༺RAYNE༻ “Now remember, my grandfather can be quite intimidating. He doesn't like people who are tardy, those who do not listen attentively or those who make mistakes. He does, however, appreciate punctuality, respect and seriousness. So, when you meet him, pay close attention and avoid making any mistakes. Got it?” “Got it,” I say weakly, trying to keep up with the rules Liam is bombarding me with. We're in his car, on our way to Lucas Everhart's estate where we'll be having a family dinner with his grandfather and Liam's cousins. Liam is going to introduce me to Lucas and seek his blessings for our 'marriage'. Sounds like a lot of effort for something that'll end after a year. “First impressions are everything to him,” Liam continues. “So you must make a good impression. Greet him with a firm handshake, make eye contact and maintain polite behaviour throughout the conversation. Do not bring up any sensitive topic like politics or religion. He's an atheist and he detests polit
༺RAYNE༻ Liam and I proceed to the living room, our footsteps echoing off the walls as we walk. My mouth parts wide open and my eyes dance all over the place. The room alone is as big as a football stadium. And the interior? My God! It's dark and classical, with high ceilings, ornate pillars and regal furniture. It's breathtaking! Everything adorning the living room is the kind I've only seen in castles or palaces in those epic movies. My eyes can't stop boggling at how jaw-dropping everything is. My anxiousness wears off momentarily, replaced by awe. “This place is…” I turn to Liam, completely at a loss for words. “Wow!” I peel my arm from him and step towards a large painting, admiring the artwork. “Is that The Mona Lisa?” I ask, my eyes wide with astonishment. “Are we looking at the actual Mona Lisa?“ But I heard the French government had declared the painting priceless. If this is the real Mona Lisa, then Mr Lucas Everhart must've brought down the heavens to purchase it. “Do
༺LIAM༻ This is not what I signed up for when I decided to bring Rayne to meet my grandfather. Things just went from bad to worse in the blink of an eye. How Rayne managed to create a disaster in less than ten minutes of being here, I'll never understand. And my grandfather... I've never seen him this flustered before. He's staring at Rayne as if she's grown a second head, his mouth dropping open. The old man even dropped his cane. This can't be good! Can it be that he's seen her somewhere before? And if he has, judging by his reaction, it wasn't a pleasant encounter. I had a feeling this woman would screw things up for me! I should've listened to my goddamn instincts, that little voice in my head that warned me to stay away from her. Darn it! I'm not one to make decisions I end up regretting but this is turning out to be one hell of an exception. I should've gotten someone else to play my fiancée. I should've offered the contract to another woman; someone who's not accide
༺RAYNE༻ I watch the silent exchange between Liam and Daniel, observing how they glare at each other with intense hatred. These two must detest each other so much. And what did Liam mean by Daniel tried to kill him? Did he mean that figuratively or...? Daniel doesn't bother denying the allegation. His lips curl into a bitter smirk and adjusts his suit before fixing his gaze on me. The space between his eyebrows crinkle on seeing me. “Who's this?” His voice is tinged with something. I can't really tell but it makes my skin crawl. I don't know why I feel the need to jump in and respond, “Hi, I'm Rayne. I'm Liam's—” But Daniel cuts me off before I can finish. “If I had known we were bringing Liam’s dirty tramp of the week to dinner, I would've brought a dumpster,” he hisses, shoving his hands in pockets while giving me a once-over. I stiffen at the insult, my face flushed off its colour. Liam may have told me to expect hostility from this asshole but I didn't think it would be this
༺RAYNE༻ “There's my lovely fiancée.” Liam smirks and pulls me in his arms. He snakes his hands around my back and holds the scruff of my neck before pulling me in for a deep, sultry kiss. His fingers tickle my bare skin with light caresses. My body flares hot and tingles swim under my skin. I don't know when I moan against his lips. Liam breaks the kiss and whispers in my ear, “Did you just moan?” “What am I supposed to do when you kiss me like that?” I try to hide my flushed face and just smile like an idiot at the sea of people. Yup, that's what we've been doing all week, faking it till everyone believes it. We're at Lucas' estate again tonight, precisely in his garden this time. Lucas decided to throw a huge party in honour of me and Liam. He plans on officially announcing our engagement and showing us off to the world. There's no one happier than Lucas for our engagement. No one even comes close. “Might I remind you that all of this is just an act?” Liam hugs me from behin
༺RAYNE༻ I glance back at Liam, who's still staring at the woman, his hand tightening around mine almost painfully. The two of them are looking at each other like they're the only ones in the garden. “Liam? Liam,” I murmur and wriggle my hand in his grip to catch his attention. “Is everything okay?” He finally peels his eyes from her and turns to me before letting go of my wrist. He apologizes to the old man for getting distracted and excuses himself to answer a phone call. My mouth just falls open as I watch him leave. He didn't even care to give me as little as a simple answer. Hmph! What a jerk! It's my turn to stare at the woman. I observe as Daniel leaves her and joins Leo to speak to Lucas. The woman is left standing all alone, smiling at whoever walks past her. Her stunning pink dress is fluttering in the soft breeze as she looks around. She's really pretty. I understand why Liam or any man would find her very attractive but then... Why do I get the feeling that there's mo
