Ayla MarigoldI stood unmoving, my glistening burning eyes fixed on the text on my husband's phone screen. My left hand squeezed the pregnancy test kit in my palazo pants pocket, while I picked up the phone with my right hand.'Got home safely? I miss that dick already.' The clear words had my stomach churning, nausea rising up my throat. 'I swear I can't feel my legs.' Another one followed, making my trachea squeeze up."Oh god," I whispered in the empty bedroom, closing my eyes briefly. Every part of my body went on pause, my brain working to make a new connection. I could feel my head becoming heavy, so I leaned on the side of the headboard to steady myself. Just then my husband stepped out of the bathroom, a towel around his waist. I gulped, my mind already painting a picture of him on top of another woman, pleasuring her. My hand trembled, attracting his eyes which fell on his phone in my hand. "What are you doing with my phone?" His voice was low as he approached, eyes burni
Chapter 2AylaI woke up to a series of doorbell rings, the sound worsening the thrumming headache behind my temples."Aaargh," I groaned, the repeated ding-dong sound getting on my nerves. I stumbled out of bed, brushing my hands over my heavy eye-lids. My legs were still weak and my head was spinning but I pushed myself downstairs."I'm coming," I weakly shouted over another bell ring, rubbing my temples. "Jesus Christ Ayla, what the fuck took you so long?" Roman's stepbrother stopped pacing seconds after I opened the door, looking at his wristwatch."What the hell Kaleb! This better be important," I responded, closing my eyes when the light had me feeling like someone was forcing stick hot needles inside them."Is this how you welcome me after months of not seeing me?" he mocked, while I rolled my eyes. He had been in another city, where he had established a new company and was required to stay there until it was stable. It was safe to say that I hadn't been around him much, so
Ayla"Please pick up," I muttered, tapping my foot on the rug in the living room, waiting for my best friend Danica to answer the phone. My mind was saturated from hours of thinking about Roman bringing another woman, that I really needed Danica's help. It took me long to finally decide to call her, because she was pregnant for her long time boyfriend and I didn't want to stress her. "The soup is ready honey. Do you want it here or at the dining?" Marise our nanny asked."I tol-"The sound of the front door stopped me mid-sentence, followed by the sound of high-heels on the tiles. I held my breath, realizing that Roman was not joking when he said he was going to bring home his woman. I hardly had time to react when they rounded the hallway, stepping inside the living room."Danica?" I stood up, my eyes falling on Roman's arm around my bestfriend's waist. I let out a forceful breath, an uncontrollable shudder sweeping through my entire body.I wanted to believe that she had been on h
Kaleb I couldn't stop thinking about Ayla's reaction when I pinned her against the wall, as I drove to the family mansion. Since Roman had ignored my calls the entire day and could not find him in the office, I was going to confront him at home. The fucker had taken millions out of the company's account without any explanation however, an action that was dangerous to the company's progress. 'Will I see her?' I thought, shaking my head to stop thinking about my step-brother's wife in that manner. I could still feel a shudder running down my spine when she wiggled her body against mine. I wished I could hear her breath hitch again, as I whispered against her ear. She had gotten me so mad when she tried equating me to my fucked up step-brother. Despite that, her outburst and her foul mouth had also awakened feelings that I couldn't describe. "Fuck!" I hit the break, the near hit on a homeless girl in the middle of the road pulling me out of my thoughts. She stood unfazed by the s
AylaThe smell of coffee, sausages and baked bread wafted into my nose, making my stomach lurch. My eyes were still closed, but I was aware of my surroundings, including light steps towards the king size bed. I turned, then opened my eyes, coming face to face with Kaleb, with a tray of breakfast in his hands."Good morning Ayla, I hope I didn't wake you up." Kaleb placed the tray on the bedside table."I was," I paused, letting out a cough when my throat burned."I was already up. Good morning." I forced a smile at him as he opened a mini-fridge beside the bedside table. There was nothing good about the morning, just pain, my frail body, nausea and a saturated mind. "Here, take this first." He opened a sealed bottle of cold water from the refrigerator, then handed it to me. I gladly chugged the water in large gulps, closing my eyes as the cold liquid soothed my parched throat. "Thank you," I placed the bottle on the table."I didn't know what you'd love for breakfast so I made coffe
Ayla"Is this how your dead mother taught you how to make chicken fried rice?" Catarina spat, dropping her spoon on the glass dining table with a clink. I ground my teeth, her words making me want to force the food down her throat, and bash her face on the table. It was one thing insulting me, but bringing my mother into the mix was entirely a different one."Get back in that kitchen and make me something else!" She ordered, throwing her napkin at me, pinning her cold gaze at me."What's wrong with this one?" I asked, holding her gaze with my chin tilted upwards."Excuse me!" She squinted her eyes, pushing her chair backward with force as she stood."How dare you talk back at me?" I ground my teeth together, with my mouth sealed shut."Mom?" Danica's voice drifted into the luxurious dining room. Even though it had just been a week, the two seemed to have just clicked. Catarina pampered Nika every time, a treatment she hadn't accorded to me as her son's wife."Hey honey," Catarina repl
