MYKEL I’d never cried in my entire adult life, but I thought I was about to break the record today. Watching the love of my life go felt like the end of the world to me, and I couldn’t make something right with her. Part of me wanted to run after her and beg for forgiveness. My heart crashed, and I followed the other part—to make things right. And I started by getting the truth if the kid was mine. “Mykel?” “Lex, is my wife with you?” I had never been this agitated and wrecked, but I wanted to find out if she was there. “Maybe I should open another headquarter of 911 for matrimonial service.” “I don’t have time for jokes, Lex. Please let me know if Adley gets home?” “Isn’t her home now with you, young man?” “She left my office upset.” “You two really have a lot of things to work out, son. What did you do this time?” “I admit this is my fault. I wanna make things right. After what happened with that woman and Merick, I wanna start over. I want a good life with Adley, which i
ADLEY It was the longest and most excruciating three minutes of my life. I was staring at the six kits aligned on the sink, and with each second ticked by for a whole minute, I felt like my heart burst out of my chest, and my stomach coiled tightly. I wanted to throw up. I was anxious, terrified, and confused. And at the same time, I was excited to know the outcome. Two minutes had passed, and there was still no result. I paced back and forth in the bathroom while chewing my cheek. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know to break the news if the result turned out positive. I didn’t know to deal with it. I didn’t even know if I could be a good mother. For the first time, I had no clue. On the other hand, this was not a part of the plan. At least, not right now. I just burst into crying. There are many things I want to experience, but not quite being a mother. “Adley, you’ve been there for five minutes. I’m gonna tear this door down and come in if you don’t get out of there in th
MYKEL Jade was glaring at me and then at Sax and Kye before she stepped aside. The apartment was awfully small, but the furniture was pretty clean and sturdy. There were toys on the coffee table, on the floor, and the small bookshelf, reminding me that my son did exist and I had been a father for almost four years. “Have a seat.” “These are my—” “Bodyguards?” she replied vilely. “Also, my friends. Sax the bald and the blond is Kye.” “Hello, ma’am.” My guys took a seat. I went to look at the photos on the walls and shelves. “Why are you here, Mykel?” I turned to face her. “What’s my son’s name?” She wallowed. “Zhaer Jax with E. He likes to be called Jax. Zhaer is a mouthful.” Unknowingly, I was smiling. “Beautiful name.” “You still did not answer my question.” “I wanna know him. I wanna meet him. Of course, with your permission.” Before Jade could say something, the boy walked in with a superhero action figure in his hand. “Mommy?” Jade stiffened next to me, and so
MYKEL Jade’s eyes filled with tears. I held her arms, giving her assurance that I would never do such horrible things to her. “I swear that no one can take Jax away from you. I know you don’t trust me, but you eventually have to work on that.” She relaxed as she drew a deep breath. “Okay. I’ve been saving money to get a good apartment near the school, but my job as a clerk—” “I’m giving you another job.” She looked as if she wanted to burst out laughing. “You’re kidding, right?” “I’m a billionaire, Jade.” She rolled her eyes. “I sometimes forgot you’re a dick billionaire, and you just waltzed in with two bodyguards. But I’m doing it for my son.” “Pack up, and you’re staying at the hotel tonight.” She was about to disagree with a loud crash erupted from her neighbor. I had no idea how long she endured with this kind of neighborhood, but it had to end tonight. She waltzed away, calling our son. “Jax, honey, wear your shoes, and we’re going for a ride and stay in a nice room
ADLEY “Mykel?” I woke up at two in the morning to his call. I found missed calls and messages from him. I thought I was dreaming, hearing the constant playing of a song. I realized it was my ringtone. After two days, it finally got into his freaking mind that he had a wife he left in New York. “Baby, I wasn’t sure you would answer.” Really? That was the best excuse he could think of. There was also a hesitation in his voice. “After two days, then you are about to drain my batteries. Why are you calling, Mykel?” “Baby, I’m sorry, okay? I’m coming home. My jet is taking off in thirty. I’m picking you up as soon as I land—” “Mykel, do you realize it’s early morning when you land? Don’t waste your time. I’m not coming with you.” “Baby—” “I’m sorry—” “Adley, I gave you two days to think. I know you’re still angry with me, but we need to talk, and this split-up, you staying in the other house, doesn’t do any good in our marriage. You and I need to sit down and settle this issue.”
ADLEY Gripping his hand off my thigh under the table, I gave him an I-wish-I-could-say-the-same-thing-look. “Morning.” “Mr. Everette Kross and Mrs. Amelie Kross have two residences, a beach house, four personal vehicles, a yacht, thirty-seven million dollar cash in the joint bank account, and an eighteen percent combined share at the Kross Corp.” That made me the twenty-eight percent shareholder of the corporation. “A trust fund that was already transferred to their beneficiary only daughter, Adley Kross, when she turned nineteen. The remaining assets mentioned and written on this writing will be transferred upon signing the document by the beneficiary.” I listened to my parents’ lawyer as he continually explained other points in the document. So this was all the sacrifices all about? “As witnessed by Mr. Mykel Creed, the spouse of the beneficiary. Any question?” I remained tight-lipped. So, this is it. This was what we went to all this trouble for? “No further question. How ab
MYKEL There was so much pain in her eyes. She had withdrawn to somewhere she didn’t want to be reached. It fucking hurt knowing I was the one who put it there that I made her that way. I wished I could take those pain away. I didn’t care how excruciating it was for me—I just wanted to see the sparks in her eyes and hear her rich laugh again. For a second, I didn’t buy that tough girl bullshit. I’d known my wife for months, and she’d never turned her back on me. I knew she didn’t mean those words—those words were coming from a woman who was hurting and carrying the world over her shoulder. I fucking missed her—my wife—the woman I fell in love with. Now was not the right time to give up on someone I loved. Now was not the time to have some doubts. Days had passed, and I had not heard from Adley again. Romare was keeping me updated—that put me in bed and made me sleep at night, even if not peacefully. I was giving her the time and space she needed. What I didn’t expect was that she
ADLEYThis wake-up call in the middle of the night was stressing me out. I grunted as I picked up my phone on the nightstand.“What do you want?” I snapped as I answered the call.“Oh, wow. You’re scary. I’m sorry to call you this late—” I instantly recognized that voice.“Knox?”“Yeah, it’s me.”“You okay?”“Yeah, I’m fine, but Mykel is in trouble.”I was already sitting in bed when I asked, “What happened? What’s going on, Knox?”“We were having drinks, and suddenly, Mykel punched Dash in the face. Things lead to another.”“Has he been drinking?” I shook it off. He just mentioned they were having drinks. I guessed I was not fully awake.“He wasn’t drunk, Adley. Not really, but, you know. Since you two are not okay, he’s been having difficulty dealing with it.”“Where is he now?”“He’s locked up.”“He’s what?”“I know. This isn’t him. I’m worried about Mykel. He’s been under a lot of stress, and it’s not something like his finance or his boards can help him settle this out. He needs
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