Noah POV
I dropped the call and called my assistant immediately.
“Chris, call an emergency meeting with the PR team. Britney has gone to the internet to target Briana. Act fast and call off all those negative reports. Pay everyone and take everything down. If you need to file a case, file a case. And don’t let Britney leave the country. File for a restraining order and hold off all her travels abroad.”
“Yes, boss. I will do it.”
When Chris hung up, I called Brent.
Noah POVMorning came in too early for me. I was yawning as I hurriedly went to the house across the street.In my arms, I was holding a bag of groceries I would be needing to cook.There are too many things to do at the office, but I wanted to cook breakfast for my kids. Besides, I remember Briana was expecting me. I want to let her know I meant it when I said I wanted to be part of their lives.The maid opened the door for me and let me walk to the kitchen. I got busy immediately.Seven in the morning, I heard the stampeding sounds of footsteps and knew my kids were awake. A grin broke on my lips when they ran to the kitchen and exclaimed in their happy voices.“Good morning, Daddy! You are here!” Mason was the one who commented.I got down on my haunches to hug them to my chest. They all smelled like talcum powder.I noticed they also wear matching pajamas. It has a large print that says Dragon Striker.They climbed the high stool and watched me prepare their breakfast.“You
Noah POV“What is this?” Britney was trying hard to control her anger.Her fists gripped the paper in her hands. Her jaw clenched in indignation.I already knew what it was about, and I came in prepared.“That is my retaliation for what you did last night,” I told her smugly, holding her wrist and throwing it off my face.She staggered backward
Briana POVAfter Noah left, I prepared to get on the bed, but someone knocked softly on my door.I opened it and saw Marcus.“You need anything?” I asked my brother.“We need to talk.”The confusion caused a crease to form on my forehead.
Briana POVI shook my head, still unwilling to capitulate.This is about my children and me. When kids are thrown into the mix, everything becomes complicated. “Marcus, the children are too young to understand things like mergers. They had only known their father recently. I don’t think it’s the right time to introduce another man into their lives. It would confuse them.” I tried to be honest and hoped my brother would see it my way.“Their father may or may not be a permanent fixture in their lives. Noah can leave anytime. He has a fiancée. The children need permanence. They need a constant presence in their lives." Marcus shut me up.Noah said he wanted the kids. But what if he and Britney had their own family? Would he cast my children off?"Briana, you also have to think about yourself. You are not getting any younger. You need a man by your side. Luke Bennett is the right man for you." Marcus tried to convince me.But I don't see any reason to rush things.“And how sure a
BrianaI had a fretful sleep.Britney’s interview kept popping up in my head, as well as my brother’s verdict. But more than that, my kids and Noah’s faces alternated in my reverie.My children are too young to understand the complexities of adults. I woke up early. I got out of bed carefully so as not to wake the kids up.Riley was sleeping on his stomach. His arms were flung on the side of his brother, Brixx. They were hugging each other.Mason, on the other hand, has his arms around me. I carefully took his hand off me, placed a pillow on the space I vacated, and tiptoed to the bathroom.I did my morning thing and took a shower. I got ready for the breakfast meeting Marcus set up with Luke Bennett. It has been prearranged, he told me. And while I rebelled at the idea, I can’t let my brother down.Marcus meant well. He only wanted to steer me off Britney’s accusations. While I was preparing, I took my phone and surfed the net. And to my surprise, Britney’s allegations had been tor
I had to blink twice for his words to register.“You are giving me a choice?” I asked dubiously. I thought this whole thing was previously arranged. I can do nothing to contest it.He smiled. “Of course. Life is always a choice.”That made me pause and think.Indeed, people are free to choose, but sadly, our choices are often f*cked up.“But I thought this was already a done deal?” I asked in surprise and told him about what Marcus told me the night before.“So, that explains why you looked like you were going to the guillotine!” He smacked his forehead and laughed so hard.That had me sitting straight in my chair. I folded my arms and placed it on the table, mimicking his earlier actions.“Do you think that would be wise?” I had my doubts and told him so.He looked clueless, and I clarified for him. I was not very keen on explaining myself, but I find Luke Bennett's sincerity quite refreshing. He had no airs and laid all his cards out on the table.I decided not to hold back, as we
Noah POVI watched Britney stomp her feet as she marched angrily away from me.“Mr. Hunter, the meeting is about to start.” Chris, my assistant, informed me.I nodded and went to the conference room with Chris following behind me.While striding to my chair, I was already barking orders for my people
Noah POVThat phone call alerted me to my senses.My first instinct was to call Ed, the head of the security team tasked to watch over my family.If the children skipped past their surveillance. I do not think what I would do to all of them.“Where are my children?” I barked on the phone when the line got through.At the same time, I was half-running to the elevator to bring me down to the lobby.“Sir, the children sneaked out of their house to find you.""And what are you all doing?" I bellowed, quite worked up by the idea that children managed to sneak out of their house undetected.Who knew what danger they would meet outside?"Sir. They were looking for you." That shut me up."One of the men overheard them talking. He said the children are afraid that you would cast them aside because you have a girlfriend, and their mommy is dating another man."That shut me up.This is what happened when Briana and I were not careful about our relationships."Go on," I told Ed, choking on the wo
