My husband’s phone pinged with a message. I was about to take it to him at work because he’d forgotten it at home. The message was from my sister. Curiosity piqued, I entered the password to unlock the phone and went to the message.“I AM PREGNANT.”My eyes nearly bugged out of my head. Pregnant? I had to sit down for this. I sank into a nearby chair and began scrolling through the messages between my sister and my husband. The evidence was clear: they had been having an affair for a very long time, and now it looked like she was pregnant. Something I couldn’t even manage to do.A tear escaped my eye as I tried to compose myself. It shouldn’t have been a complete surprise, considering how close they had recently become and how oddly they had been acting. I had suspected they might be involved, but I didn’t want to believe that the two people I trusted most could betray me in this way. Still, I should have suspected it.She’s probably not pregnant with him, I lied to myself as I texted
While still dancing and thinking about the man who had just walked into the bar, I felt the guy I was grinding against starting to get a little too handsy. His hands clumsily wandered towards my waist, then my butt, and soon he was trying to slip his fingers inside my dress. I swatted at his hands, but he didn't stop. Frustrated, I decided to leave the dance floor, but he grabbed me and pulled me back.I was too drunk and uncoordinated to fight him off effectively. As I pushed him away, telling him to leave me alone, “Let go of me…..let me go.“ His hands continued their unwanted exploration. The music was too loud and everyone around us was lost in their own world, and no one seemed to notice or care.Just as his hand began to gain entrance into my dress, rising higher and higher, dread filled me. I struggled to push him away. Suddenly, I heard a fierce growl. "Stay away from her! She said no."The man was shoved away from me, and I looked towards my rescuer. The voice sounded fam
“No, I don't think it's a great idea. I think I’m just going to go. You're already here, you’re fine," he responds, clearly uncomfortable."What if something happens to me?" I ask."Nothing's going to happen to you here. Its a great hotel and there is good security. I wouldn't just leave you anywhere.....," he says."How do you know that?“ I interrupt him."Because....." He sighs as he watches me again before asking, “What do you want from me now?““ Come inside, we can stay on the couch or something. Don’t leave me alone; I really don’t want to be alone tonight. Please....!"He looks at me, weighing his options, before finally relenting. "Alright, fine," he says, closing the door behind him and stepping into the room.He goes and takes a seat on the sofa, and I sit down next to him. "Do you want some coffee?" he asks. "Maybe I could order it or something.""No, just a glass of water, maybe," I say softly.He pours water into a glass from a bottle and hands it to me. Our eyes meet, an
“Yes, Rita is the one I should have married. It was a mistake marrying you, but don't think you can come crawling back to me. When we're finally divorced, I don't want to ever see you again.""I will never crawl back to you, but you'll regret betraying me and going behind my back. I’ll make sure of it.""Aha, you wish." He answers mockingly "You can't do nothing. You have no power, atleast not without me. You are going to regret this decision. I am still on the fence on wether I should fire you from the company, so tread lightly.""Whatever you want Eric" I say back with a broad smile."I don't know what I ever saw in you. Rita is just so amazing to me and we are so happy together."“You can't fight love, sis” Rita adds proudly, kissing Eric's cheek.Emerson, who had been sitting quietly all this time, finally spoke up. "Eric, I'm really disappointed in you. You know that Rita and Mina are sisters. What you did has broken her family. Why would you sleep with Nina, and even worse, get
"What?" Both Rita and Eric asked in unison, their voices laced with disbelief. "You can't be serious," Rita added, her face twisted in shock. Eric, on the other hand, was filled with a combination of anger and confusion. "It can't… you can't marry her. Dad, what do you mean you asked her to marry you? This will make me a laughing stock. You can't do this, Dad. You can't! She's my wife. You can't marry her!""Your 'ex-wife'," I corrected him, smiling as I took Emerson's hand in mine. By now, we had gained the curious gazes of people around us. The guests, sensing the tension, began to inch closer, eager to hear what the argument was all about. When they noticed our intertwined hands, mine and Emerson's the whispers started. Murmurs spread like wildfire. I could see Eric growing more anxious, his face reddening as the embarrassment consumed him. Rita stood next to him, clearly as mortified as he was."Dad, what the fuck do you think you're doing? You can't marry her!" Eric's voice
Tears welled up in my eyes, spilling down my cheeks as the gravity of the moment hit me. I had never expected this, not here, not now. I could barely hear the murmurs and whispers from the guests surrounding us, all my focus on the man kneeling before me."Mina," he continued, his voice firm and strong, sure of himself "I'm asking you, Mina, would you make me the happiest man in the world and agree to marry me?“"Yes, yes, yes, and again, yes! I'm ready, I will marry you!" I said, my voice trembling with excitement as I let Emerson, Eric’s father, slip the engagement ring onto my finger. The diamond was huge, far bigger and heavier than the one Eric had given me. My fingers felt the weight, and I couldn’t help but compare them. Emerson's ring was much more beautiful, a true piece of art and a clear statement. Unlike Eric’s, which now seemed like a hollow promise.He stood and pulled me into a hug. I hesitated, not sure if it was appropriate to kiss him right there with everyone watc
