(Aya’s POV)“It’s not good to lie, Onyx,” I reminded him while in the waiting area.Sapphire fidgeted with her hands as she waited for her turn, not wanting her nanny to change her, and when Ellen attempted to brush her hair, she cried, not wanting anyone to touch her hair except me.“I only want Aya,” she murmured, standing beside me.“It’s okay,” I murmured and smiled at their nannies. “Just hand me those,” I pointed at the bag.It was the extra bag I prepared this morning and asked them to bring. When the other nanny handed it to me, I took clean clothes and wipes because their uniforms got dirty from playing in the playground while waiting. I seldom got the chance to pick Katie up from school, but this was the same scenario whenever I got late. I was glad I had this prepared because I didn’t want them to go home looking like this. “Aya, is it okay if we leave you with the kids for a while?” Ellen asked. “I suddenly had my monthly period, and I was hoping Nessa could get a sanitar
(Red’s POV)The online meeting with the board members took longer than I expected. When I checked the time, my computer screen said it was past four already. As if Cora knew what I was about to ask, she shook her head and smiled apologetically at me.“Would you like me to call the head of security?” she grabbed the handset with worry reflecting in her eyes, too, because my kids were supposed to be here at one.“You can go home, Cora,” I muttered, standing up, upset that Aya had not called again.Before my meeting, I asked Cora to check on the kids, but she told me they had not gone home. If they had waited for Green and Blue, had ice cream, and played in the park, they should have been here by two in the afternoon.I dashed out of the room, leaving Cora as she cleared up her things. My private office at home used to be a baby room, but after the incident, I turned it into my home-based office, renovating half of the area, setting it up with office furniture but maintaining the other h
(Red’s POV)“Did somebody die?” Liam asked as he walked into the dining room to join us for dinner.Ariana’s nostrils flared, and looked at me accusingly. “Nope, but someone fired the beautiful nanny supervisor.” She sighed as she watched him pull a chair and sit in his usual seat.“You fired Aya? Why? Where are the kids?” His forehead creased, glancing at the empty chairs.Ariana shook her head, giving him a signal that I didn’t want to talk about it. Liam shrugged and changed the topic, but this time his questions were mostly about the company my sister was managing. I ignored them, eating my steak in peace. When I was done, I rose to my seat and left them in the dining room to attend another online meeting. Although I told Aya I would talk to the kids, I still did not ask Cora to cancel it. It was a short meeting, and when I was done, I decided to check on my kids, fulfilling my promise of talking to them tonight.When I reached Violet’s room, her door was locked. It was still ea
(Red’s POV)“You should go and ask Aya yourself.”I told Ariana a firm no last night, but my sister said I would never know what happened today unless I asked her. I could not rely on my kids’ stories when Violet and Green didn’t like to talk to me, Blue was Switzerland, and the twins tended to make up stories. This morning, I had to see her, so here I was in the backseat of the car, unsure if she would talk to me today.“Dante,” I tapped my driver’s shoulder to stop the car when I saw Aya walking.It was only seven-thirty in the morning, but she was dressed like the one she had yesterday, only now she was wearing a pink t-shirt and faded denim pants. I wondered where she was going at this hour.My driver opened the window and smiled at Aya when he stopped. She bent and peeked inside the car.“Good morning, Aya,” greeted Dante.“Oh, hi, Dante! What are you -” When she saw me, she sneered and walked away. I had no choice but to get out of the car.“Aya!”She turned to me, looking unhap
(Red’s POV)This wasn’t the first time I went to my children’s school, but as I got busier at work, I hardly remembered the last time I walked this hallway. I tilted my head, wanting to hold Aya’s hands to stop her from fidgeting, but I hadn’t fully recovered yet from what had happened in the car.“What exactly happened yesterday?” I asked, remembering she wanted to talk to me about something, so maybe this was it.“When I arrived here yesterday, I saw Arnold push Onyx and Sapphire. The twins ran to me, and well…” she wrinkled her nose. “They called me their mommy. I guess he’s been bullying them for quite some time. Onyx pushed him, but hey! Dudley, I mean Arnold did not even budge an inch.” She looked at me. “You should have seen how big Arnold was compared to Onyx, but I did not tell him or bragged anyone here that I was your wife. Why would I do that?” she scoffed, rolling her eyes.“Let’s just have this settled so we can leave immediately,” I muttered and pressed my lips.She nod
(Red’s POV)“I’m sorry, Red. I didn’t mean to overstep again, but that was cool,” Aya shrugged her eyebrows before walking past me after we exited Mrs. Archer’s office.Mrs. Castelo left ahead of us, upset with how the meeting went. At first, she did not want to back down from what she had started, but after receiving a call from her husband, she didn’t seem to have a choice but to accept her defeat. Mike knew why I was in school today, but when I called and told him the situation, he promised he would handle the situation. I just had no idea how he did it, but it was not my concern now.I wanted to follow Aya immediately, but Cora’s message to read an urgent email made me stop walking, taking me a few seconds to read and reply to her. When I reached the parking lot, Dante was outside the car.“Where’s Aya?” I asked Dante and wondered why he had given me the car key.“She’s inside,” he answered. “Umm, Red, is it okay if I go to the restroom?”I nodded, pressing the remote key to unloc
