Trina’s POV
Early the next morning, I stood in front of the mirror, checking and rechecking my appearance for the umpteenth time and taking deep, calming breaths. I need to look as presentable as possible because this interview is very important to me. It is the ticket to the independence I so much crave, and also, my chance to show my evil conniving family what I am capable of. It's also my ticket to power and getting back what's rightfully mine. With one last intake of breath, l grabbed my portfolio and headed out of the door. The Sunnyville hotel truly lived up to its reputation. It was indeed a sight to behold, with its grand, magnificent building radiating opulence, adorned with elaborate chandeliers and marble columns that nearly reached for the skies. Each step I took inside felt surreal, just as if I was walking through a dream. I was both awed and determined as I walked into the opulent lobby. I’ll definitely do my best to get this job! Just then, a smartly dressed middle-aged butler approached me, his manner impeccable. "Ms. Ryder? Please follow me. The interview will be conducted on the top floor." My heels clicked rhythmically against the marble floor as I followed the butler to the elevator. Though I appeared calm outwardly, with a polite smile on my face as we rode the elevator, deep down my mind was buzzing with potential interview questions and all the answers I had rehearsed. And when the doors finally opened on the fortieth floor, I stepped out of the elevator with confidence, ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead. But alas, nothing could have prepared me for what awaited me in that lavish office the butler led me into. As soon as I stepped into the most lavishly furnished office I have ever come across, I instantly froze on my tracks, my eyes widening in shock. There, standing behind an imposing desk, was the insanely handsome, aloof man l had encountered at the airport just yesterday! Jesus, it can’t be! As our eyes met; warm hazel against cold, steely gray, I felt all the composure and confidence I’ve worked so hard to build crumble and disappear. What a small world! Who could have thought that I would stumble upon none other than the same man I woefully embarrassed myself in front of just the previous day! Just yesterday, I’ve blatantly attacked this Greek-god look-alike, calling him a pervert when I was actually the one in wrong and now, look what fate has done to me; he's the one who’ll determine whether or not I get the job I so much yearn for as he's obviously the boss! What a sick joke fate has played on me! The man's intimidating and piercing gaze seemed to see right through me, and I found myself struggling to breathe. Panic set in as realization dawned upon me; this interview is already doomed because I'm quite sure this handsome stranger will never hire a woman that attacked and falsely accused him. Just as I began retreating backwards, I heard the cold, frosty and authoritative voice of the man addressing the butler, "Is this the candidate for the position of my secretary, Randolph?" That stopped me from leaving the office as I whipped my head to face him in shock. Secretary? There must be some mistake! Mustering up all my courage, I took a step forward and with my voice trembling slightly, I spoke to him. "I'm sorry, but there seems to be a misunderstanding. I applied for the managerial position. My mentor in France arranged this interview." One of the man's perfectly shaped eyebrows raised slightly, and something flashed in his eyes but it was just for a fraction of a second before it returned to its cold, expressionless state. Seeing that he wasn't going to say anything, I turned and had just taken one step towards the door when a small voice stopped me in my tracks. "What's your specialty?" I slowly turned, and was surprised to see a young boy I hadn't noticed before standing near the window. He was the spitting image of the man behind the desk– he's just a mini version of the strikingly handsome man whose name I still don't know. They have the same piercing, steely gray eyes, the same chiseled features and even the same cold expression. Yet, despite the boy's intimidating and aloof demeanor, I felt a warm smile automatically appearing on my face. I found the little boy’s mature and cool demeanor kinda cute! And before I realized what I was doing talkless of stopping myself, I blurted out, "I can cook!”Trina’s POV I regretted it the moment it came out of my mouth! I mean, who describes their expertise as cooking when applying for a managerial position?!I closed my eyes in remorse, ready for the ridicule to come.I waited a second or two, but nothing happened. There was complete silence.So?I opened my eyes and saw that everyone in the room was looking at me with very serious expressions.Did they think my joke was too vulgar? Gosh! I guess my blabbermouth has now caused me to lose the chance to get this much-coveted job.Suddenly, the mini man's eyes lit up for a moment, a stark contrast to his otherwise serious demeanor. He turned to the butler and in an authoritative tone quite identical to the man who I assume is his dad, he ordered, "Take her to the kitchen. I want to see what she is capable of making."And just like that, I found myself being ushered out of the office and down to the hotel's large, ultra-modern kitchen. I couldn't believe that things took such a one-eighty d
