Trina's POV After Nicola left, I shook my head in wonder of her audacity before sitting on the edge of the bed. However, as soon as I sat down, I heard another knock on the door once again. A frown instantly appeared on my face. Is that Nicola once again? What does she want this time around? I schooled my features to look neutral before I called out, "Come in." But it wasn't Nicola this time around, it was Randolph who came in with his usual friendly smile on his face. He carried a silver tray laden with refreshments, but my stomach was too knotted with anxiety to even consider eating or drinking anything."Thank you, Randolph. You shouldn't have bothered after all the hard work you've already done. Besides, this is the maid’s duty, not yours." I said, managing a weak smile. Randolph chuckled before saying. “Nah, allow me to do this. These old bones don't like to lazy about or else that's when I start feeling my age. But when I’m up and doing, I feel as agile and strong as a horse
Trina 's POVAs Randolph and I strolled away from the barn, I took a deep breath of the crisp country air which was mingled with the scent of hay and livestock from the barn we just left. But my mind wasn't on the scent of hay or anything else. My head was still buzzing with thoughts of the story of Zane’s past which Randolph just shared with me, most especially the part of that mysterious woman he briefly mentioned. For some strange reason, I just couldn't get the thought of her out of my head.Noticing my silence, Randolph misunderstood the reason as he said in a soothing tone. “You really don't have anything to worry about, you know. Zaynie, bless his heart, is such a good-hearted person that a double-faced, cunning and deceptive person like Mandy takes advantage of that. You see, as someone who also lost his own mother at birth, he feels some sort of kinship to her, his heart goes out to her, as he believes anyone who loses a parent or both at a young age suffers a lot just like h
Trina’s POV And just like that, I swayed sideways until my head connected with something hard. I felt pain instantly engulf me, and gradually, everywhere seemed to turn dark. As I fell downwards, I blurrily saw a glimpse of churning metal below me, that is the inner part of the milking machine, which is now unfortunately uncovered…Gulping, I closed my eyes, waiting for the inevitable. My entire life flashed behind my eyes. My poor daughter! So this is how she’ll grow up without a mom…Just then, out of the blue, I suddenly felt two strong arms wrapped around my waist. I then felt myself being yanked backward, my body colliding with something solid and warm. I felt the whole world spinning with me in it and then all of a sudden, I felt myself sitting on the ground, cradled by that same solid and warm body.Through the haze behind my eyes, I blinked, trying to focus through the pain and confusion. A familiar face blurrily came into my view– chiseled jaw, piercing steely grey eyes and
Trina’s POV And even before any of us could say ‘Come in’, the door swung open to reveal Mandy, her blonde hair now styled to perfection and her light blue eyes wide with what I instantly recognized as fake concern. She sashayed her way into the room, her gaze darting between Zane and me and as soon as her eyes landed on his hand which was still on my left shoulder, Zane quickly pulled it off, as if he just realized it was still there. For a split second, I saw a flash of something dark in Mandy's gaze before it was replaced by a syrupy-sweet smile. And in a voice dripping with fake saccharine sweetness, she cooed out. "Oh, poor Eleanor’s mom! I came as soon as I heard. How are you feeling after your little tumble?" I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at her fake sympathy. No wonder Randolph said she's a double-faced hypocrite! Thinking of Randolph, I remembered what he told me about helping Zane with the likes of Mandy by acting as a doting and loving wife. Therefore, I summon
Trina's POV Before I could finish processing what he just said, he continued, "And, today, my gorgeous wife here extended her line of prowess by proving just how amazing of a cowgirl she truly is…" The husky, low, suggestive tone in which he spoke, the way he pronounced ‘cowgirl' and the way he looked at me when he said it… oo la la! I was literally melting into a puddle on that bed! And to make matters even worse, he ended his statement with a wink that instantly sent even more heat rushing to my already burning cheeks. I ducked my head, torn between embarrassment and a thrill of excitement at his words. Gosh! What has gotten into Zane’s head today?! I was the one who got concussed, not him, so why is he behaving so out of character today? First, joking around with me and now, indirectly flirting with me with subtle innuendos and that too in front of not just our kids but also his stepmom and the woman vying for his heart! Really, I definitely needed some divine intervention i
Zane’s POV Even though I would rather starve than eat at the same table with my exasperating father and his greedy wife, I knew I just had to endure it, for the sake of appearance. So in the morning after breakfast was served, I found myself sitting at the head of the table, surveying my peculiar family arrangement with both amusement and irritation. To my right, my pretend wife, Trina sat, with her adorable mischievous daughter Eleanor and Jayden, flanking her on both sides. The three of them huddled their heads together over the table, discussing something in hush tones and giggling over some private joke. Just like that, I felt the corners of my lips tugging into a smile as well. I don't know how she does it but little Eleanor was like a ray of sunshine, lighting up the lives of everyone she comes across. She has gotten not just me, but even my usually aloof and indifferent son wrapped around her little finger. Even though as I watch them now, I don’t think it's Eleanor who h
Zane’s POV "Sir?" Randolph's voice suddenly cut through my reverie, pulling me back to the present. I blinked, realizing I had been staring at the tombstone for who knows how long. And just as that realization dawned on me, another more… physical realization also came to my view. I quickly moved closer to the false grave, making sure the side of my body touched it, with my back to Randolph, as I tried to hide the embarrassing evidence of the erotic memories I just had… my massive erection! As I felt the tips of my ears burning in mortification, I quickly cleared my throat and said to Randolph. “This is a very good job as usual, Randolph. If I hadn't known better, I would have believed a loved one was indeed buried here.” Randolph just put his hands on his waist and fixed me an intense look before letting out a deep breath. Then he called out to me. “Zaynie…” I instantly became alert and turned sideways to face him, making sure my… situation is still well hidden from sight. He never
Zane's POV By the time Randolph and I drove back to the ranch house, it was already well past noon. Just like our drive to the graveyard earlier in the morning, the drive back to the ranch house was also very quiet as Randolph concentrated on responding to work related emails on his phone while I was lost in thought, my mind buzzing over the day's events and all that Randolph had said to me. As we stepped onto the porch, I heard voices drifting through the open windows. Nothing unusual there– the ranch house was always full of chatter– from the residents, to the ranch hands to the farm animals and equipments, there was always some kind of noise around. I inhaled deeply. I can't wait to go back to the peace and quiet of my house in New York.I slowly pushed open the door, and as soon as I stepped into the living room, the world suddenly stopped spinning.There, in my family's living room, was a scene that instantly turned my blood to ice. My father, Donald, sat in his favorite armcha
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.