MYKEL “Fuck!” I screamed out my frustration in the office. I was shaking in anger as I pressed the button. “Elise, cancel everything in my schedule for today. I’m going out.” I hung up, not waiting for her reply. She would do what I said anyway. Before I could put on my jacket, the door swung open. Elise walked in with a confusion looked on her face. “May I know why?” “No.” I stuffed my laptop back into my bag and grabbed my keys. “Stay on your phone. I might need your help.” I strode toward the door. “Mykel, what’s going on?” I squeezed my eyes shut before I answered, “I don’t like it when you’re poking your nose in my personal business, Elise.” “Since when?” Since when? Yeah, she was right. I turned around. My jaw clenched hard. Before I could say what I was about to say, Elise raised her hands. “You’re right, boss. Have a good day.” I walked toward the elevator and dialed Sax. “Prepare the car. I’m going to see my wife.” “Of course, boss.” The car was already waiting
ADLEY I listened to him terrify the poor pregnant woman. I knew he would find out I was with Lyra, but I didn’t realize it would take him that long to figure out. I knew it was only a matter of time before he would burst into this door. I was still mad and freaking hurt. And I felt like our relationship was built on lies. The whole damn time we were together, I felt like it was all part of his game. I wondered what was the catch that he was willing to go to that extent for this marriage. Not definitely for the money and power. Ego? Probably, because honestly, I also had connections and money. I came from a prominent family. My grandfather was as wealthy as him. They both ran billion-dollar empires. So my marriage to him would boost his power and ego. But that’s not it. I was missing something here. Lyra became like a sister I never had. She looked at the security monitor in her hand, watched the car enter the gate earlier, and informed me that it was definitely Mykel. A shadow beh
MYKELI had to be grateful despite the space between us. Adley came back home to me, and that was what mattered most. I would make it up every day for the rest of my life until she would learn to forgive me.She was checking herself in the mirror when I came in. She wore a blue dress that hugged her curves perfectly. Her round ass should be a sin, and those ample round tits gave me a constant hard-on.“You look fantastic.” I smiled at our reflections in the mirror. “Not bad yourself.” There was no life in her reply, and it fucking hurt.I couldn’t take another second—I wrapped my arms around her and kissed the side of her head. I closed my eyes and took her smell in my chest before I let her go.“What was that for?” She was staring at me.“For coming home.” This time I tend to tell her everything. No more secrets.Her smile was genuine. “There’s no place I’d rather be. Anyway, there’s something I wanna tell you.”My heart skipped a bit. I didn’t like this kind of intro. “Okay.” I tr
MYKEL“How did your mother respond to this?” My father’s eyes glittered with unshed tears as he smiled at me.“She’s one of the reasons why I’m doing this.” I smiled back as I recalled Mom saying to give my father one last chance. “Thank you. And the baby—”“I know. You did great, Dru.” I gripped his shoulder.“Thanks, son.” He slapped my shoulder. “Thank you.”“I got to go and check on Adley.”I found her standing in front of a massive painting with a Champagne in her grip with her serious look, scrutinizing it.“Do you like that?” I wrapped my arm around her waist. “Intrigue.”The more I looked at the painting, the longer it became a familiar face. It was like an illusion. I was not an art connoisseur, but the techniques and the details made sense. “Do you see what I see?”“I think your brother is amazing.” She sipped her champagne.“I tried hard not to take offense on that. But yeah. It’s impressive.”“You’re awesome in your own way, big guy. Don’t compare yourself to your brothe
ADLEY“Not every day I’m being summoned to the principal office.” Blaze made an entrance as he entered my office.“Have a seat.” No one knew his promotion aside from Mykel and Grandpa. I was still updating the document before the finalization.“What is this all about?”For a brief moment, I glanced at him.“Let me guess. You’d say, thanks, Blaze, Mykel, and I made up, and I’m carrying a baby Creed.”I rolled my eyes. “We’re working in progress, but thanks for the pep talk. But that’s not why you’re here.”His brows furrowed. “Okay.”“Talk to me as your employer, not as your best friend. How happy are you with your job?”“Is this an evaluation?” His brows furrowed.“Nope. I want you to be honest with me.”“Am I gonna be fired if I say bad things?”I laughed. “For being honest? Nope. Rate your experience as COO.”“You’re kidding?”I shook my head. “I’m serious, Blaze.”“Okay. I have loved the job since the beginning. You know that. It’s challenging, but all jobs are not easy. Where can I
MYKEL The horrible feeling when you were in a scenario where your world was being pulled under your feet, you became helpless, grabbed the nothingness until you fell into the profound loss and sadness. I felt that way when it all sunk in—my denial turned into reality, and I knew my life would crumble before me at any moment. I have lived my life to the fullest for the past five years. Those countless sleepless nights, those days of exhaustion, no baths, empty stomach, trials, rejections, and humiliation had finally paid off. I deserved it. All you wanted to do was to celebrate that eventually, the world was in your favor—you tasted the fruit of your success. People had seen your capabilities—to some, you became their inspiration, some idolized you—to some, you were just a joke, some took advantage of your status, and some didn’t want to see you on top of their world, wanting to drag you down with their failures. I have had the best life since I succeed in capital ventures. I
ADLEY I couldn’t sleep. I was wide awake all night, trying to think how I could help Mykel, and as his partner in crime, I was terrible at giving emotional support. I got up from bed at four in the morning. I did yoga for a couple of minutes and then hit the shower. I was always a planner, but Mykel helped me loosen up. I was in the study, scrolling through my contacts when an idea popped into my head. I created a group and added who I considered family. I realized who could give more emotional support better than the people who cared about us, who would be there when things got tough, and who would help us without expecting reciprocity than family. I typed a message. ADLEY: Mykel needs us. Come to this address. Thanks. I sent it to the group and went to Sax and Kye at the guest house. Kye looked already up for a couple of hours. “Is everything okay?” “Good morning, Kye.” “Sorry, Mrs. C. Good morning. How may I help you? Wanna come in?” I entered the guest house with two
