POPPY:Wyatt pulled over in a luxurious hotel a couple of kilometers away from the mall. These were the kind of hotels which I only read about in the brochures and on the internet.If not for Sebastian Holding, I wouldn’t be able to come here and visit famous places like this.“It’s soooo tall, Mommy.”“Yes, love. Let’s behave, shall we?”“Yes, Mommy," she responded. The back seat door opened and I was about to grab her hand, but she opened the door next to her and grabbed Sebastian's hand instead. I slapped my forehead in disbelief. What the… Kelly and Sebastian were acting weird that day. "Miss Poppy?" I lifted my gaze and met Wyatt's smiling face. He looked handsome if he always smiled.Now is not the time to swoon at him, you woman. He was already waiting for me to step out of the car while Sebastian and Kelly were already on their way inside the hotel. "Are you two regulars here?""We always come here whenever we have the time, Miss Poppy.""How frequent is that?""Whenever
POPPY:Now, everything was becoming more awkward.Why could I not stop myself from blurting things out in my mind? I was always the cause of why the situation would always become awkward.“D-Don’t mind me, Mr. Holding. I’m saying nonsense words.” Oh, please. Let the ground swallow me now. “Please forget about what I said, Mr. Holding. Forget also about the autograph.”“Why is your face red, Mommy?” Kelly asked. “It’s because it is hot, love.” Using my hand, I fanned myself to make it more realistic. Wyatt softly chuckled beside me while Sebastian’s expression was unreadable. “It’s cold, Mommy. That’s why I am thankful I wore my jacket,” Kelly informed. You don’t have to be always honest, love. Someone’s phone suddenly rang. I sighed in relief when it was Sebastian's phone rang. Saved by the ringing of his phone.Not breaking eye contact and still treating me with the silent treatment, Sebastian picked up his phone on the table and answered it without reading who the caller was.
POPPY:I half-shrugged and poured another glass of water. My throat felt like it was aching and needed water to replenish my throat.Clearing my throat while wiping the corner of my mouth, I said, “Don’t get me wrong, Mr. Holding. Don’t think I am interested in your private life.” I am somewhat interested, but I won’t tell Sebastian that. “I am merely killing some time. The food is not yet served.”Are you really sure or are you interested in him?Why would I be interested in him? “What you are doing is invading my privacy. Asking questions that do not concern you is unnecessary. Stop this nonsense," he dismissed. “But you two kissed?” I pressed, not wanting to let go which I did not understand. Why would it matter to me why he said he did not feel that the kiss was ineffective?Did he not feel pleasure at all? I meant if I was a man, and my girlfriend was Olivia Green…only someone who did not see her would not desire her.“We had done more than that,” he responded nonchalantly. "It
POPPY:Nolan. Just hearing his name brought shivers to my spine. My body went cold despite the glaring sun above us. As if strength left me, my knees buckled. I think I'm gonna puke. My mind wandered and thought of the worst possible scenarios. Nolan won't stop now until he gets what he wants. Kelly and me. Was it time to hide Kelly from him? But where would we hide? I did not have the money to pay for the advanced payment. I still did not want to touch Sebastian's money. I jerked when Joey put his hands on my shoulders. "You okay, kid?" he asked. I was brought back to reality. “D-Did you two talk?” I asked instead, even if all I wanted to do right now was to run inside my house and protect Kelly from my ex-husband. Despite a couple of times telling him that Sebastian and I were in a relationship, he would not stop. I hugged myself, as fear started to chew me. Nolan. What would I do to him so that he would stop this? Joey shook my shoulders. “Kid?” I lifted my gaze and s
POPPY:Christy knew Kelly already found out about Nolan, yet no one had told me about it. I felt…betrayed. How did that woman leave me in the dark? I told her not to tell Kelly anything about Nolan without me telling my daughter first.Don't you think it's better this way? another part of my mind asked. "Are you mad, Mommy?" Kelly asked, her voice coated with concern. "I tried to tell you, but Auntie said you will only be mad at me. So I keep my mouth shut. Please don't be angry, Mommy. I promise there will be no secrets between us."Tears swarmed in her eyes and fear made her body tremble. I breathed a couple of times, to control my thoughts and before I could say something worse."I promise I won't if you tell me the truth from now on."Kelly nodded. "Pinky promise, Mommy. I won't lie again. That's bad." "Okay. When did you see Daddy?"“It was when you went to Uncle Bastian. I was with Auntie Christy.”That was roughly three days ago or was my memory correct? And the father and
POPPY:Do I really have to do this? Do I have to talk to Nolan and pretend that everything was well between us despite our past? Will I just pretend that once he wanted me to kill our daughter for his selfish reasons?I did not want to pretend that I liked him because until now, I was still mad at him! I would forever bring my hatred to my grave!A burning feeling in my chest continued to scatter.A low growl escaped from Joe’s throat. "Kid. Is this man bothering you again?" Joey asked, his voice coated with concern and anger. His face was still red. His knuckles turned white as he clenched his fist. Like him, I also wanted to hurt this man. Badly. Beat him to a pulp to appease my anger so that everything will be fine. So that I won't be anymore carrying this heavy burden in my heart.Do you want to hurt your ex-husband in front of your daughter? What would Kelly think of you? That her mother physically abused her father? That’s not something to be proud of as a mother, Poppy.The
POPPY:Nolan was caught off guard by my question. Or did he think that I would never ask him again about it since we were already divorced? Yeah. Five years had passed since we divorced, but the wound was still fresh.Seeing him was quite painful. “Did I cheat?" He glanced at the ceiling and stared back at me. "What do you think?”The audacity of this man. Meeting his gaze, I answered, “You did cheat. That’s what I told my mind over again. After the wedding, you went cold. You are no longer sweet like what you used to be."Stop it! You're only hurting yourself! Why keep on bringing up the past? Let it go, Poppy. I can't…It was not that easy to let go of the pain. How many times had I questioned myself about what went wrong? After giving birth, I was always crying together with my baby. If not for Christy on my side, I would already be depressed by now. "Was my assumption correct?”His hands fell to the side. “Do you want the true answer?”I snorted at his ridiculous question. “O
POPPY:"Bastian…he is Nolan," I informed, dropping off any honorifics. It may have reached him that I wanted him to play along so he just did not say anything to correct my earlier statement. "Nolan is my ex-husband...you've met before. Right?"It took longer before I got a reply from Sebastian. "His face is familiar."I was expecting he would correct my lies, but he did not. I secretly sighed in relief. Glad he continued playing along or I would be busted. Using my index finger, I rubbed my nose. "Yes. You two met before, Bastian.""Mr. Holding," Nolan started as he held his hand as he waited for Sebastian to accept his hand for a handshake. "It's...nice to meet you. I heard so much from you."Sebastian Holding stared at Nolan's awaiting hand, with no plans of shaking it, and returned his gaze to me. Humiliated, Nolan's cheeks tinted with red, and dropped his hands to the side. "I came to visit, Mr. Holding," Nolan informed. "I already saw and talked to my daughter."It disgust
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