Dear Reader,
Thank you so much for following this journey from the beginning to this point.
I appreciate your comments, votes, review and continuous reading. You are my real MVP.Reyona's story has come to an end here as she went on to live happily ever after while navigating the beauty and trials of life with the love of her life.
But then Toria's story is just about to begin.What do you say to navigating Toria's new journey as she confronts her rollercoaster feelings for Andreas while dealing with the powerful Kanellis family and forces determined to keep them apart?
Would you like to see if a headstrong, free-spirited lady like Toria can fit into the imperious and honourable family while she fights her demons?Let me know your thoughts in the comment section.
Thank you for being here. Do check out my other books. I am Kabirat Aleem.Thomas Lanoth couldn't believe his ears as he stood in front of Kayooma International Airport. Nothing could have prepared him for what happened within an hour after they arrived at the airport. He had believed that today would probably be the last day in a long time that he would see the shores of Kayooma.Of course, he intended to be back; this was after all the land of his birth, but that would have been in the not-so-soon future. After everything had died down,. After everybody had moved on,. Well, after she had moved on,.The wrench thrown in his plan infuriated him as he stood there, looking at the waning light in the sky. It would be dark soon, and he would still be on the soil of the land he had known for years instead of Luxembourg, the country that he and his partner had checkmarked on the map and had started making preparations for. It had been painstaking, and it had taken more than he expected.They started their plans about a year ago, when he realised that he had been a
Reyona disconnected the call and looked out of the window of her office. The picturesque view outside the building didn't penetrate her consciousness at all. No, she was unable to enjoy the view as always, nor could the faraway sound of the traffic mingled with the voices of her employees thrill her the way it normally did. Not when her heart was filled with so much betrayal that she had no idea how she could stand it. Not when her mind's eye was focused on the laughing picture of the man who had promised to love her for better or worse. Not when she could still see herself as the blushing bride who had been so happy to marry the love of her life, the man she intended to make a life with. The man she vowed to raise a beautiful family with. The man who promised to always be there for her. She could see the girl she had been then—one who thought she was mature. One who thought that all would be well with her world now that she was married to the man who cherishes her above all othe
Thomas was going crazy. He was sure that he would be carted to the loony house soon, as he turned over the house in his search for it. He thought he kept it on the coffee table, but he couldn't find it yet. She was not back yet. So, where could it be? Had he merely thought of it but forgotten it in his haste to join his partner? He searched some more. The couch? Nope, could he have placed it on the TV? Not there. Did he stick it on the stick-it board in the kitchen? That was ridiculous, he thought after running back to the living room when he couldn't find it. Thomas sat on the couch and decided to calm down. What good will it be for Reyona to come back home and meet him in a frenzy like this? "I probably took it with me when I was rushing out, or I didn't write it after all; yes, that must be it," Thomas thought as he stood up and went to the bar to get a drink. A scotch. Yes, that would be just the thing.He heard the sound of her car as he was on his way to the bar, though, and
Thomas held her as they moved to the gentle beat of the song. He didn't want to remember that day. No, not now."Are you sure you are fine?" he asked his wife again. Reyona tilted her head back as she looked keenly into the eyes she had come to love so much. The eyes she had believed she would stare into for the rest of her life. "Yes, honey," she said breathily. "I am dancing with you, the love of my life, ain't I?"Thomas nodded. He had no idea what else to do but to nod. He knew he should let it go. He should let her have her moment, but he couldn't shake off the niggling feeling that something was not right. He had to ask her. Reyona saw the look that entered his eyes as they moved without missing a step—the way they have moved for years. They were so perfectly synced, and she thought that he was not so closed off with his expressions after all.She must have been the one who had not noticed. She knew he wanted to ask something, just as she knew what he wanted to ask, so she laid
Thomas looked at his friend like he had just informed him that the apocalypse had already happened. "What do you mean by you have sold it? Both? How is that even possible?" he asked his friend, Lance. The latter beckoned on the waiter to bring beers over to their table. He looked over at Thomas. "The usual?" "I don't care about crappy beer, man. What do you mean by that?" Thomas fired back at the man, who seemed nonchalant about his plight. "Cool your jets, man. I have been up and about since morning, and I am not about to miss out on a cold beer because you suddenly changed your mind. '' He turned to the waiter. "Just give me a chilled Guinness, thank you. '' My friend here would be having none." "You got it," the waiter said before going back to get the order. Lance Pratchet loosened his tie before sitting more relaxed in his chair. Work had been hectic recently, and his ex-wife seemed to think he plucked money out of the air with the way she had been on his neck about alimony.
