Briana POV
I darted away as fast as I could.
Noah called out to me.
I could hear the creaking sound of his shoes as they met the floor and pressed my feet to hasten my walk.
Curious heads turned my way, but that did not stop me.
Briana POVI left Noah in the middle of the lobby with his mouth hanging open and felt great satisfaction at my handiwork.It was not always that I got to leave him stupefied in an argument, and it gave me immense pleasure to know that today, I did just that. I left Noah Hunter speechless!I believe I deserve a mental pat on the back.There was a skip to my step when I walked out of the building and into my brother’s waiting black SUV.When I opened the door, three tornadoes slipped past me to jump out of the car. They were wily that my attempt to pull them back was futile.I watched in amazement as they ran inside the building, shouting at the top of their lungs
Briana POV“I have a fully functioning brain, Briana. You know that I can always pay someone to check their birth certificates for me.” Noah warned.The seriousness in his voice was unmistakable. My heart started to throb as fear coursed through my spine.I tamped it down and started downplaying Noah’s suspicion."You'll find nothing. My children are Fords." I told him in false bravado.Noah's look was probing. But his hold on me slackened.I took that as my cue to leave. I turned around and walked out of the building to my brother's waiting car.I tried to walk as normally as I possibly could. Despite my efforts, my knees were wobbly.I can’t seem to get Noah’s threat out of my head.I worry about wha
Noah POVI watched Briana leave with suspicion and could not shake off the apprehension I saw on her face.I have a strong feeling that Briana was not telling me the truth.When the black SUV left, I picked up my phone from my pocket to call Brent.“I have another task for you.” I opened it when Brent picked it up.“Fire away.”“Check the records of Briana’s children. They’re triplets. Briana said they are Ford’s, but I have a strong feeling they are mine.”There was silence on the other end.“What made you say they were yours?” Brent countered.I hesitated, and Brent picked up my silence wrongly.“As your friend, I am giving you a word of caution. Don’t look
Noah POVWhen Langley left, I slowly massaged my temples. Then, I closed my eyes, fingers tapping the smooth surface of my desk.My head ached, thinking the man I trusted did not deserve my trust.My laptop sounded like a notification for a new email. And when I checked the sender, it was Langley. I opened the file with shaking hands and started reading its contents.When I finished, my chest felt stuffy. Here is the proof of my uncle’s duplicity.I remember five years ago, he pushed me to take a leave of absence from the company to concentrate on myself.“You need to heal from the loss of your parents, from what happened to your marriage, and to get your strength back. Don’t worry about the company, I will manage it for you.”I snickered in my head because I took his words and trusted him.Talk about misplaced trust.I called Brent."We have the evidence," I told him and forwarded him the email Langley sent me.For a while, we discussed what to do.“We need to take caution. Un
Noah POVBlearily, I looked at the house across the street with longing.It was dawn when cars pulled up in the house’s driveway, causing me to straighten my back to watch with a hawk-like gaze. The doors of the cars simultaneously opened to give way to its passengers. My eyes widened when I recognized the similarities in their faces. The Ford brothers are here. Their arms were loaded with parcels and shopping bags. A smile broke out of my face. I would hazard a guess that they were for the triplets.A gladness filled my heart knowing these men doted on my children even when they were not blood-related. "You should have brought a cart. Here, let me help." A curly-haired woman said to a Ford brother.The shopping bags transferred hands, and they marched up to the house.When they disappeared, I heard a noise, much like a holler."Riley, Mason, Brixx! Dada is here!"The others shushed him while the lights came on. The house previously shrouded in darkness had been filled with li
