With Lucius's sudden arrival in the boardroom, the atmosphere shifted. Matt looked uneasy, and his discomfort stopped him from revealing the name of the shareholder. He didn't respond to Lucius either. Before I could press him, Ernest returned, announcing they had to leave.Both men shook my hand again, just as they did with Lucius. Ernest's handshake was neutral, but with Matt, it was different. I could see Lucius squeezing his hand harder than necessary, his gaze a silent threat that made even me uneasy. When Lucius wanted to, his eyes could be terrifying.Once we were alone, Lucius wasted no time confronting me."What was that, Marianne?" he asked, his tone demanding."My job?" I answered, glancing around, feigning innocence."That didn't look like work to me. You were way too close for it to be business."Sure, maybe I had leaned in a little while trying to get information from Matt, but his accusations were absurd. Then again, Lucius's very existence in my life was an absurd
"Noooo. I mean…" Jenna whispered as if we had company, "Have you already had sex in it with your husband?""No, Jenna, I haven't had sex in it with Lucius," I exclaimed, offended—and slightly turned on by the idea."Can I borrow it to do it with Derek?" she asked nonchalantly."No!" I raised my voice, then reconsidered, grinning. "Not before I've broken it in."We both burst out laughing at the comment. It was a calm night, thankfully without much traffic. It wasn't even that late, only about 9 PM."You'll break it in soon enough, once you get that IUD. Best decision I ever made. Your appointment's tomorrow, right?" Jenna asked."Yep," I replied, focusing on the road."And don't bring up the whole kids thing for a few years. Hit him with it in his late thirties—that's when the midlife crisis will kick in, and he'll want to leave his mark on the world."I couldn't help but laugh at her advice."So, now you're a drunk philosopher-slash-psychologist?""I'm just a wise… wise woma
Six months later...The sound of my phone alarm pulled me out of a deep, peaceful sleep. I reached out to silence it and stretched out across the massive bed, alone. The smell of freshly brewed coffee reached me, tempting me to get up quickly. I slipped into my silk robe, tied it around my waist, and headed out of the bedroom.It was a usual Friday morning—deep cleaning day in our luxury apartment. I spotted three housekeepers busy with their tasks while two more were in the kitchen, preparing breakfast."Good morning, everyone. How's it going?" I greeted them."Good morning, Missus," they replied in unison."You sound like a choir!" I joked, and most of them chuckled.Theresa, one of the women working in the kitchen, handed me a cup of strong coffee as I took a seat at the dining table. She informed me they had made waffles, and soon, a plate was placed in front of me. I savored my breakfast in the quiet comfort of what had become my new home.This new home, I must admit, had b
"I've been swamped with work. The company's expansion has everyone overwhelmed," I excused myself as I glanced at Amanda. "Including Andrew, right? He must be working nonstop."Amanda's face tightened, clearly stung by the mention of Andrew. I hadn't heard good things about their marriage lately. There was even a rumor circulating about one of his co-workers, leaving him in a rather unflattering light. I considered this a narrow escape for me."I understand. Being a mother is just as demanding, though. I haven't slept in days," she boasted with that familiar smugness.I didn't respond to her. Instead, my eyes wandered over to the baby in the nanny's arms. The little one was fast asleep, but the nanny looked utterly exhausted. Something told me Amanda was not the one losing any sleep."But it's worth every sacrifice. When are you going to experience that? I hear your husband travels a lot lately. Having trouble conceiving, or is he too busy with someone else?" Amanda's venomous tone
Lucius' P.O.V.Routines bored me. Staying in the same place bored me, and being with the same woman for over a month felt like a death sentence by boredom. So why was I anxious to get back to my apartment to see Marianne?Even I couldn't explain what had happened over these six months of marriage. All I knew was that I was pretty obsessed with her. So obsessed that I headed straight home from a ten-hour flight just to see her. As I opened the door and one of the housekeepers greeted me, I barely noticed as I handed her my bags. My focus was entirely on Marianne.She was in the kitchen, sautéing vegetables with complete concentration. Marianne had taken a Chinese cooking class while I was away and was probably putting her new skills to the test. I remembered because we talked almost every day, even if just for five minutes.Which was embarrassing, honestly. A clear symptom of my obsession with her. It was hard not to be when she looked at me the way she was doing now. Her eyes lit u
Lucius' P.O.V.I reached over quietly to take Marianne's phone. It was lying right next to her. I unlocked it using the passcode she had given me. Maybe Marianne was playing me—maybe she was keeping me this happy because there was another man.That was what I used to do. When I was juggling more than one woman, I made extra efforts to keep both content. However, I was hit with disappointment as I scrolled through her messages. There was nothing suspicious. Unless I counted her crude jokes with Jenna about my penis or her business chats with that bootlicker, Matt, there was nothing.I sighed and put her phone back where it was. Once again, I found myself staring at the ceiling, humiliated. I'd checked Marianne's phone more times than she'd ever checked mine. I was chasing shadows and turning into someone paranoid—like a woman hunting for betrayal.To top it off, Marianne moved in her sleep, curling into me with a satisfied little purr."You don't make this easy. You're a strange wo