(Red’s POV)The Sherrilyn news was not a joke because after Mike’s call, she reached for me, calling about my children’s ‘new mommy’. She wanted to meet her… more like to scrutinize her the way she said it.I was never afraid of Sherrilyn, not even when Scarlett and I eloped at the young age of eighteen. Cupid hit my heart with his arrow, that I didn’t let go of her when I met her at the party. It was love at first sight, a beautiful and should have been never-ending love, but she insisted on visiting her mother five months after she gave birth to our twins because she missed her. Scarlett promised me she would return immediately, but she never did. I could not deny that I blamed Sherrilyn because if she had given her time to visit, my wife would never think of going to her.The kids were all I had, and if Sherrilyn took them away from me, it was worse than taking my heart and tearing it into a million pieces. Three pairs of eyes from adults and five pairs from my children were gawkin
(Aya’s POV)“You did what?” Addie turned to me as if she heard me wrong.She peeked her head from the kitchen door, furrowing her forehead as if I had said incomprehensible words. Leslie could not stop laughing, almost falling from her chair as I told them how I got the job to the time I lost it and rehired this morning.My cousin went out of the kitchen with three cups of coffee on the tray, and I had to stand immediately from the couch to help her. Leslie is working on Addie’s tutorial center website at the dining table. I took the cups, gave one to her partner, got one for me, and placed the last cup on the table.“Why? Is it a mortal sin to tell them I was a lesbian?” I asked, pouting my lips.She pulled a chair, peered at the screen to see what Leslie was typing, and then looked at me. She shook her head.“You’re just crazy! A disgrace in the family,” she rolled her eyes and smirked at me.I scoffed, pulling my feet up on the chair and hugging my knees. “Because I lied?”“Because
(Aya’s POV) Three months later... I raised my hand, my fingers trailing my little one’s soft skin as she had her milk from my breast. I smiled when she stopped, a habit she seemed to have whenever she heard something familiar. “You heard daddy’s voice, Athena?” I asked lovingly. When I raised my head, my lips curved into a sweet smile seeing Red stopping and leaning on the doorframe. He kept his cell phone inside his pocket and gazed at us. “Cora left already?” I asked as I fixed my nursing bra and thought to pump milk later. I could not believe I was blessed with lots of milk. He shook his head. “She’s hiking with Ariana tomorrow. Can you believe it?” He chuckled. “Or should I call a rescuer in advance?” I chuckled, shaking my head. “Don’t say that in front of your sister. She might think of something else, like camping there for the night. So, please...” As Roman promised, his two children, Ariana and Red, stayed until I gave birth, and they seemed to have changed their mind
(Red’s POV)“Are you sure?” Mike asked me as Emmet and Scarlett went to the playroom to talk to Rosie.“You said it yourself, Mike, that even if I don’t press charges, she will still go to jail,” I muttered, sighing as I eyed Aya sitting in the living room, murmuring words to our little one as she caressed her belly.I hoped it was still because of her pregnancy that she was soft-hearted, sobbing over the story she heard from Scarlett. She lived poorly with Emmet, who worked as a security guard in a warehouse in the province he mentioned, but she never looked sad, not even regretting marrying him. If asked, she said she wanted to stay dead in her family’s eyes rather than go back, but Sherrilyn found her again, threatening her of hurting Emmet and Rosie if she didn’t help her with money. Sherrilyn must have forgotten that even her daughter signed a prenuptial agreement before our marriage, and the few gifts I gave her as a gift would take time to repossess because of her death. “But
(Aya’s POV)Almost eight months ago, when I first came here to the Carlington Residence, I believed I was born a selfless person with no ‘me’ time in my system. I had never expected to be part of this family when all I wanted at that time was to get a job and replace the parure Ryan gave me. I was not qualified for the job, but I had to lie to Red. The pieces of jewelry, the need for money, and the hope of finishing my studies and getting a good job for my father and Katie were the forces that pushed me to pretend to be someone else. Who knew I would meet Red, the man who had told me many times I was not qualified, had given me a chance because of his love for his children? It was not even a year, but a lot of things had happened in my life. I turned my head and gazed lovingly at my husband. He didn’t have to say it, but I knew deep inside he was hurting. I might not have witnessed their long years of marriage before the plane crash, but I saw how he tried to cope, live for his chil
