"We understand, Daddy!" The both of them clamored at the same time. "We will ask Grandma to make her favorite pastry and we will use it to win her over again. We will apologize to her and promise her that we won't make any reckless decision again. We will also tell her how much we love and care about her and how proud we are that she's our mother!" The two brats were determined to make their mother happy again."That's more like it." Dominic smiled."One more thing Shantel..." He held the little girl's hand and squeezed them gently."Next you see something that you like so much just tell me about it. I will immediately get it for you. Like the teddy bear you saw today. Since you like it so much, I will buy one for you...""No, Daddy!" Shantel immediately snapped, nodding negatively."I don't want the teddy bear. I don't even like it again! Because of it, I made Mommy cry and made her angry with us. I now hate that Teddy bear with everything in me!" Shantel spat with so much disgust, h
"I accept your proposal, Mr. Hartless. I agree to marry you."Dominic was surprised but at the same time glad. "What made you change your mind all of a sudden?" He raised a brow at Melina who got off the table."I thought about it and I realized you were right. After what happened yesterday, I realized that my kids needs a father. And since I don't know who their real father is, I might as well provide one for them. And considering how close you and my kids have become, they won't have a problem accepting you as their father. I can save myself the stress of having to lie to them every time and also save them the stress of having to live their whole life without a father. That is why I changed my mind about your proposal" She clarified. Dominic was a bit disappointed. Dissatisfied with the fact that she wasn't accepting his proposal because she wanted to. She was being compelled to, only for the sake of her kids. If not for them, she probably wouldn't consider accepting his proposal.
A few days passed by after Melina and Dominic signed their marriage license and became husband and wife in the eyes of the law. When Melina told Barbera that she accepted Dominic's proposal, the old woman was more than overjoyed. She supported Melina's decision with everything in her. Shantel and Leon were informed that Dominic was their new Daddy and that he and Melina had gotten married. The twins were over the moon. This was what they wanted from day one. And when Melina told them that they all would be moving to Dominic's house, the two brats didn't object. They didn't hesitate to packed their bags."Grandma we're done preparing our bags. We've packed all our school accessories, all our clothes, and all the gifts Daddy bought for us. We packed our personal belongings like toothbrush, comb, cream, soap, and even our towels."Melina and Barbera gaped at the two with parted lips as they showed them what was inside the huge traveling bag they had dragged downstairs."Shantel, Leon,
"So tell me, what will you call me, Cherry Blossom..." Melina could feel her cheeks reddened intensely and she almost choked on nothing. She immediately pushed Dominic off slightly and turned her back on him, trying to hide the hot blush that had decorated her entire face. "Mr. Hartless, don't you think you're moving too fast? The event is still next week. We still have more than enough time so we don't have to start now." She let out a slight cough. "Fine then. I can give you that long to come up with what you want to call me. But for the meantime, you should limit being formal, especially in front of the kids and servants." "Ok. I will erm... go be with the kids for the meantime" Melina muttered and rushed out of the room. Now out of Dominic's sight, she held her chest and closed her eyes, trying to regulate her heart which was thumping fast. "What will you call me, Cherry Blossom..." Dominic's words came playing in her mind again and she almost let out her scream, her reddene
"Erm... Mr. Hartless, I will be sleeping on the couch. I just need to borrow some duvets from the bed" What Melina said made him frown deeply. "Why?" He demanded."Erm... because that's the only place available for me to sleep on?""What happened to the bed then?" He raised a brow at Melina whose eyes widened a bit. "You want me to sleep on that bed?""Is there any other bed here?"Melina let out a nervous chuckle "No, what I mean is, this is basically your room so it will be inappropriate for me to sleep on the bed while you sleep on the couch.""And who said I will be sleeping on the couch?" Dominic was now glaring at her with folded arms."If I... sleep on the bed, where... will... you... sleep then?""Let's sleep together, Melina"Melina's eyes protruded in horror and she choked on nothing. "What?!""Why are you screaming?""You... want us to sleep to... together?!" She gaped at him like she was staring at a ghost."Yes. Why do you look so shocked?" Dominic was confused. But almos
A car pulled over before a building and the couple of the night stepped out. Melina's eyes roamed about and all she could see were luxurious cars packed around. Mere looking at the building alone, one could already imagine the billions used to erect such a masterpiece. "Let's go" Dominic snapped Melina out of her thoughts. He reached out his arm for her and she wrapped her hand around it. With her hand wrapped around his arm firmly, the couple headed inside. They both stepped into the hall and it felt like Melina had entered a different dimension. The entire design, the people present, everything about them, starting from the clothes they were wearing down to their shoes, the wine and drinks being served around, everything screamed of nothing but extravagance.There weren't many people present and they were all seated on the round tables, smiling and chatting among themselves. Melina became nervous once again and fear swell up her heart. This was the world of the rich. Everything was
