Reyona’s blood chilled when she saw that it was Thomas.He was unconscious and sprawled out like someone who had been knocked out by a malevolent force.The surrounding stench was even more than any other around the house.An unfinished bottle of beer was lying close to his hand with some of its contents already drying up close to his soggy pants.Even as Reyona’s eyes narrowed, she quickly leaned forward to put her finger beneath his nose.It was there!Coming in spurts, but the bastard was breathing.For a moment there, he had made her think that… bastard!She automatically picked a bowl off the counter as she turned towards the sink.She filled it mechanically.As she turned this time, she could see the lifting and falling of his chest.How had she missed that at first?She dumped the water on his face.“Reyona”She barely heard Maxwell as she reached down and pulled up the soggy mess who was stirring from the soaking.Methodically, she dealt him two sharp slaps that echoed through
Lance Pratchett's temper was still as short as ever.The moment he heard that Reyona's call had anything to do with Thomas, he sparked like a lighted fuse.“I already told him I don't want anything to do with him again! And now he is asking his wife to call me?! Hey, hey Davies! Switch off the TV now! It is long past your bedtime! This is not your Mama's place!” He said to someone for a while before he continued to talk to Reyona.“Wait, aren't you his ex-wife? What the hell are you calling me for? I have enough problems of my own and I don't have a dime to borrow Tom anymore. You all should leave me alone!”Maxwell collected the phone from Reyona and said “Now, listen here. Thomas said he talked to you about me and his kids. Did you by any chance tell anyone about those things too?”“Who the fuck are you? That asshole told me lots of things that passed right through the right ear, then out the left. I don't have time to prattle to someone else about… hey, Davies! What did I say?!” To
Dawn met them with uncertainties.Reyona woke up as she felt someone covering them up.It was Jane.“Good morning, ma” the nanny greeted her just as Maxwell stirred too.“I can't believe I actually dozed off.” He said tersely.Reyona patted his arm as she said “You needed it.”They started the day with a call to the police station again.Nothing yet.Andrew and Celia arrived that morning with three other men whom the couple called experts in cases like that.While the men discussed in Maxwell's office, Celia urged Reyona to walk with her.“You don't look too well,” she said after they walked in silence for a while, “Have you slept a wink since it happened?”“Actually, I slept for a while,” Reyona said. “Didn't think I would, but then…” she shrugged.“That is nothing to blame yourself for. The two of you have gone through a lot in the past twenty-four hours, and it is understandable how much more your body needs rest.” Celia said as she looked down at Reyona’s rounded stomach.Reyona s
Reyona consciously relaxed her body, as Celia laid her hand on her back on their way to the house.While she kept a pleasant smile plastered on her face, her mind raced terribly in every other way.What was she going to do?How was she going to get the thirty million dollars within one hour?Though she didn’t have all the data in her head at the moment, she knew they did not have up to in the companies’ accounts at the moment.ReyDexter’s account had been drawn down recently to cover the expenses of Summit Edge, so she was sure what they had at the moment could be nowhere near that amount.Summit Edge was also not yielding much yet and what it had yielded so far was still going back into making the company a force to reckon with in all of Australia.The bulk of her personal money had been mostly used in her recent travels too.“What will I do?” she thought as she looked at Celia sideways.She knew the woman could help if she was shameless enough to ask, but how would she explain why s
In a few minutes, she was stepping out of the house in her casual wear as if she was just taking a walk.Thankfully, no one had noticed her as she stepped out of the back door.She continued walking towards the main road parallel to the driveway without actually stepping out onto the driveway where she could be seen by anyone looking out of the window.Maxwell’s home office where the men were having the meeting faced the driveway.Reyona looked at her phone and saw that she had fifteen minutes left.She sent the ready link to Maxwell and then deleted the message and every call she had made in the last few minutes.Then she hid the app on her phone.She suddenly crouched when she heard the sounds of vehicles going down the driveway.“That must be the men,” she thought, as she hoped they had been able to give Maxwell some hope.Grateful for the foliage that covered her from whoever was passing in the driveway, she finally stood up and moved a bit farther away from the driveway before sh
A hot slap jerked Reyona awake.The pain sang through her body, clearing her fuzzy head for a moment.She tried to reach for her stinging face and found out that she couldn’t lift her hand.She started panicking before she realised that her hands were tied to the iron chair she was sitting on.What?She blinked hard in the dark room as she tried to remove her hands from the tight bounds.“When you are done with your drama, let me know.” a rough voice said close to her ears.Reyona jolted and tried to talk.Her mouth was also tightly gagged and all that came out was just an incoherent muffle.“I am going to release one of your hands, then you will make the transfer. After that, you will be allowed to see the girl. Nod if you understand me.”Reyona quickly nodded as tears squeezed out of her eyes.She had never been more terrified in her life.She had never known that the worst feeling she would have in her life was one she would feel in the presence of a faceless man she couldn’t see i
His security men’s missed calls were the first thing he saw.Then he swore when he saw Officer Guy's missed call as well.He saw a message notification sign at the top of the screen as he dialled Officer Guy’s number back.“Hello”: he said as the officer picked up the call. “Sorry, I missed your call. I wasn't with my phone.”“It is fine, we found the van.” “What, where? Is she…” “No, she is not there. Not much clue here either. They strip it down. I am beginning to think we are dealing with some professionals here.” “But the van, plates and everything. It can lead you to…”“Yes, that was our initial thought as well, but we just released the van to a very happy grandfather a few minutes before you called. It was stolen, Mr. Rohan. They stole it from the man’s grandson, who decided to test his driving skills without telling the old man. It was reported stolen in another district the same day they kidnapped the girl. So it was a one-stop job.”They stole the car, then drove straight
Reyona had no idea how much time had passed before the door opened again.Never in her life did she know that she would be so grateful for that tiny slant of light.The light did not even reach where she was, but it was something.Something other than the crippling darkness that seemed to be seeping under her skin.Keeping Allysyn's face in her mind had been one of the things that had staved off the gloom.Reminding herself that the girl was alright was the goal.Maybe they can release Allysyn even if they keep her?Then she would remember Pat and sobbed behind her gag.When she started giving in to despair, she would remember Maxwell.He must be on his way already. He would surely get them out of this, and they could all go home.Then she would remember Junior and vow to open her heart to that delightful kid fully.Then her family would come to her mind and she would wonder what they would do if something happened to her.It was the darkness.It was doing something to her mind.It 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