GEORGIA, ATLANTA 2017
~DAMIAN~
I woke up earlier than usual. I looked at the beautiful woman who was in a deep sleep. The sheet barely covered her body, her perfect ass was exposed, and I beat myself for even doubting or caring for Sierra’s leave last night.
I carefully crawled on the bed to her side and started kissing her legs and she giggled.
“Damian… I’m still not awake,” she said, half asleep.
“I know, I’m just trying to cover up your body, I don’t want the people on TV to start gawking at my woman,” I said. She let out a small, attractive laugh.
After securely covering her body with the sheet, I removed strands of her hair from her face. I tugged it behind her ear and kissed her cheek. When I was done, I got up and walked to the bathroom.
I was already naked, so I just headed straight to the shower. I let the tap run as my hands ran through my hair. I took a bath net and started washing my body. When I was done, I closed my eyes to wash off the soap and that’s when I saw her face. Out in the dark, I immediately shot my eyes open, wrapped a towel around my waistline and walked out of the bathroom, straight to my closet.
I was now applying lotion, I looked at the bed, and realised Cassie was not there. Did she perhaps find a hotel? I felt a sense of relief as I looked in the mirror to reassure my look, but I saw her again, SIERRA.
I ran to the bedside table, grabbed my phone, and searched for her number. When I found it, I attempted to dial it, but I remembered what I told her yesterday, so I stopped myself.
“What do you think you’re doing, Damian? It’s good she’s gone. It’s what you wanted, right?” I scolded myself, and just when I was about to put my phone back on the table, it started to ring, I quickly picked it up.
“Sierra?” I said without thinking.
“No, it’s Adrian, Mr. Winters. The divorce has been finalised,” he informed me.
“How? When? I haven’t sent you the final documents yet.”
“Mrs. Robertson sent them to me,” he said, and I nodded.
“Thank you, Adrian,” I said and hung up without waiting for his response.
I dialled Sierra’s number.
“I just need to know if she’s fine, not that I care,” I convinced myself, but my heart ached when the number didn't go through. I tried it again and again, but still got the same response.
I dialled Lily’s number, I knew she knew Sierra's whereabouts.
“Damian, king of heartbreaks. You just never change, do you?”
“Is Sierra with you? Not that I care, of course, but can you put her through or put the phone on loudspeaker? I want...”
“If it’s about the divorce, then don’t worry, give her copies to Lucas, I’ll send it to her,” she sidestepped me.
“What? Where did she go?”
“That is not your business, listen, I have to go now. Have a lovely day,” she said and ended the call. I knew she couldn't tell me anything.
“So Sierra left, but where?”
I quickly rushed to my closet and wore clean clothes. I didn't even get to style my hair and I rushed down the stairs.
“You’re in a hurry?” A teasing voice caught my attention, it was Cassie. She was in one of Sierra’s pyjamas, and looking at her, I could tell she was cooking.
“Yes, I have to rush to... to a meeting.”
"Well, that meeting has to wait as I’ve prepared your favourite, at least I still remember it’s your favourite, right?” She said as she took steps towards me. When she reached my side, her fingers started working on my tie.
“Thank you, but I’ll have to come back early then. I really can’t miss this meeting.”
"Yes, you can, you’re the head,” she said, and ran her nails through my chest. I felt my dick stand but got down again.
“I promise to be back early, just after the meeting, okay?” I said, as I kissed her cheeks and ran out. I didn't even hear the last words she said.
As I got in my car, I drove at a fast speed, which made me arrive at my office in just ten minutes.
“Where the hell did she go?” I asked myself, as I pulled over.
I hastily got out of my car and ran inside.
“Good morning, Mr. Winters,” my assistant, Jane, greeted. She was probably surprised that I was here so early.
“Good morning, is Lucas here?” I asked her, and she shook her head.
“It’s still six, they all come in at eight,” she said.
“Yes, I know. Listen, call him, and tell him I need him here before seven.”
She looked at me weirdly, as I’ve never done this.
“Do I need to repeat myself?” I angrily said, and she rushed and took the telephone.
“Mr. Lucas,” she said.
“I hope Lucas’s office is open.”
"Yes, Mr. Winters, it was just cleaned,” she responded and continued talking on the phone. I walked out, heading straight to Lucas’s office.
As I reached inside, I pulled out my phone and dialed Adrian’s number.
“Mr. Winters, I’ll send the...”