"Learn to mind your business, Bianca. That way, you can live longer and not age so fast as you are doing right now." Dominic was quick to speak up "And as for who she is..." He gestured for Melina to sit back down. "You will find out who she is before this stupid party runs out. But before then, watch that fucking mouth of yours before I render you dumb for the rest of your miserable life" A deadly scowl was shot at Bianca who snorted and walked away with a hiss.Glancing at Melina once again "Are you ok?" He asked and she nodded. "Sit down then. There's still a of them coming. Try not to let any of them talk down on you""Ok" Melina mumbled and they both sat down. Just like Dominic said, the Hartless household came trooping in, each with his or her own family and some other distant family members. There were a lot of them.Lastly, Alexander walked in with a glamorous and pretty young woman. The moment Dominic's eyes landed on them, they darkened. Alexander was holding the woman's wai
Soon, everyone invited arrived. It was a small gathering compared to what Melina had imagined it to be. The main event began and it was then Dominic came back."Where have you been, Mr. Hartless?" Melina asked in a whisper. "To greet some business partner" He replied but whispered back "I remember us talking about you being formal with me. Everyone is watching, Melina. Don't forget.""I'm sorry about that, Mr... I mean, honey." Melina mumbled the last part shyly and soft smile drew up Dominic's lips "Not bad." He mumbled.The occasion was just about the different board members of the Hartless Empire giving speeches about the obstacles the Empire had faced since it was founded and how they were all able to overcome those obstacles. It was now Alexander's turn to speak. After giving an almost 30 mins long boring speech as Dominic termed it, Alexander finally got to the main point."It is with a heart full of joy and merriment that the entire Hartless Empire and household gathered togeth
Months passed after Eric's death,they mourned and they moved on.It hit his father the hardest because he felt that he was at fault for letting Eric grow up with so much hatred in his heart.His family was finally reunited.He had resumed his role as the president of the company and Melina resumed her role as CEO of her own company.He proposed to Melina on the eve of their anniversary where she announced the news that she was pregnant.In light of the joyous news,they finally gor married with Shantel and Leon as their best man and maid of honour.It was a joyous occasion.Six months after that,the family welcomed their second set of twins after a very long and tortuous labour.They parents entrusted Shantel and Leon with naming their siblings which they did.Their names were...Micheal and Michela
NOTE; This chapter is not edited Evelyn opened her eyes to find herself in the hospital surrounded by stainless steel objects and disinfectant.At the far end of the room,Dominic was standing in place with the doctor.She could only hear snippets of the conversation."Am afraid her Amnesia is quite serious.She just felt overwhelmed by the memories flooding back.Thats why she fainted."the doctor had said solemnly and with a fre exchange of words he exited the room.Dominic realized that she was awake and rushed to her side instantly,giving her a sad smile."Hey"he greeted."Hi"she gave him a weak smile.Not being one to mince his words,he spoke up."Why didn't you tell me you had amnesia ?"he asked softly."I didn't see how that was important "she responded weakly.Before he could ask any other question,she had dozed off.The morphine must have kicked inAs he watched her sleep,he vowed to do everything in his power to regain her lost memory.She just had to remember them.A week went by
"Dominic..." She called out softly making his eyes widened greatly."I... I...love you" She mumbled before passing out in his arms. For a moment Dominic stared at her, excited and surprised at the same time. She remembers, she remembers him.Without waking her or his children who were sound asleep in their rooms amidst all the commotion, he lifted her up in his arms and carried her to bed.Covering her with a duvet, he sat down beside her and held her hand,. placing a kiss on it."You don't know how happy I am to hear you call my name, Melina. I love you"* * * *The next morning, she groaned in pain.She felt the loud pounding in her head as she struggled to get up.Looking around the room,she felt a familiar peace as she glanced around the beautiful decorated room."Ugh"she grunted. Placing a hand on her pounding head,she threw the duvet away from her ,only to find that she wasn't alone.There with her was Dominic sleeping so peacefully beside her.she couldn't hide the smile that esca
