Hudson’s POV
Ximena hadn’t returned to the room since she angrily left earlier. Where the hell did she go to? And why the fuck do I care about that? Yet, I couldn’t sleep. I turned over on the bed. I sat up and sighed. That lady is just so dramatic and overbearing. Fuck! I headed out of the room. Descending downstairs, I saw Kate, one of the servants.“Good evening, Sir,” she quickly greeted and halted in her tracks, avoiding my eyes as best as she could.“Yeah, Kate. Have you seen Ximena?” I asked.Her eyes flitted from one corner of the living room to the other.“What are you searching for? I’m asking after my wife,” I groaned.“Uh, yeah, I… I saw her earlier. She was… going into Little Lady’s room,” she stuttered, fidgeting.“And who the fuck is Little Lady?” I snapped.“Um, Nevaeh. She went to Miss Nevaeh’s room,” she said. I turned and marched back upstairs.I knocked on Nevaeh’s room. No responXimena’s POVIt has been over two weeks since I started working as Hudson’s PA. I still don’t know where to begin ruining him. Whenever I tried to use something against him, my conscience beat me to it. And he hasn’t even aggravated me for a while now. Instead of fueling my anger and letting me do what I have to do to protect my family, he is making things more difficult for me.“Here you go,” Hudson had stepped out earlier only to return to my table with a cup of coffee.“Why?” I asked.“You have become my obedient and loyal PA, I should take care of you,” he said and I chuckled. “You have been working nicely over the week. Care for lunch?” he asked, smiling at me.“Hudson, what’s going on in your head now?” I asked, wiggling my eyebrows in suspicion.“I don’t know what you are talking about, Ximena,” he walked to his desk. “You have just ten minutes to be done, except you want me to change my mind about the lunch.”“Yo
Ximena’s POVI scurried into the room and sat down on the vanity stool. My chest was heaving up and down. My heart was following the irregular movement. I touched my cheeks, her ten fingers were imprinted on them. More tears trickled down my face. The caller earlier was Harper. I had to avoid her. I just hope she doesn’t think otherwise. How did Mrs Miles develop such metal hands? Or has my cheeks softened over the weeks?“Ximena?” Hudson called, entering the room. I quickly wiped away my tears and sniffed. He moved closer to me and I tried to avoid facing him as much as I could. “What’s with the attitude?” he asked.“Uh, you are welcome. I will just go freshen up and go to bed,” I said, feeling awkward. I stood up, facing the opposite side.“Ximena?” Hudson called, whirling me around to face him. “You have been crying? What happened to you?” he queried, checking my face. My heart skipped a beat.“Nothing happened to me, get done with this caring attitude,” I tried to snarl my way
Hudson’s POVI was in the office, getting ready for the presentation when Elizabeth ran into my office, startling me.“Sir,” she called, panting.“What is it, Elizabeth? Why would you barge in on me like that?” I asked, not in a harsh tone though, and stood up.“I’m sorry, Sir. It’s about Affinity Trade,” she forced out, still trying to catch her breath.“What about them?” I asked, picking up my phone and folder to go out for the presentation. “I just received a call from their client, he said he couldn’t make it today. He pleaded for a reschedule of the meeting, Sir,” she explained.“Then what? Reschedule another meeting. Simple,” I walked past her.“Sir?” she called in a shaky voice and I faced her again, ready to unleash the anger.“What is it, Elizabeth? You know I don’t like getting pissed before a presentation,” I groaned.“I know, Sir. I saw ma’am going out earlier. She claimed to have
Hudson’s POVI parked the car in the garage and looked at Ximena. She was calm, staring blankly at the windshield. “We are home,” I announced.“I am not blind yet, Hudson Miles Lucas,” she declared and stepped out of the car. With the way she was walking, I knew she was still in pain. I reached out to support her, yet she pushed me away.“I can walk,” she said and headed inside.“You have to stop being impudent. What’s wrong if a husband decides to help his wife?” I asked.“And what’s right when the so-called husband sets up his wife with another man?” she retorted. “I didn’t set you up,” I tried to defend myself.“I bet the birds will be more interested to listen to your wishy-washy defense,” she declared and walked ahead. Watching her back, we both reached inside. Mother and Eleanor were both in the living room. While Mother was moving back and forth, Eleanor was glued to her phone.“What’s wrong, Mother?” I asked, drawing her attention to us.“There she goes,” Mother groaned, tra
