Thank you for reading! I appreciate all your comments on previous chapters and love seeing your enjoyment of the story. Please consider leaving a review to help boost our star rating. I've received many comments that I'd like to address. I included state names and years to keep track of events, but I appreciate your feedback and will omit those details in my next novel to let you guess instead. Some have noted that the characters don’t behave like typical Americans, which is intentional as I like to be creative and make the story unique. Thank you!
~ANASTASIA~ It seems the woman I was meaning to meet was working for Hudson, and if so, as she already mentioned, I was her boss, so if I was her boss, then I could get whatever answer I wanted from her. I know I had a lot going on, and thinking of Trey was like neglecting myself, but she was my only hope. With Trey having a girlfriend, it will be easy to convince him to help him quit and maybe send him to rehab, as I was not sure if he was taking drugs, but for him to be addicted to being in the clubs, I was suspecting it, and Trey has been the only person who had taken care of me even when I was married to William. I refused to see it, but he always sent his guard to make sure I was okay, so it was my job to save him now. I smiled at Juliette as the waitress brought their food.We chatted, and all the time Trey pretended to be genuinely interested in Ivy, that he didn't even have any conversation with us, only stopping Julliete from having to
~WILLIAM~After Anastasia kissed me back, Jimena showed up, and they exchanged words, which wasn't my concern, as I was still in shock that Anastasia kissed me back. I mean, I don't even know why it shocked me when I knew that Ana would always be mine.I pretended to be drunk because I didn't want Jimena to ruin my mood. After all, Ana kissing me back brought some weird confidence; it showed that she still loved me.Anastasia slapped me, but for the first time, instead of getting angry, I was impressed. Yes, she was the woman I wanted; I didn't like that Anastasia who cried about everything; this was the woman for me. Jimena drove me home under the impression that I was drunk and I thanked the heavens as she didn't bother me too much.After leaving me in Mom’s care, she left, and I headed straight to my room. Mom knew I wasn't drunk and questioned why I pretended to be, but I didn't answer her—it took five bottles to get me drunk and I only had two shots.I took a shower, and after t
~ANASTASIA~ Yes, I expected to meet William here; I knew he would compete for this contract just to get to me, but I didn't expect him to be here already, let alone in Mr. Grant's home. “Come on, let me introduce you two.” Mrs. Grant said, I don't know if she was pretending, but she might have heard about the divorce; it was trending. She must know William and I knew each other already. I mean, yes, she was old, but I knew she was educated, so she might have come across it on the internet. William placed his glass down and then stood up, buttoning his suit jacket, and he surprised me as he held out his hand for me. “William Rogers,” he said, and I don't know what trick he was playing as I chuckled in disbelief. “Is there a problem, Ana dear?” Mrs. Grant asked, and I quickly cleared my voice before telling her there was the problem; then, faking a smile, I turned to William and took his hand. “Anastasia.” I knew what he was
I was already finding it to hide the bump as it was beginning to show, so staying with him would expose me, but I didn't want to make a scene. I was here to win his trust, here to show him I could handle my emotions, so clearing my throat, I showed him my wedding ring.“My husband will not be okay with it.” I smiled, and Mr. Grant, without showing emotions, looked at his wife, “I mean…” I looked at William and then said, “Mr. Rogers is married too. I'm sure his wife will have a problem with it.” I said, and I could have sworn I saw William roll his eyes, but again I might have imagined it; I wasn't really well right now; I was nervous.“Ms. Anastasia—”“Frost,” I cut Mrs. Grant off, “I'm married, please address me by my husband's last name, Mrs. Frost.” I politely said, and she smiled.“Of course, well, what my husband is trying to say is this arrangement is part of the competition. I know you did your research about The Grant before coming here, so you know my husband is involved in
Well, as far as I was concerned, I had nothing to say to William; I had no business with him, so ignoring his knocking, I walked straight to the wall, and resting my head on the wall, I took in deep breaths to calm myself down.I remained there for a moment before I stood straight, and then, making sure I was calm, I walked to the bed, sat down, and, after clearing my throat, I dialed Ivy's contact.“Mommy, are you in your room now? I've been waiting for your call.” She sounded curious.“Yes, honey, but I'm a little tired. I need to take a shower and rest. Can we talk tomorrow?”“I understand, but I just want to see your bed.”“I promise first thing in the morning, okay?”“Okay, Mommy, good night.”“Sweet dreams, baby.” After wishing her well, I ended the call, and before taking a deep breath and wanting to distract myself, I headed straight to the bathroom stripped naked, and then went under the shower.I turned on the tap but didn't start washing my body immediately; I let the water
I was standing, shaking my head, and watching as William crossed his legs, looking relaxed.“You can't possibly be serious; we talked about this.”“I know, but you used that bastard husband of yours to blackmail me.”“It's not my fault you chose your company over your daughter, William!”“I didn't.”“Oh, you did.”“I didn't want to go to war with you. We have a daughter; sure, the marriage is over, but we have to make it work for Ivy, don't you think?” He stood up, and I now carefully watched his every move. I could read William, his emotions, and his thoughts, so I wanted to see if he was being sincere even when I doubted that.“We can come up with an arrangement; I also want to live with my daughter.”“Why are we talking about Ivy now? We still have a month.”“Because I want to know where I stand in my daughter's life.”“Really? Is that the reason you've been ignoring her calls? Because you want to know where you stand?” I asked and watched as he guiltily ran his hands in his hair.