ONE WEEK LATERAfter confirming with her assistant, Dominic and Evelyn set up a time, which was today by 5pm although she had warned them ahead of time that she would be late.They couldn't find a suitable venue by that time of day so he settled for a making dinner at his place. In the five years he had been without Melina, Dominic had picked up a thing or two about cooking. He knew how to make pasta which was what he intended to make.Three horrible attempts later, he had everything setup and freshened up, preparing himself to welcome her into his home. He popped open the wine and poured himself a glass as he waited for her arrival. The kids were in their bedroom.Hours ticked by and Evelyn was still not there. He picked up his phone and dialed but the line wasn't connecting. He tried a handful of times before redirecting her call to her office.The call was answered after the first two rings."Hello" A strange voice sounded at the other end. The voice didn't belong to her."Hello, w
The moment Dominic and Shantel got back home, he issued a check to the Nanny and sent her on her merry way never to be seen by him again. He headed straight to his study room to call Ethan. There was something he needed him to do.His hands were sweating and his breath heaved as he dialed the number on his phone. Ethan picked up at the first ring."Yes, Sir""Ethan, I want you to dig into possible whereabouts of my wife's body. Was she cremated or buried?" He inquired. "Sir?" Ethan blurted out in surprise ."I need you to do this for my peace of mind" He explained. "If I may ask, Boss, what is this about?" Ethan asked. Dominic could sense the uneasiness in his voice. But he knew he had to. Seeing Melina today made him realize many things. All cases regarding her accident and death was sealed and ruled out and her body was taken care of while he had been in prison. He wasn't the one that buried her. He didn't even see her body. By the tine he was out of prison, she was already buried
As Everlyn watched the world haze by, the faint sound of someone calling out for her rang in her ears. For a brief moment, a flash hit her. Someone was calling out for her; a little girl. She couldn't see her face but her voice was getting softer and softer, almost like she was walking far away from her.Getting shocked out of her reverie, she looked down at the teary-eyed girl who was gazing up at her so hopefully.She didn't want to be the one to dash her hopes but she had to set things straight. She didn't know her and she had never seen her before. Not that she can remember at least."Sweetie, I think you're confusing me with someone else" She spoke softly, ruffling Shantel's long brunette hair that was just like hers. It was an uncanny resemblance and somewhere at the back of her mind, she felt that small voice calling out to her. Telling her that they were connected. But she shoved those incessant thoughts away and focused on what was real.Shantel on the other hand couldn't bel
"Ethan, have you gotten the proper documents needed for the dealership shipment tomorrow?" Dominic asked as he glanced through the array of folders that lay splayed all over his desk. They were so close to their launch and they couldn't afford any mistakes or delay. It would be catastrophic If they encounter any sort of loss due to negligence."Boss, about the contract proposal from the new company?" Ethan demanded but without looking up from the documents, Dominic waved a hand dismissively. "We do not have time to deal with something that huge when we have a bigger deal on our hands" He responded, sifting through the blue spiral-bound envelope."But, Boss. I went through the contract some weeks ago and it looked really promising and we were allowed full creative control if we were to take it up." Ethan informed, adjusting his glasses as he placed the opened document in front of Dominic's desk.Dominic finally looked up and Ethan directed his gaze to the file. Reluctantly, he took th
Five years later...Staring out from the glass pane windows that overlooked the outskirts of the city. The thoughts of the last couple of years came replaying in Dominic's mind.Five years ago, with the help of Ethan, he was proven innocent and was released from prison. But after his release from prison, things have never been the same. Within five years he was able to gather his life back together a little bit. Though he was proven innocent, the board of directors teamed up with Eric and removed him as the president of the Hartless Empire, making Eric the president instead.But that wasn't a setback for Dominic. Even though he was no longer the president, within five years, he took over VVC fully and made the best fashion company in Westwood. Within five years, he was able to regain his fame and power and was still known as the most powerful man in Westwood.But all of this meant nothing to Dominic. All the fame and power to him were useless. What was the point of gathering his life
Back in Westwood, Dominic was grappling with his own demons. He had retreated from the world, haunted by the accusations and the uncertainty of who had committed the terrible crime.He was also in shambles over Melina and her decision to break up.As he sat in his cell contemplating his life an officer came up the cell and began unlocking it. “Let's go, Dominic, you have a visitor.”Dominic's heart soared as he envisioned Melina had come to visit him.He stayed still as his hands and feet were handcuffed and he was led out of the tiny, cramped cell.He was let into the poorly lit room and made to sit down.Dominic was confused and just as he was about to question the guard Eric revealed himself."Hello, Dominic," Eric said, a malevolent grin on his face as he sat down across from Dominic in an interrogation room. "It's been a while."Eric was a tall, handsome man with a charming smile. He was also a ruthless businessman who was determined to destroy Dominic.Dominic's face lost all of