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Thirty-eight
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2021-09-08 07:39:00In the morning, we take the kids to school together. After the girls dash to their classes, I corner Annie’s mum, knowing we are in El’s line of sight. She flashes me a smile I am forced to reciprocate, I shove my hands into my jacket as my insides knot from trying too hard to stop from cackling. This will be fun.
With Ed back to work, I don’t have to resume early. I can start the day at ten, rest assured Ed will handle everything in my absence. Buy me more time to annoy Wifey who froze the moment she saw both of us.
“I didn’t get your name,” I tell her.
Her blue eyes crinkle with delight, her mouth moves in the shape of an O. “Elena.”
The missing band on her ring finger doesn’t escape me. I take another step back to create a reasonable distance between us. I might be an ass but I don’t want my wife to be too upset. “Mrs Elena, thank–”
“Oh, stop it.” She
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Mrs Reluctant Billionaire Thirty-nine
I wait. One minute. Two minute. El doesn’t speak. Her face is still in that frozen state of shock as she processes my words. Was this how she felt months ago when she confessed her feelings? It’s almost laughable how times have changed. I am the one begging her to love me. The therapy sessions with Ava must be working. Constant communication.Enzo honks twice, breaking El from her trance. “Where to, Sir? Ma?” I look to the madam, she tells him our next location. A supermarket. I bury my fingers in her scalp. She moans softly and her breathing grows heavy. I cup her breasts but she grabs my hands above my head, seducing me with her wicked smile.A brow jerks up as she slides to her knees, I am a goner when she bats those lashes at me. This view of her between my legs, those innocent eyes centred on me is what I want to see every day. My belt comes off first, she pulls the zipper down so slowly I nearly come in my pants from the anticipation
Last Updated : 2021-09-09Mrs Reluctant Billionaire Forty
El’s protests fall on deaf ears, I step out of the car and make my way to the door she stepped out from. Someone in that supermarket upset my wife. I need to have a conversation with that fucking someone.The chill air hits first, my hands slide into my pockets for warmth. Haven’t they heard of heaters? I take a tentative step forward, scanning the row of shelves holding groceries and other food items. The inside is smaller than outside, the place is empty except for the lady behind the counter chewing gum like a fool.Turning on my charm, I walk over to her and smile. Her cheeks pink, I fight the urge to roll my eyes as my hands rest on the flat surface. If she was my staff, she would be fired for her lack of professionalism.“Hey,” I say, finger tracing a line on the wooden surface.“Heyyy,” she replies, “what can I do for you today?”Her tone is suggestive, her accent is sim
Last Updated : 2021-09-10Mrs Reluctant Billionaire Forty-one
Jei Clementine is stalling. I don’t know why. Ed passes me another file to append my signature, I do that and return it to him. We continue this in silence that’s interrupted by the growl of a stomach. A guilty smile spreads on his lips, I peek at my wristwatch. 6:30 pm. Way past lunch time and closing hours.“Have you eaten?” I ask.He adjusts in his seat, touching his tie as if to receive strength from it. “No.”I push the rest of the files aside. “We will continue tomorrow. You can leave.”An uncomfortable pause passes between us. He sets his pen on the desk. “I am fine.” His stomach disagrees, growling embarrassingly loud and Ed’s cheeks redden. “We can continue, I will eat later.”“You can go, Ed. We will continue this tomorrow.” But he doesn’t stand. His lips twitch like he is holding back his words. I sigh. These guys act like I
Last Updated : 2021-09-11Mrs Reluctant Billionaire Forty-two
