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.
Briana POVI walked as fast as I could to seek refuge at the hotel's restroom.Noah has changed.On the three occasions he and I interacted, I saw changes that made me pause to think because it did not add up.Where was the angry Noah who accused me five years ago of killing his parents?I splashed cold water on my face to jolt me back to my senses."It was an act, rig
Briana POV“Well, well, well. If this isn’t the cheater.” Britney White snickered when she noted the surprised expression on my face.I decided not to play her games and ignored her. I was about to step out when Britney blocked my path.“We are not done talking yet, b*tch!” She hissed in my face.Accidentally, I sucked in the air, and her stale breath clung to my nostrils. I almost gagged.“Have you been drinking?” I asked out of concern.“Don’t try to play the kind hostess fiancée stealer.” She spat out.Her face contorted in anger.
Briana POVAt the sight of Noah, Britney becomes hysterical.“Noah. Your ex hurt me. She twisted my hand.” She cried and clung to him.I rolled my eyes at them.Noah brushed her off, and I smirked because her face contorted.The tears brimming her eyes had been sucked back up by her tear glands.Then, I shifted my gaze at Noah, challenging him to defend her from me.Our gazes met, and I arched my brows.Britney tried to steal his attention by wailing so loudly. It was so ear-piercing that I finally had enough.I decided I didn’t want to be involved in their drama. Noah and I were done.I shrugged and smirked, daring him to believe her, and then I turned around to let myself out, but at this time, my brothers came barreling through the door.They looked at Britney’s face, Noah’s, and then me.“Did she hurt you?” Charles, my eldest brother, as
Briana POVI was so nervous.Every time the office phone rings to announce a visitor, my heart skips a beat.I tried to busy myself with reviewing proposals lined up on my desk, but I could not concentrate. With each tick-tock sound of the clock, my expectations mounted.After an hour of trying to get work done, I stopped pretending and called Martina.“Have any other visitors been waiting for me?” I asked.She answered in the negative, and I put the headset back on its cradle with so much disappointment.To keep myself busy, I called on the children. When I left the penthouse this morning, they were still sleeping.School opening is in a week, so I let them sleep longer hours as long as they wanted. They are in preschool. Next year, they will start formal schooling.“Mommy, you did not kiss me goodbye.” It was Mason, my sweetest boy.I smiled. “Of course I did. It’s just that you were so sound asleep that you did not feel it.” I told him.“Next time, wake me up.” He told me, still
Briana POVI went to my desk to pull out three large books and handed them to Noah.Without a word, he accepted them.I watched while he opened the book at the top and was silent, seemingly engrossed with its contents.“It’s the children’s baby book. From birth up to their birthday last year.” I informed him.He nodded absent-mindedly. His eyes never left the page as he scanned it.It seemed like he was lost in what he was seeing and had forgotten about me, but I didn’t mind.It gave me a sense of satisfaction watching Noah as he let his eyes roam around the pages. Sometimes, he would caress a page w
Noah POV“She has moved on,” I told Brent. We were back at the Blue Canyon, A VIP membership club overlooking the sea, and I was getting liberal with the booze. “What do you expect? She is married. Marcus Ford is a good man for taking responsibility for your children and raising them as his own. Briana would be a fool to let a man like him go.” I sighed. Between us, Marcus Ford is a better man, but I can’t shake this resolve that if only Briana would give me a chance, I would show her that I could be the best man for her and the triplets. Brent tapped my shoulder. “Give it a rest, dude. At least, be thankful that she is willing to introduce you to the children.” That sobered me up. I remembered Briana would be introducing the children to me tomorrow. It was supposed to be today, but she told me something came up, and she has an emergency meeting. I had no choice but to leave hurriedly then. After meeting with Brent, I drove straight home. When I left the car, I took out the
Noah POV“She is your fiancée. She had every right to escort you wherever you go. Besides, she’s well-known. What you did embarrassed her. The press had a field day. Fortunately, I intervened on her behalf and nipped a huge scandal in the bud.”I smirked to myself, but to Uncle Matt, I said dispassionately.“That was unnecessary. You could have let Britney be. She brought it upon herself. Let her suffer the consequences of her actions.”I have coddled Britney a lot of times in the past. Now, she is on her own.
