My phone beeped in my purse as the taxi driver rode through the estranged streets of Washington in the late morning rush.I fumbled my bag for the phone and eventually found it, I glanced at the screen and there it was… a whooping sum of two million dollars.An amount I would be crazy about had lost all value and excitement and I couldn’t explain why. That is just how it is with ill gotten wealth, or maybe it was the fact that Navy had ended our contract at the airport in a heartbeat, insisting that we went different ways. I hopped on a commercial plane as usual and he of course, strolled to his luxuriously parked plane gleaming in the mid-morning sun.“What an ass” I muttered to myself, as his back turned against me flashed in my memory.Strangely, I found it upsetting, disheartening. So upsetting that the credit alert did not excite me.My gaze fell on the date displayed on my phone’s screen- “Saturday, March 5th?!” The month had only just begun but it felt like it had been fore
For what it is worth, I tried to call her. I really tried, and I almost did, nearly did.After my second message was delivered, a sour aftertaste of my own actions developed in my heart, and I wished I could unsend the message. But I couldn’t, because “what’s done is done…”The weekend was over in a minute and Monday was an important day of the week in my company. My to-do list was mighty busy, and to meet all my schedules, I had to be there as early as possible. My driver was already at the gate by 7 30am, waiting for me. “Good morning Mr Leonardo.”“Morning, Finn” I replied, stepping into the back of the Maserati. For some reason, I had become fond of and comfortable with him. He was literally my everything- my driver, my gate keeper, my gardener, my personal assistant, my confidant, and if I was too tired to cook, Finn would be my cook too. Always handy, delivering his jobs to perfection and I couldn’t help but rely on him. Today was no different either, I didn’t have to tell
Rosé’s POVI expected an apology. Something in the lines of; “I couldn’t find the right words, I didn’t mean it in that way, I’m sorry.” When I waited by the elevator, those were the words I silently prayed he would say. I was holding on to a shred of hope, believing that Navy Leonardo didn’t think that having sex with me once, automatically crossed me out as a slut or made me a lesser person.As he emerged from the elevator and stood in front of me, his gaze roamed over my figure, lingering on my body, scanning my curves and hips, with his eyes on my boobs.I felt a surge of disgust churn my stomach as I sensed the lust in his eyes and I realized I was no different from a one night stand to him.Despite my bubbling anger, I steadied myself, refusing to allow his gaze diminish my self-worth.With a composed demeanor, I followed behind him, walking to our shared office, the idea to ask for a different work space occurred to me. That was probably the best thing we could do for each ot
“Just fine without me?” When did I say he wouldn’t be fine without me? When did I ever imagine that he wouldn’t be fine without me?! Navy Leonardo was slowly moving from getting under my skin to becoming a thorn on my flesh. Besides, why was he the angry one? “It is I who got objectified, I should be the angry one” I ranted, to myself of course. I had no one to tell my boy problems to, because once again, anything that involved Navy was just so difficult. I paced the hallway, sizzling in anger. A sudden memory of me agreeing to be his pretend girlfriend flashed across my mind and I paused instantly. “That was when it all began… the beginning of my misery began on that day when I shook his hand to seal our deal.” “I shouldn’t have taken it” I murmured to myself, I should have slapped his hand away and told him that he was mentally unstable for asking a complete stranger to be an accomplice to an emotional fraud. “Then, I would be a free person. I would’ve had him wrapped around my
My eyes remained fixed on one page of a book for about ten minutes, I was reading a book to distract myself from a feeling I could not explain, yet not even one page of the book had been able to hold my attention.Having strained my eyes enough, I stood up from my study and went to the living room, an unopened bottle of Moët laid on the table, staring back at me with golden brown eyes.I plonked onto the couch and grabbed the bottle, “There’s no need for a glass.” I said, chugging down the bottle, my stomach churned in response, biting and grumbling.Today was one of those days Finn would be my cook, and he would be my diner too.I picked up my phone and dialed his number, silently hoping he didn’t have other plans.“Boss?” Finn’s voice echoed on the other side of the phone.“Are you home? Come upstairs” I said, hanging up immediately. In no time, Finn was upstairs, dressed in a matching two piece- more like something yacht owners wear.“Yacht…” I said, “I should consider buying on
The decision to go to Darcy's party was impulsive and unreasonable, yet I found myself step into my car, and wave goodbye to Finn.“You know I can drive you.”"I'm sure I can handle myself, Finn.""Okay..." He replied, even though his face disagreed.I slammed the door shut and drove off, watching him on the rearview mirror until I was out of the compound. I pulled up to Darcy's new estate and I couldn’t help but be struck by the sheer sophistication and elegance exuding from the modern architecture of the building."The boy is lavishing" I murmured to myself, marveling at the contemporary design of the house- so like Darcy.My thoughts dwindled to how much Rosé would have admired this sight and my heart sank, but then again, I wanted to believe that she wasn’t interested in material things."Maybe you should've treated her better.." a voice whispered behind me, raising goosebumps on my skin.I turned around, and found myself face to face with Darcy, grinning brightly at me."Darcy,
