Blood drained from Mackenzie's face. Glued to the ground, she felt as though Selene had pulled the ground from underneath her feet. She gaped at her, tongue-tied. Sweat coated her face and neck immediately, despite the working vents in the room. This had to be a prank. "What?" Selene asked, corking her right brow in sheer amusement. "You thought I wouldn't know?" Mackenzie swallowed hard to dampen her dry throat. Yes, that was exactly what she thought. Selene was not supposed to know, no one was! Selene watched the expression on Mackenzie's face. If she ever had doubts of who the children's real mother was, Mackenzie had erased all the doubt with the look in her eyes. The woman stared at her as though she had seen a ghost. Mackenzie Torsney had fucking underestimated her, she would pay for it. "You really thought I was going to sit still after seeing your picture with my husband scattered all over the internet? My God! You are dumber than you thought." Selene's jealousy was
Mackenzie had barely gotten out of the house when she felt her phone vibrate in her bag. She had been lost in thoughts, slightly regretting ever hitting Selene. But the woman had it coming. She frowned as she stepped out of the door, her left hand scrummaging the bag for her phone. When she finally found it, she stared at the Caller ID and saw her father's name displayed on the screen. "Pops" Mackenzie sighed. She thought of ignoring the call, but she knew it would make her dear old father worry. She clicked the "accept" icon, and pressed the phone speaker to her right ear. "Hello, pops." She greeted. Her voice trembled, but she fought as hard as she could to keep still. "Kenzie, dear! Is everything alright? You sound very stressed." She looked ahead and saw the Axford company vehicle Nora had sent. She started to walk eagerly towards it. "I'm doing fine, pops" She pulled the door open and climbed into the black of the car. "How's mum?" "Doing just great, everyone over here
Mackenzie's heart sunk in her chest. It was very obvious that he had retreated into his cold shell. His eyes no longer held any form of emotion, and the smile she had come to love so much had disappeared, vanished. Could she really blame him? She had hurt him by lying, perhaps she deserved it. She lowered her eyes to her flats, and shook her head. "I'm sorry." She raised her eyes to look at him. She stared at his cast without saying a word. Words could not describe the ache in her chest. "When did this happen?" "Doesn't matter. What are you doing here, Mackenzie?" Chase asked, without looking at her. He could not afford to stay angry at her if he looked at her. Her dark curly waves bounced on her shoulders, the same way they had done when they first met. He was mad at her, yet he wanted her so bad it took every iota of self control not to pull her to himself. When Mackenzie didn't speak, he turned in her direction and rose from the bed. The more he sat still, the faster he wa
Chase breathed in the scent of her hair. As she stood between his legs, his hands brushing the skin of her hips, the fire that ignited within him wasn't one he could deny. He had missed her so much. Standing so close to him, barely inches away, until she could suck in the same air he was letting out, Mackenzie did not know how to feel. She should have tried to keep her distance, especially now that he was mad at her, yet, all she wanted to do was be with him. She reached for the hem of his hoodie and slowly pulled it up to his neck. Chase did not struggle, he let her take his hoodie off, slowly revealing the tanned skin of his abs; all eight of them. Mackenzie adored every single one with her eyes, drinking in and relishing in the beautiful sight. She traced her gaze up to his shoulder. The cast rested over his right shoulder blade. She traced the veins that traveled from his shoulder to his neck, stopping beneath his bearded jaw.She dared to look above the jaw, up to his lips th
"Heavens, Mackenzie! It hurts that you did not bother to inform us of your arrival at Greenville, or the fact that you now work for Chase here. He's such a sweet soul, is he not?" As Eleanor laughed and brushed Chase's chest, Chase turned to look at Mackenzie. She was still on her feet, which was more than he had expected of her. He tilted his neck to find Jeffrey staring at Mackenzie, but not with the rage and anger he had expected. There was something different about his half brother, something softer. He looked at Mackenzie with a deep sense of longing in his eyes. Chase wasn't comfortable, at all. "This family loves you so much, Mackenzie. It's so good to see you." Mackenzie watched Eleanor radiate with her elegant smile. If she didn't know better, she would have thought Eleanor was genuinely happy to see her. The person she did not understand was Jeffrey. She had thought he would have grabbed her and held her by her neck. Instead, he was walking towards her with a soft look
The Axfords met the president of the United States, Alexander Montgomery, and his family at the rooftop of Axford Hotel. Richard Axford was more than delighted to meet him, and so was Eleanor. He was with his wife and daughter, Christen and Sarah Montgomery. Mackenzie stood behind the Axfords, along with every other important staff in Axford Hotel. Nora was present to ensure the smooth welcome of the president and his family. They were ushered into a banquet hall, with a dinning table of ten set for them. A live classical band was stationed at the end of the room for live entertainment. Stewards were present behind ever chair to serve each and every person on the table. Chase and the president walked ahead of the rest of them. The president was not a boring old man like Chase had thought, he was full of jokes and pleasantries, and Chase found himself smiling at regular intervals. Until they were all seated around the table, and Mackenzie was nowhere to be found. He took out his
She stiffened beneath his touch, and it was more than enough indication to let Chase know she wasn't okay. Mackenzie raised her head and turned sharply to look at him. She found him there, his blue suit jacket was off, and his white sleeves were rolled all the way up to his elbows, she caught sight of the cast on his right hand. His lips glittered with oil, and she could tell he had eaten more than enough. Who would have thought a man with a broken hand could eat to his full? She tried to smile at the thought, but it didn't happen, not with the burden in her heart.Chase saw the tears in her eyes before her brave attempt to wipe it away like it was nothing. He squinted his brows at her and looked over her. "What's going on, Mackenzie?" He reached for her right cheek and brushed it gently. Mackenzie stood stiff once more. It was the same place Eleanor had touched her before threatening her life. Mackenzie's eyes darted from the floor, up to his face. Chase Axford. His piercing s
The hours rolled by, and the 12th sneaked up on them, both father and son. Richard Axford was dressed in a bright skyblue hospital dress with the words "Axford Medical" printed in dark blue upper case letters on the stomach region. Chase Axford stood beside him. His hands in his pocket - now that his right hand had almost healed - as he watched the bright blue sky from his father's window. "So, if I do not make it today, I'll be dying the same day as the love of my life." Chase's ears jerked up. He turned sharply in his father's direction and frowned at him. "What's that supposed to mean, dad?" He was waiting for the doctors to come in, and every second they spent away left him with nothing but crippling anxiety. "I'm sorry son, but I can't help it." Chase watched his old mean lean into bed, and lock his hands together. "If anything happens today, you'll be the only one who'll truly mourn me. I mean, all these years on Earth, and there is no big family left behind. It just ma