Uh oh, how many men have you attracted? Now it seems you have a stalker.
A,I finally did it. I asked her out. I asked Regina out. I didn’t think she’d say yes, but she did. It was the coolest day of my entire life. I almost screamed for joy when she said yes. Can you believe that there is not a single day that I don’t see her, and it fills my day just to be in her presence? I want us to be together soon, so I can stand beside her, hold her hand, kiss her soft, red lips, and touch her face, but I can hear you telling me to be patient. And I will. I can feel that she’s warming up to me already, giving me those lovely smiles and secret looks. Okay, okay, before you throw a fit, I will tell you about our date. It was perfect. I didn’t think it would happen, but it did, and it was magical. You should have been there. We had so much fun. I can’t tell you enough how smart she is. She knew about every topic I threw at her. It was like we were really in sync with each other. Once again, I will say you are right. She was awesome, and nobody else can replace her. I
Yvan Bennet, the youngest of the brothers, had been a model since he turned 18 seven years ago.His family was shocked when they learned he skipped school to pursue his career. To the detriment of his family, he never finished high school, which is why they gave him a hard time.But as he grew, the importance of education stuck with him. So he took the GED* test to get the equivalent of a high school diploma. But college was still out of the question.People always think modeling is an easy job. Posing and standing around, looking good, couldn’t be that hard, but Yvan was just as dedicated and worked harder than anybody.He put in long hours to catch the correct lighting, jumped into freezing waters in winter just to deliver the perfect shot for the new summer collection, and dealt with people he knew had less than honorable intentions. His hard work had paid off by affording him an apartment in the middle of the city. Nestled among the skyscrapers was his refuge, giving him a scenic
Bella barked in her high, shrill voice. She used several tones for different reasons, and Regina tried to discover what they meant. But when Regina came to curb her bad habit of rushing toward the door and antagonizing the guest, Bella sat quietly and listened attentively to Myles.One “shush,” and a command to sit was all it took for Bella to follow Myles like a trained puppy.“What? You tell her one time, and she followed you right away?”“You have a very bubbly, nervous energy Regina, so she picked up on that. Plus, she knows you are a sucker for her cuteness, so she manipulates you every chance she has.”After getting a treat from Regina for being an obedient dog, Bella bounds off somewhere and disappears. “Oh, there she goes. Let me find her and get out of your way. Welcome home, Mr. Bennet.” Regina curtsies, making Myles break out a smile.“She and that dog are almost the same. Goofy and adorable at the same time.” Owen stared at Myles. He’s never heard his brother describe some
Arthur looked at Regina, trying to conceal his smile. But his dimple showed as soon as he expressed his amusement.“Are you going to do it?” Regina nodded to make him agree.“I’ll pay double and order one delivered to your apartment ASAP. Just give me your address.” She forced him to write his address on a piece of paper with the shoe size and stuffed it in her purse.“You don’t need to pay double. I’ll wait for the replacement. But I would like to invite you to dinner if you have nothing else to do.”“Sure, I’ve been running around town looking for this shoe that I worked up an appetite for burgers and fries.”“We’re having that for dinner then. Your wish is my command.”“I’m glad you didn’t get discouraged from watching me eat at the Korean place last time.”Arthur smiled. “Of course not. It was nice seeing you eat so enthusiastically. If only it didn’t rain.” His brows furrowed for a second, changing his facial expression, reminding Regina how he got so mad that day. But she kicke
Regina sped away, realizing Owen’s shoes were still in Arthur’s possession. The only thing she came for so she could keep her job, and now who knows what would happen?The next day, she was not surprised when Arthur came by to drop off the package, but seeing him got her defenses up.“Why are you here, Arthur?” Regina rudely asked as she let Bella out of her car, not caring that the dog growled at him ferociously.“I’m sorry about last night. Here, I brought the shoes because I knew they were important to you.” Bella snapped at the package as Arthur came closer.“You can keep them. I’ll talk to Mr. Bennet and ask for more time. They’re just shoes. I can get them anywhere.”“Regina, please,” Arthur held her hand to stop her, letting go quickly when the dog reached for his arm. “I got ahead of myself and was overcome with my feelings. I apologize for not stopping when you asked.”“I don’t know, Arthur. I need to think about it.”The clouds were getting darker, and it was threatening to r
The whole morning, Yvan played with Bella and walked with his mom while she did her morning routine. It was as if the model had nothing else to do with his time but hang out with the dog.“Aren’t you supposed to be out doing a photo shoot or posting your outfit of the day on social media?”They just finished lunch, and Marius had just joined them. The physical therapist elbowed Regina and scolded her with his eyes while pulling her back so he could hiss at her.“Don’t make him leave. This is the first time I’ve exchanged more words with him than hi and bye.”Regina rolled her eyes. “You’re responsible when he gets pesky.”When Marius and Regina returned to the garden, mother and son were munching on chocolates from a box.“Where did you get those chocolates? You’re going to ruin your mother’s appetite and give her indigestion.”“Mom brought it out of her room. And I’m not telling her no when she looked so happy about it.”“You should. It’s your responsibility to help your mother live l
