Chapter 34Lorraine Dexter did just as he promised. Before the agreed time, he came to the house and met me all dressed up. I put on a simple pair of flannel pant, a white tank top and a wedge heel. According to Bumpy, everything I needed for the shoot would be provided, I just had to be there on time. "You look good." He commented briefly, his eyes bright as he scrutinised my outfit. I tried hard to hide the blush that crept up my cheeks. "Thank you." I replied and made to walk away, but his hand was quick to grip my wrist and restrict me from taking another step. He snaked his arm around my waist and caught my chin between his fingers so that I could keep looking at him. We stared at each other in the silence, my heart thudding as I gauged the meaning of each look. My lips parted, inviting him to take a chance of kissing me but he did nothing, just staring. "I think we should leave now, I don't want to be late on my first appointment." I broke away from his grip, disappo
Chapter 35Lorraine I was stunned when he turned around to sit at the back seat with me. "What are you doing?" I straightened. He ignored my question and began to pass orders to the driver. "Keep driving around till I ask you to stop." After that, he hit a button and the privacy glass behind the driver began to slide up. He faced me, raking his huge fingers through the scalp of my hair. It was soothing like a massage, and at the same time, arousing. I was in a different kind of high. Not one caused by alcohol and drinks, but the one I felt just by his mere touch and lingering caresses. "I told you I want you," He rasped beneath my ear, his hand trailing towards my sex which shivered in anticipation. Through my panties, he touched me while I bit my lower lip to keep off the moan. Even though the glass was up, I couldn't risk the driver hearing my moans. "And by the look of things, you are more than ready for what I'm about to do to you." My breath was more than labored, I was li
Chapter 36Lorraine The realisation that I still loved him scared me. My stomach sank into a pit of hollowness as my mind kept processing the discovery. I didn't even know that I'd zoned out until he shook me hard. "Are you alright, baby? Did I hurt you?"He asked softly, producing a wipe from the cup holder by the side of the car. I couldn't let him know what I was thinking about, so I shook my head and flashed him a sweet smile. "How wouldn't I be alright after what you did this evening?" I said shyly, my cheeks heating up as he helped to clean me up. Then I noticed something, the car wasn't moving any more. "Where's the driver? Is he still here?" I probed, looking around. Dexter roared in laughter before he could give me an appropriate laughter, while pointing towards my face. "Do you... Do you think I'm going to hurt you?" He questioned amidst laughter. I rolled my eyes and leaned on the head rest. "You won't, but I'm just worried." I knew that I was worried for nothing but I
Chapter 37Dexter This woman was fun, and all I'd been seeing was the frustrated and wary part of her. She hadn't stopped smiling ever since she got into the parlor. She requested three different flavors of ice-cream and I was more than willing to give it to her. My only worry was that she could have a stomach upset later. I didn't care if she put on extra weight. Presently, she was scooping from the strawberry plate, licking it with laser focus. "Relax, it isn't running away." I teased her, chuckling. She dropped the plate and moved to the next. "I know it isn't, but can you allow me to enjoy this? I don't know when next you'll be available for me." She rasped, her voice a bit croaky because of the cold stuff she was taking in. My heart ached at her words. "Is that why you are always close to Arnold?" "Apart from the fact that he's a good friend, yes. He's always there for me. I remember the first time we went out, it was because you abandoned me like a nobody and went out wit
Chapter 38Lorraine Dexter literally forced the car to fly as he raced towards the house like a man on a wild goose chase. I couldn't blame him. The fear in Victoria's voice was unmistakable. The situation was really serious. My anxiety skyrocketed when I saw a few neighbors gathered in front of the house. Thankfully, the cops didn't let them in. I hated when my privacy was intruded upon and I knew Dexter disliked it as well. Victoria rushed to her brother as soon as she sighted him, and leaned on him for a hug. Even though we were sworn enemies, I understood what it meant to have someone hold you with an assurance that everything will be fine. "It's so scary. My God, it really is." She couldn't stop saying. My curiosity took the better part of me, but I couldn't go in until the cops had cleared us. Dexter had been snagged by one of the cops who engaged him in a serious conversation. Victoria kept passing glares at me like I was the cause of her problem but I ignored her, bein
Chapter 39Lorraine It didn't get any better from there as series of threats kept popping in my phone a few times a day with different lines. I kept wondering if the fellow had nothing serious to do than to threaten me and make my life miserable. Dexter assured me that he was already looking into it, and I hoped he was, because I was running mad with worry. Someone wanted me to leave him, but the problem was how he or she knew that we were together. Victoria had been more withdrawn since that day. Always keeping to herself inside the room except she was hungry and had to get her dinner. Something was absolutely wrong with her, but I couldn't ask because I didn't want to be insulted. Stefan called me over, informing me that we had some practice to do for the next show. He congratulated me for the success of the lingerie shoot. I could never have been more proud. Immediately I got to his office, I blindfolded his eyes with my palms. "Lorraine?" He called with a slight hint of unce
Chapter 40Dexter She followed me into the office, her ragged pants resonating in the room. I couldn't deny how proud I felt watching her stand up to Emilia. She got whatever she deserved and there was no way I'd punish Lorraine for it. I'd come to their floor just to watch her practice when I saw Emilia hurling insults at her. I wanted to step in so badly, but I didn't need to as Lorraine showed everyone that she couldn't be messed with. And Emilia, she was all talk without strength. It was good for her. "Aren't you going to scold me? I broke a rule." She said flatly, her voice calmer than I expected it to be. I reeled around on my executive chair. "Right now, I'm your boss and not your husband. You won't tell me what to do." She snorted and stomped her foot on the ground, biting her lips. She wasn't even afraid of what I could do to her. One word and her career would be over, yet she wasn't scared? "Alright, I'm sorry for what happened back there. Emilia got on my nerves and
Chapter 41DexterEmilia came in almost immediately, her cheeks swollen, and a very obvious shade of red on them. Her pointed nose had been battered and I was very sure it would take time for her to regain her previous perfect face. "You're such a disgrace, Dexter." She yelled at me. "How could a mere trainee insult me and hit me like that? Take a look at my face. My cheeks are hurting." "I'm sure your hands are still very capable of retaliating, but you didn't do anything other than allow her to remodel your face. I think I like this version," I teased her, enjoying her glares which didn't stem from just anger but resentment. It was obvious that she didn't like me anymore. I could sense it. "You think this is funny, huh?" She tsked, pacing around the office while I leaned on my chair, watching her fall apart. "I guess I might have been saying this all the time but you're surely going to pay for this humiliation. Maybe her body has gotten you hooked, but you'll get tired of her an
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