Chapter 96Melissa We had almost gotten to the passenger's seat when I decided to intervene. "I'm not sure Emilia will like this. She might be hurting." I uttered softly, knowing that I was stirring up his emotions. "As if," He scoffed and dropped me on the ground then opened the car door. "First of all, she hurt you first and I'd have to talk to her about it later. Secondly, I don't really care about her, alright? So stop worrying about trivialities and allow me to take care of you." He grumbled, my heart racing faster. "Yes, sir." I replied sarcastically, my body giddy with suppressed excitement and went in. No lies, I was hurting. She'd pulled my hair too hard and if not for the trap I'd set for her, I would have faced her squarely. But this wasn't the time to go physical on her. Using my emotions and acting weak would get more reactions. I silenced my phone intentionally because of the notifications that threatened to cause a malfunction in my device. I'd take care of revenge
Chapter 97Dexter Primal possessiveness stirred up within me while I patiently waited for her response. "What if I said I have one?" A flirtatious smile crept to the crook of her lips as she batted her lashes at me. "I don't think I'll like that." I stated as a matter of fact. Her eyes widened as she wiped her lips with a paper towel. "Why won't you like that? You are not even my friend, yet." She dragged on which only fueled my jealousy—no, not jealousy, maybe it was something else. I couldn't harbor such feelings that could make any man unreasonable. But I definitely didn't want any man around her and I certainly didn't want to be just her friend. I wanted to be much more than that. "Because I don't want you having one." I growled and a spark flickered in her eyes, her sensuous lips parting slightly as she averted her gaze from me. Her tongue ran over her lower lip while I took note of every action. One thing was sure, I'd made her uncomfortable in a good way. "You're very
Chapter 98Melissa "Hi, dad," I greeted as soon as he responded to the call. I was leaning over the window, my eyes trained on the high rising buildings that stretched out of Beverly hills. This was one of the few times I had to admire the city. "Good morning, Melissa. How have you been?" He replied enthusiastically, his warmth creating a sense of relaxation around me. Just by speaking with him, I felt better already, but today, I wasn't on the phone with him just to find solace. I needed a huge favor from him; one that I'd never asked for before. "I'm alright, dad. Well, I called because I need a favor from you." "Tell me what you want." I took in a deep breath with my eyes shut, then spewed out the words. "I want you to buy up the majority of the shares from Hill's Jewelry." I requested. Silence ensued, increasing my anticipation. "If you can't do it, I won't bother you, dad." I said in a rush and he chuckled. "You don't have to say that, Mel, I was just going through the c
Chapter 99Melissa Being at Hills Jewelry once again filled me with a sickening surge of resentment. Any time I remembered that Leonardo was still presiding as CEO, a strange kind of anger burned within me. After taking some deep breaths and calming myself, I walked straight into his office. Erica told me beforehand that he was free, but even before she told me, I already knew he would be. He was just a mistake of a CEO and soon, I'd have to speak with the directors that voted him in. He rose to his feet as soon as I walked in, a wry smile plastered on his annoying face. "You're welcome, Miss Rogers. It's such a pleasure to have you here once again." I did an invisible eye roll and shook his outstretched hand, my attention slightly fixed on his seat. Soon, I'd take over his position. Soon. "I decided to stop by because I have a business proposal for you. Trust me, it will bring more benefits for both of us." I informed him a bit enthusiastically. At the mention of busines
Chapter 100Melissa The room suddenly became too hot for me to stay in, but the desire to hear about my father overwhelmed the need for me to get some air. "No, I don't know anything about him." I admitted, my heart racing faster than normal. "Can you tell me his name?" I wasn't sure about what I'd do with his information. I couldn't even begin a journey of finding a man that didn't care to reach out to me, and there were other important things begging for my attention, but at least I'd get to know his name since my late mother never told me about him. She sighed and held my hands. "I'm going to tell you a story. It will be lengthy but you'll get all the answers to your questions if you are ready to listen to me." "Just go on, ma'am, I have all the time." I encouraged her and prepared myself for what she was about to say. "Your late mother was my friend and we ran this business together. She was loving and caring, and knowing that I didn't have much money, she gave me a job when
Chapter 101Dexter I held the bag of chocolates and cookies that I bought for Lilly tightly then knocked at the door. Surprisingly, the door gave way and then I observed that it wasn't closed. My eyes caught the sight of a black bralette hung on the knob of the door, then a rumpled dress on the floor. Irritation swelled within me when I found a black lace thong at the edge of her armchair. I sighed in annoyance and marched to her room. How could she have brought someone into her house while Lilly was around? Even though I lived alone, I never brought a woman into my house. Each time the urge came to mess around, I either went to a bar or a hotel, so this was clearly unacceptable. I banged furiously on her door and heard cusses flying out from her mouth. The sound of her footsteps scurrying towards the door told me that she had detangled with her lover. She opened the door slightly, and stretched out her head which I observed to be disheveled from the moment of passion. "What ar