Noah POVI parked my car outside the Ford’s mansion and took deep breaths.Then, I pulled the overhead mirror and checked my face.I rolled the windows down, breathed fresh air to calm my nerves, and waited for any activity inside the house. I do not want to come out as overly excited when in truth, I was.I kept rubbing my palms in anticipation when I heard the sounds of children.My heart skipped a bit. Checking the time, I heaved a sigh.I opened the driver’s door to get out.From the backseat, I pulled out several bags and walked to the house in front of me.I rang the bell, and instead of a maid, Marcus Ford greeted me.“Good morning!”He opened the door wider to let me pass. From the entrance, I could hear the boys. It looks like they were playing.“Forgive the chaos, but my other brothers are here as well.”I nodded and took a deep breath.Instead of one adult male and Briana, I have to meet Marcus Ford’s brothers, too.“Thank you for allowing me to get to know my children.
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
Jenna POVI turned my head sharply in Beth’s direction to find her busy talking with Brent.They were whispering, and from the blush that tinted her cheeks, I was sure the talk was naughty.“Don’t you want me to be here?” The uncertainty in Charles’ voice got to me.“Of course not!” I denied it, but I could feel my face growing warm because Charles’ eyes were riveted on my packages.I was sure that by just looking at the logo outside the bags, he would know what Beth and I were up to.My guess was not far from the t
Jenna POVWe arrived at our new home much later than expected because I requested the cab driver to drop us off at the nearest florist.After purchasing the flowers I needed, I dragged Beth to the supermarket to buy some scented candles and stuff.“Are you going to sed*ce your husband?” Beth looked confused.I lifted my head from browsing through the label of a scented oil I wanted to purchase to look at her.“What?” I asked since I did not hear her.“If you plan to tempt your husband, you don’t need this.” She told me, looking exasp
Jenna POVAfter Charles left the hospital, I urged Beth to trace our way back inside.We passed the lobby, and I felt weirded out by the looks everyone was giving me. It caused a frown to form on my head. Beth must have noticed my reaction. “Don’t mind them. They just heard about what Gwen did. They all feel sorry for you.” She explained, brushing off the stares I was getting. She even covered her mouth with her hand to stifle a sarcastic laugh. I was surprised not only by the information she shared but also by her reaction. “How?” “Police came here to arrest her. It kind of got messy because Gwen resisted the arrest even when they showed her the warrant. She even tried to run away as if she could escape them. What a d*mmy!” Beth scoffed. It used to confuse me when Beth acted unfriendly toward Gwen. Beth is warm-hearted and is often on good terms with our co-workers, except with Gwen. Now, I know. At first, I did not understand her. Beth admitted that she did not understan
Charles POVAt Jenna’s insistence, I reluctantly left the hospital to go to the office. When I arrived at my office, I was dragging my feet. Whereas before, work had been the boon of my existence.I realized recently that all work and no play made me a very dull person. That’s why it puzzled me why Jenna loved me regardless. “You don’t look too happy reporting for work,” Rowan commented after dragging my feet to my office and finding him, Marcus, and Flint sitting around my conference table. “What are you doing here?” I asked, frowning. “Don’t you have better things to do than loitering around my office?” I asked them when they did not answer my question. My three brothers shrugged their shoulders and simultaneously picked up their coffee mugs to take a sip. My eyes squinted. My brother looked too relaxed for my peace of mind. My eyes narrowed into slits as I pierced them with a glare. Flint immediately rose from his seat to pour my coffee mug and offered it to me. I accepte
Charles POV“Good morning, sir.” The bodyguards posted outside the suite of our surrogates greeted us.“How is everyone?” I asked, stopping to talk to them.Jenna and Beth were still busy in their own world, talking and catching up.Jenna listened in rapt attention as Beth told her about the hardships of first-trimester pregnancy.A smile never left her face, but in my heart, I would always regret that what happened to Jenna denied her the chance to experience pregnancy and motherhood.Still, her talk about forgiveness hit me hard.
Jenna POV“Are you alright?” I asked Charles after some time.He had been staring off into space for a while now. His tears had subsided, but he still looked disconnected from the rest of the world.I realized that Charles needed that. Breaking down is not a sign of weakness, even for a man.I always think it was a release from the pain that bonds us.I stared ahead, in front of the windshield, waiting.Then, I felt Charles’s hand reach out to mine. He squeezed my hand, and I squeezed back, telling him without words that I was there and understood what he w
Jenna POV“Are you here to gloat? Are you here to rub it in my face that you won? That despite your inability to bear him a child, Charles still chose you? You are so naive and inutile.” Gwen lashed out bitterly, head shaking in uncontrollable anger.The extent of her hate was something I could not fathom.“Why do you hate me so much, Gwen?” I asked, clearly not understanding the extreme feeling she displayed toward me.I trusted her.I thought she was a good friend and colleague.It turned out she was a snake out to ruin my marriage and my chan