She is not joking. I wait and wait for El to laugh but she doesn’t. Her words sink into my chest, dragging my heart to my stomach. She returns to work and my lips pull into a line as her head hunches over the sheets strewn across her desk. I think I have been dismissed. That too by my wife. She doesn’t want more kids.El doesn’t notice how I sigh with my whole body or when I bring out my phone to check on our girls. Lydia is with them. I place a hand on the small of her back, loving and hating the feel of her body against mine. We are so close yet so far.I shoot a text to Lydia to let her know we would be home soon. I don’t want to be here anymore but one look at El stops me from standing. She’s too invested in the portraits. It reminds me of Bri’s sketch that used to be in the hall. It’s the only thing I have from her. Something she made for her dad, to gift her dad but never got to do.Uncomfortable with the sil
Last Updated : 2021-09-19Mrs Reluctant Billionaire Forty-three
El is awake before me again. It has become the new routine. She sleeps late, wakes early. I prop myself on my elbows, watching my wife labour over an illustration on her iPad. Without makeup, the dark circles around her eyes are more prominent and her collarbone pokes at her flesh. She is skipping meals.Her brows furrow in concentration, she folds her legs underneath her and reclines on the couch. I stalk towards the couch, snatching her iPad which I push to the side stool so I can hoist her on my legs.I pinch her cheeks. “Time out.”“Time out?” The back of her hand goes over her mouth to stifle another yawn, confirming her need for a break. “But I just started.” I press a finger to her lower back, working the tension up to her spine and her body sags in relief. She reaches for the iPad again, I hold it above our heads. “Baby, I need to finish up.”“You need to take a break.”&
Last Updated : 2021-09-21Mrs Reluctant Billionaire Forty-four
The DNA result is the same. 99.9% and my heart is threatening to explode. It shouldn’t fucking matter but it does. That 0.1% makes all the difference. I curl against the window, eyes closed as the car glides out of the parking lot. She must be mine. She has to be my daughter. We have the same nose, his nose. “Thanks,” I hear myself say to Enzo once the car stops. I am home. My heart beats in my throat, I jog up the stairs and pause in front of the door. I run a hand over my face and hair to appear cool. I have been away from them all day, the best I can do is look okay for their sake. The door opens before my fist connects with it to reveal the girls dressed in black tuxedos and matching blue bow ties. They don’t appear fazed or excited by my appearance and their expression worries me. Today is Friday, nothing special about it. Bren steps forward to collect my briefcase, Wyn opens the door wider and flashes me
Last Updated : 2021-09-22Mrs Reluctant Billionaire Forty-five
I don’t. I don’t know where Joshua lives because it never occurred to me that siblings meet outside the office. Has he invited me to his house? Yes, once. But I couldn’t make it and I didn’t try to invite myself.El’s expectant glance has my shoulders rotating in a casual shrug, she shakes her head in disapproval. If she had siblings, she would have made a great sister. I pick a flower from the bouquet on the table and sniff it. El runs her fingers through my hair, moving down to my beards and a wistful sigh leaves my lips.“You kept them,” I say as I tuck the flower with the rest of the roses sitting elegantly in a glass jar. It is part of the bunch Ed sends to her office daily. That and the bars of chocolates. I shouldn’t indulge her with sugar but it makes her happy and I am such a sucker for anything that makes my wife happy.She pouts. “I couldn’t eat them so I had to keep ‘em.&rd
Last Updated : 2021-09-23Mrs Reluctant Billionaire Forty-six
“Why did you tell them about her?” I ask El. Back in the room, I pop the buttons of my shirt. She wiggles out of her heels and sashays to my front to take over. A few seconds later, my jacket comes off. I reward her with a squeeze of her ass, she returns the favour and pouts. “Why did you tell the girls about Brianna?”She sighs with her whole body. “They were eavesdropping.” She rolls her eyes, pausing on the last button of my shirt. “Again.” I chuckle. “I had to tell them. They understand she’s sick but that’s about it.”Her light tone betrays her annoyance, my hand moves behind her neck and she vibrates against me as my fingers caress her skin. I spin her so her back is to my chest, slowly pulling down her zipper. El sucks in a shaky breath, I cup her breasts and wait, giving her time to process what is about to happen.“I’m glad you did,” I whisper against h