ADLEY Our family left, leaving Mykel and me on the patio. The night seemed in our favor, and the moon was beautiful and bright. “Come.” Mykel held my hand. Tonight was just Mykel and me—I cherished this moment and left the issue behind us for a while. I sat on his lap, and he instantly wrapped his arms around me, his cheek pressed against my back. “I overstepped, didn’t I?” “You did the right thing. I wasn’t used to asking for help until you walked into my life.” I could still feel the pain in his voice, but I was happy that he appreciated what I did. “I didn’t call Mom because I don’t want her to worry and rushed over here.” “Thank you for taking it into consideration.” “Of course.” “I’m such a terrible husband. I’m sorry that this happened. And I neglected to ask how are you handling this?” I faced him. “Babe, look at me.” He lifted his head and looked at me. There was a smile on his face, but not the cocky smile I used to see in him. “I’m handling this well than yo
MYKEL Four years later “Mykel, are you still here?” My wife stopped in her track when she saw me sitting on my desk with a glass of whiskey in my hand. “Hey, baby.” She stepped closer at a sultry pace as she took off her coat. “Are you ready to go?” “Wearing that?” I emptied the glass and put down the desk. My skin started burning in anticipation of what could possibly happen tonight. I never fucked someone or even Adley in this office, but tonight, I would break that rule. I pressed a button on the screen—our privacy was secured. “It depends.” She stopped right in front of me, looking at the huge framed cover copy of herself for the business magazine as the most influential woman of the year. I spread my thighs apart, slid my hands on her hips, and pulled her closer to me. “What are you up to accomplish tonight, baby?” She bit her bottom lip before she spoke, “The kids are with their grandma, so I thought we could have fun.” “And this is your way of fun, huh?” I stared down
ADLEY The private island Mykel and I bought was beautiful. As we promised my grandfather, we got married as soon as I lost my baby weight—it was spectacular, just as the old man wanted it, with five hundred guests at my beach house. Then we had our honeymoon in Monaco, then on this same island where we would spend a week. This was our second time visiting this property after our wedding. I promised Mykel to spend more time with the kids and him. I prioritized my family over my work, and he did the same. I lost track of time when I was in a beautiful place like this with a white sand beach and a clear blue sky above the breathtaking ocean. I watched Jax play his castle set with the sand when my husband called me. It was our daughter’s feeding time. Amelie was too tiny in his arms as he carried her securely. Despite our kids having nannies, Mykel was a hands-on dad. Who would have thought he would become this remarkable man? “Time flies by so fast when you’re enjoying watching
MYKEL Ten months ago, I would have laughed my fucking ass off if someone came to me and guessed my future of being married, let alone having two kids at this moment. I would have said, you’re fucking insane, man. But life happened, fates collided, stars aligned, and all those shits. “Babe, please hurry up!” Adley was literally screaming as I tried to scramble, picking things into my hands. “Babe, relax. We practiced this a thousand times!” I dropped things down and closed my eyes for a moment so I could focus. “Those are shits, Adley! When it’s the time, I can’t focus when you’re in so much pain.” Just by looking at her, it hurt like fucking shit. She had contractions, sweating, and her face contorted in pain. She did a breathing exercise just like we practiced so I would not panic. She was the one who was so calm when she was about to pop our baby out. She was relaxed despite the pain all over her tummy. “Calm down. Give me my phone.” She gestured. “Now it’s not the time to cal
ADLEY “You know you can always talk to me about everything, right?” Mykel was talking to his son in the study. They did that a lot after Mykel read him stories. We spent most of our time in the backyard during weekends, and sometimes, we decided to go to the park. Last week, we visited Madelyn in her home, and the grandma was delighted to see her grandson again. It was hard at first having a three-year-old boy at home that I did not raise, and I didn’t know what he wanted because he barely opened up. I tried to find out the food he loved, what he liked to play with, or even his favorite tv shows. After some time with Jax, he was not choosy. He liked blue and green, monster cookies, and blueberry smoothies. Jade did a great job raising the kid into a beautiful human being. Jax liked Knox a lot. His uncle allowed him to play with colors and tempera paints in his studio. “I mean, Daddy will buy it for you if you want anything. Adley and I are always here for you, buddy. You can tel
MYKEL My move was deliberate as I took off the last thing on her body. I tossed her panties over my shoulder. My fingers caressed her collarbone, tracing down to the mound of her breast. I leaned down, taking the peak of her nipple into my mouth, sucking harder. Her breathing became heavy. Her chest rose and fell with every deep breath. I paid attention to her tit, sucking, nipping, and pulling it between my teeth. “Babe, I want you now.” “Always impatient.” Raking my fingers through her hair, I brought her lips into mine, kissing her passionately and deep as my silent approval. I slipped the tip of my tongue along the seam of her lips. She moaned and granted me entry. Deepening the kiss, I pressed my body into hers, and her hips bucked against mine. My hand slipped along the line of her hip, down to her thigh, bringing and pulling her knees up. As if on cue, she wrapped her legs around me. I ground my cock into her. She was always bare and already ready for me. “Mykel, please?”