I could see the disgust on my mother's face and it killed me that my own family could do this to me. Emerson stood his ground. He didn’t flinch, didn’t back down. Instead, he calmly faced her, never losing his composure.“Kristen, listen to me. I respect you, I would hate for us to be at odds. After all, you're going to be my mother-in-law," Emerson said, his voice respectful, although I could hear the mocking in his tone.My mother’s face turned into pure disgust and anger the moment those words left Emerson's mouth. She recoiled as if the very idea repulsed her. “Never, never! You will never be my son-in-law!”“Well,” Emerson responded calmly, “I just asked your daughter to be my wife, and she said yes.”“Emerson,” she spat his name as though it burned her tongue, “what kind of joke is this? You’re older than me! How can you even think of becoming my son-in-law? Don’t the two of you have any shame? Don’t you feel any embarrassment? The humiliation!….” She pointed an accusatory fing
We went around the wedding reception greeting people, and saying hello to the guests at the party. Half of them were the company’s employees anyway. And since Emerson was the boss, the CEO and owner of the company, people couldn't help themselves as they came toward us, congratulating us on our engagement. We both knew that everybody invited here was either in the business, wanted to get into the business, or was some sort of associate. And since I was with the top dog, they might or might not agree with our engagement, but they couldn't help but congratulate us with a smile. They congratulated us with plastered smiles on their faces, saying how happy they were for us, but I could see in many faces they weren't exactly overjoyed over our engagement.Some were probably more jealous than happy, wondering how I managed to land a man who had been single for more than fifteen years of his life ever since his wife left. And then all of a sudden, he was getting engaged to me, after divorci
Emmerson's words gave me pause. "Thank you," I said softly, touched by his concern. "Thank you for thinking of me. That means a lot. But I still want to work with my team."Emerson frowned slightly but stayed quiet as I continued. "You know, one of the reasons I quit before was because of how people looked at me. How they talked behind my back. It wasn’t the main reason, not even close, but it was there too. And now I’ve realized... I need to put on my big-girl pants on and face it. They’re not going to stop talking, Emerson. They’ll always have something to say. But that’s their problem, not mine. I can’t let them win. I am going to rise above it all "He sighed heavily, his expression a mixture of concern and reluctance. "I just don’t want anyone to hurt you, Mina," he said quietly."No one can hurt me," I assured him. "You told me to enjoy this, right? So let me. Let me do this my way. Please."Emerson stared at me for a moment before nodding, a small smile playing on his lips. "
When we got to the company, I didn't know what I was expecting. Maybe a bunch of people waiting there for me, maybe people staring at me. But when we arrived, it was surprisingly calm.No paparazzi or media insight.caAs we stepped out of the car and went inside, I greeted the security guard. "Good morning," I said casually, waving at him. He gave a polite nod, almost like a bow, but I didn’t think much of it.We passed the two secretaries at the front desk. I was used to Diane—I used to talk to her a lot when I worked here. Just because I was now Emerson’s fiancée didn’t mean I’d suddenly start ignoring her. But when I stopped to say hello, their eyes widened in surprise. Diane and her colleague both looked startled, as though I’d done something completely unexpected.“Hi, Diane. How have you been?” I asked, ignoring their shocked expressions.“It’s… it’s going fine, Mrs Blackwind,” she stammered, her voice filled with both nervousness and formality.I frowned slightly. She’d never
“It will also be very good for us,” Emerson said, persuasive.“Good for us?” I repeated skeptically. “The only thing it will do is land us on the front page.”“Yes,” he admitted, nodding “but it could also land us on the front page for something good. I mean, think about it. People think you’re going after me for my money. Everyone knows you and Eric don’t get along. But imagine this: the four of us sitting at one table, having an amazing dinner, and everything going smoothly. It would send a message. People would see the Blackwind family getting along and wonder why they’ve been making so much noise and attacking you. It’s like we’d turn the narrative on its head.”I listened to his words, thinking them over. As much as I hated to admit it, it kind of made sense.“Huh,” I said, narrowing my eyes at him. “You came prepared, didn’t you? Ready to convince me to agree with this?”“Yes,” he said with a grin. “I was actually afraid you’d say no to the dinner because of the cameras and the
