Noah had finally summoned the courage to call Sophia but her phone had been switched off. ‘Where could she be? Did she already move on?’ He spent the whole day asking himself a lot of questions.
He had his personal assistant, Sarah to go by her mother’s house only to the told that she wasn’t there. The neighbors said she had packed up and moved out. As if that wasn’t enough of a low blow, he had gone on social media and found various posts shaming Sophia.Immediately, Noah put a call to his PR manager. He needed the source of the posts to be found quickly. Imagining how Sophia would feel if she saw them made his heart sink deeper into his feet.“Hello sir,” Sarah knocked on the door of his office.“Come in,” he prompted, staing at his computer screen completely distracted.“Sir, the source of the post is from Wilson entertainment.” Sarah explained. Noah’s eyes widened a little bit. He lost focus for a second.“Wilson group? Are you sure?” he asked to clarify. Just then, his phone screen lit up with ‘Chantelle Wilson’ as the caller ID. He heaved a heavy sigh. “You can go,” he said waving his hand to Sarah. Immediately he heard the door slam close, he answered the call.Chantelle Wilson had requested his audience. She was calling at a perfect time, because Noah also needed to speak with her. She had been doing certain things that he didn’t approve off, especially when it came to Sophia.Sophia was supposed to be her best friend, they were practically joined at the hip, but Chantelle’s recent attitude didn’t suggest that they were friends in any way.Noah’s car pulled up in front of the office, that was where she said to meet. Chantelle had already come by his office earlier without informing him. That was why she called, because she found his seat empty. Noah alighted from the vehicle, standing in front of the revolving doors that led to the Milton group.He took the opportunity to try Sophia’s number again, her phone was still switched off. He could hear the sound of cars zoom past, but one particular car parked directly opposite the company got his attention. It was a black Camry. Noah felt like he was being watched. He was always so attentive to his environment ever since he was little.Being born with a golden spoon wasn’t all roses, he always had to be on alert because every expedition outside provided a high chance for his abduction. He never wanted to be a liability to his father.“Milly,” was the word that pulled Noah out of his reverie. A pair of small hands snaked around his neck. A sudden excitement engulfed him. Sophia was the only one who called him by that name. She also called his father that. ‘Milly’, since their last name was Milton.The owner of the voice startled him with a kiss he didn’t expect. Noah identified the face behind the voice. His mood was completely ruined. The look on his face had his personal assistant, Sarah, rushing to clean Chantelle’s lip stain off his face.Before Noah could turn back, the car was completely out of sight. ‘Am I being followed?’ he asked himself before facing Chantelle. The look on Noah’s face spoke volumes, his irritation was evident.“I-I, I’m so sorry Noah, it was—”Noah watched her fumble with her words, “A mistake?” he suggested. “Chantelle, there is no way on earth you can replace Sophia, you don’t come close in any aspect. I suggest you reevaluate yourself. Know your place.” Noah’s words left Chantelle speechless. His PA chuckled for a slight moment before regaining her professionalism.Women, Noah had enough of them for one life time. On was hand was Kira and her insufferable personality, and on the other hand was Chantelle, who was trying too fit into a shoe too big to size her. “If that’s all, I’ll be on my way.” He informed her. His chauffeur opened the door of the car without a moment to spare.All he wanted was to get Sophia back.Chantelle was left on the side of the road, still flabbergasted by Noah’s remarks. Her attitude surprised him completely because Chantelle was the one who recommended her for the job as Noah’s executive assistant and eventually, contract wife. She insisted that Sophia was humble and would be the right fit, especially because she was short on cash. A few months later she began to fill up Noah’s with different thoughts.She compared Sophia to Noah’s poor fiancée that abandoned him on the alter and took a large amount of money from the company. The things she said to him got Noah thinking about Sophia in a different light. She was one of the reasons he started to