AylaI stood against the door of my small servant quarters space, my heart pounding, still reeling from the shock of my husband's words. "I can't believe you'd stoop so low as far as faking a pregnancy for pity."My head span, making me slide against the door and onto the cold floor, despite my aching joints and muscles. I clenched my fists, nails digging into my palms as a boiling feeling envoloped me. How could Roman think I was lying about his own child? Instead of hope and love, all he had subjected me to was rejection and insults."Why would you do this to me, Roman?" I whispered, the tugging chest in my pain making me close my eyes tightly.I remembered our wedding day, my trembling lips spreading into a painful smile. My mind pushed one memory after another, each one of them making my eyes burn. Though blurry, I stared at the ring on my finger, a choking sound coming out of my throat. To me it meant everything, but to Roman it was just like any other simple jewelry. Wasn't ther
Kaleb"Absolutely not! Are you out of your mind, Kaleb?" My mom shouted, placing her glass of wine on the oak table."What is wrong with you?" Roman asked, unwrapping his hand from Danica's ugly back. They were in the backyard, enjoying their Sunday, chatting and giggling while Ayla was running up and down serving them and running every errand they wanted."Ayla cannot and will not work as your secretary. She is not going to stop being a maid in this house," my mom spat, while I remained standing unfazed, my hands comfortably pocketed in my pants."She's facing the consequences of being a gold digger," Danica chimed in, chewing her ball gum loudly with her mouth open. I knew something about her was wrong when I met her for the first time before the wedding."Who asked you to talk? This is a family issue; shut up." I dismissed her, letting my lips stretch into a short smirk when her jaw dropped down."Don't talk to her like that; she's carrying my child; she's family," Roman defended,
KalebTwo weeks after Ayla had seen her brother with Danica, none of us had made a point to tell Roman. If anything, he deserved to be kept in the dark about Danica's extramarital affairs, just as he had done to Ayla. To some extent, he was getting what he truly deserved—a cheating fake wife.Seated in a high-end restaurant for dinner, I stared at my phone for the umpteenth time, holding it under the table, like I had been for two weeks. On the screen was Amanda's picture holding a roughly four- to almost-five-year-old boy. The caption under the picture in her chat was clear as day, written, 'Meet your son, Kaleb.' It was the same picture she had sent when Dean discovered that Ayla's phone was tapped."You seem distracted; is everything okay?" Ayla asked, making me snap my head up."Who, me?" I hesitated, hurrying to pick up the fork from my barely eaten food."Yes, for the last two weeks all you do is stare into space, barely finish your food, or even get work done in the office," sh
Ayla I bolted out of the vehicle faster than Kaleb could stop me, my emotions pushing me forward faster than I could think. My heart pounded in my chest, but I didn’t care. Nothing mattered in that moment except getting closer to them—Arnold, my brother, and Danica, my former best friend. The two people at some point I thought I could trust more than anyone. They froze when they saw me, their argument dissolving into tense silence. I blinked rapidly, half convinced that my eyes were deceiving me, but how could I forget how my own brother looked? "Arnold?" I whispered in a thick barely audible voice, my steps faltering in front of them. "Ayla," he muttered, his gaze darting everywhere but at me. After years of silence, you’d think he’d at least look happy to see me. I didn’t know what to do first—hug him, slap him, or scream. Memories of surviving alone after our parents died and Uncle Rex… I shook my head, clearing the thought as Kaleb caught up to me. I couldn’t take my eyes o
Kaleb I couldn't remain in place, not when I knew that Ayla was risking her life just to lure Roman. I was squirming in the passenger seat in my car in between the array of cars, looking at my watch, the window where I could see Ayla at her reserved table, and at the entrance where Roman was likely to drive through into the lot. We had resulted in hiring a male escort to be Ayla's fake date, even though the fake profile was mine, so as not to raise any suspicions, despite me being against the idea of another man. I watched as he walked in, my feet already itching to get out, stop the damn date, and walk out with Ayla. "Relax, man; the guy knows that there are limits. Ayla is safe," Dean spoke, leaning on the driver's seat. I watched as Ayla stood up, flashing a smile at the fake date. They had some type of short conversation before the man greeted Ayla, took her hand, and kissed the back of it. "That's it," I muttered, turning to open the door, only for Dean to grab my arm, stoppin
