Din tapped his fingers on the table. "You must remain in this marriage until I am ready to release you." Jessie smirked, perplexed. "I understand you're short on cash, and I'm willing to compensate you for your efforts." "For the money, you want me to pretend to be married to you? What else could you possibly want from me? Sex?" "No. I swear I won't touch you until you give your permission." "Oh my God!" Jessie screamed angrily. "Please take a deep breath and relax. I can also assist you with your professional endeavors. I know you've been having trouble landing a big job since you passed up the opportunity to go to Paris. I'm also aware that you haven't been able to find work since you missed your chance and flew to Vegas during your breakup, so let's lend a hand to each other." Din made an offer. "Did you run a background check on me?" Jessie inquired. He demonstrated, "Just a teeny-tiny check-up." He was being truthful, which made Jessie sigh. She despised th
"Do you remember that one time we snuck into your father's library because our ball got stuck in there?" Jessie began to laugh and Taylor joined. "Father was so mad at us. He banned us from playing with that ball. He banned us from doing anything that involved guys and told us to act like a lady instead." "You know what made me laugh the most? It was when he brought a teacher home to teach us how to behave like a lady." Jessie began to laugh again. "Lilly ruined the lady's dress and father got so angry at my sister for that." "He gave up. He was tired that we wouldn't be able to behave like one." Jessie exhaled. "That was a really great time. I wish we could go back to the time when things were easy for us and when we could have whatever it is we want." She shook the bottle and when nothing poured from it, she dropped the bottle on the table. "That was good champagne." "Yes. There will be a party in Las Vegas and I will be in charge of the drinks there. This sample will be showca
"Perfect indeed soon to be Mrs. Anderson." Jessie blushed when he said those words. Mrs. Anderson sounded right in her ears. Imagine people calling her that. A girl that grew up in a slum finally has to be treated like someone that mattered. "Thank you, Mr. Anderson." She blushed again as she looked at him. He smiled back and both of them could feel the spark that went around them. It was unavoidable.Silence. Mark cleared his throat as the waiter gently dropped his food on the table. Jessie thanked the waiter and watched him walk away. She adjusted the napkin on her lap and smiled at Mark again. She glared at his food. He had ordered a Tuna poke bowl and Balsamic chicken with a spinach salad. While she ordered a sausage and shrimp gumbo, creamy chard, and mushroom stroganoff. She wanted to talk when she saw the tuna on his plate but kept quiet instead. She has to be perfect while she eats. Mark doesn't like tuna. He had never liked tuna but what changed today? He was eating them.
Jessie picked up her purse instantly and searched for her phone. When she found it, she wasn't thinking straight. She dialled Taylor's number and in one ring, Taylor's voice was heard over the phone. With concern, she asked. "What is wrong, Jessie?" Jessie's trembling voice spoke. "He left Taylor. He left just like that." She continued to cry over the phone. Taylor had taken the hint that the date didn't go well. "Calm down Jessica. Wait for me there. I am on my way." She hung up the phone and laid it on the table. She felt numb. Her eyes were inactive. They were fixed on the floor. The perfect woman was gone. All that was left was a pitiful person who was trying to take in what just happened. "Jessica!" She heard Taylor's voice as Taylor ran to her. Jessie felt as if she was going to die when she looked at her friend running to her. "Taylor," She called with her shaky voice as the tears continued to climb down her face. Taylor ran her arms around her. "You are fine. I am here.