Chapter 102Melissa "Your dad is coming to get you, alright?" I said softly to the little girl who looked like she was about to burst into tears at any moment. She babbled incessantly, her words unclear, but I didn't want to see her cry so we got into the car, and I drove off to an ice cream shop. My mind reverted to the first time Dexter and I went to an ice cream parlor. My lips stretched into a smile as I remembered how we sang carefreely, like we had no problem. Lilly's little fingers grazed my chin and I peered down at her with a reassuring smile, but my heart ached for what could have been. If not for the poison, I'd have had a beautiful daughter like Lilly with Dexter. I was already looking for solutions, but I haven't gotten any good feedback from my doctor. We stopped by the counter and immediately she pointed at a strawberry flavored ice-cream, clapping in excitement and flashing her little set of teeth. "Do you want that?" I chuckled. She nodded with a giggle
Chapter 103Melissa My body tingled with excitement as I bit back an encouraging smile. "You want to feed me?" He winked, massaging his temples. "If you want me to." My insides throbbed with heat, a pool of wetness forming between my thighs. I waved it off with a nervous chuckle and took a deep breath. "I'll go and get us some glasses." I quickly did something akin to a race to the kitchen then banged the door shut. My breath was uneven as I hoped that Dexter wouldn't notice my uneasiness. How could his mere presence evoke such raw emotions from me? If I could be aroused by a brief flirtatious conversation, then I wondered what would happen if he decided to kiss me. My body shivered at the thought as I remembered all the night I had to touch myself to orgasm with his memory stuck in my brain. I craved him like a drug and now that he was here, I was shying away? On remembering the reason I came into the kitchen in the first place, I picked out two wine glasses from the cabinets,
Chapter 160ONE YEAR LATER "You look so ravishing," Mrs Gonzales cupped my made up cheeks and planted a kiss on my forehead. "Thank you, aunt." I beamed with a smile as the veil was set on my head while she left the room to attend to something else. Aunty Rosa, as I fondly called her, had become a part of the family. I made her the CEO of my company as she was more than capable of being a leader, and also, I wanted to compensate her for everything she did for my mother. I was fine with being a consultant and when she was ready to retire, I'd take over. Since we moved to Colorado, my life with Dexter had been all shades of fun. The happiness I craved for after losing my mother was restored, and never did a day pass without me thanking the universe for granting me my wishes. And today, after five months of having my twins; Nyla and Brian, I was ready to walk down the aisle and experience what a beautiful wedding felt like. I stood in front of the mirror and stared at how wel
Chapter 159Melissa I peered down at Dexter's sleeping face and sighed. Doctor Luca had constantly assured me that he would be fine, but I was yet to understand why he hadn't woken up already. If Leonardo had succeeded in killing him, I'd have resurrected his dead body and murdered him myself. Actually, I low-key wished that I was the one who shot him, but it didn't matter anymore because he was dead and gone. Staring at the tubes connected to his body caused goosebumps to cover my skin. He was in the situation because of me. My mind wandered as several thoughts filtered in and out of my head. Lilly had come earlier with Mary to visit him, but even her presence couldn't stir him up. No! He couldn't remain this way forever. He had to wake up. I took one of the chairs in the ward and sat beside him, entwining our fingers while I used my free fingers to caress his face lightly. He was still the most handsome man I'd ever seen, even in unconsciousness. "Cupcake, how are you
Chapter 158Melissa Blood drained from my face as the bullet went straight to his chest, causing him to slump on the ground. Leonardo pushed Lilly away and tried to break into a sprint, but he was gunned down by the cops who opened fire on him until his body was filled with bullet holes. If Dexter wasn't lying on the ground in the pool of his own blood, I'd have been rejoicing that the source of all my troubles was dead, but the sight of him in a lifeless state snuffed out any trace of happiness within me. "Get the ambulance, please!" I roared, my heart plummeting as blood gushed out from his mouth. I held his hands, my tears forming a wet mask on my face as I caressed his head. His eyes were shut, but I refused to believe that he was dying. I sat on the ground and placed his head on top of my neck, then I tore the hem of my dress and dabbed his chest with him to reduce the rate of the blood flow. All the while I did that, my heart skipped several beats and my fingers trembl
Chapter 157Dexter"You need to come back home now, sir, Leonardo is threatening to shoot the madam." Mary, my nanny, whispered with a note of urgency as if she was being restricted from talking. At the mention of his name, my heart skipped a beat and my palms became clammy with sweat. Not because I was scared of him, but with him in our house, my wife's safety wasn't guaranteed. I'd gotten her message so there was no need for us to keep talking. I dropped the call and put inspector James on the line. As the minutes passed, my anxiety skyrocketed, threatening to hit the roof. My previously distracted mind was transcending into a state of frenzy and I couldn't do anything about it. He picked up after what seemed like eternity, and if he wasn't a noble police officer, I'd have thrown a punch at him. "Hi, Mr Hemingway. How are—" I cut through the pleasantries with clenched teeth. "I'm not fine, inspector James, Leonardo is in my house right now." "What? How is that even possible?
