Zane’s POV I didn't immediately answer Noah as I collapsed onto his couch and ran my hands through my hair while he stood there, utterly gobsmacked to see me looking so rattled. I really don't blame him because I don't think there's anything that has ever rattled me like this before. Sighing, I finally responded to him. "I might as well have, Noah." I muttered, before launching into the story. I told him everything I could remember about the previous night, about the mysterious woman who had turned my world upside down.As I described her – long blonde hair, captivating doe-like light blue eyes, average height, beautiful curves in the right places, the scent of jasmine – I saw recognition dawn on Noah's face. "Zane," he said slowly, "that sounds like Mandy."What the hell? A frown instantly materialised on my face before I shook my head vehemently. "Mandy? Hell no! No way. There's no way on earth it could have been Mandy, Noah. Have you gone nuts? How could you even think that? There
Jayden McAllister's POV I casually leaned back against the makeshift tent Eleanor had requested Dad to set up for the lakeside celebration. The sounds of laughter and splashes of water filled the air, mingling with the scent of grilled chicken wafting from the barbecue stand. Today was my birthday, but in the midst of the festivities going on, I was more like a spectator than the guest of honor as I was just standing there in that corner, silently observing the goings on around me as I usually do.Just then, I heard the chirpy and highly cheerful voice of my twin sister call out to me. “Jay-jay! Come on, join us!” I turned my head to see her bouncing around, playing around the bank of the lake, with her strawberry blonde curls dancing with every move. As usual, she was the center of attention, a little whirlwind of joy and a ray of sunshine. I couldn’t help but smile at her boundless energy. Indeed, she's my twin sister but we are as different as the day is from the night. “Just a
Jayden McAllister's POV “Wait a bit, Randolph!" I called out to him, my voice deliberately carrying just the right note of childish excitement. "Before we cut the cake, I have a special announcement to make!"All eyes turned to me, with curiosity written all over their faces. I took my sweet time before walking up to the middle of our little group and saying, “Today is indeed a very special day because not just me, but a very special someone also graced this world on such a day, five years ago. So ladies and gentlemen, join me in celebrating the one and only Eleanor McAllister.”And as Eleanor took the cue and stood up and dramatically curtsied at me, I added, “Happy birthday little sis.”The effect was immediate. Dad's usually stoic face instantly paled and his normally impassive eyes widened slightly in shock as he said. "What? Today is your birthday too, Eleanor? And you turned five too? But... I had no idea. I'm so sorry, little angel."Grandpa, who's never one to miss an opportu
Trina's POV The day had started innocently enough. We had all gathered at the lake near the ranch to celebrate Jayden's birthday at his request. It was a beautiful day, with the sun shining on the water and a gentle breeze rustling through the trees. And despite the underlying tensions – Donald and Nicola's coldness, Mandy's obvious jealousy, Noah's odd glances in my direction– there was a sense of joy in the air. My little munchkin was having the time of her life, building sandcastles, singing and dancing and doing all sorts of fun stuff. Even Zane and Jayden, who are usually so reserved, were smiling and laughing.However, when Zane learnt that it's also Eleanor's birthday today and asked her to choose her birthday present, I should have known something was up when I saw that very familiar mischievous glint in my daughter's eyes. I know my little munchkin and how mischievous and handful she can be when she wants to. But nothing, absolutely nothing could have prepared me for what ha
Trina's POV I just couldn't believe my eyes. Even though the evidence was right there in front of me, my mind struggled to process the scene unfolding before me. Justin, here in Dripping Springs, Texas, at Zane's family ranch, staring at the four of us— Zane, myself, Jayden, and Eleanor, locked in a group hug. The hurt look on his face was unmistakable, and it sent a pang of guilt through my chest.As our group hug reluctantly broke apart, I opened my mouth to speak, to say something, anything to diffuse the tension. But before I could utter a word, Zane's deep, baritone voice cut through the air, cold and sharp as ice, answering Justin's question."As you can see, you are indeed interrupting something, Myers."And just like as it always happened whenever these two men met, the icy stare down began. The atmosphere instantly changed, as the warmth of our family moment suddenly disappeared as if it was never there before. The tension between the two formidable men staring intensely at
Trina’s POV Guilt instantly overcame me as I heard that. Gosh! Did I really say that? I wasn't even aware when it slipped out of my mouth! I had gotten so used to the charade we were playing that I didn't even realize when the words 'your daddy' had naturally slipped out of my mouth. I opened my mouth, ready to deny, protest, or say anything to rectify my slip of the tongue, but once again, Zane beat me to it. He moved closer to me until we stood right next to each other, our bodies almost touching. I could feel the warmth radiating from him, and also hear the steady rhythm of his breathing. When he spoke, his voice was low and controlled, but there was an undercurrent of steel beneath his words. "Yes, her Daddy," Zane affirmed, with his eyes never leaving Justin's face. "You heard what the little angel said earlier, didn't you? In case you have forgotten, here's a little reminder; She had demoted you to a mere godfather because she now has a new Daddy." Justin looked complete
