Before Charlotte could say anything, she was distracted by someone in a casual wear of a beach T-shirt and shorts, walking over to the car. Xavier was a few meters away, yet when he walked, he walked with a gait that seemed to stop time itself. Charlotte had never seen him this causally dressed. Something about seeing his muscles displayed through the clothes as the wind rustled through it made her feel hot all over. Charlotte’s words hung in her mouth as she watched him come over, all the unpleasant things she wanted to say automatically dying in her mouth. “What’s the problem?” Xavier asked when he finally got to them. Charlotte shook her head and frowned even more deeply. How could she let herself get distracted like that? “She says she wants to go home,” Carlos complained about her to his boss as if she wasn’t there. “Too bad. She’s not going anywhere,” Xavier said. “Excuse me?” She yelled, unable to take it any longer. How could he just ride over her decision like that? “
Charlotte’s first time in a yacht was not a pleasant experience at all. What she thought would be a romantic getaway for only the both of them turned out to be anything but that. As Xavier rightly said, the yacht was just a way for them to move from that part of the beach to the other where the wedding was to hold. There were several other people there- men loading some things, and event planners returning with some materials for their design. Everyone was busy with their work, especially Xavier who was overseeing everything. She felt out of place and indeed she was. It was her wedding, but she had no idea what was going on about it, even where it was being held until that day, and she was only here because Xavier was tired of her irritating him. She couldn’t blame anyone for it though. She had all but forgotten the time of the wedding and had never really bothered to ask anything about it. A part of her just assumed that someone as wealthy as he was just had to make a call somewhe
Charlotte kept walking, hoping to get as far away from Xavier as possible. As she walked, it seemed like she was going in a huge circle. She just hoped she wouldn’t go too far. However, when she reached a spot and saw the huge container where all the wedding supplies had been stored, it hit her. This was no beach. It was an island. They were getting married on a private island. No wonder they needed the yacht to get there. She shouldn’t be so impressed, she thought, taking one of the seats that had been left behind by the event planners. He had the money and she didn’t even know how much getting married in a private island cost anyway. How the guests would come in was none of her business. It wasn’t like there was any of them that she had a close relationship with. It dawned on her that there was really no way out of there. Now she understood what Davis meant when he said they could only leave if he wanted them to. An exhilarating chill ran down her spine at the thought of being
For over ten seconds, they kept staring at each other. Xavier didn’t seem fazed by her outburst and that was a problem. “I’m sorry for confusing you,” he muttered. “I confused myself also.” Charlotte scoffed. “Just how far are you willing to take this Xavier? Are you so desperate to see me fawn over you? Does it turn you on? Is that why you won’t leave me alone? You want to be the one doing the pushing and not the other way around!”“Won’t you just listen to me for fuCk’s sake!” He snapped, shocking her. She would have fallen backward if he hadn’t been holding her. “I’m sorry I yelled. I…I don’t really know what I’m doing,” he stuttered. “If you can’t say it then show me,” she whispered, staring at his mouth. Using the same hand he was holding her with, he pulled her to him, wrapping an arm around her waist. His lips were directly on hers but he didn’t make a move. Her heart pounded in her chest. This was exactly what she had been trying to avoid but now she was in this position
“Get me a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice, Jonah, now,” Valerie ordered, while working on something on her laptop. Jonah had just walked into the room and his fiancee was already giving him orders. He sighed deeply. No one ever asked him to do the job of a maid before Valerie came around. However, the last thing he wanted was to anger Valerie. He had so much to lose. “Why are you still standing there like an idiot?” She asked. “Make yourself useful and get me my orange juice.” “Sure,” Jonah said through gritted teeth and left the room reluctantly. As he poured the carton of juice into the glass for his fiancé, Jonah thought about Charlotte. She would never speak to him in that manner, no matter what it was. He frowned. Why was he thinking about that deadweight? She had nothing to offer him and that was why he had thrown her away like the trash she was. The fact that she had somehow slithered her way into his uncle’s life did not make her any less of a trash. No amount of
“You’re the most beautiful bride I have ever styled! You’re so gorgeous. Your hair, your dress, everything is just perfect! Heads will turn today.” Charlotte’s chief stylist squealed as she added the finishing touches to her bridal look. “How do you feel on your special day?” Charlotte sighed. Her somber expression was a direct contrast to that of the chief stylist who was grinning from ear to ear, and the several other professional stylists under her, who were either in charge of her dress, hair or makeup. “Great,” Charlotte responded, not even bothering to fake a smile. She was hungry that morning but the diamond-encrusted corset of the wedding dress was already killing her. It would only get worse if she ate anything, especially because she would throw up. “Oh,” the chief stylist said when she noticed that Charlotte didn’t mirror her excited expression. She shared a look with her helpers. “Let’s carry on then.” Although it was her wedding day, Charlotte couldn’t wait to get it
