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SIXTEEN: The Man Outside
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2024-10-10 16:45:14Lila tried to focus on the book she was repairing, her hands gently smoothing the dampened pages as Marcus had shown her, but her mind kept drifting. The thin brush in her fingers that was meant to spread the adhesive across the edges, trembled slightly. She hadn’t slept much the night before, and the reason for her sleepless night.
It was the call.The man’s voice still lingered in her mind, haunting her. Each moment she dared to close her eyes, it threatened her, telling her that no matter where she went, he would find her. The memory made her fingers tighten around the delicate brush until the bristles bent. She forced herself to relax, but the tension refused to leave her body.“Are you alright?”Marcus’s voice snapped her back to reality. He was watching her closely, a faint frown of concern marring his usually carefree face. Lila plastered on a weak smile, trying to push the memory of the call to the back of her mind.“Yeah, I’m fine,” she replied, her voic
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Dominic lingered, his eyes soft as he watched Lila fiddle with a stack of newly arrived books. She glanced up at him, feeling the warmth of his gaze, and before she could stop herself, a small smile tugged at her lips. He had a presence about him that made the quiet moments feel comfortable, as if the space between them wasn’t empty but filled with something unspoken. “So,” Dominic started, rubbing the back of his neck, a gesture that struck Lila as slightly nervous, “I was wondering if you’d be free sometime soon… maybe to have lunch with me and the kids?” Lila blinked, pleasantly surprised by the invitation. She hadn’t expected him to reach out so soon after their dinner, and certainly not with an offer to spend more time with his children. Her heart warmed at the idea of seeing Aaron and Winnie again, especially sweet little Winnie with her chubby cheeks and wide-eyed curiosity. “I’d love to,” Lila answered, her smile growing as she imagined Winnie’s
Last Updated : 2024-10-11Tangled Destinies SEVENTEEN: Bad, Bad News
Annabelle leaned back in her plush office chair, her gaze drifting from the documents scattered on her desk to the beams of sunlight streaming through her window. She had been completely buried in work for the better part of the morning and her mind constantly whirring with figures, contracts, and meeting agendas. But the flow of numbers and corporate business faded as a soft chime from her phone caught her attention. She reached for it, her mood lightening at the thought of a distraction from all her work. A notification lit up her screen, and she smiled when she saw that it was from Lila. The message was simple but filled with a kind of wonder that made Annabelle’s heart lift. "Look what I found on my walk this morning! Isn’t it gorgeous? I think it’s a lavender field... it smells heavenly! You’d love it here. Miss you xx" Attached was a picture of a sprawling lavender field, the purple blossoms stretching far into the horizon, almost blending into the soft blue of the sky. The i
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Annabelle’s phone slipped from her fingers and fell to the floor with a sharp crack, but she barely registered the sound. All she could think of was the devastation that awaited them if Andre truly broke ties. She swallowed hard, her heart racing. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” she breathed, her hands trembling slightly. “Dad is going to kill you.” James nodded miserably, his face pale. “I know. Believe me, I know. But I don’t know what to do, Annabelle. I’ve tried everything. I’ve been going to Andre’s office every day for the past week, but he refuses to see me. His secretary won’t even let me in the building! And he’s not answering any of my calls. I’m completely shut out.” Annabelle’s anger flared, her hands balling into fists as she tried to steady herself. Her initial shock was giving way to a cold fury. “What the hell did you do, James?” she demanded, her voice sharp. “How did you manage to piss off Andre Winters, of all people?” James
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Dinner at the Robinson mansion was usually an elegant affair, that had quiet conversation and the soft clinking of silverware against fine china. But tonight, the atmosphere was far from peaceful. The tension at the table was so thick, it seemed to choke the very air. The large dining room that was usually warm with the glow of candlelight and pleasant company, felt cold tonight. Each member of the family sat in their place, the silence stretching like a taut wire, waiting for something or someone to make it snap.David, their father, sat at the head of the table, his face thunderous as he picked at his food without appetite. His dark brows were drawn low over his eyes, and a muscle ticked in his jaw. The veins on the back of his hand stood out as he gripped his fork, making no effort to engage in the meager conversation happening around him. Tonight, they were all puppets waiting to dance to the tune of the piper, and silently, each of them knew without needing to be told
