Like seriously, how am I going to sort this out? I doubt she’d stop until she completely ruins me.Henry asked, "But do you really know this woman? You're not the type to make mistakes with women as I've never even seen you give any woman attention apart from your wives..." I frowned. "No, I mean wife."But what he said was true. Despite meeting many women in the business world and sharing my contact with them, I had never for once cheated outside my marriage with Maya or Ashley. When I was still married to Maya, I never thought of any other woman. Even the Ashley I claimed to be in love with, I hardly remembered her unless I saw her in an advert or on a billboard. But it was different with my marriage to Ashley as there wasn't a single day that I didn't regret marrying her.Thanks to Ashley, I learned the difference between a good wife and a bad one. Ashley was the opposite of Maya and I realised that It's always better to marry a woman who loves you more than you love her, rather t
~~KINGLSEY'S POV~~As I stepped out of the car and entered the company's glass doors, the usual routine greeted me: people bowing their heads slightly in deference. But my attention was totally elsewhere as a fire of rage was already burning within me.With one hand in my pocket and the other clutching my iPad, my gaze was fixed on a picture that made my blood boil.Right now, I was seeing the image of Maya kissing the very man who had torn her clothes at the party last time—her ex-husband.I knew that guy seemed familiar when I first saw him at the party, but I wasn’t able to recognize him immediately because of how tense thing we're at that moment. It was after the party that I checked his picture again and remembered that he was Maya's ex-husband.My grip tightened on the device as I stared at the two of them together, with the guy's hand all over her. Seeing them together makes me angry as I had thought Maya had cut all ties with him after everything that he had done to her, but s
As soon as my car stopped, Maya emerged from her vehicle, walking towards mine. She wore a turquoise blue long gown that hugged her curves, her long wavy dark brown hair flowing behind her as she moved with a sensual grace.She looked quite stunning, especially her long wavy hair. Back then, Maya used to have a short, shoulder-length cut with bangs as she always claim she didn't have time to maintain long hair and I was very surprised when she told me she was growing it out three years ago..As Almond saw her approaching, he quickly got out and opened the door for her. “ Thanks.”Maya slid in and the car zoomed off again.As she adjusted in her seat, I arched my brow at her, silently asking why her car was parked on the side of road with her secretary standing like a statue.Noticing my expression, Maya answered, "Seriously? Can you just stop looking at me like that? I just thought it would be nice if we arrived together. That's why I stopped here, waiting for you.""You could have
I hesitated for a second looking at the handkerchief he stretched to me, then chuckle at his bold action. "Thanks," I said, taking the cloth from him.As I was drying my hands, he spoke up again. " Is that your fiancé? She looked beautiful in her wedding dress. Was it a love marriage? Because that's what's common this days."As I heard that, my hands stops moving and my grip on the handkerchief tighted, my knuckles turning white.I knew what he was trying to say but the reason why he would Intentionally came her and try to provoke me with his presence here, was something I had no idea of.But seeing him like this, with the expression on his face, I did know one thing; the guy before me had no idea that I knew about his shitty past with the woman I was getting married to and just trying to get some shit out of me.But two can play at this game. I forced a smile onto my face. “Oh yeah, we've been in love since childhood and been stucked together for a while. Soulmates, you might say.
The car stopped at the edge of the old forest path near our penthouse, which wasn’t far from where we were. As Maya and I got out if the car, I told the driver and Almond to stay behind while Maya and I walked to the spot where we buried the time capsule. Back then, we wrote a message to our future self and I didn't really think I remembered what I wrote again as it's been years already. We reached the giant oak tree in Whispering Meadows, the one we used to call our "Secret Fortress”; we named everything here and Maya’s face lit up with a mix of excitement and nostalgia as she searched for the exact spot where we buried it while I just stood still, watching her. "I can’t believe our old hideout is still here after all these years because I remember your dad saying he wanted to turn it into a resort." “That’s true, but that's back then because now…I own it,” I replied, feeling proud as I recalled what I went through to acquire this place, filled with so many good memories. “R
~~MAYA'S POV~~The color drained from my face as Kingsley mentioned Lance's name. I had no idea that Kingsley knew about my marriage to Lance all those years ago, and never once had he called me or even met me.When I went to Italy and pretended to have lost contact with him, I found it hard to believe that he would just accept that so easily without even doubting my words."But... how...?" I stammered, my voice barely above a whisper."I have my ways, but that's not important right now. What's important is that you should be honest with yourself... and with me, for once. So, do you still have feelings for him or not?" Now that I thought about it, it seemed quite weird for the Bane family not to have found out if I was actually in Italy or not in all those years I was married to Lance. And with the way Kingsley knew about him, it seemed like he was the one who had been helping me and hiding it from his parents."I understand your silence more than you think. Your heart... it's not wi
