Chapter 72Lorraine "These dresses are so beautiful." Stella cooed, as she accompanied me to the dress store. Several beautiful wedding dresses caught my attention, their designs appealing and mind blowing, making me wish I could try all of them. I would have been more happy if Victoria was around to shop with me. She had a good sense of fashion, and with just one look, she'll make the perfect choice for me. "Yes, they are very beautiful. I can't wait to find the right one." I agreed, blushing as we trotted further into the store. An attendant walked towards us with a charming bright smile that I couldn't help but return. "Good morning. I'm here to shop for a dress." I announced with more enthusiasm needed than usual. She clapped her hands eagerly. "Well, you're in the right place because over here, there are hundreds of beautiful dresses you can pick from at affordable prices. And if you want, I can help you choose what suits you then we'll start with the fitting." She offered.
Chapter 73Lorraine Dexter was already at the facade of our house, waiting for me since Drake was able to bring Stella and I home successfully, but I was more than livid. I was damn furious. First of all, how did Drake know about my stepfather and why was he chasing me with a gun? "Oh, Lorraine!" He ran towards me, giving me a bear hug that I'd have enjoyed if I wasn't too tense to be acting all cozy with him. "Your skin," His eyes trailed down my body, darkening as he sighted the bruises. After the shootout, I regretted wearing the sleeveless halter-neck dress I later opted for, instead of the simple pair of T-shirt and jeans I'd chosen the first time. "What do you know about my stepfather?" I seethed, my voice dropping to a very low degree. He flinched, totally not expecting my cold tone. "What are you talking about, Lorraine?" He feigned ignorance, evading my piercing gaze. "Your stepfather is still around?" I rolled my eyes and shoved him aside, storming into the living r
Chapter 74Dexter Dante lit up a cigarette and inhaled deeply while Drake let out a pain filled groan while taking the bullet out of his arm. I'd have taken him to a hospital but I wasn't ready for unnecessary questions, and since he was good at taking care of his injuries, I let him do it. "Once again, thank you for saving my wife. I really appreciate it." He nodded, wiping the blood with a wet towel then wrapped his arm with a bandage. I didn't know how I'd repay him but the heavens knew that I'd try somehow. "It's fine, boss. How's she doing?" He asked. "Pretty shaken up. She's surprised that her stepfather is lurking around the corner so that got her scared, but I'd make sure nothing happens to her. Anyone who wants to hurt her would have to come through me first." My jaw ticked in resolution because everything I'd said was the truth. "Lorraine is a kind woman. She doesn't deserve to have someone as wicked as him for a father. I swear I'll kill him again if he ever comes cl
Chapter 75Lorraine The closer we got to our wedding day, the more my excitement heightened, and today I and my new friends would be going on the second round of shopping. Girls would always be girls, because I could feel their ecstasy when I informed them of the shopping. Fortunately, Drake wouldn't be the only available bodyguard as Dexter was trying to take precaution because of last time. Instilled with fear from the previous shootout, I wore a long pink sleeved tank top with a pair of skinny jeans that hugged my curves, then matched it with white strappy low heels. I let my chestnut hair flow down my waist, enhancing my already beautiful face. Victoria was living with us already and since Stella was presently living with Drake, we'd have to pick her up as well. Finally, we were all together in Dexter's Cadillac. The men; Drake and Dante occupied the front seats with Dante taking the position of the driver due to Drake's injured arm. "It's so good to see you again, Stella."
Chapter 76Lorraine He finally gave me his personal number so I could contact him about the location of the wedding. I didn't know why I should be that excited that a stranger—no—new friend that I just made, would grace my wedding. I would tell Dexter about it once he comes back. Satisfied that I'd returned home before him, I decided to execute the exciting plans I'd been making in my head. I began with dinner. I couldn't remember the last time I cooked for him, since he boasted constantly that he was a better cook than I was. He deserved to be pampered, and tonight, he'd get loads of it from me. I donned on an apron, the one Dexter normally wore when he wanted to enter 'chef mode', then I went ahead to get some ingredients from the pantry and began the preparation. Cooking was tasking in all ramifications, which I avoided like a plague but it didn't mean that I wasn't a good cook, and tonight I'd show Dexter how useful I could be in the kitchen. A few hours later, I served la
Chapter 77Dexter She walked away and there was no way I wouldn't follow her. I'd have reacted the same way she was reacting now if I were in her shoes. Fuck Edith for being a bitch! If Lorraine decides to call it quits, then Edith will bear the brunt. She couldn't interfere with my life like that and go scot-free. I followed her up the stairs, my chest ripping apart as I noticed that she wasn't heading to our room. If she knew that I was behind her, she didn't utter a word. "Lorraine, please listen to me, we need to talk." I said calmly, my eyes pleading at the same time, but it didn't seem to have any effect on her because her eyes were like steel. No emotion could be seen in them. She dragged in a deep breath like she was trying to calm her nerves. That made me happy because I almost thought that she had no feelings at all. "What do we have to talk about?" She replied sharply, her face radiating nonchalance. I squinted my eyes in confusion, not knowing what to say. At this p
Chapter 78Lorraine Gladness filled my heart as I peeled the wedding dress off my body and had the attendant package my dress. The final fitting had been done and I was more than ready to stand in front of Dexter to declare my vows. Drake, whose arm was getting better, drove me from the dress store to the location of our wedding, where Dexter and I would meet up to supervise the decorations of the venue and make changes where needed. The view that I saw when I got down from the car got my eyes popping in pleasant surprise. This was exactly what I wanted—what I dreamt of. The white cauliflowers and pink carnations bordered towards the beach front in Malibu, with a lighter shade of pink curtains draped on the pillars. "It's so beautiful," I muttered under my uneven breath, my eyes darting around and taking note of the ethereal scenery. The decorators knew their jobs so well because I could hardly detect any changes to be made. My eyes caught the sight of the gray tuberoses whic
Chapter 79Lorraine Finally! My big day. I couldn't explain the kind of joy that steadily seeped through me while I stared at my gorgeous reflection in the mirror. A smile crept to my face, as my fingers trailed along the diamond necklace that Dexter gifted me last night. The crystals glittering as the sun rays touched it reminded me of how blown away I was when I read the note that followed the gift box. It matched the color progression of my dress and my grey eyes. Right now, everything was perfect. I basked in the heightened elegance it brought me and made a mental note to find something really beautiful to give him in return. My eyes swept through the dress once again and then I decided that I'd made the right choice. Dexter would be over the moon when he saw me walk down the aisle, and so would everyone else present at the ceremony. I tried hard to blink away the tears that were beginning to form in my eyes at the realisation that my real father who should have walked m
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