act differently towards Sophia.On Tanya’s twenty-third birthday, Noah walked in on Brad, Tanya’s boyfriend and his friend, attempting to kiss Sophia. She stood there, doing absolutely nothing. Noah left the room in a fit of rage without either of them noticing him.That day Noah was angry but he couldn’t tell what for. He assumed his infuriation was because of his sister, and Brad but a large part of him knew he had started developing feeling for Sophia and refused to accept it, he was in denial.In that moment, he was completely convinced of everything that Chantelle had said. Back then, it seemed like she was just looking out for him, but now, he could see through her clearly.Chantelle’s attempts to win him over were completely infuriating. She had been making passes at him for a long time but he didn’t like her that way, he only considered her to be his friend. The very thought of anyone else completely threw him off.Noah only found out how strong his feelings towards Sophia was when she left. Either it was an obsession or love, whatever it was, it hurt.“Sarah,” he called.“Yes sir.”“Contact Savannah Windsor. I need to know lady Sophia’s whereabouts immediately.”“Yes sir!” she said with a bright smile on her face.“What on earth are you looking at? Drive!” Chantelle instructed her driver. ‘How could he humiliate me like that? In the presence of his low-life staff!’ She was in a fuming rage, recalling the words Noah had spoken to her. “Chantelle, there is no way on earth you can replace Sophia, you don’t come close in any aspect. I suggest you reevaluate yourself. Know your place.”‘Replace that wench?” she screamed, throwing a tantrum in her car. It was all because of Sophia Milton. Even with all the horrible things Chantelle had told Noah, he still liked Sophia. If Chantelle knew it was going to turn out the way it did, she would never had referred Sophia for the role of executive assistant. Chantelle had always had a crush on Noah ever since they were little. To the extent that her father almost suggested to George Milton that both of them get married at such a young age. Noah never saw her as anything more than a sister, and friend. She tried her best, year after year to impress Noah. Wi
The whole family shared worried glances. They never expected the final clause, 6 years, 25? Noah caught Jeffery smirking in his peripheral view. It didn’t seem to bother him quite much, even though he was the second choice. Jeffery had schemed a number of ways to frustrate Noah and make this clause favor him. “I assume we’re done here,” Jeffery sent a knowing look to Noah. Noah shrugged, “Do whatever you want,” he said with a subtle indifference. Jeffery scoffed, “Not an ounce of emotion, typical.” He turned on his heel and headed upstairs. Tanya and Harriet were still dumbfounded. After George had made Noah marry someone beneath him, he still didn’t leave it at that and had to torture him even further. Noah Milton never planned to have children after his ex-girlfriend’s unexpected betrayal. Maybe that was the reason he made Sophia get rid of her unborn child. Or the rage and overwhelming jealousy that clouded his judgement seeing Brad with her in that room on Tanya’s birthday. “…
Sophia’s fresh start was instantly ruined the moment she saw her best friend plant a kiss on her ex-husband’s lips. She thought that was all the heartbreak one person could experience in a lifetime, till her and her mother were kicked out of the apartment Chantelle had secured for them. No wonder she insisted they leave. After all these years, she was finally showing her true colour. Throwing her into the street when she least expected it. The landlord had a very compassionate look in his eyes, like if he could he wouldn’t be doing this. But it’s business, it was either her or himself, and he chose himself. “I’m sorry ma’am, it was orders from above.” He said watching the pair pull their suitcase out of the house. The neighbors who were outside kept their eyes on the pitiful scene, and the ones which were inside came outside to watch, making sure to murmur at regular intervals. ‘Did you see what she was wearing?’‘They don’t fit into this neighborhood, it’s a good thing
