Claire ran into Alex's bedroom and excitedly got on the bed. "Good morning, Daddy. I've been looking for you. I haven't seen you in a long time."Alex smiled and said, "Morning, darling. How are you feeling today?""I'm feeling okay."As she looked around the room, her eyes darted to the crutches lying on the ground, and she asked, "Are those yours, Daddy?"Alex nodded, "Yes, they're mine, sweetie.""Oh no, are you sick?"Alex laughed, "Why would you think I am sick?""Well, because only people who cannot walk use crutches.""Yeah, well, I had a little problem with my leg, and so it's just helping me for the time being. Very soon, I'll be fine." Alex assured."I'm so sorry, Daddy," Claire said sadly. "Does it hurt? Are you in pain?"Alex smiled, "No, baby, I am not in pain, okay.""I wanted to play with you today, and I looked for you everywhere, but I didn't see you. I saw Uncle Adrian, and he said you were in your room, so I ran here to see you.""What about your mommy?" Alex asked.
Alex stared at Luna with an apologetic expression on his face as he tried to explain, "I... I did find out, but..."However, Luna got upset and walked away. Struggling to move with his crutch, Alex went after her and said, "Hold on Luna, please listen to me.""What? What do you want to say? Alex, you should've been honest with me from the start. I thought we were working together, I thought I could trust you, and we agreed... I thought we were on the same page here. Regardless of anything, you should've told me the truth. I mean, why keep me in the dark about this, and I had to hear it from your grandfather.""Listen, Luna, it's... it's... Please, just calm down, okay? I'm sorry for not telling you."Luna shook her head, "No Alex, we made a deal that once you get the shares, our contract will be over, and I think right now it's best if we bring everything to an end to avoid parting on bad terms.""Parting on bad terms?" Alex asked. "Luna, are you going to go back on your word to care
Luna was taken by surprise but she did not push Alex away. Her hands went around his neck as she returned his kisses.Surprised, Alex stared at her as he ran his thumb along her lower lip. He had expected some resistance from her and even planned on how he was going to seduce her.But Luna was willing and it served to excite him more. He held her towel by its knot and pulled it off her body. She inhaled when it came loose, looking at him with unrestrained desire evident in her eyes.Alex doffed his clothes, even as his eyes held hers. His hands went to her fairly large breasts and he fondled them gently before covering a nipple with his lips.Luna gasped as desire rippled through her body. Her throbbing core was wet and she wanted him to fill her up. She clutched his hair, moaning as his fingers found their way to her p**sy and he began to finger her.She almost lost her balance when she couldn't take it anymore and Alex instinctively lifted her onto the bed. With her legs parted, his
Alex spent the next two days at home happily. Each time Luna asked him if he wasn't going to work, he said no, "This feels like I'm finally getting my honeymoon, so let me enjoy it a while longer."On the night before he was to resume, he told Luna, "I need to say something to you.""I'm all ears," Luna replied.Alex hesitated because he didn't want Luna to worry, but at the same time, he wanted her to be conscious of her safety. He had gotten a few bodyguards for himself and also instructed them to keep an eye on her until he took care of his enemies. However, he still believed that she needed to know so she could be extra cautious."Someone wants me dead," he said.Luna gasped, "What? Who would want you dead and why? Why does someone want to kill you?"Seeing her restless expression, Alex said, "Just calm down, okay? In the accident I had back then, someone deliberately tampered with my brakes.The person wanted to kill me, so I had to pretend that I didn't know what happened and to
Luna quickly hung up on Cyrus. She couldn't understand why he was able to even reach her. Alex had told her that Cyrus had been taken care of by Miriam and won't be bothering them again.Thinking back to his words, she began to laugh. This was the same Cyrus who had rejected their child. For years, she tried to get him to pay child support, but he refused to do so and even wished that Claire would die. Now he claimed she was his daughter and wanted to take responsibility.She decided that she won't even bother Alex with something so stupid. Cyrus was just desperate, and there was nothing he could do to her. With this thought, she went back into the room to meet Alex, smiling."So..... that was Allison. She wanted to find out what's been happening. You know I haven't called her in a while, so I filled her in and she was very happy for me," Luna said.Alex smiled and pulled her into his arms. "As long as you're happy, all those who care about you would be happy too."Luna looked at him,
