The tiny girl in question was undeniably cute. "Wow, so many pups," I said, eliciting a chorus of delighted laughter from the children. I walked over to her and bent down slightly, smiling as she blushed shyly."Hello, I'm Lavender. What's your name?" I asked, keeping my voice gentle."Laverne," she replied, hiding her face behind her small palms. I looked over my shoulder at Elias, who simply shrugged, while Ginger winked knowingly. Ah, so they had named her after me — or at least a close variation."It's so nice to meet you, Aunty Lavender," Laverne said, peeking out from behind her hands. I couldn't resist scooping her up into my arms, cooing over how adorable she was. She had inherited Elias' dark blond hair and skin tone, but Ginger's captivating reddish-brown eyes."What about me?" another voice cried, and I felt a small tug on the skirt of my dress. Glancing down, I squealed in delight at the sight of the puffy little muffin of a child. "Hello, I'm Wren, and Mommy said you alwa
I turned my gaze back to Tyra, and was immediately struck by the raw emotion etched across her face. Her eyes, once wide with surprise and disbelief, now glistened with unshed tears. Concern flashing across my face, I gently placed my hand on her shoulder, asking, "Tyra, are you okay?"My touch seemed to jolt Tyra out of her trance-like state, but rather than addressing me, a dark fury suddenly clouded her expression. The intensity of her anger made me cringe internally.Without warning, Tyra thrust her daughter into my arms, barking, "Hold her." Then, with purpose in her stride, she marched straight towards Link, rolling up her sleeves as she went. Link's face contorted with panic, cursed under his breath and hurriedly scrambled out of his seat, putting as much distance between himself and Tyra as possible. "I can explain, let me explain!" he pleaded, his voice laced with desperation."Explain?! Explain?!!! What the fuck do you want to explain, you bastard!!!" Tyra's thunderous roar
I tossed and turned restlessly on my side of the bed, sighing heavily. Today had been a whirlwind of events, the drama both concerning and exciting. Tyra and Link had decided to have a private conversation to work things out, and the conclusion of the earlier incident weighed heavily on my mind.Rylee had suggested that I should try to make Rominic jealous, throwing her support behind Phineas's plan. Rylee was always in Phineas's corner, and we all knew that it wouldn't take much to provoke Rominic's fiery jealousy. But that was the very problem I was grappling with.Were they truly serious about me intentionally infuriating Rominic? I could barely handle him as it was; the thought of pushing him to the edge filled me with dread. Rominic was capable of such intense rage that he might even commit violence, and they still wanted me to go through with this scheme. It felt like a disaster waiting to happen. Yet, despite my reservations, I couldn't help but contemplate the idea, questionin
I was taken aback, even though I had anticipated it. My body froze for a moment, caught in the throes of a forbidden desire.I was kissing the enemy!He was kissing me!I should stop!But instead of pulling away, I found myself responding, my lips dancing with his in a dangerous ballet. This single act sealed my fate. He slid his leg beneath mine, adjusting our position on the bed to make me more comfortable, though comfort was the last thing on my mind. Rominic's hands roamed my body, tracing a path of desire up my neck and into my hair. He had a particular fondness for my hair, always tangling his fingers in it. A soft moan escaped from both of us, swallowed by our joined lips.I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him closer, my legs twitching with the urge to wrap around his waist. There was too much space between us, too much distance. I yearned to close that gap, to press myself against him, to feel the friction that would quench my burning desire.I traced the tips of my n
It had been a week since the reunion, and I had unconsciously fallen into a routine with Rominic — or rather, Rominic had orchestrated this routine for us. Every morning, he made sure to steal a kiss or two, whether in front of the children or in private. We always ate breakfast together, and at night, we would cuddle and make out before falling asleep.The most agonizing part about this routine wasn't that I was angry about it, but because of Rominic's half-hearted approach. He would kiss me until I was a wet, trembling mess, my body consumed by desire, and then he would abruptly stop. His excuse was that he had promised himself he would never do anything I didn't want him to do — in other words, he wanted me to ask him directly before he would take things further.Rominic knew that my pride would never allow me to make such a request. No, he was well aware that with enough diligent preparation, he would eventually break down my defenses and make me give in to my desires. The bastard
I let out a heavy sigh as I gazed absentmindedly out the window. My mind was in turmoil, consumed with worry for Rominic's well-being. The situation was far graver than I had initially thought.Even though Rominic always backed up his files in a secure cloud, he had been unable to find evidence of the crucial blueprint. He was not only in shock from the knowledge that his secret cloud had been compromised but also from the fact that the perpetrators had effortlessly accessed his password and shut down his security system without any warning.The only silver lining was that his other important files were stored in a different secured box, protected by a randomly generated password that he had carelessly crafted. He had failed to secure the particular file in question, however, because he needed to access it frequently, and the additional security measures seemed like too much of a hassle.Rominic's password was the pet name my mother had used for me, written in reverse with the additio
