"Take it easy, Anna, everything's going to be fine, trust me," Caroline uttered on the phone. It was best to talk to someone, and the only person Anna thought about was Caroline. She didn't tell her about James or about what he was planning because she was certain Caroline would want to step in the way."Thanks a lot, I really appreciate everything you've done for me Caroline, I love you so much.""I love you so much, Anna. I'll come to check up on you during the weekend okay."The call ended soon, and Anna leaned back on her couch. Maybe right now, she needed Emma to be here and available for her, but at the same time, Anna didn't want her daughter to see her at her weakest point. Anna's eyes were red, teardrops clinging to her eyelashes and tracking down her flushed cheeks with each sob. It was so hard to understand what the hell was happening. Her dream job was gone, and if she didn't help her family, they would lose every damn thing.Anna wrecked her hand into her hair and rose to
Anna woke up with a bad feeling, staring at the wall for as long as she could until she heard her daughter call her attention."Mommy! Mommy!" Emma called and ran up to her mother for a hug and a peck on the forehead."My little angel, did you sleep well baby?" Emma nodded her head. "Mommy, I saw Daddy."Anna arched her brows and gripped her daughter's arms by mistake. When Emma winced in pain, she immediately let go. "I'm so sorry baby, I didn't know." Anna had been scared. Did James meet her daughter in secret?"Daddy, where did you meet Daddy?" Anna questioned wondering what the hell her daughter was saying. Her heart kept thumping so hard and fast as she stared at her daughter. "Damn it!" Anna cursed in silence knowing that her daughter would not be able to answer the question. "Nanny, nanny!" Anna called out loud and when Sophia rushed downstairs, Anna rose to her feet."Emma says she met her Daddy? What is my daughter talking about?""No, when we went to the park, she met a str
Anna tried to calm herself down by gripping her gown tight. "What? What do you mean he's gonna do something stupid?""I can't tell you the whole story, but right now, you're all he needs. Dylan…" Lucas paused for a second, gripping the wheel so tight because he would have to let Anna in on some things he wasn't supposed to, but right now, Dylan's safety was more important.When Lucas was done talking, Anna could blink her brows as she kept staring at him. "Oh my goodness!" She exclaimed even though Lucas had ensured not to fill her in some extra things."Do you have any plans for tonight?""What, why? I have a daughter to go to and…""What?" Lucas had almost halted the car, but he didn't, "You have a daughter?""Yeah, I have a daughter," Anna responded surprised at his expression. "Please, I'm begging you, I'll make sure she's safe no matter what. I can send a car to pick up your daughter and keep her safe in the mansion, but you have to be with him till he's alright. At least good e
NEXT MORNING:When Dylan woke up, he didn't bother to sit upright on the bed. He thought back on last night and everything that had happened. What happened at the bridge when he had almost done something very stupid to himself, and it was at that moment he suddenly recalled Anastasia. Her words rang in his ears over and over again.Dylan rose to his feet and began to pull off his shirt. He found a towel and tied it around his waist. There was a lot to do so he had to start getting ready. As he stayed under the shower, Anastasia kept popping up in his mind and no matter how much he tried to let her out of his head, it wasn't working. While still in the shower, Dylan had to hold onto his breath for a minute, before letting go.He stepped away from the shower and heaved deeply. Now wasn't the time to start thinking about the woman he had a very deep crush on, the woman who had comforted him yesterday, the woman who had made him realize that it wasn't the end of the world. He stepped ou
*ON THE PLANE*Dylan was focused on his iPad scrolling and staring at pictures from the internet so he could take his mind off thinking about Anastasia.He laid back on his seat and rested his head on the head seat. There was a lot on his mind, and Anna was part. Just that, she occupied more of it."Sir, here's your wine."Dylan opened his eyes and stared at the lady who was the cook on the plane. He nodded his head, and when she lowered her head, she walked away. Dylan didn't bother touching the wine, instead, he shut his eyes again letting his mind wander however it wanted to.After a while, he opened his eyes and found his suitcase. Something very special was in there, and it was something he was gonna need at home. Dylan drew it closer to himself and opened it up.His eyes spotted the two letters his adopted father had given him. He had read the first one, but he felt like opening up the second. The first one contained the seal of the main corporation and the signature of Mr Scott
Dylan opened his eyes when the plane landed, but deep down, he felt restless, as if something was wrong, but had no idea what exactly it was. "The car's ready," Lucas said, distracting his thoughts and he soon rose to his feet after a minute. Dylan stepped out of the plane and began heading towards the car with Lucas trailing behind him. As soon as his luggage was tucked in, the driver ignited the engine and drove away.It's been more than a year since he last saw Lyon, and Linda, his adopted Mom. Dylan brought out his phone to check out the news. Mr Henry's death was the talk of every damn news station at the moment, and although this was a hard time for him, he had to get everything done as soon as possible so he could leave.It took 2 long hours, but Dylan was finally there. The car halted right in front of King's Corporation, the head company amongst all others, and when the car was opened, Dylan stepped out putting on a pair of dark glasses. He tucked his hand into his pocket a
