CARLTON’S POV Dahlia is probably the mother Andre wishes for. And I know that's an awful thing to say, but I've never seen react around any woman the way he does with her. He lets her speak, he listens to her and obeys her. Like Father, like son right?He sees something in her just like I do. I am still in awe at how Dahlia's kids were able to get Andre to laugh. I haven't seen my son laugh in months. And that speaks volumes. Am I a bad parent? Am I going about everything wrong?I'd have to get a parenting manual from Dahlia because how does she do that? Her kids bring a certain kind of joy with them that is just contagious, and Andre is no exception. When they live it always feels like the mood has been dulled, or the atmosphere is suddenly gloomy. Again, Andre is no exception, because since they left he has been salty and bitter. He went back to being the Andre that I'm used to but in a more intense level. I took everything in me to not call Dahlia and plead with her to bri
I clutch hard to the table knife. My heart swearing painfully as I am watching my husband and my sister openly flirting with each other before my eyes and None of our family bother to notice anything. Mari-gold keeps smirking as if knowing what she’s doing. The chattering and laughter continues while everyone is enjoying the different delicacies on the table. It’s my parents 26th anniversary and we are on in the mansion in celebration of it. “Taste this, Carlton.” Mari-gold shoves out a piece of cake and offers it to Carlton, while staring at me for my reaction and my very own husband shamelessly opens his mouth for her to feed him. “Mmmmm, Delicious” he exclaim as he munch on the cake, grinning in high spirits like a toddler with no problems in world. When infact we had one. Few hours ago, we were yelling down at each other before we arrived at the mansion. And it was over the photos that my sister sent to me when I was in court. If not for my years of experienc
“I didn’t want to expose it like this or today. But I just can’t hold back the excitement anymore!” She giggles excitedly. Her blue eyes twinkling like crystal as she turns to Carlton, not looking an inch remorseful or ashamed. With my breath hitch and heart still frozen, I turn to Carlton expecting to meet a baffled expression on his face, just like everyone else on the table. Or the exact bitter reaction he gave me when I told him about my own pregnancy but to my greatest heart-break, he had none of those. In fact, He has the most exuberant excitement I had ever seen him muster in his eyes. “What?!” Mrs Stewart voice cuts through the shock and tension in the atmosphere. “Are you being serious?” “Of course, right Carlton?” Marigold gestures at Carlton for some support, still grinning and Carlton doesn’t waste any time. He nods and takes Mari-gold palm into his, then he clears his throat. Boldly facing everyone with no atom of shame. his tone cold and firm. “Mari-gold is
when I arrive at a spot far away from everyone, My Kness weakens and I crash down to the floor, landing on the stair case. I allow the tears that I’ve been holding back to rain down my cheeks without trying to stop them. I’ve been through so much pain before but none has ever amount to this. Where my husband betrays me and everyone turned a blind eye towards it. I cry so much till feel my throat tearing apart. I wish I had never took pity on Carlton. I wish I had never been there for him all the time marigold hurt him beyond counting. The truth is Mari-gold was his first love. They dated for years and in those times, Mary gold kept hurting Carlton by frolicking with different men, still Carlton kept giving her many chances. And I was just there for him in his lowest moments, cheering him up and fighting my building feelings for him. He gave Mari-gold several chances but he had the last straw when he walked into Mary gold banging another man right in his office. And their weddi
I am staring at myself in the mirror and all I see is the exact opposite of what I’m feeling inside. I look so Docile and unbothered whereas, I’m a broken mess on the inside. I reach out for the glass of vodka beside me and I take the 11th Glass of shot for the day. What do you do when everyone shuns you out including your own husband? I’d tried to be strong but I just can’t. It’s been three days now since Mari-gold’s Accident and Carlton had refused to come back home. I haven’t seen or heard from Mari-gold since that day. Not because I want her to die or something but I know very well that I’m not needed in that hospital where she was taken for treatment. However, Today, I’ve decided to set things straight. Mari-gold is a bitch but I’ll just visit her just this once and I’ll sign my Divorce with Carlton. With my mind made up, I walk out of the room. I’m climbing downstairs when the door-bell begins to ring. I halt. Don’t tell me Carlton finally decides to come back home.
