William seemed shocked; it's like he didn't expect me to agree—maybe he wanted me to refuse and look bad in front of Sebastian; I mean, that's what he always did, so it was no surprise. “Come on, Mr. Rogers, I'm sure you can contribute to the conversation,” I said, a smile on my lips, he hesitated, and I can almost guess he almost changed his mind, but knowing him, he cleared his throat and sat.“Of course I can; what are we talking about?” he said in a challenging tone.“Well, this is Sebastian, Mr. Grant’s personal—”“We have met.” Sebastian cut me off, “Mr. Williams, one of the most successful businessmen in Seattle.” Sebastian, adjusting his glasses, said, God, I didn't realize Sebastian admired William. I mean, everyone else did; I just didn't think Sebastian was one of them—William is one of those men everyone admired; men wanted to be him and women wanted to be with him. Well, little did they know that the William they knew was very different from the William I knew.William se
Okay, I didn't understand what Jimena was doing here, and sure, it caught me by surprise, but I knew Jimena well; I couldn't let her intimidate me, so after hanging my coat, I walked to where she was.“What do you think?” She asked, showing me her toenails, which she was painting red, “William is obsessed with red; I thought to spice it up by adding these stones.” She said, sounding like we were friends, I mean, the man she was trying to impress was my ex-husband, the man she stole from me, so what made her think I would be here giving her tips on what would work? “Come on, don't tell me you're still not over him. Like, how does that even make sense? He never loved you.” She made a pitiful face before blowing on her nails, I guess to dry the polish.I didn't have her time anymore, so I told her they looked really beautiful: “Match them with red lingerie; I'm sure William will like that.” I added walking to the kitchen as I got a bottle of water.“Really?” I heard her voi
I didn't care that William never loved me, but wanting to hurt me so much somehow weighed me down, I knew standing here and crying about it wouldn't change a thing, so taking a deep breath, I put myself together before I used my fingers and touched the skin below my eyes just to make sure I had no tears, even though I didn't feel any. I just couldn't afford to allow William or Jimena to see tears on my face again.After calming down and being sure I had no tears, I made my way toward the door. I didn't care that I would distract them; I just wanted to leave there.When I reached the door, I turned to them and they were silent for a second. It wasn't surprising that they were both looking at me; well, I didn't need to explain myself to them, but I still did.“I’m going to have dinner with Mrs. Grant.”“We don't—”“You should too; arguing causes wrinkles,” I spoke over Jimena as she tried to act smart, and with that, I left, closing the door behind me.Jimena always wanted me to be that
Mrs. Grant turned to me with an expression that clearly said she was sorry, which confused me, as whoever she invited to her table was not my concern.“Thank you. Please, do you have champagne? Marriage can be stressful sometimes.” She asked as she sat down and picked up a glass of water.“How far along are you?” Mrs. Grant asked her, and she, for a moment, looked confused; it’s like she forgot that she was pregnant, and then, as if the words just clicked, she laughed, Mrs. Grant being polite as always, tried to laugh with her, and realizing she answered:“It was a joke; you should have seen your faces.” She said, which made Mrs. Grant nod.“Yes, Jimena can be so funny sometimes; I even wonder why she didn’t register to be a clown instead of a modeler,” I commented.“Yes, she is.” Mrs. Grant agreed before she picked up her glass of juice and sipped on it.“Yeah right, I'm so talented.” Jimena sarcastically said she was giving me those eyes that she always gave me. “Mrs. Grant, did you
~WILLIAM~When James told me Jimena had left the house, I knew she had come here; I just didn't get how she found my address, but knowing her well, I knew it was possible—she knew LA well—she often came here for work.I quickly rushed to the apartment, and as expected, she was there, dressed provocatively. Well, seeing her even half naked didn't turn me on, so I asked her to cover up, and seeing she failed whatever she had planned, we ended up arguing.She talked of how this was my plan; yes, I once mentioned that it would be good if she got pregnant, but I didn't mean it. I only wanted to go raw because she always asked me to wear a condom, and you know how irritating that is; sometimes I feel nothing in a condom.After the argument, Jimena left—slamming the door hard, and I didn't follow her as I needed a moment; I was worried that Ana heard part of the conversation; so I knew if she heard then my plan to win her wouldn't work.I walked to my room and paced waiting for Jimena, as I
~ANASTASIA~I won't say I was surprised; I expected that from Jimena, to cause a scene, but I didn't think she would go so far as to try to stain Williams' name, not that he didn't deserve it, but the way she made him look, I'm sure everyone in this room would start giving him the side eye.I was by my desk, thankfully by myself, as William went out with Jimena. I prayed he wouldn't come back, as I couldn't deal with them today.The rest of the team was already discussing things with their partners—well, decent partners, because William, god, he was just a headache. I keep wondering how things were just working in his favor, first the apartment and now this. It's like it was all planned; maybe we were shooting a movie or something because there's no way things just turned out like this.With that, I looked around, not that I was sure there were cameras, but lost in thoughts.It was beginning to feel boring, so I stood up, and seeing that no one was concentrating on me, I walked out. I
