Thomas looked back sharply when he heard her voice. Damn it. He had not realised that he had spoken out loud. That was why he left the bedroom for the living room, after all. He should have just gone downstairs to the sitting room or the library. Yeah, the library would have been okay. With all the volumes of books in there and the soundproof padding his wife had installed in there as it doubled as her workspace when she wanted to as well, he could have shouted all he wanted and she wouldn't have realised. He knew that his shout was inevitable, even as he blamed himself and turned in the direction where he heard her soft footsteps. He knew he couldn't have helped his reaction, not even if a gun had been put to his head when he opened his email earlier. Even a hardcore guy would have reacted as he did. Thomas was no hardcore guy. Just a 35-year-old man looking for a soft landing in life. Ah, what would he do? He thought as he recalled the message that was burning a hole throug
Reyona tamped down the revulsion in her as she said those words. She could feel bile in her throat as she closed her eyes tightly. Who could have believed that there would be a day on earth when she would feel her skin crawl at the thought of intimacy with her man? What did she know?Theirs had never been a super passionate "get wet with just a look at you" kind of sex life, but they had a healthy sex life. He wanted her as much as she wanted him, and she could turn to him whenever she wanted to do it with the assurance that he would accommodate her and vice versa.She remembered a saying that a man's penis could be separated from his heart. She couldn't remember where she heard the saying from, but she remembered that the person had said that a man could be having regular sex with a lady while, in his heart, he held someone else dear."It is just how they are wired; just because he is fucking you every day does not mean he loves you. You are just that. A fuck buddy."Reyona released t
Thomas groaned as he held his wife closely to himself. He could feel his eyes crossing behind their lids. He had no idea what had come over her, but he was not about to mind. Not when his libido could reap the benefit. She was all he had for now anyway. Susan was not available for all their games.Even though he had always been careful with her and only went to a limit when it came to their bedroom activities, unlike he did with Susan, he loved the fact that she was taking the initiative to introduce this. Most of what she did these days made it seem like he didn't know his wife that well, not that he'd been paying much attention before.He had been trying his best to be a double agent with such carefulness that his cover would not be blown. He loved this new side of her.His eyes jerked open when he felt her hands wrap around him, and his eyes rolled back in his head as he wondered when she had pulled the drawstring of his pyjama bottoms.He was close to bursting, and he felt he sh
Reyona almost laughed out loud at the priceless expression on Ruth Lanoth's face as she entered and met her with the kids. They were eating the crackers that Reyona bought on her way to the house and surfing through the channels to see what show would satisfy all parties involved, as she had met the kids arguing over the channel that the eldest had put on. Thomas's mother had never learned the habit of locking up her door, as she had said that she did not have a property that belonged to a burglar. So, it was quite normal for Reyona to simply walk through the door and call out to her mother-in-law if she didn't immediately see her in the living room. Lugging the grocery bags she had with her, she opened the door, picked up the bags, and used one of them to push the door wider. She entered and called out even before she fully raised her head."Mum, are you…?" She trailed off as she saw the three miniature copies of her husband staring back at her. Two of them had been in a tussle
"Reyona?" Ruth Lanoth spoke as she seemed to recover from her shock. She looked at the groceries in her hand, then back at Reyona and the kids, her eyes darting from them to her. She seemed to almost have a seizure when she saw Leah on Reyona's lap. Reyona smiled inwardly as she doubted that the woman had any idea how transparent her face was. Her son must have learned his highly deceptive face from someone else. His father? Well, she would never know; the man had been long dead before Reyona met Thomas. "Mum!" Reyona replied excitedly as she gave the remote in her hands to Allysyn and carried Leah at her waist as she went to meet her mother-in-law, where the woman still stood as if she had no idea if she should proceed into the room or bolt. Reyona saw the way the woman's eyes darted between her and the children, as if pondering if she should get the children out first or Reyona herself. "How does it feel?" Reyona thought as she hugged the woman."Hi, I have missed you," she said
"Hey, sweetheart. Ain't you having a game with your associates?" Reyona asked as she looked up at the little clock face on the fridge door before lifting the bowl of quartered yams in her hand "You are back early," she said with a smile, and she angled her face up for a kiss."Yeah, yeah. You know, we were not feeling much like playing, so we just hung out for a while, and we called it a day," Thomas answered distractedly as he gave her a quick peck on the cheek before going to the fridge to take out a chilled bottle of water, which he guzzled down."Oh, I see. Well, that means I get to have you more to myself then. It has been a while since you stayed at home longer on a weekend. I have to thank your friends," she said with a wink."Yeah, yeah. They sent their regards," he said as he looked over at her, then drank more water before capping it back."Oh yeah? They did? Your associates that do not know me?" She asked with a feigned curious expression as she smiled inwardly at the way he
Sending up a prayer of thanks to the heavens that his mum had told him before about what she told his wife, Thomas turned to Reyona "Well, we just knew about them recently also. Cousin never told us that he had children outside, you know. This woman just showed up last week with those kids. None of us had any idea how she knew about mom's relationship with Rafe. Well, she just showed up that morning with those kids and told her how she and Rafe had been together for a long time, even before he married his divorced wife, Meg. Mum said she was still reeling from that as she invited them in when the woman told her that she was actually on her way to Vegas to get married to the love of her life, someone who would be proud of her as a wife and not just keep her aside as a mistress. And that was it. She walked out on those children like they did not exist. How could a mother be like that?" He shook his head with feigned outrage on his face, like he couldn't believe what had happened.Reyona
Maxwell Rohan was having a drink at O'Toole's bar and thinking of the mess that his half-sister had gotten herself into. She had called his line when he was busy and had dropped a panicked voicemail. The main thing he had been able to get from her ramblings was drugs, arrest, and "I don't want to go to jail.".The girl had always been whiny, so it had not been a surprise for Max to hear the thread of desperation in her tone. Maxwell knew it must be serious this time if she had willingly called him; the last thing he heard from her after he helped her with her mother's burial years ago was, "I don't need you or your help.". But then short-term memory seemed to be quite convenient for her mother when she wanted it to be. He could see that the girl had inherited that from her too.Maxwell had tarried long enough before going over. He could almost feel his father looking down at him with a disapproving look as he clucked his tongue."Family is everything, boy." Andre Rohan would have said,
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