~WILLIAM~“Mr. Rogers…” It was James: “Ms. Anastasia is back in the city.”“What?!”“I just found out; they landed like an hour ago.”“Fuck!” I cursed as it now made sense; she was behind it, but how dare she pull such a stunt? How dare she come for me when her company was even doing badly?“Wait…” Jimena said, and with a boring expression, I turned to her. It happened so fast; next, she grabbed the phone from my hands, and since I didn't have the energy for her, I let her be as I walked to the drink cabinet picked a bottle of alcohol, and walked to the table, my eyes on Jimena, who now seemed to be arguing with James.I was going to pour a drink in my glass when James's voice echoed in my head: ‘Ms. Anastasia is back.’ He even had the guts to call her by her name and not by my last name; that frustrated me as I instead brought the bottle to my lips and gulped down its contents.“I want that bitch to pay; I don't know, do something.” I heard Jimena say, but I didn't stop her. At this
~ANASTASIA~“Trust me, I live around the area; I will drop you off.”“Mommy, please say yes.” Ivy insisted, “Pretty please...” She made a puppy face.“Sweetheart, what did I say about manipulating others?”“Mommy, please, just this time.” She pouted her lips, her hands were joined together in a begging position, and I couldn't help but agree.“Fine, but only because he's going in the same direction,” I said, and she jumped before she kissed my cheeks and turned to the man.“Thank you. Now back to the game.”“Whoa, I see. I might let you win this time.” He chuckled.“Trust me, I'm the one letting you win.” She smirked, and I shook my head before I turned my attention back to the magazine. The flight attendant brought it to me earlier since she realized I wasn't falling asleep. I couldn't sleep with Ivy awake; I would just end up having bad dreams of her in danger.We were landing soon, and the man insisted on driving us to our home. I told him it was outside the city, and he said he l
~WILLIAM~I was in the hospital pacing around waiting for the doctor. I don't know what I was feeling at the moment; Jimena was in there fighting for her life, and it was all my fault. I was to blame, and Mom was not even making it better as she kept reminding me that she had warned me.“You see what you've got yourself into. I told you, son, I told you to marry Jimena and—”“It's not my fault this time, Mom. I didn't—”“Just shut up! Shut up!” She yelled; she was very upset, “Listen to me, William, I know you're my son, but if anything happens to my grandchild, I will never forgive you, and I will make sure you pay for your crime.”“Mom, nothing is going to happen to Jimena and her baby, okay?”“W-what? Her baby? Are you listening to yourself right now? I mean, isn't she pregnant for you?”“I know…” I scratched the back of my head. “I mean our baby.”“William, are you having second thoughts?” She sounded calm, and no, I wasn't having second thoughts. Jimena and I have been having unp
~ANASTASIA~I was restless; I wondered what was taking her so long to get back to me. She promised to get it fixed in thirty minutes, but it has been thirty-two minutes now.I couldn't wait any longer, so I got my phone and dialed her number.“Ana?” She sounded like she had food in her mouth.“Hi, did you get it fixed?”“What?”“The rumor, is it cleared?” I hated reminding her, but at this point, I had to, as I didn't want her to change her mind.“Oh, about that… Mhmm…”“Please stop playing with me, Vivi.”“See how worked up you get when it's about William.”“Please tell me you did.”“Yes, I did. You can relax now. I was having dinner. I came home, so I will talk to you later, okay?”“Alright, thank you, and no, I'm not worked up because of William; I'm only helping like any normal human would do. He had poured his heart into that company; I don't want his efforts to be in vain.” I explained, even though I knew Vivi would not agree with me.“Whatever. You are just kind because if it w
~ANASTASIA~I wasn't thinking straight. Trey and I were twins, and so we were very close; hearing this broke my heart.I followed Margot with Dad and Carmen behind. She led us to his room, and when we reached the door, I was the first to enter, as she was a little slow.“Trey?!” I rushed to him as he was on the bed groaning in pain, but when he heard my voice, he sat up and pretended to be strong.“A…Ana…” He struggled to say my name, “I… I’m sorry I couldn’t… couldn’t pick you up.”“You’re bleeding?” I said, ignoring his concern as I tried to wipe off the blood from his nose with a cloth, but he flinched and complained in pain.“Call the doctor.” I heard Dad tell Margot. He didn’t sound worried to me, which got me thinking, but I didn’t address it. As I helped Trey get on the bed, I removed his shoes. Before helping him cover his legs, I noticed he was really hurt; his face had scratches, and blood was leaking from his head.I continued wiping blood off his face even when he asked me
~ANASTASIA~It's been half an hour; yes, my eyes were on the clock, so I knew how long Dr. Luke and Trey had been in there.“Everything is going to be okay.” I heard Carmen say, at this point, I was tired of asking her to stop talking to me, as I've said that about a hundred times already, but she didn't stop.Dad excused himself to take a call while Carmen still decided to be my nanny as she at times rubbed my back.I was going to ask her to stop the act as Dad was not here anymore when Dr. Luke appeared.“Doctor?” I quickly got up.“Is he going to be okay?” Carmen asked rather an odd question.“Yes, as always, he just got into a fight, so you can expect the officer's call, and I say prepare the money as the other person is badly injured.” Dr. Luke said, and I was confused at what he meant by as always. I mean, I've been away from my family, so it might be that he got into these fights often.“Thank you, doctor.” Carmen said and then turned to me, “I told you he will be okay.”“Can I
