~Gerald~I froze, then turned around slowly. “What did you say?”“Stay with me. Please…”Her voice was so low now. When I looked at her face, I saw that she was crying again. My heart ached, thinking of how much she must be hurting. But I…“I don’t think that would be a good idea, Rosemary.”She sulked. “Why?”I scratched the back of my neck, feeling blood rushing down to my pelvis. “I…I love to sleep with no clothes on, so it’s not—““Take them off,” she interrupted.My mouth instantly dropped open. “Huh?”She gripped my hand tighter. “Take your clothes off. I don’t mind at all. I just don’t want to be alone tonight.”For a good minute, I didn’t know what to do. But when I saw her blink cutely, I didn’t have the heart to say no. I slowly unbuttoned my shirt. As I took it off, I saw that Rosemary’s gaze lingered on my abs and she drew a sharp breath. My skin warmed up as I stripped down to my underwear and got into bed. The moment I was under the covers and inhaled the scent of her p
~Gerald~Max smirked with only one side of his lips. He looked past my shoulder. “I see Mounty was stupid enough to hire you for their car operating system. It’s bound to be a failure.”“Oh, really?” I chuckled, remaining calm even though he came closer and stared me in the eye as if he wanted to pick a fight.He raised his head arrogantly. “You know nothing about cars, Gerald. I have been in this game even before I said my first word. Sneaker is going to be the star of the show. Why don’t you take a walk now instead of embarrassing yourself here?”“Tsk, tsk, tsk! It’s unwise to count your chickens before they hatch, don’t you think?”As soon as I said that, I saw his eyes darken. A vein appeared on his forehead as he pointed, “Wanna bet?”“Bet?” I laughed. “What could you possibly give me that I don’t already have? Even if you offer me hundreds of cars, I’d rather walk.”He balled his fingers into a trembling fists. “Just wait and see. I’ll show you how things are done around here!”
~Rosemary~“W-what?” I saw Gerald’s sharp jaw drop at my question.Stroking Dine’s soft fur, I bobbed my eyebrows at Gerald. “Why are you acting like you didn’t hear me? Was that your boyfriend, the one I met at the club?”“No!” he answered, looking offended. “And Armando isn’t my boyfriend.”My eyes widened. “He isn’t? I thought—“ “Well, you thought wrong. Armando is just a friend. I’m currently not dating anyone. That’s cheating and it’s against the terms of the contract, remember?”“Oh…” I muttered, remembering the contract we signed almost four years ago. However, I still felt that this call was suspicious. “If that wasn’t your boyfriend… I mean, Armando, why didn’t you speak freely?”The look he gave me next only worsened my suspicion. I didn’t know why, but since Luna came shaking her ass under the guise of welcoming us into the neighborhood, I found myself acting all vigilant for anyone that came close to Gerald, whether male or female. Why was wrong with me?Gerald shoved his
~Rosemary~There must be something wrong with my eyes! I thought, rubbing them hard. But as the boy ran towards me, I realized he did actually look like Max. No kidding, it was as if Max spat him out!Suddenly, he tripped on a stick. I immediately lunged forward with my arms stretched out. I caught him just in time. However, the next second, I lost my balance. As I fell, I tilted my body to the side so he wouldn’t get hurt.When I hit the ground, I felt my knee snap. I couldn’t help but groan in pain. The little boy got up and tilted his head while looking down at me. “Are you okay?”“Of course, I am Wonder Woman.” Smiling, I sat up and flexed my non-existent muscles. “Are you okay?”He simply nodded. After staring at his face, I noticed that he was looking at my knee. I looked down and saw a fresh bruise. Before I could do anything, he lowered his head and blew on it gently.“My grandma always does this when I get hurt. Does it still hurt?”I shook my head, still taken aback by the
~Rosemary~I sat on the floor and read the note. “Dear Rosemary, I know it’s not in my place to tell you what to do with your life, but I just wanted to say that this isn’t the end of the road. There’s so much that life has in store for you. It might not seem like it now, but believe me, I have been there before. Once, I was in such a dark place and you held my hand. Now, it’s my turn to hold yours. Allow me. Love, Gerald Beckett.”A single tear dropped on the paper by the time I finished reading it. I picked up the other stuff in the brown wrapper. When I flipped it over, I saw that it was a frame with the engraving of the name I had picked for my son four years ago.I rubbed it with my fingers, my sorrow mixing with longing. How long had these been in here? When did Gerald make them?I stood up and made a beeline for the door. The moment I opened it, I saw Gerald sitting on the threshold. He stood up immediately and dusted his butt. “You okay? You were crying for so long.”I raised
~Rosemary~He has been waiting for me? Why did he expect me to be here? I thought he didn’t know who I was?I looked down at Henny who was smiling up at me. There was a parting on the side of his blonde hair that was slicked down. He was wearing a white shirt, white pants, a brown bow tie, and brown suspenders. He looked like a cute little man from the 1930s.I squatted to his level and smiled. “Hi, Henny. We meet again—”“What took you so long? Your twin sister, my mommy arrived early.”“H-how did you know that we’re twins?” I asked, still shocked.“You two look so much alike,” he replied matter-of-factly. “But you are more beautiful.”My jaw dropped further.“There’s a lot of sweet cakes inside.” He took a huge bite from the chocolate cake in his hand and then held it out. “You want some?”I shook my head. “No, thank you.”He shrugged and munched with relish. When I saw the smudge of chocolate on his cheek, I took out a piece of tissue paper from my bag and reached out.“Ya! Don’t y
