consider it a lot, she still felt she'd be indebted to him if he was to pay Shawn off. However, she had no other choice. As she drove through the busy streets of Florida, she realized that if Shawn exposed their marriage, her ordinary life would be over. The idea of paparazzi and media invading their lives made her uneasy. Her parents led a simple life, despite running a small local company that had gained some local fame, nothing changed much, and their life was still theirs. The people were more interested in seeking opportunities to ask for favors, which she observed while growing up was more common after Sunday services.Lorraine used to think of it as a perfect trick, using the day's message about love and helping others to gain favors and job op
Dared to love The Headline
After the transfer, Lorraine thought that while they were there, she could at least see the place. She had been captivated from the very moment she walked into the building and thought that getting familiar with her new work environment couldn't be a bad thing to do. And then, the thoughts nourished her mind, drowning the ugliness that had just unfolded some moments ago. Having to work in a serene environment devoid of control over her creativity and the potential to make a name for her in the art world was exhilarating and even though it wasn't what she expected, the little speech she gave at the garden earlier made her feel appreciated as an artist.But Clay's worried expression made her reconsider. He stood facing the garden, lost in thought, and had loosened his tie due to pressure. Money wasn't what bothered Clay; he could make that much in an afternoon. It was the power games played by Lorraine's ex, Shawn, that affected him deeply, making things worse. Clay had a reputation fo
Dared to love Flashing Lights
The article's release shook Clay and Lorraine to their cores, but it affected Lorraine more profoundly than Clay. He was accustomed to the media attention, both positive and negative, and had developed a thick skin for it, grown impervious against the countless image-slandering reports, but Lorraine didn't. She wasn't ever prepared for any of these. Up until now the only flashing lights she had to worry about was the one from the occasional surprise birthday parties. When she read that article on her phone, her heart sank. She knew her life would never be the same again. The interviews, prying, paparazzi, and media reports felt too overwhelming for her."Keys", she said"What?" Clay asked"Give me the keys, Clay," Lorraine yelled, reaching into his suit jacket and pulling out the keys to her father's truck, pushing Clay back in anger."Where are you going?" Clay asked calmly."I'm going home," she replied, her voice mixed with sadness and apprehension. She recounted everything that pu
Dared to love Two Stripes, You're Pregnant
Suddenly, there was a knock on her door, and Lorraine pulled away from the toilet."Lorraine, are you alright, sweetie?" Her mom called, but there was no response. Lorraine got up and walked towards the bathroom sink, rinsing her mouth with mouthwash."Lorraine?" Her mother's voice echoed again through the walls, and Lorraine spat out the water."Mom, I'm fine!" she yelled, tired of the constant checking up. She walked over to the toilet and flushed her vomit. Heading out of the bathroom, she felt her stomach churn again and wondered if she had food poisoning."Well, your dad says we should start packing, that we'll be out first thing tomorrow morning before those pesky reporters return!" Elaine yelled through the door."Okay, Mom, fine, I'll pack!" Lorraine retorted and slumped into her bed. She was still disturbed that her family would have to move because of her and, worst of all, to Kentucky. She hadn't seen her grandfather since her sophomore year in college, as much as she loved
Dared to love Self-Evaluation
"I'm pregnant?" Lorraine thought dismissively, but as much as she couldn't entertain the reality, it stuck with her, growing more and more benign by the hour.Lorraine was in doubt. She felt worse than she had and was wrong. This was the lowest she had been. The idea of having a child should've excited her, but it did the opposite to her. She stood for moments, transfixed, staring at the test tube in hand for a long time, but still, the tube provided the same results no matter how hard she looked.Suddenly she shook her head frantically and broke out of the reverie; it had been minutes since she was in the bathroom, minutes since she had told Jordan she'd be coming down. She didn't want to arouse attention by staying much longer. With that thought, she reached her hand slowly and reluctantly and pressed the toilet flush button. At that point, all her movements seemed restrained prior to her thoughts. If there were a way to reverse what had happened or any of these, she would gladly w
Dared to love Mood Swings