I stared at my reflection in the mirror, trying to calm my happiness down. A smile spread across my face as my mind drifted off to my conversation with Kingsley at the penthouse the other day.Finally, everything was now falling into place. We are having our engagement party in two days and getting married a week after. Soon, Bella would call me "mommy" for the first time in my life; something I had been dreaming of since the day she was taken from me. This was the best thing that had ever happened to me as I never even thought this day would come so fast. But thinking about her now, my fingers trembled as I fastened the clasp of my necklace and I imagined Bella's expression when I confessed everything to her.I knew Bella might hate me for a while once she learned the truth as I had already planned to tell her once we were ready to adopt her. But I just hoped that she would forgive me and understand that I only wanted to protect her as I couldn’t bear the thought of her being take
Arriving at the venue, the red carpet stretched out before me like a shiny ribbon as my car door opened. Immediately I was spotted, reporters attention was now directed onto me and they all swarmed around me.The flash of their cameras was blinding, and their shouts as they rushed at me were deafening.But through it all, I plastered on my best smile as i mentally told myself, "It's okay, I can do this.""Miss Roderigo! Miss Roderigo! Over here!""Miss Roderigo, a moment of your time!""Miss Roderigo, how does it feel to enter the celebrity world with your images all around the countries?"Many questions were thrown at me at once and I took a deep breath, trying to remember each one. Turning to the reporter who asked how it felt to enter the celebrity world, I responded."It's surreal," I said in a steady voice. "I feel like a bird that's been let out of the cage it had been living in. Seeing my name and images everywhere is surreal and amazing and I'm particularly grateful to NEXT Em
His words hit like a slap, but I refused to falter as I didn't regret the decision I had made. I straightened my shoulders and met his cold stare. “I never said I wasn’t part of this family, Dad. I’m still your daughter and I will always be. But it's just that I’ve chosen not to follow your rules blindly anymore. That doesn’t make me any less a Roderigo.” “And yet, you dare to lecture me about the company I keep? Or about what my brother has done?” His voice dropped dangerously low. “You, who abandoned us? Atleast he's still with us ” “Abandoned?” I repeated, my voice trembling with anger. “I stood up for myself after you forced your decision on me. For once, I chose to live on my own terms, and if that offends you, so be it. But seeing you laugh and drink with the man who almost destroyed you..almost took away what belonged to you while calling himself your brother—don’t you see how hypocritical that is?” “Maya, stop,” Mom whispered, tugging at my arm gently. “Please.” But I
As the nurse entered Mia's ward, I quickly rushed after her, feeling the heat rushing to my face. My cheeks burned like wildfire, and I clenched my fists as I stormed into Mia’s ward, slamming the door shut behind me. Leaning against the door, I pressed my back against the cool wood, my chest heaving. What the fuck did I just do? Are you insane? He's your ex, how could you even think of doing that?I squeezed my eyes shut, willing myself to calm down, but it was useless. The memory of his lips on mine, the way he held me so firmly, the warmth of his breath—it all came rushing back. I raised my fingers to my lips, brushing over them lightly. They still tingled, and I hated it. Butterflies swirled in my stomach, making me feel both nauseous and... something else I didn’t want to name. And then suddenly, I felt the weight of several gazes on me, only to open my eyes and see Mia, Bella, and the nurse all staring at me. Their expressions ranged from confusion to amusement, and I ins
But I finally managed to mutter, “Oh. Well, that’s... quite unfortunate. I actually thought you and Ashley were a match made in heaven, and this is… really sad.” He let out a soft chuckle. “No, it wasn't sad, and we are not a good match. Ever since I lost a match made in heaven, I lost my entire life. And now… I want it all back. Everything.” His eyes didn’t leave mine, as though searching for something more—for me to say something. But I couldn’t find anything to say. “Is that all you have to say?” He asked.“Yes, it is. Do you want me to say something else?” My tone was sharp, each word a deliberate dagger. “I thought you’d be happy about it… I thought you’d be… you know, fine that I got what I deserved.” He’s right. I was supposed to be happy seeing them broken apart and losing everything. But now… I really didn’t feel much. I felt like I had done too much damage to him, more than he deserved, and I couldn’t even bring myself to look at him properly. But I still didn’t wa