"I don't know, Finn.." I replied sincerely."I really don't know why I am..""What is the opposite of okay?" "Unwell?" Finn replied, raising an eyebrow."Unwell..." I repeated."Is that how she feels? Not being okay is being unwell?" I wondered, completely unaware that I was soliloquizing to Finn's hearing."I take it that she wasn't at the party then..." he saidI paused in my tracks, staring at him in disbelief."How are you so smart?"Finn smiled sheepishly, drifting his gaze away."How old are you?" I asked.Finn glared at me with widened eyes, perhaps, perplexed by my question."What is it?" I asked, a bit confused about his perplexity."I have worked with you for two years, Sir... it's the first time you're asking me, or anyone else for that matter, a personal question.""It's not true!" I interjected,"I asked her middle name last week, that was pretty personal to me...""I am 23 years old, Sir" Finn replied, as we plonked on to the couch on my patio."But..." He paused."But
Navy's POVDarcy barged into my office, dressed in my latest brand designs- A luxurious suit collection from shirt to socks, the fact that he paired the three-piece suit with a street cross-bag from my store and still found a way to be astounding made the difference between him and other models."Its been a hell of a day, Navy!" He yawned, plonking onto my visitor's sofa."Modeling is like breathing to you, Darcy. Stop whining." I returned, and he chuckled wryly, pulling out his phone from his cross bag."How did the shoot go?" I asked, watching his unusually reserved demeanor."It was good. I posted a few pictures...people are going crazy for the brand. How do you come up with these things?" He asked, with his head still buried on the phone. "Well, you know, it’s kind of spontaneous. Can't really explain how." I replied, fixating my gaze in him. Darcy appeared restless, and it made me uneasy seeing this side of him."Are you expecting a call?" I asked, unable to ignore his squirms.
It was a cheat sheet, or something like that. But the evening was set. A house wedding, one I had never seen. Mother would turn wherever she was if I ever attempted something like this. Alexander called it a parlor wedding. It was happening right in my living room. We redesignedput my minimalist style living room aesthetic to good use, the chandeliers above creating a dimly lit room as dawn set in.Guests trickled in, their murmurs mingling with our choice of music.Alexander stood by the makeshift altar, being the head of two long feast tables, placed at the center. I stood behind him taking in the sight of everything we had done together.The scent of fresh flowers filled the air, the vibrant colors of the floral arrangements contrasting beautifully with the muted tones of the room.Soft candlelight danced on the two-tier cake, sitting at the center of the table.Alexander was particular when he said there were twenty people coming. As his parents arrive right on time, I couldn
Rosé’s POVI left Amelia straddled to his forefront, with a direction of how the rest of the day would go for her. Navy asked a million questions, yet before we left, Alexander asked the same questions all over again.“Is there anything that comes as an instinct to men?” Paula asked, shaking her head in disbelief.Finn stepped into the driver’s seat with my sister right beside him in the passenger’s seat. Paula instantly exclaimed, “I’m getting married tonight, please let’s focus on the road.”A soft chuckle escaped my lips as I glanced at Finn, “she’s burning you,” I teased, Finn nodded agreeably, “I am searching for a good comeback…”Paula broke into a soft laughter, flailing her arms in the air. “What are we buying first?” “A wedding dress first, before the bridesmaids dresses. We haven’t even decided on the color. We’re wasting time!” Grace exclaimed, strangely motivating us in the right way.“Pink,” Paula replied, her voice cracking with emotions, suddenly she broke down in
Chapter 146Rose's POVAs we all know, every story ends. Sometimes a new story begins where the old ended, other times, it is really the end. Grace's life was about to turn to the next chapter. I could already see the fire in her eyes, she could accomplish anything. I wasn't interested in fighting for her before, but seeing her want things like every normal girl her age felt fulfilling, striving to have a purpose told me we were alike in more ways than just blood. "Maybe having you as my legal guardian won't be so bad," Grace's voice boomed into my thoughts, her excitement evident in her bubbly tone."I was worried about us, about the kind of relationship I would have with you." She continued in a tone calmer than the first.I glanced at her with an eyebrow raised. "She told you about me?"Grace nodded, her gaze softening as she glanced at me. "There are only two people mamañ talks about you, and her mother.""She was always complaining about you." Her voice shivered faintly as she
