(Red’s POV)“Was the bed delivered?”I asked Cora as soon as she sat on the seat in front of me and was settled on her seat on the plane. Although I wished to be alone, Liam sat beside me, placing his laptop on the table, and raised his arm, calling the attendant’s attention.“This morning,” My secretary answered, her lips curving into a smile, glancing at Liam, and when their eyes met, they burst into laughter.“What’s with the bed?” Liam chuckled. “You usually ask how the kids are or -”“I had asked Cora a million times about my family, Liam,” I muttered and then ignored them while I took my phone from my pocket to answer Violet’s video call.“Daddy!” It was not one child’s scream, but four as they all wanted to fit in one place to be seen in the camera.“Wait,” Violet muttered in annoyance.“I want to see daddy,” cried Blue, reaching for her phone.I sighed, comparing our flight to this call, our travel in the air flowed smoothly, but the camera at home seemed to be experiencing a
(Red’s POV)It was a long flight, and when Dante stopped the car in the driveway, I must be tired, imagining seeing Aya leaning on the wall, busy sketching on my drawing pad. My driver must have thought I was waiting for him to open the door because he immediately got out of the car, opening my car door for me.“What is she doing here?” I asked, not for Dante, but for myself.Still, Dante uttered his answer. “She’s always there at night, Red.”I raised my eyebrows and pressed my lips tightly. ‘Why on earth would she do that?’ I asked again, but I kept the question to myself this time. I got out of the car and walked in her direction. If I didn’t recognize my drawing pad, I would think she was answering a crossword puzzle or sudoku.“Aya,” I called when I was almost near her.“Hi!” She smiled, blushing as she kept the drawing pad behind her.“What are you doing here? Dante said you’re always here at night. Why?” My eyes narrowed as I voiced out my question.Although she was still insid
(Aya’s POV)I swam to the other side of the swimming pool when my cell phone made a noise, ringing the familiar tone, telling me it was Addie calling. I reached for the pool coping and groped my phone, swiping the screen to answer her call.“Hi there, lovely cousin,” I greeted, glancing at the pool handrail, but instead of swimming there, I decided to stay. “It’s eleven. What’s up?”“Just checking on you,” Addie laughed.“Me?” I chuckled. “The kids are now sleeping in the tent. Thank you for coming to the rescue.”“And where are you?” She asked. There was something in her voice that I could not quite understand. Was Addie teasing me?“In the swimming pool. Don’t worry, Addie, if any of the kids sleepwalk, I can see them from here.”Red seemed to value their privacy, not placing a camera inside the villa, not even in the garden, but for today, the security guard had set a CCTV in the area to ensure they were safe throughout the night. From what I had heard, it was Ariana’s order.“And
(Aya’s POV)I didn’t know how long I was sitting in the pool lounger, but when my cell phone’s alarm made a noise, I realized I had already been here for more than five hours. This was the first time I did not dream of Scarlett because I did not sleep. I could not even snatch forty winks after what happened between Red and me last night.Sighing, I reached for my phone and turned off the alarm to help prepare breakfast. When I checked on the kids in their tents, still sleeping like babies, I decided to go upstairs to our bedroom to change. I didn’t want to startle Wilma or scare the maids if I came into the kitchen in a two-piece swimsuit.As I walked past Red’s office, it was dark, so I assumed he was still in our bedroom. I opened the door quietly and tiptoed as I stepped toward the walk-in closet when I found him sleeping in the new bed. When he rolled to his other side, facing away from me, my heart stopped beating as I halted, realizing he was not alone. In bed, I saw the picture
(Red’s POV)“Where is everybody?” I asked Wilma when I entered the dining room.My heart hammered in my chest, afraid that my kids had found out about my petty quarrel with Aya. She must have told them she was leaving me or… Argh! Why was I even thinking about it? I turned to Wilma when she didn’t answer, but she didn’t look bothered at all.“They’re in my area. I don’t think any of those kids will eat breakfast here because they ate anything they could find in the kitchen while waiting for their carrot cake. Violet and her friends are now decorating their masterpiece. Coffee?” She asked after sharing with me where my family had gone.Instead of the maid, she prepared my coffee.“You didn’t tell me Aya has excellent talent, Red,” she smiled, giving me the cup.I raised my head and looked at her. “You’re not really here to tell me that, Wilma. What do you want to tell me? What’s the problem?”She would not be here to serve breakfast unless there was a problem at home relating to managi
(Red’s POV)“How dare you tell Lucy I’m not returning to work anymore!” She growled, clutching the collar of my shirt.I heaved a sigh, ignoring her anger and taking her hands off me. Her lips trembled as she gripped my shirt, but I was stronger, not caring if she would break the fabric of my clothes. I hissed angrily, grabbing her hands and gripping them hard, but the stoic look on her face told me she would not back away.“I need my job there!” She growled. “I need to earn money.”“You don’t need that job!” I snarled, not realizing I was still gripping her hands hard. “What do you need the money for when I have given you more than you can earn in your lifetime compared to that place.”“I need that job, Red,” she whimpered. “Lucy promised me a promotion after my graduation.”“Isn’t this a promotion already to you?” I gritted my teeth, hating her for crying in front of me. “Have you forgotten, Aya? I married you, remember? Can’t that be a promotion to you? This is your job now. Your l
(Aya’s POV)“Cry, Aya!”Leslie and Addie walked back to the dining area after taking tissue rolls and coffee from the kitchen. I thought it was my inner self encouraging me to do that, but the words were from Leslie, who placed five tissue rolls in front of me after I shared with them what Red did. Of course, I omitted the part about sleeping with him earlier, and I believed this was the reason my heart was not beating and felt beaten, sharded into million pieces, and would never be whole again. “Yeah, why aren’t you crying?” Addie asked, not looking worried but amused as she gave me another cup of coffee.“Should I?” I scoffed, smiling bitterly. I could not help raising my eyebrows at her.“I don’t know,” My cousin shrugged and stared at me. “Because if it were me, I wouldn’t care if he was my husband. I’ll hit him in the face.”I should cry after Red insulted me, daydreaming of his deceased wife instead of me. Yet, how could it be different whenever I slept with Ryan, thinking of a
(Aya’s POV)I picked up the cup and sipped coffee, thinking of Red and me. I honored Red as my husband, and as his wife, I wished to fulfill my duties, make him happy and become a good mother to our children. However, he should have remembered that it was not always about him and that I also had a say in everything involving my life and career.Last night, as I waited for him on the porch, I thought of coming clean, telling him everything from the Gino-to-Ryan story and why I got stuck with him. But when I saw him, the brave Mariel Aida Sophia lost its power to be honest; instead, I escaped from him and went to the kids.“If you see Gino again, what would you do?” Addie asked, stupefying me with her shocking question.My eyebrows knitted, thinking about what I would do if I saw him. I shook my head and shrugged my shoulders, not because I did not know the answer but because I was praying not to cross his path again. My cousin knew very well that the reason why my heart was paralyzed,