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LANCE POV - I kept watch over Hannah all night. I couldn’t sleep for a minute, thinking about her, especially Celine and our children. I hadn’t talked to Celine, Hannah’s phone wasn’t in her bag, and I didn't know the landline number in the penthouse or even the hotel. My gaze turned to Hannah when she howled until she opened her eyes and looked at my side. “Lance?” She asked with a frown. I supported her back as she got up. “I’m in the hospital?” “Yes,” I responded, then returned to my seat. “Carla and Yuichi, brought you here. What exactly happened before you lost consciousness?” “I have no idea.” My ears perked up at what she said. “How could you not know? You don’t smell alcohol; hence, you’re not drunk to not know what happened to you.” I held back. Just tell the truth.” “I saw him,” she revealed. “He approached me.” My gaze dropped to his hands. They were shaking, her voice starting to become raspy. “Then, fear poured through my body, and I didn’t know what happened ne
LANCE POV - “I’m not asking for too much in return, right?” Freya asked with a grin. She walked towards me and was only a foot away. She stopped walking and slightly tilted her head. “I’m not fooling around, Freya. Don’t use up my remaining patience with you.” “Who said I was joking?” She took another step closer. She tiptoed, stroked my hair, slowly running down my cheek. “Maybe this time you’ll realize I’m the one you really love? And you were just challenged by that woman, so you keep chasing her.” She held my face. “Lance, I’m the one you love. Believe me, you are just confused; maybe you just felt pity for that woman. One thing for sure, you love me. Only me.” I removed her hand from my face, but she right away replaced it with a hug on my body. “If I hadn’t done that stupid thing, if I had paid attention to you then, I would still be the one you love; you wouldn’t have looked for that woman. I’m sorry. I’m sorry if I realized late that you were the one I really love
[ C H I C A G O ] . LANCE POV - It was late at night when I arrived at the hotel. I went straight to my penthouse to take a shower and get rid of Freya’s scent on my body. I took a quick bath and put on a plain white shirt and pajamas, then went to the penthouse, where Celine and my children were. Before going to bed, I wanted to see them first. I felt empty without seeing them. "Celine,” I said in a muted tone after I saw her sleeping on the sofa in the living room. I held my mouth for a second to stop myself from crying with bliss. She was like this before, asleep on the sofa waiting for me to get home, then she was unaware that I was taking her to her room. I would stare at her, and before the sun rose, I would leave her room so she wouldn’t know that her skin had touched my body while carrying her. I sat down opposite her face so I could see her face more clearly. Her face still didn’t change while she was sleeping, still the most beautiful woman. “Celine?” I laughed qui
CELINE POV - When I opened my eyes, I was immediately surprised to see the ceiling of the room. As I remembered, I was in the living room, waiting for Lance. I glanced at Sunny but was surprised to see the person next to me was Skye, and when I shifted my gaze to Sunny, my heart beat faster, and I felt like my heart would burst out of surprise after I saw Lance, smiling. “Good morning,” he greeted in his low and rough voice. I rubbed my eyes and looked at the other end of the bed again. “Lance?” I asked, calling to confirm if what I was seeing was true. He was lying sideways on the other side of the bed, looking at me. Sunny was hugging his arm. “Good morning,” he repeated. “Lance?” I query, frowning. “Good morning.” He greeted one more time. “What are you doing here?” I whispered. “Lying down?” He retorted inquiringly. “I mean, did you sleep here?” “Yes. Don’t worry about what the kids will think. They woke up last night, and I asked their permission; they agreed.” “The
CELINE POV - I continued preparing the food. I had no intention of answering those kinds of questions. I didn’t know where he wanted his questions to go, it was crystal clear that it couldn’t happen. As long as he is still married, I wouldn’t give him the chance to give me even a small chance. “What if we could be a family?” I lowered the knife and faced him annoyingly. Looking at him, my forehead furrowed in surprise after I saw him smiling. His elbow rested on the table so his masculine arm stretched out on the plain shirt he was wearing and that hand of his was holding a strawberry which he took a bite of while he fixed his gaze on my eyes. He chewed slowly, swallowing a strawberry and licking his lips. “Hmmm.” He groaned. I swallowed and quickly turned my back on him. What was this man’s problem? Is he flirting or teasing? “I’m serious about my question.” I heard him say. I didn’t try to face him again. Maybe he will do some more seduction. Even if he’s just breathing,
CELINE POV - All this time I thought Skye’s quiet and calm nature was something he inherited from his father, but it seems like I got scammed myself for believing this. Sitting down, I just looked at the three while Lance gaped. He looked around at our children to blow the inside of his mouth or tongue, while Lance also fanned his mouth with his hand. The first thing I handed the three of them was the soup. Lance immediately sipped the soup without even blowing on the freshly cooked soup once, which burned his tongue. “How are you feeling?” I said laughing after the three of them finished. I took a spoonful of soup and blew it in front of Lance. “Copy mummy so you don’t get hurt.” Sunny guide. Skye just shook his head with a ‘tsk-tsk’ sound. “Let’s eat.” I said, holding back laughing. “I’ll cut your pancakes Skye.” “No, mummy. I can do it.” Lance quickly turned to Skye as he blinked his eyes several times in just a second. It was like he saw a ghost after Skye said that. “A