~Rosemary~In the evening, Gerald pulled me out of my bedroom to watch TV. One of the most popular Saturday shows was on, but I didn’t even know what was happening. My mind kept going back to my mother’s lies. How ungrateful could she be? And Amani, how did she feel after being praised for doing nothing? Wait, who was I kidding? Of course, she enjoyed it!“Here, have some popcorn.” Gerald’s voice jolted me back to reality.I took over the huge bowl of popcorn that I hadn’t reached for since Gerald made it over an hour ago.“Thank you,” I said, throwing a flake into my mouth. I had just leaned back on the sofa when the doorbell rang. A voice called out almost immediately, “Hello, anybody home?”The smile on my face instantly disappeared. I leaped to my feet and ran to the door. Sure enough, when I looked through the peephole, I saw Luna’s Botox-filled face.“Who’s at the door?” Gerald asked, coming over.He opened the door before I could respond. I stamped my feet. What did she want n
~Gerald~I had brought Rosemary here so we could unwind and spend some quality time together. If I had known Amani would be here, I would have just stayed home. This woman was making my skin crawl!“It’s just sunscreen, Gerald,” Amani pestered, shoving a tube into my hand. “Just rub it on my ass and back. No big deal.”Frowning, I threw the sunscreen back at her. “I’m a married man. Why would I do such a thing for someone who isn’t my wife?”“You’re no fun, Gerald. It’s not as if I’m asking you to undress me.” As she spoke, she played with the strap of her extremely small bikini. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I’m sure if I go to the men over there, they would jump at it.”“Go to them then!” I snarled. “Listen here, Amani. I don’t know what you are trying to do here, but your plan will NOT work!”“Oh, come on. Don’t tell me you are fine with only fucking Rosemary.” She touched my chest briefly and I felt utterly disgusted.She bit her lower lip. “I know my sister can be li
~Rosemary~A year later.“Are you nervous? Getting cold feet?”I blinked when I heard that voice. Sitting in front of the mirror, I looked at Sabrina who was styling my hair. “No, I am not nervous.”She sighed and stared straight at me. “So why have you zoned out more than three times since I started doing your hair? Something else bothering you?”I shook my head slightly. “I was just...just thinking about how different today would have been if my mom, dad, and Amani were here.”“Ugh!” Sabrina gagged. “How can you think of those fools on such a beautiful day?”My head lowered and I inhaled deeply.“Come on, girl. Forget about those folks. It’s not your fault that they were jerks. You have kept your mom out of your life for a year. Don't allow her into your heart again.”I raised my head. Then nodded. “Okay. I won't.”It had been more than a year since Amani committed suicide with the large dose of fentanyl she had on herself when she was arrested. And it had been seven months since my
~Rosemary~I pricked up my ear after Gerald removed the call from speakerphone and then said a few words. Although I didn't hear anything more, I was fairly certain it had to do with me.“I am coming with you,” I said as soon as he ended the call.Gerald shook his head. “No, you can't. Let me handle this.”“You are not the boss of me.”I took a deep breath, realizing that I was getting worked up. “I’m sorry. I—”“It’s fine. I can only imagine how you must be feeling now. But you don't have to follow me to the station.”“I do. And I want to. I want to look her in the eye and ask her why she did that to me. I also want to see Max and Amani. I want all of them to know that despite everything they did to me, they cannot break me.”Gerald stared at me, and I saw more reluctance in his eyes.“She deserves that much, Gerald,” Elvis chipped in. “After all she has been through recently, she deserves to look at her enemies in the eye.”Gerald said to him, “Stay out of this. Please.”“I know you
~Rosemary~Gerald’s head shot up as soon as I spoke. His eyes lit up and then, I felt his body crushing mine.“You are back!” he said, kissing my face. “What took you so long?”He pulled back and held my face. “Oh, my God! You scared the shit out of me. Don't do that again, okay?”I chuckled. “Okay, Mr. Beckett.”“I was so worried about…” His words trailed off. “Wait, what did you just call me?”I shrugged, “Mr. Beckett?”“You…you remember me?”I nodded. “I remember everything, Gerald. I am sorry that—”Before I could finish speaking, he knocked the breath out of me with a hard kiss. I smiled against his lips and then parted mine.Until now, I didn't know how much I had missed his lips on mine. As always, it felt like heaven. I held his strong arm despite the pain in the back of my hand due to the IV needle.“Catch your breath,” Gerald said, pulling back after like a minute.“What?” I chuckled again.“I’m not done yet. Just breathe.”I did as he said. And the second I was no longer g