Last Updated : 2021-09-25
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ElnaI shut the door to our bedroom and tiptoe inside. Brandon doesn’t stir. He’s dead asleep. Or so I think till I near the bed and drop the package—his valentine gift on the nightstand. He puckers his lips for a kiss and I gladly indulge him. His hands grasp my butt, he pulls me up to straddle him and I move slowly against his erection without breaking eye contact. “Are they asleep now?” “Yeah. Finally. Alleluia,” I reply with a laugh. “Maybe I shouldn’t have given them the day off.” Silly me thought it would be great to give the twins nannies Valentine’s Day off so our family could do something special. Bad choice. With two one-year old attention demanding kids, I need all the help I can get. To make it worse, this year’s valentine fell on a Sunday and most of last night was spent trying to quiet the babies. “Maybe.” Brandon captures my lips. The kiss is lazy but it soon grows urgent. His tongue searches for mine, twirlin
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The girls are dancing in a circle. Wyn is in the middle of the circle trying to perform a break dance. I laugh at her failed attempts, holding El closer to me as we sway gently to a rhythm in my head. El wrinkles her nose in disappointment, her fingers intertwine with mine and I spin her in a lazy circle.“You’re not supposed to be laughing at them,” she says as their mother dearest. “You cheer them up.”True. But it was funny. Wyn waves, Bren does the same. Brianna does not spare us a glance. Like me and El, she has two left legs. She can’t dance but she is better than us. I wrap my arms around El from behind, tucking my head into her shoulder. She smells delicious. I can’t wait to have her alone.The music filters into my ears, I close my eyes and the lyrics wrap around my heart.“What’s Josh doing?”My eyes fly open. Josh is at one of the two canopies with Joy. Most of the g
Mrs Reluctant Billionaire In the end (I)
It’s today. Our vow renewal. To be honest, it feels like we are getting married again. This time, we have the people we care most about to celebrate the reunion with us and it makes me anxious. Joshua claps my shoulder. “Relax.” It’s so easy for him to say that but he doesn’t get it. The love of my life is out there. I haven’t seen my wife since yesterday because her mother believes it’s bad luck to see the bride before the wedding. We stare into the floor-length mirror, our matching charcoal grey suits are differentiated by our ties. He’s my best man. “Is Joy coming?” he asks. Sophia will be in attendance but I can’t speak for her friend. I don’t say a word to him but I know this won’t work. Joy is older than Joshua. If her attitude towards him on my birthday is a sign to go by, she doesn’t like him. Some parts of me feel like this is an infatuation that will die soon. It is taking too long for him to get over her but I hope
Mrs Reluctant Billionaire One hundred and ten
The cries of our newborn babies snap me out of my sleep. I jerk up and check the time on the alarm clock. 7 pm. I groan into my hands.My life has changed since their arrival. My sleeping pattern has worsened and my knowledge about babies has increased.Babies poop a lot. They cry too damn much. They don’t need a reason to cry, just existing is enough reason for them to cry. It is exhausting.Brandon Langalethu Stark is the louder one. Brendan Lelethu Stark is quieter. Annika gave them their middle names with approval from their godfather, Joshua. Lelethu means ours while Langalethu, short for Langa means our sunshine. I must admit, he hasn’t been a ray of sunshine for a while. He’s a big ball of noisy energy. El rouses from her sleep at the incessant sound of her crying babies. I love my sons but they cry too goddamn much. Their cries are coordinated. Once one of them starts crying, the other twin is bound to join in.