A woman this pregnant, needs all the help she can get”, Tristian winks as he shuts the door of his Ferrari. I sit silent at the back seat while he drives us into town. I don’t recognize the route we’re passing but I feel like I can trust Tristain since I’ve always had a good relationship with my clients from day one. Well, Tristian Martinez is one of the top Richest Bachelor in the country. He has several companies across the country and beyond. But that’s not just how I knew Tristian. He was the last client, I handled his case shortly before I was sentenced. He was in a really difficult situation. Drug smuggling isn’t such a trivial case. He was about to get sentenced to prison, until he hired me as his lawyer and we won the case. And suddenly he showed up at prison on the day of my release, offering to drive me home. But unfortunately, I don’t have a home. So, I tell him to drive me anywhere he pleases and he chose his house. Pretty soon, we arrive at his mansion. It’s
It’s my birthday and the house had Been buzzing with tiny clones of me jumping all around and singing me birthday song. I call them, my tiny clones because they are like four spitting image of me which is one thing I’ll forever be grateful for. Thank Goodness they’ve nothing in common with their father. Only Gianna had her father Biege hair colour but I tinted it to black. So nothing reminds me of the person whom I hate so much. “Mom, I’ve a gift for you…” Gianna the 3rd and my only girl among my quadruplets shrill like a Siren as we are all having breakfast. Her immediate younger brother Griffin also adds, “me too mommy!” I breaks into a cheeky grin like a kid on Christmas, as I watch them flee the table. They leaves the dining and comes back with their gifts. Gianna hands me a very beautiful sketch. A portrait of me in chef attire holding a spatula. My heart flusters as I stares at the sketch. I had never loved my new career as a chef this much as I’m feeling right
CARLTON’S POV Few moments ago, my entire world damn near came to a stop as my eyes came in contact with the little kid I just helped get a draw-book. She has beautiful cyan eyes that twinkled brightly as she stared at me with a gleeful smile. Her lips are plump and pink. Her short curly hair, raven black. In fact everything about her, immediately reminded me of a memory that had been hunting me through the past 5 years. “Thank you Mista!” Her tiny but loud voice made me jolts out of my daze. Hearing her voice and having her stare up at me, filled me with something I haven’t felt for a long time - Warmth and Pure bliss. And I don’t know why but felt this strong connection towards her. Which immediately dissolves as it dawns on me that I might be hallucinating.... Again. It’s not the first time I’m mistaking a random Female for Dahlia. ever since she disappeared after her release, I’ll be damned if I say I never regretted my action at some point. I don’t know if it’s guilt b
CARLTON’S POV Dahlia is probably the mother Andre wishes for. And I know that's an awful thing to say, but I've never seen react around any woman the way he does with her. He lets her speak, he listens to her and obeys her. Like Father, like son right?He sees something in her just like I do. I am still in awe at how Dahlia's kids were able to get Andre to laugh. I haven't seen my son laugh in months. And that speaks volumes. Am I a bad parent? Am I going about everything wrong?I'd have to get a parenting manual from Dahlia because how does she do that? Her kids bring a certain kind of joy with them that is just contagious, and Andre is no exception. When they live it always feels like the mood has been dulled, or the atmosphere is suddenly gloomy. Again, Andre is no exception, because since they left he has been salty and bitter. He went back to being the Andre that I'm used to but in a more intense level. I took everything in me to not call Dahlia and plead with her to bri
DAHLIA'S POV Again, Carlton has said something to implicate himself and me in the presence of Marigold. I should be elated but I don't feel like having a back and forth with Marigold. The look in her eyes shows that she wants to engage in a fight and any moment from now she'd have an outburst because of my presence here. My kids are here and the last thing I want to do is fight with Marigold in front of them. The last time that happened, it didn't end well for me. I'm not about to repeat it. So before Marigold can utter a word, I excuse myself from the situation. “I can see now is not a good time, we’ll just go.”I hold my kids by their hands and turn around to leave but Carlton stops me. He's suddenly beside me and his hands are on mine, holding me back. My eyes open in shock because of his actions. I don't know if he's trying to get Marigold infuriated because it's working. The look in her eyes shows that she could kill me right now. Her eyes are fixated on the contact betw
CARLTON’S POV It's been three days since my encounter with Dahlia at the hospital. She still asks about Andre's health and I admire her for being so invested in his well being, something his own mother can never do. But that's about it. She has no interest in reiterating the conversation we were having that day and I respect that. It's a sensitive topic for her and I will be as patient as I can be. My patience seems to be wearing out as I stare at her while she assesses the beet roots on the shelves. We are at a raw food materials store. It's one of our events to prepare for the physical classes. After this we will converge at the front of the store to take pictures. So far everything has been going well except the constant urge to speak to Dahlia. Ever since the day at the hospital, I keep getting intrigued by her. The little things she does, how her fingers gently caress the fruits, how her lips curve into a slight smile as she assesses vegetables. She must really like the thin
