POPPY:Who is calling me at this hour? I grumbled. The incessant ringing on my phone awakened me earlier than I set my alarm to. It had been ringing nonstop. I was supposed to be dismissing it, but it wouldn’t fucking stop! The caller should be thankful he or she was not destroying Kelly’s peaceful sleep. If not…still, this person needed to receive an earful of scoldings from me. Popping one eye open, the ray of sunlight had not entered my room. Not the time to awaken, yet. The ringing won't stop and the caller also had no plans of dropping the fucking call!Left with no choice, I slid my fingers on the screen and answered the phone. “Who is this?” I answered groggily. What day was it? Weekends? Weekdays?Too tired to know the answer. “Are you still lying on your bed?”Wait. That voice seemed familiar!My drowsiness disappeared upon recalling who was on the end of the line. Sebastian Holding. The devil incarnate. The reason why I am suffering now.I glared at the ceiling. Now
POPPY:You…It wasn’t meant to cause me embarrassment. So why do my cheeks keep on flushing as if I was damn affected? I was certain Sebastian did not mean anything to it. That question was based on pure curiosity. He is waiting for your answer on the other line, Poppy. Right. He did. But there was no way I would be telling him the truth. “Y-You heard wrong, Mr. Holding. W-why would my child want me to marry you?”“That child obviously has a taste in men.”“If you’re talking about yourself, then I would rather that she remain a child than grow up and face men like you,” I answered, not even sugar-coating my words. That was my baby down there. I heard a sharp intake of breath on the other side of the line. “Women said I am a catch.”“Perhaps it’s time I question my sexuality,” I retorted. “You have a sharp tongue, woman.”I smiled even if he did not see it. “That’s because I got to face a lot of men like you, Mr. Holding. Can we drop this topic and tell me what you need? I don’t
SEBASTIAN HOLDING:Women are the most complex individuals living on this planet. I could not imagine how a simple coffee would make Olivia agree to our marriage. There was nothing extraordinary about coffee. You needed her, the other part of my mind declared. I gritted my teeth. Fuck it. This should be worth a shot and if not, I will get back to that woman. She suggested this. I should be working by now, but instead, I wasted my time going there at Olivia’s house.“Where to?” Wyatt asked the moment I arrived at the garage. He was standing, leaving the passenger seat door open. “Anthony Hills.""We will be visiting Miss Olivia?” He raised his brows, surprise on his face. “At this hour? You normally do this.”"You're not the only one who is surprised."I was amazed at how I agreed to this. Making coffee for Olivia, huh? "What changed?"Nothing changed. I needed Olivia in my life. I wanted the company. Olivia is one of the women I needed to achieve that ambition. “Poppy, that wo
POPPY:I was already done bathing Kelly and cooking our food as well as cleaning the house but my mind was on Sebastian Holding which I knew shouldn’t be. I was supposed to hate him, not be worried about him. I shifted in my sitting position while staring at the mountain of plates on the sink. Because of Sebastian, I could not manage to touch the dishes. What the heck was wrong with you, Poppy? I did my best and now it was up to Sebastian to do the job right. If Olivia had turned him down again, it was not my fault anymore. If he did fail, knowing Sebastian Holding, he would always put the blame on me while saying he had given me the money. I should do my best, and I should give him the right result he wants. As if I had a hold on Olivia’s heart. Still, I could not help but wonder what had happened on his visit to Anthony Hills. As much as I did not like him, I should give my all in helping him to make this end as quickly as possible. Did he fail or did he succeed? Ugh. The w
POPPY:Sebastian Holding was coming over. My body went numb and my breathing became erratic. Why did my heart jump all of a sudden as if I had done something wrong to that man or was I wanting his presence?I shook my head. No. No. Impossible. This is madness.It was still a few days when I met that man and I could not allow myself to feel like this. I had a child for Pete’s sake and my child was my focus, not some silly feelings or whatever you call this. You stop feeling as if you will be seeing your crush for a long time, Poppy. So what if he came over? I looked at myself. Still wearing my sweaty pajamas. I needed to shower and wear something decent before Sebastian Holding arrived. Decent? It was not a requirement to make myself presentable. We will be grocery shopping and wearing shorts this summer season is also acceptable. It was time to show some skin, but not that much to attract perverts. “Mommy?”I was brought back to the present and was reminded that Kelly was stil
POPPY:You knew the feeling where it seemed like your mother had found out that you had done naughty things and you were busted?That was what I felt now as Sebastian Holding was giving me an intense stare. His gaze burned a hole in the top of my forehead, making me shuffle on my feet. I felt like I was small under his penetrated gaze.“What is it, woman?”“N-nothing. I did not say anything to her. It’s only her idea. Why would I also tell her that something seemed to be going on between us? It’s not like I like you.”I held my breath upon smelling his seductive smell. Was this what billionaire people smelt like? Delicious.No! Not delicious. Sebastian Holding was not an appetizer. He was not food. “You better not like me. I will repeat this over and over again. Do not fall for me, woman.”My brows furrowed. “I won’t, Mr. Holding. You are the last person I would ever fall in love with. I don’t have any plans on allowing any man to enter my life. Not even my ex-husband.”"It's too ea