“Addison and Aiden Whyte, be good okay? Mummy’s off to work so your grandma’s going to take you to school.” Sophia summoned courage to tell her kids what to do when in reality, they chose what they wanted. She couldn’t believe it, they were four years old. It seemed like time had flown by so quickly, she would give anything to be able to hold them in her arms and sing lullabies again. Her son, Aiden, was the splitting image of his father. He had good looks. Every time she dropped the kids off at school, it was one compliment or the other. ‘Your son is so handsome, I’m sure he looks just like his father.’ Those words would sting each time but she tried her best to feign a smile but obviously her genius twins could see through the façade. ‘Mummy, why do you look so gloomy. Is it because of daddy?’ No matter how she tried to turn the conversation around, it wouldn’t work, unless she offered them ice cream. But there was only how far distracting her twins with sweets was going
The day he was told he couldn’t have kids was both the happiest, and saddest day of his life. Noah had been through an emotional rollercoaster. Just when he and Savannah had arrived in Florida, they were told Sophia and Ava had been kicked out of their house. Those insensitive neighbors had suddenly become so caring after realizing who was standing before them. It seemed like anytime Noah had a lead about Sophia’s whereabouts, it buried almost immediately. He was a mess. Everywhere he went, he say Sophia. Her silhouette, her red hair, freckles, beautiful blue eyes, it was like everything reminded him about her. If his morning coffee wasn’t made to perfection like Sophia did it, he would starve the whole day. Wondering where she would be, or who she was with made him almost go insane. He did what he knew best, channeled all that energy into work. In five years Noah had turned the whole system around, winning best businessman of the year for five years consecutively. All thes
“Savannah,” Noah whispered, “Am I seeing things?” “No, I can see her too.” “Sophia?” Noah stared at the woman in front of him. Her hair wasn’t red, and it was straighter than he remembered. She looked beautiful, in a way he couldn’t describe. His heart was filled with disbelief. He had searched for her, non-stop for five years, and here she was. His mouth stood agape as her watched her gracefully walk through the ethereal ball room where the venue was held. She looked like a princess as her blue eyes glistered in the warm lighting of the room. Noah stood in awe. She finally stopped walking after getting a glass. When he was about to get closer to her, she was ambushed by a group of overachievers. Noah’s chest tightened. All the guilt and angst that had built up for five years came in all at once. He felt stiff, he couldn’t move. Sophia was here now, he could tell her how much he missed he, and that he was sorry for all he did. He could say he was scared of falling for h
Noah observed how the nerves in Sophia's face had tightened up. She seemed uneasy. At least he knew he was one of the reasons why she was. She sat silently glancing at the small clock on her table. Maybe she had an appointment? “This place is coming together quite well,” he said to break the silence. She whipped her head around taking in her surroundings. “Yes, thank you. Do you by any chance need something?” She asked with a look that spoke millions. He casually strolled into her office after five years of divorce, all of a sudden he can't seem to remember anything he did to her. Noah's expression changed immediately. Before attempting to address anything else, she pulled out her phone and sent a text to Tammy. The text was literally a plea. It was simple, “Get Addison home. A member of the staff is on the way here to drop her off. Intercept her, and take Addison home.”She began to panic when there was no response from Tammy. Tammy usually would answer within seconds. Was she b
“Mummy can I come to work with you?” Addison asked.Ever since Addison saw Noah at her office she had been insisting on going to work with Sophia. “No baby, you need to have perfect scores.”“Addy, why do you want to go to work with mummy?” Aiden asked, causing Sophia to sigh. He was a very intuitive child. “There was this handsome Uncle I saw, I wonder if he likes mummy. Maybe we can finally have a dad.” Addison's remark got Sophia's heart plunging to the ground. Her children never really talked about the absence of a father figure before, even when they were bullied in school for not having a dad. But in recent times, that has been the one thing in their lips, having a daddy. Her twins were growing more curious and suddenly craving a father’s love, the one thing she couldn't give them. She had tried her as a single mother but there was so much one person could do. “Aiden wear your socks please,” she pleaded. “Addison, you too. Grandma Ava's waiting for you.”The twins grumbled
