Jayden had a bittersweet feeling as he drove his twin sibling to the airport, where they would board the flight. Sweet because they were so close to accomplishing their dreams individually and bitter because that meant months apart unless he decided to visit. They had come to visit him a year ago while he was still in prison, serving time. They informed him about their studies and visited the hospital to see Sarah before they left.Jayden didn't think he would be out within the next year, and so he charged Jireh with the responsibility of taking care of Jade, even though she explicitly told him she could take care of herself. He hadn't gone to visit them since he came out and had only spoken to them via Skype call until Aunt Sarah's death. He wished he had more time with them, but the two had their whole life ahead of them, and they needed to achieve everything they wanted to first, and then they would get all the time in the world with them. They had grown so much, so he doubted they
Lydia watched through the window as the black Ferrari parked behind the Rolls-Royce, and Jayden stepped out. She had thought hard about everything and knew this was her chance to make things right; she shouldn't have done what she did yesterday, and the best action now was an apology. She wouldn't wait for him to come; the right way would be to go to him.She hurried over to the door, and after exiting, she went down so he would meet her first. He pushed open the door and walked in but slowed when he saw her standing not so far away.His brows pulled together, and his lips paused in confusion and tension, but he said nothing and watched her instead.She had to make the first move if she hoped to repair the bridge she torched yesterday. "Hey," she mumbled loud enough for him to hear her.A frown appeared, showing his suspicion. "What are you doing?""I wanted to apologise for yesterday." She answered, not letting her pride speak. No matter what he was or who he was, yesterday would hav
The next few weeks went by slowly, but at least it was peaceful. Lydia went along with Jayden to all interviews at his request. He had her thoroughly vetted for hours, and in total, they went for ten interviews and short talks. Jayden was a man of grace and top-notch class and intelligence. It showed in the way he carried himself on every talk and interview they went on. He showed patience, etiquette, and tolerance even to infuriating questions, correcting all their misconceptions about him. This was a side of him she never knew existed, and it became her favourite, and she wanted to see more of it. There, he spoke about still mourning the death of Sarah Lane, his late aunt. When they asked how being married to Jayden felt, she said it was peaceful, reciting the response Jayden had told her to say.When they asked her what were the pros and cons of being married to Jayden White, she replied, being reminded she wasn't as smart as she always thought she was, and for the pros, she told
Knowing that his friend could easily sniff out lies, Lydia knew she had to pick her words out carefully. They were waiting for her to speak, and with each second that went by, their curiosity would grow. She didn't have an answer, though—not the appropriate answer Jayden would want, and she didn't want to say anything that would put her in the wrong light. This past few weeks had been good, and she wanted to maintain that.The answer to Oliver's question was simple: they had no plans about having kids because such wasn't stipulated in the agreement, but that answer would turn Jayden into a monster, and she didn't want to see that side of him ever again. The smile on her face was slowly fading, and a terrified look appeared, fearing the worst reaction in her moment of blankness. Lydia could see their suspicion growing with every passing second, and she needed to remedy that.She glanced up at Jayden, who held onto her waist. He would have the perfect answer and could save her quickly,
Lydia woke up with a smile on her face, and as her consciousness returned, the smile didn't leave; it grew. Last night had gone well. The weeks past had indeed gone well, but yesterday took the crown. She wouldn't have imagined life would go so well when Adam found her at the train station. She believed life would be hell, but it had not been that yet. Once she stopped looking at her duties as his wife as a punishment, it became easy to follow through with it. Hopefully, it will remain this way until the contract ends.Lydia got up from the bed and went over to the bathroom to draw herself a bath, not waiting on Ingrid. Usually, Ingrid comes to take her to breakfast, and when they return, she will draw her a bath, but Lydia wants to do something different. She wanted to bathe and get herself ready for breakfast.When Ingrid pushed the door open thirty minutes later, Lydia was already picking out her clothes."Good morning, Mrs White, what are you doing?" She asked in alarm, walking ov
Lydia's teeth gritted at Miles' introduction. It was her fault for ever thinking Jayden White stopped being the arsehole he was from the very beginning. He did not get better at listening to her or even treating her better. She had literally done everything these past weeks, and this was how he repaid her? A slap in the face in disguise of a bodyguard?Why? Because she asked him to leave the dining room? Was he that petty? Yes, he was, and that was why Miles Maxfield now stood before her.Without a word to Miles, the bodyguard Jayden had imposed on her, Lydia marched up the stairs, searching for Jayden, only to notice Miles trailing behind her.She turned around to him and barked at him. "Stop following me." It was hard enough that Ingrid followed her; she couldn't have another doing the same, and she didn't care what Jayden said."Where is his room?" She turned to Ingrid after climbing up the stairs and realising she didn't know which bedroom among the many belonged to Jayden White.