I scrubbed the top of the table as I hummed, scrubbing it hard to get the stains out. Some people can eat like pigs, horrible pigs. And unfortunately, it was my job to clean up after them. Okay, not exactly my job, but the person doing it before got sick so I volunteered to clean it and take her salary until she is back on her feet. I accepted the offer with open arms. The extra cash was good.I worked in a hotel as a bartender. I used to be a hotel porter, but after I complained about the male guest always finding a way to smack my ass, I was placed in the bar. The manager liked me and didn't want me to go and that is the most luck I had since I changed my name."Jamila, are you still here?" Speak of the devil. I gave the table the last finishing scrub before I stood up and placed my hands on my hips. The table was spotless."People can eat like pigs, no, in fact, people are pigs." I sneered. He laughed from behind me before I felt his hand on my shoulder."Jami, the real problem is y
"Mom, I prepared your bath for you," Savvy smiled. I nodded. "Don't worry, the others have all taken their baths but haven't brushed their teeth because as you can see," she looked at her younger siblings stuffing their faces with ice cream and pizza.Wait, where's Zachary?"Zachary is trying to figure out an algorithm to… what he said. Should I bring him some ice cream, Mom?""Sure," I turned and started walking to my room."How was work today?" She asked, following me into the hallway."It was good, very…" I stopped at their bedroom door, opened the door partly, and smiled as I saw Zachary focused on what he was doing. "Good evening, sir," Zach jolted from his seat.Zachary was the second eldest. He was the only one among his siblings who took no single feature from me. Even his intelligence was like that of his father's, if not higher that is. He was more of the cold-hearted type to outsiders and too obsessed with drawing a line between him and everyone he finds underneath his stand
I let out a heavy sigh as I gazed absentmindedly out the window. My mind was in turmoil, consumed with worry for Rominic's well-being. The situation was far graver than I had initially thought.Even though Rominic always backed up his files in a secure cloud, he had been unable to find evidence of the crucial blueprint. He was not only in shock from the knowledge that his secret cloud had been compromised but also from the fact that the perpetrators had effortlessly accessed his password and shut down his security system without any warning.The only silver lining was that his other important files were stored in a different secured box, protected by a randomly generated password that he had carelessly crafted. He had failed to secure the particular file in question, however, because he needed to access it frequently, and the additional security measures seemed like too much of a hassle.Rominic's password was the pet name my mother had used for me, written in reverse with the additio
It had been a week since the reunion, and I had unconsciously fallen into a routine with Rominic — or rather, Rominic had orchestrated this routine for us. Every morning, he made sure to steal a kiss or two, whether in front of the children or in private. We always ate breakfast together, and at night, we would cuddle and make out before falling asleep.The most agonizing part about this routine wasn't that I was angry about it, but because of Rominic's half-hearted approach. He would kiss me until I was a wet, trembling mess, my body consumed by desire, and then he would abruptly stop. His excuse was that he had promised himself he would never do anything I didn't want him to do — in other words, he wanted me to ask him directly before he would take things further.Rominic knew that my pride would never allow me to make such a request. No, he was well aware that with enough diligent preparation, he would eventually break down my defenses and make me give in to my desires. The bastard
I was taken aback, even though I had anticipated it. My body froze for a moment, caught in the throes of a forbidden desire.I was kissing the enemy!He was kissing me!I should stop!But instead of pulling away, I found myself responding, my lips dancing with his in a dangerous ballet. This single act sealed my fate. He slid his leg beneath mine, adjusting our position on the bed to make me more comfortable, though comfort was the last thing on my mind. Rominic's hands roamed my body, tracing a path of desire up my neck and into my hair. He had a particular fondness for my hair, always tangling his fingers in it. A soft moan escaped from both of us, swallowed by our joined lips.I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him closer, my legs twitching with the urge to wrap around his waist. There was too much space between us, too much distance. I yearned to close that gap, to press myself against him, to feel the friction that would quench my burning desire.I traced the tips of my n
