Reyona just wanted to get the meeting with the client over with so she could start her day as planned.“It must be something very important if he was willing to wait despite no assurance that he would see me,” she thought as she awaited him.A slight knock preceded Charlotte’s entrance. “He is here, ma.”“Oh, alright,” she said as she turned from the window. “Come in, s...you?” she asked in surprise as she saw the man behind her secretary. His hateful smile was creeping its way onto his face already.He stepped forward confidently and took her free hand in a firm handshake "It is a pleasure meeting you again, CPA Lanoth,” he said professionally, the earlier smile gone from his face.The bitter taste of the coffee got even more bitter in Reyona’s mouth when she saw the slight raising of his brow with his back to Charlotte, who was looking at the two of them in confusion. She realised that even while seeming professional, he was silently daring her to act like the professional that she w
He couldn’t resist the temptation of seeing her hazel eyes fire up. So instead of him explaining what he meant by his statement when it was obvious that that was what she was expecting, Maxwell merely paused and gave her a steady look.Rilling her up was a bonus anyway. He was also thinking of what he should say that wouldn’t have her send someone to throw him out.He was known to be good with his words, but he was amazed that when faced with this woman, he wasn't as great as he had always thought.Hey, your husband is fucking my sister, and I know that you know about that and their children. By the way, I suspected that you might have a hand in her arrest, and now I am here to make a deal with you.Maxwell cringed at what the outcome of that could be.She seemed to be done with waiting for him as she picked up the receiver and dialled a number. “Hello, yes. Come to my office right now. Someone needs to be escorted out. What are you doing?” She asked in outrage when he leaned over and
“Well, I don’t know about that... but at least I can send you out of my office.” Reyona replied evenly, her eyes sparking in animosity at the arrogant bastard standing so self-righteously in her office “Out now before I call the security on you!” she yelled as she jerked her corked thumb towards the door.“Reyona…Rey….”“Why is he calling her in Thomas’s voice?” She wondered as she narrowed her eyes at his serious-looking gaze; she could almost detect pity in his look, and that even annoyed her more! How dare he pity her! This was all their fault! He and…“Babe?” I think you need to get up. She could feel a hand shake her, and her vision wavered. One instant, Maxwell was in front of her, looking at her indifferently. The next, he was whispering into her ears, “Face it. You can’t run from it. Or me”“Who does he think he is?” she thought in anger and lashed out with her fist.“Aaargh!” A pain-filled voice yelled close to her ear, and she jerked up in confusion.The muted light and chang
“Oh, wow. Boss, that was beautifully done. They would be nothing but a fool not to give you that contract, you know,” Philip Agguerro, one of the best top accountants in ReyDexter, said as he followed Reyona out of the presentation room at Multilinks Co.“Of course, it will be beautiful. I already knew that this would be a smash when she said she would take this up,” Samantha Boone, her ace accountant, said as they all left the room at a clipped pace. “You see that other CPA company? What was the name again?”"I didn't catch it,” Philip said with a distasteful look on his face.Reyona smiled to herself. She knew that her employees knew the name of their competition. They were just saying that out of loyalty. Yes, they have pretty stiff competition, but Reyona knew that she did excellently well, and Multilinks would be a fool not to choose ReyDexter, but it was great to hear the approval from her staff too.“They have got no chance at all.” Samantha continued, “Did you see the way those
“Just how shameless can he be?” Reyona thought in anger as she saw Maxwell striding towards her.The oblivious, surprised look on his face only infuriated her more, as she was sure that it was definitely part of his artifice.He looked at her in confusion for a second before that hateful smile of his filled his face. He put his phone in his pocket, tucking his hand in as he rocked back on his heels as if lounging.“Well, my dear CEO Lanoth. I had no idea that you have such an ample sense of imagination,” he said as he barely glanced at the secretary.Reyona knew she should just bypass him, especially since the secretary was standing some distance away, waiting for her to catch up with her.She was not about to allow an asshole to get away with messing up her day or trying to sneak up on her at a potential client’s company. “I can assure you that if you dare to pull this stunt again, I will simply get you arrested.”She hissed in a low tone and made sure to pass him by. The secretary’s
“You bastard!” She railed at him. Her eyes were wide as she looked around the interior of the visiting room. It was as if she was looking for something—anything to hurt him with.She turned back to him and the look in her eyes gave him a pause as her tone became so low that he had to strain his ears to hear her “I knew it. I knew you did not love me! You…you were just using me as your brooding mare!” She swiped her wrist against the snot that came out of her nose, unconcerned that she looked a mess as her tangled hair slipped out of its hold."You... you don’t love me anymore! You just wanted to be with her now that I am here. You...you want to take my children and live happily ever after with that bitch! Well, you have another thing coming! I am not going to allow that!” She gave him a chilling smile that had Thomas contemplating the idea of running out of the visiting room.“I will come after you. I will get my babies! I will…oh, my babies,” she broke down in tears in the middle of t
Thomas was in a black mood by the time he drove up the driveway of the house he had shared with Reyona for about eight years. A home where he had continued the pretence he started two years before when Susan and he had made a bet.Susan had come to meet him at his shitass job back then as a trainer, and they had pretended not to know each other so that the gym manager wouldn’t find a reason to complain. He was pretending to put her through her workout while she giggled and pretended to be totally clueless about it all.That was when she had walked in—the auburn-haired beauty alongside a younger-looking lady—both of them so mouthwateringly gorgeous that they caught the eye immediately.The men's heads turned to look at them, and the elderly one was oblivious to the stare she was garnering as she seemed reluctant to be there, while the younger one was cajoling her that it was the right thing to do. His gaze must have ingered a bit longer on the curvaceous beauty because the next moment S
Reyona had been antsy since she got back to the office. The CEO of Multilinks had been just as the tabloids had described him. Retro, urbane, and... very unusual.The man had been in shorts, a biker shirt, and sneakers. He had a stud in his ear for God’s sake. And a headset around his neck, to boot.Throughout their meeting, he sat astride his chair instead of in it, as any self-respecting CEO would do. If Reyona had not listened to him, she was sure that she might have dismissed him for a loafer who was merely holding the position because it had been in their family for ages.All it took her was to listen to the man for about two minutes, and she was certain that Andrew Jordan could be blamed for a lot of things, but a lack of intelligence could never be part of those things.He was astute and direct. He was clear about what he wanted, and she was sure that he wouldn’t do anything because he was pressured by the board or cajoled by anyone.He was a man with a clear sense of judgment,
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