THAYER
“What’s next?” Lud asked.
My gaze flew up to Lucas when he cleared his throat.
“We’re not entirely honest with you. You can’t blame us for protecting our daughter, you know. And we made a promise to Kennedy that we won’t tell anyone when someone’s asks where she is.”
My chest expanded with hope. “Where is she?”
“You can tell her that Lud is very resourceful. Even if she hides in Mexico’s Naica Mine, I will still find her.” Lud managed to lighten up the situation.
“How can we find her?” Ash came and joined us in the lounge.
“I emailed her two days ago, and she called me using a local number there. She said she’s with a guy named Talal.”
“Who the —” I cleared my throat. “Who is Talal?”
“Name’s sounds like Arabic. Middle Eastern,” Ash surmised.
“Yeah. That’s correct. Talal guy is an instructor.”
I chuckled. A small smile spread on my lips. “I know where to
KENNEDY I’d never been afraid in my entire life that knowing exactly how you’d going to die. At first, I thought he was bluffing, messing with me so that I could say yes, but when I realized we were above the ocean, that was when I started to worry. He was not going to let us drown in the ocean even if I knew he could swim. What if there were sharks?Oh, my God. I could only manage to breathe and feel relieved when he deployed the canopy, but I wouldn’t let this go. That was a promise. He would get what he deserved. He nearly killed me with a heart attack. I might not be going to die by drowning or swallowed whole by sharks, but my heart gave up with so much pounding. “Are you trying to land on the cruise? Are you insane?” “Better than into the ocean, don’t you think?” “I thought you’re an expert, asshole!” I would never filter after what he did to me. I nearly died.
THAYER Those furious, disgust, and hurt brewed in her beautiful blue eyes. Even if how many times I tried to blink it off or push it out of my head, they wouldn’t dissolve. There was no denying her feelings for me were still there, our connections were still powerful, but she was mad.What have I done?How could I let that happen? “So, no Cruise wedding then?” Ash asked. “Impossible.” I sipped the most potent liquor this bar could offer. Nothing could compare to the burning sensation as I swallowed down the words Kennedy had thrown at me. My parents and sister had flown to Dubai. They would be staying there for a while. “Are we spending New Year here?” Lud asked. “What’s bad about it?” “I wanna spend with Carlott,” he said bluntly. “Then go.” “She would understand. You still have two days to grovel.” He patted my shoulder. “Good l
KENNEDY I love you. Those words I felt in my heart, embedded to my soul that I’d been wanted to say to him. Finally, now he knew how I felt for him. My heart was filled with everything. “I love you, Kennedy.” His voice was breathy. His words were like my salvation. He laid me down on the bed. I opened and slid my lips against his. He pushed his tongue into my mouth. We were still fully clothed, but I felt as though we were both naked. Emotions coiled through me as we deepened the kiss. This was it. I was in love with the man who cared for his family, for his friends, and his people. And because of my love for him, I took a huge risk to be a part of his world. I broke the kiss, gasping sharply. “Babe, take off your clothes.” In just a few seconds, we were both naked, and standing at the foot of the bed was the most beautiful man I’d ever laid eyes on—h
THAYER Three years later… It was my wife’s birthday today. After our last public engagement this week, I planned to take her to our private property in the Caribbean. The sun shone overhead. Her skin glistened as she basked the beach in warmth. I still couldn’t get enough of her after all these years of happy marriage. I still got the same reaction as if the first time I saw her every time I came home from work. She was busy with her work as the people’s Duchess, Princess Kennedy, but she never neglected to take care of me, even during our hectic days. She still made me feel loved. “Stop staring at me.” She was lying on the small blanket splayed on the sand only in a two-piece bikini. A wicked grin touched my lips. “Why not? When I got the most precious prize.” I could feel her rolling her eyes beneath the sunglasses. “Oh, my God, babe. Can’t you think of another
This is a work of fiction and a product of my imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, and places is entirely coincidental.***KENNEDYMy life just takes a detour.My playlist blasted on my Airpods. I didn’t give a crap taking off my sunglasses as I entered the lobby of the 45th story building, ignoring the incredulous looks from the receptionist in a dark blue uniform throwing at me. At the back of my mind—what, bitch?I punched my floor number as I entered the elevator. A few ladies and men in suits joined me.I hoped Siena came to work early. I was not in a mood to answer her twenty questions right now.Thankfully, I arrived on the 20th floor. I excused myself from where I stood at the back. As soon as the elevator shut closed behind me, I took off my Airpods and checked my watch—I was two minutes late, which never happened si
THAYERI’m doomed.The moment I stepped out of the family jet, I only had one goal—to prove to my father that he was wrong. I knew my birthright, and I had a huge shoe to fill in, but I’d been molded since birth to take his place one day.At the black-tinted limousine, I glanced at Lud and Ash. They’d been briefing me since we took off. I raised my hand to stop them from repeating what had been stuck in my head since I learned how to talk. I knew the protocol, but they were just doing their jobs. Aside from working for my family, they were also my closest friends, and they would surely take the bullet for me even if they were not in my family payroll, and so did I to them.“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Lud asked warily. He was tall, stuffed with pure muscles with a strong jaw, and dark seated eyes.“If you’ll ask me one more time, you’re going home.” I lo
