Oh god! Has Vince brought his stepmom lover home?!!! What are your thoughts?!
24 Jasmine stared at the shameless man standing arrogantly before her with his stepmom in his arms. 'Lucy? So she's 'just' Lucy to him. Great!' She scorned to herself before she turned around to try to crawl out. She hadn't moved an inch away when she felt Vince's fingers in her hair. He pulled her back and shoved her towards Lucy where she was standing... Right at her feet. "Apologize to her now!" He ground the words out as he pushed her head against Lucy's feet until her nose was touching the fur slippers. Pain tore through Jasmine's chest. She saw her tears dampen the fur as they fell one after another from her chin. "I said apologize, Jazz!" Disgust filled Jasmine's being. After doing all this, he still had the audacity to call her by her nickname. Jasmine couldn't move. The anguish of being treated like trash by her own husband sliced through her heart like a sharp sword. She reflected back on the time she doted on him as an obedient wife. All the years she cared for him
25Jasmine's POVI opened my eyes with a heavy feeling on my belly. I sat up straight, startled, as it reminded me of my miscarriage.I was sensitive. Although I got the time and space to mourn the death of my dear baby when I was at Birdie's, I was still not used to touching my belly as freely as before. Not without feeling my heart pounding in my chest.When I looked down at my stomach, my blood ran with vengeance in my veins. My eyes shot up as I saw red.The weight was from Vince's hand and he was sleeping beside me. It was dark in the room and there was no light outside the open windows, meaning the night had crept in. My muscles jumped under my skin in enrage as I tossed his hand away from my belly.My teeth chattered as my veins pumped with the urge to strangle him in his sleep. I wasn't so lucky to have my urge fulfilled because the light filled the room and Vince sat up rubbing his eyes. "What the hell is wrong with you? I had just fallen asleep, Jazz." He complained and I wa
26Jasmine's POV My heart pounded violently in my chest and the trembling shot up in my arms and face.Vince appeared tired as if he wasn't very happy to reveal the truth. But when he started, my hatred for him grew intense."My relationship with Lucy is stronger and older than ours. I met her five years ago at a party. It was love at first sight for me. She also seemed interested in me when I made the first move. However, when I tried to touch her intimately, she'd jumped away." He paused to look up at me.I gave him a nod, showing that I wasn't affected by how the story started. But deep down, my muscles tangled as I suppressed my rage. I swallowed down the burn of acid in my throat as I tried to ignore the fact that my meeting with Vince, those days of our secret meetings after office hours I considered as dream come true, the proposal I thought was too filmy to be real, and the years I cherished as Mrs Vince has been nothing but a lie. A BIG FAT LIE. "She was wary that I might l
27Jasmine's POV "I had no other choice. But it wasn't as terrifying as it sounds after we've found a way out." His lips curled into a dark smirk that made shivers erupt in my body. "My father can't go to bed without drinking. So Lucy makes sure he's utterly drunk before they get into bed." "Then a maid that we've hired to replace Lucy jumps into the bed with my father. She leaves only in the morning and then Lucy pretends that it's been her with him. This way she avoids my father from trying to touch her.""But those kisses in public? The way he gropes her ass in the parties, doesn't that infuriate you?" "Not as much as the thought of Lucy going back to GoldenRidge to her oppressor's brother." He shrugged coolly. "I can handle my father touching my woman more than other rascals. Not that my father's done anything more than that. He thinks he has Lucy at his mercy, but you know the truth." It makes sense. It's better to have a single bite of a tasty cake than to never have it. Vinc
28Kyle's POVThe last few days have been pretty rough for me. I barely ate food or met my friends or anyone else given I was locked up in my cabin taking back to back conferences or online meetings with overseas clients. Being the CEO of the rapidly rising business group is not easy, but I have to do it anyhow. This was my dream, after all. To be so successful that I wouldn't have a single second to think back about my past. I wanted this life and I have it. In the past few years I worked on climbing every ladder I could to make my name. I left no stone unturned, and in fact, there were no more rungs left after all these years of working so hard. I've climbed all the ladders that were there and now I'm aiming for whatever is there beyond the zenith of success I've achieved. But I wish my mother was alive. I wish I could show her what her departure did to me. What her decision of divorcing my father led me to become. I'm a heartless mercenary today. A man so focused on doubling and
29 Kyle's POV When I woke up, the sky was bright and the warm rays of the sun shone off the ceramic vase holding big blue flowers near the window of my room. I looked at the clock on the wall and my jaw dropped. Fifteen past one! Damn, I was supposed to be at my father's house for breakfast. I got out of the bed hurriedly and dashed inside the shower for a quick bath. Lila was going to accompany me to breakfast. I wonder why she's not here already. Lila. My lips curved into a grin as I massaged shampoo into my hair, thinking about her. It's not like I need her to go with me to breakfast. But she still wants to go because she feels overprotective of me as if I'm her sister, not the other way around. The thing is, she doesn't like Tania and her behaviour around me. She hates it when Tania throws herself on me and acts all lovey dovey as if we could be an item if she tried harder to pursue me. Nothing will ever happen between her and me. Tania is the daughter of the woman who destroy