Lance Pratchet gaped at his friend when the latter looked at him incomprehensibly. He had never known Thomas to be a prankster. The man might be an asshole in Lance's book because of what he had done to his wife of many years, but bros had got to stick together, and that was why he had agreed to help him with the sales of the two properties that Thomas had acquired with the help of the wife he was leaving for his side chick. Lance had never liked the bimbo-looking babe with her voluptuous body and wiles that had hooked his friend for years, but Lance did not really like females these days anyway, not with the way Alexa had frustrated his life throughout their three years of marriage and continued to do so since they finalized their divorce a year ago. She had gotten everything she planned with her friends, and they had accused him of being abusive. Fat, dark bruises had shown up in graphic details in court, and with a long line of witnesses to corroborate her claims, Lance knew t
"The transaction went through. Sorry about the delay. There was a little transactional error with the mule account. Check out the account now." Reyona set aside her phone as she got the message and looked up at her assistant, who was standing in front of her. The lady was telling her about one company that would like them to handle their audit this year. The owner of the company intended to use the audit to test the strength of ReyDexter LLC. If they are satisfied with Reyona's company, they intend to hand over their portfolio to them and make them their official accounting firm. Reyona was a Certified Public Accountant who had realised earlier that she would rather have a firm of her own than be in a company where she only dealt with the company's finances. Reyona loved challenges, and she believed that one way she could get them in her chosen profession would be to have a company of her own where she could handle the cases of the different companies, as she believed that no t
Reyona was sleeping, or at least trying to sleep, when she felt the bed depressed, and Thomas stood up and went out.She waited for it as she heard his phone vibrate where he had kept it beside him. He wouldn't put his phone so close to him like that normally, as he had said that the radiation from the phone was not meant to be kept anywhere near the brain, especially in sleep.Reyona knew that today was a special day, though.She was sure he was expecting something, so she didn't comment on his out-of-habit move; she had merely curled up against his side, laid her head on his chest as she took his hand, and wrapped it around herself before kissing him good night.She smiled to herself as she heard the phone vibrate, and he checked if she was asleep before gently removing her arms from around him. She had thought briefly of tightening her arms around him to see what his reaction would be, but then she decided to let him go. The show was about to start anyway.He had been on edge since
Dear Reader, Thank you so much for following this journey from the beginning to this point. I appreciate your comments, votes, review and continuous reading. You are my real MVP. Reyona's story has come to an end here as she went on to live happily ever after while navigating the beauty and trials of life with the love of her life. But then Toria's story is just about to begin. What do you say to navigating Toria's new journey as she confronts her rollercoaster feelings for Andreas while dealing with the powerful Kanellis family and forces determined to keep them apart? Would you like to see if a headstrong, free-spirited lady like Toria can fit into the imperious and honourable family while she fights her demons? Let me know your thoughts in the comment section. Thank you for being here. Do check out my other books. I am Kabirat Aleem.
“.... I promise to love and cherish you for as long as we live and beyond. I will respect you and always remember that you are my partner before anyone else. I will put you and our family first in my decisions. You are mine in totality just as I am yours. Together we shall grow in loyalty, in abundance, in comradeship, in support and eternal love. I will forever be by your side in everything that comes our way on this journey of life….”“I, Maxwell Rohan, take you, Reyona Beatrice Dexter, as my lawfully wedded wife today in the presence of God and man, with the promise to cherish our vow until I breathe my last.”“I, Reyona Beatrice Dexter, take you, Maxwell Rohan, as my lawfully wedded husband today in the presence of God and man, with the promise to cherish our vow until the day I die.”As her sister and her husband completed the vows they had worked on themselves and slid the rings on each other's fingers, Toria tried hard to keep her tears at bay as the minister said, “You may kiss
The past month had been the most heart-filling one for Reyona.She watched as Allysyn lolled Sophie's bassinet while showing her something in the picture book she had in her hand.Meanwhile, Junior jiggled the rattle above Lucas to the delight of the baby and the hopping dog.An inexplicable bliss filled her at the thought that these belonged to her.These beautiful blessings that had been bestowed upon her when she least expected them were a solid part of her story.Reyona leaned back in her chair with a big smile on her face as she reached for her drink.“Rey, you are glowing. I mean, you are literally glowing. You should see your face right now. Hold on.”Toria quickly took a few snaps with her phone before turning the phone around to face Reyona.Reyona smiled as she looked at the pictures while sipping her mimosa.Although she couldn't see herself literally glowing as Toria had said, she loved what she saw.The woman in the picture looked…fulfilled.Long gone was the anxious, sad
