~~~LANCE'S POV~~~Standing in the middle of the room, I watched Maya walk arm in arm with Kingsley. My heart caught in my throat as her radiant smile shone brighter than I'd seen in years and If memory serves me right, the last time I saw that smile on her face was on our wedding day, as she walked down the aisle.That smile used to be only for me but now, seeing it directed at another man sent waves of conflicting emotions through me.I could barely describe how I felt right now. But I was damn sure the unending pain in my chest was from heartbreak. Now I wished I'd never come here as I realized the reaskn why he'd sent me the invitation card in the first place Yesterday, I got a personal invitation from Kingsley Bane's secretary, saying he was moved by the advice I gave him that other day and wanted me here today.Now, with all this I was seeing, I knew he'd planned it all. I already guessed he must've also known about Maya and me since our last chat in the restroom but telling me
I stepped out of the bathroom, the towel hanging loosely around my neck as I rubbed my damp hair. The cool air hit my skin, but my attention was quickly drawn to the figure sitting on the edge of the bed with her gaze fixed on me. It was Maya.At first, her mouth was wide open, taking in every inch of my body and I wondered if this was the first time she had ever seen a man in just a towel. But when she met my eyes, her attention snapped back to reality and she quickly lowered her head.Now, she looked a bit nervous, her hands fidgeting with the hem of the red nightgown she wore.Oh, fuck! Not this, Morgan.My fist clenched around the towel as I recognized the nightgown and I didn’t even need to be told as it was obvious that it didn’t belong to her.The night wear she was wearing was too tight, pressing against her body and she seemed to be struggling to breathe comfortably in it. If I could remember correctly, his red gown belonged to Ashley as I was the one who personally bought i
I pulled back immediately as I was completely stunned by her words. “Your first time?” I asked again, my voice barely a whisper as I wasn’t really sure if I had heard her right.Maya nodded her head gently, confirming my question and I could see her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. Slowly, she turned under me and grabbed the duvet, trying to cover herself while I stared at her in disbelief, struggling to process her confession again and again.Virgins? In this day and age? I didn’t even meet Ashley as one so meeting her as one was quite a surprise. It seemed almost unreal. Fuck! Why are there so many innocent thing about her? She's really one rare girl.Now, I didn’t even know what to do as a part of me thought I should stop and back off from the innocent soul that was right in front of me and the other part of me really do want her.But I didn't think I could be gentle with her especially being her first time. I was sure this would create a bad memories for her, so I decided
~~~MAYA'S POV~~~~I stood in the grand hall with many faces all around me, each one was a testament to the power and influence of the Roderigo name. With a bright smile on my face with my hand rested lightly on my chest, I bowed my head slightly to another guest.Suddenly, I felt the presence of someome by my side and on turning, it was my mom, who also had a bright smile on her face. She wrapped her hamd around my arm, as we surveyed the room together."Congratulations, my dear," she said, her voice low and proud. “You've done well."“It's all thanks to you, Mother. And also father." I replied, not feeling any gratitude in my tone and she stopped at her track which also made me also but her hand was still wrapped around my arm.Then her gaze scanned the room, sweeping over the politicians, celebrities and business moguls who had flocked here to witness the joining of two powerful families in LA.“Maya," she began, her eyes scanning the crowd, "I want you to know that I've never regr
I stood at the top of the grand staircase, watching fancy cars pull up to the mansion. My hands were clenched tight, and my heart pounded so hard that I thought it might burst out of my chest at any moment. But I knew I had to keep it together because today, I'd be in the hot seat for sure. The news had already caused so much trouble that the whole Roderigo family flew back to LA for an emergency meeting. The funniest part was that none of them was available for my engagement party claiming they are too busy and would make it to the wedding but here they were, finally seeing something to nag about. Mom was still in a coma since yesterday, and I was still scared to death she that something might go wrong with her. This shock must've been too much for her to handle. I let out a heavy sigh. I knew the family coming together would solve everything but I was sure that my cousins would definitely attack me first, trying to pin the blame on me. That's how they always are as we never r
As I finished, there was a complete silent and I could see a tug of smile at the corner of my father's face. Each them looked at themselves like they were having a silent conversation while I slowly sat back down as I was determined not to show any sign of weaknesses.Aunt Melissa cleared her throat, breaking the tense silence that followed my outburst. "Maya's right," she admitted, her voice soft but firm. "We've all become complacent, thinking our position was unassailable as we are all feared by many because of our power and connections but we never imagined someone would be brave enough to challenge us like this.”Uncle Edward cleared his throat. " And I’ll say whoever did this is pretty gutsy. But that doesn't change the fact that we need to act now. I've already sent warnings to every major broadcasting station. The story's been pulled, but the damage is done.""Pulled? That's not enough!" Adrian slammed his fist on the table. "We need to bury this story and whoever did this so
I stood next to the door of the private ward, watching my mom on the bed as she was surrounded by cameras and reporters.Mom woke up a couple of hours after the family meeting and immediately agreed to do the live session and clear the air about everything that was going on around.As she started talking about what really happened back then, my heart felt like it was going to burst at how emotional the story was. She really went through a lot both in her family and with her in-laws' family, and I knew that she didn't deserve this.Mom looked so small and fragile, but her voice was strong. I couldn't help but think she was the best mother in the world who would do anything for the sake of her own child.I wasn't of age back then to witness what had happened, but mom always narrated her ordeal to me ever since I was a kid, always telling me how precious I was to them.To some wealthy families, marriage is nothing but a business alliance, but in my parents' case, it was different as it
I didn't want his call or his text because what I wanted was his attention and him by my side, but he seemed too busy for that.Finally, he cleared his throat."Maya, I... I'm really sorry I wasn't there for you when all this news went viral. I knew I should have been by your side."I cut him off, "It's fine, Kingsley," I said, even though it wasn't really... but what else could I say? I was always the one that had the lower hand and too much to lose if everything went the wrong way while he could easily brush it off."Have you found the person who leaked it?""Carlos is on the warpath. He's hunting down whoever posted it. It's just... it's a mess.""Is there anything I can do to help?" Kingsley asked, his voice soft.I shook my head. "It's under control now. Well, as much as it can be."Another silence fell between us and I could feel the tension building between us, like a rubber band being stretched too tight and I nervously shifted my attention to the kids that were running around