Ethan paced up and down in his cell, feeling profoundly upset. He had not expected Alex to issue an order for his arrest. Despite being in there for two days, he had not been able to secure his release. The only person he could reach out to at this point was his grandfather, who he knew held influence over Alex. It was all his fault. If he had acted fairly and justly, things would not have escalated to the condition he was currently in. He had called his grandfather, and the latter had promised to come and see him. Thus, he awaited his grandfather's arrival impatiently.A few minutes later, his grandfather finally arrived at the station, and Ethan was brought out to see him. His grandfather folded his arms, staring at Ethan without displaying any compassion in his eyes. In response to the cold look emanating from his grandfather, Ethan scoffed. "Don't tell me that even now you're still taking that bastard's side," Ethan exclaimed.His grandfather slapped him and sternly asked, "Ho
As the interview of Alex's grandfather went viral, everyone began making fun of Cyrus. At this point, Sylvia also saw the interview and was surprised. She had thought that Alex had killed Cyrus. If she had known he would make it out alive, she would not have absconded with all his money. She quickly picked up her phone and called him, wanting to know if it was possible for them to continue from where they left off. However, the moment Cyrus answered the call and heard her voice, he said, "Bitch, go to hell.""Calm down Cyrus, listen to my explanation," she said. "I had to run for my life. Alex wanted to kill me.""Are you deaf? I said go to hell!" Cyrus repeated himself before hanging up. He knew that she was useless to him at this point. She couldn't do anything for him. She had already taken all the money he made from Miriam, and what he had left was what he got from selling off Miriam's sex videos. If he let her back into his life, what was the guarantee that she would not steal
While Cyrus was busy complaining about how Tom had betrayed him, Alex angrily walked up to him and slapped him so hard that he fell on his back. The officers rushed to his side and quickly handcuffed his hands. At that moment, Alex recalled the recent conversation he had with Tom. Tom had called him, and when Alex answered, he asked, "What do you want? Should my arch-enemy call me?"Tom laughed, saying, "Come on, Alex. Yes, we hate each other and are rivals, but you know we're the ones keeping each other in business.""You're right about that," Alex replied, "but if you're calling me, something must be happening.""Yes, guess who asked to meet with me today.""I'm not good at guessing. Why not tell me?" Alex replied."Ethan, your cousin.""My cousin? What did he want?" Alex asked."Well, Ethan wants you dead.""Ethan wants me dead?" Alex smiled, asking, "Is this a joke or something?""Come on, Alex. You know I don't joke about serious matters. We're always serious with each other, w
SIXTEEN MONTHS LATERClaire already closed the files on her desk and got up, about to walk out of her office.At this point, she heard a knock on the door of her office. She walked over to it, opened it, and came out of the office.She was shocked to see her employees standing in front. "Surprise!" they all said, holding balloons, flowers, and cakes."Happy first anniversary," one after the other, they all wished her.She stood, staring at them with a smile plastered on her face. She had barely breezed into the office to sign an important document before coming out; she didn't know her employees were going to surprise her once again.It reminded her of how her last anniversary had gone. However, this time, it was different because she was happy."Thank you all so much," she said. She walked closer, took a bite of the cake, and said, "Wow, this is really delicious. You all should have fun, enjoy yourselves, and take the day off."Her employees all cheered happily while she hurried out o
Lucas sat in his house, waiting for feedback. Although he knew that Claire was eventually going to tell her parents everything, he was hoping that they wouldn't want a divorce since it was going to be a stain on her reputation. Also, the fact that Asher was his friend would make her convince them to give up on Asher.He was waiting for a call from either Alex or Claire. That way, he could properly tender his apology and ask for a second chance.However, the person who called him was none other than his father."Come home right away," his father said.He looked at the time; it was already late. "Is everything okay?" he asked."Mr. Cooper just left the house. Come back right away," his father insisted.The moment he heard that Alex had been to his house, Lucas rushed out of the house and went to see his parents.He walked into the living room and sat down. Seeing the expression on his parents' faces, he asked, "Did something happen? What is the problem?"His father shook his head. "I'm
Luna stared at both Alex and Claire, wiping the tears from her eyes. She still could not understand what was happening."What's going on here?" she asked."Claire, I don't get it. I thought you got married to Lucas because you both were in love with each other. Why would he start treating you so badly from the first day of the marriage? And why did he think you forced yourself into his life? There are some things that sound really strange. Please, I'm lost here," Alex said."Hold on, I'll tell you everything, Luna," he proceeded to tell her how he forced Lucas into marrying Claire, and she screamed."Why would you do that? No, that is wrong. You should not have done that," Luna said."Calm down," Alex said. "It has already happened. It's all in the past. It was a mistake we made, and unfortunately, Claire suffered for it."Luna shook her head. "All this time, you went through so much, Claire, and I didn't even know. I can't believe I slapped you. I can't believe I accused you. Oh no."
