E M O R YAs soon as the car pulled to a stop in front of the mansion, I got out of the car which was painstakingly hard because of this god-damned pregnancy.It was moments like this I wish I didn't have to carry a baby in me, worst of it all for nine freaking months, trying to give life to a child that will do nothing but eat, sleep, ask meaningless questions and spend my money.Then they grow up and also have this 'I hate my mom' phase, and so help me God, if my daughter ever says those words, I'm gonna be locking her ass in her room till she becomes 21 and even then, I'll still lock her up till she's 30.If I had a choice, I wouldn't even be bringing any of these coco felons to the world. I'd live my life alone and die alone. But, how then would I become the mother of the most successful business man in the country, if I don't give my husband a son or daughter?It would be a shame, really. And that I could still conceive is really a blessing, because I've gotten rid of every singl
E M O R YShit. Shit.No! Why the hell didn't I hide my tracks better? Why didn't I cover up what I was doing better?Stupid. Stupid.Now he knows.He fucking knows.Shit."Emory, answer the question. Why did you take the money without asking me?"I swallowed, and tried to act natural."Why didn't you tell me that you were taking the money? Why didn't you consult me? Why did you make the decision all by yourself? Do you know how bad that makes you look? As my wife, shouldn't you talk to me first, before making any big decisions?""What's going on with you, Sebastian?" I said, trying to divert the subject. "Don't fucking try and change the subject, Emory. Now tell me why the fuck did you steal from me?"I took a step back and glared at him."You think I stole from you? How could you even say that? I am your wife!""Oh, so you are not denying it?""Denying what? What is there to deny? I didn't steal a single penny from you, Sebastian. Your money is my money, isn't that so? We're one, r
E L L E"You did a good job, Marie." I said, handing her a glass of wine."Thanks, Miss Elle." I noticed the fear and uncertainty in her eyes. "You have nothing to be afraid of. All you said was the truth. You are a victim and you're going to be the voice of others who are too afraid to speak out. Your actions will pave a path for change, and we are going to make sure that companies like Rome Beauty Empire will no longer produce such products.""I hope this doesn't cause any trouble. I don't want people to look down on me.""Marie, you're doing the right thing. Don't think about what the others are going to say. They don't matter. Your conscience is clear. You are a good person. You have nothing to worry about.""Thanks, Miss Elle. I hope the results will be positive. I would hate myself if anything went wrong.""You are gonna be fine. We'll make sure that your name and face won't be revealed on the news. Just a picture of the places affected and your face which will be blurred. You a
E L L EI was torn in trying to know if the press were lying when they said Mikhail was a rude and self centered person, because he was anything but that.Or was he just pretending?But, he had no reason to.He has been a complete gentleman. He helped me into the car, and even opened the car door for me.It's been a while since I went out to eat lunch with a guy. And I felt a little bit uncomfortable, especially since this was my first date with him.A guy that never gives people the time of the day was giving me all of his attention.We walked inside the restaurant. He picked a very private restaurant where he was sure the paparazzi weren't already on his tail.He chose a table at the corner, where we could see everyone else, but no one could see us.The waiter came and took our order, and the only sounds were the clinking of utensils, the low music, and the chattering around the room.I fiddled with the edge of the table cloth, avoiding eye contact with him."You should stop doing t
M I C H A E LI was standing in front of the girl's apartment.Marie was her name, according to the background research done on her. She thinks she could try to ruin my woman's reputation and she'd get away with it easily?Big fucking mistake.The worst thing she could have done is work with my enemy, and try to harm the woman carrying my child.Emory and I dated right from college and when she came to me with a new strategy to extort money, I was hesitant to watch the love of my life get married to another man, but as soon as I heard the money involved, I was game.Now, that we are in the second phase, everything has gone smoothly.She is already pregnant with my child and we are getting closer each day.She is the only woman who is perfect for me, and no one is ever going to break us apart.Not even her own husband.Knocking on the door, I waited patiently.A few seconds later, the door opened, revealing the same girl who appeared in the background checks we had done.She looked at
E L L EToday is the day of the interview and I drove into the driveway of Marie's apartment.I should have known that something was wrong when I arrived into her apartment and she wasn't dressed yet.I went over to her on the couch and looked at her. "Are you okay?""Yeah. I'm fine." She mustered up a smile. "Is everything alright? You look a little pale.""It's nothing. I'm fine. Just a little nervous. I don't know why. But, let's get ready.""You'll be great, Marie. You're literally saving the lives of a lot of people by doing this. And, I really want to thank you for doing this for me. It means a lot.""I'm happy to help, Elle. Now, let's get going. We're gonna be late." I still couldn't shake off the feeling that there was something off about her. She stood up and went to get dressed. While Marie was being prepared for the interview, I decided to call my mom."Hey there, sweetie. How are you feeling today?""Hey, Mom. I'm doing fine. A little stressed, but okay. I just wanted t
