Michael's got some mixed-up ideas. I wonder what kind of surprise he has in store for her now...
[Addison] It’s been a week since I’ve started coming into the Grant Group offices every morning after dropping Livy off at school. With all of us leaving together in the mornings and coming back together in the evenings, we almost feel like a real family, Sometimes. It’s hard to remind myself that we aren’t. Hunter and I are not a couple, Livy is not my child. In a different world, I’d have met Hunter and he could have magicked away my problems with a wave of his gold-ringed hand, money solving everything.But this is the real world–things are never that easy.
[Hunter]Sometimes, this world can make me wonder why I bother trying to make it better when so many things are determined to make it worse.I'm in a sour mood because three more children have disappeared around the city. I know Debrassy is part of this, but I can't pull together enough conclusive proof. Our funder, my old commander from my time in the Marines, wants me to shift gears, to focus our resources elsewhere. Now that he's a senator, he is under more scrutiny and it is getting harder for him to hide his involvement in our work if it isn't bringing in results. "If we could get an arrest soon, that would help me make my case for the necessity to continue funding secret ops organizations like yours. But without results, I'm sorry son, but you'll be on your own." "Understood, Sir," I replies as gave him our latest findings. "I know it sounds discouraging, but I feel we are getting closer to finding out who is behind all of this. If it isn't Debrassy, it is someone very close to
[Addison]I can't believe that man!We had an agreement, a set salary in place, which I had stated several times before was far too high. $500,000/year for watching the sweetest little girl in the world seemed absurd. I signed the contract, I knew to expect that, but this was too much.What kind of game is he playing?"Ooooh Hunter," I huff. "This is too much!" Charley takes a step back, and for the first time since I've known this tough woman, there's a touch of fear in her eyes as she holds her hands aloft, shielding herself from my gaze as if my eyes were lethal weapons. "What's wrong? Is there anything I can...""No!" I snap a little harsher than I intended. "Sorry, Charley, I'm not mad at you, I'm just frustrated at him."She nods, understanding. She's been working with Hunter Grant long enough that she must be aware of some of his shenanigans. "Maybe take a few deep breaths before you talk to him," she suggests. "It's almost time to pick up Miss Olivia, should I...""Please,"
[Addison]Hunter takes my hand and without another word whisks me away into his private suite. As the door closes behind us, I turn, my face flushed. "Look, Mr. Grant, I..." But the words die on my tongue when I see his face. He looks lost, and more than a little bit afraid. What has him spooked?"Addison, please sit. We need to talk. I..." "You don't need to explain anything to me," tittering, I try to seem as non-bothered as I should be, waving my hands back and forth, the manilla envelope flapping like an oddly shaped wing. "You are a grown man. She's a grown woman. I'm just embarrassed, walking in on you and..." "Addison, that's not what I want to talk to you about," Mr. Grant interrupts. "Although I do want to talk to you about that as well. No, what we need to talk about is much more important." He pauses and then takes a deep breath and says, "Someone is tailing you, Addison. Not just following you, but taking photos. Jessica came by today to warn me because someone has bee
[Addison]How do I explain my situation without upsetting him? Of course, he doesn't care if people think we're dating. It's not his reputation that will be tarnished if people believe it. I will be the one to suffer. He's a billionaire with a reputation for being a bit of a playboy. I'm the nanny. No one will believe that I didn't try to seduce him. And if I did, that makes me the kind of woman who deserves scorn. "That's because you're a man," I explain carefully. "A very rich, very handsome man. If people think you have a thousand girlfriends, you're a stud. Because you have money, it's even worse--they almost expect it of you. But If I have two men in my life, I'm a whore," pausing, I let the words sink in."Addison, nobody would think that," he tries to assure me, but I shake my head. I could tell him about Jessica, but I had already promised myself I'd be better than that."You might be able to handle the scandal, but I'm still trying to rebuild my life. So if you don't mind, M
Mr. Grant isn’t the kind of man to take no for an answer. As I turn to leave, he clasps me around the wrist and gently holds me in place. “I refuse to let you do this alone, Addison.” I should pull away, but part of me doesn’t want him to let me go. “Listen, Addison, I’m sorry about this mess. Somehow…” “It isn't your fault that my husband is an asshole,” I snap back, snatching my arm. “This has nothing to do with you, Mr. Grant. This problem is entirely mine. You don’t need to help me clean up my messes.” “I know,” he takes a step forward. “But what if I want to?” We’re standing very close together. Too close. I take a step back, thinking about the photos scattered on the table. Picking them up, I scoop the horrid images back into the envelope. I wouldn’t want anyone else to come across them. I also need to show them to the professor. “And the sad thing is, even if we can disprove adultery, he might have a case,” I sigh. “We didn’t have a prenup, and according to this,” I hol
