Trina’s POV My father, the heartless monster Duncan Ryder was in a very, very bizarre and unusual mood, one I had never seen in my entire life. And it suddenly clicked on me, this is a very good and very rare opportunity for me to get all the answers I have been craving for, for so long since he seems to be in a very rare honest mood. This is a very golden opportunity which I am definitely not going to waste! It wasn’t just about the honesty lacing his voice but the vulnerability in his posture, the way his usual mask of indifference was now slipping and cracking. I guess he had come here expecting resistance, coldness, maybe even hatred from me, but I'm sure he wasn’t prepared for my questions. And that was exactly why I intended to strike while the iron was still hot. After all, opportunities like this are very hard to come by.So in a sharp, unwavering and stern voice, I began questioning him. “Since we are on the topic of telling the honest truth, tell me Mr. Ryder, how did Mom
Trina’s POV I felt my head spinning as I stared at the man I had grown up hating for most of my life. The same man who had tormented my Mom, Mason, and me. The same man who had accused my sweet, innocent Mom of infidelity. The same man who was now claiming he had feelings for her all along. What an irony!I didn't know when I let out a bitter, humorless chuckle before fixing him a look and saying, “So, let's assume I believe you have some sort of… feelings for Mom.” I paused a little as I raised my brow at him before continuing, “Mind you, this is purely hypothetical, just a mere assumption for argument’s sake because I never said I believe you.” Dad flinched slightly but said nothing. My gaze turned colder as I added, “So if that is the case, explain to me why you accused her of cheating and even divorced her? Let us not even get into all your other crimes and atrocities against her right now. Just explain this one thing for the time being.”As I said that, I narrowed my eyes at h
Trina’s POV As that thought came to my mind, I took a deep breath, trying to steady the storm of emotions that were buzzing inside of me. And then all of a sudden, something registered in my brain, making a frown to instantly materialize on my face.My mind back tracked to something my dad had said earlier. As at then, my mind was too jumbled up with thoughts so it didn't quite register on my brain but now it did. He had mentioned that the head nurse was on his side and had even helped him in his investigations. But… but isn't the kind nurse who had helped Mason and me when Mom was hospitalized the head nurse at the hospital then? Could this mean… My breath hitched as I snapped my head towards him, and with my voice laden with disbelief and incredulity, I said to him. “Wait a minute…. that head nurse you mentioned, was she the one who deliberately left clues so that my friend Justin could easily trace where Mom was buried? Were… were you the one who asked her to do so?”But Dad did
Zane's POV Ever since I did all that I did for Duncan and Emily Ryder, my mind hadn't been completely at ease at all. From the stories I have heard about them and all that I have discovered when I investigated on both of them, I know first hand how ruthless and devilish they can be.What bothered me the most and the reason why my mind hadn't been at ease since exposing them to the public was because I didn’t know how they would react, how they would retaliate, or worse, who they would unleash their fury upon. I didn’t trust Duncan, but I distrusted Emily even more. And the way she looked after everything was exposed… the murderous rage in her eyes… I feared she might try to harm Trina just to quench her anger. And that was my greatest fear of all.So I did what any man in my position would do; I instantly took action. Immediately, I hired a team of professional, highly trained undercover security guards to shadow Trina and both of our kids twenty-four hours a day. They are former s
Trina's POV After Dad left, I found myself still standing at exactly the same spot he had left me, frozen on the spot. Different emotions and thoughts buzzed in my head and mind and I didn't know what to think or what to believe anymore. Remembering what he had said about pleading with Zane to sell the piece of land where Mom was buried to him so he could modify her grave, I decided to push my inhibitions aside and contact Zane for the first time since that fateful night by sending a message to him, asking if it's true.And when his reply came just a few seconds later and I read it, I felt my breath hitch all of a sudden. The phone slipped from my fingers, and fell onto the carpeted floor while my legs buckled beneath me, and before I could steady myself, I had already slumped into the nearest chair.So it was indeed true. Every word Duncan had said to me, every staggering, shocking and unsettling revelation, was indeed true!Even though I was already sitting down, I still felt a wa
Trina’s POV I took in a very deep breath just to steady my racing heart before looking Mason in the eyes. I know he would find it very, very hard to believe what I was about to say but I just had to say it. So in a low and solemn tone, I said to him.“I know who your so-called mysterious higher-up guardian angel is, Mas.” Mason's brows furrowed in confusion while his eyes widened with incredulity as he responded. “You know who he or she is?!” He paused a little as his voice rose in disbelief before he added. “But you didn’t even know I had a higher-up guardian angel until just now when I told you about it! So how on earth do you know who it is?” I inhaled deeply once again, steadying myself before dropping the bombshell by saying, “It’s... Dad, Mas. Dad is your mysterious 'higher-up' guardian angel.” At my words, Mason instantly recoiled backwards as if I had just slapped him. His mouth opened, then closed, as if he was struggling to form words to respond to me. When he finally
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.