The next few days had been quiet. Most of the Bennet boys were out of town and busy with their jobs, so Regina had some reprieve from their antics, but Bella stared out the windows a lot, looking for them.The house became quiet, and it was easy to see why Mrs. Bennet’s health declined when her best friend passed away. Without her husband or children to keep her company, her memory just wilted away.With the family back home and the health care workers arriving daily, the house and Mrs. Bennet felt alive again.“Good night Mrs. Bennet. I will come back on Monday.”“Enjoy your weekend, Mandy. Say hello to your brothers.”It was Friday, and Regina was going out to dinner with Raffy and his wife that night, so she needed to hurry.She was looking forward to dining with them since it had been a while since she saw the couple, and they were going to Regina’s favorite steak restaurant.“I have been dreaming about the steak here all night, and I cannot wait to have dessert. Since you’re buyin
Regina began to lose her patience. “Mr. Bennet, can you please let me go?” “No, tell me you’re going to end this tonight.” Owen blocked her every move, and the more she pushed, the more he backed her into the corner. “I’m not doing anything wrong.” “Yes, you are, Regina. You are sleeping with a married man.” “Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Sleeping? First, I’m dating, and now I’m sleeping with him?” She felt angrier about being misjudged. “I can tell you this is further from the truth. I am not sleeping with Raffy, and we are not cheating on Maggie.” It pissed him off some more that they were on a first-name basis, and she had a nickname for the doctor. “No? Then just promise me you’ll end this now.” “There is nothing to end.” “End it.” He glared, but she was too stubborn to explain their situation or yield to his demand. “And if I don’t?” She taunted him, goading him into getting angrier. “I’ll give you another reason.” “Good luck with that because—” Owen gave her a warm, breathless
“Regina, are you okay?” Arthur’s softer voice asked from the other side, and she looked up as she wiped her tears away. “I need to tell you something before he comes back. I drugged you the entire time you were with Jacob because he wanted you to cry and scream when he raped you, but he wouldn’t touch a sleeping body. He said it felt like he was fucking the dead. So I made you sleep.” “You what?” “I drugged you, so he couldn’t do anything to you. All the things he told you were lies. None of them happened.” “You did that for me?” she asked, confused about whom to believe. Was this version of Arthur telling the truth, or was it also another lie? “I couldn’t bear the thought that I stood by and watched while he harmed you.” “Why?” “I always loved you, Regina. I always will,” Arthur said before his face changed again. “That stupid shit. What did he tell you?” Armed with the knowledge that nothing happened between them, Regina stood to taunt Jacob. She wanted to get to the bottom o
“I wanted to see.”“And there’s a reason I told you no.”“Babe…”“That guy left me for dead, Regina. Would you like to see a picture of that?”“Yes. I want to understand why a man with a face so kind could be so horrible.”“I will show you the footage from the precinct and how they found out Arthur’s mental illness.” Owen sighed, knowing that keeping the truth from Regina would just give her more reason to sneak around. “Then will you come to bed and forget about this?” She nodded as Owen retrieved a file from his computer and showed her a video of Arthur arguing with himself at the precinct. He was fighting with himself as if there were two people instead of one, and Regina felt unnerved. “The doctors said Jacob was too traumatized by Arthur’s loss that he erased the fact that he was dead. In his grief, he developed the Arthur persona, who was kind and smart, just like the actual person. It was a form of coping mechanism.”“Where is he now?”“In the psychiatric hospital inside the
“YOU KILLED ARTHUR! YOU DON’T DESERVE TO BE HAPPY!” It said before images began appearing on the screen. Regina was frozen and horrified because of the text, she was trying to figure out what the images were but Owen closed the lid before she did.“Don’t touch the computer. It was just a virus. I have a friend who can clean this for you.“Who would send such a horrific message? And what is that message about Arthur? Is he dead?”“Yes, no. It’s a long story. Don’t worry about it.” He said as he moved the laptop to his desk.“Don’t lie to me, Owen.” Regina stood up to face him. “We said no secrets. What was that about? And why is there a naked woman on my screen?”“Did you have an affair and not tell me, because gods help me, I am not taking this crap from you.”“No babe, I wouldn’t do that to you. You have to sit while I tell you what that was about.”“I can’t sit. My blood is boiling right now.”“Okay, let’s go to the kitchen, get a glass of water for both of us while I collect my tho