Trina’s POV I remained frozen on the spot, watching Zane storm away from the lakeside, with his imposing retreating figure gradually becoming smaller and smaller as he strided further away from the lakeside. Every muscle in my body was taut, my chest tight with an unfamiliar and uneasy feeling I just couldn't explain. But what was even more perplexing was that I hadn’t even realized I was still looking at him— my gaze following his retreating figure even as he disappeared behind a row of pine trees.It wasn't until I heard Justin's deep, and very audible sigh of defeat that I snapped back to reality. My gaze instantly snapped back to him, and the look on his face instantly made me feel the heat of embarrassment flooding to my cheeks. He was staring at me with an expression I couldn’t quite read— something between disappointment and resignation. He ran his fingers through his tousled brown hair, while his lips parted as he puffed out air from his mouth, the sound heavy with the weight
Trina's POV I sat at the lunch table, acutely aware of the curious glances being thrown Justin's way. The tension in the air was palpable as Donald, Nicola, Noah, and Mandy all seemed to be bursting with unasked questions. I should have known introducing Justin as my "friend" would raise eyebrows, but I hadn't anticipated the intensity of their scrutiny.As we ate in uncomfortable silence, I could practically hear the gears turning in their heads as the curiosity filled them. Finally, Donald seemed to have enough of ebbing down his curiosity and since he's one who is never known to mince words, he set down his fork with an audible clatter and fixed Justin with a penetrating and intimidating stare, so like his son Zane's own.I instantly felt my heart begin pounding in my chest as I watched his eyes narrow suspiciously.“So young man,” he began, with his voice coming out gruff and demanding, "Care to explain why the hell would my son's wife's 'friend' just decide to follow her all the
Trina’s POV After her proclamation, Aunt Livvy wasted no time at all. The moment both Mason and I nodded our heads in agreement that Mom really deserved the grand funeral she had been cruelly denied, Aunt Livvy immediately sprang into action. She handled everything with a precision that portrayed her years of experience of managing the Caldwell empire and also, her deep love for her niece Sarah Caldwell Ryder. Within hours, she had called the archbishop, contacted every relative and every family friend across the country, arranged for caterers, and ensured that media outlets announced the passing of the Caldwell heiress to the world. The obituary was finalized, and invitations were sent far and wide. What surprised me is that as soon as she made those calls, even those people who had never once shown interest in my mother’s well-being while she was alive now clamored to attend her funeral after hearing that she was the Caldwell heiress!By the time Aunt Livvy finally finished all he
Trina’s POV From the address Aunt Livvy sent to me, I know she lives about an hour and a half drive away from my house. But when I inputted the address on the Google maps and let it direct us, it felt as if the drive to her estate was much longer than the hour and a half that I had estimated. Or perhaps it is because of the daunting task ahead of both Mason and I… of breaking the news of Mom's death to her loving aunt, that I felt so.As I drove, I kept biting my lower lip at intervals, which is a nervous habit I got from none other than Dad himself. Shaking my head as if to get rid of the numerous thoughts buzzing in it, I turned to the side, stealing a glance at Mason who was sitting at the passenger seat beside me. Just like me, he had been silent for a long while now, deep in thoughts. He was staring out of the window and I could see his clenched fists tightly around the large envelope containing the stack of letters we brought with us. I know exactly what he was thinking becaus
Trina’s POV With the amount of earth-shattering revelations we have been having these past few days, it has been one hell of an emotional rollercoaster for both Mason and I. And this latest revelation about our late Mom being the sole heir to the vast multi-billion dollar Caldwell empire left me feeling completely drained, yet somehow more complete than I had felt in years because even if nothing, I have come to realize that my late Mom wasn’t really abandoned completely by her family as we had thought. All that while when both she and I thought she had no one but Mason and I, her aunt and father had secretly been yearning for her and loving her in secret. The only sad thing is that Mom never got to know this before she died, all thanks to that devil incarnate Emily Ryder!Heaving a deep sigh, I turned to Mason, my dear younger brother who was also as emotionally drained as I was. Then in a tired voice, I said. “What do you think we should do now, Mas? This… this is something I hav