KENNEDY Oh, my God! Startling in my seat, I was on my feet as fast as lightning. My hand was on my chest. I thought I was alone with Alessia. Then a deep rich masculine voice just boomed in the office. The tone of authority was strong in his words. I nearly lost my footing. The tall man—taller like the skyscraper outside the window in a curly dark copper hair touching the collar of his crisp white shirt fitted perfectly on his muscular but not too stuffy figure. His clean-shaven masculine jawline could cut the silence deafening in the room. But his eyes—damn, the color of a forest. I cleared my throat. “Hi. I didn’t notice Alessia was not alone.” Thank God. I got back my footing. He met me in the middle. His lips were full, gorgeous, and red, spreading into a smile.God, his smile. His whole face lit up like brilliant lights. “Thayer.” He held his hand
THAYERI felt drained after we visited my grandfather. He’d been in the private hospital for months. My country was praying for his recovery, but after I spoke to his doctors, I wasn’t sure if our prayers were heard. He’d been in a coma for almost three months, and they had not seen any improvements.My family wanted to keep this bad news, but the people in the country needed to know. Despite that, they still had to keep a few details from the press.I could see the struggle from Aunt Alessia as she joined me inside her father’s room. No one knew, except my family and the advisors, on which country my grandfather was admitted. It was for his security and privacy.We had the best hospitals and doctors, but it was best to keep him away from media exposure. It had tight security. The staff was under indisputable NDA so that they wouldn’t leak crucial information to anyone outside this floor.I’d known
THAYER Three years later… It was my wife’s birthday today. After our last public engagement this week, I planned to take her to our private property in the Caribbean. The sun shone overhead. Her skin glistened as she basked the beach in warmth. I still couldn’t get enough of her after all these years of happy marriage. I still got the same reaction as if the first time I saw her every time I came home from work. She was busy with her work as the people’s Duchess, Princess Kennedy, but she never neglected to take care of me, even during our hectic days. She still made me feel loved. “Stop staring at me.” She was lying on the small blanket splayed on the sand only in a two-piece bikini. A wicked grin touched my lips. “Why not? When I got the most precious prize.” I could feel her rolling her eyes beneath the sunglasses. “Oh, my God, babe. Can’t you think of another
KENNEDY I love you. Those words I felt in my heart, embedded to my soul that I’d been wanted to say to him. Finally, now he knew how I felt for him. My heart was filled with everything. “I love you, Kennedy.” His voice was breathy. His words were like my salvation. He laid me down on the bed. I opened and slid my lips against his. He pushed his tongue into my mouth. We were still fully clothed, but I felt as though we were both naked. Emotions coiled through me as we deepened the kiss. This was it. I was in love with the man who cared for his family, for his friends, and his people. And because of my love for him, I took a huge risk to be a part of his world. I broke the kiss, gasping sharply. “Babe, take off your clothes.” In just a few seconds, we were both naked, and standing at the foot of the bed was the most beautiful man I’d ever laid eyes on—h
THAYER Those furious, disgust, and hurt brewed in her beautiful blue eyes. Even if how many times I tried to blink it off or push it out of my head, they wouldn’t dissolve. There was no denying her feelings for me were still there, our connections were still powerful, but she was mad.What have I done?How could I let that happen? “So, no Cruise wedding then?” Ash asked. “Impossible.” I sipped the most potent liquor this bar could offer. Nothing could compare to the burning sensation as I swallowed down the words Kennedy had thrown at me. My parents and sister had flown to Dubai. They would be staying there for a while. “Are we spending New Year here?” Lud asked. “What’s bad about it?” “I wanna spend with Carlott,” he said bluntly. “Then go.” “She would understand. You still have two days to grovel.” He patted my shoulder. “Good l
KENNEDY I’d never been afraid in my entire life that knowing exactly how you’d going to die. At first, I thought he was bluffing, messing with me so that I could say yes, but when I realized we were above the ocean, that was when I started to worry. He was not going to let us drown in the ocean even if I knew he could swim. What if there were sharks?Oh, my God. I could only manage to breathe and feel relieved when he deployed the canopy, but I wouldn’t let this go. That was a promise. He would get what he deserved. He nearly killed me with a heart attack. I might not be going to die by drowning or swallowed whole by sharks, but my heart gave up with so much pounding. “Are you trying to land on the cruise? Are you insane?” “Better than into the ocean, don’t you think?” “I thought you’re an expert, asshole!” I would never filter after what he did to me. I nearly died.