Trina’s POV My heart kept pounding very fast as I followed Randolph out of Mr. McAllister’s lavish office, with my mind still buzzing from the unexpected turn of events. The interview I had painstakingly prepared myself for had completely changed into something else entirely, making me quite confused and disoriented.Randolph, the distinguished butler, led me through the hallways in the magnificent building until we got to a sleek, modern office. And as he addressed me, his voice carried a warmth that contrasted with his impeccable, aristocratic appearance.“This way, Ms. Ryder. We’ll complete your employment paperwork first then I'll show you around the building. Afterall, you need to familiarize yourself with your new workplace, right?”Giving him a timid smile, I followed him into the office where I found myself signing one document after another. And as I caught sight of the salary figure, my eyes instantly widened in shock. It's double of what I had initially been offered! The p
Trina's POV Shaking my head, I made my way out of the building and as I walked to my car, I quickly pulled out my phone and dialed Justin's number, eager to share the strange events of the day with my best friend."Justin, you won't believe what just happened!" I blurted out as soon as he picked up, not wasting time on any pleasantries."Trina! How did the interview go?" As usual, Justin's voice was very warm and he sounded quite curious.As if that was just what I was waiting for, I instantly launched into a detailed account of what happened, from the unexpected job offer to the cryptic answer the butler gave me and finally, to my encounter with the intense, too-mature little boy. As soon as I finished recounting all the details, Justin burst out laughing."So, let me get this straight," he said, a hint of playful jealousy in his tone. "You never cooked for me when we were abroad. In fact, I was the one who did all the cooking! And now you've accepted a job to cook for some rich guy
Zane’s POVPushing away the paperwork in front of me, I got up and walked over to the floor-to-ceiling windows of my penthouse office, with both hands shoved into my pants pockets. Though my eyes were fixed on the city view, my mind was elsewhere. Despite myself, my thoughts keep wandering to the events that happened earlier in the day when I hired Ms. Ryder as a so-called manager. I don't know what it is about that particular woman but I find her very intriguing. One thing I’m sure of is that there's something about her that reminds me of the unforgettable night I had with a mysterious woman some few years ago. Whether or not she's related to the unknown woman remains a mystery. A mystery I won't rest until I get to the bottom of…Five years ago, I asked my good friend, the so-called best surgeon in the country, Dr. Hemsworth to do something for me... And that's how I got my son back from that woman. Afterwards, Dr. Hemsworth told me that the woman didn't survive the operation due t
Trina's POV As I drove the car out of the parking lot of the seven star hotel, an inner voice kept telling me to at least call Mr. Randolph and let him know that the boss’s son is with me, just in case Mr. McAllister asks him about his whereabouts. But as I reached for my phone with one hand while the other was on the steering wheel, I heard the mini man’s cold voice query me.“Who are you going to call?”I don't know what it is about this little boy, but just as always, I found myself blurting out an answer to his question.“Mr. Randolph… I thought that perhaps your dad might get worried if he doesn't see you. So I have to call Mr. Randolph and let him know that you're with me.”The mini man just scoffed. “Don't bother.”My brows furrowed in confusion so I looked at him through the rearview mirror. “Pardon me? Your father…”“...Knows exactly where I am.” The mini man cut me off. But I was still confused. Does he mean he told his father that he's going to sneak into a stranger’s car
Trina's POV Eleanor reluctantly agreed and so I ushered them into the living room. As Maria said her goodbyes and left, I got some of Eleanor's toys including Lego and a kids' simple puzzle. From my peripheral view, I could vividly see Jayden make a face and snort in a very low tone when he saw the toys I placed for them whereas Eleanor excitedly jumped up and started playing with the Lego. Seeing that, I quickly turned on the TV and placed the remote in front of Jayden, hoping that he might find something that would interest him. Then glancing at Eleanor who was cheerily playing with her Lego, I shook my head with a small smile on my face before making my way to the kitchen. Jayden and Eleanor are just total opposites! About fifteen minutes later, I felt as if something is off. I couldn't hear a single sound coming from the living room and Eleanor would never be so quiet. It's quite unlike my boisterous, lively and chatty daughter to remain so quiet especially when she's playi