~JIMENA~After the failed show, I took the first flight here, taking Mons' advice; she said it would be best if I was with him when he found out so I could know how serious the situation was.I mean, I only wanted to attract more clients; I had the best, so everyone in Seattle should buy from me. Why did Anastasia even sell jewelry when she had such a bad taste?Well, it failed. I don't know how, but somehow the jewelry turned out fake, and trust me, I checked before the show, so whoever did it was inside the room with me.After Mom pulled a show for Carol, she told us where her son was living, and if there was a state I knew well, it was LA, especially the wealthy people's homes, so when she said the Grant home, I told her to say no more. As landing in LA, I ordered a cab, which took me to them.Now since I was good at the manipulation game, I got a key to the apartment, and unfortunately, things didn't go as I planned because William was horny for his ex-wife. Well, I didn't really
I was now pacing around, still in a towel, as I thought of what to do with Anastasia when someone suddenly knocked, and without waiting for my permission, they let themselves in.It was just who I was looking for.“Mom, you won't believe what just happened,” I said as she placed the bottle of champagne on the table. “William is now picking her side.”“Whose side?” She didn't really sound interested. I mean, her life depended on my marriage with William, so it should worry her.“Who else if not Anastasia, that bitch!” Her name now naturally irritated me, as if separating us was not enough; now she had the nerve to still be in his life even when he was married to me. I am sure she influenced Mr. Grant into putting them in one apartment, and if not that, what I had to take care of here in Seattle was serious; I would have stayed there and made her experience hell there in LA.“You need to calm down; that's not how a woman talks about another woman.” That was Mom's r
~ANASTASIA~When I felt the smell of disinfectant, I quickly forced myself out of faint, as I knew how important it was for my son; I needed to be conscious.The nurses who attended to me immediately took me for testing, and after checking, they saw that it was time for me to deliver the boy. They said, I've been having contractions since last night. Now, I did feel some pain, but I assumed it was stress, and I swear I'm not dumb. I mean, I've been there before, so it wasn't like it was my first time, but you just can never know.Well, I was quickly rushed to the labour room, where they helped me change. Vivi appeared right at that time with Harriot and truly wished he was still a doctor so he could be the one to help me deliver, but he refused to do anything with medicine, which I understand, and it wasn't really important at the moment, as even though I tried to ignore it, the pain was there, and it was getting unbearable.I lay on the bed as I waited for the doctor since they said
Hudson and I were now exchanging words; Hudson didn't want to give in; he wanted to be there with Ana—how ridiculous.“I don't care if it's my son or not; my wife needs me, and we all know you're not capable. You were not even present when she gave birth to your daughter, so why change now?” He questioned. Okay, how did he know I was not present when Ivy was born? I mean, I came; it's just the labor room I didn't go into.“You will be a father one day; how will you feel if another man wants to take this opportunity from you?” I asked—pleaded if I'm being honest as nothing I said seemed to work, well all it earned me was a chuckle.“Gentlemen, I'm afraid labor doesn't wait for anyone, so I will ask again, who is the father?” The nurse repeated the question, and this time only I answered as Hudson ran his hands through his hair. “That settles it then, please follow—”“Treat her like I would treat her; don’t ask her anything relating to the boy,” Hudson warned, and I honestly didn't need
~WILLIAM~Harriot's call shook my world.What did he mean the baby Ana was carrying was mine?I mean, I had my doubts, especially after seeing how big it looked for it to be five months because that's how long she's been with my brother… but there was no possible way because I even had her tested when the rumors of her being pregnant came out, and it was negative, so what was he saying?Well, at this point the call had ended, so I couldn't ask him that, as when he told me, I immediately left with Julliete following behind; if not that she had stopped me from driving. I would have caused an accident as I wasn't in my right senses right now. I was frustrated and somehow relieved, so these emotions were all mixed in my system, and it was hard to concentrate on one.The baby was mine? She was carrying my son?Anastasia’s baby was mine? I was the father?Fuck! It was overwhelming and at the same time felt like a dream.I will not lie; I've prayed countless times for this, for God to do a m