The sound of the phone ringing startled Lorraine awake. With her vision still hazy, she searched around and picked it up, and then her heart lept at the caller's identity. Wondering why Clay was calling her by that hour, she hesistated briefly, but then answered the call "Hello", his voice came through the other end of the phone, calm and steady "Hi, love," Clay said,Lorraine sat up frantically, trying to compose herself. "Hi, Clay. I've been meaning to call you. Is everything okay?" She asked with an air of concern. As much as her world had erupted in a frenzy of social attraction, she wondered how the news had affected the life and business of her billionaire husband. For years David Wright had sought to reveal a secret that would destroy his public image and, being the face of the company, would cause their company's stocks to plummet and market value to drop. But despite her thinking, Clay's voice remained composed, and Lorraine found it surprising. She wondered if they had fo
Dared to love The Email
"Whoa! Okay… why are you so upset? It was only a harmless question," Clay replied defensively, staring at Lorraine, who leaned in the corner of the room, her head on her palms and hand on the waist. She looked exhausted, trying hard to control her emotions and coming short. She just realized she'd been pregnant and was suddenly experiencing the exhaustion of mood Swings; so much for the joy of motherhood, she sighed.She turned and looked at Clay apologetically, he was the one that got her into this situation, but she didn't have to take it out on him."I'm sorry", she apologized meekly. "I'm just a bit overwhelmed and can't handle too many questions right now". Clay looked much more sympathetic and walked up to her, extending his hand, "Come, sit," he said, leading her towards the bed."Can we not talk about it now?" Lorraine asked, "I don't feel like it," and just at the nick of time, Clay's phone buzzed. He picked it out and saw a call from Mark,"Excuse me," he said, standing up
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Dared to love The Memorabilia Gallery
It was a Saturday morning, exactly two weeks after the funeral, the morning air felt blissful as it sieved in through the open windows of their bedroom. Lorraine had moved back in with Clay and finally, they were living together as a couple. Earlier that week, Lorraine and Clay had renewed their vows and had a small ceremony, publicly announcing their marriage to the media. After everything that had happened, they figured that they wouldn't let anything else come in the way of them being together as a family. There was no reason to anymore.Clay had won over his family's affection, and Lorraine had reached the zenith of her career independently without Clay's help. She finally felt fulfilled and no longer felt belittled by being married to a man as famous, wealthy and influential as Clay Winston.Lorraine woke up that morning and found Clay still sleeping peacefully beside her lips parted in a smile.Slowly, she slid out under his arm, stood up and walked towards Edith's crib. Seein
Dared to love Her name will be...
Lorraine was appalled upon hearing her father tell her Jordan's funeral was the next day."Dad what do you mean his funeral is tomorrow?", she asked seeking confirmation "We don't think we should keep it for long, so we're going to do something small and intimate. Only a few friends and family" Elaine interjected sharplyLorraine was not satisfied with the arrangements, but this was her brother's funeral and she did not particularly want to argue. The faster Jordan was buried, the quicker she could mourn him and try to move on.Just then, Clay walked in and when he saw Lorraine, he hurriedly marched towards her and pulled her into a deep hug"How are you? How is she?" He asked with concern, and at this time her parents realized they had not asked about their grandchild"She's fine, she's healthy" Lorraine replied hastily and immediately her mother gasped in shock and covered her mouth, crying softly"Lorraine I'm so sorry I didn't ask. How is my grandchild?" She asked with curiosity.
Dared to love Home
Leaving a letter for Mrs Hughes was a lot easier to do, but here Lorraine was standing face to face with DeAngelo and couldn't find the words to say goodbyeDeAngelo sat on the stone bench outside, gazing at her quizzically, wondering why she had showed up unannounced after ignoring his calls and messages.After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, he asked with concern "Lorraine what's going on? Did you have a safe delivery?" "No, I mean yes, I did. The baby is fine, she's with the girls now" she replied sharply and then sucked in a quick breath and said"I came to say goodbye""Goodbye?" DeAngelo asked reflexively, stunned "You're leaving?" He added still in shockLorraine glanced at his face and said meekly "Yes. My family needs me" She said vaguely and paused. Shifting her gaze to DeAngelo's face, she saw that he still needed more context and hesitantly she said "My brother died yesterday. I'm going back home for the funeral and to be with my parents through it""I don't thin
Dared to love First Goodbye
The next day, Lorraine woke up to the sound of her beeping alarm. Opening her eyes, she groaned in exhaustion and the reality that her brother was now dead sank in again and the weight of it kept her under her sheets.Today was going to be her last day in Italy, and she never imagined this was the feeling she'd be leaving with.Having always known it would be tough to leave, she always believed it wouldn't feel that hard when she finally got back home to see the faces of everyone she loved. But now Grandma Edith was gone, and so was her brother.Lorraine tried so hard not to cry, but could no longer hold the tears that stifled in her eyes and at that time, she heard a faint knock on her door.Quickly, she got up, wiped the tears away and said "Come in" The doors swung open and revealed Caterina leaning pensively against the wall with a tired look on her face"Good morning" she uttered softly. The girls had spent all night taking turns to watch over the baby and as a result did not ge