Lydia was most excited to begin this new phase in her life, and this happiness followed her to the White Estate's second office, where she started work last week. She never saw herself becoming anything past a regular staff member at Jakob Investment, where she had dedicated more than three years. Those who came before her and had spent more than nine years were still in mediocre positions, especially if they were women. Power was selective, and she had no hope of ever becoming more, so she settled for being paid and getting by. Most people started just like her with the hope of working a few years and then moving to something better but ended up getting stuck. It was one of the factors that influenced her relationship with Anthony; he was her boss, and since she needed the job at that time, she agreed to date him, fearing what might happen if she said no. Falling in love with him wasn't something she had planned, but it happened, and she found herself unable to walk away. Though h
Just like Jayden had promised, she received an email about the meeting yesterday along with the venue and time, so she began researching the nature of the meeting as she hoped to prepare herself. Jayden didn't join her for dinner because he said he had something important to get to, and this morning, he was gone before breakfast. Lydia believed he was avoiding her, maybe because of what happened at the office. She didn't hold it against him and wanted to tell him that, but there was no way of doing that because he was gone. Hopefully, today would be different, and they would get a decent dinner together like they used to. She had gotten used to having him at dinner and breakfast, so missing both did not make her very happy. Perhaps she was getting needy for his presence, but that was how she felt.Her desk phone rang, making her snap out of her thoughts and turn to Becky, who sat outside her office, staring in with her desk phone to her ear.Lydia answered and waited for her to speak
A small knock came over to the door, and it opened a few seconds later. Lydia didn't turn around to see who it was but figured if it were Ingrid, she would speak up.Just as expected, Ingrid spoke up. "Dinner is ready, ma'am," she said."Give me a minute." She pulled herself up from the bed she had laid on since returning with Miles hours ago and followed behind Ingrid.They came downstairs, and she found Jayden seated at the table, a sight she hadn't seen in a while. His presence at dinner began to decline after they slept together and had carried on until this point. For the past few days, she hadn't seen him, and now, suddenly, he returned to the table after what happened at the office. She would have felt horrible if she hadn't seen what she saw at the office."Good evening." She greeted him as she took her seat at the dinner table."Good evening," Jayden replied, and like always, they both returned to silence.Mark served the delicious meal before them, and in silence, they ate i
The gazes of the three ladies around her came to rest on her, and they looked to have been swept away for whatever reason Lydia didn't know. She knew what she said, and nothing warranted the look they were all giving her now.Grace clamped her hands and brought them up to rub her face, holding the biggest look of adoration among the three, "Aww, to love and be loved." she cooed, her smile beaming.Lydia almost said she didn't love Jayden White, but she pressed her lips together; that was the point-they were to pretend like they were in love. The only problem about that was she wasn't pretending; everything she just said and the manner in which she said it was not an act, so how could Grace mistake it for love?Except it was, and that scared her more than she thought it would. These past few weeks have been a rollercoaster. Was that why being ignored by him, for the most part, hurt? She had no understanding why that was; Jayden hadn't changed his behaviour, but her feelings for him had
Time flies, especially when you don’t want it to. Three weeks had gone by, and a lot had happened. Going back to work felt like ease. She resumed her role like nothing had happened, and though there were whispers behind her back, none dared bring it to her face. She wasn’t just their boss; she was Mrs. White, the wife of Jayden White, the owner of the White estate company. Many bestowed their fear of Jayden onto her, and as much as it helped keep unneeded attention away, she wasn’t that kind of person. She didn’t rejoice that others feared her, and she was sure the same could be said about Jayden. They had a preconceived notion about him, and he didn’t look willing to address it, just like he never corrected her when she thought the worst of him. After she returned to the office, the police reached out to her so she could recount her testimony of the incident that took place four weeks ago for further pushing their investigation. Though Lydia told the police she had been there to mee
The rich masculine smell was the first thing to fill Lydia's nose as her consciousness returned, and she wanted to bury herself further into it and never get up. Her eyes opened and fixed on the ceiling, unable to think of anything else but what she knew happened last night. They had gotten intimate, and she had shown Jayden all of her, and he did the same. Her body experienced heights she didn't think existed at his hands-heights she never knew about, and it felt as though it was his calling. The man Jayden White had owned her last night; every part of her body bore witness to his authority and control, and he knew just what to do with his mouth, his hands, and his tongue. She didn't want to think about it for fear of wanting more; it was that good. She turned to the side of the bed where he had laid last night after he took everything she had to offer, but it was empty.He was gone, and the realisation made her heart ache a little. Last night wasn't supposed to happen-it wasn't supp
