Hello loves, Got delayed again because we have so many visitors today. Weekends are really busy. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed time with family like I did. Love, J Cruz
Noah POVThat afternoon, I came face to face with Britney again.This time, she was so livid. She did not care about her image. Gone was the perfect woman who graced the runway. Her hair is a mess, and her make-up is a mess, too.There were no cameras around since I requested a private hearing.Britney grabbed at the opportunity to lash out at me.“You are suing me for ten million dollars in damages for oral defamation?” Britney cried in disbelief when she heard the charges my team submitted in court.Her eyes looked like they were going out of their sockets in rage. She was fuming mad. Her face was contorted in anger as she eyed me in contempt.“Ms. White, compensatory damages comprising general damages, special damages, and aggravated damages are filed against you by the plaintiff, Mr. Noah Hunter, which includes injury to reputation, injury to feelings, injury to health, and pecuniary loss.” The judge explained.But Britney did not take it well. She did not even acknowledge that i
Briana POV“Can you please stop doing that?”Marcus irritably told me when he saw me pacing the floor of my room.He just got back from an appointment outside of the office. I am just not sure if the appointment concerns business or it concerns his wife, Martina.I heard that he was still trying to find her.“How did you get in?” I asked, stopping.“I knocked, but your mind seemed elsewhere. What is your problem?”“I am worried. I can’t sit still.” I told my brother.He walked toward me and tapped me on the nose.“Don’t worry. It is in the wrap. Nothing bad is going to happen to Noah and your family.”I sighed. &ldquo
Briana POV“Where is Daddy?” Riley asked when he noticed that I was alone fetching them. Disappointment filled my son’s eyes.“Daddy still has something to do at the hotel.” Brixx’s eyes lit up when I mentioned the hotel, and I groaned in my head, having a clue about what was going to happen next. “Can we go see Daddy?” Brixx asked in his puppy-dog look.“I am hungry, mommy,” Riley complained. “I want to eat at Daddy’s restaurant.” I almost laughed at Riley’s ploy. It was like hitting two birds with one stone. He wanted to see his daddy and eat at his favorite restaurant. The revolving restaurant has become the triplets’ favorite eating place. The novelty of eating with the sky and clouds has not worn off yet. “Do you also want to see your daddy?” I asked Mason.Among my children, he speaks less, but he is the most intuitive and gentle. Mason nodded enthusiastically. His eyes lit up when I mentioned this. “Can we, Mommy?” “Of course.” I nodded.The bodyguards helped me st
Briana POVWe went to the revolving restaurant and Riley immediately spotted Linda.“Linda. How have you been? Did my Uncle Rowan call you?” He inquired.Riley never gave up matchmaking the two. He likes Linda to be a part of our family.Linda smiled and shook her head.“I think your uncle likes someone else.” She admitted shyly.Riley frowned. “But he never introduced anyone to us. Are you sure he likes someone else?” Riley insisted.Linda nodded bef
Briana “Briana, be careful. Don’t hurry.” Noah called out when I walked ahead of him and the triplets. “We are running late,” I told him, turning my head to my back so I could see them, but it only made Noah mad. “Don’t look back. Look straight ahead. You might trip yourself or something.” He reminded me.His hands were busy holding the triplets, and he was keeping his steps slow to match theirs. “I am fine. Don’t worry.” I called out to him and laughed.When I turned around, I accidentally collided with someone. “Uhm. Excuse me.” The woman said before she hurriedly walked away. I stopped and followed the woman’s movement with my eyes. I did not catch a glimpse of her face, but her back looked familiar. “Isn’t that Hanna?” I asked my husband when he and the kids caught up to me. Noah turned around to follow the direction my eyes had taken. “It is.” He confirmed before nudging me to move forward. “Didn’t she recognize me?” I asked, baffled.Hanna and I had lost contact for
Britney’s POV“Britney White, you have a visitor.” I was startled when the jail warden called out my name. “For me?” I wanted to confirm. The warden nodded, and a smile curved my lips. Instantly, I got up from bed—a hopeful expression on my face. A smile worked its way through my lips. I knew it. Noah still has a soft spot for me. He cannot let me suffer for long. Anticipation coursed through every pore of my being as I tried to smooth my hair. I don’t have a mirror because mirrors are on the list of restricted items in the Redwood City prison. Still, I can’t just appear in front of Noah shabbily. I also ran my hands to my dress and groaned at the creases. But that will have to do. I waited until the warden unlocked my cell and I got out. While following him out of the mazes of corridors, passing by inmates in their cells, I could not help but imagine how I would react when we finally met face to face. Will Noah hug me? Will he beg me to take him back? I am sure he h
Briana POV“Sweetheart, I am here,” Noah informed me when I answered his call. He fetched the children from school without me. “How are you?” “I am fine.” “No more headaches?” He asked, sounding worried. I shook my head, though Noah wouldn’t see me before I responded to his question. “Just a little.” “Go home and rest.” He advised. I rose from my chair, arranged the papers on my desk in a neat file, and prepared to leave. “I am going home,” I informed him. “Have you seen the triplets?” “Not yet, but they will be here soon.” He said when I heard what sounded like the school bell on his end. Noah and I ended our call. I got out of my office, but before I left, I stopped by Belle’s desk.“Have you seen Marcus today?” Belle shook her head. “He has not reported since Monday.” She told me. I shook my head. My brother has been going on a downward spiral since Martina left him. He always locks himself at home for days. He rarely showed up at the hotel, and it bothers me.