Trina’s POV A flood of emotions overcame me as I watched the two kids who initially acted coldly towards each other, now within the space of just an hour, were warming up greatly to each other. Most especially Jayden– the boy who appears to be cold and aloof to everyone, including me but just take a look at how he's doting on Eleanor!“Try the vegetable salad, Eleanor. It's good for you as a growing child.” Jayden’s calm voice stole into my thoughts.“Okay!” Eleanor chirped. “But only if you try it too! Afterall you're a growing child as well!”All she got as an answer was an intimidating icy look to which she just giggled. “Hahaha! You can't scare me with that look, duh!”As I kept on watching them bicker at each other, I suddenly felt tears pricking at the back of my eyes. There's something deeply touching about the way Jayden is doting on Eleanor like a big brother doting on his sister. It brought back memories of long ago— of myself and my beloved brother Mason and how we took c
Zane's POV I had just come to Ms. Ryder's place for dinner on a whim, merely out of the intrigue and curiosity she arouses in me but as I sat there in her modest living room, surrounded by the aroma of her cooking, I found myself in a situation I couldn't have anticipated. Jayden, my genius son, was seated beside me with his face as aloof and indifferent as ever— a trait most people say he inherited from me. I know he's displeased, thinking that I followed him due to my overprotective nature which he hates a lot as he doesn't like being treated as the child he really is. But he can never guess the real reason why I’m really here... However, something that grabbed my attention was the little girl, whose name I’ve learnt is Eleanor. She sat cross-legged on the carpet, with her bright blue eyes fixed intently on me with unmasked curiosity. "Hi there." I heard myself saying, surprising myself with the gentleness in my voice. As if that was exactly what she was waiting for, Eleano
Trina's POV I took a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart as I watched Eleanor orchestrate yet another "family" scenario. This time, she had Jayden and Zane himself setting up a picnic in the sprawling gardens of the McAllister mansion. It was quite surreal, seeing the cold and aloof, highly charismatic and intimidating billionaire– The enigmatic Mr. Zane McAllister doing something so domestic as laying out a checkered blanket while his equally aloof and charismatic son, Jayden McAllister, carefully arranged a basket of sandwiches on the spread blanket.As I watched them from afar in awe, I suddenly heard my mischievous little munchkin’s voice break into my thoughts."Mommy! Daddy says we need your famous lemonade for our picnic!"For the umpteenth time, I felt a flutter in my stomach when I heard Eleanor call Zane 'Daddy,' even though I have been hearing it for over a week now and I also know it was all pretend. Forcing a smile on my face, I replied to her. "Lemonade coming
Jayden McAllister's POV I could feel Eleanor's excited eyes on me, trying to get an eye contact so we can celebrate our mini victory but I refused to allow the contact since Dad's highly perceptive eyes were on me and I don't want to risk him finding out about our plan.Later after breakfast, as we made our way to Dad's sleek black car, I couldn't help but notice how Mom hesitated before taking the front passenger seat. And when he drove us to the school, I noticed that Dad's knuckles were white on the steering wheel, as if he was also nervous about the whole thing but keeping cool about it like the aloof and indifferent billionaire everyone knows him to be.Unlike her usual self, Eleanor was very quiet during the ride to the school and from the rearview mirror, I could see Mom stealing glances at her with a concerned look on her face. When she could no longer handle it, she turned in her seat to look back at us. "Aren’t you excited, Ella sweetie? First day at a new school is always
Jayden McAllister's POV I must give my twin sister her well deserved accolade– she's indeed a master when it comes to plotting and mischievous pranks, especially when she sets her heart into doing something. And she has not only set her heart, but also her mind and her soul into bringing our parents back together after whatever it was that separated them in the past. On that fateful day when Dad announced we were going on a family vacation to his hometown, I had caught Eleanor's eye across the breakfast table. She gave me that mischievous look of hers– the one that said she was up to something– and I knew right then that our lives were about to get a whole lot more interesting! And when I said my goodbyes and set out to go to school, I had lingered at the door, only to hear her say to them in her characteristic chirpy tone."I'm going off to my kingdom as well but before then, remember what my big bro just told you; practice makes perfect. Jay-jay and I have already started our ow
Trina's POV “Mr. McAllister comes from a middle-class family in Dripping Springs, Texas. His father, Donald McAllister owns and maintains a ranch there. The ranch is a family heirloom, it's been in the family for generations. Zaynie is his only son."This time around, he didn't bother to correct his slip of tongue and that made me realise that Mr. McAllister and him might be closer than they appear to be if he calls him by a nickname."Zaynie's mother died immediately after giving birth to him, and his father remarried early… too early if you ask me.”I shook my head as I said, “That's so sad. So he grew up without knowing his own Mom!”Randolph let out a grim smile as he heard that, before saying, “Yeah, but what was even more sadder was the way his father and stepmom treated him. You see, my family worked for the McAllister ranch for generations and so I grew up there, working as the dairy person in charge of milking all the cows. So I have known Zaynie ever since he was born. As a