Dared to love Grief
Lydia and the girls were outside the hospital when Dr Ivan approached them. Elena was the first to spot her and immediately hurried towards her "Is she alright doctor?" She asked frantically A small smile plastered on the doctor's face as she replied "Yes, she is. They both are""Why don't you go in? A nurse will come to take the baby away soon" She nudged and walked away. Instantly, the girls rushed inside the delivery room and saw Lorraine with a baby carefully wrapped in her palms. At first sight, they were all in awe by the view, but then when they moved closer, Caterina noticed that she was crying.At first, she assumed that Lorraine was just excited to have her baby. Slowly, with light footsteps, Caterina approached Lorraine and when she saw the baby, she gaped in awe."She's so beautiful," Caterina said softly. Lydia and Elena were on the opposite side of the bed staring at the baby, but suddenly they noticed Lorraine's sullen expression."Lorraine?" Caterina called on seein
Dared to love Giving Birth
"What?!" Caterina exclaimed I'm excitement. Immediately, she stood up and went over to Lorraine, helping her to her feet, and grabbed their papers "Ladies, what is going on here?" Mrs Hughes said authoritatively, seeing the girls disrupt her examination atmosphere."Ma'am Lorraine needs to go to the hospital, she's having a baby" Caterina replied helping Lorraine down the stairs. At that time, Lydia and Elena instantly got up and followed.When they reached the front of the hall, Mrs Hughes walked over to them and got the papers. She then leaned towards Lorraine and said with a gleeful smile "Congratulations. Do not worry about the examination, I'll take care of it" The girls rushed to the SUV and brought it around immediately. Caterina helped Lorraine into the backseat and in a few moments, they were off to the hospital.The engine roared through the highway. Luckily, Lorraine already had the number of the doctor who attended to her when she was pregnant, Lydia quickly retrieved he
Dared to love Final Papers
It was a week after the Art Convention ended. When Lorraine returned to the school, she was graced by a grand welcome, while some people were not happy that her honest speech could ruin the chances of their school winning, they ultimately admired her courage and what she did for them.That morning, Lorraine woke up and for the first time ever, she didn't feel the need to conceal her pregnancy. Pretty much, the entire school knew of it by now and it felt free.Spring was almost over, and it was hard for her to bid it farewell, much harder cause this was her last semester in the Art School before she'd have to return home.Lorraine had fallen in love with the city and its people, the different lovely personalities, their food, boat rides and most especially, the friends she had made.The thought of going back home was not quite as exciting as she thought it'd be. Over here, she felt like she was with people who spoke her language, people who understood the struggles of what it means to
Dared to love Lorraine, You're Art
The judges settled around 9:15 that morning, and shortly after the second round of the competition began. As usual, Davio Art School went first, their representative was a girl who was already shaking in her boots when she was called to the stage.Lorraine sat pensively, observing and studying the reactions, expressions and patterns which the judges used to examine artworks. In her head, she had cooked up a plan, but this would only work if she could find their emotional trigger and find a way to use it against their rules."Next up, Faun's Art School!" The announcer called. Grace was sitting beside Lorraine trying to trash talk and put her out of her game. She smirked as she stood up and walked to the stage. At that point, Lorraine's confidence was too high to be threatened. There was something more important at stake to be disturbed by what some posh art school girl thought of her.Grace took the stage and the timer began, thirty minutes! Thirty minutes to come up with something d
Dared to love A Way Out
The day was bright and sunny. However, Lorraine woke up feeling clouded in her head. She had made a bold decision yesterday night to forfeit the award and the certificates that came with it, but now she wasn't so sure anymore.Her career's future and everything she ever wanted and worked hard for hung on that decision. She sat up and shook her head, dismissing the thoughts then walked into her kitchen and made herself something to eat.She needed a clear headspace to think, but just then she was interrupted by a knock on her door. Groaning in frustration, she marched towards it and opened it aggressively "What?!" And immediately regretted gee outburst"Mrs Hughes..." she blurted in shock"Good morning Lorraine," the lady said and brushed past her, entering her room. Lorraine remained frozen at the door for a few moments, then closed it and turned to Mrs Hughes. "Sorry ma'am, but what are you doing here so early?" She asked Mrs Hughes turned to her with a proud smile and said, "I c