Lucas walked into the room to see Dylan busy with something on his phone. He called for his attention, and when Dylan raised his head to give him the attention he wanted, he cleared his throat."It's time to say your final goodbye," Lucas said, When Dylan heard this, he nodded his head. It was finally time to say his last goodbye to the man who had raised him for more than 12 years when he was 8. Dylan clearly remembered everything and how he was found when nobody wanted him. He had always been a quiet and shy person and he never spoke to anyone, but Mr Henry was the first person he spoke to after the death of his parents.He rose to his feet. He had never treated the man right yet he loved him so much. All of this made the guilt trigger even worse, but there was nothing he could do. His father had entrusted the companies to him, so he had to take good care of it since that was his last death wish.As for Lyon, he wasn't left with nothing. Lyon still had his company, but there was no
CHAPTER 23Anna groaned lightly as she opened her eyes, but was welcomed with a blurry vision of a man sitting a few inches away from her. She fluttered her brows once and groaned again realizing that she couldn't move her hands properly. The deep cut around her forehead had been stitched up and a bandage was used to prevent further bleeding around her forehead."You're awake."Anna was quick to recognize the voice that spoke the moment she opened her eyes and fluttered her brows again to get a clearer vision of him. He was seated with his legs crossed as he stared at her."How long have I been here?""Two days," Dylan responded, still seated calmly. "Two days? My daughter, where is my daughter?" Anna panicked as she realized Emma would be so worried about her. She tried to stand on her feet, but groaned aloud in pain,"You should stay still. Your daughter's safe." Dylan replied and rose to his feet. He walked towards the small table close to Anna and pressed a number on the telephon
EPILOGUE. SEVEN MONTHS LATER. A lot had happened in the past seven months since Dylan ran to the airport to stop Anna from leaving. Now, it wasn't smooth sailing between them; they both put in the work by going to therapy and working on their relationship, and they were good now, only choosing to go to therapy twice a month. Dylan stuck to his word, and he was the best husband; the night they came back home, he told her everything about her life, from the moment he was taken away to London, he told her everything, not leaving out any detail. He had also waited on her, hand and foot, since he found out she was pregnant, not letting her do any strenuous activities; he was the perfect husband and father. In those seven months, something else also took place, the cases were tried in court and her father and Mr. Smith were both sentenced for murder and Mr. Smith was first murder and attempted murder. Her father was sentenced to thirty years and Mr. Smith was
Anna and Emma arrived at the airport about forty minutes later, they didn't have much, just two suitcases, one for Anna and one for Emma. Anna paid the driver, and she and Emma got out of the car. She held Emma's hand and used her other hand to wheel in the suitcases. They were about an hour early for their flight. They walked into the airport, and she checked in her bags, and their tickets were scanned. The attendant told her that they would announce when the flight started to board. Anna thanked her, and then she and Emma walked over to some chairs to sit down. Emma had been quiet throughout the journey, and Anna knew it was because she missed her dad; she hated that she was feeling that way; it was all her fault. She was the one that brought Dylan into their lives. “Hey, sweetie, do you want to watch some cartoons on my phone while we wait?” Anna asked Emma. “Sure, I guess.” Emma said as she shrugged. Anna put on Bluey for her and gave Emma t
After Anna was discharged, she spent two days on bed rest by order of Caroline; she didn't complain, though; it gave her enough time to think of her next plan. Just like she thought, Dylan had not come to look for her, and she didn't blame him; in the end, they weren't meant to be together; there were too many secrets and lies between them, but it still didn't change the fact that she loved him. Emma has been asking for him constantly, and Anna has had to lie that he was away on a business trip, but she knew that lie wouldn't last forever. So she had to plan, she knew one thing for sure, and that was she couldn't stay in New York, and if she was settling down in another place, it couldn't be London. So after two days of planning she decided that she and Emma would move to Australia, there was a hotel there that had been trying to poach her for months, so she called them and asked if the job was still available, they said yes and she accepted it. The job came with a
