The carpet led towards the foyer but not to it.It took a detour to the left just a few paces away from the foyer.Reyona looked up at Maxwell’s grinning face and decided not to ask.She was sure he wouldn’t tell her anyway.Soon enough, she saw where it led.It led straight through the door of the ballroom she had once marvelled at when he first gave her the tour of the house.The door was locked though.Yet he kept walking towards it.She chuckled as she began “Don’t tell me you are about to show me your superpower of walking through…”The door suddenly burst open with a chorus of “Surprise!”Everyone seemed to be in the glorious ballroom!In Reyona’s excited shock, the first thing that popped into her mind was that everything….glowed.There was no other way to describe the enchanting, magical ambience created in the ballroom with soft, warm lighting that complemented the chandeliers described.Fairy lights are draped across the ceiling and around the tables, adding a sparkling effe
Toria returned to Cyprus the day after the event.Their parents and Maureen left soon enough as well.The excitement of the discovery got Reyona in a frenzy for the next few days as she wanted everything to be perfect for her babies upon their arrival.She was glad that she still didn’t know their genders yet, but the fact that she had two lives growing inside her was more than she could have ever hoped for.For eight years, she had tamped down her needs for a family just because of a man who was not worth it.Her thirtieth birthday had been marred by the realisation that she was growing older.She was even beginning to think that she might never be able to change the mind of the man she had thought was her lifelong partner.She had pushed aside all that she had ever wanted, all for someone she shouldn’t have ever given the time of the day.She would probably have gone all her life not fulfilling the dreams she had always had as a child.To have a family of her own.She had always wan
Reyona told the staff to leave the array of refreshments on the table.“It is fine. You can go.” she almost snapped in her anxiety.The kitchen help bowed to them and left.“Is this about the call you just received?” Reyona asked immediately. “Who was it?”“Officer Guy,” Maxwell answered instantly.Reyona’s heart kicked as she knew who Officer Guy was. And his call could mean anything.“What…?”“They were finally able to reverse the funds back to your account,” Maxwell said as she listened to him with rapt attention. “It was a bit tricky to get the source of the dummy account that the dead guy used. It was an offshore account and, thankfully, it had not been transferred to the intended account. After some back and forth with the bank, they were able to reverse it. He called to ask if you had seen it.”Reyona patted her trouser pocket before she remembered that her phone was in their room.“My phone is inside,” she said tersely.She was glad that the money was returned.That meant she
Reyona had thought she would have to go to the detention centre where Maze was held.He was held in Kayooma Federal Detention Center after his lack of cooperation in the first hearing.The judge had been pissed off and had him sent there to cool his feet for a week before the next hearing.In the meantime, the police were gathering more evidence based on the recording that Maxwell had made.The recording in which Maze had denied his own voice.Reyona still wondered why Maxwell had thought it would be possible to have someone like that strike a deal with them.She was sure the bastard might even prefer going to a long-term jail just to spite them.After all, Maxwell had played him.With the new evidence of his gasoline purchase and other incriminating information that Officer Guy had gotten from Susan though, Reyona supposed he might decide to be more reasonable when he realised that his “I-know-nothing, I did-nothing” tactic was not going to work.Any environmentally aware person woul
Maxwell couldn’t be more proud of how Reyona handled the man who had started out acting as if he didn’t care about anything.Oh, he tried to get under Reyona’s skin.He even tried to taunt her for being the clueless woman who had allowed her husband’s mistress to get the better of her.At first, she had let him think he had the upper hand, as he practically insinuated that they had nothing on him.Maxwell trusted Reyona, yet he had been rearing to get in that bastard’s face and tell him what was what.But then, with a few strategically worded sentences, she had pulled the rug from beneath the cocky bastard.She made him believe their meeting was the best thing to happen to him in his current state.Then she added that Susan had all the evidence of the deeds he had done for her with her.Evidence that she had handed over to them.When Maxwell could see that the Maze’s former confidence was fading already, she idly flicked at her nail and turned to face Officer Guy sitting beside Maze.
Despite the Rohans' declaration that they would decide to let go of the case if the culprit fulfilled their demand, the Kayooma law still bound Maze anyway.Arson wasn’t just a crime against the victim, it was a crime against the state too.Reyona and Maxwell demanded that for the next three years, Maze would donate a pint of blood every eight weeks.That would be about 7 pints of blood that he would donate in a year.Altogether, in the three-year duration, he should have donated about 20 pints of blood.Then, apart from that, as long as he lived, he would be on hand for any blood donation that the Rohans would ask of him.With compensation, of course.There was also a clause that he should pass this knowledge down to his generation.For as long as they live, any of his generation with the Rh Null blood type can go to any branch of Saintwell Hospital anywhere in the world to donate blood.No questions asked, and they would be generously rewarded too.Though Maze had scoffed at that as
Reyona disconnected the conference call with her Sydney team and swivelled her chair around to face the window.She reached for the neck massager that Maxwell had gotten for her with one hand.She fixed the device on her neck and switched it on.Reyona sighed as the pouch-like device vibrated against her neck.It was truly soothing, but it had nothing on Maxwell’s soothing warm fingers.Boy was he skilled.And to think he had only learned how to give a good massage recently.“I never had a need to worry about it before,” he had said. “Now, there is every reason.”He had hired a professional massage therapist to teach him.Then he tried it out on her every day until he was declared skilled enough.After which he added his innovative ways of massaging, of course.Ways that Beatrice, the massage therapist could have found scandalous.Reyona chuckled as heat filled her body at her thought.“Hmmm,” she half-moaned at the thought of the machine being replaced by his fingers.She shifted her
A limo was waiting for them outside.“A limo?!” Reyona thought in astonishment as she looked at Maxwell, but he was giving nothing away.Junior bounced towards the car and even Allysyn hurried after him.“What is…?” Reyona's question was interrupted as she saw a uniformed driver, fully garbed like a professional chauffeur, down to the brimmed hat, step out and open the door for them.Junior bounced in before the man could say jack.“Miss,” he said to Allysyn as he helped her into the car.Reyona couldn't hold back her grin at how the girl automatically straightened her back and daintily gave him her hand.“That is a budding diva right there.” She thought to herself with pride.“How are you doing today, madam?” The chauffeur asked as she got to him.“I am doing good,” Reyona said with emphasis as she beamed at Maxwell.“And you?” She asked before Maxwell helped her inside.“Fine, ma. Thanks for asking.” She heard him say before closing the door behind them.The limousine's interior was