[Addison]I thought we were in love. I thought we were a family. It’s funny the way things can change in a snap. My world changed the day of my son‘s sixth birthday.It’s not everyday that your only child turns six, so I wanted to make the day extra special for my son. I work overtime every day, securing business for our family law firm, but I left early, squeezing as much as in to the early morning hours, so I could take the rest of the day off to make his favorite meal from scratch and bake his very special birthday treats. He is my miracle child and deserves the very best.Donning a fancy outfit I selected for this occasion, I floated out of the house on a cloud of happiness. He is going to be so surprised! I can’t wait to see the look of joy on his smiling face. “Mrs. Stone,” the crossing guard., Mrs. Jenkins greets me as I approach my son’s school. “What’s the occasion? This wouldn’t be for a special little gentlemen’s special day?”Her eyes sparkle as she gazes up at the bal
[Addison] It is hard to keep my smile from cracking as Michael approaches, but somehow I manage to keep my expression sunny as I make my way over to my family. “Addy,” Michael said, out of breath, placing a hand on my shoulder and frowning as he looked up at the decorations. “Why are you here? I thought you had a case to work on.”“I promised Jayson we’d have a special day,” I replied with a grin, glancing down at my son, who was clinging to Evelyn’s hand, avoiding my gaze. “So I shifted things around. I mentioned it last week…”“It’s fine,” Michael interrupted, his voice casual. “I just wasn’t expecting you. I was in the neighborhood when I learned Evelyn was interviewing nearby.” He smiled at her, his tone overly friendly for two people who clearly had a past.“Mommy, why are you ruining my birthday?” Jayson’s voice cracked with anger as he looked up at me. “Mama Evelyn was going to take us for ice cream! And a barbecue! And get me presents…”I blinked, shocked. “Mama Evelyn?” I r
Mr. Grant isn’t the kind of man to take no for an answer. As I turn to leave, he clasps me around the wrist and gently holds me in place. “I refuse to let you do this alone, Addison.” I should pull away, but part of me doesn’t want him to let me go. “Listen, Addison, I’m sorry about this mess. Somehow…” “It isn't your fault that my husband is an asshole,” I snap back, snatching my arm. “This has nothing to do with you, Mr. Grant. This problem is entirely mine. You don’t need to help me clean up my messes.” “I know,” he takes a step forward. “But what if I want to?” We’re standing very close together. Too close. I take a step back, thinking about the photos scattered on the table. Picking them up, I scoop the horrid images back into the envelope. I wouldn’t want anyone else to come across them. I also need to show them to the professor. “And the sad thing is, even if we can disprove adultery, he might have a case,” I sigh. “We didn’t have a prenup, and according to this,” I hol
[Addison]How do I explain my situation without upsetting him? Of course, he doesn't care if people think we're dating. It's not his reputation that will be tarnished if people believe it. I will be the one to suffer. He's a billionaire with a reputation for being a bit of a playboy. I'm the nanny. No one will believe that I didn't try to seduce him. And if I did, that makes me the kind of woman who deserves scorn. "That's because you're a man," I explain carefully. "A very rich, very handsome man. If people think you have a thousand girlfriends, you're a stud. Because you have money, it's even worse--they almost expect it of you. But If I have two men in my life, I'm a whore," pausing, I let the words sink in."Addison, nobody would think that," he tries to assure me, but I shake my head. I could tell him about Jessica, but I had already promised myself I'd be better than that."You might be able to handle the scandal, but I'm still trying to rebuild my life. So if you don't mind, M
[Addison]Hunter takes my hand and without another word whisks me away into his private suite. As the door closes behind us, I turn, my face flushed. "Look, Mr. Grant, I..." But the words die on my tongue when I see his face. He looks lost, and more than a little bit afraid. What has him spooked?"Addison, please sit. We need to talk. I..." "You don't need to explain anything to me," tittering, I try to seem as non-bothered as I should be, waving my hands back and forth, the manilla envelope flapping like an oddly shaped wing. "You are a grown man. She's a grown woman. I'm just embarrassed, walking in on you and..." "Addison, that's not what I want to talk to you about," Mr. Grant interrupts. "Although I do want to talk to you about that as well. No, what we need to talk about is much more important." He pauses and then takes a deep breath and says, "Someone is tailing you, Addison. Not just following you, but taking photos. Jessica came by today to warn me because someone has bee
