Despite Toria’s reservations, Reyona had already made up her mind.She was done hiding.She was done being a coward.She was going to take what belonged to her from that bastard and then drag his ass through the court and back.“If it really comes to that,” she muttered to herself as she dressed up carefully that morning.Of course, she had vowed to herself to be more assertive but then a tiny part of her still wished things didn’t go this way.Changed personality or not, hanging her dirty linen in the open for all to speculate and discuss was not her game plan.She was dressed in an electric-blue power suit and trousers.The suit had one pearl button in the middle, perfectly displaying the orange silk shirt she had underneath.Paired with minimal jewellery of pearl earrings, a necklace, and a watch, the powerful CEO look was well complimented with passion diamond stilletos and a matching Channel bag.She left Toria a note, tucked the discarded sheets around her and left in a high spi
When they saw that she was serious, they stepped back and followed her as she drove to the front of the company.Reyona could have simply driven to the car park to avoid them, but she stopped in front of the company, smiled at the anxious faces of Samantha, Phil, and Charlotte as they rushed out, and then turned towards the approaching reporters.“Mrs. Lanoth, can you...”She raised her index finger in such a commanding way that the reporters stopped their tumbling questions and listened to her.Reyona waited till there was perfect silence. It was as if she had nothing to do and would be ready to wait them out.Those who were still shuffling, murmuring, and trying to get her attention quickly followed suit with the others and waited for her to talk.“Listen to me carefully, because this is the last time I will be saying anything about this issue. I am sure the good people of Kayooma have better things to do than read news about me. I am sure you already know of the one and only inter
As soon as the reporters left, cheers went up in the whole company.Reyona just got to the base of the staircase that leads to the elevator floor.She turned and smiled as everyone downstairs and on the second floor came out of their offices and started clapping.“Yes yes. That is right. Give it up for the best boss anyone can ever have,” Phil said in the tone of a hypeman as he took the center floor and gestured to Reyona with a courtly bow.People hooted and clapped more.As the clap was dying down, Phil turned to Reyona and said, “I just want to say this once and for all. Because if I did not say this now, I might forever regret it.”People started snickering when he put on a showmanship expression and went down on one knee before Reyona.“Boss, I am in love with you.”Laughter went through the crowd as he raised his hand in supplication to Reyona. “What do you say, milady? Do you believe that I am in love with you?”Reyona got into character and looked down haughtily at him as she
Reyona was surprised when Charlotte hesitantly came forward with her hand raised.“You?” she asked in shock. “Why would you...”“I am so sorry, ma,” Charlotte said hurriedly. “I just feel that if they could use things like this to cause you so much damage, there is nothing bad in giving them a taste of their medicine. I am so sorry, ma. I am sorry. I will delete it right away,” she apologised profusely.“You can’t deny that it was very effective, though,” Samantha said beneath her breath.Reyona heard her, though, and she turned to give her a look.Samantha quickly turned to Charlotte and said, “I mean, you should have asked for permission. Yes, you did a good thing but you should have asked first. That was... such an unruly thing to do. Yes, very bad” she said with exaggeration.Reyona couldn’t keep a straight face for long. She smiled and shook her head.Everyone who had held their breath in anticipation of what she would say relaxed a bit when they saw her smiling, including Charlo
He declined Charlotte’s offer of a coffee and sat down even before Reyona could. Reyona raised her eyebrows behind him and said, “Do make yourself comfortable” before she went to take her seat. “Oh, thank you. I plan to. This is a rare opportunity so I will make good use of it,” he said with a smile. Reyona was beginning to regret her intention to be civil to him. Still, she forced pleasantness onto her face as she sat and said, “What do you want?” “I am here to tell you again that the offer to work with Multilinks is still very available.” “I…” “Please hear me out before I lose my nerves,” he said with a smile that showed that losing his nerves was the last thing he would ever do. Reyona gave him a look to let him know that she was not fooled by his words, yet she said nothing and inclined her head to say that he should go ahead. “Thank you,” he said emphatically as he leaned forward on the table like he was about to tell her a secret. He steepled his fingers together and co
“No, no. I meant all that." Maxwell interrupted her urgently. "And I would have said them to you eventually but she is the reason I am here this early. You see, she threatened to disown me.”Reyona thought she had heard it all but apparently, she could still be shocked by some things “Disown you? Did you just say disown you? What are you? Her kid?”“No, just a man who has learned that the fear of Celia’s wrath is the beginning of wisdom. She is important to Andrews and by default, she is important to me. You can kill me with that glare of yours if you want but please pick up her call and tell her what a good boy I was.”Reyona snorted at that. “Good boy, my foot.”“Please, what do you want? Half of everything I own. Whatever you want. Name it. I will give it to you. Don’t make her ban me from attending the christening ceremony of my godson. I might just die,” he added, with a theatrically comic look on his face.Reyona couldn’t hold on to her laughter anymore.She laughed while wonde
Reyona heard Toria’s voice from outside. Even before her sister burst through the door like a whirlwind, she had already raised her head from what she was working on. She was tapping her pen against the file with a smile on her face when Toria entered with each of her hands holding a shopping bag. She blew Charlotte a kiss as the latter came to close the door behind her. Then she posed and declared. “Admit it. I am the best thing that ever happened to you.” “Oh yeah? How did you figure that out?” Reyona asked with a shake of her head. Toria tossed “What would you have done without me?” Reyona angled her head to one side as if she were really giving it a good thought. Then she said, “For starters, my ears would not be bleeding out right now. I would be in the middle of my work without stress. Oh, rapture!” she crooned. Toria narrowed her eyes at Reyona, then she said, “I will pretend not to hear that. Which is lucky for you because I am here for moral support?” So saying, she
Reyona hated feeling this way but she felt it anyway.She wished her thoughts and her actions could be the same yet it seemed she was always disappointing herself in that aspect.Hadn’t she vowed to herself that nothing would matter to her anymore?Hadn’t she demonstrated in her mind just how cold and detached she would be in dealing with him from now on?She was a thirty-year-old woman who was stupid enough to love and live with a man who had not loved her for years. And so what?Now, she was supposed to be able to take charge of her life and do what she needed to do.“Why then are you quaking inside?” her subconsciousness whispered unapologetically.It must be because of Toria’s taunts.As much as she loved her sister, sometimes she just wanted to gag her.If she had not riled her with all that chicken talk, then Reyona would surely not be in this mess. It was her fault. Silly girl. Reyona thought as she looked over at Toria, who was busy belting out “The way I want it” by Ayragirl
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