ADLEY “Are you sure you wanna do this?” Grandpa asked me over the phone one more time. “For God’s sake, Grandpa, I’ve done this before? Are you more concerned about me, or is it because I’m taking the jet?” “You’re pregnant, young woman, and you’re terrified of flying.” “I’ll be fine. I can do this. Now hang up the phone so that I can go.” “Call me when you land, Adley.” “I will.” I hung up the call. I was already strapped in, and my heart started hammering. I drew deep breaths when the jet started moving the runaway, and it began to shake. “I’m here, Mrs. C if you need me.” “I should get used to it without help.” I didn’t even look at Romare. I kept my eyes shut all the time. Even if I wanted some wine to calm my nerves, I couldn’t drink alcohol. It sucked, but I needed to let go of this irrational fear once and for all. “Oh, God! I’m gonna be labor in no time!” I gripped the armrest as hard as possible when the jet started to ascend. Then another terrifying moment when it
MYKEL I shut my eyes close, waiting for him to reply. “No, sir. She’s alone.” “Which hospital?” Cracking my eyes open, I let go of a shuddering breath as I sagged against the backseat. I felt terrible that somehow I was relieved that my son was not with her when it happened. I hung up the call after the officer gave me the hospital’s name. “Turn around, arrange the flight to LA.” I couldn’t take my mind off Jade. I just talked to her over the phone, and now she was rushed to the hospital fighting for her life. I tried to wrap around it and rationalized, hoping this was just a nightmare, but the more I thought about it, the more I was sucked into the reality that Jade might not make it, and my son would be losing his mother. How was I going to tell a three-year-old kid? How was I going to raise him alone? “Jesus Christ.” “I’m so sorry, boss,” Sax said. “I was just talking to her. This could not be real.” I shook my head, voicing out my denial. “How did this happen?” “Is your
MYKEL“Jade, it’s nice of you to call.” I FaceTimed with my son almost every day. He barely talked, but I was happy to see him so often. I knew it was not a good idea to expose a three-year-old kid to gadgets, but I was taking my chances of getting close to his heart. “What is he up this time?”Jade chuckled. “Oh, my God, Mykel. You put me in a difficult position. He keeps reminding me of going on an airplane. So yesterday, I brought him to a toy store and bought a toy jet just to make him forget, but he did not.”I laughed out loud. My voice echoed in the office. “I’m sorry, Jade. Adley and I have already planned everything for the weekend. You and Jax will come to New York, and then we will fly to one of Adley’s residences.”“I’m also sorry. I know how busy you both are. Jax just gets too excited about his first trip.”“Well, we were kids once. I know how it feels. And I’m also sorry that I have to move the trip. You know Adley is terrified of flying, and she’s also pregnant. She ha
ADLEY “Hey, babe.” I sat on the massage chair I purchased last week. It felt good. I was lucky to be one of those women who got pampered during pregnancy, but the work was time-consuming for someone like me who used to be hands-on on everything. I was still in the process of adapting to the new environment and position, and it still felt fulfilling despite the daily demand of my work. Besides, I had the best consultant at my speed dial. Dru had been a great help. “Busy?” I’d been busy for the past weeks. I’d visited some ongoing projects from my predecessor, Grandpa. I’d attended meetings for collaboration projects of the world’s top corporations and scientists. The hopes for the future were aspiring—to be able to build a commercial space station outer space. The plan was incredibly ambitious for 2050. “Not anymore. Grandpa left me tons of work, but it’s over now. All I need is good cuddling.” “We can cuddle all night. Besides, it’s the weekend, and baby?” “Yes?” “No more work