CELINE POV-The instant he opened the photo album, he immediately froze, his eyes red from the gathering tears.His Adam's apple rose and fell as he swallowed hard. “Can you identify who Starr, Skye, and Sunny are here?” His voice was weak but noticeable, preventing his voice from becoming raspy.He lowered the photo album a little so I could see it. The first page of the photo album was the picture after I gave birth. The only picture of me with our triplets, before I fell asleep from the exhaustion of giving birth, also the first and last time I heard Starr’s voice.“This is Starr, Skye, and Sunny.”“She’s beautiful,” he declared without taking his eyes off the picture. “She inherited her beauty from me.”“Excuse me?” I instantly appealed.“Why? Look at her nose; she inherited it from me.”“But her lips are from me.”Lance and I both laughed a little at our argument.He sat on the floor and continued looking at the pictures.On the next page, I was asleep.I sat next to Lance. “At
CELINE POV-“But why, when I asked you, did you say you didn’t know my birthday?”“I said that?”Recalling that day. He didn’t say anything but that's how I understood it.His gaze dropped to his chest, where I was still holding it. In my embarrassment, I let go of the grip.“You… You suddenly pulled me.” I immediately defended myself.My cheeks heated up. I unintentionally enjoyed the grip of his chest which was bigger than my hand.“I’m not saying anything.” He teased me. “You’re cute when you blush.”“I’m going to put away the toys.” My excuse to avoid his annoying yet attractive gaze.I was about to stand up but he grabbed my left hand. He stared at the opposite of my palm and stroked my finger with his thumb, then he smiled sweetly.“Your hand is so beautiful.”“Thank you?” I questionably thank him.It's just surprising that out of nowhere he will praise my left hand as if he is looking at or examining something here. I don't have anything in my hand.“I just noticed that you don
CELINE POV-“Are you sure of what you are saying?” I asked her.“Yes,” she answered confidently. “Conrad went to the restaurant to meet you there. He can’t call Sir Lance's phone either.”“Conrad couldn’t call Lance’s phone number?” I assured her.“Yes.”Is it just a coincidence that Lance’s phone number couldn’t be called and he didn’t come?“Celine!”I looked at Sabrina in surprise after she yelled at me right in my face.“Why?”“I am asking you why you are not with Sir Lance. Did you know someone rang the doorbell yesterday, and then I checked the intercom? The man had his back turned, but I doubt it was Sir Lance; that’s why I didn’t open it. Because Conrad told me not to open the door if he’s not the one outside. I’m not one hundred percent sure if it’s Sir Lance because he has his back turned and seems to be talking to someone on the phone.”I assumed Lance had come here. Maybe something unexpected happened that made him not arrive?“CELINE!”I felt like I was going to be deafe
CELINE POV-Hendrix extended his palm. “Shall we go in together?” He asked me.We toured the theme park, rode the few rides we had planned to ride before, and we also played the machine games as well as the arcade games.Now we were in front of the Ferris wheel, and we planned to ride it last.“No, thank you.” I refused the hand he offered.I rode the Ferris wheel first and as he rode someone locked the door and started it.During the few hours I was with Hendrix, I didn’t think about anything else. I tried to focus and try to enjoy this place.Once we reached the top, the Ferris wheel stopped whirling.It was scary, but I still found myself smiling slightly after I saw almost the entire theme park.“The Ferris wheel is actually what you've wanted to ride the most since then.”I nodded without taking my gaze down. “The way you drew the Ferris wheel before, it was colourful, and you could see a lot from just one seat. Then it was close to the stars, and this is the exact one you showed
CELINE POV- “I don't have time to joke around.”“Likewise,” he said meagerly.I calmed my feelings down first. “You won’t hurt me, will you?”“No,” he answered sparingly but directly.Somehow his answer made me feel at ease. I had no choice but to just believe what he said. I didn’t have anything with me except the mini makeup kit in the purse I was carrying.“Where are you taking me?”“To my gift for you.”“Gift?”“Don’t you accept late gifts?”“No. That’s not what I meant.”I didn’t explain anymore, and I didn’t open my mouth for a while.I’ll wait until we get to where he wants to go, so his nonsense can end.“We’re almost where we’re going,” I heard him say as I looked out the window.————About ten minutes later, he stopped in front of an amusement park.“Come on!” He was so excited that he even giggled.I laughed a little at his reaction.I also got out of the car. I looked around; except for the amusement park staff, Hendrix and I, I didn't see anyone else.What was surprising