Trina's POV Time seemed to slow down as I sensed Zane’s hand a fraction of an inch away from my face. With my heart pounding so hard like never before, I held my breath, waiting for the touch of his fingers on my skin...However, it never came.Instead, I felt a slight movement of air as his hand reached past me. My eyes flew open just in time to see him grab his suit jacket from the hook on the wall behind me."Then you better start practicing about how to act as a caring wife," he said, his voice calm and cool as if nothing had happened. "I'm off to the office."And just like that, he was gone, leaving me pressed against the wall, with my heart still pounding dangerously and my mind reeling.I stood there for a moment, trying to process what had just happened– or rather, what hadn't happened. Had I imagined the tension? The heated look in his eyes? The way his gaze had lingered on my lips?Shaking my head, I pushed myself away from the wall and took a deep breath. This arrangement
Trina’s POV Eleanor's eyes widened as big as saucers, and even Jayden looked pleasantly surprised. But before I could process their reactions, Zane quickly added, "As a pretend family." He paused, his gaze sweeping over all of us. "I've made an arrangement with… your mother that will benefit us both. And to make this… venture successful, we will need your maximum cooperation."I watched the children carefully, trying to gauge their reactions. To my surprise, Eleanor and Jayden exchanged another look, this one filled with something I couldn't quite decipher. Was that... a wink from Eleanor to Jayden? Hmm, judging from her hyper excitement from earlier and her actions now, I know my mischievous little munchkin was definitely up to something. But the question is, what? And how on earth had she managed to thaw the usually cold and aloof Jayden like this?"A pretend family vacation?" Eleanor asked, her voice dripping with innocence that I knew was entirely feigned. "That sounds like fun!
Trina's POV As my little munchkin and I made our way to the McAllister mansion, I couldn't help but notice her unusually bubbly demeanor. Even though my little firecracker was always full of life, today she seemed to be practically bursting with excitement. I’ve never seen her being this restless and excited over anything. As if she read my mind, she hyper excitedly squealed, “Mommy, hurry! I can't wait to see everyone!"I chuckled, before glancing at her in the rearview mirror and asking, “Calm down, sweetie. We go there every day, remember? Tell me, what's got you so hyper this morning?”She flashed me one of her famous mischievous grins before responding in a fake innocent tone. "Oh, nothing, Mommy. I just have a feeling today's going to be a great day!"Alarm bells instantly rang on my head so I quickly said. “Ella sweetie, remember the promise you made to me when we started going to the McAllister mansion? You wouldn't break it by playing a prank on anyone in the house, would
Jayden McAllister's POVEleanor's reaction was nothing short of explosive. She hugged me so tight I could barely breathe as she let out a very loud squeal of delight that made me wince involuntarily. I quickly shushed her, reminding her not to draw attention to us. She clapped a hand over her mouth for a split second as she finally released me from the fierce hug.But Eleanor being Eleanor, she couldn't contain her hyper excitement and it took several minutes and gentle reminders before she finally calmed down enough to speak coherently.Her brow suddenly furrowed as if she just remembered something. She then asked me,"But Jay-jay, if we're twins, and Mom is your mom too, why don't you live with us? Why does Zane Daddy... I mean, Dad, say that your mommy is in heaven?"I sigh, running a hand through my hair. "That's what we need to figure out, Eleanor. Something strange is going on, and I think it's up to us to uncover the truth."Eleanor nods solemnly, her usual playfulness replaced
Jayden McAllister’s POV I kept pacing around in my spacious room with an anxious look on my face. For the umpteenth time now, I checked the time on my limited edition Bugatti smart watch and when I saw that it was a quarter to three, my anxiety grew even more. I quickly pulled out my phone from my jeans pocket and refreshed the email box but to my chagrin, the long-awaited email was still not sent.The previous day after lunch, I had deliberately volunteered to clear the table after having lunch with my father, Trina and Eleanor. When I ensured that nobody was looking my way, I had sneakily wrapped the cutleries we used with paper napkins and pretended to go to the kitchen, only to make a detour to my room.I hid the samples well in the large pockets of my hoodie before leaving the house under the pretext of going for a walk.Even the bodyguards Dad assigned to me didn't bat an eyelid when I told them that I wanted to walk in solitude. And they didn't question me, they never did. Aft