Navy’s POVLove only took a moment, and I was witnessing that moment right before me.Finn had no notice of the heart that was not beating for him, fascinated by his mere presence.My gaze flickered from Rosé to Finn, before returning to Grace. It was only then I noticed her striking semblance to her sister. Her gaze captured the depth of her desires, her long wavy hair began to bounce as she jumped in surprise, startled by an incident we were yet to see.The server had over poured the coffee, spilling the hot drink on her dress.Finally the incident that would bring them together had finally presented itself. Just the interview was his opportunity to retain Rosé.“I apologize for that…,” Finn paused, swiping his gaze on the features of the inconvenient customer to be certain of the status. From the look on his eyes, it was obvious that he was stricken by her. In that moment, I wondered what could have drawn him to her, I wanted to know if it was her beauty or her smile.I couldn’t
Chapter 144Navy’s POVThe sister’s fight had ended the moment Grace face was flooded with tears. Rosé fragile as usual gave in to her emotions too, joining her in tears. The morning sun was yet to show his face, yet the sniffles from her mother and aunty must have woken my daughter, her presence now contributing to the chorus of tears in the room.I fell into a state of chaos, torn between racing to my daughter or my wife, not knowing who to console first.Amelia got louder, hurling me towards her direction.“I’m sorry,” Grace’s soft voice echoed in the room, “please, let me rely on you… as a sister. I have no one else.”Cradling my daughter on chest, I turned to face them. Rosé was quivering slightly, her face flushed with a mix of tears and relief. “Hmmm,” I exhaled softly, looking between mother and daughter.“Such crybabies.” I remarked, stirring a blush on Rosé’s face.“I think she is hungry…” Grace croaked, her voice barely above a whisper.I nodded, “I think so too… and I f
Chapter 143Navy’s POVI blinked my eyes open, perturbed by the noise in the house. It was barely a minute since I closed my eyes, my eyes were heavy from the the lack of sleep.The first image that came into my view, was an image of Rosé packing a luggage, and instantly, my heart plummeted at the sight of it, thudding against my chest.“Baby, what’s going on?” I asked, the drowsiness in my eyes was completely gone as I jolted to my feet, making my way to Rosé.“Please, tell me, what’s wrong? Please…” Rosé turned to me, her eyes blaring with something I had never seen before.“Let’s go to Paris… let’s go today, now, let’s just go!”“Why?” I asked, “I’ll do whatever you want me to do but I need to understand why first.” “Mamañ, she’s gone…” Rosé replied, her voice quivering as she spoke, “She left Grace here and disappeared, just like me… she’s abandoned her. You think she’s still going to change? You think we still have a chance to her support? That woman deserves to burn in hell!”
Chapter 142ROSE POV Navy sat on the armchair in my spacious room, observing me as I paced agitatedly around, seething with anger at mamañ.“I can’t believe her!” I breathed, “The message Andre sent to us is a clear threat, yet she perceives it as him seeking her. What’d I tell you? She would choose Andre over anyone at any time.”“Elodie,” Navy’s soothing voice interjected, imbued with longing. As our eyes met, I could not help but notice the desire in his gaze. His gaze steadied on me, the intensity of it sending shivers down my spine. Despite my anger at mamañ, in that moment, all I could focus on was the sudden pull between us. His presence filled the room, wafting around me like a curl of smoke.“Rosé,” Navy murmured, his voice barely above a whisper, but it echoed loudly in the silence between us.“Uh,” he cleared his throat, “She is just in love… could you look at it from that perspective?“A wave of disappointment struck me as the desire in his eyes faded while he spoke.I
ROSÉ’s POVA soft exhaled escaped me, as my eyes crinkled with tears, a lump formed in my throat as I struggled to speak.“What… what do you mean, Maa?” Grace spoke out finally, breaking the silence.The answer to that question I already knew. Mamañ had acted as expected.“Henry Benoit,” she sighed sadly, “I’ve wronged him in so many ways. Andre tried to kill him once, or twice…” Our eyes met briefly moment, and I could tell from her expression that it was more than that. “Only the truth mamañ.”Mamañ bowed her head in regret, memories flooding back.“Rosé, Andre tried to harm him so many times that Benoit got a restraining order against him.”“But he didn’t stop, did he?”Mamañ shook her head sadly, her tears welling up.“He didn’t, he tried every means possible.”“Why didn’t he just arrest him?” Navy’s voice boomed into the air, shifting our attention to his tall figure emerging from the hallway.“I put her back to bed,” he explained, planting a peck on my cheek as he joined the
As I stayed in his arms, breathing in his faint fragrance and warmth until a soft coo of a baby interrupted the silence.“It’s Amelia!” Navy gasped, excitement bubbling in his voice.“Wait, you called her Amelia?” I exclaimed, surprised. “Well, I figured she could have two names.”A soft chuckle escaped my lips as I stepped out of his arms. “I’d love that…”Navy nodded, cupping my face in his hands. “I’ll take care of her, you go to the dining.”Taking a deep breath, I made my way back to the dining room, where mamañ and Grace were still seated, their conversation paused as I stepped in. Grace’s appearance was nothing like mamañ’s, and the more I studied her features, I was more convinced that she wasn’t Andre’s daughter.“Mamañ, Grace,” I began, my voice steady, despite the turmoil within, “let’s talk,”Mamañ raised her gaze to me, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.“Where have you been?” I asked, my voice demanding nothing but the truth.“Here and there…” Mamañ replied, dartin