Ximena’s POVThe morning sun poured its golden shaft on my face. I grunted, turning to the opposite side, yet, I couldn’t sleep anymore. I sat up, yawning. I looked around the room with squinted eyes. I looked to my side and saw a silhouette of someone. I rubbed my eyes and cleared my vision. Hudson. I picked up my phone from the nightstand and my eyes popped out of their sockets. 9 AM?“Hudson?” I almost yelled, shaking him awake.“Ximena?” he jerked up, startling me. “Are you okay? Does anywhere hurt?” he asked, palpating my forehead and neck. What is wrong with him?My mouth widened when last night flashed across my mind. A bowl of water and a towel. Hudson took care of me. But why?“Get your hands off me,” I swatted his hands away. “What do you think you are doing? Cuddling me indirectly?” I snapped.“Thank God, you are still in there,” he sighed.“What’s that even supposed to mean? We are late for work already. Just
Ximena’s POVWe stood on the mountain, embracing the warmness of nature. It was beautiful. It felt like I was dominating over my haters. I was free and indomitable. With Hudson and Nevaeh beside me, I felt complete, like the whole world bows to me and not the other way around. I glanced at Hudson, our eyes met, and he took hold of my hand, making my stomach flutter.“It’s all right,” he leaned forward and whispered into my ear. Does he really understand me? Will everything truly be fine? I don’t think so.***“Whoa! Today was super awesome!” Nevaeh exclaimed as we reached upstairs. It was late in the night already and no one, not even the servants were in sight.“I’m glad you enjoyed yourselves,” Hudson smiled at his daughter. Can I ever replace his wife? Can I fill the void in his heart? Can I ever be the best mother to his precious daughter? What if I screw things up? What if I lose everything? Is falling in love with Hudson w
Ximena’s POV“Damn it!” I slammed the closet door out of anger. Nothing was inside. I searched everywhere: the drawers, the desk, the nightstand, and even the bed. Nothing. Abso-bloody-lutely nothing. I stood in the middle of the room, my heart racing like a racecar. I was steeped in my own sweat. Something clicked in my head. One more place to rummage. I shot to the vanity table, pulling open all its drawers and rummaging through it.“What are you looking for?” Hudson asked instantly, making my spirit jump out of me. I jerked up to my feet, looking for a hole to bury myself. Has he seen through the picture? Has he found out I was about to betray him? What will he do to me? Last night, I lied my way out of his interrogation.“I…I was just,” I stuttered. My brain was just void of any lie.“Looking for this?” he asked, showing me one of my mother’s stuff in my possession; a necklace. You are just amazing, dear God.“Oh, my days! I
Ximena’s POVI was still speechless. Riding with Hudson, I constantly glanced at him. Was he joking earlier? He fell in love with me? But that’s nearly impossible. I made sure to display a maniacal attitude just to avoid that.“Are you alright, sweetheart?” Hudson asked.“Pull over, Hudson!” I almost yelled. Abruptly, the car came to a halt.“What is it?” he asked, sounding… nervous.“Are you seeing her?” I asked in a brittle tone, fidgeting.“Her? Who is her?” he asked confused.“Your… your wife. Do you still see her?”“What are you talking about?”“You have been acting strange for a while. Did she suddenly start appearing to you? Why are you seeing her through me?” tears streamed down my cheeks. This is going to ruin my life.“Ximena, are you losing your mind?” Hudson whispered, palpating my head.“I am losing my mind, Hudson,” I owned up to it. “You are making me lose my mind. Just