POPPY:No one wanted to tear our gazes away. Definitely not me who does not want to back down. Wyatt had been glancing now and then in our direction, which was dangerous since he could not focus on his driving. "Mr. Holding. My apologies if I made you feel as if this work is nothing. But I assure you, one hundred one percent that I want to help you with everything I want. I want you and Miss Olivia to get wed as soon as possible." "Prove it. Your words and actions are two different things. The more days passed, the more my time has been wasted."Putting both hands on my hips, I snapped, "I will, Mr. Holding."Wyatt cleared his throat. "Can we all relax for a moment?" he asked. I folded my arms in front of my chest and exhaled in frustration. How can I relax? If this man continued testing my patience?“M-Mommy?” Kelly asked again, this time pulling my hand away. "Stop fighting. You're making me scared like before." Her voice trembled, while her hand shook. As shameful as it sounde
POPPY:Oh, shot.I forgot that Sebastian was a public figure and that anyone might be able to identify him inside the mall. "He looked like one," another woman whispered. "I saw him on one of the leaked videos with Olivia Green. But that video disappeared.""He must have erased it. You know how the rich work.""He's a billionaire as far as I remember.""Really?"The two looked dreamily at Sebastian. With a nervous look, I looked at Sebastian still letting Kelly hold him, unbothered. Maybe he did not hear them?“Ahm…excuse me, Mr. Holding?”“Yes? Where do you want to go? What are your needs?”I was planning to go to the grocery section. We did not have any more meat and vegetables as well as spices. Need to restock for a whole week. A month's worth was already out of budget. But that can wait. I could not disturb the two looking like real father and daughter. I made a mental note to thank Sebastian for keeping up with Kelly. Until now, I had not yet heard any ill words from him.
85POPPY:Realization dawned on me.Mother was right.I was punishing Sebastian for his past which he did not do when we were together. He impregnated Olivia before we met, and he did not even know me by then.Tears swam in my eyes.Stupid. I was stupid.Now, I realize what I just did. “Mom. Is it okay if I return to the city? I have to apologize to my husband.”Mother smiled and brushed my cheeks using her fingertips. “Why does it feel as if it will be a long time before you will be back again, Poppy?”“I’m so sorry, Mom. Now that you have accepted us again, I will always visit you and Dad.”I inhaled deeply as the pain slowly lifted.I could not wait to go back to the mansion and talk to Sebastian.“I’m going to miss you, too.”“I will always call, Mom. I will just wait for Kelly, and I will tell her of my plans.”“She will be happy. She always asks about her daddy. Your second husband, I mean.”“She was completely smitten by him.”“The child knows a real man who will make you happ
POPPY:Do you know what's the most painful thing? It's the fact that Sebastian was not doing anything just to stop me as I grabbed my things and Kelly. He just stood there leaning on the door, like a robot watching me pack my things. And he claimed he loved me?Bullshit!Damn it!Why did I believe in his lies, anyway? He never loved me from the start. He was only forced to. And now that he had a child with his own seed, he can do anything he wants like tossing me aside. From all the packing down to grabbing Kelly, I was glad I never shed a single tear. If I did, it would be embarrassing on my part."Honey…" Sebastian started as I went out of our room while grabbing Kelly and my bag in both hands. "We only arrived. Kelly and your body are tired from the trip. Please think of the child.""You cannot stop me from doing this, Sebastian," I exclaimed while hardening my heart in the process. I forced myself to make my expression blank and cold as it was so that he would see that I was al
POPPY:From the look on his face, he was silently telling me not to tell his father about it. I did not get how he wanted to keep it to ourselves since having a baby was the only requirement left. I wanted to believe that it had something to do with his feelings, but if I expected more than that, I was scared that I would only be hurt in the end.“Anyone who wanted to answer me?” Arnold asked as his gaze kept on switching sides between me and Sebastian. “Poppy?”“Dad. I believe it’s my husband who has the right to tell you about it.”“Why is that?” he asked as his brows formed a straight line. “Son. Is there anything you want to say? Am I expecting a grandchild soon? A simple yes or no would suffice.”Yeah. A grandchild who would be the next heir of the Holdings. The child that Olivia and Sebastian badly wanted. And during that time, I would be kicked out of the equations. I would be tossed aside like a piece of rag. Together with my daughter.Oh, God.Why did I bring my daughter in