Two Months Later“Does this mean we will have to call you Mum and Dad now?” Allysyn asked in a solemn tone.Reyona looked at Maxwell with a smile before responding to Allysyn.“It means we are forever your family now. It means we have got you forever. In as much as you do not forget that, what you call us doesn't matter.”Although she knew how beautiful it would be to hear them use those words.“I am Thomas Junior Rohan?” Junior asked with his head tilted after he pronounced what he had been using his hand to trail in spelling.“Do you like being Junior Rohan?” Reyona asked with a smile.He looked thoughtful for about ten seconds before saying, “I love it.” To Maxwell, he said, “Does this mean I get to drive your car now?”Reyona and Maxwell laughed as Allysyn rolled her eyes.Reyona sucked in her breath as the laughter waned.“Well, maybe in the future, if you've been very good, of course. But not yet.”“Aww,” Junior said with a pout. Then he brightened in the next second. “I will be
The call was from his head of security.Reyona listened to his terse response to the person on the call.Then, just as he took the turn towards his estate, she felt her phone buzz.She frowned as she saw that it was a message from Maxwell.“We have a guest,” it says.She looked at the back of his head as she wondered why he couldn't just say that directly instead of sending it as a message.She was about to ask him who it was when she looked beyond the windscreen and saw the police cruiser.Her heart kicked against her rib and she looked downwards to check if the even-breathing Allysyn had slept off or something.“Look, Max! The police!” Junior shouted excitedly as he pointed at the spot where the police officer was just turning away from the man he was speaking to, the head of security.Allysyn's lax body went taut as she jerked upward, looked in the direction that Junior was pointing at, and then back at Reyona.She had a mixture of fear, question and uncertainty in her face.Reyona
Reyona and Maxwell went together to take the kids from school that day.Despite their fears that some unrelenting reporters might have decided to call them about what happened or ambush them for an interview about what they felt about Thomas's death, nothing of such happened.The school was also free of any lurking reporters or paparazzi.It was either they had decided that Thomas's death was not as worthy of news as his scandal had been, or they were still jeering up to blast the family with all they got later.Whatever it was, they were glad as they waited in silence in front of the school for closing time.Soon enough, school was over for the day.Maxwell came out as the students came out en masse.Soon enough, they saw Allysyn and Junior.Junior was skipping alongside Allysyn while dragging his backpack along and shouting some words at a friend who was going towards another car parked close by.He was being his jovial self as he waved hard at the friend and asked him not to forget
Reyona's head jerked upward as she heard Maxwell's voice.Then she looked sideways when she heard a growling sound.Jerking his head from Reyona to Maxwell, Skippy's pupils had dilated so much that they almost covered his entire eyes.His growl continued as he looked confused about where he should escape.Reyona realised what was going on as she saw Maxwell standing at the entrance, blocking his escape route.He felt cornered!She realised as the dog backed away while his growl increased in pitch.“Maxwell, move,” she said urgently, and he automatically stepped aside.The dog hopped past him in a flash.The dog kept going without stopping at all.Maxwell shook his head and went to Reyona. “What was that about?” He asked in an incredulous voice.“We were building a friendship,” Reyona said with a pout.“That was friendship?” Maxwell asked in disbelief.“Well, we were about to. Then you…do you think they do therapy for dogs?” She asked in contemplation.Maxwell started chuckling, “Ah, a
The soothing sound of the water reminded Reyona of the brook that ran through their homes in Bellevue Hill.She felt completely blissful in the oasis that Maxwell had surprised her with.It was exactly a replica of the one in her home in Sydney.After their dinner that night, Reyona was still pretending to be miffed at him because he wouldn't tell her if he really was the one who donated to the orphanage she had opened in her grandmother's name.Then, as if he didn't notice, he told her to check out something.“I am still mad at you,” She had said as she folded her arms above her belly and gave him a mutinous look.“It is a good thing that you are a versatile woman then. You could be mad at me and still come check this out. You will be glad you did. I promise.” He said innocently.Then, just as Reyona pretended she had not made up her mind yet, he swept her off her feet.How can he still carry her so effortlessly? She wondered as she squealed “Maxwell!”That was the first time the pap
Reyona had no intention of having the wedding while she was still pregnant.“It is called ‘walk down the aisle’, not waddle down the aisle'. Thank you.”That had been her argument and everyone had agreed with her.Not after Toria had added that their dad could carry her.“Then it will be ‘float down the aisle'” she had said in jest.They all came to an agreement that the wedding preparations would start after she had given birth in about two months.They spent the night in the hotel, and they all visited The King’s Creek to pay obeisance to Grams before their parents’ and Toria's departure.Maxwell, Reyona and the kids will stay back in Boowag until the jet got back.Stefan and his co-pilot were to carry Gladys and Carlisle to their destinations before coming back for them.It would take Gladys home first, then make a stopover at Milan to drop Carlisle before coming back.Toria had a standby jet that had brought her to Boowag and Kayooma for the preparation of the surprise and all.Of