Lucius' P.O.V.I took a deep breath and forced myself to focus on Julia's face instead of her spread legs as I settled into the armchair across from her. She didn't take her eyes off me, her lips curling into a sensual smirk."Join you in what? Another one of your provocations, like that self-invitation to my wedding? You underestimate me too much. It's kind of painful," I retorted, my voice carrying a hint of sarcasm."Oh, believe me, I've never underestimated you. You're the golden boy of the higher-ups. The favorite who risked everything—and everyone—just to satisfy his ego."I casually cleaned my ear with my finger."Still bitter, are we? Don't tell me you're one of those making bets on my marriage crashing. I can just picture you betting on my misery."She raised her hands in mock surrender. "Guilty as charged. I bet twenty bucks that you'll last a year."Julia grabbed a cigarette from the pack beside her and lit it. I watched her movements—the way her tattooed arm flexed,
"They tortured you for just a week, and you're already complaining? Or were the beatings and electric shocks not enough for you? You were lucky we found you in that raid—another hour, and you'd have lost all the fingers on your left hand, you idiot.""Such an exaggeration, Julia, really. They only got as far as cutting off my middle finger." I held it up, curling the others for emphasis. The scars from the stitches were still there. "See? They reattached it. Good as new.""Son of a bitch," she muttered, clearly pissed off."I literally am," I grinned, taking a slow drag from my cigarette.I didn't try to act like a sane man because clearly, I wasn't one. Pain was relative, and after days without food or sleep as punishment for sleeping with a high-level mobster's wife, getting a finger chopped off wasn't all that bad. By that point, I couldn't feel my hands, anyway.More importantly, I hadn't given away my cover as an undercover agent. That was something neither Julia nor anyone o
Sara Brown's P.O.V."Didn't we agree you wouldn't come, Mom?" Richard asked, his voice low and disappointed."Richard, you too?" Victoria exclaimed, her voice trembling with a mix of hurt and indignation."What else did you expect, Victoria?" Julian interjected, crossing his arms. "We practically had to beg Sara for permission just to see Matthew. Meanwhile, you've done nothing to make amends yet here you are, demanding things. That's not how this works.""Do you want me to apologize to Sara?" Victoria's voice cracked as she looked at me, her emotions on full display.I would never trust Victoria, and I certainly would never leave my son alone with her unsupervised. But in this moment, her vulnerability chipped away at some of my hardened resolve. Life had been so good lately, so full of joy and love, that my heart no longer had room for resentment."You don't need to apologize to me," I said calmly. "The people you owe an apology to are your sons."Victoria's eyes widened, her
Sara Brown's P.O.V.Six months later.Becoming a mother was one of those adventures I never knew I needed, but I'd never been more grateful for taking the leap—especially with Lawrence by my side. Now, here we were, standing in front of a flower-draped altar nestled in the woods of the Brown family estate.Getting married in this spot felt symbolic. It had been our sanctuary as kids, the place where we'd escaped from the grown-ups and shared secrets. It was fitting that my best friend, the boy who'd been by my side through thick and thin, was now becoming my husband.Behind us was a small gathering of family and close friends. The Browns—ever-expanding with a small army of kids—were all present, as were a handful of Lawrence's relatives, including his brothers, Richard and Julian. We'd kept the guest list to just sixty people, making this a more intimate celebration than anyone would've expected from a Brown-Lewis wedding.Still, it was perfect. Everyone we loved was here. And the
I looked at our baby's tiny face, and the urge to cry overwhelmed me again. He was absolutely perfect."Are you going to keep crying?" Sara teased with a mischievous grin. "If you don't stop, I won't give you another one."I wiped my tears immediately, not wanting to take any chances. She burst out laughing, her radiant energy filling the room."So," quickly shifting topics, she leaned forward slightly, "what are we naming him? We agreed we'd know when we saw him. I've got a name from the shortlist in mind. Do you?""I do," I replied, smiling."Okay, let's say it together," she suggested, and I nodded. "On three. One, two, three—""Matthew!" we both exclaimed in unison.We stared at each other before breaking into matching grins. Sara started clapping in excitement over our perfect sync. I laughed at her enthusiasm, but something on the hospital TV caught my attention—a news report about yesterday's gubernatorial election. Images of Isabelle, the winner, flashed across the scree