Ximena/Angela’s POVIt’s been a year since all the incidents. Life has become more peaceful ever since. To Hudson, Morris and Alexa were our last enemies. They had masterminded Hudson’s confiscated goods and his arrest.I lost my supposed father to liver cancer a few months ago. I thought I was going to hate him forever for what he did to my mom and aunt, but as he battled with his own life, I had to let it go. I showed him how much I cared about him being my father; I wanted him to die a peaceful and happy death.My siblings, Remi and Ryan, have been wonderfully sweet. They loved me like we had known each other since childhood. I bet their mother must be one of a kind. I know some stepmothers can be a pain in the ass; I’m glad she wasn’t, even though I never met her. As for Nevaeh, she went for her master's alongside Remi and Ryan. They have been moving on well ever since.I have never been so fulfilled in my life.“Be careful,” I told Tristan, who was supportin
Nevaeh’s POVI knocked on the door, and Alexa opened it, her eyes flashing with evil as usual. I was holding a baby. They had wanted me to bring Raven to them. They intended to use her as bait to get whatever they wanted from my dad. I believed everything they said, so I obeyed them.“Welcome, sweetheart,” she grinned, leading me inside. “I thought you weren’t going to do it,” she said.“She has the Miles Lucas blood flowing through her veins; she couldn’t have gone against what would benefit her,” Morris said, standing up and walking toward me.“You said I was adopted,” I said, stepping back from him. “How do I suddenly have the blood of Miles Lucas running through my veins?”“You were raised by Hudson, so you must have inherited something from him,” he smiled, reaching out to take the baby from me.I stepped back. “What do you want to do with her?” I asked, my chest heaving.“Give him the baby, Nevaeh!” Alexa demanded, her voice tightening.“Not unt
Ximena/Angela’s POVI paced back and forth in the living room, my heart pounding in my chest. Rita’s number wasn’t going through, and Raven was missing from the house. I strongly believed Rita didn’t go out with her; she had never done that, but others said she might have, so we’ve been waiting for her.“Just calm down, Ma’am. She’ll be back soon,” Penelope said.“For how long? She’s been out for almost an hour, and her line isn’t reachable. I hope it’s not what I’m thinking,” I said, both anger and fear exploding within me.“Mommy?” Tristan called, entering the living room. “What’s wrong?” he wrote on his tablet.“Nothing, baby. Just go freshen up and change,” I told him, and he nodded, running upstairs.“What’s the matter, Angela? You sounded so urgent,” Hudson said as he rushed into the house. I was so scared I had to call him.“My baby is missing, Hudson. Someone took my child.”“How is that possible? We have security men in the house. Who took he
Nevaeh’s POVI was driving to their place when a car swerved into my path. I pressed down on the brake abruptly, lunging forward. “Shit,” I muttered under my breath. I was ready to go scream the person’s head off when I saw Ryan stepping out of the car. He walked up to me, knocking on the window. I slid down the window, glaring at him.“Hey, psycho. What’s up?”“Have you lost your mind, scum?” I groaned.“I was looking forward to that,” he smiled, leaning on the window. “I was bored at home, so I decided to come have some fun with you. Can we go out?”“Get your bloody hands off my car!” I yelled.“Should we go in my car or yours?” he winked at me. “I promise it will be fun.”I clenched my fists, my chest heaving with anger. Zoe’s call came in at the same time. “He likes you, Nev, give him a chance,” Zoe said.“You set this up?”“If he betrays you, I will be the first to kill him. Have fun,” she said, hanging up.“Bar or park?” Ryan asked, maki
Nevaeh’s POV I stormed into my room, slamming the door. I grunted, swiping my makeup box off the vanity table. Everything he said was true. All they want to do is hurt me. How can she mingle with my enemy? How dare she? “I hate you all!” I yelled, kicking the bed. I was seated on the bed, my head in my palms when someone knocked on the door. “Can I come in, please?” Angela said. I didn’t answer, but she entered. “Can we talk, please?” she asked. “Get out of my room!” I snapped, lifting my bloodshot eyes to her. “Just listen to me, Nevaeh. I won’t take much of your time,” she said, moving closer. She came to sit beside me. “Uh, I know you don’t want to see me and my kids in your dad’s house; we have made plans to leave. You don’t even have to accept me as Ximena. Forget I ever told you that; you can see me as Angela only, nothing more. I just want you to return to being the loving Nevaeh I used to know. Remember that we all love you,