***MAYA'S POV***"And then the tortoise said to his wife, 'If anyone comes looking for me, tell them I’m not around as I have no money to give to them,' Bella began, her small hands emphasizing the words as she read aloud."So, the tortoise hid. But minutes later, a man arrived and asked the wife, ‘Is your husband home?’ The wife replied, ‘Oh, he’s traveled far, and I doubt he’ll ever return back to this house.’ Then the man sighed and said, ‘That’s unfortunate. I came to repay a debt I owe him, but since he’s not here, I’ll keep the money.’Bella paused dramatically, leaning closer as if sharing a secret. "Hearing this, the tortoise shouted from his hiding place, ‘Wait! I’m home!’ He rushed out from his hiding place to collect the money but on seeing the man, the tortoise's smile faded as the man was actually one of his debtors.” Mia and I couldn’t help but smile as Bella acted out each character with exaggerated expressions. Her eyes sparkled with mischief as she giggled, clearly
***ASHLEY'S POV***I never imagined it would end like this—a quiet, heart-wrenching conclusion where we walked away from each other for good. When I decided to step back into Lance’s life six years ago, I was determined never to let him go, never to let anyone take him from me again. But now… it’s over. Standing on the courthouse steps, I watched his figure retreating, growing smaller with each step he took down the stairs. The crisp autumn air bit at my skin, but the cold I felt ran deeper. It wasn’t the chill of the weather—it was the weight of everything that had just happened. The closure I thought I wanted had left me feeling emptier than I ever imagined. The divorce was final. The court had granted it without a fight. Lance had surprised me by agreeing to sign the papers, though he made it clear I wouldn’t get a cent of his property. I didn’t care. I never wanted anything from him but this divorce… even if getting it meant resorting to things I never thought I’d be capable of
****FLASHBACKS****The classroom was bathed in the golden hues of the setting sun, shadows stretching long across the floor. My lips brushed Lysol's owe last time, the moment abruptly shattered by the door bursting open and we both flinched apart.“Maya!” I barked, my heart leaping into my throat. Relief washed over me when I saw her standing there, smirking. For a brief moment, I thought it was a teacher or someone who could ruin everything.“What?” she drawled, leaning against the doorframe with a smug grin. “Relax, it’s just me.” She turned to Lysol with a playful tilt of her head. “Hi, handsome.”Lysol flushed, offering her a small smile. “Hi, Maya and congratulations on your graduation.” Today was actually the day we’re graduating from highschool. Others were outside celebrating but I prefer being here.“Same to you,” she replied breezily.Lysol turned to me, his smile softening. “I’ll see you later, Kingsley,” he murmured, slipping past Maya and out the door.As the door click
****KINGSLEY'S POV****“Here.” Lysol’s voice broke through my thoughts as he pressed a cool glass of wine into my hand. I looked up, meeting his gaze. His almond-shaped eyes, a shade of hazel that shimmer with flecks of gold, searching mine as though he could see the storm raging inside me.“Thanks,” I murmured, taking a sip. The wine burned sweetly, its warmth settling in my chest, but it wasn’t enough to distract me from the weight pressing on my shoulders.We stood side by side at the balcony, wrapped in bathrobes as we just showered together not long. The desert landscape stretched endlessly before us, a perfect hideous for us meeting secretly. Well, he does come to my house a few times but we have many eyes around us and that was why we chose here.The silence between us was heavy, broken only by the faint whisper of the wind. Lysol’s hand brushed against mine, and before I could react, he leaned in, capturing my lips in a soft kiss. It was grounding, familiar, and fleeting—just
“Ashley,” I hissed through clenched teeth, “I promise you, if I find you, you will regret this.”Then her tone changed and she bursted into a heavy laughter. ““Oh, sweetheart,” she cooed, dripping with malice. “I’ve had enough of this charade, so let me spell it out for you since you seem too dense to grasp the situation. You cheated on me, Lance. I found out. I even have pictures of your little escapades—pictures you’d never want anyone else to see.”My chest tightened. “Ashley…”She cut me off with an evil chuckle. “Since you refused to settle this amicably, I’ve decided to hit you where it hurts. I’ll be filing for divorce—and demanding half of your property as compensation. So get ready, darling. You’ll be splitting everything in two.And sweetheart, you’ll see the divorce paper in the bedroom once you get home. I'll see you in a few days at the court.”Her words sounds like a kids bed night story and I could not help but laugh.. “You think I’m going to let you take half of what I
***LANCE'S POV***I woke up to a pounding headache, the kind that felt like someone was jackhammering against the inside of my skull. A soft groan escaped my lips, as I clutched my head with both hands, trying to will the pain away. The world felt off-kilter, like I was trapped in some twisted dream, and it took what felt like an eternity for my senses to clear. After some minutes, I felt a little but relief and I slowly rolled onto my back, my gaze locking onto the ceiling above. A faint crack in the plaster caught my eye—a detail that only deepened the gnawing unease in my chest. I sighned in anger as the memory crashed into me like a tidal wave: the dining table, the satisfying smirk on her face, and the humiliation that had burned me from the inside out. "That bitch," I muttered, the words laced with venom as I swung my legs over the side of the bed. My feet hit the cold floor, grounding me, but my head still felt like it was stuffed with cotton. I rubbed my temples wonderi