Okay, having dealt with Jimena for years, I knew better than to repeat the same mistakes, and besides, Hudson never told me she was a girlfriend. Even if she was sleeping with him, as long as he didn't address her as someone special, she had no right.“Are you there?”“What do you want, Maddison? Why are you calling me?” I sounded uninterested.“Hudson doesn't know I took your number; he's asleep, we—”“You didn't call me to tell me you're sleeping with my husband, did you?”“Are you not upset? I mean, don't you see he's playing you?” She sounded shocked.“He's not playing me, Maddison; if anyone is being played, then it's you. I'm his wife; you're just a girlfriend. That's what you even called yourself, so you're just like a mistress, you have no right to be calling me at this time.”“I'm calling because I need to speak to you.”“You've really got no shame, spend any little time you have with my husband instead of wasting it on me, that's what mistresses do. Do you even realize that
There was a baby involved, innocent blood, and I knew how crazy a woman can get when they're in love. I mean, I had my share in that craziness, so I knew, but I also knew no genuine mother would ever threaten to end their child's life; that's just ridiculous, and I was not going to be manipulated again, so clearing my throat, I told her to do whatever she thought was right for her baby.“And as for the suicide, I'm a Lancaster. I have the money, and you and I know that you can do anything with money. I can manipulate the law; politicians even use money to win an election, so a simple crime—you do know that your little story can go in the mud right before it even comes out.”“It’s your name—”“My name won't be there. Good night, Maddison, and don't ever call me.” With that, I ended the call and threw the phone on the bed.I ran my hand through my hair, not sure if what I did was right. What if she really does it? I mean, it's not my name I was worried about, but the baby. What if she e
After my daughter agreed, we got in the car, and we were driven to the hospital by one of my drivers. Ivy looked so calm, and I wanted to keep it that way. I didn't know how, but I knew she had to be calm. It didn't matter if I had to give Nicole money; she couldn't be rude to my daughter.It didn't take long as we were now in the hospital's parking area. I turned to my daughter intending to ask her if she was ready, but the smile on her face told me she was, so without asking, I got out of the car and held out my hand for her.I asked if she could walk, and she said she could, then reminded me how what happened to her hours ago wasn't serious.“Son.” Mom was the first to rush to me; she hugged me, and since I was holding Ivy's hand, I only used one hand to return the hug. “I'm glad you came; I was so worried,” she said, and I nodded as I turned to Nicole, who was forcing Karen to have tea, but she refused.I knew it wouldn't be easy, as Karen already hated me. Last time she warned me
***“I can’t come now; just investigate what happened, get someone on it, and don’t leave her side. If anything happens to her, it’s on you. Get it?”“Yes, sir.”“Good, keep in touch.” With that, I ended the call and turned to Ana, who seemed to be shivering. Hudson was holding her, and I couldn’t help but blame myself for her condition.We have been waiting here for about twenty minutes now, and still no sign of a doctor. I turned to Carmen and Mrs. Grant, who both looked worried—Mrs. Grant was comforting Carmen.Carmen had been blaming me since we got here, saying I was responsible, and I didn't even try to deny it; I was. I'm the reason whatever happened to her happened. Ana hadn't said a word; she seemed too shocked to speak as her whole body was trembling, but I knew if anything happened to Ivy I wouldn't survive it, not only from her but from my guilt.How could I let Ivy walk out when she was clearly upset?I took a deep breath and was going to knock on the door when it suddenl
~WILLIAM~I was pacing around, running my hands into my hair as I thought of all the possible consequences.I didn't know whether I should go out there and confront Hudson or just remain here and be calm like Anastasia asked. I mean, going out there would make her upset because after last night’s kiss—even though she slapped me, it showed me there was hope, so I wanted to be on her good side.I was going to sit on the bed and just give it time when a thought struck my mind. Hudson said he was going to take a shower; what if Anastasia decided to join him? I couldn't allow that, so I made my way to the door, but before I could reach it, my phone started ringing, and since I was expecting a call from James, I reached into my pocket, and surprisingly, it was my sister, Nicole.I didn't understand how she was calling me when I blocked her and was going to press the ignore button when I realized the call was coming from my social media company account; I picked up as I thought it was urgent