E L L EMy body went numb as I heard the words coming from her. I felt utterly disappointed as I watched Marie through the glass separating us. Her eyes met mine and she was quick to avoid eye contact.What did they do to her?She definitely wouldn't come out and say she had lied. Emory must done something to shut her up. Maybe offer her a ridiculous amount of money to retract her statements.Either way, I knew that there was no point in trying to change her mind. She has already made up her mind and it was impossible to convince her otherwise.I took a deep breath and decided to leave the interview room.As soon as I walked out, a man was standing outside, leaning against the wall, a smirk on his face.He looked at me and his smirk widened. "Well, well. Hello there, Elle. What a surprise."I took a step back and stared at him."W-what are you doing here?" I could swear I'd seen his face somewhere. Bali. Hooded guy. Chasing after me with a knife trying to kill me.I swallowed the lump
E L L EI just came out from the shower, drying my wet hair when I heard a text notification.I sighed and sat down on my bed.What now?I picked up my phone and saw that the message was from an unknown number.'Hey princess.'Princess?Who the hell is this?Wrapping the towel around my wet hair, I laid on the bed and texted back.'Who is this?' I replied. 'Don't tell me you've forgotten your boyfriend's number. I'm hurt.''Boyfriend?''Yes. Boyfriend.''You have the wrong number.''Do I? I don't think so.''Yes.''Okay, okay. You've got me. It's me, Elle. Mikhail.'Mikhail?What the hell?I stared at my phone.Mikhail is texting me?How?After our last meeting two days ago, he didn't collect my number, neither did I get his. So, how?'How did you get my number?' I asked him.'Let's just say, I have connections.' I could already imagine him grinning.I smiled to myself, feeling all jittery that he was actually texting me. I felt like a teenager having her first crush.It was pathetic.
E L L EThe cops came in right on cue, and they handcuffed Sebastian."You're under arrest for trespassing and disturbing the peace. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law." They said and moved him to their van.Sebastian turned to look at me, "I'm not giving up, Elle. I would never hurt you. This isn't over." He said as they took him into the van. "Are you okay, ma'am?" One of the cops asked. "I'll handle it from here." Ivan said."Sir, are you sure?""Yes, he's my friend." I answered for him with a little smile, my body still shaken.The cops left and I turned to Ivan."He called you, didn't he?"Ivan nodded, "And he's probably on a plane right now, cancelling his meetings and getting the first flight back home."I sighed. "He doesn't have to do that. I'm fine now.""Do you know how scared he was that you were all alone? That man was about to murder the whole city if anything had happened to you."And I believe it."Well, nothing happened.""Except you
E L L EMy life was a mess, and so was the room.I was actually exaggerating, but whenever mother nature arrives, my emotions are literally everywhere.My period started today, and I was already an emotional mess. My cramps were always so horrible and I don't even look forward to it. I was sitting on the bed with the lights turned off and my phone in my hands.My hair was in a messy bun, and my face was bare and makeup free.I was wearing an oversized shirt and a pair of sweatpants, unable to sleep.Mikhail was out of the country for business and he'll be back in two days. He left this afternoon and I was already missing him.It was currently 2am and I had to take another round of painkillers before I could finally go to sleep.As if he knew I was thinking about him, my phone rang, and Mikhail's name popped up on the screen."Hey, sweetheart." He said."Hi, how's the meeting going?" It was probably daytime over there. "We finished a few hours ago. How are you doing, my love?"Right
S E B A S T I A NI was on my second bottle of whiskey and it still could numb the pain in my heart. I could earlier hear Emory's voice outside the gate while she shouted to be let in.I had specifically ordered the security guard to never let her into my house ever again, or he was at the risk of losing his job.Her audacity to actually think I would allow her to step foot in this house was unbelievable.The media was going crazy over the scandal and everyone was talking about the affair and the child.Everyone was trying to get the latest gossip and trying to figure out what was true and what was false. My phone has been blaring non stop, notifications after notifications coming in, social media was on fire and everyone was either praising or bashing me.Emory has been calling and texting, and I've been ignoring all of them.She's lost her mind, and it was no surprise. My hatred for her burned like a furnace, spreading across my chest.I've had her for six years and not once did she