Anna blinked her eyes open and she was hit with a blinding light that she had to close her eyes and groan in pain. “Anna, are you awake?” She heard Caroline ask. She opened her eyes slowly so she could get used to the light, and when they were fully opened, she saw Caroline standing by her side. “Oh, thank God you're awake; you gave me quite a scare, Anna. I'll be right back, let me go and get the nurse.” Caroline said and then she left the hospital room. Anna was confused. How did she get here? The last thing she remembered was watching the press conference with Caroline and Emma was sleeping. Emma? Where is Emma? Anna frantically sat up on her bed as he looked around the room but there was no sign of Emma. Caroline walked back into the room with a nurse. “Welcome back Mrs. Knight.” The nurse said. “Caroline, where's Emma?” Anna asked, her voice was scratchy because her throat was dry. “They have a daycare here; I didn't think that you'd wan
After Dylan saw Anna's car drive off, every atom in his body wanted to go after her but he couldn't. He had to attend the press conference and he wasn't worried because Marcus was with her. Fucking Kate, it was like she planned it or something. He had to come in through the back and go up to his office because everyone thought that he was dead and then a few minutes after he walked into his office, Kate walked in. Her eyes were red and it was clear that she had been crying. When she saw him she hugged him so tight saying that she knew he wasn't dead, Dylan asked her why she was in his office and she said she was there to beg for her life and that Dylan should spare her, she confessed that she was working with James but only to get him away from Anna and they she had nothing to do with the plane crash. Dylan wasn't shocked to hear that she was working with James; I mean, it would explain the pictures they were sent to Anna; someone had to take them. While s
“Let's go to the living room so I'll be able to keep an eye on Emma.” Anna told Caroline. “Why do you need to keep an eye on Emma? Anna, what's going on?” Caroline asked again. “I'll tell you everything, let's just go sit down.” Anna told her and then they both went into the living room and sat on the couch facing the TV and opposite where Emma was sleeping so Anna was able to keep an eye on her. “You better start explaining yourself, Anastasia George, or is it Knight now?” Caroline asked her. Anna released a huge breath and then she proceeded to tell Caroline everything. How she met Dylan at the hotel, how she got into a contract marriage with him and in exchange, he agreed to protect her from James and bring him down. How they went to London, Emma's kidnapping, and her heart condition. She told her how they slowly but surely fell in love and admitted their feelings to each other. How everything was so good and then it all went so bad, from the th
Anna ran as fast as she could, she could hear Dylan call out her name behind her but she didn't stop to look back. It was all too much, he had lied to her about everything. She got into the elevator and frantically tapped on the button for the down floor. She could see Dylan getting closer, but the doors closed just in time. She wasn't free just yet, and she knew it; she wouldn't be until she got as far away from Dylan Knight as possible. The elevator doors opened, and she stepped out; she knew Dylan wasn't far behind, probably opting to use the stairs. She ran out of the lobby. She knew she was drawing attention to herself, but she didn't care. She stepped outside, and thankfully, Marcus listened to her and the car was still parked outside the office. She ran to the car and opened the door. “Drive Marcus now.” Anna told him with urgency. “What's going on Mrs. Knight?” Marcus asked her. “Just drive Marcus.” Anna told him as she looked back at t
Anna slowly brought out the folder that had her name on it. She opened it up and on the first page was her basic information, her name, date of birth, house address, place of work, things like that and then she flipped to the second page and she saw her pictures, pictures from when she was picking Emma up from school, going to work and coming back from work. Did Dylan have her followed? She continued flipping through the pages, and she could see that this folder was like a dossier on her life; everything about her was in that file: her marriage to James and her parents. Anna didn't understand why Dylan had this. It was when she flipped to the next page that her heart dropped to her stomach. They were pictures, and she recognised the place, it was the club, and she was more sure of it because, at the top of that page, it was written in block letters: ANNA SIX YEARS AGO. She looked at the pictures, and the more she flipped through them, the memories from that night
By the time Dylan was done with his call and he went up to their bedroom, Anna was asleep. His talking to her would have to wait till tomorrow, but he had to do it before the arrests were made because once they were made public, she would surely put two and two together. Especially since Lucas informed him that she wanted to find him, something happened when she went to see her parents, that had to be the only reason why she wanted to find him urgently. But what could've happened? Could she have found out the truth? No, that couldn't be it, whatever it was, he would ask her about it tomorrow morning after he told her the truth, that's if she was still talking to him after. He took off his shirt and trousers, left only his briefs on and then he got into bed with Anna and wrapped his arms around her, even in her sleep, Anna turned around, seeking his warmth. ************ The next day, Dylan woke up expecting to have Anna by his side, but when he opened his eyes