[Addison]I can't believe that man!We had an agreement, a set salary in place, which I had stated several times before was far too high. $500,000/year for watching the sweetest little girl in the world seemed absurd. I signed the contract, I knew to expect that, but this was too much.What kind of game is he playing?"Ooooh Hunter," I huff. "This is too much!" Charley takes a step back, and for the first time since I've known this tough woman, there's a touch of fear in her eyes as she holds her hands aloft, shielding herself from my gaze as if my eyes were lethal weapons. "What's wrong? Is there anything I can...""No!" I snap a little harsher than I intended. "Sorry, Charley, I'm not mad at you, I'm just frustrated at him."She nods, understanding. She's been working with Hunter Grant long enough that she must be aware of some of his shenanigans. "Maybe take a few deep breaths before you talk to him," she suggests. "It's almost time to pick up Miss Olivia, should I...""Please,"
[Hunter]Sometimes, this world can make me wonder why I bother trying to make it better when so many things are determined to make it worse.I'm in a sour mood because three more children have disappeared around the city. I know Debrassy is part of this, but I can't pull together enough conclusive proof. Our funder, my old commander from my time in the Marines, wants me to shift gears, to focus our resources elsewhere. Now that he's a senator, he is under more scrutiny and it is getting harder for him to hide his involvement in our work if it isn't bringing in results. "If we could get an arrest soon, that would help me make my case for the necessity to continue funding secret ops organizations like yours. But without results, I'm sorry son, but you'll be on your own." "Understood, Sir," I replies as gave him our latest findings. "I know it sounds discouraging, but I feel we are getting closer to finding out who is behind all of this. If it isn't Debrassy, it is someone very close to
[Addison] It’s been a week since I’ve started coming into the Grant Group offices every morning after dropping Livy off at school. With all of us leaving together in the mornings and coming back together in the evenings, we almost feel like a real family, Sometimes. It’s hard to remind myself that we aren’t. Hunter and I are not a couple, Livy is not my child. In a different world, I’d have met Hunter and he could have magicked away my problems with a wave of his gold-ringed hand, money solving everything.But this is the real world–things are never that easy.
[Michael]My phone has been ringing all day. It's annoying, having to deal with all the little dramas of an office place while also having to deal with everything else. But Evelyn is terrible at this kind of work. For being as capable as she is with little kids working as a teacher, she can't manage to answer the damn phone."EVIE!" I holler. Why isn't she at her desk? If she were where she was supposed to be, my secretary wouldn't be sending me so many calls. The last call still has me on edge.Mr. D has done me a little "favor." He sent his favorite goon to watch my wife, but she hasn't stepped a single toe out of line. There is nothing I can use against her in our divorce, nothing to force her to fall to her knees and beg for me to take her back. But two days ago, when we had the earthquake, something changed.My intercom beeps. "Yes, Maddie?""Mr. Jay is here to see you, Sir." her voice grates on my nerves. I can't stand it. But she knows how to run an office properly. If Evelyn
[Mr. Jersey]I hate going into these stuffy offices and being Mr. D's delivery boy. It's so fucking degrading. I'm Mr. D's lieutenant, not his goddamned delivery boy. But who the fuck tells Mr. D that to his face? Nobody, that's who--as in there won't be NO BODY to find. Heh he. Stone and Associates is on the other side of town. The drive sucks, but I ain't taking the fucking train, so when I arrive I'm already irritated. Shit, I was irritated before I stepped in the fucking car. I hate visiting this little cunt. I wish the man would grow a pair and stop letting Ms. Evie pull his dick so hard his balls fell off. She's not even his girl, and he's still mewing at her feet for the fucking scraps of pussy that Mr. D leave behind. Nasty. I don't care how hot she is. Ain't no pussy worth sloppy seconds. Even if they're Mr. D's. Besides, she's hot and all, but she's round with who the fuck knows who's bastard. That girl opens her legs faster than the line at Mc.D's. But unlike those cheap
[Addison]There is no place in his world for me.If he's serious about Jessica Jackson, it is only a matter of time before my premonition of being replaced in Livy's world with a real wife and mother comes true. She's younger than me, prettier, and far more successful. She knows how to exist in his uber-billionaire world.I was born rich but raised poor. I married my first real boyfriend and that was a disaster that didn't help me learn how to navigate relationships--not that I'd call what I have with Hunter a relationship. We have a friendship, but is it possible for two people who live together, caring for the same child, working side by side to keep their relationship simple? "He never promised me anything," I sigh as I walk as swiftly as I can toward the elevator. "This was just...argh!"I'm thinking about this too hard. The simple truth is that Hunter and I are friends. He is helping me get a divorce and start my life over, nothing more. His girlfriend is back in town, and for so