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Margaret’s eyes lit up at the suggestion, clearly delighted by the idea of Rachel and James getting away from all the recent stress. “Oh, that sounds lovely, dear! Where were you thinking of going?”Rachel began to rattle off the names of expensive vacation destinations as though they were groceries on a shopping list. “Maybe Santorini or the Amalfi Coast,” she said, her eyes bright with excitement. “I’ve heard such wonderful things about both. Or perhaps the Maldives—those water villas look divine!”Annabelle, sitting quietly, looked from Rachel to James, waiting to see how he would react to the idea. Sure enough, he took the bait, his posture relaxing slightly as he finally seemed to engage with the conversation. “We’ll go wherever you want, Rach,” James said, smiling at her. His voice was more animated now, more like his usual self. “You deserve it.”At that moment, David barked out a laugh—loud and derisive, filled with more disdain than humor. The sudden sound echoe
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Margaret’s lips parted, but no words came out. The accusation struck her like a blow, and she visibly recoiled from the intensity of his words. Her eyes darted toward James, who was fidgeting in his seat, clearly caught between embarrassment and fear.David’s anger surged again, his voice rising as he slammed his fist on the table, rattling the plates and cutlery. “No son of mine,” he thundered, “could have lost the Winters contract! No son of mine would be this much of a goddamn failure!”The heat in his words, the sheer disgust in his tone, seemed to burn the air around them. The Winters contract was everything to their family’s business—an anchor, a lifeline. And now, thanks to James’s incompetence, it was slipping through their fingers.James, affronted by the attack, sat up straighter in his chair. His face flushed with a mixture of humiliation and frustration. He opened his mouth, and when he spoke, his voice came out in a whiny, defensive tone that only made thing
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Annabelle pressed on. “Winters might not take James’s calls, but he’ll take mine. And if he won’t, I’ll ambush him at his country club. I’m not going to let this contract slip away without a fight.”The room was deadly quiet again as her words settled over the table. David stood there, his chest still heaving, but the sheer force of his anger seemed to have lessened, if only marginally. His fists, which had been clenched at his sides, slowly unfurled, though the tension in his shoulders remained.For a long moment, no one spoke. David glared at Annabelle, his face still stormy, but the fire in his eyes was slowly dying down, replaced by something closer to resignation. He knew Annabelle meant business. She was the only one in the room who had both the composure and the will to fix what James had broken.Finally, with a rough, dismissive sound, David threw his napkin onto the table and turned away, stalking out of the dining room without another word. The sound of his foo
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Lila stood frozen in front of her closet, eyes darting from one dress to another, her pulse racing faster than she liked. Today was the day. Lunch with Dominic and his kids. It wasn’t as if this was a date. It wasn’t. Just lunch. Her fingers traced the hem of her dress, smoothing out invisible wrinkles.Still, her heart wasn’t getting the message. She had agreed to it so casually when he first asked, thinking it would be a nice afternoon to spend with Aaron and Winnie, but now that the moment was here, her heart hammered against her chest.She couldn’t ignore the warm feeling that had bloomed inside her when Dominic sheepishly admitted that Aaron and Winnie had been asking after her. Especially Winnie, with her sweet, cherub-like face. Lila smiled to herself, her fingers lingering over a soft, pale blue dress she hadn’t worn in a while.She snapped her hand back. What was she doing? It wasn’t a date. She didn’t need to impress anyone. And yet, the thought of sitting acro