Trina's POV The morning started as it always did this past few weeks since both of my children started living with me. It was chaotic, noisy, and filled with the usual back and forth of both the silent whizz kid Jayden and chatterbox Eleanor getting ready for school. Between helping Eleanor finding her misplaced shoes, reminding her about her forgotten lunchbox, listening to the mild bickering between the two siblings and last minute homework checks for Eleanor, I barely had time to dwell on my own thoughts. Mason and I drove them to school, with the car filled with Eleanor's usual cheerful chatter and Jayden’s occasional interjections. When we arrived, my little munchkin, as always, hugged and kissed me goodbye before she turned to do the same to Mason. After pecking him on both cheeks, she pulled back and raised her little finger at him in a warning gesture, saying, “Don’t you dare pull another one of your disappearing stunts on me again. You had better be right here in this car
Trina's POV Before I could react to her loud squeal of delight, my mischievous little munchkin had already sprinted towards us, with her little feet barely touching the ground as she literally flew to my brother. She crashed directly into Mason’s waist, with her arms automatically wrapping themselves tightly around him. Caught off guard, Mason almost stumbled back but due to his physique and balance, he fortunately didn't. He laughed out loud, obviously very pleasantly surprised as he exclaimed and greeted. “Whoa! Hi there, Princess Eleanor!” Hearing her beloved nickname, Eleanor instantly beamed. She tilted her head up at him, with her doe-like light blue eyes shimmering with awe. “It’s really you?” she whispered, before tightening her little arms around him, as if afraid he might vanish. With a huge, pleasant grin on his face, Mason knelt down to her level, and in a very soft and gentle voice, addressed her. “Yeah, kiddo. It’s really me.”She instantly threw her arms around h
Trina’s POVFor a prolonged time after we finished our discussions and staggering revelations to each other, Mason and I just remained sitting in the living room, not doing or saying anything more as we were still trying to process the tangled mess of truths and revelations that had we had unraveled to each other in the past few hours. I have no idea what was going on in Mason's mind but as for me, my own mind was filled with a myriad of thoughts which were mostly questions that I have no immediate answers for. Like what step should Mason and I take now after knowing all that we have come to know today. Just then, out of the blue, the sharp ding of the oven timer broke through the silence. At first, my brows furrowed in confusion as I was momentarily disoriented before I suddenly remembered what I was doing before Mason arrived.I exhaled deeply. Of course, it's the chocolate cheesecake. I have completely forgotten about it! Grateful for the distraction, I quickly stood up and made
Zane's POV The lawyer just sighed and shook his head before responding. “The only reason why you didn't find any evidence of that is because you only looked into his past, Sir. You didn’t check what he was currently doing in secret. If you had, your investigators, who I know are the best, would have definitely found it.” He paused before adding, “And as for his terrified reaction when you exposed the dirt in his name and everything else... it wasn’t because he was devastated that he had just lost money for himself, Sir. No, not at all. It was actually because of Ms. Sarah’s two children who are now the inheritors of the company, according to the last will Ms. Sarah had made before she went into a coma. The truth is, he was busy working very hard behind the scenes, desperately trying to source legitimate funds to clear all the debts and also erase all those crimes you uncovered which Emily had committed in his name, just to make sure that the company was completely clean before handi
Zane's POV I couldn't believe what my ears just heard. Duncan Ryder was trying to divorce the woman he loved so much that he tortured his own daughter and previous wife because of her? Is it because he had finally discovered that she never really loved him and was only just using him as the means to an end? Is the puppet trying to free himself from the clutches of his puppet mistress who had been pulling his strings and playing him as a fool all this while?The lawyer solemnly nodded and reiterated. “Yes, Duncan Ryder is definitely divorcing his wife. In fact, he had secretly started the process a long time ago. But after his ex-wife's sudden death, he was forced to halt everything because he wanted to conduct a secret investigation about her mysterious death first and didn’t want his wife Emily to suspect anything.” Hearing that, my brows instantly furrowed. Something about this didn't sit right with me. So in a cool voice, I ordered. “Elaborate.” The lawyer sighed as if preparing
Zane's POV Even though every single fiber of my being screamed at me to go after Duncan Ryder and demand answers about what had just transpired between him and Trina and why both of them had looked so shaken after he had left, I just couldn’t bring myself to leave. At least not yet. Not without making sure Trina was okay first. I knew that even if I did leave to chase after him, my mind would still be stuck here with her. So, instead of going myself, I spoke into my earpiece, giving my bodyguard Don a direct order. He had followed my car on his power bike and was the perfect man for the job. “Tail him.” I said to him. “Report to me about every place he goes and every single thing he does.” Don instantly responded, “Roger that, Sir.”And as he revved off his power bike and immediately zoomed after Duncan Ryder, I refocused my attention back on the house. Through the thin curtains, I could see Trina still sitting frozen in the exact same position she had collapsed into earlier.