I tossed and turned restlessly on my side of the bed, sighing heavily. Today had been a whirlwind of events, the drama both concerning and exciting. Tyra and Link had decided to have a private conversation to work things out, and the conclusion of the earlier incident weighed heavily on my mind.Rylee had suggested that I should try to make Rominic jealous, throwing her support behind Phineas's plan. Rylee was always in Phineas's corner, and we all knew that it wouldn't take much to provoke Rominic's fiery jealousy. But that was the very problem I was grappling with.Were they truly serious about me intentionally infuriating Rominic? I could barely handle him as it was; the thought of pushing him to the edge filled me with dread. Rominic was capable of such intense rage that he might even commit violence, and they still wanted me to go through with this scheme. It felt like a disaster waiting to happen. Yet, despite my reservations, I couldn't help but contemplate the idea, questionin
I turned my gaze back to Tyra, and was immediately struck by the raw emotion etched across her face. Her eyes, once wide with surprise and disbelief, now glistened with unshed tears. Concern flashing across my face, I gently placed my hand on her shoulder, asking, "Tyra, are you okay?"My touch seemed to jolt Tyra out of her trance-like state, but rather than addressing me, a dark fury suddenly clouded her expression. The intensity of her anger made me cringe internally.Without warning, Tyra thrust her daughter into my arms, barking, "Hold her." Then, with purpose in her stride, she marched straight towards Link, rolling up her sleeves as she went. Link's face contorted with panic, cursed under his breath and hurriedly scrambled out of his seat, putting as much distance between himself and Tyra as possible. "I can explain, let me explain!" he pleaded, his voice laced with desperation."Explain?! Explain?!!! What the fuck do you want to explain, you bastard!!!" Tyra's thunderous roar
The tiny girl in question was undeniably cute. "Wow, so many pups," I said, eliciting a chorus of delighted laughter from the children. I walked over to her and bent down slightly, smiling as she blushed shyly."Hello, I'm Lavender. What's your name?" I asked, keeping my voice gentle."Laverne," she replied, hiding her face behind her small palms. I looked over my shoulder at Elias, who simply shrugged, while Ginger winked knowingly. Ah, so they had named her after me — or at least a close variation."It's so nice to meet you, Aunty Lavender," Laverne said, peeking out from behind her hands. I couldn't resist scooping her up into my arms, cooing over how adorable she was. She had inherited Elias' dark blond hair and skin tone, but Ginger's captivating reddish-brown eyes."What about me?" another voice cried, and I felt a small tug on the skirt of my dress. Glancing down, I squealed in delight at the sight of the puffy little muffin of a child. "Hello, I'm Wren, and Mommy said you alwa
I moved around the kitchen with the agility of a gazelle, determined to get everything done as quickly as possible. Today was the big day, and the others would be arriving soon, but I still had some cooking left to do.Suddenly, Chef Russo returned with his daughter. My kids already loved her, and she was a talented cook too — well, except for Zachary, who seemed to have a bit of a grudge against her.Unfortunately, Chef Russo had come down with a sudden cold that morning, leaving me to battle the meal on my own. Thankfully, his daughter and Savia stepped in to assist me, along with the two maids that Rominic had called in to help. I didn't thank him directly, but I knew he understood how grateful I was for his assistance. If he didn't, that was his problem."Lavender!!!" The familiar voice of Rominic suddenly rang out, and I felt a surge of frustration wash over me. I wiped my face and signaled for the maid to watch the stove, then hurried out of the kitchen.I take back everything I
I felt a gentle tugging at my dress and looked down to see my daughters, Savia and Serenity. Serenity's eyes were brimming with tears, while Savia wore a deeply concerned expression."Mom, why are those women killing our father?" Savia asked, her voice tinged with distress."Mommy, who are they?" Serene inquired, her gaze fixed on the women."Those are your aunties, and they are beating your father up because he did something mean to them. Don't worry, he'll be…" I paused mid-sentence as I heard Rominic's agonized scream, followed by a loud splash. They had thrown him into the pool. "Fine," I added, clicking my tongue. They would never simply throw him in without breaking something first. "He'll survive," I reassured the girls.Rylee let out a mocking laugh as she stood over the pool, watching Rominic sink beneath the surface without any apparent struggle. There was no way he would actually drown — Rominic was an exceptional swimmer, a skill Serenity had inherited. Unless…"Rylee, did
As I stood before them once more, I was struck by the complete absence of the anger I had anticipated. Instead, a profound sense of delight filled my heart as I gazed upon the mature female version of my husband and our children.Her winter gray eyes expanded like those of a curious cat, and her mischievous smirk melted into a genuine, warm smile. Rylee spread her arms wide, her brows wiggling playfully, and I couldn't help but laugh as I ran into her welcoming embrace. She was still as tall as I remembered, her stature commanding and imposing.Rylee shared the same striking facial features as her brother, but there was an undeniable air of badassery about her. It was evident in the way she dressed, spoke, and carried herself — her very aura exuding a sense of unapologetic confidence. From the moment I had first met her, her hair had been messily dyed to resemble the hue of freshly spilled blood or a pint of vibrant red paint splattered across her head.Rylee's appearance was a striki