“Is there a way to terminate the divorce?” I sidestepped him.
“Sir?”
“Is there a way I can terminate the divorce? I don’t want to divorce my wife anymore.”
“I don’t think it’s possible, I already...”
“It’s not what you think, you know what, find a way to terminate the divorce, I want an answer before the end of the day,” I said and hanged up.
I started to pace around the office. “What’s keeping him so long?” I took out my phone with the intention to dial his number when the door opened.
“There you are,” I said as I felt a bit relieved.
“Bro, what’s going on? I was with my wife the time your secretary called me, it almost landed me in trouble with Lily, you know how she can get sometimes.”
“I’m sorry for that, but I really need your help, I messed up.”
“You messed up, how? Holly crap, what’s wrong with your hair?” He asked as he walked to his chair.
“Sierra is gone.”
"Yes, I heard you divorced her. Is that not what you wanted?”
“No, I mean a part of me, but now that she’s gone, I want her back. Her image can’t leave my mind, it’s like she’s tormenting me,” I said and roughly ran my hands through my hair.
“Wait, the same Sierra, the plus-sized woman, the mistake of a wife, the...”
"Okay, stop, I fucked up. But you know how she is, she pushed me to do this.”
“Alright, calm down. What do you want me to do?”
“Lily mentioned she left, I want to know where she went.”
“Lily didn’t tell me anything, you know how Lily is.”
“I know, but she’s the one who booked her tickets that I’m sure of, so your job is to go home and find out which country Lily bought the tickets for.”
“How sure are you?”
“I’m very sure, just help me with this one, please,” I begged.
"Okay, calm down. I’ll do it, but first I have to attend a meeting with an important client.”
“Ask Bruce to replace you.”
“The client specifically asked for me.”
“Alright, it’s fine, but please don’t forget to do what I’m asking you to do,” I reminded him, and as he nodded, I took out my phone and dialled a number.
“Detective,” I said as the man on the other end picked up. I heard Lucas giggle, and I turned to point at him before I walked out of his office.
GEORGIA, ATLANTA 2017~DAMIAN~"Yes, Mr. Winters, how are you?”“I’m doing well, how are you, detective?”“I’m also well, how may I assist you today?”“My wife is missing.”“Sir, Mrs. Winters is missing?”“No, she’s not missing... I mean, we had a misunderstanding, and she’s nowhere to be found,” I explained. Why did he even care?“Oh, alright, sir, maybe she’s with her grandmother, or...”“No, she left the country, I just want you to find out which country she went to.”"Okay, that’s simple. I can go to the airports with her information, and I’ll easily find out the country, but for that to happen, we need to have a case against her, the ports don’t give out personal information unless we have a case.”“I understand, tell them she departed with my assets,” I thought quickly."Sir, that can be..”“Just do it, detective, or are you tired of your job? You know I can..”"Understood, sir. I’ll get back to you before the end of the day.”“That’s what I thought,” I said and hung up.Just as
TEXAS, HOUSTON 2017~SIERRA~"Shit, where’s that belt?” I cursed as I started looking for my belt. It’s a challenge for us plus-size women to wear an office skirt without a belt, it makes you look unprofessional. When I found it, I placed it around my waist. It would also help in case no one wanted to hire a pregnant woman, as my bump was already showing. “I should register for a yoga class,” I reminded myself as I looked in the mirror. My hands unintentionally reached my bump. “We need to get this job,” I said out loud, and my eyes caught sight of my hair, it was copper, my natural hair color. Three years ago, I had to dye it to my husband's —well, now my ex-husband’s demand. Lily sent me a copy of the divorce last week. I’ve been in Houston for two weeks now. I have been looking for a job but with no luck. They all either wanted to be bribed or get into my pants. I was not going to lose my dignity, especially now that I was pregnant. After I admired my hair in the mirror, I gra
TEXAS, HOUSTON 2017~SIERRA~“Ms. Reid, we can cancel the event, we still haven’t confirmed with them.”“No, the event will go on.”"But, Ms. Reid, the ingredients will cost more than they are paying,” my supervisor insisted.“I know, but we are trying to make loyal customers, trust me, it is a good business move,” I told her and continued calculating the event budget. We finished with the paperwork yesterday, and now I am the legal owner of Wine and Dine. We agreed on the cost of seven hundred thousand, which left me with enough money to at least build this restaurant. There’s a wedding event taking place, and the budget forced me to use my funds.“I didn't inform you yet, but the chef quit.”“He what? Why?”“He got a better offer, Wine and Dine is broke and couldn't pay him a reasonable salary,” she said, and I nodded.“That's fine, just get all the ingredients we need and ask two of the waitresses to wait for me in the kitchen, I'll do the cooking,” I told her, as I couldn't affor
