Maxwell Rohan was having a drink at O'Toole's bar and thinking of the mess that his half-sister had gotten herself into. She had called his line when he was busy and had dropped a panicked voicemail. The main thing he had been able to get from her ramblings was drugs, arrest, and "I don't want to go to jail.".The girl had always been whiny, so it had not been a surprise for Max to hear the thread of desperation in her tone. Maxwell knew it must be serious this time if she had willingly called him; the last thing he heard from her after he helped her with her mother's burial years ago was, "I don't need you or your help.". But then short-term memory seemed to be quite convenient for her mother when she wanted it to be. He could see that the girl had inherited that from her too.Maxwell had tarried long enough before going over. He could almost feel his father looking down at him with a disapproving look as he clucked his tongue."Family is everything, boy." Andre Rohan would have said,
"Figured you would want to see her," Steve replied before looking over his cubicle. "Hey, Ty, take Mr Rohan here to see our newest guest.""Yes, Mr Stanislovoski," the young man said as he dropped his coffee and put his system on "sleep" before gesturing to Maxwell "Come with me, sir.""Thanks, man," Maxwell said to Steve."Nope, you don't get to wiggle with a thank-you. You just used up the favour I owe you."Maxwell snorted a laugh as he followed the young Ty to the visitation room adjacent to the holding cells. It did not take long before she came in."She sure looked different" was the first thing that came to Maxwell's mind as Ty led her in. She looked more mature and beautiful than he had seen her in the last eight years, if a little dishevelled at the moment.After Ty left to give them privacy, she leaned forward with excitement. "Oh, brother, I am so happy to see you here. I have no idea if you would come, but I had to try. I had to make that call. Even while making it, I thoug
Susan gave him a sheepish look. "I mean, not officially yet, but we were going to. After we get to Luxembourg,. There were circumstances here that..."Maxwell had no idea how he was so sure of it, but he just knew. "It was an affair," he stated simply, and he saw her eyes flash with anger, the pitiful look gone in an instant."I met him first!" she said shrilly, then reduced her tone when she saw his raised brow "I am sorry, brother. It is just that it made me seem like the other woman. She was the other woman. He did not love her as much as he loved me! I have children with him, whereas she had nothing. Nothing at all. She doesn't make him as happy as I do. We were going to go away and have a new life, then. She trailed off. "Then you got arrested. Bit of karma there, sister, don't you think?" He said it in a droll tone that made her look up sharply at him. He knew that she had a retort on the tip of her tongue for him, but she swallowed it because she had to get what she wanted fir
Maxwell had not run around in the slums for years for nothing, and he knew that if it was a planned job that was so smooth that even the agency could find no loophole, there could only be one source that got it done. Going to the store would be a waste of his time; he would certainly come up empty. Don never left traces.If his assumption was right, that could only mean that Susan had stepped on a client's toe. A very wealthy client. Don didn't deal with any other type. His baby sister had bitten off more than she could chew, but he would find out what could be done. It would cost. Oh, yes. It would, but he had to try. If he got nowhere or if he happened to be wrong,. Then he would simply leave the rest for his overpriced lawyer to deal with, but first, he had to try.As he dialled the confidential number, he thought briefly about who could have it in for Susan, and the deceived wife came to mind, but he dismissed it. If the woman was gullible enough to be cheated on for so many years
Reyona looked around and wondered why she had let go of little pleasures like this. Going out just to be with herself and her thoughts. She had never been much of a social person. Not even in college, when her friends had been jumping from party to party. Reyona had either been buried in her books, tutoring someone, or finishing up her assignment.Her roommates had given up on her and called her hopeless after trying as much as they could to get her involved in their outings and parties. And they had left her alone after telling her she had no idea what she was missing. Reyna had not thought there was anything to miss in going out every other night, sneaking into the hostel in the wee hours, and waking up bleary-eyed to go to class the following day.No, she was sure there was nothing to miss at all. Since most of them who relish telling her just how boring her life was for a college student would still end up begging her for her notes and pointers when they were running behind,.She h
Reyona shrugged as she placed her hands around her glass without lifting the drink to her mouth. "Their music is good," she said so quietly that he had to strain his ear to catch her words.The fleeting content look that had been on her face was gone, and Maxwell was sorry for that. What he was not sorry about, though, was the fact that he had seen her hazel eyes when she had looked directly at him before arching her brow."Damn it," he thought to himself again as he wondered how a woman could affect him so much. The way she sighed earlier had been nothing but pure torture for him, as her sigh only reminded him of the rustling whisper of a well-loved body against the sheet. He wondered briefly how her alabaster skin would feel to the touch, even as he saw the faint irritation that clouded her expression when she replied to him."You must be a lover of music then," he added as he decided to turn on his charms; he had not been interested in regaling any females with it in a long while. T
Reyona saw the waiter coming from the back and whooshed out a breath of relief. She beckoned to him and asked for her bill."Don't worry, put it on my tab," Maxwell told the waiter."No, I would not..." Reyona started to protest, but the waiter had already moved on to the people calling him at another table. "Do not expect a thank you from me," she said and turned to leave.Hold… shit," Maxwell muttered as he realised that she was leaving already and had no intention to slow down. He looked at his watch at 8:55 p.m. and stood up to follow her out.She was headed towards a Phytonic Blue BMW X3, and Maxwell confirmed that he had not been wrong early. The woman sure had class. Well, he did not care about that. He just knew that if he let her go like that, he would blame himself.She whirled back a few distances from her car. "What is this? Is this how people address one another in bars these days?" she asked with a raised brow."You sounded as if you..." He raised his hands as her brows w
The midnight-eyed stranger was currently ribbed by a woman whom most wouldn't have imagined her true identity."I tend to think that your urgent business was not so urgent after all, Max." Donald cum Serena, Alias Don spoke as she leaned back against her chair. She looked relaxed in her seat—even slouchy, in fact. Yes, she was about as relaxed as a cheetah would be. Right before he pounced on a prey. She had angled her chair in a way that had her eyes on both the entrance and most of the bar."You think wrong, Don. It is about as urgent as urgent could be," Maxwell said as he looked at the shrewd-looking woman in front of him. He still hadn't gotten over the huge transformation the man he had once known had gone through.He still had no idea why, and Don had never been one to explain himself, or should he say herself, to anyone. It must have been for the illusion. Yes, Maxwell believed it would be hard for anyone to look at the sweet-faced woman in front of him and believed that she wa
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