Beth POVWhen we arrived at the underground parking, Brent helped me inside the back passenger seat, much to my confusion, but I did not say a word, thinking it was better.I need to step back a little. We agreed to give our relationship a try, but right now, I feel that the years put a huge wedge between us. I don’t know him anymore.He has become unreachable for me. Then, my confusion turned to surprise when Brent slid beside me. “Who's going to drive…” my voice trailed off when a man in a black suit took the steering wheel from Brent. “Rico will drive us,” Brent informed me, providing an answer to my unfinished question. We reached the downtown area. Rico parked the car outside a convenience store and got out. A few minutes later, he returned.Brent opened the car window and took the package Rico handed him. He opened the package and took out a bottle of water and a tablet. “What is that?” I asked, staring in distaste at the tablet in his hand. “Pain reliever. I thin
Beth POVBrent gave me a tour of his building. From time to time, I could feel the long stares. They were sizing me up, like people were judging my suitability for their boss.It made me uncomfortable, and for a moment, I realized the disparity in our standings regarding wealth and influence. He was up there, and I was left down here. But Brent’s hand wrapped around my waist, or the way his eyes lingered on mine, ignoring everyone else, gave me the courage to dispel the negative thoughts away. Brent's success shouldn't be an issue in our relationship. Of course, in this world, Brent is the boss. He is the man on top, and anyone who closely associates with him meets people’s scrutiny. “Are you alright?” Brent asked, sensing my discomfort. His attention was all on me, fending off people who wanted to approach him. “I am fine.” I tried to wave him off. When we exited one department, and on our way to another, I asked for a reprieve. “Can I go to the restroom?” Brent walked me
Brent POVDo you know what heaven feels like?It was having the love of your life wrap her arms around your massive frame and hold on to you like she did not want to let go or part from you. That was heaven for me - being held by Beth like this was my new definition of high. Before, what made me high was dodging bullets and trying to outwit Hades from the door of death.I used to live in the thrill of danger, but no more. That’s the reason I built BASS Incorporated frame by frame. For my own protection.I already cheated death once, and I am not sure I can do it again. I released her and cupped her chin. Then, I leaned my head in to capture her lips in a gentle kiss. At first, I only pressed our lips together and pulled back. Her tongue darted to worry her upper and lower lips, and I became excited.I pulled her again, and this time, I took her lips in a searing kiss.I took control of the kiss, nibbling and chewing on her lips before I let my tongue slide over the seams, wai
Brent POV“You are a billionaire.” She uttered in a daze, and I nodded my head. BASS Incorporated is a renowned surveillance and security company.“Why didn’t you tell me?”“As you mentioned earlier, your desires are simple. There is nothing about my company or wealth that could impress you.” I told her bluntly. “Still. It’s one piece of information you kept from me. I was supposed to know because I was your wife.”“At the time, the BASS was not this big. I started as a private investigator. My reputation grew with the help of Noah Hunter. He threw work my way. I specialized in corporate espionage. I unravel many cases of economic sabotage and stealing company trade secrets. Then, the Fords also gave me jobs.” “Isn’t that a bit dangerous?” Worry etched on her face, and I leaned forward to smoothen the folds it created on her forehead. “I am doing administrative work nowadays. Before, I used to handle cases that took me weeks, sometimes months, to finish.” The creases on her foreh
Brent POVI held out my hand and anxiously waited for Beth to take it.When she placed her hand on mine, I closed the gap between us to pull her to my chest and wrapped my arms around her.“Thank you.” I closed my eyes and sighed.Beth pushed at my chest and self-consciously looked around.“People are staring.” She whispered shyly.But I was not concerned about that. What matters is that Beth agreed to give us a try.“I don’t care about them. I only care about us.&rdqu
Brent POVI felt her resistance fading away.Our chests heaved with too much emotion, but I was not letting her go.She twisted her body, and I released her, but I made sure that she was not far.I took her hand, all the while looking straight into her eyes.“I told you, I love you.”“Love is nurtured, Bernt. You did nothing in
Brent POVI did not know my promise would come to a test early that morning when Krizzie and I walked out of the kitchen to find Beth and Dr. Roberts at the door, talking sweetly.They were so engrossed with each other that they did not notice us.“I am sorry about last night,” Beth said.“No. It’s me who needed to apologize for my rude behavior. I am sorry, Beth. I got jealous of your ex-husband.”Beth hugged a bouquet of roses to her chest and put them under her nose to sniff.Her action dove a knife deep into my heart, but I wouldn’t gi
Brent POVShe is avoiding me.“Mommy, ahh!” Krizzie opened her mouth and took a bite from the sandwich Beth placed near her mouth.“Yummy.” She declared while munching happily.“How about Daddy? You let him have a bite out of our sandwich, too.” Krizzie prodded her mom.The smile on Beth’s face froze. She did not move until I forced her by coiling my fingers around her wrist and pulling her hands near my mouth so I could take a bite out of her sandwich.All the while, I was looking at her.
Beth POV“Mommy, wakey, wakey!” I opened bloodshot eyes to search for Krizzie, but when I felt the tremors around me, I immediately shot up in bed. “Krizzie!” I cried in alarm.I was ready to pluck her from the bed when I realized something.Krizzie was jumping on the bed. I pressed a hand to my chest to steady my heavily pounding heart as I stared at my daughter. I really thought there was an earthquake. Phew!“What’s wrong, Mommy?” Krizzie stopped her play to stare at me, erasing the smile on her lips.I shook my head. “I thought there was an earthquake.” Krizzie’s eyes widened, and she giggled. “You are s*lly, Mommy. It’s just me, Krizzie.” She informed me. I nodded, glad that it was just my overactive imagination.“Yeah. Mommy’s s*lly.” I agreed and grabbed her by the shoulders to pepper tiny kisses on her face. We heard a knock on the door, prompting me to release my daughter. Krizzie’s eyes connected with mine before her hands flew to her mouth. Then, without warnin