“…I’m so happy to have you by my side. I can’t wait to see what beautiful things the future holds for us,” he said, completing the vow. The crowd erupted in cheers. Charlotte remained rigid, fighting the urge to let herself think too deeply into the specific things he had mentioned in his speech. Anyone who didn’t know how things really were between them would have soaked up his words and called him the most romantic man in the world. The priest said the words to bless the marriage and very soon, he pronounced them man and wife. It was done. There was no going back now. “You may kiss the bride,” he said after joining their hands together. Xavier gave her a weak smile before pulling her in for their first kiss as a married couple. Charlotte fought the urge to give in when his lips pressed against hers. She didn’t move her lips even when he alternated between both, ignoring him just as he had done to her when she tried to kiss him on that same island some days ago. Without warn
Charlotte sighed. This was getting really tiring. “I don’t care if you made a mistake. It’s too late now,” she said with a cracked voice. “Please show me to another room if you don’t mind. I’m sure you have over a gazillion of rooms you don’t use in this house.” Xavier cocked his head to the side, but luckily, he remained where he was. “I’m pleading, Charlotte,” he said solemnly. “May I just get a few minutes of your time? I just want to explain some things I’ve been keeping to myself, I promise.” “You had three days to talk to me but you didn’t,” she snapped, although she wondered why he was now being tender and apologetic toward her. “You clearly stated how you wanted things to be between us and I don’t plan to go back on it.”“I just said I made a mistake…” he breathed. “And suddenly that’s supposed to change everything?” “I had many things I was dealing with that I wasn’t ready to share but now I can see how that must have hurt you,” he said. Charlotte frowned deeply. This
“It’s time for bed, Caleb. Let’s go,” Charlotte told Caleb with her arms crossed over her chest, giving him no room to argue. “Just let me win this game…” he argued absently, more focused on the game he was playing on his iPad. “You’ve spent your extra fifteen minutes,” she said, taking the device out of his grasp. He frowned, but conceded in the end. “Fine.” As Charlotte tucked him into bed, she couldn’t imagine how the times had changed. It had been six months since Laura had been taken away, her parents had been released and since she had started running her own business. Caleb had started therapy again, and it had definitely worked. These days, he spoke so often and did whatever he wanted to do that it was hard to believe he had been the same mute boy from months ago. He had just turned four, but the topic of his birth mother never came up fortunately. He seemed to blend right in, just as sweet and annoying as any other four year old boy. “I love you mommy,” he wh
When Charlotte saw Jonah being led out by a prison ward officer, she froze and started to wonder what she had been so scared about. He looked nothing like he did before. He had slimmed down to an almost unrecognizable state and his face looked like he had permanently lost the ability to smile. He walked with the slouch of someone that had given up on life in general. Charlotte doubted that whatever he was going through had happened in that prison in such a short time. “You can wait for me,” Charlotte whispered to Carlos who reluctantly left her side when he understood. “Hi,” Jonah said when he was sitting opposite her. He tried to smile, but it ended up looking like a grimace. He couldn’t meet her eyes. “Hi,” she said simply. She couldn’t let him see she pitied him. “How have you been?” He managed to ask. “You look good.” She couldn’t say the same for him. “Why did you call me here, Jonah?” “Straight to the point like always, huh?” He said with something she suspec
Xavier could only relax comfortably when they were back on the jet and on their way back to California. He could finally let himself be convinced that his dream had been nothing more than that. It hadn’t been a sign of anything, because it had gone on perfectly with no dramatic appearances from anyone. Unfortunately, the thought of one day running into Laura again came often to him and disoriented him. However, he always pushed that possibility away to the back of his mind. He had run a background check on the psych ward Don had placed her and from his research, it was a very exclusive place, so her chances of leaving were lower than zero. It was like a madhouse for wealthy people to drop off their family members who had lost it through drug use of whatever means. Their security was so prioritized that it was practically impossible to get in or get out unless the very owner of the establishment permitted. There was also no possible way Laura could bribe anyone there. It was afte
“Xavier, wake up! Wake up!” The sound of the female voice calling out to him sounded so distant at first, but the hand violently shaking his shoulders brought him back to consciousness. He was breathing fast, as his eyes got accustomed to the light around him, his chest heaving rapidly. “Are you okay?” Charlotte asked him, peering into his eyes as she touched the sides of his face. He could see the fear in her eyes as she studied him. “Charlotte,” he whispered, holding her arms and wrapping her in a tight hug. She was alive, here in front of him. “You’re alive.” “Yeah,” she said uncertainly, hugging him back. “Did anyone kill me?” She asked with a chuckle. He finally pulled out of the hug and glanced around. They were still in the jet, on their way to Orlando. He had just had a bad dream. “Where’s Caleb?” He asked. “Right here,” she said, pointing at a part of the jet where a small makeshift bed had been made for Caleb to lie on. “Is everything okay?” “Yeah,
After bidding Kate and her family goodbye, Xavier and Kate had to take the journey back, while consoling Caleb, who couldn’t understand why the twins had to leave without him. It was a Saturday, and for the first time in such a long time, Xavier had a free day. They all decided to spend the day together, to make up for Caleb’s friends leaving. Charlotte was extremely happy. She chatted and laughed all the way to the four seasons Orlando, where they decided to spend the day with their son, since he had seen a video about it online and wouldn’t shut up about going there. She held Caleb’s shoulders during takeoff in Xavier’s private jet, more to distract herself than him. No matter how often she rode in the jet, she still got jittery when they had to go anywhere in it. She had made an appointment with Dr Anna that morning and she couldn’t wait to finally carry out the surgery the week after. “Are we really going to Orlando?” Caleb asked, peering out of the window of the jet.