POPPY:“Can you please read the message? I can’t do that especially when I am driving.”A muscle ticked in my eyes. “Are you freaking kidding me, Sebastian?”His brows furrowed.“What’s wrong?”“What’s your intention of letting me read the message? What are you trying to prove, huh?”“Honey. I meant no harm, okay? I just wanted you to read the message. I’m driving. What makes it difficult to understand?”“You know Olivia will text you, right?”“Was it her?”“Who else? She won’t stop saying you should divorce me.”“That’s not going to happen. It’s you I love. Not here. So please stop getting jealous, okay? You’re the only woman I love, Poppy. No one else.”That was supposed to pacify me, but it did not. Right now, I was still irritated at Sebastian, and I did not know how long it would last. I hated this feeling. It brought me back to my previous relationship. Of how I was jealous of any woman who was near to my ex-husband only to find out in the end that I have the right to be jealous
POPPY:I was kind of expecting that it was indeed the result, but it was different from hearing it directly in Olivia’s mouth. She was too proud about it, making me feel as if she was better than me, although there was no point in proving it.I was nothing compared to her. She was an actress. Rich. Talented. You name it. While I was a simple mother who wanted only the best for her child. “The look on your face says it all. You also know that the child is from Bastian.”“So what? You’re all talk, Olivia. Give me the papers.” She shoved it on my chest. “How rude.”Checking, I pulled out the paper inside the envelope and read the contents.Ninety-point nine percent. The child was Sebastian. He was the father of Olivia’s child.My knees almost gave out. Not from the shock. But it was more than that. “See? I have given him a child first. Bastian should be mine.”I showed her our wedding ring. “Oops. He married me first.”“I don’t believe the results,” Sebastian exclaimed all of a sudden
POPPY:Our stay in the resort was eventful. Sebastian toured us at the resort and introduced us to his family. The maids and all the maintenance staff were happy to see us and congratulated us. He made sure that we were taken care of. And then the next thing I knew, we would be returning to the mansion which I did not want to happen. It was too soon. I was not even satisfied yet. “Are we really going back?” I asked Sebastian while folding Kelly’s clothes. “I wanted to stay here a little longer.”The corner of his lips lifted. “Do you really want to stay because of that, or was it another reason?” he teased. My cheeks burned in embarrassment, remembering our sweet time together. Especially on the beach. It was only at three o’clock in the morning when we returned to our room. True to his words, Sebastian had emptied all the condoms and promised to buy another pocket if I wanted to. And then when Kelly was not inside the room, we took a shower together and made love again inside.
Warning: Sexual content ahead.------------------POPPY:We are free to do whatever we want, huh?Pinching the bridge of Sebastian’s nose, I asked, “Do you know that you sounded like a devil right now tempting me like this?”The corner of his lips lifted.“Am I? That’s my plan, Poppy.”“Yes. Why are you tempting me like this, Sebastian? Is it really true that I’m the only woman you brought here in this—”The words died in my mouth when he suddenly kissed me fully.I groaned as I tasted the strawberry taste of his lips against my mouth. Sparks exploded between us. Lips against lips. Mouth against mouth. It seemed like our lips were battling and no one wanted to lose. Using my lips, I showed him how much I longed for him. My longing for him was evident in how I kissed him. How I snaked my arms around his neck, bringing me closer to my body. Hardness against softness. He was all muscles while I was the complete opposite.My hands found his hair and pulled him toward me.“Give everything
POPPY: The rest of the day flew fast.Kelly and I enjoyed the resort a lot. Sebastian never left my side and did not even glance at his phone for any updates from his secretary. And if someone was calling him, I would remind him to answer the phone since he would only let it ring. But then he will just kiss me and say that it can wait. He wanted to focus his time on us and added that today was a family day. He won’t allow anyone to waste this time over some unimportant things.For Sebastian Holding, work was always important but when he said it could wait, my heart was filled with overflowing happiness. “And they lived happily ever after,” I said, reading the book which I bought. Kelly was already fast asleep. After reading for almost an hour, she was fast asleep. I was able to finish three books in a row when she was not yet satisfied with one book alone.Kelly stirred in her sleep and the blanket fell below.I pulled it upward until it reached her chin, then pressed a kiss on her
POPPY:I held my breath as Sebastian kept on staring at me, not even stopping the wind as when my hair danced along with it. The feeling of the rough texture of the sand entering my shoes tickled my feet.“Poppy. Do you want to spend your life with me?” Sebastian asked again when I did not answer.I wanted to scream yes! I would definitely say yes! I’ve been loving this man for quite some time now and now that he was offering an eternity with him, who was I to say no?An opportunity to spend the rest of our lives together? That would be fantastic. But what about Olivia Green? Images of her heavily pregnant belly while tears rolled down from her eyes flashed in my mind. It felt like tiny needles were being stabbed in my chest.Yeah. Olivia Green. Getting drunk with Sebastian’s offer to be with him was already too good to be true. Accept him, Poppy, my mind urged. How long will you keep on thinking about someone else’s happiness, Poppy? Why can’t you think of your own happiness, hu