Ximena/Angela’s POVThe revelation of me being Ximena didn’t settle well with Nevaeh. Instead of being happy that she finally had me back, she chose to be scared of the possibility. It has been over a month now, but the more she looked at Ximena’s picture, the more she doubted the possibility of me being her.“Hey, girl. How was your night?” I asked, setting the table. “I prepared your favorite.”“Ximena never cooked,” she declared, heading out.“Nevaeh, please,” I hurried to block her path. “I didn’t tell you the story to distance yourself from me. I thought it was necessary for me to be transparent. Besides, my intention was for you to learn from my story; to know that you can forgive Fred and be happy again. If you don’t want us to stay, we will go. Just stop making it awkward,” I said.“Then leave,” she said coldly, brushing past me.I stood frozen, unable to believe my ears. I knew she had been acting weird for a while, and I thought it was because of he
Nevaeh’s POVI headed out of my room with Angela. I was going to see Zoe for our little discussion. “Don’t do anything you will regret, Nevaeh, please,” Angela said.“I’m already regretting a lot,” I replied.“Where are you headed?” my dad asked as he approached.“I’ll see you later, Angela,” I ignored my dad and walked out.“I’m talking to you, young lady. Why are you ignoring me?” he grabbed my hand, pulling me back.“Let go of me!” I groaned, pulling my hand away from him. “Everything is your fault. If you had allowed me to go with Fred to Australia, this wouldn’t have happened. You’re always ruining my happiness,” I confronted him angrily.“Don’t talk to your dad like that, Nevaeh,” Angela interjected.“The sooner you stop taking his side, the better for us,” I declared and stormed out of the house.***I met Zoe at her house. Her parents were out, and she was in the living room, watching TV and eating popcorn. I went straight to the bar, poured myself a glass of liquor, and retur
Nevaeh’s POV The moment Fred opened the door, my heart skipped a beat. It had been a while, and I still felt this way. Without thinking, I embraced him. “I missed you,” I said, my voice low and uncertain. He pulled away. “We need to talk,” he said coldly, walking back into the living room. I followed suit, my heart still beating faster. “I didn’t know you got a new house,” I said, sitting on the couch as he sat down too. “Without wasting much of your time, Nevaeh,” he began, my throat knotted. This wasn’t the same Fred I used to know. He would never speak coldly to me. “Won’t you at least offer me something? Is that how to welcome your girlfriend?” I asked, tilting my head. He tapped his foot for over a minute before standing up and returning with a glass of red wine. I collected it from him and took a sip. “I didn’t like the attitude you pulled out there, Nevaeh,” he said. “Why would you start a fight at someone’s birthday party? I was
Ximena/Angela’s POVI couldn’t believe Nevaeh could be this naïve and gullible. How could she trust that bastard so much to love him like this? After crying so much, she dozed off, and I returned to the living room. I didn’t find Hudson there, so I thought he had gone to bed. I turned off the TV and sank into the couch, relaxing my head against the headrest.“How is she?” Hudson asked suddenly, startling me. I gasped, looking at him. He sat beside me, holding out a glass of water.“Thank you,” I collected the water from him, taking a sip. “She’s asleep now,” I informed him.“Do you know who the guy is?” he asked, crossing his legs and facing me.“Of course. It’s the same Frederick, her childhood friend,” I replied.“Frederick Archer?” he asked, and I nodded.“Frederick has been away for so long. How could she still harbor feelings for him? Besides, they were just teenagers when they separated.”“Love doesn’t kno