Briana POVI woke up to the sounds of loud voices and instantly got alarmed.It must be the new home. My ears perked up when I recognized the familiar voice of my brother calling out to my children.I groaned and looked at the triplets, thankful the ruckus did not wake them.Well, that was premature thinking. As the saying goes, you can not count your chicken until it is hatch.In my case, I shouldn't be too confident because right after I got out of bed, I noticed my triplets' eyes fluttering open at the slightest movement from me.At first, they looked disoriented. Then, their little ears picked up the voices, and a grin slowly curved on their cute little faces.“Dada!” Mason squealed in delight.He flew off the bed and ran out of my room with his two brothers in pursuit.When Mason reached the last step, he launched into Rowan’s waiting arms.“I miss you, kiddo!” Rowan hugged Mason to himself while Mason muttered.“I miss you, too, Dada!” The other two launched themselves in my
Noah POVI was dreaming about Briana when my phone started buzzing, rousing me from sleep.Frustrated, I grabbed the phone without looking at the caller ID to bark. “What?”“Noah?”I sighed. “Yes. Uncle Matt?” I replied using my normal tone of voice.Uncle Matt cleared his throat. “Are you coming to the Rosewood Hotel’s grand launch?” He asked.There was a pregnant silence, and my insides curdled at what Uncle Matt had to say. I remember this same scene five years ago. He called me to ask if I was about to leave the office for my third wedding anniversary.“Yes.” I finally replied.“Okay. See you there.” He told me and hung up the phone.I stared at my blank screen for seconds longer before I clambered off the bed and padded my way to the ensuite bathroom.With water spraying over my head and face from the shower nozzle, I pushed Uncle Matt’s call aside and concentrated on my dream.At the possibility of seeing Braina again, a smile formed on my face. Maybe I can coax her to talk t
Noah POV Briana is avoiding me. It was so very obvious. Every time we crossed paths at the party, she would eventually turn the other way or pretend to pick up a call or a message. “Good afternoon, Mr. Hunter. May I get you a drink?” I pulled my eyes out of following Briana and shifted it to Marcus Ford, who was eyeing me with venom in his eyes. “No. Thanks. I am fine.” I told him, wanting to maintain a clear head, when I finally cornered Briana, but she was elusive. I craned my neck because she already left the last couple I saw her joined from afar, wanting to know where she would go next. “Are you looking for something, Mr. Hunter, or someone?” This time, I hear a warning in Marcus Ford’s voice. I pulled myself to my full height, not wanting to be cowered. He is a Ford, but I am a Hunter. I make things happen. “I am looking for my … .” My voice trailed off when I caught myself. I was about to blurt it out to her husband’s face that Briana is my wife. I cleared my throat a
Flint POV“I am not talking to you, Flint. You embarrassed me in front of Linda, and that was unforgivable.”I winced, feeling guilty.In my eagerness to defend my family, I had forgotten that Briana was never an enemy.She was my sister.“I am sorry.”“I am just looking out for you. Haven’t you forgotten how hard women tried to trap you into marriage, not because they loved you but because they loved what you represented?” She lashed out at me.I chuckled. &ldqu
Anna/Linda POV“Hey, sis! ” Flint walked toward his sister with a wriggling Penelope in his arms.When he reached her, he stooped to kiss her cheeks.Penelope saw what he did and did the same. She kissed Briana’s cheek.Briana was left stunned, especially when Penelope showed her natural cuteness.She bounced in Flint’s arms, raising her hands to clap."Yay! Kwin ver gud!" Penelope said in a stilted manner.On the other hand, Flint looked like he was ready to burst into pride. He puffed
Anna/Linda POVWe spent three days secluded in the exclusive villa Flint rented for us. It was nothing short of idyllic. Penelope had a wonderful time. “Dad-dy!” She squealed and jumped on her little feet to evade the coming waves. “Bubbles!” She would cry in gibberish, pointing at the sea foam that crowded her feet and ankles. Then she would run to Flint, and Flint would swoop down to capture her and put her to dry sand. Then, she would stroll toward the waves again, repeating the same actions until Flint rescues her.“You are silent,” Flint said when he deposited Penelope beside me. I was sitting on the sand with my legs stretched out in front of me. He quickly worked on the sand, digging with his hands and throwing them to cover my legs. It attracted Penelope, and she mimicked her father. She took clumps of sand in her hands and threw them to my legs. “You need a spade, my little Queen,” Flint said.He looked around our surroundings before his eyes focused on something no