30Kyle's POV Raw shock whipped into her face as she pushed herself away from me. She pretended to be nauseated by my question and turned around to act like she was throwing out as she also made those noises. "Like you? Keep dreaming, Panther! Who would like a playboy like you? You are a good friend... But boyfriend? Eww. I don't want to end up with aids. No, thank you." She said with an attitude and though I should feel humiliated, I was relieved to hear that. I pinched her chin to look at me and again she gave me that flustered look. But I wasn't fazed because I now knew her feelings towards me. "I'm glad that you don't see me that way, Lila. It's a favour you're doing on me." I smiled at her. "What if I really liked you hmm?" She asked teasingly and I left her alone. With a scoff I turned back to dry my hair, "As I said, you're doing a favour on me by not having such feelings for me. But if you did," I looked at her through the mirror, my eyes glowing darkly, honestly. "I woul
31"Do I look rebellious or not?" Kyle asked while fixing his t-shirt, looking in the rear view."You look horrible!" Lila exclaimed but deep within she couldn't help but admire how the tee clung to his torso like a second skin.His abs and the yummy hard plains of his chest were highlighted while the savage strands of his smooth straight hair fell on his eyes. He could pose for a clothing brand or simply just submit his photos to a modelling agency. His physique triggered dirty thoughts and if he posed for a brand, then he could easily bring in traffic and customers willing to make purchases if that helped them get a glimpse of him."That means I do look rebelliously annoying. Cool! My father will swoon at my look." Kyle said and prepared to get out of his seat.On the contrary, Lila tamped down her desire to grab his jaw and plant a kiss on his lips. She saw him leave and the minute he stepped out, he sighed as her eyes fluttered dreamily.'Fúck, you make me feel like a man obsessing
68"Oh, since I made the soup for the ones who were on the table yesterday, I thought it's best to have them join us." Jasmine said. "Jojo has told me that this soup doesn't taste that good when it's cold." Jasmine turned to Kyle, her eyes blinking at him hesitantly, "I hope you don't mind it." Kyle didn't answer. He just nodded his head, avoiding to meet Jasmine's gaze. Unfortunately, he was a man with very little trust left. Kyle had lost faith in people and trusting everyone was difficult for him. Hence, he was easily swayed by Lila's words. He glared at Jasmine with blood in his eyes. 'I've grown to like you, Jessica. Didn't know you'd go around asking about my money. You must have believed you could replace your husband with me— another wealthy man— since I feel guilty over your child's death. You assumed my remorse towards your loss would make me yours.'He felt a bitter taste in his mouth for even liking her. What's more, all Kyle wanted to do was slap her food off the tabl
67"I have no other way to pay you back and I don't have access to my accounts either. Not that I was going to pay back in money. That would be an insult to your kindness. So—" "What's for breakfast?" Kyle asked, changing the topic. He smiled at her as if saying: You don't have to explain anything to me. I understood, and moved closer towards her. "For the record, I want you to know that I don't expect a pay back from you. I've told you why I'm doing it.""And I've told you why I'm doing this too." She raised an eyebrow.Once again, Kyle found himself staring at her, that strange feeling back again. He stared at her lips not out of desire but out of amusement. She did have a fierce mouth, and he liked very few women with a big mouth.They were lost in the moment, staring at each other in admiration. Lila had been, once again, hiding behind a pillar to overhear them. A fire of jealousy set in her heart. She seethed before coming out of the shadows to break their stare with her inter
66Kyle covered his face in self-loath and shame, recalling the conversation he had with Jasmine the other night. He felt remorseful for sharing so much about his life with her."How could I lose myself like that? She's a stranger. She's going to leave my house one day and we might never see each other again. I was a fool. I shouldn't have told her so much about me— about my past that not even my closest friends know completely." He sighed and rubbed his face."God, what if she uses it against me? What if she hasn't forgiven me for her loss? You can't trust a wounded woman. I'd be in great trouble if she released my past story to the news channels for revenge. The dark side of my life is mine alone. How could I slip out of my control emotionally because of her and pour out what I never told anyone? Damn, I've never been so foolish."He dragged himself to the washroom on heavy feet and took the most painful shower of his life. Kyle was feeling so bad inside that he didn't want to do an
