"Yeah, it's great, I admit. But… you really don't have Lionel's approval? Did you sneak out or something?" I had to ask. "He's your dad, so of course he worries about you. That's normal.""I know… but sometimes, it's just so overwhelming. My mom had to convince him, and I had to remind him not to do to me what my grandpa did to him. That's how we got to the ultimatum.""It's good you guys came to an agreement. When's your flight?" I realized I hadn't offered her anything. "Have you had dinner? Want something to drink?""It's leaving at dawn, and…" Sara's smile suddenly disappeared, her eyes fixed in horror on my couch.I followed her gaze and saw Alice peeking out from behind the couch, trying to hide. She glanced at us shyly, probably thinking we hadn't noticed her. I chuckled."Alice, you don't need to hide. Come say hi to my friend, Sara," I beckoned her over.My niece stepped out from her hiding spot, her head hanging low as she walked toward us. I rested my hand on her shoul
A gesture of kindness and gratitude—that was all I would give Lucius. It was all I could give the man who was now ringing the doorbell outside my apartment. I checked to make sure the table was set for him, doing my best to appear as casual as possible in my house clothes. Then, I went to open the door."I see you've learned how to use the doorbell," I greeted him."For tonight, yes. Though I'm not giving back the spare key I keep for emergencies.""I'll change the locks one of these days. Come in," I rolled my eyes.Lucius stepped inside, heading straight for the table where the only empty plate waited. Not wasting a second, I began to serve him the leftover dinner—simple enough, just rice, chicken cutlets, and salad. As I filled his plate, I felt his gaze on me, almost as though he was studying me, analyzing me.It was tormenting to be so close to him while trying to maintain a facade of kindness and gratitude. I didn't like how close we were. His scent was intoxicating, his pre
When I came back, Lucius was lying awkwardly on the couch, trying to contort his body to fit. The truth was, my couch was too small for someone as tall as him to stretch out comfortably. I watched him with a pang of guilt."Are you going to be able to rest on my couch?""I doubt it," he muttered, still twisted up as he stared at the ceiling.I bit my thumb, thinking about what I could do for him, and an idea struck me."I have an inflatable mattress in my closet, but the pump broke. Think you can inflate it the old-fashioned way?""You want me to pass out from lack of oxygen? I'm too tired for that," he said, sitting up with a sigh. "I'd give anything to sleep in a bed…"He said it with such a melancholic tone, staring at the floor like some tragic victim. And here I was, the villain."In case you've forgotten, there are only two beds in this apartment—Alice's and mine. What you're asking for isn't possible," I clarified."Are you sure about that?" he said, his victim act slipp
I woke up after sleeping in the same uncomfortable position all night. My left hip was aching badly from lying on my side for so many hours, but with daylight flooding my room and the sweet knowledge that it was Saturday, I allowed myself the luxury of stretching out freely in bed."I want three more hours of sleep. Can I sleep for three more hours?" I mumbled, my voice hoarse from sleep.But it was that very stretch—the freedom of it—that alerted me. My eyes flew open, and I panicked. I was alone. Completely alone."Where's the one responsible for my hip hurting and my left leg being numb?" I grumbled, getting up.I quickly slipped on my slippers and stepped out of the bedroom. The sound of the TV in the living room reached my ears, filled with animated voices. It didn't surprise me to find Alice sitting there, completely absorbed in her cartoons, a bowl of cereal in her lap. This was our weekend routine.What did surprise me, though, was the sight of Lucius sitting next to her o
"Are you going to marry my mommy, Lulu?" Alice asked, her voice filled with excitement.Lucius's smug smirks and quiet laughs came to a screeching halt. He froze. No more smiles or jokes, just awkward silence. The air between us became thick with embarrassment."Alice… we've talked about this, haven't we? That's an adult conversation. Finish your cereal," I said, trying to steer the situation away from disaster.I grabbed Lucius by the arm and dragged him to the corner of the kitchen for a private chat. He still had his cereal bowl in his hand, but instead of focusing on me, he kept fiddling with the spoon."Did you really have to tell her we're dating? Could you be any more manipulative?" I asked, exasperated."What did you want me to say? That it's normal for strangers or just friends to sleep together? She's like, what, five? You've got to keep it simple," he defended himself.I couldn't come up with a response to that. He had a point, but it didn't make me any less irritated.
Something very interesting and unexpected had happened. I had finished watching my movie and started cooking lunch, and… Lucius still hadn't left.I was frying the chicken, frowning as I watched Lucius and Alice sitting at the dining table, drawing together. They were now sketching portraits of each other. Alice was completely immersed, while Lucius, to my surprise, was focused like never before. When he noticed me staring, he flashed me a big, forced smile."You have no idea how much fun I'm having, Alice. This is the most fun I've had in a long time," he said, turning back to his drawing."Really?" Alice asked, thrilled. "Are you making me look pretty? I want to look pretty.""You're already pretty," Lucius replied, still focused on the sketch. "And I'm talented. One plus one…""Equals two!" Alice shouted."Did you hear that? I even taught her how to add," Lucius bragged.I held back the urge to throw a few insults his way and instead started plating the food."Put those down
"I don't know what's gotten into you today. You're full of sass, young lady," I scolded my niece.Alice just shrugged, completely unbothered. I realized then the power of bad influences, and in this case, the culprit had to be Lucius. The same Lucius who hadn't said much during lunch. His mind seemed to have drifted off somewhere far away, and it stayed there. Maybe he was tired or just bored. I gave him a few more minutes to leave. Meanwhile, I needed to address something that had been bugging me."Where did 'Lulu' come from? Did you make it up, or did Lucius ask you to call him that?" I asked Alice."He has such a long name. Lulu is better. It's cuter," she replied between bites."It certainly does sound cuter, my love," I said, smiling at her.I glanced at Lucius, who was still silently eating, deep in thought. I finished my meal as well, and seeing that all three plates were now empty, I stood up, ready to invite Lucius to take his leave."Let's clear the table," I said to Al
You should never lose your cool. Losing your cool was the beginning of the end. But how would you stay calm when locked in a tiny closet with your ex-husband? The same ex-husband you still had feelings for, feelings that defied logic and reason. The one you ended up sleeping with multiple times in one night because you were a drunken mess.It wasn't easy, and I wasn't made of stone. The heat of his body pressed against mine was unbearable. And it was sad, really, because that wasn't even Lucius's intention. He was just struggling to open the door while I was having a mental meltdown, swarmed with all these torturous thoughts."It's not opening. Has this ever happened before?" he asked, sounding annoyed."It has. The door sticks sometimes, and when it does, you can't open it from the inside. That's why you shouldn't have shut it, genius," I snapped."Are you blaming me for your door's inability to perform its basic function—opening and closing properly?" he retorted, equally irritat
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,