~ANASTASIA~After the call with Vivi and asking Hudson to postpone the hearing, I arrived at the company; it was rather empty. Yes, Adira doesn’t operate on weekends.I walked inside, and the first person I met was Jimena; she was now like my assistant since I needed people who were in the fashion industry, plus today was Saturday. I didn’t want to bother my actual assistant, and she agreed since she owed me for my silence.“Where are we?”“All the pieces are ready; a social media Photoshoot is taking place, the models are okay, but if you ask me, I say they need so much to work on,” she said as she followed behind me while I walked to my office. “Not only their bodies but also their confidence. Gosh, it’s like they’re chicks just cracking from an egg.” She added, and I could imagine her rolling her eyes.“That’s why they have you, so what do you think?” I asked as I continued walking through the hallways.“One needs a brow lift, another maybe fillers, her cheeks, gosh, she’s like a p
I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't hear what Juliette was saying. All I heard was, ‘On my way,’ before the call cut.Julliete was a good friend of mine; we were not only family friends but also childhood friends. We attended high school together. Remember the high school Hudson attended too? Well, she was friends with him too, and I had no choice but to speak to him as well.Hudson was not like me; I quite knew what I wanted from the start. They used to call me a nerd well before I changed in college. Hudson, on the other hand, was the popular boy—looks, tattoos, muscles, you name it. He was every girl's dream, well, nightmare, as he never stayed with a girl for more than two days. He suddenly dropped out, and the next I heard of him was on the news as the new young billionaire who multiplied his family’s businesses.He helped Juliette when she came to be close to Trey, as she was head over heels for him. Well, the playboy never paid attention; I always told her that, but she
I was searching for a car that I could collide with and not cause damage. I mean, yes, maybe the car, but not the people in it, as I didn't want anyone to get hurt, just me, or maybe just a little, as it was the sacrifice I had to make.“Or maybe I should just hire a truck to bump into me,” I said as I couldn't get a perfect car for it, the one in front of me seemed to have a family, and after fucking up my own, I couldn't afford to ruin another man’s family, and the one behind, gosh, they will easily realize, and I could shut them up. I had the money for it, but Ana then would know the truth and my efforts would be in vain.I was still trying to figure everything out when my phone, which was on the backseat, started ringing.I couldn't pick it up as it was a little far from me, but I still tried to reach it but to no success, as I had thrown it a little distance from me.The phone had stopped ringing, and that's when I saw it was raining. Well, my plan wasn't going to work now; the t
~WILLIAM~I had already bought the flowers; the shop assistant helped me pick Ana’s favorite. Apparently, I’m famous in Seattle because she recognized me. She gave me eyes when I asked her to help me pick Ana’s favorite. It’s like she knew Ana wasn’t mine anymore, that I fucked up—yes, fucked up.I mean, I had it all, a loving wife, the one who sacrificed her life—gave up on her career to be with me. Yes, I do remember Mom asking her to quit trying to work or go to college, and I thought that was it. Yep, stupid me wanted her to leave, but then she didn’t. She gave up her career for me?…I had a beautiful daughter, smart at that, ideal for a perfect family, but what did I do? Fuck it up.Remembering that made me mentally face-slap myself because what was I thinking?Why did I do this?Why did I treat Ana the way I did?It wasn’t even her fault, and I knew it…She was also drugged, but I still went on and put the blame on her. Martinez disowned her; she had no one but me. Instead of tr
~WILLIAM~“What do you mean she's not coming with us? It’s Ivy’s first game; she should be there.”“I tried to talk to her, but she didn't want to listen. Now are you coming in or not?”“Where is she?”“She's preparing for the competition.”“Opulence? She has a week for that; why would she miss her daughter's first game?”“And how am I supposed to know that?”“You’re her… husband; you should have—”“What? Talked her out of it?…” He chuckled, “The funniest thing I've heard today. Now, the game starts at three, but we should be there by two. We still have an hour.” He glanced at his wristwatch before he asked, “Do you want to help us make orange juice?” I shook my head; I still couldn't believe he was my brother. “You can come in or sit in your shitty car until we’re done.”“Mom wants to talk to you,” I said out of the blue, I don't even know why I cared. I mean, this man was about to steal my woman, and I was here trying to mend his relationship with his mom.“My mom is home, thank you
It's been exactly about a month since the revelation of Vivi being my sister and the incident of her hitting her mother. Well, that day Megan explained everything, and up to today I still couldn't believe the story, but I knew she was telling the truth, so I didn't doubt that.“I am running late,” I said as I kissed both Ivy’s cheeks before walking to Hudson and pecking his lips. “Alright, you two have fun, okay?” I said, reaching for my ringing phone.“It's a weekend, Mommy. Can't you come with us?” Ivy asked for the fifth time now—she was helping Hudson make orange juice.“I wish I could, but I can't. Next time, okay?” I said, and after she nodded, I gave her another kiss on her forehead before finally leaving.Outside, I found Matt waiting for me, and after greeting him, I got in and told him we would be going straight to the company.“We will go to court later,” I said, and he nodded before closing the door and shortly joining me.Harriot's hearing was today; there wasn't much evi