Mrs Reluctant Billionaire One hundred and nine
Chaos breaks out. Everyone is all over me and El, saying so many things at once. The smile sitting on her face disappears. Tears fill her eyes, her nails dig into my shoulders so hard I’m sure it will leave a mark.She is hurting.Annika is speaking so fast, asking about the baby things. Mother is telling everyone to calm down. El is crying, she doesn’t want to go to the clinic with a wet dress. I don’t know what to do. I wasn’t present for the first pregnancy. Mother pushes me aside and helps El to her feet. I almost scream. Is she allowed to stand? What if our kids fall out?I rush to El’s side. Mother guides her through a breathing exercise as what she calls a contraction hits El. It must have really hurt. She balls my shirt and makes a pained sound that stops everyone in their tracks. More than six pairs of worried eyes pin her in a stare but she focuses on only me. My baby.“I’m okay,”
Mrs Reluctant Billionaire One hundred and eight
Choruses of happy birthday fill the air. I am dragged away from El before I can kiss her back or utter a reply. I was so worried she would forget about today I forgot it myself. Mother nudges me with her hip and grins. Well played. Even the girls were in on it.Joshua claps my arm. “Happy birthday, brother.” This idiot. He called me during the day and didn’t wish me anything. “Many happy returns.”We cheers to my new age and Bren pulls me to the living room where the real party is happening. The place has been redecorated. There are balloons tied to the wall, a table with a bigger cake on it and the words, “Happy Birthday, my love” written on it.There’s another cake. Well, there are three more cakes. Instead of my love, one has son, the other has brother and the last one has Daddy written on it. A cake from each of the most important people in my lives. My wife. My kids. My brother and my parents
Mrs Reluctant Billionaire One hundred and seven
El sneaks an arm around my waist. Her belly is bigger now. Our babies will be showing up soon. She leans on me for support while we wait for the private elevator. It was her idea to get out of my office to buy crackers. A little fun fact: We have boxes of crackers at home. If she wasn’t pregnant, her attitude would have been suspicious but with pregnancy, anything goes. Rule number 123432444: Never argue with a heavily pregnant woman. It will end in chaos. We enter the elevator with my hand on her lower back. Our reflections on the metallic wall smiles at us and El laughs. I set my suitcase on the ground and palm her face for a proper kiss. With the pregnancy due, her office has become mine. She spends more time with me than anyone else. I love it. Her lips taste like donuts. We ordered some an hour after she arrived to “pick” me. I will never let her drive in her state but she enjoys using that term even if she was brought here by a driver. She r
Mrs Reluctant Billionaire One hundred and six
El won’t stop staring at her ring.We are in the backseat of the car heading to the hotel for dinner when she reaches up to give me a kiss. Leaning on me, she smiles at her ring again. I think I did right by her. Her mother will be happy. We had a long, loud, argument about this. About the vow renewals too but that will be after El delivers.“I have two rings,” El says, hand stretched out in front of her. She rolls Mother’s ring on her middle finger. “Does that make me Lord of the rings?”“Lady of the rings, maybe.”My phone vibrates with a text from Joshua. He wants to know if I did it. I facepalm at his request of a picture. It’s one more thing I have to get better at. Capturing the memories on camera. I nudge El with my elbow to show her the text. Her hand eventually lowers, she nods eagerly and strikes a pose, flashing her teeth in all the selfies. She knows she is pretty.
Mrs Reluctant Billionaire One hundred and five
I tilt the laptop and the girls’ faces occupy the screen. Wyn is on top of Bren but her twin doesn’t seem to mind. Brianna is on one side of the bed, smiling at the camera. They are all lying on their stomachs. El settles down beside me, I prop the laptop on my knees and slip my hand into her shirt from behind. She shoots me a warning look. I bat my lashes like the cute baby daddy I am.“I miss Mummy,” Wyn says.My back meets the headboard and El rests her head on my shoulder. “What about me?”Again, she and Bren are rocking the same gowns. Wyn frowns. “I miss you too, I guess.”El bellows out a laugh. Evil girls. In a few months, I’ll have my boys. She wraps an arm around my waist to soothe me. It works for only a second before my attention returns to the laptop. Bren is grinning.“How are you?” El asks.“Fine,” three of them chorus.&