“Dad, thank you for giving me the extended leave. France has inspired me a lot with my artistic side. Did you see my paintings?”“Yeah, I have a few of them put up in the hospital and around the house already. Is that what you want to do now? Paint?”“Oh no, that’s just my side hobby. I was inspired by the nursing home in France and wanted to build a non-profit nursing home as a branch of our hospital.”“That sounds like a good idea. I think someone suggested that before and we just didn’t have time to look into it. Talk to the project manager so we can get this started. Which wing do you want it in?”“Well, that’s the thing. I want it to be separate from the hospital, in a more scenic setting so we can usher the old people to rest peacefully. I don’t want them to feel like they’re in the hospital all the time.”“Are you willing to put in work for this project? This will be a lot of work, starting with finding available properties. You can’t just quit mid-way because it’s too hard.”R
“What are you telling them?”“Don’t worry about it, sweetie. I have everything in control.” He said confidently as they walked to his mother’s room.“Mom? Are you awake?” Owen asked. Myles was reading her a book Regina sent from France, and the scenes were getting steamy, so he was glad that his mother’s attention got diverted to the guests. “Look who’s here?”He stepped aside, and Regina softly exclaimed, “Surprise!”Mrs. Bennet stared at Regina, wondering who she was, and then it clicked. “Mandy? Oh, I’m glad you’ve come. I’ve missed you so.” She grew emotional as Regina sat on the bed and hugged her.“So did I Mrs. Bennet. I am glad to see that you are better.” Regina touched her forehead to get the temperature and her wrist to check how fast her pulse rate was.“Oh, it was nothing. They just worry too much. Now I’m in the hospital when all I want to do is see that dog.” Bella had been constant in her life, and like Regina, not having seen her for a few days, threw everything out o
News of Owen’s mystery woman spread throughout the nation as pictures of the couple were shared across every website on the internet. “Owen, what are we going to do? Can we hire someone to delete the pictures?” Regina asked as the car sped away. He smirked, “No.” “No? But your reputation?” “I’m a single man in a relationship with a beautiful woman, so I don’t care about the pictures.” “But the paparazzi, they’ll know.” “We’re not hiding our relationship, my love. Unless you want to.” “I don’t.” “I know you don’t want your face in the media, so we won’t tell them who you are. Let them find out on their own.” “I don’t care if they find out. I’m through hiding. It didn’t do me any good, anyway. I kept lying to people I really liked. I just hope they could forgive me,” she said, leaning back into the seat, more relaxed. “Well then, that’s settled,” Owen smiled and leaned over to nuzzle her ear. “You know they’ll be at my apartment waiting. What do you say we go to yours and lock
Regina asked how they all knew each other, and the three men regaled her with stories of when they met while re-constructing the apartment she was staying in.“So I have a question. If Owen owns the complex, then why do I have a small apartment?”Caelan and François both laughed and teased Owen.“Well, I didn’t want you to get suspicious about paying such a small price for an enormous apartment, so we gave you the smallest unit. It was Caelan’s place.”“Aww…” Regina looked at Caelan, “You gave it up for me? I’m sorry if I brought in mismatched furniture in there.”“Don’t feel sorry for him. He got a bigger apartment out of the deal, so he’s happy about that.” Owen butted in, and Regina laughed.“I don’t mind how you decorated the place. I like it and will keep most of the furniture,” Caelan replied.“So I heard Owen hired you to follow me around and disrupt my dates with Jason. Is that true?”“Well—I—He—Yes, it’s true,” Caelan could not defend himself, so he admitted the truth.“So th
The sun was peeking through the horizon by the time the couple fell asleep, satiated and full of love. Neither wanted to sleep lest everything was just a dream. Regina woke up first, staring at the sleeping man beside her, waiting for him to awaken. “What are you doing?” Owen asked, his voice husky from sleep.She blushed that she got caught running her finger down his chest, tracing the lines of his abdomen. “Waking you. Did it work?”“It did.” He grabbed her waist, pulling her toward him. He hooked his legs around hers and kissed her neck. “I missed you so much that when you stopped sending me messages, it made me go crazy.”“I’m sorry. I was so ashamed about what happened that I did not know how to handle the situation. How could I not know anything about my body?”“There were a lot of things happening during that time. Stop blaming yourself. We’re here now, where we should be. Just don’t shut me out again.”“I promise I won’t.” Owen nibbled her neck, and her body came alive. “W
“I had a baby—”“I know.”Regina scrunched her brows in shock. “But I never told you. The diary said you didn’t know.”“The baby was ours,” he said, holding her gaze. If her mouth wasn’t hanging open before, it was now.“How—”“How did I know? I have the same tracker app you do, and they were synched together so I could watch your cycle. I wanted to know when it would be safe because we were having unprotected sex. We needed to take extra precautions to prevent having an accident.”“But we still did.”“It doesn’t make a difference. I still love you.” “You knew, and you didn’t tell me?”“I was waiting for you to share your troubles, so I gave you the space you needed, but you just distanced yourself from me. I didn’t want to nag you because you’ve been through so much already. So I waited.”“The diary said I couldn’t tell you because I felt guilty.”“I know.”“But I didn’t tell you…”“You said it in the letter that you sent me.”“The letter that you keep talking about?”“Yes, do you w