~ANASTASIA~Seeing my daughter's fear made me realize what a terrible mistake I had made years ago. Why did I send her to live with Santiago? What happened in the times she got scared? How was she able to calm down, and how could I calm her down now?I was just caressing her cheeks, not knowing what to say as tears found their way to my own cheeks.“It’s not Daddy that’s sick, Ivy; it’s someone else, Ji—”“Daddy's friend.” I cut Santiago; Charlie was the one holding the phone up for us.“Daddy’s friend? Is it Uncle Harriot?” Ivy sat up; she still looked worried.“No, it's…”“A work friend.” Santiago saved me, “Yes, but she will be fine.”“It's a woman?” Ivy questioned.“Yes…but honey—”“I want to see Daddy tomorrow and say hi to his friend.” She said, and I nodded, even when I knew I was not going to take her. William heard we were back in town, but he didn't bother coming to see her.“Okay, love,” I patted her back while Charlie walked to the couch with my phone in his hands; he was
~ANASTASIA~ “You don't have to do this,” Trey complained as I forced a spoon of soup into his mouth.“I know, but I insist,” I said and dipped the spoon in the bowl of soup and fed him.It was the next morning; after unblocking Ivy’s nose last night, Gia left while I tried to fall asleep. I still couldn't believe William; he didn't want me but still refused to divorce. A little problem happens, and he blames me. God, how did I not see him for who he truly was? Love really makes us blind.“So how was Sedona, and why are you back so early?” Trey asked.“Oh, I'm back to get my device and, of course, manage the company.”“You don't want to be a doctor anymore?”“No, I mean that was just a silly dream. I’d rather be a CEO than dealing with patients.” I lied because deep down I knew if I had a chance, I would pursue my dream and become a doctor, but now with Ivy and the baby growing in my womb, I knew it was impossible; I didn't want to stay away from Ivy anymore, and studying would requir
~ANASTASIA~I was so lost in my thoughts thinking about the marriage that when I heard my name, I jumped.“Yes?” I said and cleared my throat, as it was embarrassing; I had even forgotten we were standing in front of Gabrielle, the friend of Hudson’s contract lover. I couldn't let her think I was to be messed with.“She was asking what you think of the plan,” Hudson said, and I nodded my head before I looked at her plan as she was holding the poster up for me.“How many bedrooms?” I asked after a glance.“Seven, we have the master bedroom, two girls' rooms, two boys' rooms, and two guest rooms.”“Oh, actually…” I brought out the plan I drew earlier with Carmen: “I was thinking six, one master bedroom, two guest rooms, and about our children we will figure it out.”“Yes, that's why I added the extra, as most families have four: two girls and two boys.”“We are not most families, so six.” I sounded confident.“I mean we could turn it into the playroom; I'll see what I can put there,” sh
~ANASTASIA~It's been hours; Carmen and I were still in the library. She was now teaching me how to run a household. I wasn't just doing this for Hudson, but we had three children, so I had to be prepared, I never lived with Ivy, so I didn't know how to take care of a family.Two maids came and brought us snacks as we hadn't left the library in quite a while. Carmen was telling me about infidelity and how I was supposed to deal with that when my phone started ringing.“It's Hudson; I need to pick it,” I said, and she nodded, asking me to go ahead. I stood up and walked to the window before pressing the accept button. “Hudson?”“Anastasia, I'm on my way; I want us to pass by the building before we get home.”“Home?”“Yes, I bought us an apartment; it is safe, and at least there we'll have privacy.” He said. He had earlier mentioned moving out of the hotel as we didn't know who took that video, so privacy wasn't secured.“Oh, yes, sure, you know you don't have to call me every time you'
~ANASTASIA~She turned to Dad, who shook his head, clearly not happy with Carmen.So William re-proposed to Jimena? That means they were really getting married.“Sweetheart, Carmen didn't mean to say that to hurt you.” Dad said, and Carmen nodded, “She just—”“Dad, why are you apologizing?” I asked; I mean, I was married to Hudson, and William marrying Jimena meant I would be left alone, and right now all I wanted was peace; I had a baby to prepare for, and all these recent dramas distracted me. “Hudson is a good man, and Grandma was right; he is my match.” I lied about the match part because I didn't want Dad to worry.“That's good to hear, love; your mom would be so happy for you.”“Thanks, Dad.”“Okay, enough with William. Ana, I heard you found an area for your home; how is it going? How many bedrooms are you going to have? You know it's a home; there will be a name attached to it, so think of guests and not only the present kids but also the future.”“Yes, Gabrielle is helping us
