Hanna POV
When I saw the expression on his face, a part of me felt remorse.
I have gone overboard and lashed out without considering that Rowan had feelings, too.
I realized belatedly that I hurt him.
But what am I to do?
I was a ticking time bomb, ready to explode.
My frustration over our setup is like a monster rearing its ugly head, demolishing everything around it.
It was like I was on a warpath. In my imprudence, I ostensibly damaged those who blocked my way.
Hanna POVThe next few days, I was in a state of despondency.Our argument echoes around my head, making me cringe everytime I remember it.I picked up my phone absent-mindedly, and when the black screen of the monitor greeted me, I swiped it to my contacts, looking for a particular number.So many times in a day, I tried to call him.As usual, pride would intervene.I have checked my inbox countless times, only to be disappointed when I find nothing from him.No calls, no messages. Nothing.&nbs
Hanna POVI watched Jeff’s reaction.He did not seem surprised at all by what I revealed, which hinted at something.“You knew? Is that why you were checking up on me?” I asked in a high-pitched voice.It was a good thing Jeff rented a private room for us. We didn’t have to talk in a hush to avoid being heard by other patrons.Jeff looked like he swallowed a lemon. He tried to sidestep my question and veered our topic to something else, but I refused to be swayed. He already piqued my interest.“Jeff, don’t try to avoid the topic. Answer me, please?”My plea must have gotten to him.He looked ill at ease, but then, after a while, he nodded slowly.“I am sorry.” He told me.“I don’t want to embarrass you. I don’t want to look like I was prying, either. But I
Hanna POVWhen I returned to the private room, Jeff stood.“I thought I needed to launch a search for you.” He joked, but his sharp eyes swept over my face, and the unexpected scrutiny embarrassed me.I just had a bawling spree inside the women’s room, but of course, I don’t want to let him know.That would be too shameful.Jeff and I were not that close. I could count on my fingers the times we interacted at the office.I eyed him warily, suddenly feeling suspicious.“Why are you
Rowan POVThey say that if you love someone, you have to set them free.I set her free, but every day is torture.So many times in the past few weeks, I wanted to call her. I kept staring at her number on my contact list, hesitating, unable to press the call button because her words kept ringing in my ear.She told me to back off.I did, but not without Herculean effort.Even when she packed her bags and left my place, my hands itched to call her.My men were waiting for my orders, but I refrained
Rowan POVWithout thinking, I called my assistant.“Can you get me a chartered flight to Vegas? Need it ASAP.”I dropped the call right after and proceeded inside the house to prepare.“Are you going to see her now?” Marcus’s question stopped me in my tracks.In truth, I had forgotten about him because my mind was several hundred miles away.I looked back, surprised.“I thought you left.”Mar
Rowan POVIn the end, I realized what Marcus said made sense.I can not claim Hanna fully until Linda’s case is closed.I can’t have her doubt my words when I finally claim her for myself.With that thought, I grabbed my phone.“Aren’t you doing anything except to harass me?” I rudely asked Marcus when he laid his back on my bed, looking like he had no intention of leaving my room.“Go on. Just call whoever you wish to call. I am not going to bother you. I will just lie here.” He told me, acting nonchalant.
Rowan POV“What do you mean she is gone? Where could she have been? I thought you were watching her day in and day out!” I barked on the phone, frustratedly brushing an errant strand of hair that fell to my face.My glasses had gone askew, but I had forgotten about them.My mind was too focused on what Rico, my head bodyguard, was telling me.I righted the glasses, but they almost broke at the force of my hold.“I don’t know what happened, sir. She called in sick yesterday, and now, I received word from her office that she resigned at Hunters.”
Rowan POVIt had been two months, one week, and three days since Hanna resigned from Hunter Hotel Vegas. Since then, even if I turned Vegas and all the neighboring states over, I can’t find any trace of her. It was like Hanna had disappeared on the face of the earth. The airport and docks manifesto revealed nothing about her, so my conclusion was she fled Vegas by car. “You are all useless!” I cried to Rico after he reported that their efforts to find Hanna had all been fruitless.Then, I threw the empty bottle of whisky to him. Unfortunately, since I already saw double, it did not hit him.Rico, for his part, did not dodge the bottle. I watched in frustration as the bottle landed on the floor with a loud crack and glass shards splashed out in different directions. I grabbed another bottle to hurl it on the floor, but Briana’s voice stopped me. “Rowan, what are you doing?” In my blurry vision, I could see her looking horrified, standing just outside the door to my house. I gri
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