POPPY:"You got everything in the car?" Sebastian asked. It was already six o'clock in the evening. If I had not urged him to go, he wouldn't be leaving the bed. We had a great sex. We kissed. We cuddled like normal married couples. This day was the best day of my life and I won't ever forget this. Nibbling my lips, I watched Sebastian close the trunk. "Yes. Everything is there."I followed his advice of bringing only the important things like Kelly's baby clothes and toys. Especially the bike Sebastian bought for her. Some important papers and clothes. The rest will be given to the other people who need it. "Let's get going.""Kid! Wait!"Sebastian and I went to the source of the voice and saw Joey sauntering towards us. He was bringing something. I squinted my eyes and saw it was a bag. "Joey."Sebastian scratched the back of his neck. "You're leaving already?"Glancing at Sebastian and backing to Joey, I responded. "Yes. We only got our important things.""Will you return?"
POPPY:I knew Sebastian Holding wouldn't like what I said. He wanted a child to advance his ambition. The very reason why he married me and offered me to sign the contract. And now...I will be the reason why he won't achieve his goal.Closing my eyes, I braced for hurtful words he would say after that.Could I blame him? No. We had a contract. I was bound by the rules.Still…Having a child when I was not ready would only bring traumas to the moment.“I will understand if you will be furious at me, Sebastian. It’s my fault. I seduced you earlier.”“What happened that morning is also something I wanted. It takes two to tango, woman. But…I thought we already talked about it, woman?" he asked. "By giving yourself to me earlier, I assumed it was already clear to you that I want a child. And now we are back to that discussion?"I bit the inside of my cheeks. The thought of having another child without a father on the kid’s side was scary. "Think whatever you want, Sebastian. But I alrea
POPPY:"Do I have to answer that?" Sebastian asked. Absentmindedly, he created circles in my arms which I noticed he did whenever he was thinking about something. He had done it when we were cuddling earlier. It was amazing that we were getting to know more of each other. Especially him.I like this. This closeness and I could not help but ask for more. "Of course you do.""It's getting late. We should sleep," he whispered. Using his fingers, he brushed my hair and sniffed it. Did he like the smell of my hair? I was using a vanilla scent shampoo and conditioner.Why does it matter, Poppy?It mattered because I cared for Sebastian Holding's opinion. I liked hearing any sort of validation from his mouth. "No. You're avoiding my questions, Sebastian. It's only a little worth your time. Why can't you answer me this time?""I don't know the answer," he answered without batting an eye. Disappointment crossed my face. "That's not something I expected to hear from you.""What do you want
POPPY:"Sebastian..." I called, my voice almost breathless and needy. I wanted to kiss him. Bit him. Nible him and do everything that would make me satisfied, but I did not know how to. However, I cannot force my mouth to open and tell him those words. “I want you more than again.”I did not want to hear any words from him. Words that said that I was desperate to get laid and if I was that desperate, I should look for someone."Are you still sore?" he asked, groaning. “Poppy. If you can all hear the dirty words in my mind as of the moment, then I will no longer have the confidence to look you in the eyes right now. We will do more than what we did in your apartment.”Desire washed over his eyes. As it darted to my chest and back to my lips.I wet my lips feeling the dampness on my underwear.“Sebastian, please…”“Please what?” he asked, breathless too.Our breathing became rugged. “Fuck me.”He sucked in a breath.“That’s…so tempting. But I don’t want you to suffer now. I’m sorry for
POPPY: L-Little one? What do you mean by little one? Was it a baby? But Sebastian Holding said that nothing happened between Olivia and him. Or was it only my imagination? Was my memory correct?Another message popped out. "How could you do this to our baby, Bastian? Speak up! We need you right now! If you won't, what will I tell the press on who was the father of my child?"A child. Oh, fuck.My head spun and I thought I was going to get sick.My eyes went back to Sebastian Holding who was sleeping peacefully in the bed, oblivious to what I just discovered.Isn’t it too soon to conclude, Poppy? You can still ask Sebastian the truth. Olivia gReen might be lying so that the two will reconcile.But it was already a baby whom we were talking about. A baby would be the dream. A baby that would push forward his ambition to buy his father's stock that he wanted so badly.If Arnold knows of the baby, he will surely celebrate. It is still early to tell, Poppy. What if it is someone else's
POPPY:Sebastian’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion.“Why am I not sure?” he asked back. Because it was my insecurity talking. I looked away and gave him his phone. “Nothing that matters.”I hated feeling this way. If only I had the guts to ask him about his baby, then it would be so much easier. But the question was, would he tell me the truth or not? Or will he like my ex-husband who denied he was having an affair with his officemate until I only found out about this a few years after? I bet the answer would be the latter.He won’t.“It’s Olivia,” he said. “This woman had been trying to call me a thousand times.”I shifted my gaze back to him, waiting to see if he had the guts to answer the phone while I was with him or not. I was certain he was like Nolan who would hide in some corner and answer the call. Why do you always compare Sebastian and your husband? They were different people, Poppy.I knew. But I couldn't help it. Especially if he kept on making me remember the pain I
POPPY:It was too painful. More painful than my separation compared to my ex-husband. My heart was crying, but I could not let it get through my eyes. Crying a bucket was out of the equation. I must carry myself well and pretend I am not hurting inside since I will be eating with Sebastian's parents. I have no strength in answering questions right now. The servants greeted me when I saw them in the hallway. "Good morning, Miss Poppy."Nodding, I continued sauntering towards the dining room, knowing that Arnold was already waiting for me there.No one had to know that I was breaking apart. Was Sebastian done talking to Olivia? I wondered what they had convened. “Miss Poppy!” someone called followed by hurried footsteps. Glancing over my shoulder, I realized it was Mr. Willis calling me. Sweat was all over his forehead as he kept on wiping it. I stopped. “Oh. Did you call me, Mr. Willis?”He stopped in front of me, catching his breath. “I’ve been calling you more than once, Mi
POPPY:"Poppy and I are working on the baby, Father," Sebastian explained, with a different smile painted on his lips. Was that smile even real? For all I know, maybe he was probably thinking about his child with Olivia. "Isn't it right, honey? We plan on having a child, right?"It sickened me how he could lie like this. Pretend, Poppy. Grabbing a napkin on my side, I wiped the corner of my lips. "Yeah, yeah. We will be hoping to have a baby, Daddy. I hoped it would be sooner," I lied while my hands were on my lap. Satisfied, Arnold beamed at us and watched Beverly. "Did you hear that, dear? Another member of our family will be on the way.""That's marvelous.""Mr. Willis will help us take care of the child to prevent some unfortunate things from happening like when I was young," Sebastian announced and sipped his wine on his glass. Beverly’s smile was instantly wiped away from her mouth. “Son…”“What’s the harm in saying those words, Father? I merely blurt them to make everythi
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