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
Trina’s POV Zane told me he had taken the kids for an outing and so I expected the house to be empty by the time we arrived but the moment Mason and I walked through the front door, I froze in place. There, sitting on my couch with the same warm, gentle smile I remembered from years ago, was Aunt Pamela, Mom's best friend and the woman who had taken care of Mason when I left for Paris. My heart skipped a beat and for a second, I thought I was hallucinating, that maybe the emotional rollercoaster of the past few days was finally breaking me. But when Mason whispered in a shaky voice, “Aunt Pamela?!”, I knew she was real.“Hello, my darlings” Aunt Pamela's voice was still soft, warm, and calm just as I remembered it.I hadn't seen her in over six long years.Tears welled up in my eyes as memories of her kindness flooded back. I instantly threw myself into her arms and hugged her tight.As she hugged me back, she whispered against my hair, “You have no idea how long I've waited for t
Trina's POV Just as I promised Mason I would do when he arrives, I briefed him about the shocking revelation from Dad's lawyer, and just like me, he was absolutely shaken by the news. We may not have grown up loving him but he's the only father we have after all, so we definitely don't want anything to happen to him. As I drove to the small house he had bought and moved in after he moved out of the Ryder mansion which actually belonged to our late Mom, we quickly formulated our plan. And by the time we arrived at the house, Mason's face was still pale from the news, but his jaw was set with determination. We both knew what we were here for. This wasn’t just a visit, it’s rather a mission. A mission to save a man who had been planning to take his own life without anyone noticing.As I parked, I looked at the small, grey house which looked as lifeless as its owner. As I turned off the ignition and started unlatching my seatbelt, Mason let out a long, slow breath beside me before ask
Trina's POV To say that the twins were beyond themselves with joy is the greatest understatement of the year. The moment Zane and I returned from our little romantic weekend rendezvous and told them about our upcoming wedding, their eyes lit up like the brightest stars in the night sky. Our usually indifferent whizz kid surprised me by instantly throwing his fists into the air, exclaiming “Yay!!” in utter delight before throwing his arms around my waist and hugging me tightly while his twin sister let out one of her signature squeals of delight, even though this one seems to be louder than ever. She then started twirling around the living room for what seemed like the hundredth time, announcing to anyone who would listen that “Mommy and Daddy are getting married!” while also listing all the things she wanted to do as the “official flower girl”. Even Jayden was not left behind in that aspect as he immediately settled in front of his laptop, browsing on his role as the ring bearer. Al
Trina's POV As I finally broke our nth kiss this glorious morning, I chuckled radiantly at Zane before whispering, “I can taste myself in your lips.” Zane smirked as he slowly flicked out his tongue and wiped out the remaining drops of my womanly juices that clung to the side of his lips before responding. “Good. You better get used to it because as from now henceforth, that would be the taste of these lips which you would be kissing forever and ever.”I let out a delighted chuckle even as I felt my clit automatically clench at his words. The thought of having those erotic, masterful lips and tongue going down on me and eating me out every single day forever and ever…. Oo la la!As he laid back down beside me and pulled me even tighter against his completely naked body, I sighed in satisfaction and uncontrollable delight. I was still utterly and completely breathless and my heart was still pounding erratically and not just from the intensity of what we had just shared, but from the
Zane's POV Throughout that night, I couldn't sleep. Not even a wink. Even though my gorgeous goddess Trina who is completely sated and spent after our very rapturous and passionate night, now slept peacefully while snuggled in my arms, I just couldn't bring myself to do the same ever since that word came to my mind…. ‘forever’.That one word kept echoing in my head, setting my mind on overdrive, buzzing with different thoughts. I had never considered marriage before in my life. Never thought I would ever need something as binding, as absolute, as forever like marriage is, with anyone at all. Howecer, here I was, unable to imagine a future without my gorgeous goddess by my side. Without Katrina. Without our twins, Jayden and Eleanor. The mere thought of it made me feel an instant overwhelming rush of warmth all through my body… ‘Together forever’ The surprising fact is that the words didn’t scare me like they might have in the past. Infact, in the past if someone had told me that I
Zane's POV However, I waited and waited, but nothing came. I opened my eyes only to find her already standing on her feet with a mischievous smirk on her face. Damn!The mischievous smirk on her face turned into a sultry smile as she reached out to me with her hand, saying in a low, husky tone. “Dance with me?”I should have been disappointed. But how could I be, when she was looking at me like that?I immediately took her hand and eagerly pulled her into my arms, wrapping my arms around her waist while hers looped around my neck. And the moment our bodies joined together for the dance, it felt like coming home. Her softness molded perfectly against my hardness, fitting as if we were made exactly for this. As if we were made for each other.A slow, sultry song played in the background— John Legend's "All of Me," and the lyrics seemed to speak directly to my soul;‘Cause all of meLoves all of youLove your curves and all your edgesAll your perfect imperfections…’As we swayed toge
Zane’s POV For the most part of the funeral service of the late Sarah Caldwell Ryder, I could feel Trina’s eyes on me, watching me, burning into me like fire balls. The service had been a very quiet, dignified and very emotional one especially after the touching eulogies Trina, her brother and her great aunt made. But for me, it wasn't the touching eulogies that made me restless and set me on edge. No. It was those eyes… those mesmerizing doe-like eyes of hers which kept staring at me and boring into me all through the service. They were like laser beams, penetrating into me with a burning effect, setting my entire body on fire and making me hot and flustered… in the middle of a church for that matter.And when I finally dared to meet her eyes at the end of the service after I felt her eyes on me yet again, my breath hitched in my throat because those hypnotic eyes… they weren’t just looking at me. They were seeing me. Seeing me in a way she had never before, as if she was peeling a
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