“I don’t know, Emerson,” I said, uncertain. “I mean, I don’t want you to lose the Flagler Corporation, I know how important they are for the Blackwind company, but I really don’t want to work with Eric.”Emerson leaned forward, calm and determined. “Don’t worry, Mina. You’re not just working with Eric. You’ll also be working with Tina's son, Trayson. It’ll be the three of you, so I’m sure everything is going to be fine and civil. Plus, Eric will behave if he knows someone else is in the group, someone new and someone he will want to impress. You know how he is—macho and full of pride. He knows Trayson will be handling his mother's company in the future, and since he stands to take charge of mine, he will want to establish a great image. He wouldn’t want Tina’s son thinking he’s taking advantage of you and seeming lazy”I folded my arms, my doubt still heavy.Emerson reached across the table, taking both my hands in his. His eyes met mine, trying to be reassuring. “Besides, you’re my f
I turned my attention back toward Emerson. “What do you mean you want me to go back to work at the company? I don’t understand. Are you saying you want me to go back to work at Blackwind?”“Yes,” he said firmly. “We need you back at the office. Do you think you could consider coming back?”I stared at him, completely bewildered. Why would they want me back? This had Eric written all over it. Everything about this situation screamed his name.I leaned forward, my brows furrowing. “Is this about Eric?”Emerson sighed heavily, rubbing his face with both hands before letting them fall onto the table. “I’m afraid so.”I froze, my heart sinking. “Please don’t tell me you fired him. Don’t tell me you fired Eric and now you’re asking me to take his position. Emerson, that’s going to cause so much havoc, so much trouble.” My voice quickened as I laid out my concerns. “I mean, all the drama we went through with the media and tabloids when people found out about us and our engagement? That won
We went downstairs to have breakfast. Emerson poured us both coffee and as we started eating, he said, “Mina, you remember when I told you I had to tell you something?”“Yeah, I remember. What is it?”“I actually need you to help me with something.”“Okay, what is it? Just tell me,” I said, leaning forward, curious.“It’s actually a very big ask,” he added, his tone serious.“It’s okay. What is it? There’s nothing big you can’t ask of me.” I gave him an encouraging smile as I poured some juice into my glass. “So, what is it?”“I need you to go back to the company,” he said, his words deliberate.I froze, staring at him. “What do you mean, go back to the company?”“I mean, I need you to come back to work at the company,” he said, holding my gaze.Clang.Before I could respond, the sudden sound of something crashing startled us. We turned toward the door leading to the kitchen and found Madeline standing there, her face pale as the breakfast tray she’d been carrying lay scattered on the
I was still coming down from my high, the adrenaline and warmth coursing through me, and I wanted to say something—anything. Before I could, his phone rang again."Sorry," he said, letting me go as he moved toward the phone and picked it up. His brow furrowed as he answered. "What's so urgent?" he asked, his tone clipped but controlled.As he listened to whoever was on the other end of the phone, I decided to get up. I headed into the bathroom for a long, cold shower, the rush of water grounding me. By the time I emerged, wrapped in a towel, he was still on the phone, pacing the room and giving instructions.I moved into the wardrobe, deciding to focus on myself. I applied oil to my skin, carefully following my skincare routine, and then picked out something light and comfortable for the day. As I worked, I couldn’t help but notice Emerson’s voice filtering through the wardrobe door, his tone steady but laced with authority. He was busy—too busy, it seemed, for us to spend any real
Thank you for making my day," Emmerson said, his voice soft and genuine as his eyes locked with mine, holding my gaze in a way that made my heart skip. He wasn’t just saying words; he was letting me feel them. He wanted me to understand, to truly grasp what he meant. And I did.I saw it in his expression, the sincerity in his tone. I understood him completely, and more than that, I believed him. Every single word.“This has turned out to be a very good day," he continued, his lips curving into a smile that felt like the sun breaking through clouds. "And I’m sure it’s going to be even better, all because of you." He paused as if searching for the perfect words to express himself. "Thank you.”I felt a warm flush in my chest at his appreciation. But then his expression shifted slightly, just enough to catch my attention. A shadow of something darker flickered in his eyes. "Because yesterday…" he trailed off,“Yesterday was a total disaster.” His shoulders tensed as he exhaled, shaking h
Mina"So, what do you think?" I asked Emerson, my voice steady, but my heart was pounding so hard it felt like the beats might echo through the room. Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. It was alive, alive and nervous because I had no idea what Emerson was thinking.What if I had made a massive mistake? What if this was too soon? What if all those beautiful days in Paris didn’t mean we were ready for this step? What if I had completely misread the signals?"Hmm," he finally said, his tone neutral as he walked past me, and then turned around.I couldn’t read his expression, only the broad line of his shoulders and the way he moved, deliberate but calm. He glanced around the room, his silence stretching until I couldn’t bear it any longer.He was standing there, the same unreadable look on his face.“Come on,” I said, my voice shaky but light, trying to mask my nerves. “What do you think? Just tell me. Give it to me straight.”“Um… it’s not bad,” he said, shrugging.“Not bad?” I repeated, my