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Annabelle slowly stirred, her body warm despite the cool morning air. She couldn’t remember the last time she felt this deeply satisfied, with contentment wrapping around her like a second skin. As she shifted, a slow ache bloomed through her body; a delicious reminder of the night before.She was sore everywhere – her arms, her thighs, her shoulders. For Pete’s sake, she was sore in places she didn’t even know one could get sore in. And it made her want to do it all over again. Her lashes fluttered open, and for a moment, she simply lay there, absorbing the quiet intimacy of the moment. The room was dimly lit with the heavy hotel curtains keeping the morning light at bay even though the sun was already risen. The sheets were tangled around her legs, cool against her skin, but it was the solid weight of the arm slung over her waist that held her still. Andre.The realization sent a ripple of surprise through her. She had expected to wake up al
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Lila’s fingers trembled as she scribbled a quick note to Marcus, her vision blurred by unshed tears.“I’m sorry, but I need to step out for a break.”She hesitated for a brief second before placing the note where she knew he would see it. As she gathered her things and slipped out of the bookstore, a cool gust of wind brushed against her damp cheeks. The streets of Sea’s Edge were quiet this afternoon, with most of its population at work. She should feel relieved that today was a slow day. Marcus wouldn’t struggle to handle the few customers that trickled in. But relief never came. Only a hollow ache in her chest as her feet carried her down the familiar path back to the cottage.Every step, her mind replayed her conversation with Dominic in excruciating detail.The moment he had asked her if they weren’t enough of a reason for her to fight. The way his expression had hardened. The hurt in his eyes when he realized she was choosing to leave rather than stay and fight for them.She pus
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Annabelle’s brows lifted, unimpressed. She folded her arms and leaned back against her chair. “Wow,” she drawled. “That’s a very serious accusation, James. Do you have any proof, or are we just throwing wild theories around now?”His jaw twitched. “Don’t play games with me. You’re the only one who cared enough about her to help her disappear. You must know something.”Annabelle exhaled through her nose, shaking her head. “You sound paranoid.”James took a step closer. “Don’t do that. Don’t act like I’m crazy.”“You are, though.” She tilted her head, a sharp glint in her eyes. “Because yesterday, you weren’t even asking about Lila. You didn’t care where she was. You weren’t checking in on the so-called search effort. But now, all of a sudden, you’re this devoted ex-husband who’s desperate to find her?”
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After a cold shower in the gym’s locker room, Annabelle towel-dried her hair, taking her time as the icy water’s effect dulled the fire simmering in her belly. She knew it wouldn’t last. Even as she dressed in a fresh set of clothes, her mind wandered. She could have sworn her body was humming. She wasn’t naive to let herself think this was about emotions or romance. No, this was about doing something for Annabelle for once, and not for the company and certainly not for the family.With her hair satisfactorily dry, she left the building, her gym bag hung on her shoulder. Sliding into her car, she pulled out her phone and quickly booked a suite at an upscale hotel. With a few taps and a confirmation email, a suite at the prestigious Meridian was booked.She deliberately chose a neutral setting, somewhere neither nor Andre could claim dominance. If she was going to have this night with him, she wanted it to be free from the weight of their family names, their business interests, their t
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Annabelle was the first to pull away, though it took every ounce of willpower she possessed to do so. Her breath came in short, uneven pants, and she could still taste Andre on her lips, still feel the firm press of his body against hers. His hands still rested on her waist, his grip firm, as if he wasn’t quite ready to let go. Maybe that was a hint he thought that she might take back what she'd just done. But Annabelle had no intention of second-guessing herself. Not this time.She placed a hand against his chest, creating a sliver of space between them, but it did nothing to cool the heat simmering in her veins.She swallowed, taking a moment to calm herself before she spoke. “We need to set some ground rules.”Andre’s fingers flexed against her waist, his thumb grazing over the damp fabric of her workout top. “Rules?” he asked. His voice was rougher than usual, less composed. It would be a lie to say she wasn’t secretly delighted in the fact that she had shaken that assured composu