Lawrence Lewis's P.O.V.Three months later...Just when I thought I couldn't be any happier with Sara loving me, life proved me wrong. Every day felt like a new peak of joy. A few months ago, I believed I had reached the ultimate high when she accepted my proposal during our trip to Finland. I'd asked her under the northern lights in a private and intimate moment, just the two of us—just like our entire relationship had been.The fallout from canceling my engagement to Emma had been relatively manageable for me. There were no financial or legal repercussions, and I narrowly escaped the disgrace of almost becoming the son-in-law of a criminal like Mark. But to say I avoided all drama would be a lie. The rumors and gossip surrounding how Sara and I had gotten together were relentless.I was usually a calm man, but any criticism aimed at Sara, accusing her of "breaking up" my previous engagement, turned me into a beast. Sara would always tell me to ignore the noise, that only we knew
I stood there frozen, feeling every gaze lock onto me. It was as if time had stopped. No one spoke, no one moved—they just stared. Sweat started trickling down places I didn’t even know could sweat.“Hi… how’s everyone doing?” I asked, my voice hesitant.I braced myself for the shouting, the dramatic exclamations, the scolding even. Instead, the extroverted ones in the room simply smiled at me while the quieter ones went back to what they were doing, almost as if nothing had happened. The initial wave of attention just… evaporated.“As I was saying,” Uncle Lucius continued, picking up right where he’d left off, “if you don’t finish your vegetables, we’ll give them to the lion in the forest.”My jaw dropped. This table—the entire Brown family—was completely unfazed. Even Lawrence had that knowing smile on his face, almost as if he’d expected this exact reaction. Before I could recover, Aunt Lucia and Aunt Marianne came over and pulled me into tight hugs.“You look gorgeous, Sara. A
Richard's voice broke the silence as he gathered his courage. "We'd like to add Duke and Monarch for me, and the boat for Julian. With that, we'll be ready to sign the agreement."I rubbed my ears, almost certain I had misheard."The horses and the boat? That's all you want?" Lawrence asked, his tone tinged with disbelief."Yes," Julian confirmed, his voice hesitant. "We believe... they're of great sentimental value to us. And they were gifts. They just... weren't officially transferred to us."Lawrence's eyes darted between them as if trying to confirm whether these were the same brothers he'd been fighting with."That's it?" he repeated, his suspicion evident."That's it," Richard said, though his discomfort was plain to see."What are you two plotting?" Lawrence asked, narrowing his eyes.The twins exchanged confused glances."Nothing?" Julian said, his tone growing defensive. "What are you plotting? You told us you wouldn't give us anything but then sent this offer out of
I couldn't help but notice the sadness etched onto Lawrence's face. He'd always said he wouldn't give his brothers anything. Yet here he was, not only offering them a portion of the inheritance but also bracing himself for their inevitable demands and negotiating with them."Wouldn't it have been easier to just offer them exactly what you were willing to give from the start?" I asked as I leaned against his shoulder, wrapping my arms around him. His sadness was palpable, and it was breaking my heart. Just moments ago, he'd been so happy. "Just say 'Take it or leave it' and then forget about them."Lawrence sighed, his gaze distant. "I know them. And I know myself. I can't lay the blame for all my hardships on them like I do with Victoria. Despite what I said during the will reading, I know they deserve more than what my father left them.""You have a heart of gold, Ren," I murmured, kissing his cheek. "Don't let those brats melt it down, okay?"He chuckled softly, though his sadnes
I swayed my hips rhythmically against his body, the two of us joined in that intimate connection we'd rediscovered nearly every night since the chaos with a certain corrupt official had come to an end.As Lawrence neared his release, he called my name, his voice rough with passion. I teased him by sucking on the thumb he'd slipped into my mouth, which was all it took for him to shut his eyes tightly as the force of his climax overtook him. I followed him into that blissful release just a moment later.Utterly satisfied, I collapsed beside him on the bed, both of us completely naked, basking in the warmth of each other's bodies. My breathing was still ragged as Lawrence shifted closer, his hands roaming gently over my hair, my chest, and finally, my stomach. The way his hand lingered there told me exactly what he was about to ask—again."Are you sure you're comfortable with this?" he asked."No. It was terrible. I never want to have another orgasm for the rest of my life," I replied
"What's going on here?" I asked Sara suspiciously."Just go with the flow," she replied, opening my car door with a grin.I hesitated but decided to follow her advice—or at least try. After exchanging cheek kisses, I walked over to where Jason was waiting. I tucked the envelope with my test results into my pocket. As I reached him, he took my hand, and we started walking up a hill in the park."When did you ask Sara to bring me here?" I asked, curious."That's a secret," he said with a chuckle. "And since you two are such close friends now—""Close friends?" I interrupted, raising a brow. "You think we're really friends?""That's how it seems. You smile a lot when you're with her," he replied."Do I?" I considered it for a moment, warmth spreading through my chest. "Maybe we are."Jason smiled but kept silent. As we climbed one of the hills, I was taken aback by the breathtaking view of the city spread before us. But even more surprising was the blanket laid out on the ground,