(Aya’s POV)“Think, Sherrilyn,” I chuckled nervously. “The restroom is small for me to trip. And wait! Are you threatening me?”I thought of different ways to run toward the door, but Sherrilyn’s plan of possibly pushing me would be more realistic than the one in the restroom. I took a deep breath to calm myself and hoped Red would come on time. If I weren’t pregnant, I would care less about what she planned to do, but my sole concern now is my child.“Mom, will you please stop!” Scarlett grabbed her mother’s arm, stopping her.“Stop?” Sherrilyn hissed at her daughter. “As long as she’s here, she’s going to be the end of you.”“What do you plan to do with her, huh?” She asked annoyingly. “We’ll only make Red furious. Mom, all my life, I did what you wanted. Will you listen to me once? Let Aya go.”“What’s happening with you?” Sherrilyn brushed off her hand and gave her daughter a dagger look. “Have you gone mad?”“No!” Scarlett stood before her, blocking Sherrilyn from coming to me. “
(Aya’s POV)“Did you bring everything you needed?” Addie chuckled, asking me jokingly the same question she had the first time I got here in the villa in Rose Hills.I laughed as I get off the car, hating that I had to feel like my bladder was about to explode if I didn’t find a toilet right this minute. I had no intention of getting inside the villa, but Dante stopped the car in the driveway. I already had the chills, my tiny hair standing up, and my baby seemed to feel my need as it moved and kicked. I almost rolled my hair, seeing Scarlett standing in the doorway, waiting for her family.“I’m not sure I need them now, Addie,” I growled on the phone, thinking quickly about where the nearest restroom would be. “What I want now is to pee, and if I don’t, I’ll leak in Gino’s car… or worse, here in the porch!”“Then leak there first. I’m sure Scarlett won’t mind,” she advised. “Got to go, cous. We have a guest. Take care, okay?” she said, ending the call.“Why don’t you use the one nea
(Aya’s POV)“Will I get a discount if I give referrals?” Miles smiled as he picked up his cup of coffee. His eyes wandered around the common room.“Even if you don’t give referrals, Miles. I’ll still give you a discount... or maybe have your accommodation for free,” I promised him.Miles chuckled. “I’ll call you when I have the time to hike,” he sipped his coffee and then put his cup back on the center table. “But before my hiking plans, I should close this case first.”He must be working overtime; his wide-set eyes looked tired but still focused on our discussion. I wondered if he had ever slept or had time to eat. When Red called Mike and asked them to come, they arrived in less than three hours at the lodge.It was almost midnight.“You should go home, Red,” Miles said, surprising us with his advice. “Bring the kids back to the villa and pretend for a while, at least for the kids, that everything’s normal between you and Scarlett.”“I think it’s too late for that,” I cut in and smi
(Red’s POV)“Did we do something wrong?” Blue blinked his adorable eyes at me. “I’m okay having a baby sister, I swear!” He said, raising his right hand. “It’s okay we lost the bet.”We were in the main bedroom, looking like having a story-telling class, when I asked them to sit on the bed while Aya and I sat, almost leaning on the bed’s headboard, facing the children.“No,” Violet answered without breaking her gaze at me. “Mom and Dad are going to talk to us about Emmet and Rosie... and mom... the Scarlett mom,” she muttered, emphasizing her mother’s name.Katie pursed her lips as she played with her slime toy. “Why is your mom also Rosie’s mom?” she asked, leaning forward to look at Violet and her round eyes blinking curiously at her sister.She leaned back when my eldest daughter pursed her lips. Katie’s eyebrows knitted as she thought, then she shrugged her shoulders and continued playing with her toy.Violet sighed. “I hope I know the answer to that question, Katie,” she muttered
(Red’s POV)“You... know that I am Scarlett’s...” I gritted my teeth, clenching my fists but trying to control myself from hitting Emmet’s face.Emmet met my eyes and slowly shook his head. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. When he opened his eyes, he looked at his sister.“Emily, why don’t you take Rosie home?” He begged and smiled sadly at his daughter.“I don’t want to go home yet,” Rosie pouted her lips, her eyes pleading with him to let her stay.“You should listen to your daddy. Go home, Rosie,” Blue said as he got off his chair. “I’ll play outside. Triplets, do you like to play with me?”This was the first time I saw my children push away another child. Ariana always said that my kids could be awarded for amiableness and friendliness, which she sometimes disliked because it sometimes ended up trouble for her wallet when my kids also wanted to treat others with ice cream or any treats. My twins, even Katie, the sweetest of our daughters, said nothing about Rosie. She got
(Aya’s POV) “Can we name our baby sister now,” Green muttered excitedly as he ate his cake. Red turned his head to me, raising his eyebrows and asking me in silence if it was okay. I nodded, also excited about their suggestions. “Oh…kay…” He nodded slowly to them. “We’re open to suggestions,” he said, emphasizing the last word and glancing at the open main door when a familiar girl peered from the outside. “Can we do that later? We have guests.” Emily showed up at the door, smiling apologetically at us and glancing at the little girl she was with. For Rosie’s sake, I begged Red not to file a case against Emmet because on the day he ran toward me, he was not attacking; he was also trying to catch me. Violet smiled at Rosie, walking toward her and extending her hand to the child. “Hi, Rosie. Do you like cupcakes?” She nodded, her eyes wide as she looked interestingly at the balloons. She grabbed Violet’s hand and followed her toward the table. Red and I walked toward Emily, who st