~ANASTASIA~“No, that's a six!” Ivy loudly said.“No, it's a nine.” Dad insisted.“Oh my god, give me a second.” She said, and Dad nodded, then turned to me while I shook my head. Ivy walked to the dresser and then picked up her tablet. I watched as she typed something before she came to us, then showing the screen to Dad, she repeated, “It says this is six; nine is this one.” She sounded annoyed, and I couldn't help but bite my inner cheeks before commenting.“Grandpa is old, sweetheart; he can't see clearly.”“Yes, but he's being stubborn.”“It's okay; go get Grandma; Grandpa needs to take his medicine,” I told her, and she scoffed before leaving. She was so annoyed at Father; as soon as the door closed, Dad turned to me, and we started laughing.We laughed so hard until we lost our breath, and now we had to gasp for air.“My God, she's very smart,” Dad commented.“Yes, she is, and she hates it when she's right and someone insists she's wrong,” I said, and he nodded.“I loved messin
~ANASTASIA~These are the consequences of being from a wealthy family: whatever you do is the public's business because I'm sure just one of the people who were in the bar recorded that video and released it on the internet.“You… kissed him back?”“Hudson, I… I can explain.”“Yes, because I'm confused.”“I didn't know he was there.”“Why did you kiss him back?”“I don't know; I've been married to him for years. Do you think our connection will just disappear that same day?”“It was always you; he never felt the same.”“I know, okay, I'm sorry; I swear I didn't mean to.” That's all I could say; I really had no excuse as I was mad at myself for kissing William back, “but I slapped him so hard after—”“The kiss.”“Hudson?” I stood up as he turned to leave.“I'm going to try and get it fixed,” he said, and I nodded as he got his phone from his pockets and then walked to the bedroom. I watched him disappear before I turned my attention back to the TV screen.Somehow I was glad Hudson was
~JIMENA~I mean, I looked this way because of him. I was this dirty trying to make sure our marriage happened while he was here, clean, and not just that, but watching a movie, unbothered, and eating popcorn like everything was okay?!“You honestly need to stop going out at this time; what would your fans say if they saw you like this?”“My fans?”“Yes,” he plainly answered, then turned his attention back to the TV. I didn't understand how the man I left a few hours ago was already so sober; is it that he pretended to be drunk?I cleared my throat before I walked to where he was; his attention was on the TV, so he didn't hear me until I snatched the bowl of popcorn from his hands.“I think you should have a shower before eating,” he said, sounding unbothered.“Is that it?”“That's what?”“You're not going to ask what happened to me?”“I did, but you didn't—”“You asked where I was coming from, William.”“Isn't it the same thing?”“No, it's not. How does where I'm coming from and what
~ANASTASIA~I couldn't believe Hudson; I mean, how could he even think that? I stood up from the bed as he tried to touch me.“What is going on?” I asked.“What do you mean?” He sounded clueless like what he was trying to do was normal.“This, you—oh my god.” I rubbed my forehead. “You are thinking of sex with everything going on?”“We need to consummate the marriage.”“And you think this is the best time?”“I mean?”“Maddison is carrying your child.”“I will take care of that; nothing to worry about.”“Well, I am worried; my reputation—Lancaster's reputation—is at stake.”“Don't worry; Maddison will be taken care of.” He repeated, and he was sounding annoying at this point; all I could hear was, [She will be taken care of] but how?“Listen, I really don't have a problem with you sleeping with your mistress, but what I'm asking is that you be discreet about it.”“What?”“I mean—”“No, did you just give me, your husband, permission to sleep with another woman?” He sounded shocked.“You
~JIMENA~I was still determined to follow William, my eyes darting between the road ahead and the screen.We were now out of the roadblock; I didn't want William to notice me. He was very smart, but I was smarter; that's why I let three cars overtake me.I was busy canceling calls from Mom, who called me like I had lost my mind. I knew she wouldn't stop calling; that's why I picked up on the fourth ring and told her I was busy.She didn't want to end the call asking me to go back and be calm as usual, but I was not going to sit and play good wife when William was out here chasing his ex-wife, so I ended the call in her ear and pursued William.He seemed to have arrived, and of course, it was at a hotel; I knew it must mean Anastasia was there too.I waited for him to park his car, and after he left the parking lot, I also went ahead and parked. Then getting out of my car, I snatched a black cap from the man I bumped into; he called me crazy as he didn't chase or ask for his cap. I nee
~JIMENA~Dr. Luke confirmed to Mom that Anastasia was not pregnant, but she didn’t believe him. After ending the call, she told me to keep an eye on Anastasia: “Spy on her if you must; you know what it will mean if she’s really pregnant.”“Mom, she’s not; if she was, he would have told you.” I insisted I really didn’t want to entangle myself with Anastasia anymore. “I just want to get married to William and maybe, just maybe, beat Anastasia in the fashion world,” I said, referring to the new jewelry company William just opened up.He didn’t tell me about it, but I lied to Ana that he opened it for me. I had to convince William to let me manage it so I could prove a point to Ana, and while at it I wanted to beat Anastasia’s jewelry company.There are jewelry competitions, and it has been Ana’s company always wins the competitions I wanted to win and take her position. That way she will know I didn’t just take her home but her career too.“You’re a star; of course, you're going to beat