༺RAYNE༻ “Keep your hands off my fiancée!” My voice instantly breaks the intimate spell they seemed to be under. Good. Liam and Genevieve turn around at once to see me. Genevieve takes her hands off Liam and squares her shoulders, facing me. Her face contorts with annoyance, her lipstick caked lips twist in disdain. Liam steps in front of me, blocking me from his ex. Classic. I move slightly to the side where I can stand face-to-face with Genevieve. “What are you doing here?” Liam's voice is low and his eyebrows furrow when he throws the question at me. “What do you mean? It's our party, Liam. I've been looking for you everywhere,” I reply with a cool, collected poise that surprises even myself. “I never would have imagined that you would leave your own fiancée to be with this—” My voice trails off as I give Genevieve a nasty once-over. “This tramp,” I finish my sentence and watch Genevieve's eyes narrow and her face blow red hot. Even Liam didn't see it coming. That'
༺RAYNE༻ “What are you doing here?” My eyes are shooting daggers at Henry, the son of a bitch who ruined my life. How the hell did he find me? It doesn't matter anyway. He's going back to hell where he came from. Henry clears his throat and takes one step closer. That's when his alcohol-tainted breath pours on my face and assaults my nostrils. I back away a little, grimacing at how terrible he reeks. First, he got another woman pregnant and threw me out of the house. Now he's here to kill me with his stench? God, what crime could I have committed in my past life that this bastard is being used to punish me? “How're you doing, Rayne?” He asks, his lips twitching. “Really good. Totally fine as you can see. Alive and well. Never felt better,” I hiss, my face twisting into a big scowl. “But that doesn't answer the question I asked you, Henry. What the fuck are you doing in my house? Who even let you in?” My house. Boy, did that feel good saying it out loud. “Your house,” he
༺RAYNE༻ Liam catches me from behind and wraps his big arms around me, his lips finding their way to my neck. My lips curve into a full smile and I lean back against him, my hand instinctively reaching up to hold his head. My heart does a triple flip, like a gymnast performing an impossible routine. It’s always been like this—this magnetic pull between us, the chemistry that could launch a thousand ships. He's really here. “Liam?” I breathe, not quite believing my eyes (or ears). I mean, how can this be? He's not back until two months from now. That's what he told me. But now, here he is, arms wrapped around me and smelling like home. He chuckles against my neck, his lips tickling the skin. “Surprise.” “Daddy!” Lucas squeals as if only just seeing him. Liam's arms tear away from me and spread out to our son as he leans down. Lucas jumps into his arms, giggling like a little maniac. Liam lifts him up and tosses him up a bit, making the kid laugh even harder. I just smile at the
༺RAYNE༻ FOUR YEARS LATER... “Lucas! Get down from the couch right now!” I shout, trying to catch my son's attention as he climbs and jumps around on the furniture in our living room. My little ball of energy is at it again. He acts like the house is his personal jungle gym, always trying to give me a heart attack with his death-defying antics. It's like he thinks he's part monkey. “No, Mummy! King of the mountain!” he booms, smiling and puffing his chest. “Lucas! You're going to break something, either the furniture or yourself! Get down, this instant!” I sprint across the living room, my feet pounding the marble floor. Lucas' loud giggles fills the room when he darts to the left, his brown hair bouncing with each jump. Just as I think I've got him cornered, he leaps on the coffee table and uses it as a springboard to launch himself on the floor. I swoop down, arms outstretched but he's too quick. He zigzags around the couch cushion, his grey eyes glinting. “Look, Mummy!” He's
༺LIAM༻ “You'll only get it over our dead bodies,” a voice booms from the shadows, making everyone snap their heads in that direction. Finally. They're here. Thanks to the distraction, I snatch the gun from the fucker who's supposed to keep me in check and point it at him. He staggers backwards, his hands up in surrender when I point it at him. “Took you long enough,” I say to none other than Daniel and Leo as they walk in. Both their heads are held high, shoulders straight and their faces contorted in rage. They take their places at my sides, flanking me. Sabrina's goons all aim at us, ready to fire but none of us are fazed. “Better late than never,” Daniel replies, his furious gaze darting between Sabrina and Oscar. “You turned out to be a bottom-feeding leech after all, Oscar, a worthless nobody, like I thought you were from the very first day I saw you. But I never would've thought that you were Sabrina's pussy-munching weasel, feeding off her cunt and her scraps just to kee
