LAKE“It doesn’t matter, Moses, as long as my son and his wife are safe.” He sighed heavily. “I shouldn’t have done what I did. I was so filled with anger that I couldn’t control my son.”I drew a deep breath and felt better with his admission. “What done is done, Dad.”“If I can’t pay off the father, I might have to do something you all might not like. I don’t want what happened days ago will happen again. I’ll make a deal with Francesco. I will tell you as soon as I have arranged a meeting with him.”“What can we do, papa?”“Nothing, son.” He looked at Terzo. “Do you know he has a beautiful daughter?”Terzo’s facial expression darkened. “What does it have to do with me?”“Maybe you should settle down, Terzo. Your sisters have gotten married.”“No way.” With a deep frown between his eyebrows, he shook his head harshly and put back the cigar into his lips. And then he said something in Italian.“Show some respect, Terzo. They may not understand what you said, but they are our guests.”
MAVERICK“He’s going to be okay.” My words didn’t uplift Lake. His father just got into the operating room twenty minutes ago.There could be a possible complication during surgery, and that worried him. Considering this was just the beginning of Wallace’s treatment, I understood his concern, and then another crucial long-term treatment was chemotherapy with a lot of possible side effects.“Babe?” I gripped his shoulders, and he placed his hand on mine, nodding slightly. “Are you okay with being here by yourself? I have to go back to the office.”I glanced at a few people present. Wallace’s assistant and bodyguard were among them. Beatreigh was here, and so was Aurelia, who did not hide her worry.“Yeah.” He lifted his gaze at me. “Don’t work hard, okay? That’s an order.”My brow arched. “Is that my boss talking or my husband?”He managed to put a slight smile on his lips as he rose to his feet. “Both.”“Fine, but because you asked me nicely.” I hugged him tight. “Don’t worry, dada. Y
MAVERICK“She said her name is Florence Bates. She has no appointment but insists and says she’s your mother. She’s at the lobby.”My mouth hung open as I dropped the call. My chest squeezed hard. My stomach dropped. I didn’t know how to react. I was overwhelmed with many emotions and didn’t know how to hold them all together.“Hey. What’s wrong?”I stared at Cooper. “My mother is in the lobby?”His eyes went wide. “Your estranged mother? How?”“I don’t know.” I got up and slipped my phone into my pocket. “Estranged is a better term. More like a ghost mother, a non-existent mother.”“You don’t have to see her.” I knew he would say it, but she would keep coming back until I faced her.“I’m sure I know why she’s here, and she will keep coming back if I won’t put an end to this.” I took a deep breath before I walked out of the office premises.I went downstairs to the lobby. I couldn’t even remember how she looked. She abandoned me while she was supposed to bathe me, put me to bed, and r
LAKE“Hey. How are you feeling?”“Fine.” She took another bite of the purple macaron Homer bought for her.I didn’t know why she suddenly liked purple, but watching her engrossed in that thing made me want to punch someone.I took her home after that incident, no matter how much she resisted and insisted on working. She needed to rest and let what had happened sink in.She had changed from work clothes to a baggy shirt and shorts. Now, she was on the sofa with her chin tucked on her knee.She didn’t talk much, and that was what worried me. She must have been shocked seeing the mother who abandoned her and suddenly appeared after twenty years.“Baby?”“You should go back to the hospital.” She didn’t even look at me. She was staring at the skyscraper outside.“Aurelia is there. You need me here.”“Then take me with you.”“What?” I sat across hers. “No. You need to rest. I’m sure you’re shocked.”“You’re overreacting. I’m fine.”“You don’t look fine.”She glared at me. “Do I look like I
MAVERICKI wriggled and squirmed wildly while on four. With my throbbing clit and aching core, he denied my orgasm, and it pissed me off.I pushed my ass back, demanding his cock inside me. Every time I was about to come, he pulled it out.“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I turned my head and looked over my shoulder.“Will you stay still? Stop fighting.” He lifted one large hand and brought it down on my ass cheek. A sharp and cracking sound echoed. It stung, yet it instantly sent a delicious sensation between my legs, making my clit throb, demanding a fondle.“How is it going down to take my burgers a crime? You punished me for that?” My breasts were heavy, and my nipples pebbled rock hard. I could feel the coldness of my wetness between my thighs from the prolonged exposure.“You never ever listen to me because I am too lenient.” His hand landed precisely on the same spot. The sting was quickly replaced by a flood of heat and a steady pulse of pleasure throbbing in my core
LAKE“What’s this?” It was obviously the receipt of her money sent to her account.”“I don’t want it anymore. We already talked about this.” She pushed the paper back to me. “I’ll transfer it back to you later.”“Baby, this is yours. And here.” I have her the booklet from a real estate. “I’ve picked a house that I know you might like.”“Are you kicking me out of your house?” She eyed me intently.“Don’t be silly.” I pulled her into my lap. “A house is a part of our agreement, and I know the contract has been terminated, but our relationship is not, and I promised to buy you a house. So, I won’t take no for an answer.”With narrowed eyes, she stared right into me. “If I were to pick a house, I would choose something big and expensive.”I grinned. Yes. “Take a pick. My first choice since you like beaches, how about Southampton?”“What?” Her eyes widened. “No, that’s— how much is that? Ten, fifteen?”“Yeah. Something like that.”“No. That’s a lot.”I shrugged. “I already picked one. All
MAVERICKWe finally found out the gender of our baby this morning. I could see the joy in Lake’s eyes as the doctor told us. He was excited and couldn’t wait to meet our baby. He was even teary-eyed as he kissed my tummy.One thing he assured me was that he didn’t care about either a boy or a girl as long as our child was healthy, and I couldn’t agree more.On the other hand, I was a little bit scared of a lot of things, including labor and the pressure of being a first-time mother.I was still astounded at how lucky I was to be his wife. Aside from being overprotective and bossy, he was also thoughtful and loving.After Beatreigh, Nana, and I visited a bridal boutique, we had a late lunch, and then I decided to pay a visit to my husband, who was never invited to the Chairman and CEO’s office. The last time I planned on walking into this building was my confrontation with Wallace, but it didn’t happen.So, I thought I would surprise Lake.I knocked on his office door when Venus told m
MAVERICK“Linden made fun of me. He sent me every copy of the books he read while Estelle had their first baby, Gabrielle. I’m done reading the first two books.”“Is that why you’re so calmer than me because of these books?”“You may be stubborn, but when it comes to our unborn child, you’re very responsible. Hence, we never argued about it. We most argued about money and my spending on you.”“I did not tell you that I love the ring.” I raised my hand. It was a Marquise cut, the same size as my first engagement ring.“Thank you, baby. I have good taste, you know.” I found some meaning in his words.“I bet.”Once he was done eating, he went to a small fridge and brought two bottled water. He opened one and gave it to me.“Thank you.” I drank it.“Can you stay a little longer?”“Why? Isn’t a chairman and CEO has a lot of work to do?”“That can wait.” He stood before me, cupped my head, and kissed me hard.My hands came to his arms, gripping them as he deepened the kiss and shoved his to