Din was a timid child but had always pretended to be strong. For his sister at least, he had to pretend to be the hero so she wouldn't have to be scared of anything.His mother had pleaded he should get out. The side of her door wasn't opening too. She had no choice but to push him out of the car and watched him stumble to the ground.Din fell into the snowy floor. He wasn't seriously injured but he was bruised and his head was bleeding too. He couldn't stand up. His left leg was stuck in between the trees he rolled upon. He struggled to pull his leg out but it was too late for them. Din watched the entire thing happen. Their car had hit a gallop and rolled into a huge tree and immediately, fire came out from that direction.Before he knew it, he couldn't hear anything anymore. No sound of help, no sound of cars, just black light, and the moment he opened his eyes, the first thing he said was a small plastic tube injected into his vein. He was at the hospital but his question was... Wh
It's been a week and a few days since the dinner breakup between Jessie and Mark. Jessie hasn't gone back to the house yet to get her things. She was still heartbroken, locked herself up in Taylor's room, and cried the whole week.Eight years of her life with him were gone.A knock was heeded on the door and Taylor's voice was reaching out to Jessie who was under the blanket crying and munching on a box of chocolates.The sound from the TV filled the entire room. Jessie sighed repeatedly as she focused on what she was watching.Taylor slammed on the door again and called out to Jessie but no reply from her. Taylor got scared. She hasn't been home in a week and anytime she called Jessie, Jessie always said she was okay.After that night she had gone to pick Jessie up at the restaurant, Jessie had refused to go back home to get her things. She said she couldn't face Mark or speak to him. She felt guilty for whatever had happened between them which made Taylor more worried about her. She
Taylor came out of the bathroom. She complimented Jessie when she saw how nice the dress looked on her. She took her dress from the bed, dried her body, and wore the black gown.Jessie had picked the five inches heels and since Taylor was working tonight, she picked two inches. Jessie helped her with her makeup and hair but the entire time, Taylor was worried about her friend.Jessie's expression couldn't be hidden no matter how she hid it from her friend. Taylor could always read them. "Your life might change tomorrow after you attend this party. No one knows." Taylor broke their silence.Jessie laughed. "When did you become the dreamer? I am always the dreamer.""I am just saying. What if your life changes tomorrow when you attend this party? what would you do then?" Taylor implored."By changing. What do you mean? Oh, like I get more gigs that pay ten times the one I always earn? That would be sick!""Not that. Maybe that, but what if you meet a man and he turns out to be the one y
Beth kept her smile on her face, but she was perplexed. She was concerned that her partner would lose interest in her and begin to adore the other woman. She doesn't want this to happen, but if the other woman moves in with him, they'll have to appear to be happy for the sake of his grandfather, and they'll eventually fall in love.Din inquired, "Are you all right?""Uh?"He said, "Your mind wasn't here anymore."Beth gave a shaky laugh. "You ought to marry her. That is something I am not opposed to. I won't be concerned about anything as long as you agree to keep visiting me after you get married."Din put his hand on her cheek and kissed her. "Sure, why not? I adore you. Even when I marry her, I'll continue to visit.""Have you had the opportunity to meet her?" Beth was the one who initiated the conversation.With a shake of his head, Din expressed his dissatisfaction with the current state of "No, I haven't," he said."You haven't seen her?""I wasn't able to accomplish that. My gr
Three months later…"Come home early today. I have something to tell you.""Really?" Din asked. They were both standing at the doorway. She was seeing him off as he prepared to leave for work. Din was prepared to sue Beth when the babies arrived three months ago, but Jessie dissuaded him. She claimed that she could have handled things worse if she had been the one, but Din asked for legal action not because of the video she sent but rather because of the money she stole from him. "She cheated me, Jessie. For this reason, I intended to sue her. I need her to pay the money back." He had said to Jessie so she would understand that this isn't about letting Beth go. "Din, you used to love her. You should let it go. She is already paying for what she has done to you." While gazing at her, Din sighed. He said, "Do you know how beautiful you are?" and she grinned. "You are really beautiful, Jessie." He kissed her on the lips. "Alright. Tonight I will see you, okay? This coming weekend, we
The month of March had just begun. The impending arrival of her children and Din's proposal on Valentine's Day made Jessie very happy. She'd been preparing her mind about having a fancy white wedding after a few months of childbirth. Din was a sweet man, and she couldn't stop loving him. They had also moved past their past, and they had been content ever since. "Do you like this yellow dress on me?" Din heard Jessie say as she turned to face him. She was getting ready for a Saturday picnic with the girls while he was on the bed working on his laptop. They would prefer to go on a picnic before she gives birth because they are aware that once motherhood begins, Jessie won't have the time to spend time with them. Din nodded. "You look good in everything." "I do." When Jessie got close to him, she kissed him on the lips. "I'm leaving right away. The girls will be furious if I come a little too late." "Alright. Have a nice day, my love." Din observed Jessie reaching for the door, but
"Din." "Jessie, are you okay?" Din properly set her down. "Are you hurt?" Jessie shook her head. "I am fine. Thank you," she said. Awkwardly, they both exchanged glances. Din wanted to scream his apology and beg for pardon, but he was interrupted. "You two are here together. That is really odd." When Sierra saw the two of them together, she said. "I was on my way to get you two downstairs. The New Year is quickly approaching, and it won't be enjoyable without the entire family present." She took both of their hands, and they all descended the stairs. Looking at the entire family, Jessie felt a strange sensation in her body. It's been days since she last saw them. Cedric didn't seem angry; in fact, he approached her smiling. "Are you two okay?" He asked. "We are fine, granddad." Din said. "Yes. We are. I asked Din to leave the room for a few days because I was dealing with so much with the babies and I didn't want to hurt him." She quickly laughed. "Hormones are to blame," "Real
In the blink of an eye, morning arrived. It arrived as quickly as a moving train. Din opened his eyes with a groan. Turning to his side, he looked out the window. He could also hear the chirping of birds and see the falling snowflakes and snow. Christmas day had just begun. He sat up and got out of bed. He didn't get to sleep in his own bed for the first time in a few weeks. In contrast, sleeping in the guest room was the worst experience ever. Din didn't get a lot of rest. He spent the entire night thinking about Jessie. He stretched his back and walked into the bathroom. There were extra fresh brush sets and a few plain tees in every room of the mansion. Din put on a plain t-shirt that he had taken. He wore the same pants he had on the previous day. Now that Jessie didn't even want to see him, there was no possible way for him to return to his room. He realizes that there is no way for him to proceed to the breakfast table. Jessie would be furious at him and would want to yell, a
Din was sobbing quietly while his head was resting on the door. Beth won't get away with this. He would track her down and hold her accountable for her actions. The outcome he didn't want has now materialized. Jessie despises him and doesn't want to see him again. He sighed, and just as he turned to walk away, he heard footsteps approaching. "Are you okay?" Din swiveled around to face James. Din had sobbed, and James could tell by the dejected expression on his face. "What is going on with you? Is it Jessie?" "I don't want to talk about it, James." Din turned and strode off. He opened the door to their floor's guest room, went inside, and shut the door behind him. There was no chance he could save this relationship at this point. Jessie is gone now. The rest of the family wondered why none of them appeared at the dinner table that evening. "This has never happened before." Cedric said. He turned to face Sierra. "Are they okay? Should we call the doctor? This is Christmas Eve. The r
"Is something wrong?" Din's gloominess caught Cedriec's attention. Ever since he informed him that Jessie was exhausted and had gone to her room, he had seemed unhappy. Din sighed. "I'm fine, granddad." On the sofa, he took a seat. Without Jessie, there was no chance for the game to succeed. When he saw Bev approaching, he stopped her. Din got up and led Bev over to the corner. "Tell me, is Jessie all right?" In all honesty, he had anticipated that she would scream or jerk her hand away, but Bev did neither. She behaved nicely. She nodded. "She looks fine to me. She is just asleep." "Thank God." Din breathed out. "Thank you for this information. I will check up on her myself when she is awake." Following a warm smile, Bev walked away. Din returned to the tree, and the contest started. With what Bev had said, he was happy. Just that alone gave him peace of mind that Jessie was doing well. Din assumed control of the situation and was requested to sing. He was initially hesitant, bu
Jessie switched off her phone and looked in his direction. She gave him that ferociously intense look tinged with hatred. Every part of her hated him at the moment, and all Jessie wanted to do was approach him and yell at him. She wanted to grab hold of his shirt collar and ask him what she had done wrong for him to even consider ruining her life. Has he always been this cruel? Well, she knew Din Cooper was cruel, but she never imagined that he would destroy someone else's life in order to achieve his goals. "Jessie." Din waved after noticing her fixed gaze on him. She didn't wave in return. She was staring at him, but she wasn't in the moment. He placed what he was holding on the sofa and walked over to her. "Jessie." He called softly, putting his hand on her shoulder to startle her from her thoughts. Suddenly gasping in silence, Jessie turned to face him. Her eyes widened. She knew exactly how to keep her cool in front of this man. The man she loves. The man who will become the fa
Standing by the tree, she couldn't help but turn to look at the young boy. Henry was a jerk when she last spoke to him three hours ago. How could he treat his son in that way? How could he behave in such a way toward his son? Jessie sighed as she returned to the room. The time for the game she had planned had already arrived. The door opened as she changed into a different outfit. She saw Din walking towards her. He embraced her and gave her a neck kiss. "How are you today?" He asked. Jokingly, Jessie rolled her eyes. "You ignored me the entire time because you were with your family." "That's not true. I kept thinking of you the entire time." And he was speaking the truth. Throughout those conversations he was having with his cousins, he had been thinking about her. Although he wanted to stay with her longer, he was unable to leave his cousin's side."Hmm." She whirled around and gave him a glance. She put both her hands on his shoulders. Jessie could tell from the expression on hi
The girls stood in front of the television as the Christmas song started to play, singing and dancing along. The entire time, Jessie was smiling and content because she had resolved all of her issues with Din. They both made the decision to be honest with one another and made a commitment not to keep secrets. That way, they can keep a healthy relationship. "Come on, girls. Cookies!" The girls ran to her with giggles as she approached them holding a tray of cookies. They each chose two before returning to the television. Ben made the decision to leave Jessie's company earlier that afternoon and head to his father because the games the girls were playing involved dressing up. She won't blame him, though. After all, he was a boy, and no boy his age wants to play dress up. "Psst." Jessie whispered to Silver. "Come here." Silver rushed over to her when she motioned. Jessie bent down to be on the same level as the little girl. "I need something from you." Silver asked with a mouthful. "