THAYER “What’s next?” Lud asked. My gaze flew up to Lucas when he cleared his throat. “We’re not entirely honest with you. You can’t blame us for protecting our daughter, you know. And we made a promise to Kennedy that we won’t tell anyone when someone’s asks where she is.” My chest expanded with hope. “Where is she?” “You can tell her that Lud is very resourceful. Even if she hides in Mexico’s Naica Mine, I will still find her.” Lud managed to lighten up the situation. “How can we find her?” Ash came and joined us in the lounge. “I emailed her two days ago, and she called me using a local number there. She said she’s with a guy named Talal.” “Who the —” I cleared my throat. “Who is Talal?” “Name’s sounds like Arabic. Middle Eastern,” Ash surmised. “Yeah. That’s correct. Talal guy is an instructor.” I chuckled. A small smile spread on my lips. “I know where to
THAYER “Son, where are you? You’re supposed to land two hours ago?” Right on time. We just touched down. The reverse thrust break roared against the airstrip. “I apologize, Dad, but we just landed.” I unbuckled my seatbelt. Ash and Lud were already on alert, gathering the luggage from the bin. “You never call me dad if you won’t apologize or ask a favor, Thayer.” He inhaled audibly to the mouthpiece. “You’re right, Dad. I’m not asking for a favor, though, but an understanding from you. And you know exactly where I am right now even before we land.” I climbed down the airstairs. The memories of how I met Kennedy sprung in my mind. “Very well, then. Are you going to see your grandfather?” “Yes. That’s a part of my plan. Any message you’d like me to relay to Grandfather?” “Just tell him that we can’t wait to see him.” “I’ll relay your message, Dad.” “I won’t get in the middle of whatev
KENNEDYMy pulse raced as my Gmail popped on my phone. I had a new email from Mom.I opened it to read the message. I hadn’t contacted my parents other than an email, telling them that I needed some space.My heart sank.I drew a deep breath, let out, and dialed Mom’s number. She picked right away as if she was expecting my call.“Hey, Mom.”“Honey. Oh, thank God. Where are you? You made us worry.”“I’m fine, Mom. Tell Dad not to worry. I’m having fun, actually.”“Having fun? What kind of fun, honey?” It was Dad. Maybe she put the speaker on.“If I tell you both, could you not tell anyone where I am? I need some time for myself before I come back. But don’t worry, I am doing great.“Can you tell us now?”“I’m in Dubai.”“Dubai? In the Mi
THAYER “Where’s my son?” I was startled by my father’s words. Then I froze like a corpse when I sensed him behind me. He was probably with my mother. I ruined everything. Now, I realized what I just did. I probably lost the woman I loved as well. “Son?” I was fucked-up mess. Shaking, I turned around to face my parents and the consequences I would face. But it wasn’t what I saw before my blurry eyes. “How are you holding up?” my father asked. I shook my head. My emotions were everywhere. What had just happened was like a freight train running over me. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to erase those images out of my mind. Jealousy stabbed me in my chest, and I lost control. I just couldn’t bear someone or those men touching Kennedy. A hot warm liquid rolled down my face. I bit the trembled on my lip, wiping off the tear on my face. “Honey, we’re gonna fix this. Ash is already asking th
KENNEDY“You destroyed me. Bitch.”I had not been able to process what just happened. Why Thayer had gone insane, cursing the living shit out of me?Serenity and Siena barged into my room. I looked at them through my blurry vision—they were wearing the same expression on their faces—pain and sorrow.In silence, Siena picked the remote control and turned the tv on. My picture flashed on the screen.***It hurt when people judged you something you didn’t even do, but no one could ever imagine what I’d been going through for the last couple of hours, knowing the man I loved had hated me for ruining his life—their lives.I cried into my pillow.My life was ruined. My career was over because of something I had nothing to do with. My name, family, and even my friends were all tangled with the mess I didn’t even do. That was now people could easily judge m