Ayla"There's no way whatever software they are using could penetrate the security software used in Kaleb's computer," Dean explained, shaking his head, but my mind was on how I was going to confront Roman about his spying game."Ayla?" Kaleb called, placing his hand on my shoulder."Huh?" I jumped slightly, looking at him, his brows raised."I asked you a question," he stated, squinting his eyes. I could tell that he knew what I was thinking about but didn't want to address it with his best friend around."Do you remember the Securelink software we sold out to Chen's company?" Kaleb asked, pulling the chair for me to sit down again."Yes, it prevents their clients and their company from being hacked," I responded."It's the same software I use for my office devices. If someone were to attempt to even install anything, then I would get a notification via my phone. So I am confident that Randolf didn't access my computer." As Kaleb explained, I sat down but couldn't stop tapping my rig
Kaleb "So all that drama happened and you never thought to give me some of the tea?" Dean asked over the loud chatter in the company's cafeteria. "It happened too fast, man, and that's not even all," I added, looking around for any unwelcome listening ears. Since the clip, Ayla and I had upped our privacy game, staying alert and cautious at all times. "Well, I am listening," he said, lifting up his cup of coffee to take a sip. "I met Amanda in Florida, at the hotel that I was staying," I whispered, rotating my cup of coffee on the table. "Are you kidding me right now?" Dean shouted, drawing attention from other staff members to us. "I told you to keep it down. Come on, we are going to my office," I chastised, getting up that instant. "Come on, man, I just took my first sip," he whined, but got up anyway. "Silence in the elevator; I know it's still bugged," I warned again, hating the fact that I had to walk on eggshells in my own company. Dad could have never been more right on
Ayla"Easy, babe," I cried out as Kaleb rammed my pussy from behind with short yet powerful strokes."I told you I won't be gentle," he responded in between loud grunts, his fingers digging into my hips."Please," I panted, closing my eyes as he pulled out, leaving me feeling so empty."Don't you dare leave me frustrated like you did back at the office," I stated while turning around, breathing through my nose and mouth."Oh, I am just getting started, baby." He winked, and before I knew it, it swept me up bridal style."Where are you taking me?" I asked, clinging onto him, looking at his wet face. His brows were drawn together, his mouth slightly open as he walked out of the shower."Aren't you needy today?" I rolled my eyes at his words, yelping when he spanked me."On your back, baby," he instructed when he dropped me on the bed. I did as asked, my clit still throbbing."Fuck, I wish you could see yourself right now," he rasped, stroking his cock in a tempting manner, making me spr
Kaleb "That was awesome, babe! I swear I had forgotten we had mom's compromising clip," I said, the moment we got to my wing. Ayla didn't say a word; she went straight to her room without looking back. "Seriously, Ayla, after putting Roman and mom in their place, now you're ignoring me?" She dropped her purse on the dresser and walked into the bathroom. "Come on, baby, we should be celebrating right now," I added, following her before she could close the door on my face. "I'm not leaving until you talk to me," I insisted, putting my hands into my pockets and leaned against the door. I watched as she started unbuttoning her blouse through the mirror, exposing her boobs bit by bit. I couldn't take my eyes off her as she shrugged it off and unzipped her skirt. "Fuck," I swore under my breath as she pulled it up and removed it, revealing her lacy white panties, that matched with her bra. Damn, she was perfection, her body playing with my fucking control. As if teasing me, she unc
Ayla"H-ey," Marise stuttered, waving at us awkwardly when we stormed into the main wing of the mansion."Where's that son of a bitch?" Kaleb spat, making the nanny tighten her hand around the tablecloth that she was holding. "Uum," she looked around, her eyes never meeting mine or Kaleb's."I knew you would come looking for me," Roman interrupted, descending down the staircase, one hand on the rails, the other one holding a glass of wine. Behind him was Danica, her right hand on her protruding belly, spotting a broad smile. My hands itched to wipe it off her face with just one single slap."No need to shout at our poor nanny," Danica chimed in, batting her long fake lashes."I don't get addressed by whores," Kaleb dismissed her, even without sparing her a fleeting glance. His eyes remained fixed on Kaleb as he approached with a smug look on his face. His lip was still swollen from the earlier, but it looked a little bit better. Oh, how I couldn't wait to see it swell even more after
Kaleb "What the fuck!" I muttered behind Ayla, startling her. She jumped while letting out a yelp, dropping her phone. I pulled her quick behind the bush, then bent, extended my arm, and picked up the phone. The last thing we wanted was to get detected by my mother and her accomplices. "I told you I want to be alone," she lectured in a whisper yet commanding voice, pushing my hands off her. "I had to make sure you were fine," I responded. "By following me? I am an adult for goodness sake, Kaleb!" Her eyes were slightly swollen and red, a reminder that my stupid words had hurt her. I wanted so much to hold her and whisper multiple apologies, but with the glare she was sending my way, I had no chance. "I know, but...you know what? Let me take a photo of the three for evidence, then I will leave you alone." I retrieved my phone from the pocket, but when I peeped behind the bush, Randolf, Amanda, and my mother were already gone. It seemed to avoid being detected; they had exited throu