Briana POVI bit my lip, and my nose twitched.I wanted to bitch slap Martina if I saw her again for doing this to my brother.He had become too different from the brother I knew five years ago.It was like life had been sucked out of Marcus.Gone was the confident man I knew, my bulwark when I lost myself after Noah and I parted.“I already signed the divorce papers, Brie.” His tone was dull, suggesting deep sadness.My hands clenched to my sides.
Speechless! This word best describes what I was feeling right now. Do you know that you were amazing readers? Yes, you who stayed with me until this page. When I first started writing this story, I had so many trepidations. I did not think I would be able to pull this through. First, it has a little similarity to my previous novel, Billionaire Ex Wants Me Back, but my editor believed so much in my draft that she encouraged me to consider doing this. (My heartfelt thanks to Lyra Pinter, who had been a constant source of support.)My feeling of uncertainty magnified when I received so many attacks when the story was first published. Too many detractors lashed out at my characters that I had a hard time concentrating.I know what I wanted to do, but the first people who were vocal about the story did not give me enough encouragement. They did not give my characters a chance to redeem themselves as the story progresses. Fear grips me everytime I face the blank screen of my computer
Briana’s POVThe soul always knows how to heal itself. I had often heard that phrase before but it was never more gratingly obvious til now. After I volunteered to be Charles and Jenna’s surrogate, I had not counted on the pain the act would invariably inflict on me. At the start, it was all too easy. For 40 weeks, I would be carrying their baby in my womb, and that was it. Jenna and Charles will have that baby they desperately wanted. Of course, Noah and I submitted to counseling before I did this, but I never expected that when the time came that I had to turn over baby Amira to her parents, it would hit me so hard. I had not counted on how my self-sacrifice would backfire on me. It hurts so much. I was so heartbroken when I realized that Amira would no longer be a part of my life. Noah took me to several sessions of counseling, and with his support, I was able to get past the hurt and accept that Amira was not mine.The rest of the family helped. My brothers hovered over me
Hello my loves, Jenna and Charles’ story was one of the most painful stories I had written so far. It was because I had to dig up long-forgotten events in my life.But I had to do it for you to be able to understand the motives behind Jenna and Charles’ actions and the pain they invariably inflicted on each other. Jenna and Charles were both non confrontational. They keep things in stride and hope for the best, but sometimes even with the best intentions, our pain could not lay hidden for too long. It needed to be addressed and voiced out, not because you wanted to lash out at your partner or give them the same pain they were giving you.Sometimes, our silence is our cry for help. Or it was a way to protect ourselves. We retreated into the inner recesses of our soul to find solace and comfort because the people we expected to comfort and provide solace for us could not hear our cry for help.But all’s well that ends well. Am glad for those people who had requested me to do a story
Charles POVOne year later…I was standing behind the french windows of the room I was occupying at the Rosewood Hotel, eyes looking outside toward my wife.This past year was a crazy one.Just as Briana predicted, Jenna and I barely had time for ourselves. The kids were growing, and they were beautiful to watch.Jenna’s laugh made its way to where I was.As I watched Jenna play with our children, I could not help comparing her to a rose in bloom.I could not help feeling proud of the changes in her.&nb
Charles POVWe placed our babies in a customized baby carrier that could fit the four of them, and Jenna and I walked out of the suite that had been our temporary home for the past month.At the lobby, we looked like we were on a parade with our nannies in tow and bodyguards, but that’s a small price to pay for the security and safety of my family.“Jenna! Charles!” Beth called out to us.We stopped when we neared her.“Where are your kids?” I asked after she and Jenna hugged each other.I learned this past month that Beth chose to be a stay-at-home m
Charles POVThe next day, our other two babies were born one after the other.Jenna and I were also there to witness everything and become part of our children’s birth.Jenna’s eyes were puffy when she held our two other newborns in her arms. She had been crying nonstop since yesterday because it still had not sunk in that she was a mom of four babies.When we visited Briana, she and Jenna had a long talk.Briana was smiling, but I could see that she was at a loss when it was time to take the baby away from her.I realized that this ordeal put a lot of strain on
Charles POVThe phone in the delivery room rang, and a nurse went to answer it.“Dr. Martin, it’s delivery room 2.” She said from across the room, allowing us to hear.Dr. Martin went to answer it. Her face was serious when she placed the phone back in its cradle.Then, she turned her head back to her medical team.“Are you still up for another delivery?” She asked her team.Their high spirits rubbed off on Jenna and me. We were smiling when they shouted, of course.
Charles POVIt was a crazy day.We were having a meeting when I heard that Briana had been rushed to the hospital.“Brie is having our baby,” I told my brothers and friend after I dropped the call.It was Jenna. She, Noah, and Biana were already in the hospital because Briana's water broke.My face contorted as emotions I could not name assailed.A mix of fear, excitement, nervousness, worry, and happiness barraged me.Briana, my baby sister, was going to deliver my and Jenna's baby right now. 
Jenna POVThe days quickly passed by.Though we did not talk about it, it seemed as if Charles and I were in tacit agreement to take things slow concerning our careers and concentrate more on each other.We go out of town and do things we had never done before as a couple.It was marvelous.“It’s good that you spend more time with each other because I tell you, once the four babies arrive, you won’t get even a wink of sleep,” Briana told me when I came to her house that afternoon to catch up and to check on her.It’s the baby’s