However, Noah was distracted. Zoe’s words kept ringing in his head. “Would you have let her get pregnant with your baby if you didn’t love her?”There was no way he’d fallen in love with Gwynn.He had always loved more mature women who knew how to carry themselves in a delicate situation. Gwynn, on the other hand, was basically a little girl in all but appearance. What was so good about her?Just as he was dozing off, he repeated to himself.“I’m not in love with Gwynn.”…The moment Zoe got into her car, John leaned over and asked, “Are we going to the hotel now, Ms. Zoe?”She was downhearted. Leaning back on the leather seat, she said softly, “We’ll stay for a night. I want you to book a flight to Silvercrest first thing in the morning.”That surprised him. However, his professional work ethic came first. He knew his boundaries and didn’t overstep them by asking her questions. The only thing he did was text her the flight details after they checked into the hotel. T
Maddox sat on the couch and stared at Zoe. He didn’t know her, but she and Noah did look alike, so he could just deduce who she was. A fire was burning in his eyes, but he toned it down in front of his mother. “What do you want?”John was about to say something, but Zoe stopped him. Instead, she merely sat next to Maddox and looked at his busted hands. After a brief moment, she said softly, “Gwynn asked me to look after you.”His eyes widened in astonishment.Staring at her with unblinking eyes, he managed to find his voice after a long time. “How is she? Did Noah torture her?”He knew from firsthand experience how cruel that man could be. Pondering on it for a while, she decided to tell him parts of the truth. “She’s pregnant! With my brother’s baby, of course. You should put her behind you, Maddox. It’ll make your life easier!”Then, a tear fell from his eyes.He knew he shouldn’t have behaved the way he did, but he lost his cool. Raising his head slightly, he said, “He
As Lila’s car drove out of the parking lot, Zoe turned around to look for her car. That was when a black limousine flashed its light at her.…Squirting, she saw Mason sitting in the backseat.Luke got out of the car and jogged lightly towards her. “Mr. Mason has been waiting for you for a long time, Ms. Zoe. He’s waiting for you to have dinner at his place! Yanni and Jamie are there too.”She was quite speechless at Mason’s action. This was childish of him.Then, she asked Luke, “What about my car? I parked it here.”Scratching his head, Luke said sheepishly, “Your car was already driven away and parked in the manor!”It didn’t seem like she had much choice.Flat out of options, she walked towards the black limousine, opened the door, and got into it. Mason was sitting in the car calmly. He merely nodded gently at her and ordered Luke, “Take us home!”Luke stepped on the gas pedal and the car drove out of the parking lot and cruised on the road. It was quiet in the car. Zoe
At that moment, Zoe burst into tears. Held in his embrace, she leaned on his shoulder and buried her face in his black overcoat, looking fair and graceful. On top of that, he held a fast grip on her waist. Her hips were pressed tightly against his groin as she wrapped her arms around him. Her tears proceeded to drench his coat on the neck area. It felt wet, warm, and uncomfortable, but he didn't care. All he wanted was to hug her at that moment.It was the first time in a long time since they had held each other in this way.It was much longer since they had embraced each other under the glow of the sun. They had only ever hugged each other in the dark of night when no one could see them. In them, there lay a sorrow and bitterness that only both of them knew. They had sought physical pleasure from each other a lot of times, but it always seemed their intimacy could last no longer than one night. Lowering his head, he stared into her eyes. His voice was husky and gentle wh
Mason’s eyes grew darker. He no longer forced her to stay in his embrace, but he couldn’t resist pulling her closer and holding her tighter. He wanted her to be coated with his scent. In the end, he soothed her softly, “Can I start over and win your heart again, Zoe? I’ll keep trying until you’re willing to come back to me and be my wife.”…In fact, Westley, both of his kids and the servants had already found out about Mason’s full recovery. So, they weren’t surprised by it, but they were grateful about it nonetheless.Today’s lunch was particularly luscious and meaningful. After that, Westley made up an excuse and left. Zoe watched as he left, lost in his own thoughts.Then, she headed to the kitchen to take a bottle of mineral water, but someone beat her to it. A hand reached into the fridge and took the bottle out for her. Raising her eyes, she saw that it was Mason. He, too, seemed to be thinking about something. He asked her, “What’s on your mind?”Having no interest i
Mia spent three nights in the hospital. By the time she was discharged, it was New Year’s Eve and snowflakes had begun swirling in the skies. On the way back in the car, she kept blaming herself. “Age has caught up to me. My legs aren’t working as well as they should! I hate that I keep making your life difficult.“I’ve thought about it, Zoe. I’ll give myself a few more days until Jamie is three years old. Then, I’ll check myself into the retirement home. That way, I’ll be surrounded by people my age and make some friends.”Zoe kept her eyes on the road ahead so she could drive safely, but she said, “How I could let you spend the twilight of your life in an old folks home, Mia?!”She continued softly, “So many things happened lately that I haven’t exactly spent any time with you! Now that Mason’s fully recovered, he could help with the kids and I could take you to travel the world.”Mia remained quiet after that. After a brief moment, she said gently, “He's only just recover
Zoe was stunned.Mia supported herself with a cane and checked on the staff. She couldn’t help but say, “These are all top-notch, imported stuff. They’re the same brands as what we’re used to! He really put some thought into it.” The man in charge smiled. “You’re right, miss! Mr. Mason called us himself and made sure we’d deliver some of the finest things to your doorstep. The seafood and the meat are already prepped. So, you could just ask your servants to start cooking them. The rest of the stuff in the cartons are top-notch as well.”Zoe didn’t send the stuff away. Instead, she graciously accepted them, thanked the deliverymen softly, and gave them some generous tips.The man in charge grinned from ear to ear before he said, “Here’s wishing you and Mr. Mason a happy New Year. May the Heavens watch over you guys and bless your marriage, Ms. Zoe.”She didn’t respond to him. Moments later, the truck left.Her servants started to file out of the villa to move the cartons inside
Furthermore, Mia started to miss Noah when she heard Mason’s voice. Then, she returned the phone to Zoe. Zoe was about to hang up the phone when she heard him saying tenderly, “Happy New Year, Zoe!”For a brief moment, she didn’t say anything. She fell into a trance, thinking about how this was the best new year they had had ever since they knew each other. Waves of both happiness and anguish washed over her. Then, she murmured, “Happy New Year, Mason.”Both of them didn’t hang up the phone. Holding it close to their ears, they listened intently to the light breathing from the other end of their phones. It was soft and gentle, reminiscent of the pleasant wind caressing their ears at the moment. Not long after, her ears began to get warmer. She was worried Mia might notice it, so she hung up frantically. Raising her eyes to check on Mia, she realized her stepmother was staring into space. She couldn’t help but hold her hands and call out to her, “Are you thinking about D