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[ 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, he’s very a
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.“Are you sure
CELINE’s POV-After I fixed myself, I left the mansion and hailed a taxi that came into my view. I right away told the taxi driver to take me to Rodeo drive.I will buy my husband Lance a present. Today is our third year anniversary. I felt that he might be busy this whole day and there is a possibility that he will come home late, but I still want to celebrate our wedding anniversary even if it’s simple and there is a possibility that we can celebrate it late.After I finish buying a gift for him, I plan to cook him his favorite food.Lance and I, our marriage, was an arranged marriage. Prior to our marriage, I had no knowledge of him except his name and the extent of his impact on various matters. After all, he is a businessperson and a mafia boss. When I initially discovered Lance’s involvement in the mafia, fear overwhelmed me. I don’t know much about the mafia thing. The only thing I am aware of is that they are dangerous individuals. But at that point, my love for Lance prevai
CELINE’s POV-While waiting at the said restaurant where I will be waiting for my parents here in the private room, I also ordered some food.I took several deep breaths until I felt hurt. Only then did I notice I hurt my forearm from scratching.I was too tense about the reason my parents wanted to meet me, which is why I didn’t notice I started scratching on my forearm that led to me hurting myself again.I took a band-aid and covered the wound on my forearm. Soon, my parents arrived just in time with the server who brought the food I ordered for them. An appetizer of garlic bread and mushroom soup and the main menu of pasta, chicken, and pizza. I order for two people since I don’t plan to eat either.After the food was served and the server left, my parents said what they needed.“We need five million dollars,” my mother began.I silently rested deeply. I knew they needed money from me, but I didn’t expect that they needed this much money from me this time.“But mom, I don’t have
CELINE’s POV-“We are not asking for your decision, Celine.” My mother said firmly. “We are only informing you about this matter. The new billionaire we found for you is just waiting for you to divorce Lance and he is ready to marry you right away.”I feel pain in my eyes and a mass teardrop on both sides of my eyes. An overwhelming sense of fear grips me as I contemplate the actions they might take, knowing that their desires could be advantageous to them in Lance and my situation.“And I also don’t agree with what you want to happen.” I said with all my voice.This is the first time I will disobey my parents. I can do almost everything they want but not to divorce my husband.Maybe Lance doesn’t love me yet, but that for three years, Lance hasn’t brought about divorcing me. I still hope that one day, Lance will love me and we can fix our marriage.“Don’t be ridiculous with your decision, Celine. We all know that Lance doesn’t love you, so what are you afraid of?” My mom asked and h
CELINE’s POV-WITHOUT DELAY, I went to the OB as the doctor said and followed what the doctor said to earlier, which is why the OB doctor took care of me right away. I’m just waiting for my urine test and the blood test. I also had an ultrasound.“This,” the doctor pointed to a tiny dot. “This tiny dot is called a gestational sac.”“Is that my baby, doc?” I ask without taking my eyes off the tiny dot shown by the ultrasound.“Yes. The baby is not fully developed yet, so you won’t hear a heartbeat. After six weeks to nine weeks of your pregnancy, you can return to see your baby for the first time.”“I will, doc. I will return with the father of my child.”“I will look forward to that.”After all the tests and giving me the results, especially the picture of the ultrasound, the doctor gave me a prescription that I can take vitamins and the foods I should eat.“Congratulations, Mrs. Hart.”“Thank you.”When I left the OB room, I was surprised to see my parents waiting outside. I thought
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.“Are you sure
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, he’s very a
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
[ 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
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
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
[ N E W Y O R K ] . LANCE POV - Upon arriving in New York, I rushed straight to the hospital where Hannah was confined. She was on the VIP floor, where she was the only one confined on this entire floor, so I easily found her private room. Immediately reaching inside, I found Carla with Yuichi and Vince. Hannah is still unconscious. “She had a panic attack,” Vince stated, Astrid’s husband and owner of this hospital. “Panic attack? Why what happened?” I asked worriedly. There was only one thing that was making Hannah act like this, but I still wanted to be sure what caused it to happen to her all of a sudden. “We saw her on the road alone.” I shifted my gaze to Carla. Her eyebrows pulled up and together. “She was having trouble breathing while crying. When we approached her, she kept saying ‘that person’ appeared and approached her.” I approached Hannah and checked her entire body, from head to toe. I didn’t see any scratches or wounds on her body that weren’t covered by the h
CELINE POV - “Why are you meeting with that man?"He immediately asked as he got in the car and started it. “How did you know–” “I was the first one to ask,” he said, holding back from yelling. “He said he had something to say to me,” I replied. “And you agreed right away?” I only looked at him. I don't understand why he is ready to throw a fist when he drags me. Tristan and I weren't doing anything, and Tristan wasn't doing anything bad when he caught up with us. In fact, if he hadn’t pulled me, I would have heard Tristan’s explanation once and for all. “Why is it so hard for you to avoid that asshole?” “Excuse me?” Lance gave me a quick look, then turned his attention back to the road. “Tristan and I have a misunderstanding, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to turn my back on him. He’s my friend too–” “He’s not your friend; he doesn’t see you that way.” “It doesn’t matter.” “It doesn’t matter?” He asked in disbelief. “It doesn’t matter if he sees you as more than a frien
CELINE POV - “Here,” Tristan or Lucian handed me a white paper bag. I agreed to meet him at the nearby café. I asked Sabrina to watch my kids for a while, but she told me not to stay long because she didn’t want me to talk to Tristan anymore. “It’s a birthday gift.” I kept looking at the paper he was handing me. I wasn’t sure if I should accept it or not. “You shouldn’t have bothered.” “I’m sorry, if I had brought a gift.” “That’s not what I meant.” “I bought it last month. Like before, I prepared a birthday surprise for you three months before your birthday. I was planning to have a dinner date with you and the kids, but everything turned into a mess.” I can see through his eyes and voice the regret for what happened, but it doesn’t mean I will fall for those. I took what he handed me. I’m still mad, but the effort he gave was the reason I accepted it. “I hope you like it.” I opened the box inside. My eyes almost popped out after seeing the contents of the box. It’s a s