Carmen wiped her tears while staring at her daughter's photo. She told me her name was Daniella, or Dani for short.Hudson was explaining the details about her life; “She works at a restaurant, never went to college, has no kids, and has no friends. She rents an apartment in town and doesn’t have a boyfriend.” Everything Hudson said sounded so sad; Daniella's life seemed lonely. No boyfriend or friends? I mean, he didn't need to add that she had no family, as that was obvious.“This is my fault.”“Carmen…”“I abandoned her; it's because of me that she doesn't go to college, that she's this lonely.”“None of it is your fault, Carmen.” I said as I rubbed her back in a comforting way, “You made a mistake; no one is perfect.” I said, and it seemed to make her better as she wiped her tears even though more kept coming—at least she was trying.Hudson was truly helpful as he explained how kind the daughter was; if I hadn't followed the details from the reports, I would think he knew her as a
Carmen and I were now in the living room; Ivy asked for William, and I showed her to William's room, so she went to him. “Should I get you coffee? Tea?”“No, we already had breakfast. We arrived last night; Mrs. Grant gave us a guest room.”“Oh, with Ivy?” I was just curious about how Ivy didn't insist on coming to me.“Yes, she was asleep when we arrived. Now tell me about you. How are you?”“I'm fine; it's not the first time. I'm used to it. Comes with being a heiress, your life is everyone's business.”“I know…” she looked around before she whispered, “Mrs. Frost was at the house; she was very upset.”“She called me.”“I'm so sorry, Ana. I know this is not what you pictured your married life to be.”“It's okay, I'm on it. How's Dad? How's everyone?” I just wanted to focus on spending a day with my daughter and Carmen.“They are all worried about you. Santiago is stressed; you know this is all on him.”“I know, I actually don't know if I sho
~ANASTASIA~I turned as the voices disturbed me; I kept turning and turning, trying to ignore the voices for a moment. I thought it was a dream, but when I heard Hudson’s voice, I quickly sat up—Hudson had never appeared in my dreams before, so it wasn’t a dream.“You’re not coming in. I told you she’s not here.” Okay, that was Williams' voice. I don’t know if Hudson was really here; I mean, he could have called me; he could have texted to ask if it was okay for him to come, so getting out of bed, I walked toward the door, picking the robe that was on the couch; and putting it on, I exited the room.“She’s my wife. I have every right to be here.” I could see William standing at the door, clearly stopping someone from entering, and with Hudson’s voice, there was no doubt it was him.“What’s going on here, Hudson? What are you—what are you doing here?” I asked, shocked, as I fixed the robe.“I came to see you; you’re my wife, remember?” He sounded awkward as he kept looking at William.
But like I mentioned earlier, I was a man who had gone through a lot, so this was not as scary as it sounded, although meeting my real mother was a scenario I never pictured. She never wanted me, but I still wanted to see her. I wanted to ask her why she gave me up, and why she risked my life.Taking a deep breath, I walked in; everyone seemed to have left, and from here, I could see a man, to be precise, a priest, by the end of the room; he was facing the other side, so he didn't see me.Swallowing my saliva, I walked up to the front, and reaching there, I again swallowed my saliva before I called his name.“My son,” he answered without looking at me, he thought I was just some random church member, “we had closed for the day,” he said confirming my thoughts. “Do you need prayers? I…” his jaw dropped as he turned and faced me, he didn't say anything for a moment and I remained silent as well.We stood there without saying anything to each other for a moment before he pointed for me t
~HUDSON~I won't lie. I was impressed; I never thought Maddison was this cunning, but for her to think I would give in because she threatened to take me to jail? I mean, sure, she said she was going to lie that I forced her to sign the contract, and the public would obviously believe her, but I was a man. With what I've gone through, prison didn't scare me, not even a bit.“Leave.” I said, and she looked shocked like she expected me to shiver hearing prison, “Now. Before I change my mind.” I said in a warning tone, and she said I was making a mistake.“You have seventy-two hours to decide; this is only because you're too handsome, and I want you in our child's life. Don't take it for granted.” She said before she turned and left, I waited for her to close the door before I yelled; I didn't want her to think her little threats were getting to me.But shit, Mom and Maddison were now working together. What if they tried to harm Anastasia or Ivy? I knew what my mom was capable of, and for
~ANASTASIA~I still couldn't believe William was here on his knees begging for my forgiveness. I felt disgusted and, at the same time, confused that I almost left when he held me back by my leg, begging that I hear him out.“William?”“Please, Ana, please.”“The baby is not yours,” I said, looking away from him as he was still on his knees, he looked like he meant it, and I didn't want to pity him. “It's Hudsons’.”“W-what?” I slowly looked back at him and saw a smile on his lips; William never smiled, so I was shocked. “There is really a baby,” he sounded unsure, he then raised his hand and almost touched my belly, but I quickly moved away.“I'm saying it's not your baby. Why are you here, William?” I asked, looking to the other side as I calmed myself.“I know it's mine; you can't get pregnant; your marriage is not even a month old, and besides, you can't let any man touch you; you—”“You think I still love you?” I slowly turned and faced him; the smile had now widened. “News flash: