Chapter 1
"This is the last time we do this. I'm getting married." Emma said as she picked up her undies from the floor.
"Married?" Brandon asked her in surprise.
He was on the bed with just the blanket covering his lower body but sat upright immediately he heard her say she was getting married.
"Yes, Brandon. Don't act so surprised." Emma replied to him with an eye roll as she wore her bra.
"So I slept with an engaged woman?" Brandon asked her.
"It's not like it's anything new to you. I'm just telling you so we stop this." She said to him,
"You should have told me before we had sex." Brandon replied to her with a scoff.
Emma gave him a sharp look immediately he said that.
"Of course. I'm the one at fault for having sex with you when it was clearly an agreement between the both of us." She replied to him with an eyeroll.
"And we agreed to put an end to this when the other person eventually settles down." He told her.
"It's not like anyone even knows I'm getting married or even engaged. The news isn't out yet." She said to him,
"And nobody knows we are sleeping together. Your whole life is a secret." Brandon replied to her with an eyeroll.
He stood from the bed and also moved to put on his clothes.
"I don't know why I ever expected anything more from you. You are still the same." Emma spat out as she wore her dress, her face contorted in anger.
She could not understand why she was feeling so angry. She and Brandon were enemies. Their families hated each other and it extended to their children also. She hated everything about him and if not for the fact that they had slept with each other once when they were drunk-yes, the sex was out of this world. That was the main reason why they had this arrangement. Why they started sleeping with each other without anyone knowing but their relationship wasn't like what was seen in novels. They never had any emotional attachments to each other. For one, she still hated Brandon but she could not deny that she loved sex with him. But that was just it. Sex. So why was she still angry?
She had no right to be angry at him. She was the one getting married even if she harbored no affections for her supposed spouse. Her relationship with Brandon was ending or had already ended. There was no need for her to get angry. They were not lovers. Just two people who slept with each other. She was not attracted to him even with how handsome he looked. His brown hair and blue eyes made him stand out in the crowd. And the tattoos on his body made him appetizing. He was sex on a stick, she knew that but she could not bring herself to see him as nothing more than her enemy and also, a temporary sex partner.
"And you are still the same. I wonder what your husband would think when he finds out his wife slept with someone she dislikes even after they were engaged." He said to her,
"Why are you so bitter? Do you have feelings for me?" She asked him with a smirk.
Brandon turned immediately with his shirt unbuttoned. He moved towards her like a lion approaching his prey with his eyes darkened. He held her chin between his fingers and said in a low growl.
"Don't flatter yourself, Emma. The only thing you are good for is sex. You and I know that." He said to her,
"I could say the same for you." She said to him as she licked her lips.
His deep voice always made her hot and even if they were trying to degrade each other, her eyes darkened and her breathing became shallow. She drew him close and kissed him.
Brandon opened up and kissed her back. There was no love in the kiss. It wasn't filled with affection for each other but pure bridled lust. Just lust and nothing else. He moved his mouth to her collarbone but then, a phone rang, snapping them from the trance. He released her and Emma coughed.
"Your husband needs you." Brandon said as he pointed to her phone.
Emma narrowed her eyes but picked up the call. In just a few minutes, she left the cottage. Brandon waited for some time and made sure the coast was clear before moving to his vehicle. He was almost home when he received a call from his brother.
"What is it?"
"Someone's grumpy." Kevin said to him with a chuckle.
"I had a rough night. Tell me what you want." Brandon told him but on second thoughts, maybe it was a tough morning?
"Well I don't really want anything. Just that we lost some goods. The hurricane that happened destroyed our warehouse." Kevin told him.
Brandon cussed out. He should have suspected that something like that would happen. He heard of the hurricane and they were already making plans to move the goods to another location but the hurricane happened earlier than expected. Lives were lost and houses were destroyed and even if he felt pity for those who lost lives and homes, the goods they had lost pained him more. It was worth millions and it just had to be that the storehouse was in a place susceptible to being destroyed by hurricanes. He and his brother had plans to change the location but it turns out it was too late.
"That's not all. The Templeton's got wind of it. It's all over the news now." Kevin told him.
"The hurricane happened less than two days ago. How the fuck did they get wind of it?" Brandon asked, in frustration.
"I suspect it's Godson?" Kevin said.
Brandon cussed out again. Of course it would be Godson. Emma's fucking cousin. Brandon already hated her father and grandfather but Godson was on another level. He was younger than Emma but was more greedy and would do anything to make money even if it meant he had to dirty his hands. And was it a surprise that he would be the one behind the news spreading? No, because he moved with the trashiest of people. Brandon wondered how the Templeton's could still raise their head in public like they were the purest and tarnish his own family's reputation.
"Where are you?" Brandon asked his brother.
"Office. I'm with Benji and Alec." Kevin said to him.
"Wait, Alec? What the fuck is he doing there? Playing video games?" Brandon asked his brother.
"I thought he might be useful." Kevin said to his brother.
"Useful? How? He's only good with a computer." Brandon told him.
"Which is why he may actually be useful."
"Alright, I'll meet you guys in some minutes." Brandon said to him with a sigh as he ended the call.
He had no idea why Alec and Benji were present and he felt like there was more to the issue than his brother was letting on.
Fucking Templetons.
Chapter 2"You are late." Benji said to him from the sofa he was curled on."Why are you lying down there? And in my office?" Brandon asked him with a frown.He took in his surroundings and the only person who appeared to be working was his brother. Alec as always was neck deep in a video game. His hoodie, covering half of his face. Benji looked like he was about to pass out on the sofa he was lying down on."I feel sleepy. I don't understand all your business jargon. The only thing I understand is something that has to do with fists but Kevin dragged me here." Benji told him with a yawn."Wrong, I never dragged them here….""Forced, more accurately." Alec added not once lifting his eyes from the video game he was playing."....I never forced them. They just happened to be present when I got the news. They took it upon themselves to be present." Kevin said to him with a yawn.Brandon took note of the bags under his brother's eyes. He appeared tired."How long have you guys been here?"
Chapter 3Brandon and his brother were able to avoid the upcoming crisis that was lurking around their company. Godson thought he was smart but like they said, two heads were better than one. Brandon wasn't even sure how accurate that was but Carson said it was something his Nigerian father had always said whenever he and Carson's mother passed a hurdle or created a new recipe together. Brandon was just about to leave the office to meet with his brother for lunch, when he heard a knock on the door. There was only one person with that much respect for him, Charlie, his assistant."Come in." "What is it?" He asked him immediately as Charlie walked into his office."It's not a serious matter but I do not know how you will take this." Charlie said to him with a wince."Just tell me what it is. I have to meet with Kevin for lunch and I can't lie and say I'm not starving after all the work I've been through." Brandon said to him with a sigh."Right. Um….I'll just give you this then." Charl
Chapter 4THREE MONTHS AGO"You are getting married." Emma still remembered her grandfather's words to her. She hated the fact that he still had that much authority over her life and what annoyed her more was the fact that she could do absolutely nothing. She had to go with whatever her family said because of her mother. Her mother whose treatment relied on her grandfather. She hated it but she was also in a helpless situation. There was absolutely nothing she could do about it.When she was told she was getting married, she had no idea it would be someone twenty years her senior. He may be referred to as a dilf by the public but to her, he was nothing but trash. Emma had always hated him and nothing could change the fact. She tried to get her family to reconsider but her grandfather along with her cousin were dead set on it. Her father was anything but helpful. Just the mere sight of him disgusted Emma. She had just gotten back home that morning after her night out with Brandon but
Chapter 5THREE MONTHS AGO "Do you know who the father is?" Lydia asked Emma once they stepped out of the hospital."What? Oh, yeah. I do." Emma replied to her with an absent mind."Who is he?" Lydia asked her."What?""Who is he? I reckon you have to tell him." Lydia told her."Um, I….I'm not sure. I slept with some people these last few months." Emma replied to her as she averted her gaze.Lydia frowned. Emma wasn't being truthful and she knew it. "Emma, I know you are lying to me right now and just so you know, you gave yourself away. You have only been with one person right?" Lydia asked her "What? Absolutely not. I just told you I can't recall. I've been with a number of people this…""You definitely used the word 'we' when you were talking about sex with the father before we arrived at the hospital, Emma." Lydia pointed out."What?""Yeah. And you also just told me you know who the father of the baby is but now, you are denying it and claiming to have been with 'numerous peop
Chapter 6THREE MONTHS AGO"What are we doing here?" Emma asked Godson with a frown.She had woken up tired that morning feeling tired but she knew she had to show up at work but then, Godson showed up in front of her apartment with the excuse that their grandfather wanted to talk with both of them. It wasn't really surprising to Emma. Sometimes when their grandfather summoned both of them, Godson stopped by to take her to the meeting place which was usually his home or office so Emma went with him. She thought that their grandfather wanted to talk to her regarding the engagement which she refused to go ahead with but it seems Godson had other plans. The vehicle they were in, stopped in front of a hospital."Take a look, Emma. Do you recognise this place?" He asked her."It's a hospital and it's obviously on the way to grandfather's office so yeah, I do." She replied to him.Godson tsked."Look closely. I'm sure you stopped by this place some days ago." He said to her with a raised ey
Chapter 7PRESENT DAYEmma stood looking at her reflection in the mirror. Her dress was dazzling but it wasn't something she would have picked herself if at all she was given the opportunity. It was a bit too much or maybe it was just her nerves speaking. Her engagement dress was sleeveless and had a floral lace design. It held her bust but spread from the waist down, sweeping the floor. The designer really took floor length to another level. Emma still wondered if she was making the right decision. She had doubts that this wasn't the best decision she could make. What if after everything, she loses her child and her mother? She looked outside the window. The weather looked dreary but even at that, she heard chatting and rejoicing from the guests. The hotel in which they were holding the engagement party happened to be one of the Templeton's hotels. It was one Emma had put in enough hard work to make it become what it was, now. She took in the dreary weather. Even the weather wasn't
Chapter 8"Enjoying the party?" Godson asked.Brandon turned to give him his attention. He hated people sneaking up on him especially when they were the likes of Godson. Brandon fought the urge to roll his eyes and punch Godson's face. What was he so smug about?"Seeing as you came all the way to my office to give me the invitation, I couldn't miss this." Brandon replied to him coolly."Of course you came here only because I gave you the invitation….""Um, no. That's wrong. You only delivered it individually. I had no idea we were that close. You came all the way to my office?" Brandon asked him."Ah, my apologies. You're right. Well, I hope the party is to your liking." Godson said to him."It's fairly okay. I have to say, I expected more from the Templeton's though." Brandon said to him."Oh? What exactly is not up to your expectations here?" Godson asked him."You don't really need me to spell it out for you now right?" Brandon asked him."Well, if it's not a bluff then I'm sure yo
Chapter 9"You can't use that on me forever. It will grow old at some point and you know it." Hugo said to him with mock bravery.Godson scoffed."Don't let people know of this." He said to Emma and walked out.Emma stood rooted to the ground. What just happened and why was Godson telling her not to fuck things up. Surely Godson knew the kind of person Hugo was before he and her grandfather went ahead with the engagement.Hugo released an annoyed sound and turned to Emma with eyes full of hatred. He held her shoulders in a tight grip and leaned close so she was within hearing distance and so that no one could hear what he was going to say to her. "You stay out of my business and I'll stay out of yours or your grandfather finds out that you are holding the lowest of the low in your stomach." He told her.He released his hold on her and gave her a small smile."Smile, bride. The world can't know we don't really suit each other now, can they?" He asked her with that same smile plastered
Chapter 74"Hey," Emma said to the blonde woman as she took a seat next to her on the bench. She was lost in thought and it was obvious she had been crying. The woman wiped her tears and turned to Emma with a frown.Emma gave her a sad smile. " You are Victoria right?"The woman nodded but she still had a frown plastered on her face. "I knew Hunter. I was in the car with him...he protected me." Emma said to her.Victoria's eyes widened in recognition. "You are Emma? Brandon's fiancee?"Emma chuckled. "Fiancee is a stretch. We are not even dating.""What?""But it's not like I don't want to date him or anything. I do but…." Emma released a heavy sigh. " Can we just talk about the reason I'm here?""I'm all ears. We can talk about anything." Victoria said to her with a small smile."I'm sorry about Hunter."Victoria stared into space. It was clear that Hunter's situation affected her so much."I'm trying to be strong for him," Victoria replied.Emma nodded and they sat together for a w
Chapter 73Emma cried in relief when she saw Brandon. She wanted to move to him to give him a hug but her hands which were handcuffed limited her movement. Brandon wasted no time in getting it off her and then she was in Brandon's embrace. He held her close, taking in her scent and her face. He inspected for any signs of injury on her body and fussed over her. Emma did not imagine for once that Brandon fussing over her would be something she appreciated. It was obvious he was in love with her. She hated that it had to take a scare before she was finally able to admit to herself that she was also in love with him. She was immediately taken to the hospital and it wasn't until later that she found out that it was because of luck that Brandon had been able to find her. Lydia had been lying when she said the phone was in the building with them. It was a lie and after everything Emma had passed through at the hands of her supposed friend, she wasn't so sure she would be able to forgive Lyi
Chapter 72Kevin was over the moon. Zoey said yes. He was about to tell his friends when he received a call from Benji. The urgency in his voice was what made Kevin move. He had no idea if he would be able to make it in time but he was willing to try. After convincing Zoey to stay, he got into his car and drove towards the direction of Emma's previous home. He hoped he would be able to make it in time. Not just for him but for every single person in their circle who loved her.—--------------------------------------------------------------Emma had no idea how long she would be able to keep up the pretence. With every new information gotten from her ex-best friend, she fought the urge to throw up. How was she so evil and how had she been so blind to everything that had happened? Lydia had wanted everything about Emma. She was so obsessed with Emma that she slept with her cousin while screaming her name. Emma had no idea why Lydia had told her the information. If Lydia thought it was
Chapter 71Brandon had been so excited to get to Emma. He knew there was no way she would have been expecting him when he showed up at the prison that was if she was still there. He felt the meeting with Mr Chen had been a waste of time. The issues discussed were issues that could have been resolved over the phone but the man had wanted to see them. With every passing minute during their discussion, he had to fight the urge to punch the man's face. At least it is over now.He turned to Kevin who was no doubt texting Zoey."Walk fast, I need to meet Emma." Kevin ignored him and continued texting. Brandon was sure he was chatting with Zoey but he had no idea why his brother was so immersed so he sneaked up to his brother who did not notice and took a glimpse at the conversation."You are planning a surprise for her?""Holy fuck!" Kevin said in shock as he moved away putting some distance between him and his brother."Why are you so surprised?" Brandon asked him."I don't know…because y
Chapter 70Emma groaned. Her head ached badly. She tried touching her head, as if willing the pain to go away but she could not move her hands. She struggled and found out it was handcuffed to a bed. Emma was widely awake now. She observed her environment. She was on a bed in a very tiny room. She was sure this wasn't the place Hunter had been driving her to….wait, she thought to herself with a frown. What if Hunter had been behind this? She shook her head. That wasn't possible. From the way Hunter had spoken it was clear that he was very much into his wife and family and she was sure Benji wouldn't employ someone who wasn't trustworthy. After a few minutes of trying to determine where she was, she remembered the accident. A vehicle from nowhere had hit them. She had no idea what happened next because she blacked out. That was why her head hurt, she thought to herself. That could be the only explanation. But if there was an accident, what had happened with Hunter? The room in which s
Chapter 69Emma had no idea what had prompted her cousin to say that but it gave her something to ponder on. Was he talking about Brandon and his friends? No, she shook her head. She was not a good judge of character but she knew this had nothing to do with Brandon. Maybe it was something else? Someone in the future?"Watch where you're going." She heard a voice say to her which made her pause.She took in her surroundings and saw she was headed straight for a wall. The person jogged to meet up with her."The vehicle is the other way. You were so lost in thought." He said to her,Emma gave him an appreciative smile as he led her to the car which was parked on the other side. He entered the car also and turned to Emma."Am I to drive you back home or…."Emma smiled. "Benji said you have somewhere to be so I don't plan on wasting your time." He gave her an appreciative nod but then his phone rang. "I'm sorry, I have to take this."Emma gave him the go-ahead. But he wasn't being secret
Chapter 68"Thank you," Emma said to Brandon with a smile."It's the least I can do for you, especially after everything that has happened," Brandon replied to her.He massaged her swollen feet delicately and she sighed in appreciation. The last month has been hectic. Her grandfather put up a fight but she had won at the end. They had all won and she hoped that this moment would last forever. With Brandon, his family, and her new friends, everything is peaceful like this. Emma was about to pass out due to the comforting feeling but then the feeling stopped which resulted in her being wide awake."Why?""I heard about your plans. Did you…do you think it's the right thing to do?" Brandon asked her.Emma sighed. She knew Brandon was going to bring the topic up sooner or later. She had finally placed her grandfather in prison where he deserved along with her cousin. While Godson was the lesser of two evils, he was also evil himself and he had been involved in things that had brought him
Chapter 67 Everything Brandon had told France when he was being held hostage, came to pass. Although his wife and child were not involved in an accident, news about his father's gambling issue became known to the public. Also, the debts his father acquired were made known to the public. He had to admit that he was extremely lucky when he found out that the news regarding his affair with the underage girl wasn't made public. He was in his office, trying to deal with the huge blow against his own company when he received an email. He had no idea who it was from and he could not identify the address. But after going through the contents of the email, he was sure he knew who it was from. Brandon had sent him pictures of all his wrongdoings and he got the message. His life was in Brando's hands. One wrong move and he would be drowning in an open sea. Templeton had contacted him after the statement he had released. The man was furious but France wouldn't let that deter him. Templeton cou
Chapter 66France stared at Brandon with eyes widened in fear."No, no, no. She is the one who lured me into sleeping with her. I never lured her. It was nothing like that." He tried to reason with Brandon who just gave him a shake of his head and turned to his friend."From the video, it doesn't look like she was willing. This could also be considered rape right?" Brandon asked Benji who nodded with a smile plastered on his lips."Thing is, France, we can let all this disappear with just a snap of our fingers. Give us what we are looking for or it's your head on a platter." Benji said to him.France turned to Brandon. He had no idea why Benji was or maybe his memory wasn't just serving him right. "You think you can get away with this? I know who you are, I can leak this information to the public."Brandon laughed when he heard that. The man thought he was smart? No way. There is no way someone like France would even leak this to the public. For one, no one would believe him and again