Lydia reflected on everything throughout the drive back home. She hadn't been here in five days, and though she was returning because Miles had awakened, there was a long way from how she once felt. Jayden was still angry with her, and he might even hate her as he should. There were many things to apologise for; being stupid was one of them. Anthony had capitalised on her stupidity three years ago, and that's the same thing that had happened last week.There was no way of undoing what had already been done; the only way out of it was through, one step at a time while hoping for the best.The car came to a stop in front of the house, and George opened the door for her. She stepped down, and he went to the boot to pull out the carry bag with all her essentials and followed her with it. Lydia pushed open the front door and stepped into the house, and there she found Ingrid descending the stairs.A smile crossed the young maid's face, probably noting that her presence also meant Miles had
Guilt. Those five words should be longer for the effect they have on the human heart. It was what Lydia felt throughout the next few days that followed. She remained at the hospital where Miles stayed after his emergency surgery to remove the bullet, which was successful.Miles' wife and his seven-year-old son had arrived at the hospital the following day as they lived in another state. They came to be with him and did not leave his side. The doctors informed them he would regain consciousness any moment now, and they all looked forward to it. Phoebe was a friendly, kind and welcoming woman, and his son Andrew had been such an amazing company. They asked her to go home four days ago after they arrived, and she told them she wouldn't be able to go home until he regained consciousness. That was the punishment for her stubbornness. She had risked the safety and comfort of Phoebe and the future of Andrew by not thinking about her decision; this was the reminder.Jayden had also visited, a
Blood coursed through Jayden's veins, and every word he uttered made his heart beat even faster. He wanted to hurt her; he wanted to cause her as much discomfort as she caused him and make her suffer and feel the full extent of his wrath. The last thing he expected was a call from George telling him everything that had happened and how Lydia had gotten them into it, and so instead of coming home like the three were supposed to, they were now in the hospital. If she was there to meet Anthony and almost got shot instead, it meant the snake of a man had tried to wipe her out, wanting to keep the truth a secret. He would bury Anthony for this and make sure he would never see the light of day, both he and his boss, Killian Jakob. They would regret the day they crossed him. Jayden felt so angry on the way over that he blacked out a few times. Good thing Adam had chosen to drive him because he wouldn't have been able to do that himself without running the risk of an accident. After he arr
Lydia stayed in the waiting room of St. Donald Hospital with her head buried in her palm. Her shirt had blood stains and needed to be changed, but she didn't care. It had been over twenty minutes since their arrival, and she still couldn't get past what had happened. One minute, everything was fine, and the next minute, nothing was okay. She had never seen such a terrifying sight in all her life. Miles had dropped to the ground, bleeding from his mouth, and she had screamed at the top of her voice in fear and terror, fearing the worst had happened to him.George was quick because he was already reversing the car to where they were even before she noticed Miles' wounds. He came to them on the ground and helped Miles into the car before driving off. He had instructed her to put pressure on the wound on Miles' side, and she had taken off her jacket to do that. Miles was barely unconscious, and Lydia prayed, begging him to hold on even as he lost more blood.George drove with rage and muc
Jayden had said many things at dinner yesterday, one of which was asking her to take accountability for her lies that sent him to jail. Mary had also called her a liar when she found out Lydia had been the one whose testimony put Jayden in jail. The older woman was convinced that her testimony was falsified against Jayden but it wasn't. Lydia testified to what she saw—what she saw when she went with Anthony to the White Estate company building. Jayden believed she lied and had not changed his conviction, and so did Mary; then, perhaps there was more to this than she knew. What if what she knew was a lie? What if it was all set up? What if she was also bait in the grand scheme? She would have said Anthony wouldn't do such a cruel thing to her, but that man had no integrity or moral compass and would gladly do anything to get ahead. She heeded to confront him and look him in the eyes while she accused him of using her to frame Jayden White for a crime he didn't commit. This way, she wo