Noah and Sophia stood before their stunning new home. Her company had brought their vision to life."Welcome home," Noah said, his eyes shining with pride.Sophia's face glowed. "It's even more beautiful than I imagined."Her eyes danced with excitement. "I love how the open-concept living area flows into the kitchen."Noah smiled. "Your design genius at work."Their personal touches were spread throughout – family photos, artwork, and treasured mementos. The space exuded warmth and sophistication.Sophia led Noah on a tour, pointing out the clever design elements she added. She always liked to flex when it came to her work. "And this is my favorite part – the rooftop garden."Noah wrapped his arms around Sophia. "You've outdone yourself. This is our sanctuary."Sophia's eyes sparkled. "Our forever home.""Thank you," Noah whispered, his lips brushing Sophia's ear.Sophia smiled. "For what?"Noah's gaze locked onto hers. "For creating our dream home, and for being my dream partner."S
They arrived at sesamo, an intimate Italian restaurant.Candlelit tables, soft music, and aromatic scents of freshly baked bread.Their table overlooked the serene lake. But it didn't matter where their table was, they had the whole place to themselves. Sophia's eyes widened as she took in the breathtaking setup before her. "Noah, this is... too much," Sophia whispered, her voice trembling with emotion."Not nearly enough, my love."Sophia's hands covered her mouth. "It's breathtaking. But really, Noah, you didn't have to."Noah stepped closer, his was voice low and husky. "Our relationship has never been conventional, Sophia. We've been through so much, so fast. We never got to experience those intimate, romantic dates. I'm making up for lost time.""You're making me feel like a princess."Noah chuckled. "You are my queen. And I want to treat you like one."Her eyes roamed the setup, taking in the delicate flower arrangements, the champagne chilling in ice, and the exquisite dinner
Noah and Sophia walked hand in hand into the spa. Their therapists, introduced themselves and began the session. Rachel, working on Sophia, started with gentle strokes, warming up her muscles.The spa day began with a deep tissue massage, side by side with candlelight. They worked out knots and tension, melting away stress and fatigue.The air was filled with the calming scent of lavender, and gentle music drifted through the speakers."Take a deep breath in, and out." Noah's eyes closed. "Noah, breathe into the pressure," Mike guided, targeting a stubborn spot on his lower back.Noah sighed contentedly as the masseuse's hands eased the tightness in his shoulders. Sophia's eyes drifted closed, her face relaxed, as her therapist worked out the kinks in her neck and back.Noah exhaled slowly, feeling the tension release.Rachel transitioned to deeper strokes, targeting Sophia's lower back. Sophia's body tensed slightly. "Trust me, Sophia. Let go."Sophia's muscles released, allowing
THE NEXT DAYThe post-wedding brunch took place at the mansion's sun-kissed courtyard.Soft sunlight filtered through lush greenery, candlelit tables sparkled, fresh flowers adorned the setting. It was ethereal. And then the guests started to arrive. It was shocking that they still chose to show up. Every event thrown by the Miltons either had drama or something life threatening. Laughter echoed, conversations flowed, hugs and well-wishes filled the air. Maybe that was what enticed the guests. They never knew what to expect. Tammy decided to give a welcome speech. "Today, we gather to celebrate Sophia and Noah's love. A love that shines brighter with each passing day. Sophia and Noah, two amazing souls who deserve every ounce of happiness."Tammy paused, collecting herself. "I've known Sophia for years, and I've seen her grow into the incredible woman she is today. And I've had the pleasure of watching Noah bring out the best in her."She glanced at Sophia and Noah, "These two we