E M O R YIt was finally the day I was getting discharged from this god-damned hospital.After one long painful week, filled with lots of chaos, I was finally leaving this shitty hell hole with a child and my baby's father.Michael has been the one caring for the baby since her birth and I haven't even seen what she looks like. Honestly, I didn't care to.My life was literally falling apart after that confrontation with Sebastian. My secrets were out and the last thing I wanted was a baby that was supposed to be my saving grace but is actually my worst nightmare.I was supposed to have the baby to get Sebastian's lineage in my name. And now, I was having her with no one.Michael has been taking care of her, but that was the least of my problems. I was probably getting a divorce from Sebastian, and there was no way I could get him back now.But, I wasn't one to give up easily. I never was.They forced me into a wheelchair, insisting I sit in it for safety. It was ridiculous, but I did
E L L EI haven't seen Giovanna and Avery in a few days and we weren't barely able to catch up, so we decided to have a sleepover/girls night to catch up on everything basically.I was sitting in the car with Mikhail in front of Gio's house. He offered to drop me off. I told him he didn't have to, but he insisted. And now, he wouldn't even let me leave the car.I giggled as he pulled me closer, and his lips grazed the nape of my neck. He knew how much that drove me crazy, and I couldn't resist giving in to him."Mikhail, you're not playing fair." I sighed, trying not to moan."And neither are you." He smirked and pulled my hair back, making it easier for him to access my neck and suck on it.I was only in my pyjamas which was a pink hello kitty two piece. Mikhail's hands roamed over my body, and I closed my eyes as his fingers rubbed against my inner thighs. I felt him bite down on my shoulder and I couldn't help the whimper that escaped my lips."I love hearing you moan for me." Mikha
S E B A S T I A NThe following morning, I heard the sound of the cell door unlocking, and I saw the guard's face peeking in."Come on, get up. Your lawyer is here and you've been granted bail.""Took you long enough." I said, giving the asshole guard a glare as he led me out of the room."You're lucky your lawyer managed to pull a few strings, otherwise, you'd still be rotting in that cell." He sneered."Go to hell."I was taken down the hallways and was brought into the visitors room, where I saw my lawyer waiting and my parents waiting.My mom's eyes were bloodshot as my father tried to console her. She rushed to me, tears falling down her cheeks and she threw her arms around me."Oh, Sebastian. My baby. I was so worried. What did they do to you?" She rubbed my cheek, her eyes looking me up and down."Mom, I'm fine.""Mr. Black. How are you feeling? Are you alright?" My lawyer, Mr. Jonathan asked, his eyes scanning the papers."I'm fine, thank you." I shook his hand with a nod."I'l
S E B A S T I A NThe iron prison door was locked harshly in my face as the guard looked at me. "Have a good night, Mr. Black." He sneered.I glared at him and then at the other guard who stood at the entrance."Go fuck yourself." I gritted out. "Maybe a night in a cell will be enough of a lesson to never raise your hands on a woman, and make her unconscious. Even your billionaire status won't save you from this." He smirked, his dark eyes mocking me.I glared at him and the guard next to him. "If you think I'll stay here for a day, then you're dead wrong.""We'll see."They both walked out of the holding cell, and I was left alone.I leaned my head against the wall and closed my eyes.Elle.Everything hurt so badly.How could Emory be so heartless and cruel?She destroyed my marriage and made a fool out of me. She was a monster, and I couldn't believe I let her into my life.I couldn't believe that I believed her.I knew something was wrong, and yet, I never stopped to listen.I didn
S E B A S T I A NThe rage that was boiling inside me was a mix of betrayal, anger and sadness.I didn't know how I was still standing, still breathing, when everything around me was crumbling down and falling apart.Her words were echoing in my mind, and I felt numb."As if cutting open my body wasn't enough, the baby isn't even a normal one, one that could have just grown up and made me rich. Now, I lost the source to my wealth too! What the fuck have you done, Michael?"Her words kept playing on a loop and the more they repeated themselves, the more it hurt.I've never felt so hurt, betrayed and used before in my entire life.The more I tried to make sense of it, the less it made sense.How could she be like this?How could she do this?Just how terrible could she be?"How did you sleep at nights soundly, knowing that you're not only a golddigger, a liar and a serial cheater. You made me nurture and love a child that wasn't even mine." I asked her."Baby, please, listen. Let's not d
E M O R YI woke up feeling sore all over.My head felt light and my stomach felt heavy.I slowly opened my eyes and looked around, but I couldn't remember anything.Where was I?What was going on?Why was everything so blurry and bright?What was the last thing I remembered?I couldn't think properly, my brain felt fuzzy.I closed my eyes again, trying to focus.And suddenly, I felt the pain in my stomach and I gasped, trying to catch my breath.The pain was agonizing and I screamed.What was happening?Why was I hurting so bad?Was it a nightmare?"Emory, hey, you're awake. Shh, relax, I'm right here. Take a deep breath, baby. Relax. It's going to be okay."I expected to see the familiar face of my husband, but I was stunned when Michael rushed to my side instead, holding my hand and whispering to me."Michael?" I croaked, my throat was dry and my mouth felt like cotton."Drink." He brought a glass of water to my lips and tilted it, allowing the cold liquid to slide down my throat an