“How on earth did you even come up with all that?!” Reyona asked with laughter. “Creative juices, baby. We’ve got loads of it. Never doubt that.” Toria answered with glee as she pumped her feet up in the air. “Yes, ma’am. I would never doubt that. Not after today, no. Next time I need an emergency planner, that role is all yours.” “You are going to pay though. No more free work. I can smell fortune in my future doing this. I will be in high demand soon,” Toria said with a laugh. Then she shook some cheese crisps out of the box in her hand. She tossed them up and raised her head to grasp it with her mouth. She crunched loudly as she laid her head back on Reyona’s stomach. “So, I guess today didn’t turn out all bad after all,” she said while chewing. Reyona sighed as she said “Yeah, I guess you are right. Thank you for being there. I am sorry you couldn’t go back today though.” “No, it is fine. I am sure Tara is doing fine on her own. She wouldn’t miss me much.” “Tara.” Reyona
She moved closer to Reyona, leaned her back against the headboard and started talking out loud as if in contemplation. “Hmm, I must be mistaken truly. I am sure I didn’t see that steamy look that passed between the two of you when he pulled you close. Oh my God, I am feeling feverish just from the thought of it” she said as she hastily dropped the crisps bag and blew herself with both hands while exhaling. “Phew” “Did you see how easily they were talking and laughing together all day?” she continued, now directing her question to an imaginary audience in the room. “One could almost swear that they have been married for years. And the looks? Damn, I almost shouted, “Please, get a room!” Reyona shook her head in exasperation as she tried not to think back to that afternoon to see if Toria was not exaggerating after all. But, of course, she was just being Toria. There was no way she had… “And that little conversation they had when we were leaving? I am sure it had something to do with
The first time had been a combination of the unexpected.They had gone all week with no message from the woman.Reyona was already thinking she had decided not to visit that soon when she received the notification.It was the weekend and Reyona had to forfeit the gym session she had planned to rush over there.As it was, she went there with her sporting clothes on because she was at the local gym centre when she got the notification.She rarely goes out to exercise, but that day, she had wanted the company of adrenaline and determination around to take her mind off her bothersome thoughts.The lady will be there in thirty minutes.There was no way Reyona could make it back home to change and get to Maxwell’s place before the woman got there.So, she rushed over in her tank top and tight-fitting leggings.He was waiting for her outside and she ignored the way his eyes took in every inch of her body as he came towards her.“Not one word,” she said to him in a tight tone as she removed th
The second time was not so rough.Then the third time was more of a recipe for disaster.Reyona had been in the middle of a late dinner meeting she and Samantha were having with a new client.She had to round things up quickly and apologised to the man.Samantha was there to stay till the end of dinner with the man.“You are a lifesaver. I owe you one” she whispered to Samantha.“A raise would be enough thanks, ma,” Samantha said cheekily, and their client laughed.Reyona rushed out of the restaurant while Samantha and the man started discussing the philosophy behind every employee requesting a raise at every opportunity they could get.“Couldn’t the woman be a bit more predictable?” Reyona muttered in frustration as she checked the message she got again.It was ten minutes already, and she could only hope she would be able to make it on time.Maxwell’s call came through just as she was driving out of the parking lot.Reyona quickly connected it to the car speaker and picked it up.“H
Reyona marvelled at her acting prowess.Maybe she had a second career lying in wait for her after all.But then she had taken it too far when she mentioned the school.She wished she had stuffed her feet in her mouth before the words got out.After all, all she had known about it was the name of the school, and she had video-called the children when they were leaving for school on their first day.That was last week.Junior's squeal of “Reyona, you came!” was the first hiccup of the night.Macaulay looked confused for a moment.“I thought you were not going to…”“...come back from work!” Reyona said as she suddenly hugged the boy, muffling the remnant of his words against her body.Still holding him, she smiled at Macaulay as she hurriedly said “How can I not come back from work, darling? I always come back. I am sorry that I came back late today.”Maxwell quickly led Macaulay to the living room, and they were soon seated after Reyona had lingered behind to remind Junior of their deal
“Consider what?” Reyona asked in confusion.“Staying here. I think it would help to prevent the kind of thing that happened tonight, you know.”“I have a place of my own. I don’t need to move in with you to do this. I can…” When he raised his brow at her intended statement, she narrowed her eyes and said “Tonight was just a fluke. Next time…”“Next time, it might even be worse. Then they might take them away. And then all our effort would be for nothing. Is that what you want, Reyona?”Why was he coming closer?“I don’t think…”“What are you afraid of?”Her initial discomfort disappeared in her temper at his insinuation.“And who said I was afraid of anything? What would I be afraid of? You? Right, don’t flatter yourself, okay?”“So, you agree with me that nothing is stopping you from staying here?” Maxwell asked while standing just a few paces from her.His hands were still in his pockets, which made not much of a difference anyway because his eyes were doing enough work of messing w
She was not stalling.Not at all.She just had a lot to do.“Like sit at your desk and stare out of the window?” Reyona’s subconscious reared its head to poke at her ironclad reason.She sighed and thought of how ridiculous her situation had become.It had been a week since she moved in with them, yet it did not look like the awkwardness would end anytime soon.Oh, he made her as comfortable as possible, and she realised he was serious about renovating his home office if she wanted.She had told him not to bother about it and had chosen to stay in her room to do whatever she wanted to do anyway.But then he seemed hellbent on not leaving her alone.He was always trying to involve her in one thing or the other.For the past two days now, he had changed tactics.Junior was his secret weapon.He would simply send him to invite Reyona to join them.For dinner.For their walks.For the basketball he was teaching the kids.And for every other little thing that Reyona was certain that he was
Reyona ignored her ringing phone as she drove home with Aria’s latest song “Truth or Dare” playing on her stereo.She knew who was calling and since she could guess what he was going to say, she decided not to pick up yet.She was going to call him back when she was ready.Preferably after she had soaked in the ambience of her familiar home that would be free of a lurking man or kids trying to tug at her heartstrings.Where no one would try to pull her in further than she already was.As she took the last turn that led to her home, she was already anticipating how she was going to have the best sleep she had had in days.Right after…Her eyes widened in shock when she saw the familiar car in front of her house.What the….Reyona parked away from the driveway, giving his car enough room to turn and leave as fast as possible.He came out of his car just as she was coming out of hers.“Why were you not picking up?” he asked as he walked towards her.“What are you doing here?” Reyona aske
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