TEXAS, HOUSTON 2023~SIERRA~“Oh my gosh, Ingrid!” I was frightened as my daughter jumped over the colorful tires.“Don’t worry, Ms. Reid, she's fine,” Beatrice, my assistant, assured me.“Mommy! Mommy! I jumped,” she excitedly screamed."Yes, you did my love, now come to Mommy,” I sweetly said, as I didn't want her to continue jumping over the tires. These activities were fun, but I always got scared whenever I saw them having this much fun. I didn't want them to get hurt or for anything to happen to them."No, Mommy, I still want to jump.” She refused and continued jumping. Ingrid was my copy, she had Damian's brown eyes, but her facial features and hair were mine. She was outspoken, but I loved her dearly because of her confidence.My eyes landed on Nathan, who was on the hopscotch. He was very good at numbers, and he outdid his friends. Nathan was Damian’s copy, with his loose waves, brown eyes, nose, and all his facial features —exactly Damian. He was smart and careful. I smiled,
~SIERRA~“Please tell Lana to pack the kids’ bags, you can pack your bags too, we are going to Georgia,” I told her as she picked up the phone, which fell on the floor and ended the call.“Right away, Miss, should we pack for a month or...”“Just for a few days,” I said and turned to my instructor, who was waiting expectantly. “I'm sorry, but we have to cancel class today. I have to fly to Georgia for an emergency.”"Alright, I understand, Ms. Reid. Just let me know once you come back,” she said as she gathered her things."Yes, of course.” I tried to sound strong, but deep down, I just felt like crying. Nana was the one who raised me, my mother died years ago of stomach cancer. She was the reason I married Damian. My mother needed money for surgery, but my father was not willing to help. Damian was my father's lawyer. The time I went to beg for money, he was with my father, and the next day he showed up at the hospital and offered to pay for my mother's surgery only if I married him
~SIERRA~“Are you sure?”"Yes, Ms. Reid, it is a good financial move,” he said."Oh, are we doing formality again?” I joked as I sipped my glass of wine and sat on the stool."Well, I’m still your employee, and we are talking about business.” Yes, Gilbert was my lawyer and financial advisor. He also helped manage some of my restaurants while balancing his job as a lawyer and financial advisor. He told me he was living his dream life.“So what companies are you suggesting?” I asked as I placed my glass of wine on the table and focused on my laptop."Well, there are a lot of options. The Fosters need shareholders and investors, while The Winters desperately need shareholders.”“Wait, did you say The Winters?” “Yes, they are going bankrupt..”“Bankrupt?” I didn’t let him finish.“Yes, and now it’s easy to get a hold of their shares because their shareholders are selling their shares.”“Interesting,” I said as my mind thought for a second. It would be good to buy shares in Damian’s compa
~DAMIAN~“Are you serious?”"Yes, I’m serious, Cassie. I have a case, and it needs my full attention.”“So you’re indirectly saying I’m a distraction?”"Well, a little. I just need to be alone now, okay? I will catch up with you tomorrow,” I told her, ending the call. She was so annoying, every time she came over, all we did was what she wanted. She was very bossy and selfish. I will literally burn while she’s watching, and she wouldn’t even help. Well, I didn’t feel like cooking today, so I came up with an excuse of work.I poured myself whisky and stood by the glass window as I stared out into the night sky. I couldn’t help but wonder how my life would be if I were with Sierra, she was so sweet and loving. She let me do whatever I wanted. Not that Cassie is bad, I mean, she’s much hotter than Sierra, so I understood the difference. I was still distracted in my thoughts when my phone started ringing, and I realised it was the head of the financial department of my company, Ethan.“
~DAMIAN~“SIERRA?” I absentmindedly gasped as I felt my heartbeat beat faster."Sorry, I'm late,” she said as she sat across from me. I was in the head seat, and she took the second in the command seat.“Wow, she's very pretty,” Ethan whispered, but loud enough for all to hear. His eyes were on her, and shockingly, she had her eyes on him too.