After more driving about for a while, Claire finally calmed down. She thought about everything that had happened and made up her mind on what she was going to do. But first of all, she wanted to have a conversation with Asher because she felt that her mom had spoken very rudely to him, whereas he wasn't at fault for everything that had happened.For some reason, she couldn't help but blame herself. Perhaps if she hadn't hidden things from her mom, Asher would not have been yelled at or belittled.She drove back to the house and was surprised when she got in to see the damage that had been done to the door which led to Asher's room.She went into the room and saw Asher sitting on the bed. He quickly got up the moment he saw her and said,"Claire, you're back."She nodded and walked over to where he was."I'm sorry," she said.He held her hand, pulled her closer to his body, and hugged her."No, Claire, don't be sorry for anything. You did nothing wrong. It's just a misunderstanding. Yo
When Luna arrived, she saw Lucas in his car, which was parked right in front of the house.She came out of the car and met with him. "So, this is really not a joke. I mean, the fact that you're here...""It's not a joke," Lucas said, pointing at the door."Okay, alright. Let's go."They walked toward the door, and Luna wanted to knock; however, Lucas said, "No, I... the last time I came here to confront them... I... got one of the keys. So, I think it would be better if we just go in."She looked at him. "Are you sure about this?"He said, "Yeah, in the end, he is still my friend, so it wouldn't be a big deal."She folded her arms and waited for him while he put the key into the key holder and unlocked the door.He pushed the door open, and his eyes instantly caught Asher and Claire on the couch. He turned to look at Luna and said, "Right this way."At this point, though, Asher and Claire were so engrossed in what they were doing that they didn't realize what had happened. Her eyes we
Seeing that his words were not moving Claire, Lucas picked up the divorce papers she had placed on the table and turned them into shreds.She smiled."I thought we were having a peaceful conversation. Why did you have to tear the divorce papers?""Well, this is me telling you that I'm not going to give you that divorce, Claire. I've told you that I want us to work on our marriage. Couples face problems, but the important thing is to find a way to resolve them."She smiled. "Haven't you been listening to everything I said, Lucas? I don't hate you. I don't even think it's possible to hate you. So, everything I say to you does not result from hate. I'm just saying that between the both of us, it's no longer possible. Maybe, just maybe if Asher hadn't come into the picture, I... I may have reconsidered giving this, whatever this is, another chance. But as I told you, once I've given up on something, I don't go back to it.""Just in case you're not observing, I tossed my wedding ring the d
Lucas's words did not surprise Asher. The moment Claire had returned and told him about what Lucas tried to do at home, he suspected that this would be Lucas's next line of action."What exactly are you asking me to do?" Asher asked Lucas."I think you understand exactly what I am asking of you," Lucas replied. "I want my wife back, Asher. You've ruined my relationship with Vivian. You can claim that you didn't know what you were doing, you didn't know she was my girlfriend or whatever it was, but the fact still remains that that relationship is ruined because of you.""Go ahead, I have given up on Vivian. You can have her; she's all yours. But Claire? Leave her alone. Claire is mine; she loves me, and we both know that she has loved me for so long. She doesn't love you, Asher; she's just using you as a rebound. I am telling you this from one man to another. For the sake of our friendship, leave Claire alone. After all, I asked you to go after her, so now I am asking you to give me ba
After leaving Asher's house, Lucas was fuming with anger. He drove straight to Vivian's place of work. Once he arrived there, he called her to come out, and she did. He stood by his car, staring at her - the woman he had loved for so long. She ran up to him and hugged him."Hi baby, you came to see me at work? Meanwhile, what happened? You didn't go to work today?""Cut the act," he said. "How could you do this to me, Vivian? I have loved you for so long. I did everything I could to make you happy, and yet you cheated on me with my friend. As if that is not bad enough, you've been calling him, seeking his attention, and telling him there's nothing going on between the both of us?"She rolled her eyes."Oh, I see you finally found out.""What? That's your reaction?""What do you expect me to do? You have your wife, someone at home. You don't expect me to keep waiting for you until I get old.""How can you say this, Vivian? You know that my relationship with Claire means nothing, and yo
As she heard Asher and Lucas' voices from outside, Claire stood in front of the window, staring at them from inside. Although they couldn't see her, she could see them. She didn't understand why Lucas suddenly seemed so upset. She knew it wasn't about her and kept wondering.Meanwhile, Asher was enjoying this. Initially, he never wanted to rub it in Lucas' face, but after the way Lucas insulted Claire inside the house and kept making sarcastic remarks about her, he couldn't bear it anymore."I didn't want to say anything, Lucas, but why would you say I'm not your friend?" Asher said to him. "This is not fair. I just explained what happened to you. At the time, I was single, and I thought the girl in question...""No! Do not tell me this," Lucas interrupted."Listen to me, Lucas," Asher continued, "what I'm trying to say is..."Lucas charged at Asher this time and punched him in the face."How dare you? Okay, let's forget about everything else. Was there a need for you to bring this up