Chapter 156Melissa The sun shone brightly, the atmosphere bubbly and charged, but my feelings were the direct opposite as I worked on packing the rest of my clothes. It was past one pm, and it gradually dawned on me that in less than three hours, I'd be leaving California to Mexico. Mexico was a nice country, but I wasn't sure it would be nice to me if Dexter wasn't there. What could I do about it? Nothing! The doorbell jingle, so I dropped the last pair of black shoes I'd selected as I didn't know what event I might be attending, even though I planned to stay indoors throughout my visit there. My chest tightened since I wasn't expecting any visitors, then I shook away my suspicion, reminding myself that if it was Leonardo he wouldn't be coming directly through the door. I took a peek at the peephole and found a man standing beside a bike with a box, causing me to frown. It was strange to see him because I didn't make an order and I clearly wasn't expecting anything from some
Chapter 155Melissa He came in, his expression glimmering with pure exhaustion. My eyes intently followed his sluggish movement as I tried to overcome the barrier between us so that I would welcome him properly. "You didn't tell me that you'll be coming back this late. I've been waiting." His eyes darted to his wristwatch, then he palmed his forehead with a sigh. "I'm so sorry. I lost track of time. Today was really hectic, several things had to be put in place and I wanted to oversee some of the activities by myself." He explained calmly, while I peered at him, my jaws slackened in surprise. We were supposed to be having a beef, but here he was, explaining how his entire day went even though his body screamed for rest. Strings of guilt gnawed at my chest as I fiddled with my fingers. I'd been completely selfish, and that was why I couldn't notice that my husband was slowly losing his mind because of my problems. I wasn't even making things easier for him. "Can you come over to
Chapter 154Melissa It was over a week since Leonardo managed to outsmart the cops and ran away, and I'd admit that I lost my peace of mind ever since. He could be lurking around, patiently waiting for the right time to strike and I wouldn't know. I wanted it all to end. I wanted to live happily with my family, take a long break from work and just reap all the fruits of my hard work, but all of my wishes wouldn't happen with Leonardo running freely while his daughter was behind bars. Dexter came into the room with a brown envelope in his hands. Once he heard that Leonardo had escaped, he lost his peace as he aided the cops in searching for him. He had become a shadow of his handsome self, as he was more interested in keeping Lilly and I safe. "Hi, cupcake, how was your day?" I asked as he sank on the bed and kissed my lips lightly. His hands moved to my abdomen which he caressed fondly. It was still flat as the pregnancy hadn't gotten to three months. It was a good thing becau
Chapter 153Melissa Seeing that everyone was already seated in the boardroom, including Leonardo and the rest of the staff, I stood up to address them. "I'm sure you are all wondering why I called for this impromptu meeting. It's because we have an important announcement to make, but before that, I'd like to appreciate everyone who is working tirelessly to ensure that Hills Jewelry is back to the top again." I said and they followed my speech with an ovation. I spoke to them with an air of confidence, passing glances at Leonardo who tried to hide his frown. If only he knew what I had in store for him today, he wouldn't be present at the meeting at all. But I found a way to lure him here, promising him that I was going to help him return to his former position. "You all showed me love and unwavering support, and in these few days of working together, we have been able to convince Troy Golds to partner with us. The partnership will be more beneficial to us because of their influenc
Chapter 152DexterMy heart thudded faster as I waited patiently in Doctor Luca's office for him to come with the DNA test result. I knew that Liam claimed to be Lilly's father and he had several ways of proving it, but for some unknown reasons, I hoped that a miracle would occur and the result would be in my favor. The door made a creaking sound as Doctor Luca let himself in. I searched his face for a clue, but as usual, his face gave away nothing. He sank onto his seat and said nothing for some seconds, then he inhaled and fixed his gaze on me. "The result is ready." He announced like I didn't know already. "Can I have it?" I asked curtly, getting cranky by the minute. He passed a brown envelope to me which I opened. A white paper fell out and I opened it, unwilling to drag the tension further. I scanned through the information, unable to make out what it meant until I got to the end and saw the statement of the result. My heart plummeted when I read that the probability of my