65Jasmine couldn't react in time because he left her alone not before throwing a teasing salute at her. She was in shock and reeling at what he said. When she was able to make sense, she took a deep breath and smiled to herself. "He's being friendly with me. But the way we met and insulted each other.... It's surprising to see we could be so comfortable with each other. You're a nice man, Kyle. I'm glad God made us meet." She inhaled deeply. "I don't intend to keep any connection with you or anyone else... But in future, I'd like to pay you for what you've done for me." Then she washed her face and teeth and slipped under the blanket, calling it a night with an unwavering smile on her lips. On the other hand, Lila was fuming like a mad bull. She paced in the guest room back and forth as she couldn't erase the view she saw in Kyle's room a while back. "H-how could he? We are best friends and we never let anyone come between us. I've been so nice to him all these years since we wer
64Jasmine's eyes were moist. She looked at the layer of stiffness that had cracked and revealed his vulnerable side. She pitied the boy that he was in the past as at the same time she pitied his mother too. Jasmine believed that his mother might have her own reasons to leave him with his father— not knowing that she was actually hearing those words for the same woman who was also ‘her adopted mother’— Her adopted mother who gave Jasmine memories that she held on to survive! The pained looked on Kyle's face, the trembling in his lips from bad memories and the trauma of being abandoned as a child shone in his eyes bright. Since he looked so broken and miserable, Jasmine felt like hugging him. "You see this man here— he's just a handsome zombie. There's no heart here inside." He pointed at his chest, his lips pursed. "What hurts the most is the fact that my father also neglected me after my mom's departure. He married his mistress because of whom my mom left us... And the first thing
63Jasmine's voice shook with frustration. She didn't want to spill her heart out in front of a stranger she wasn't going to see again in future. But the emotions boiling and bubbling within her needed to be let out. She wanted to be heard and she couldn't help but rely on Kyle to be the listener. "I'm so sick of feeling like this! I'm sick of being the victim, poor, cheated-on wife. Mari is helpful but she's excessively careful towards me... Like she would hurt me with her words and actions if she's not careful. Even Jojo was keeping his distance from me when we were in the kitchen.""He acted as if I was fragile and his touch would break me. This is not how I was before I found out about my husband's betrayal. I've been an independent and strong woman. One who didn't need anyone's hand for support." Jasmine sobbed "You're still strong, Jessica. You went through so much and you're still smiling and living like a strong woman should. This is part of healing. You are doing what is rig
62"I'm so wounded that everything makes me want to jump at someone and scratch their face beyond repair. You have no idea what it feels to be capable but still have not enough strength to help yourself, Lila." Jasmine got up. Lila's eyes followed her movements, her mouth hanging open. Jasmine's rise was elegant and it did look like she came from wealth and power like herself where maintaining etiquettes was an important part of elite life. "It was nice meeting you, Lila, and thank you for your support. But I'm not looking for advice or sympathy right now.... I just need good memories that I will carry out of here." She gave a curt nod, making her point clear that she wasn't going to let anyone belittle her. As her eyes turned to Kyle, he straightened up, otherwise he had his chin in his hand and his eyes glued to her face, totally lost in her fierce but polite retort. "Hope you enjoy the food, Kyle. I don't care about others or what they think of the food I made— but the fact that
61"I... I'm sorry! I didn't know it was you. I thought—" "That's okay. I'll take care next time and make sure I cut on the oil." Jasmine smiled genuinely, thinking that Lila was really innocent. "No, I truly mean it. I'm sorry. I thought it was Jojo. If I knew you made everything today then I wouldn't have— I'm sorry. That might have sounded mean and we've not officially been introduced to each other. You must feel so bad because of me. But I didn't..." Lila trailed off, looking at Kyle regretfully as if she would cry if he didn't help her. Kyle let out a heave as he touched Lila's hand in her lap. All the three sitting on the other side of the table— Jasmine, Jojo and Mari— saw his hand movement too. "This beautiful crazyhead here is my most valuable, amazing, always available for me, sometimes cute and sometimes crazy, my forever partner in crime... My closest friend, Lila. Lila Calvin. She's a social media influencer and one of the best advisers I have in life." Kyle said with
60"Well, well, well… looks like someone’s having a grand feast! But I feel disappointed, Kyle. What have I done to not get an invitation? Your guest seemed to have gained her senses back too." Lila walked in on them as she refused to stay in the corner while a stranger was enjoying Kyle's attention and compliments. She sat down next to Kyle after kissing him on the cheek, her eyes fixed on Jasmine darkly. "I am sad! How can you do this to me?" "Oh, Lila," Kyle rolled his eyes the same way he did each time Lila threw an unnecessary tantrum. "Stop being ridiculous. You were out of town for a big brand's ad shooting, weren't you? And you said it'll take about a week or two before you come back. How could I have known it would be over within a week!" Lila's ears turned pink. She wasn't expecting Kyle to treat her with such offending boldness— like yeah, she knew that he assumed her as a 'good' best friend. But she still had a reputation. It felt like an insult in front of Jasmine and