“She is in a coma, Andrew. Her legs are affected too. Andrea said they are not broken but I don't know, man. She… Let me call you back.”Maxwell disconnected the call and waited for the young lady rushing towards him."Victoria,” he said in greeting.“Where is Rey? Why couldn't anyone give her the phone?” She asked hurriedly as she made to dash past him.Maxwell shifted subtly, blocking her path without making it obvious.“She is in good hands. I just need you to calm down, okay?”“Calm down? Why the hell should I calm down for anything? Where is my sister?” Toria snapped with teary eyes.She swiped at her face, looked around, and looked back at Maxwell. “Sorry about that, okay? I just need to see her. Will you take me to her?” She asked in a shaky tone.“Come with me,” Maxwell said, then led her to the ICU.The nurses stationed in the waiting room had been informed to do everything he wanted for him without hesitation.So when he requested that they let Toria into the highly sterili
A cooing sound filtered into Reyona’s consciousness.She turned her head ever so slightly and winced as light stabbed through her slitted eyes.She quickly closed her eyes and tried to figure out why it was so painful to open her eyes.That was when she realised it wasn’t just her eyes that felt assaulted; even her head was throbbing.Beyond the pulsing in her head, the cooing sound was still there.It was coming from her right.Despite the pain she knew she might feel again, Reyona was tempted to find out the source of that soothing sound.She carefully opened her eyes again and finally saw it.The playpen was some distance away and she could see a baby inside it.“Who left a baby unattended?” was the first thought that came to Reyona’s mind.The baby seemed to be having a good time, though, as the cooing sounds only changed in variation.Reyona smiled and winced as the muscles in her head seemed to protest the sudden movement.Despite the weakness in her limb, Reyona shifted until s
“Where is Thomas?” Everyone in the room, apart from the doctor, knew something was wrong when Reyona asked that question.“Rey, why are you asking about...”Toria caught the gesture Maxwell made to her and stopped what she was asking.“What?” Reyona asked when Toria paused.“Nothing. I…I mean, are you fine now? You gave us all a scare. You…”Reyona winced a bit as she said, “It is coming back now.”“What is coming back?” Toria asked eagerly as she clasped her hands around Reyona’s.“The headache. It stopped for a second but...”“I will give you something for it,” Andrea said as she came closer. “I am sorry everyone but she still needs to rest.”“Oh, of course,” Toria said as she quickly stood up from the bed.“She is beautiful. Is she your baby?” Reyona said as she looked at the baby in Celia’s arms.Celia’s eyes filled as she said, “Yes, erm. She is my daughter. I chose the liberty to name you her godmother during your....absence. I hope you don’t mind.”“Mind? Of course not. It is
Maxwell’s home in Kayooma was about twice as big as Jordan’s.The 13-acre estate contained a sprawling eight-bedroom mansion, a golf course, a spa, a fitness centre, gardens (rooftop and in-ground), a stable with the best equine in town and other amenities. Despite the array of buildings around, there was still enough greenery around for a well-designed park.The driveway that led up to the gate was an art in itself. It was a winding, paver driveway with an aesthetic to it that was hard to find anywhere else. Thomas swallowed hard as he looked around while driving up to the house. He realised that he was sweating. He still had no reason why that arrogant bastard had called him but when the latter hinted that it would do him good to come over to the address he would send to him, Thomas had not thought twice about it.His hatred for the guy was conveniently forgotten; he needed whatever he could get right now. His mother had grumbled a bit before she gave him the money for the gas but
Toria was standing like a gladiator close to Reyona’s bed. The glare she gave Thomas was enough to flay the skin off the back of a man who knew what shame was. Thomas merely looked away from her and focused on the woman on the bed. His recently divorced wife. At the moment, she was asleep. He looked at the splints on her legs and looked away immediately, without so much as a feeling of compassion for her pain. “Why the hell does she have to be asleep right now?” Thomas thought. He had a feeling that these two might just change their minds and toss him out of his ears before she deemed it fit to wake the hell up. Toria walked towards him and Thomas braced himself for whatever she might be bringing. He had a role to play, after all, and the bastard breathing down his neck would be watching him like a hawk. Toria stopped a few paces from him and with vehemence in her eyes, she hissed as she walked closer to him. “I know you must be crowing inside right now, you motherfucker. You
“How can this happen? How on earth can this happen?” Toria asked no one in particular as she paced to and fro.She turned to Maxwell. “Eh? I thought you were to have a talk with him before you let him go anywhere near her.”“Which I did,” Maxwell said simply in a calm tone.Toria scoffed as she looked at him sitting there, all cool and collected. “How can you even sit there so calmly like that? He just accused you of something.”“I would suggest you do the same,” Maxwell said, without raising his head from the phone in his hand.“How can you even ask me to be calm right now? That is my sister locked in there with a psycho! I didn’t even touch him, you know?”“I saw that. And they are not locked together. Andrea is with them. Whatever he wants to try will have to wait until Andrea leaves. He is not going to get the chance.”“It seems to me like he already had plenty of chances to do enough damage. He accused you of being a wife snatcher.”“Just as he accused you of... what was the sham
“He said you tried to seduce him.”“What? That bastard! I am going to kill him!”"Toria,” Reyona called breathily.Toria bottled up her anger for the moment as she looked down at Reyona, where she was urinating.Even though Maxwell had provided a wheelchair and Toria had been able to help Reyona from the wheelchair to the toilet bowl without much issue, her sister was out of breath by the time she sank onto the toilet seat.She looked pale to Toria.“Are you fine?” Toria asked Reyona in concern.Reyona, who had momentarily closed her eyes, opened them and said, “Yes, I am okay. I just don’t like this feeling of helplessness. The fact that you two are fighting is not helping as well.”“That bastard caused all this,” Toria muttered."Toria,” Reyona called in a disapproving tone. “I thought you used to like him.”“I have never really liked that bastard. I just tolerated him because I knew you loved him.”Reyona looked at her sister in surprise. Then she sighed again as she asked, “I do n
Thomas was furious that things had not been as simple as he had thought they would be. When he was thinking of his plans earlier, he had thought he would simply persuade Reyona that they should go over to his mom’s place till she got better. As always, she believed him when he told her that Maxwell had an interest in her. All it took to nail that home was the clip that was circulating a few days ago about Maxwell looking all undignified at the scene of the fire while he yelled at the firemen, declaring Reyona his woman. Thomas had not needed any other evidence on that end. Convincing Reyona of her sister’s betrayal was something entirely different. Even though Reyona didn’t outright disagree with him, Thomas was sure that she did not really believe him. “The fact that she still let the bitch hang around her says it all,” he thought bitterly If only that horse-face doctor had backed him up and allowed him to take Reyona away. When he had her away from all these hovering hawks,
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