Briana POV
I 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
Noah POV“Are you alright?” Briana asked.My eyes fluttered open, and the first thing I saw was her hovering above me.Briana.My head says her name, and I felt a growing sense of satisfaction that she had stayed behind for me.“I thought you left with them,” I said, unable to conceal my happiness. Briana still has this soft spot for me. I can feel it every time we are near each other.The attraction was still there, but more than that, I realized Briana had always been kind to me, even when I was rude to her when she was younger.I never liked her before, even when she had not done me wrong.
Beth POVWe both became silent. The tears were all spent, and Brent sat me on his lap while he wrapped his arm around my waist. Fortunately, Krizzie and her friends had not shown up yet to break the exclusivity of our surroundings. “I love you, Beth.” Brent kept saying in my ears while he showered my nape and shoulder blades with butterfly kisses. I gripped his hand that met on my waist and slowly turned myself around. “I love you.” This time, the words sounded so sure, without any reservations. And it felt liberating - to tell him my feelings without fear restricting me.Brent smiled. “Enough to marry me?” His body tensed while he waited for my reply.His body’s reaction gave me the sense of urgency to put him out of his misery. I kissed him, just a smack before I nodded my head. I smiled at his stunned look. I did not know whether it was from the shock of what I had done or from my answer to his question.“I am going to marry you, Brent,” I told him, smiling widely at the
Brent POVI realized Beth and I needed to cry for our lost love to be able to move forward and continue with our story. So we both cried to vent out the pain. Our cries subsided, and we both felt spent. I pulled back to wipe Beth’s tears before wiping mine. I swallowed when I saw her pink cheeks and nose. “The night I left you.” I started. Beth looked intently at me. “After I told you about being pregnant with Krizzie.” She interjected, and I swallowed in remembrance. “I told you I was on a mission and had an accident. I was in a hospital for a while.” I grabbed Beth’s hand to press it over my chest so she could feel the beat of my heart. We talked about what happened to me right after walking out of her that night, but not the full details. I never told her all the hardships I endured to survive that fatal shot. “I thought I was going to die and would never see you again. When I woke up from my surgery, the first thing I did was to make myself better, submitting to coun
Brent POVIt was taking her a long time to respond.Dread fills my heart as I watch the emotions on her face. It was not what I was expecting.She was torn.I could see it on her face.My confidence failed me that moment when I saw tears drop from her eyes to run down her smooth cheeks.It shook me to realize that while she was willing to let us try again, I was making this hard for her.She was not ready to fully commit to me.My chest heaved,
Beth POV“We did not have anything when we were younger, Beth,” Brent said ruefully.His words reminded me of how we scraped for money after we married young. “I wasn’t able to give you anything.”Brent continued to explain, and I could feel his deep sadness over it. It was like he regretted that we did not have much, and he could not afford to give me anything beyond the basic necessities. But I clearly remembered that those were the happy times of our lives. I never asked for anything Brent could not provide. “When I already amassed wealth, we were divorced and you have too much pride to receive anything from me.”“Because that is the right thing to do. We don’t have anything connecting us except Krizzie. I was no longer your wife to warrant accepting your generosity. But I never denied you the opportunity to give Krizzie whatever your heart desires, even if you did not want her in the first place.” I saw him wince and was eager to take back the words, but I already said them
Beth POVI woke up to the sound of children’s giggles and realized I was already lying in something soft, a bed, maybe? Frowning, I sat upright, my eyes scanning the room I was in.I was in bed alright but it looked too elegant to be my room. I could only hazard a guess that I was in a hotel. “Mommy! You are awake!” I heard Krizzie’s voice and was relieved when I saw her. She was hiding her body at the back of the door. “Who are you with? Where is your father?” I asked. Krizzie pouted. “He had someone on the phone. He was just outside. He said he did not want to wake you up.” I nodded and beckoned for my daughter to come to me. She turned to her back and gestured for someone. When she approached my bed, the Hunter siblings followed her. “Daddy said we have to watch over you,” Krizzie reported and giggled. “But how can I guard you against Daddy?” The innocent question had me frowning. “Why? What did Daddy do?” I asked curiously. He kept kissing your lips, your eyes, and
Brent POV“Brent!”From somewhere, I heard Beth’s shaky voice, and not long after, I felt her arms wrapping around me from the back.The fight went out of me when I felt her trembling arms surrounding me.My hands released their hold on Dr. Roberts to grasp Beth’s hands with mine.“Beth,” I uttered her name, feeling an uncontrollable fear engulf me.Immediately, the fight went out of me, especially when I heard her choking sobs.Beth's tears made me weak. 
Brent POVI was trying so hard to control myself because I knew that if I let myself go, I would mince this man to a pulp.“How dare you accuse my wife of cheating when it was you who was guilty of the crime?”The audacity of the man stumped me. How could Beth agree to date someone like him was beyond me?“Well, she was lying to us both. She was stringing you along while she dated me. What does that make of her?” Dr. Roberts said with enough conviction.It was clear what he was doing.He wanted to sow distrust between Beth and me. He wanted us t
Beth POVI looked at the time and realized I had skipped lunch. My patient had a very demanding visitor. I could not leave my station because she rang the emergency bell all the time. She was gone now, and I heaved a sigh of relief.“Beth, someone’s calling you while you were attending to a patient.” My co-worker informed me when I got back from my rounds. I glanced at my phone and saw that it was Brent who called. I was about to type back a reply when Dr. Roberts called my name. “Beth, may I have a word?” My body stiffened silently, rejecting the request.I do not want to talk to Jeremy because he lied to me. I thought he was a friend, but clearly omitting that he was married while he was dating me was a big no-no for me. It was my non-negotiable. “What do you want?” I did not intend for my words to come out sharp, but what happened last night was still fresh in my mind. I trusted him, and he was one of the reputable doctors in the hospital, so it was hard to imagine him doi
Brent POVAfter ensuring Beth’s bodyguards were in place, I drove home with Krizzie.“Daddy, are you going to leave me with the triplets while you go to work?” she asked.We were seated on the bed. Krizzie was sitting in my lap while I held her long hair in one hand to tie it with a pink ribbon that she loves so much.“Yeah. It’s just for an hour or two. Aunt Briana will look after the five of you.”“Yey! Are we going to stay at the hotel?”She asked, eyes lighting up because she often visited Rosewood Hotel t