~Gerald~“Seize them!” I roared the second I kicked the door open.All six of my men matched in and surrounded Max and Amani. They struggled but were pinned down within seconds.I squatted by the door, seeing Rosemary lying down.“Baby!” I scooped her up.She smiled at me. “You are here.”When she coughed out blood, I held her face. “Shh! Don't say anything. Let’s get you to the hospital.”“Wait!” Rosemary reached out and held my face. “I’m sorry for not believing you. Sorry, I realized too late.”“No! It’s not too late.”“I’m afraid it is.” She smiled again. “If I were to come back to this world again, I’d love to be your woman again. I would love to know love like you love me. To love you and be loved by you, Gerald. Just by reading your words, I realized that you are the man I always dreamed of having as a child.”She rubbed my face. “Promise me that we will meet in another life? Promise me that you will look at me the way you are looking at me right now.”“No! I can't promise you
~Rosemary~It was already past closing hour for most jobs, but my lawyer agreed that I come in to start the process. On the way, my phone dinged.A notification from the doorbell camera had just come in. I opened it and saw the live footage of Amani’s car pulling up in the driveway of Max's house.What’s she doing there? And immediately I just left too.I watched as Amani got out of her car. Max showed up from the inside. They spoke for a while. I thought they were arguing again. But then…“Oh, my God!” I screamed the second Max kissed Amani.“Ma’am,” said the taxi driver. “Are you okay?”I covered my mouth, shaking as Amani and Max made out on the porch. They looked like they wanted to gobble each other up. Max even grabbed her ass and squeezed it. Then they staggered into the house, still not letting each other go.“Ma’am, is anything the matter?”Hearing the taxi driver’s voice again, I raised my head. “Please, can you take my back? I will pay double.”He looked at me through the r
~Rosemary~I couldn't stop thinking of what Gerald said to me about proposing a prenuptial agreement. He sounded so sure that Max wanted me for my money. But Max was a billionaire, right?Right?I took out my phone and searched for the name of Max’s company. A few headlines came up.The first one: Brix Cars to get new CEOThe second: Max Smith resigns from the CEO position. Would this mark the end of the family’s hold on the company?The third: Brix Cars reportedly plunges into 30 billion-dollar debt.My jaw dropped lower with each headline I read. I had no idea that Max’s business was suffering this much, let alone the fact that he was no longer the CEO.Why didn't he tell me? Did this mean Gerald was right?Well… there's only one way to find out.I pulled out my phone and called the number saved under legal. “Erm… I’d like to draft a prenuptial agreement.”*****“What’s this?” Max frowned the second I handed the document to him.I kept my distance, a little scared. “Since we are goi
~Gerald~I slammed the door in his face. Before turning away, I listened as he stormed off, huffing and puffing about how I was making a huge mistake.“Before you say anything…” I began, looking at Elvis. “Get on the phone with the Russian mafia. I’m sure they would be pleased to know that Angel showed up here.”“No!”“What?” I exclaimed on the way to grab a glass of water.Elvis shook his head. “I don't think it’s a good idea to get involved in the battle between Angel and them. Time and time again, this has always ended with a bloodbath. It was hard enough for you to stay alive all these years despite having many enemies. I can't watch you get involved in a mafia war just because you want to take Angel down.”I sighed. “What do you suggest I do then?”“I suggest we wait. We wait for them to locate Angel and take him out. Since he's roaming without a care in the world, that should be pretty easy.”I shook my head with uncertainty. As far as I knew, Angel was much more powerful than m
~Rosemary~“Boss, are you okay? Boss!” Elvis ran to me as soon as the phone dropped from my hand. He made me sit on the sofa and peered down at my face.His tone changed. “Gerald, are you okay? Should I call the doctor?”I shook my head, clutching my chest. It was as if I was going to have a heart attack. But I knew going to the hospital won't help me.“Was that Rosemary on the phone? What did she say? Why are you like this?”I looked at him. “I don't know what to do, man. She’s getting married to Max again.”“What! How…but your divorce hasn't being finalized. You didn't sign the divorce papers, did you?”“I didn't. But now that she doesn't remember me or the love we shared, I’m afraid Max would make her drag me to court for the divorce. He's manipulating her big time.”I went on to tell him about the wedding photo Rosemary found and how she accused me of faking it and planting it in Max’s house.“This is getting out of hand. Should I tell the boys to take him out?”I groaned. “No. T
~Rosemary~“H-how is this… how did this…”I couldn't believe my eyes at all. I stared at the woman standing beside Max. She was wearing a very beautiful wedding dress. Most importantly, she wasn't me!She looked like me, but she wasn't me. She was Amani. I was sure of it!“So it’s true? What that man said is true! Max divorced me so he could be with Amani?”The photo slipped off my hands. Taking a step back, I stared down at it. “They even had a wedding. But why did Max propose to me two days ago? And Amani was so happy for me!”What the fuck is going on? Who's playing me for a freaking fool!All of a sudden, the door opened. I turned and saw Max. His eyes widened at the sight of me. He looked at my feet, and his eyes widened even more.“Care to explain?” I asked, folding my arms.I was trying so hard to keep it together. Heaven knows I wanted to jump at him and scratch his face. Another part of me also wanted to just break down crying. This moment reminded me of the heartbreak I su