Trina’s POV As the kids had firmly locked the door behind them in Jayden's computer and games room and Zane was in his bigger study room which was upstairs, I was all alone downstairs, except for the domestic staff who were all taking a break from their usual duties for the time being.To keep myself occupied, I started browsing about ideas about how to hold a funeral for an already buried loved one and also ideas about the memorial area I want to create in Mom's burial ground after this charade of a pretend marriage is all over. I was deeply engrossed in my research when the intercom connecting the gates to the inner parts of the mansion buzzed. And as I answered, I heard the familiar voice of one of the security guards, Nelson, say to me. “Good afternoon ma’am. There's a Justin Myers here to see you. Should we let him in?”My brows instantly furrowed even as my heart began pounding in trepidation. Justin in the McAllister mansion?! What on earth is he doing here?!Subconsciously,
Trina’s POV My heart instantly skipped a beat and as I turned to look at him, I felt Justin's hand pull away from mine before he hastily wrapped it around my waist in a possessive manner.Just like that, the temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees as Zane descended the stairs in a slow, majestic manner, like a predator advancing towards its preys, with his eyes never leaving Justin. I held my breath, praying to God to intervene and prevent a tense confrontation."Myers." Zane's voice was as frosty as ice when he addressed Justin. "To what do we owe this... unexpected pleasure?"Justin’s arm tightened around my waist, making Zane’s eyes to ever so fleetingly drop to it before instantly looking back at Justin.He responded, "I wasn't aware I needed a reason or your permission to visit my girlfriend and her daughter."O.M.G!! How could Justin do this to me? The word 'girlfriend' hung in the air, increasing the already tense atmosphere a hundred fold more. I felt my heart
Trina's POV I took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves as I gazed out through the window of Zane's private jet. To any onlooker, I appeared engrossed in watching the fluffy clouds drifting by beneath us but in reality, my mind was elsewhere. Today is the D-day, the long anticipated day of beginning our charade of a pretend marriage. In just a few hours, we will be touching down in Dripping Springs, Texas– Zane's hometown and the place where the charade will be staged and so I was a bundle of nerves.Taking another deep breath, stole a furtive glance at Zane. His jaw was set, while his steely grey eyes were fully focused on the laptop balanced in front of him on the fold-out table. He looked every inch the formidable and intimidating billionaire businessman he is, with not even a single hair out of place in his tailored suit. How on earth does he manage to be so calm and collected in such a situation when I’m here literally shaking like a leaf inside?!Subconsciously, I began drum
Trina's POV We have finally arrived at our destination and as the jet began to touch down, the reality of what we were about to do hit me with full force. My palms suddenly became sweaty, and I felt my heart beating so rapidly and dangerously. Zane must have noticed because he reached out and gently placed his hand over mine again and I found his touch oddly comforting."Relax." he murmured, low enough that only I could hear. "It will be okay. You will be okay."As he said that, I raised my eyes to meet his and the sincerity I saw in them gave me hope. I nodded, trying to draw strength from his confidence. And as the wheels touched down on the tarmac, I took a deep breath, preparing myself for what was to come.As soon as we descended the steps of the jet, we instantly felt the vast difference in temperature. Eleanor, ever the chatterbox, immediately began chattering about how different it felt from New York, while Jayden just squinted against the bright sunlight before bringing out
Trina's POV The world instantly seemed to stand still for a moment while the rest of the world around us faded away, and all I could see was Zane. His arm which was wrapped around my waist now felt like an anchor, keeping me steady as my legs suddenly felt like jelly. I couldn't tear my eyes away from Zane's own as he introduced me to his father and stepmom as his ‘darling wife’. His steely grey eyes, which are usually so guarded, were now filled with an intensity that made them darker, making them just like stormy oceans. And I felt myself drowning in the depths of those oceans, lost in the emotion I saw there. Was this all an act? It felt so real, so…Suddenly out of the blue, I heard the sound of a woman clearing her throat. The sound seemed to come from far away but it was enough to jolt me back to reality. I blinked, suddenly aware of my surroundings again. I turned to see Nicola staring at us, with her lips pursed in disapproval.And before I could do or say anything, she spoke
Trina's POV Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the so-called 'Mandy' broke the tight hug she gave Zane and looked up at him with a huge smile on her face. Then in a highly excited voice, she gushed out,“Oh my God, Zaynie, I can't believe this! I can't believe it's you I’m seeing right here in front of me after all these years! Gosh! It's been so long! Too damn long!" She paused a little and when Zane just stood there, not saying anything in return but just looking at her with his usual impassive expression, she added, "You're surprised to see me here, huh? I was the one who told Uncle Donald not to tell you I’m back in town because I wanted to see the pleasantly surprised look on your face when you see me!” She paused a little once again, restlessly and excitedly moving her manicured fingers on Zane's wide muscular chest and I felt my stomach tighten with an unfamiliar emotion as I watched this stranger– this beautiful stranger – cling to Zane. Eleanor moved closer to my
Trina's POV I had only acted on some strange kind of instinct when I did what I did and then steering Zane away from Mandy. I really had no idea what came over me at that moment in time and even when he silently followed my lead, I had no idea where I was taking him to. I just felt that I had to take him away from that clingy woman’s clutches and now that I did, I had no idea what to do next!I just kept steering him in the opposite direction with my arm still wrapped around him and my heart pounding so loudly I was sure everyone could hear it. As we walked, I caught sight of Jayden, my little mischievous munchkin Eleanor and Randolph, with their faces beaming with excitement and satisfaction. Randolph even gave me a subtle thumbs up, which only intensified the butterflies in my stomach. Gosh! What had I gotten myself into?!As if sensing my dilemma, Randolph quickly led the way to what I assumed was the master bedroom and dutifully opened the door for us. I thanked him with a smile
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 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.