Reyona woke up to an incessant ringing tone. She looked around blearily, and it took her a moment to realise that her phone was not beside her on the king-size bed. She groaned out loud as she raised herself up, but her head protested. "Uggh,” she groaned as she saw the wine bottle and half-finished glass of wine on the bedside. The phone rang again, and she was tempted to just smother herself with the colourful pillows strewn all around her, and get it done and over with. “Leave me alone,” she muttered with a groan. Then she realised that the sound was not entirely coming from the phone that was on the pink rattan accent chair on the other side of the room. Some of the ruckus was coming from the TV she had on. She looked at the box of candied nuts beside the bed and shook her head. An action she regretted immediately as she grabbed her head “So much for cooking up a storm,” she thought to herself. She groped around until her hand was touching the remote, and she switched of
Michelle, Jordan’s assistant, welcomed Reyona with a smile.Then, she gestured towards CEO Jordan’s office with a pleasant “He is waiting for you.”Reyona nodded and followed her.No one seeing her would believe she was having a thrumming headache that had refused to back down despite the aspirin she took before leaving.She had been unable to make the toast, and she wished desperately that the queasiness she was feeling wouldn’t show.Outwardly, Reyona was the epitome of confidence and professionalism.She had on a power suit of a dark orange fitted blazer and contrast high-waist pants.Her clothing was complimented by nude, pointy-toe heels and her Chanel bag of the same colour.Michelle knocked and stepped aside as she gestured for Reyona to go in.Reyona thanked her with a smile and entered the office with her professional smile at the ready.The smile froze on her hurting face as she saw who was waiting for her in the office.Now what?Reyona instantly regretted her decision not
A t-shirt and a short!The fact that they fit him so well, like a second skin, didn’t matter.It also didn’t matter that Jordan had dressed just as casually.Jordan knew what he was doing; this one here obviously didn’t.Reyona was almost tempted to stand up and leave.She really wanted to.But then she could picture the horrified looks on her employees faces if she told them they lost the bid because she couldn’t stand the company’s partner.Plus, she really wanted to work with Multilinks.Their crappy taste in partners apart, the account would do her company’s portfolio a lot of good.She wouldn’t allow anyone to tamper with that.So she sat.And contemplated reaching out to knock him over with the gorilla paperweight on the table.“You won the bid,” he finally said.“Oh, thank you very much,” Reyona said with genuine excitement. “You can be sure that we..."“Save it for Jordan. I am not interested,” he interrupted her."Okay,” she said with a tight smile. “Does that mean I can leav
Reyona didn’t pick up the call. The call disconnected, and it started ringing almost immediately. “What does this bastard want now?” she wondered. When the phone started ringing again just as she was starting the car, she decided to pick it up. She wouldn't switch off her phone because of him. She would have to have a conversation with him anyway. So, she decided to get it done and over with. She picked up the call on the fourth ring. “Hello, Reyona. How dare you do this to me? You were really serious about the divorce? You want to divorce me?” That was fast. Reyona thought with satisfaction. “You can’t just have some bastard serve me some paper while you hide out, you coward! Tell me where you are. I am coming there. You need to tell me why you think the right thing for you to do is to divorce me!” Coward? The bastard dared to call her a coward. After everything he did, he had the guts to talk to her about doing the right thing. How rich! An idiot just threatened her wi
Dread dawned on Thomas as he watched Reyona leave.What the hell was that about? He wondered.That stick in the mud had never dared to speak to him like that before.She had always been respectful to him and drearily proper.It was one other reason why she was such a contrast to Susan.Susan was the spicy, sassy, all-fun love of his life, while Reyona was just Reyona.She was their goldmine.The cool and collected CEO with the right words and actions.The woman who just spoke with him a few minutes ago was someone else entirely.Well, it had been his wife, alright.But it was as if she had been possessed by someone else.Before his anger rose at that, the thought that brought dread into him rose again.Did she know?Did she find out everything? She must have gone to check on him at the center and gym, only to find out that it had been sold.But how is that possible?Whoever bought the businesses had not even made any attempt to do anything with them yet.Thomas had not been able to g
Reyona knew something was wrong the moment she stepped out of her office. Actually, she had known seconds earlier. She had been antsy since she got back to work, and she couldn’t settle down no matter what she did. She had tried to contact CEO Jordan to ask him to persuade his partner or whatever she had to do to not let that asshole screw her over. The personal line he had given her had gone straight to voicemail. Michelle told her he wasn’t back in office yet. “Oh, I can’t predict his movement,” was what the assistant said when Reyona asked if she knew when he would be back. So, she was back to where she started from. And the prospect of going back to the rental house for any culinary adventure holds about as much excitement for her as being poked in the eye. So, like a caged lion, she moved from her desk to the opulent seating area at the other end of her office. She tried to work, but the numbers seemed to be playing tricks on her eyes. She tried to read a book she had s
Bad news spreads faster than good news.The phenomenon was not different in Reyona’s case.She started checking the comments and reposts.The original post had been reposted more than one hundred times already.Comments upon comments danced before Reyona’s eyes as she scrolled fast and furiously.Most of them were tagging her company pages.Bloggers had started posting about it.#chronicleofacheater was everywhere.Reyona couldn’t even begin to imagine the extent of the damage.Her office phone rang, and she contemplated letting go of it, but she knew that was not the moment to ignore her calls.There are people who count on her.People would be sorely disappointed about what they were seeing and reading about her.She picked up the call on the third ring.“Good afternoon, CEO Lanoth. Have you seen...?”“Yes, I have seen it, Roaurke. It is not true.”“But you…”“Yes, I was the one in the video, but the narrative is wrong.”The man on the other end sighed and said, “You need to do some
The chairman of the bidding committee called Andrew’s office immediately after he got the news about the clip. When Michelle informed him that Andrew was not in and he might not be coming in soon, the woman informed Michelle of the urgency of the call. So, Michelle had to call Andrew’s wife in order to get in touch with Andrew. Within a few minutes, Andrews had spoken with the bidding chairman, who was afraid that they might have made a horrible mistake by giving their contract to such a horrid woman. Having little tolerance for dramatics, Andrews told the woman to get on with what she wanted to say or get off the phone. “Saying it wouldn’t matter. You have to see it.” With that, she sent the video link to Andrew’s email. Andrew automatically clicked on the link, and Celia, who was standing right behind him, gasped. She thumped him on the shoulder as she said, “Andrew Sean Jordan, how dare you? Is this your way of telling me that I am no longer attractive to you now that I loo
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