DAHLIA'S POV The morning is dull and the sky humid. I make sure the kids wear jackets and have scarves tied around their neck before dropping them off at school. Throughout yesterday night and this morning, thoughts of Tristan have been on my mind. Our kiss, seeing him in so much pain. I wish everything didn't go down the way it did. I have had time to think about it too, and I owe Sunny an apology, and a huge thank you for her impact on my life and that of my kids. So in a good spirit, I make breakfast for Tristan and Sunny and dish theirs in a cooler. I freshen up, drop my kids at school and head to the hospital. The hospital environment always gives me jitters. Seeing people walk in and out with one condition or the other, in pain, receiving bad or good news. It's almost overwhelming, so I quickly make my way past everyone and head to Tristan's room. The door is a little open and I can hear someone talking. I walk in to see the doctor speaking to Tristan about his condition. Bu
DAHLIA'S POVWe have to get him on his feet at least. We'll help him walk to the car and the rest will be easy. One of Tristan's arms is draped over my shoulder, the other is draped over Sunny's shoulder. He is still in pain, and groaning as we push our way to my car. “Almost there,” I groan feeling bad for Tristan as he tries to suppress the pain and not groan. “It's okay, Tristan, you'll be fine. We are almost at the car,” I try to reassure him. Sunny is quiet throughout. We finally get Tristan into the car. “I have to do something, I'll meet you there,” Sunny says, sounding suspicious. She doesn't wait for me to reply before she walks away. Tristan groans again bringing my attention back to him. I'll deal with Sunny later, Tristan is my priority for now. I quickly enter my car and drive to the hospital. I finally found time to get my car from the mechanic shop. Tristan groans in pain the whole way to the hospital and I feel really bad for him. I try increasing my speed but
DAHLIA'S POV “What is going on here?”Sunny's voice gets loud as her expression goes dark. She looks between Tristan and I, her lip twitches as realization sets in and she begins pacing. “Sunny, calm down,” I say, trying to ease her. Her reaction is perfectly valid, maybe Tristan might be oblivious, although I doubt that, but I know how Sunny feels about him. And here I am kissing someone she likes. But I couldn't help it, I was caught up in the moment. I shouldn't have betrayed her like that, still, the pull between Tristan and I was too much to ignore. The way he stared at me, the lustful look in his eyes. If Sunny hadn't interrupted, I wonder how far it would have gone. Maybe it's because I haven't been touched or kissed in a while, because why else will I give in? My thoughts are in a haze but with the growing fury in Sunny's eyes, I have to prioritize her feelings first. “Calm down? You're telling me to calm down? I walk in here, tired as hell from work, hoping to see that
DAHLIA'S POV “Miss Dahlia, is it true that you're having a private relationship outside work with Mr. Carlton Stewart?” One of the reporters asks almost putting the mic in my mouth. I have to get out of this, out of here. How did I get myself in this mess?Oh yes, I remember, I walked out of the auditorium room and was met with this paparazzi asking inappropriate questions. .Who even gave them permission to enter here? And they are asking unscreened questions which puts me in a tight place. “Miss Dahlia, please explain your relationship with Mr. Stewart,” another one shoots a question. I immediately turn and glare at him, he instinctively steps back still keeping the mic close to my mouth. This is too much. The blinding lights, the multiple mics in my face. I can't take it. My head begins to spin and it feels like I'll collapse anytime soon. As the reporters keep throwing questions at me, I feel my knees begin to grow weak. No, no, no. Don't give up on me now. They are givin
DAHLIA'S POV The eyes of the man embracing me grows wide and he immediately pushes himself off me. I feel a little hurt but then I remember that it's Carlton. He's a cheat and sneaking around is his specialty. “We…we were ju…just hugging,” he stammers, “there’s nothing going on I swear it.”I fold my arms across my chest and watch as Carlton pathetically tries to explain the situation to Tristan. Tristan scoffs and moves further into the room. “I know you were just hugging because I know Dahlia, she'd never fool around with someone's husband. It's beneath her,” he says looking at Carlton. I know what he's doing. Yes, everything he's saying is true and I believe it but he's also trying to mock Carlton, knowing fully well that Carlton was sleeping with someone else when he was still married to me. And it's working because the look on Carlton's face says he feels ashamed and he wants to kill Tristan for mocking him. Carlton's jaws tightens and his shoulders get tense. Tristan al
MARIGOLD'S POV It has been exactly three days since my fight with Dahlia in front of the school compound. People took videos and pictures and posted them on the net. At first the headlines were, CEO of Tristan Delight at Texas branch gets into an embarrassing fight with a fellow parent at her children's school. The next day they had completely changed. Apparently the newly found public attraction had made people dig in more on my life and Dahlia's. The new headlines were…CEO of Tristan Delight at Texas branch engages in a fight with her stepsister over the CEO of Stewart's Foods Co, husband to the stepsister. I mean, I'm excited about the news and all but the least they could do is use my name. Now I have to parade around like the ‘stepsister’. I'm not complaining though, this is the most publicity I've gotten in years. Today is the third day and I'm just loving the comments and articles online. It's all hateful comments against Dahlia. People are defending me, saying Dahlia is