CELINE POV-“Thank you,” I said with a smile to the manager and the female server who served me a glass of water earlier when I saw them in the lobby.“Ma’am, wait!” They exclaim at the same time.I stopped walking when they ran towards me.“I want to apologize again for what happened earlier,” the woman regretfully said.“I also want to apologize for my negligence,” the manager said and bowed his head.“Don’t think about that. It’s okay,” I told them. “Is that all you want to say?”“Ah, no.” They suddenly panicked.The manager handed me a paper bag. I took it and peeked at the contents. Inside the paper bag was a suit coat and a familiar calling card.“What is this for?” I asked.“Sir Hendrix Morgan left those. He asked me to give you the paper bag.”I returned the paper bag to the manager, but he didn’t take it.“Give it back to him,” I stated.The manager took a deep breath. “I…” then he exhaled, and his face was covered with worry. “I’m sorry, ma’am. If you give back to me, he war
CELINE POV-“You should have let the woman kneel down earlier,” my eyebrows furrowed at Hendrix’s words. “Or you should have let her terminate her job.”Is that the kind of person he is? He likes seeing other people suffer? Didn’t he think about that person’s situation? Maybe that person’s job was too valuable to her. That person wouldn’t dare to lower her knee to the ground if she did not badly need the job.“Don’t judge me,” he said, laughing.He read my thoughts?He faced me, he crossed his legs, and rested his elbow on the table. “Someone like her needs to learn a lesson; she needs to pay for her mistake—that’s all I’m saying. It’s not just the surprise that that person ruined but also your feelings. That person not only ruined the surprise for you but also your feelings. She hurt you badly, and your mind was confused by what happened. Who wouldn’t think and be glad that you were expecting someone, but then the wrong person would come in front of you? Right?” He raised his pointed
CELINE POV-I couldn’t move from where I was standing as I turned to look at the man who uttered my name.My forehead wasn’t wrinkled, but my body was full of wonder as I looked at him, and I was sure the question was, 'why is he here?' was printed all over my face.What’s going on? Why is he here? Why is he in front of me? Why is he in front of me in this situation?“Hendrix?” I utter hoarsely.After seeing his face, my tears came back to my eyes; I felt again the pain in my back from sitting for over five hours and the hunger I was feeling. Most of all, the hope may be that the proposal was from Lance.I couldn’t make a mistake in my gaze; I’ve been looking at his face for a few seconds, and his appearance hasn’t changed. I also couldn’t be hallucinating because there was no reason why I should see him in my mind. I never thought about him after our last encounter.Why is he here? Why isn’t the person I expected and waited for here? Why isn’t Lance in front of me now? Where is he?
CELINE POV-Here’s my tear again while looking around. I smile and quickly wipe away the teardrop before it even falls down my cheek.I was taken to a high-end and exclusive restaurant where Lance rented the entire building. It was quite far from the hotel, which took more than an hour to travel.When I looked around again I smiled. The only light at this time was the scented candles that each table had. What made the ambiance even finer was the night view from where I was sitting overlooking the bright city lights outside the glass wall. Each table had a single red rose flower and on my table there was a bouquet of red roses.The surroundings were quiet until my attention was caught by a server who went to three tables and replaced the scented candles there. She checked on me and smiled at me.“Ma’am, would you like us to serve food for you? We have an appetizer ready for you.”“No,” I refused. I coughed softly because I felt my throat tighten and dry. “Can I have a glass of water?”
SABRINA RODRIGUEZ POV-It’s so annoying to see Conrad’s face. I don’t want to see his face anymore, and yet it seems like fate is still working for us to meet over something small. Every time I glimpse his face, I think about how stupid I am. I don’t understand why the way he treats me and is concerned more than a friend; he has another woman he likes and no one else but his friend Hannah.When he learned Hannah was in the hospital, he couldn’t rest, especially since he couldn’t call her. He almost turned his suite room upside down and only calmed down after talking to Hannah. Only then did he realize he didn’t mean to yell at me, and then he apologized for doing that.I get it; he was worried about Hannah. I get that person was a friend—but his worry; it’s different. There’s something he’s hiding. It can be seen and felt that his worry and anxiety that day were more than a friend. That’s not what I hate about him, but how he treats me is what’s annoying. I feel like he made me reboun
CELINE POV-“Do we really need to—”“Shut up.” Sabrina stopped me from talking again.After dropping off my children earlier, we went home, and Sabrina ordered me to take a shower again, which I did. As I left the bathroom, she dragged me to the living room where she had set up a make-up studio. There were lighting, mirrors, and other tools.I still can’t imagine how Sabrina was able to set up like this in almost an hour knowing she was slow to move.She finished blow-drying my hair, and now she started doing my makeup after she prepped my face.“I don’t have anything planned for today,” I said. “Maybe, let’s just eat in a restaurant?” I asked her.“I’m busy today,” she replied. “Close your eyes.”“Then, I’ll just cook?”Sabrina narrowed her eyes on me. “Close your eyes,” she ordered.I close my eyes first.It’s my day, just like Sabrina said. Today is my birthday, but I don’t feel any excitement or anything special; it just feels like an ordinary day. All that matters to me is being