༺LIAM༻ “I'm here,” I rasp, holding my phone to my ear and staring at the papers in my hand. I've just gotten out of my car, now in front of a crumbling shithole of a building that's barely standing. It's the location I was given. It seems like a rat-infested dump with broken windows, rusty metal beams, and a door that looks like it hasn't been opened in years. There are overgrown weeds and trash around it, the perfect hideout for the sick fuck who's got my wife. I can't fucking believe that they'd bring Rayne to this shithole of a place. It makes my blood boil. The son of a bitch on the other end of the line, the same altered, robotic voice, chuckles and then replies, “Good. Now follow the lights inside. Walk straight, don't look around.” I do what I'm told. Not because I'm scared, but because they’ll harm Rayne if I don't. It's the only reason I'm not charging in and getting my wife out. It's the only reason I'm not burning this building down to the ground. And it's the sa
༺RAYNE༻Fuck! My head hurts!That stupid bodyguard hit me hard on my cheek with his freaking sledgehammer of a fist. I fell and hit my head on the ground. I can swear I heard my own brain rattle against my skull.I'd kicked him in his groin while trying to get away and that's what earned me the slap that knocked me out cold. Thankfully, my baby is safe, or so I pray, since I don't feel any sharp pains.Opening my eyes, I realize that I've been brought to an unknown room with dingy walls and a single flickering light. I'm tied to a chair with ropes too thick and rough to slip out of.How long have I been out? And Liam! I know he's definitely looking for me right now. My heart squeezes painfully at the thought that I might not make it out of here alive. That I might never see him again.I'm scared for myself and for my baby. After seeing how Sabrina disrespected Lucas and after overhearing her and Oscar, I don't think she would think twice before getting rid of me. She might not even ba
༺LIAM༻ “We've searched the entire building, boss. We couldn't find her.” Another useless report. I drive my fist into the nearest wall and clench my teeth as I feel my knuckles burn from the impact. This is nothing though, compared to the pain of not being able to find my wife. And my unborn child. “What do you mean you couldn't find her?” I glare at the imbeciles in front of me. “She's in the goddamn hospital, not a fucking maze! How hard is it to track down one woman?” The men around me look down, avoiding eye contact like a bunch of fucking idiots. Useless, every last one of them. I don't even know why I bother wasting my time with these incompetent fools. “Get out of my sight!” I bark at them. Pacing like a caged animal, with my fists clenched and my hair ruffled, my mind is going all ape-shit with worry. I'm losing my mind, in fact! Everything was fine minutes ago. Rayne went back to my grandfather's room to get her purse while I answered a call from the office. I stayed
༺RAYNE༻ Lucas Everhart. The man who took Liam as his own and raised him to be the confident and successful man he is today. That same man is actually my grandfather, my only living blood relative. It still sounds unbelievable. I'm sitting beside him, holding his hand in mine and watching his chest gently expand and contract. The hospital monitors are tracking his every heartbeat. There are so many tubes and wires attached to him. The sight is heart-wrenching. “I just found you,” my voice breaks in a fragile whisper, “please don't leave me now. You can't.” This man has been kind to me since day one and now that I know I'm his granddaughter, I feel a deep connection to him. But Lucas... He's always felt that kind of connection to me. It's like he sensed it all along. Even Liam was stunned by how Lucas treated me. I still remember the old man's reaction the very first time he laid his eyes on me. He froze, wide-eyed and dropped his cane. Then he told me I looked familiar and asked
༺RAYNE༻ “Do you remember what Dr Gareth said about your HLA compatibility with Grandfather?” Liam asks, after keeping me in suspense for almost a minute. I nod and muse, “Yes, he said I was an exact match, 10/10 HLA compatibility, which is extremely rare, especially since we're not biologically related.” That's exactly how the doctor said it. But I don't understand why Liam's suddenly interested in that. Could it be that the doctors made a mistake and the transplant wasn't successful, like we all thought and Lucas' condition is worsening? Oh God! “What has that got to do with what you're about to tell me, Liam? Did the doctors find something abnormal in the tests they ran after the transplant, something that changes everything?” That has to be the only explanation. It's Liam's turn to nod. “Yes but it's not what you think. It's a lot more complicated. I don't even know how it's fucking possible.” He sighs and clasps both of his hands around mine. “Rayne, you're not who you thin
༺RAYNE༻ “Well, Doctor? What does it say?” My anxiety is killing me. Despite Liam's refusal and the doctor's warnings, I got tested for the bone marrow transplant. The results are out, apparently and Dr Gareth has been frozen since he summoned us all. “Are you going to speak or not?” Liam's impatient, angry voice snaps, making Dr Gareth almost jump. “Come on, doc, spill it already!” The doctor lifts his eyes from the reports and stares at me. “Ma'am, the results indicate that you are a match.” A loud gasp tears out of my lips. Even though I hoped I'd be a match, it's so hard to believe it. I'm an actual match! Liam's eyes are too wide, he's having a harder time believing it. And the same goes for the rest of the family. None of them can process it either—they're all stuck in shock, staring at me like I'm the miracle they never thought would happen. And I am. “Did you just say that my wife is a match?” Liam's face crumples. Dr Gareth nods in astonishment. “Yes, that's right. And