The ride home was mostly silent, with Xavier at the backseat, pondering on all that had happened that day while Carlos drove them home, shooting glances at his boss from time to time. “How was your break?” Xavier asked all of a sudden and Carlos cleared his throat. “Great. Thanks again for it. I really needed it,” he said with a smile. “How did it feel to have an actual conversation with her after so long?” Carlos sighed. “Not as bad as I thought. I actually feel better. Thanks for advising me to do it. We cleared some things out. She was mature about it and that’s that.” Xavier nodded and looked out the window at the trees that were zooming past. He remembered when Carlos had come to him for help when having to see Kate after the history they had was threatening to drive him insane. He had advised him to take a break, and then discuss with her when he was ready. It seemed to have worked. Carlos looked like himself again. It had been weird to find out that there had been a
“When will you come back, daddy?” Caleb’s little voice came over the phone and Xavier smiled. He could picture his son standing next to Charlotte and holding the phone to his ear with both his hands. “I’ll be there this night, I promise,” he replied. From the corner of his eye, he saw Private trying to get his attention. “Take care of mom for me, okay? I’ll see you soon.” “Bye daddy,” Caleb said and Xavier nodded before he ended the call. “What’s up?” He asked Private. “She’s causing a scene, boss. She’s yelling at everyone and she even pushed her brother and broke a glass on the doctor’s head when he tried to sedate her,” Private told him. There was an urgency in his private investigator’s voice as he reported to him, but there was also a hint of amusement in his tone. Xavier rolled his eyes and walked past him toward the ward he had left to answer his wife’s call. “Why was there glass next to her in the first place?” He asked no one in particular when he enterrés t
“My daddy used to beat my mommy before that woman took me and told she’s my real mommy,” Caleb explained the best way he could. “He told me he’s not my real daddy and that my mommy sold me to him.” “Wait, wait,” Charlotte told him. She had no idea what he was talking about and the more he spoke, the more confused she became. None of what he was saying made any sense. At this point, he was just throwing the words ‘mommy’ and ‘daddy’ around. “Laura, the woman that brought you to us, she’s your mommy, isn’t she?” She asked him slowly, hoping his answers would make sense to her this time. He shook his head. “That’s what she told me and then she brought me here after,” he said. “So you had other parents before she came?” She asked and he nodded. When Charlotte realized he wouldn’t give her an understandable answer, she decided to stop asking him so that he wouldn’t confuse her more. Since Xavier had gone out to find answers, this one might be one of them. She would ask him wh
“Mommy!” Caleb squealed when he saw Charlotte and ran up to her. She carried him up and enveloped him in a tight hug. She was still not used to him calling her ‘mommy’, but hearing it was so natural and calming. Whenever she was with him, she secretly hoped something would happen to Laura or that she would say she didn’t want him again. She didn’t think she would be able to move on if he had to leave to go back to his real mother. “Did you miss me?” She asked, tickling his tummy. “Uh huh,” he replied, laughing and trying to get her hand away from him. Charlotte kissed him on the forehead and carefully set him back on his feet. She held his small hand and allowed him to lead her into the house. She had been in a sour mood after the meeting with her parents, but just a few minutes with Caleb had softened her up. Kate looked at her and smiled. With a playful frown, she nudged Caleb and asked him why he didn’t notice her. He started to laugh. “What did you do today while we were g