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 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