The ceremony had officially begun.Noah and Sophia had been through so much they thought this day would never happen.Anticipation filled the air as the officiant walked down the aisle, setting the tone for.Next, the groomsmen and bridesmaids made their way down the aisle in pairs. Gerald looked dashing in his tailored suit. The flower girls and ring bearers followed. Addison skipped down the aisle, scattering petals from her tiny basket, while Aiden proudly carried the wedding rings on a small pillow.Sophia's proud Maid of Honor, Tammy, walked alone. Her bouquet was stunning. She took her place beside the bridesmaids. She looked happier than Sophia. Noah's Best Man was none other Randall. He strode confidently down the aisle, eyes fixed on the groom. He took his place beside Noah. Finally, the moment everyone had been waiting for arrived. Sophia emerged from the doorway with Ava by her side. Her stunning lace gown shimmered in the light, and her veil framed her smile. As they
“What do you mean the dress is going to be late?” she asked, “No, you listen to me. You're not listening to me. I can have your whole store closed before the end of the day.”Sophia placed her fingers on the bridge of her nose as Harriet kept screaming into the phone.She was fed up. Sophia took the phone from Harriet's hand. "I need to confirm that my dress will be delivered on time. Today, as promised."The voice on the other end was chipper and very dismissive, replied, "Oh, absolutely! We're just putting the finishing touches on it. We'll deliver it personally."Sophia's grip on the phone tightened. "Personally? No, that's not what we agreed upon. I want it delivered to the venue, not hand-delivered by your team.""Ma'am, I assure you, it's our policy—"“Put it on speaker phone,” Harriet whispered. “We're sorry for the inconvenience--”Harriet cut them off. "Policy? Inconvenience? You'll do what I say, or I'll make sure to share my experience with every bride, every wedding plann
Sophia and Tanya sat in the luxurious living room, surrounded by stacks of wedding catalogs and champagne glasses. They were in the midst of planning Sophia's dream wedding to Noah."Okay, so we have the venue, the date, and the guest list," Sophia said, sipping her champagne. "Now it's time to pick the dresses."Tanya nodded, flipping through a catalog. "I think we should go with a classic, elegant look. You know, something that will never go out of style, but still reflects your personal taste, Sophia.""Was that a compliment I just heard?" Sophia blushed. “You have good taste. Plus you're my future sister-in-law. We've been through a lot. I'm really happy that you forgave me for everything I did to you. It takes a big person to do that.”Sophia brought her handkerchief to the corner of her eye, "I'm in tears." She sniffled. “We're besties Tanya, we're good now.”"I like this one. The lace details are stunning." Sophia changed the subject quickly as she pointed to a picture in the
The sun shone brightly as the Milton family arrived at the beach. The sound of waves crashing against the shore filled the air, and the smell of saltwater and coconut sunscreen wafted through the breeze.Sophia laughed, chasing after her twins and Jack as they ran around the beach while she tried to apply sunscreen on them."Addison, Aiden, Jack! Stop for a second, I need to put sunscreen on you!" Sophia called out. Her hands were full of sunscreen bottles and colorful towels because nobody wanted white.The kids giggled and screamed, running away from her. "No, Mommy! We don't want sunscreen!" Addison exclaimed.Aiden and Jack joined in, making silly faces still trying to avoid Sophia's reach. "We're already superheroes, we don't need sunscreen!" Aiden said, striking a pose.Sophia chuckled, shaking her head. "Oh, really? Well, superheroes need sunscreen too, you know!""Yeah, Aunt Sophia, we'll get sunburned and then we'll have superpowers!" Jack screamed. Sophia playfully rolled
*One month later*Noah woke to the morning light, 6:00 AM. He stretched, yawned, and swung his legs over the side of the bed. Sophia stirred beside him, her eyes fluttering open."Morning," Noah whispered, smiling.Sophia smiled back, her eyes still sleepy.Noah grabbed his phone and dialed Detective James's number. That was the detective assigned to he and Sophia's case. "Good morning, Detective. Any updates on Jeffery?" Noah asked.Detective James's voice was firm. "Nothing new, Noah. We're monitoring all leads."Noah's grip on the phone tightened. He wouldn't rest until Jeffery was caught. "Thanks, Detective. Keep me posted."At this point Sophia was over it. She wasn't even willing to get out of bed. The images of that day kept flashing through her mind. She couldn't even concentrate during the day. She couldn't recall the last time she volunteered to buy groceries. “Are you good?” Noah asked pulling her into a hug. She smiled, “Now I am.” She heard the sound of giggles and wh