(Aya’s POV)I lowered my head, not wanting him to see the tears shimmering in my eyes and the anger on my face.“You will never be happy, Aya,” He muttered angrily as if cursing me. “You’re no different from this parure.”My lips trembled, pursing my lips and breathing hard before speaking again. “I’m glad I did not choose you, Ryan,” I sniffled, hating him for breaking my heart this way.Couldn’t he just say he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me?“You wasted my time and money,” he said, taking his wallet from his suit jacket’s pocket.“Then don’t pay for this,” I gritted my teeth.“Let this be my parting gift to you,” he murmured angrily, standing up and leaving cash more than the cost he spent for the champagne and whatever he ordered in advance.I pressed my lips as I held my tears, hoping they would not flow down my cheeks. Sniffling, I raised my head and watched Ryan leave the restaurant. I made the mistake of closing my eyelids as it pressed the tears from my eyes.“Re
(Red’s POV)“What happened, baby?”To question what had occurred was stupid because I knew exactly what had happened today except for their conversation inside the restaurant. Liam and Mike interrogated me last night as if I was guilty of a crime, asking me if I had fallen in love with Aya to waste time and effort in making her believe I left today and would not return until Friday.Yes. No. Maybe.All I knew was that my heart hammered in my chest as soon as I saw her in the elevator, crying, and I could not help feeling bad for myself that she was forced to break up with her boyfriend because of my kids and me. When I opened my arms to her, she ran to me and wrapped her arms around my waist, burying her face into my chest as she cried. I embraced her, my fingers brushing her hair, hoping it would ease her pain. I sighed, wanting to apologize for getting in the way of having a promising future with Ryan.I let her cry for a while, and when she had stopped sobbing, I moved slightly awa
(Aya’s POV)I imagined getting drunk with Ariana or Addie tonight, drowning myself in alcohol while I cursed Ryan for being so mean to me, but after seeing Red, my drop-dead gorgeous husband, I felt relieved. After surprising me with his presence, gifts, and dinner, thinking of my favorite food instead of his, I could not stop myself from crying.As I always told myself, Utopia does not exist, but tonight, with Red’s arms wrapped around my body, I found myself in a place where everything was perfect. When he kissed my head, I wished his lips were pressed on mine, but I might wake up and realize this was all but a part of my dream after that horrible breakup with Ryan.“Let’s have that dinner. We don’t want to disappoint Fabian,” he chuckled, moving slightly away from me and tugging me to the table.He pulled the chair for me and kissed my cheek when I was settled. I watched him walk and sit on the chair across from me.“Why are you doing all these, Red?” I bit my bottom lip.I had to
(Aya’s POV) My eyes were shimmering with tears, and my heart overflowed with potent emotions I thought I would never feel again. I never expected Red could put back the pieces of my heart together, making me feel alive and happier. He moved closer to me, standing behind me and wrapping his arms around my body as he rested his head on my shoulder. We watched the fireworks shattering bright sparks of colors, making the sky look enchanting and beautiful. “No one has ever made me so happy, Red,” I sniffled, thinking that even Gino had never made me feel this way. I turned around, not wanting my tears to flow down my cheeks, but happiness was overwhelming inside me. My whole body trembled as I gazed at my husband, looking divine before me. Who would have thought I could have my happy ending with Red? “I’ll do everything for you, Aya,” Red said, kissing my forehead. “It’s hard to believe, but you made my heart beat again,” he smiled softly and then pressed his lips on the tip of my nose
(Aya’s POV)“That bastard!” Addie growled in anger, clenching her fists like she was ready to punch Ryan if he was around.We had not arrived home yet, still in the driveway, when Liam called, asking him if it was okay for him to join the meeting. With nothing to do since the kids were already asleep, I told Red I would chat with Addie in the study room. I only went to our bedroom to keep the parure and change my clothes, wanting to avoid walking around the house with my red dress.I told her everything, but not what happened after Ryan left. I needed another day for that, perhaps tomorrow or the next day. She shifted to her seat, leaning to her side and glancing at Leslie, who was still in an online meeting.I raised my eyebrows when Addie scoffed. “For someone who went through that hell of a date, you seemed different.”“Different?” I choked, shaking my head. “How can I be different?” I chuckled softly.“You look -” She pursed her lips when the door opened.Red’s head peered at the
(Aya’s POV)I jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom as soon as Red came out. I knew he glanced in my direction, startled but ignored me and walked toward the walk-in closet. I spent the entire hour taking a bath, pampering my skin with fragrant lotions, drying my hair leisurely, and choosing the sexiest sleepwear I could find in my closet.Still, when I was done, I hoped that Red had fallen asleep, not caring much about the effort I exerted for tonight. I stepped outside the walk-in closet and leaned on the doorframe, seeing him still awake and reading a baking cookbook Violet gave me.My lips curved into a smile as I gazed at him, looking adorable as he narrowed his eyes at my book.“How do you prepare something so delicious like this?” He asked without looking at me.“Have you chosen what you like? I’ll try baking it,” I said, getting his attention.He raised his head, and I was sure his jaw dropped, and then licked his lips, his brown eyes slowly sweeping over my face to my bla
(Aya’s POV)While people loved to indulge in the sin of eating cakes or pastries, it was the process of baking I fell in love with. This may be a part of my job, but whenever I baked, I got myself lost in my own adventure, from preparing the ingredients until the dough transformed into something delightful.When Red told me he knew one way of baking without stepping out of our bedroom, his deep voice and the way he said it was so sexy that he seemed to have turned on the oven inside me. Red and I had brought the missing ingredient, the stirring emotions of falling in love with each other that spread the fire inside me when he claimed my mouth.I parted my lips, releasing a sensuous sigh as Red caressed my bottom lip, licking and nibbling playfully before thrusting his tongue between my lips and delving deeper into my mouth. I moaned and eagerly tangled my tongue with his, and like him, I explored deeper, tasting the sweetness of his kiss.This feeling was brand new; there was exciteme
(Red’s POV)It was entirely logical for me to feel sexually attracted to Aya; that was what I felt the first time I saw her sitting in the study room for her interview. Hiring her was a mistake, but firing her made me insane. I proposed to her not because she was my only choice but because something about her fascinated me, and her saying yes intrigued me more.I knew she had the piece of my heart the first time we met, but I was a coward to admit it to her because I thought she preferred to be with a woman. It was not difficult to love a woman like her, and I was willing to do everything to make her heart forget about her painful past.I was not expecting this to happen, kissing and touching Aya. This was like a dream, having her in my arms, hearing her moan my name many times, whimpering and shivering her body with my touch and kisses.This was embarrassing to admit, but I had never done it with Scarlett before, as she did not like me kissing her on her private part. With Aya, I fel