Flint POVAfter dinner, I was excited to put Penelope to sleep, but to my chagrin, she wouldn’t sleep however hard I coaxed her.She was too busy playing with the rose petals. She kept stepping on them while she walked around our rented villa.“Maybe she loved the downy feel of the rose petals on her soles.” Anna offered a likely explanation for our daughter’s seeming propensity for the flowers.She even pulled her shoes off before she jumped, skipped, and kicked on the petals covering the floor.I dropped my head playfully in response, but inside, I was dying for Penelope to lay her head on the bed so t
Flint POVI saw a myriad of emotions playing on Anna’s face and it made me want to crush her to my chest to offer assurance. I am a Ford.I have everything, but when it comes to Anna, I felt lacking as a man. Of course, it was different with our daughter.Would it be selfish of me if I wanted to be the only man for her, not just the father of her daughter? I wanted to be the best man for them both. “One day, I will make you fall in love with me,” I told her and saw her taken aback. I wanted to add that I will erase every feeling she has for my brother.I will be the only man she would need. The wedding ended. “Congratulations.” The priest held out his hand to send us his best wishes. He even patted Penelope’s head, making her giggle. “You have a lovely daughter.” He told us.Anna and I exchanged a look. She smiled, feeling proud of our daughter. I was, too. We did not linger. Our group left the church and ended up in the parking lot, where we went in separate directions.
Anna/Linda POVIt was not a grand wedding.The only attendees to our wedding were Flint, Penelope, and me.A man I did not know rose from the back pew to approach us."Goldstone!" Flint said in greeting when the man neared us.They shook hands while my eyes surveyed the church.A red carpet was laid in the center aisle decked with flowers. The church was prepped for a simple and solemn wedding."This is Anna, my soon-to-be wife. My Queen, I want you to meet Goldstone, our family's magician. He solv
Anna/Linda POVThe whole ride to Flint’s home, Penelope clung to her father.It was not a problem since Flint did not want to let her go either. He would point out the other cars outside the window, and Penelope would watch them race past us. Sometimes, he would make faces at her, and she would try to mimic them.They also played peek-a-boo. From time to time, Flint would cover his face with his palm, and Penelope would pull up or down the hand that blocked his face from her sight. And when she exposed his face, Flint would cry.“Peek-a-boo!” “Boo!” Penelope would shout before she broke into giggles. From time to time, the father-daughter tandem would include me in their play. When Flint noticed I was looking outside the window, he would pull me close to him and our daughter. One time, he wrapped an arm around my waist while his other hand supported Penelope, who bounced on his lap, enjoying the ride. It was a rare treat for Penelope.What makes this moment even more special
Anna/Linda POVWhile Penelope napped, I worked on securing our important stuff - documents, passports, etc. and put them in my tote bag.Then, I took out our suitcases and began packing.Penelope and I didn't have much.This apartment came in fully furnished when we moved in.The only problem I have is how to pack Penelope's favorite toys. I can't leave them here because my baby will look out for them later.An hour later, I heard a knock on the door.I peered into the hole to see it was Flint and was surprise
Anna/Linda POVAfter Flint left, I transferred Penelope to our room. Her head turned around as if she was looking for something or someone. She only spent a few hours with her father, but she has adjusted so well. I think Penelope would be a daddy’s girl. I saw their bond earlier and marveled at how easily Flint got my daughter’s heart. He got you that first night, says the little voice in my head, so there’s really no wonder that Penelope would be attached to her father this early. An apple doesn't fall far from the tree. When she got bored with her toys, she started fussing. She was rubbing her eyes, a sign that she was impatient. It did not help that she was calling for her daddy. “Dad-dy! Dad-dy!” Penelope walked toward the door. She struggled when I grabbed her and placed her back on the floor at the foot of the bed. “Dad-dy!”She was openly crying now. I bent to the waist to carry her. “Shhh, baby. Don’t cry. Daddy will be back.” I swayed her from side to side to get h