Chapter 110Melissa Relief washed through me when we finally arrived at his house, which used to be my house as well. Cold chills ran down my spine as a nostalgic feeling hit me hard in the chest. The building was still the same including the type of flowers that bordered around the facade of his beautiful penthouse. The pool glittered under the rays of light reflecting from the incandescent bulbs. Like a gentleman he was, he opened the car door for me and waited for me to come out before closing it. "I miss this place." I muttered under my breath before I could stop myself, but my voice wasn't that inaudible because he gazed at me with a curious expression. "Have you ever been here before? How can you miss a place you've never been to?" He asked in amusement and I quickly let out a nervous giggle. "Don't take my words seriously. This place just reminds me of a place I've been to before, that's all." I let out the words in a rush and gave myself a mental slap for not keeping a l
Chapter 111Melissa I couldn't let him go back in like that so I knocked again. "Look, I know you don't want to talk to me and I deserve it, but I beg that you give me a chance to explain everything to you." His door flung open almost immediately and then he did the unexpected. One moment I was pleading to get in, the next month I was being swept off my feet and tossed on the bed like a pack of cards. His eyes darkened as he lowered himself over me, his hands forming a cage by my sides, with me in between. "What are you doing to me, Melissa?" He growled, and brought his lips closer to the nape of my neck. "Why can't I stop thinking about you?" His guttural groans cause my body to spike with pleasure. I was ready for anything he planned to do to me and I didn't want him to hold back. We could have the conversation later. "The feeling is mutual, sweetheart." I said, locking my gaze on him. He trailed his fingers around the fabric of his shirt which came off with one rip. I was na
Chapter 112Author's POV TWELVE HOURS BEFORE She made her way to a table arranged for couples only, with a disapproving expression at his distasteful choice of venue. She felt like throwing a punch at him for deciding to ruin her perfect day, but she knew better than to go physical on him. "Why am I here, Liam?" She snarled as she stopped by the seat opposite his, while his lips stretched into a grim smile. "I've missed you so much, sweetness. You don't come to visit me anymore. Am I that bad?" He asked, his eyes almost undressing her as she sank onto the chair. "Don't use that name on me, Liam." She challenged, "I'm not your girlfriend." He burst into laughter while she rolled her eyes and folded her arms. "Of course, you are sweet down there and thinking about how wet you used to be for me makes me hard right now. If you want, we could go upstairs and I'll fuck your brains out. I know you miss me." He wriggled his brows at her. Emilia stared at him without saying a word, she
Chapter 113Melissa My eyes fluttered open and I glanced at the wall clock. I quickly scurried out of the bed as a sense of urgency arose within me. It was almost 8am and I was to attend the board meeting today. Dexter, who had woken up because of the little noises I made stared at me with a puzzled expression. "Where are you rushing off to? Is there any problem?" He asked, rubbing his eyes which already had dark patches underneath them. I pitied the man. He had gone through a lot to save me last night, now his daughter was under the weather. I wished there was a way I could make him feel better. "Work. I have to be at the meeting." I replied, then a realisation of the mistake I made hit me hard. I shouldn't have allowed him to get some shares in the company, because he'd become a stakeholder and that would give him the opportunity to come for meetings. And if he saw Leonardo there... Oh no. What have I done? "The meeting? I'm supposed to be there as well." He said in regret.
Chapter 114Melissa "I was able to speak to my late mother's lawyer." I said to my dad as we crossed the waiting area and headed towards the parking lot. He didn't look too happy, but I didn't give it much thought. "Why did you have to go there alone? What if something bad had happened to you?" He asked, his voice harsh with concern. The change in his tone got me alarmed, but I just summed it up to the fact that he cared for me and didn't want me to get hurt. "I'm a grown ass woman, dear father. The meeting went well and I've got everything under control. You don't have to be worried, alright?" I tried to assuage his fear, and I guessed it worked because he smiled at me and wrapped his arm around me. "I just care for you so much, that's why I'm so bothered. I know that I encouraged you to fight for what belongs to you, but I think I made a mistake." His eyes blazed with regret. "No! No!" I argued. "Don't say that..." We had already gotten to his car since he wanted to take me
Chapter 115Melissa I was at his house, just like we'd planned in the morning, but now, there was a difference behind my reason for being here. He placed a glass of chilled water in front of me which I gulped without taking a break. I wanted to ask for alcohol, but then I knew that I would be wasting my time because once the effect wore off, I'd be reminded of my ugly problem again. "What happened, Melissa? Your face is puffy and your eyes are swollen like you have been crying for the whole day. Tell me who made you cry." He growled. I gazed at him and shivered. His eyes darkened and the way his jaw was set told me that he was ready to go out there and hunt down anyone who caused me pain. Though I was mad at Mr Rogers, I didn't want him dead. "I want us to have a deal, Dexter..." He shook his head in disagreement. "If the deal means that I'll have to spare anyone who hurt you, then have it at the back of your mind that I won't agree." A smile crawled to my lips, my heart melt
Chapter 116Melissa My fingers trembled as I planted a knock on Mr Rogers' door. It felt weird to regard him by his last name when I'd taken him to be my father, but what could I do? If Dexter hadn't convinced me to come and see him, I wouldn't have bothered. My father—Mr Rogers had been calling me since yesterday, even till now. I wondered how relieved he'd be when he saw me at his door. Speaking of his door, it moved open, with him behind it. It took him some seconds to register the fact that I was standing before him. His eyes lit up and his lips stretched broadly into a smile. My heart almost melted but I shoved off the fluttery feelings. I wasn't here for reconciliation. I just needed to get some explanations that would help me get closure. "Oh, Melissa, you finally came." He tried to hug me, but I stiffened and subconsciously took a step backward. The smile crashed when he realised that I didn't want any form of closeness from him. "Can I come in?" I knew that I sounded r
Chapter 117Dexter Why did I feel like going to Emilia's house was a bad idea? It was because of this same thought that I didn't bother to visit her when she told me that her house was broken into. Knowing how deceitful she could be, I didn't see the need to go until she called me again this afternoon. Presently, I was standing in front of her apartment, contemplating on going back or seeing through my plans. I chose the former and knocked on her door. It opened and she came out, training a scowl at me. "It took you ages to get here." She whined while I rolled my eyes. I rolled my eyes incessantly when I was with her because she was very annoying. "Are we going to have the conversation out here or do you want me to get home?" "Come in," She said lazily and I did, running a quick scan around the living room. The walls were still intact, the same went for the windows which were odd. If there was a break in, the first place they'd think of exiting would be through the window excep
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