DYLAN"Boring. How about you being naked?""Okay. We can do it your way. What would you do with a naked me?" This was getting interesting."Everything possible," she said, tapping her nails on the glass. Alena put down her glass and drew her face closer to mine."Enlighten me, wife." I played along, bringing my face even closer to hers.Alena bit her bottom lip seductively, and I felt her hand on my thigh from under the table. She slowly started moving it upwards to my...Wait, what?"Alena," I warned, but her smile only grew wider and naughtier. She wasn't even stopping.I couldn't breathe. I felt suffocated. My head became weirdly light, and my palms felt sweaty."What's wrong, honey? You wanted me to touch it the other day. What's wrong now?"Was she drunk?She was almost there, but she immediately removed her hand."Are you drunk?" I asked her, still dumbfounded by her steamy action a few seconds ago."I don't think so," she replied, playing with her nails."Who are you, and what
DYLAN"Are you pregnant?" I asked Gwen.I forced myself to close off any thoughts, possibilities, or fears. I wanted to hear the truth from her, not assume it."Are you pregnant, Gwen?" I asked again after a long pause.Gwen looked straight into my eyes and blinked away her tears. She looked as if she were about to deliver an atomic bomb."I'm not sure, Dylan. I think so, but I'm not sure," she confided in me.I looked around and realized that everyone was seated, and Mr. Baldwin, the host, was upfront addressing the guests. At least no one's attention was on us.I placed my hand on top of Gwen's and squeezed it gently."Gwen, what makes you think so?" I asked her."My period is two weeks late. I've been feeling sick lately, and I don't know what to think," she told me in a low voice."Gwen, maybe you've just been stressed out, or maybe you've changed your diet. I don't really know, but maybe it affected your normal cycle." I tried to reason with her."That's what Axel said too, but w
DYLAN"Yes. It's really hard for her to talk about her past. I don't like prying on the topic either.""Yeah. I understand her. It's not my story to tell anyway, but she got disturbed after her dad passed away.""I heard they were really close.""Very close. She was in the car with him when they crashed. She saw him die. Everything in her life changed after that. She lost her voice. She lost herself. She lost many things... people too," she told me."Which people?""She'll tell you when she's ready, Dyl. If she hasn't told you, then she doesn't want you to know. Don't tell her I told you this. She doesn't want to be pitied."I never knew she was in that car with Arthur Weston. According to the news, about five years ago, he was all alone in that car. No report ever talked about her daughter being in the car with him."I never knew.""Yeah. No one was supposed to know anyway.""So, how'd you know?""We're like family. I've known them ever since I was like five, so I know almost everyth
ALENAI stood all by myself away from the crowd in a corner, holding a wine glass. A nice waiter had offered it to me, and his cuteness made it hard for me to turn him down.I looked at the wine and smiled nervously. Just a sip wouldn't bite. I surely wouldn't get drunk with just a sip. I swallowed hard, then I looked around me first.No one seemed to be paying attention to me. Mom had dumped me for some Asian businessmen, and the other people I knew were out of sight. I had no idea who half of the people in the room were, so maybe no one would care if I got drunk.Who was I even kidding? Being a billionaire's wife and a billionaire's daughter was harder than I thought. Everyone knew me, and I had to live up to everyone's expectations, especially in public. I had no interest whatsoever in making the headlines.Okay, let's do this, Cora. Just a sip, and we'll be good.I balled my left fist, then I held up the glass to my mouth. Even its strong smell hit my nose so hard that I already f
ALENAI didn't care about that, though. At least she knew how I felt. I felt like a heavy weight had been lifted off my shoulders.I walked away from her with a bright smile on my face. Steve asked her to dance with him, and I just smiled even brighter."May I steal a dance from you, my lady?" Benjamin Cameron offered, being the gentleman he naturally was."Why, sure, Mr. Handsome Gentleman. It'd be an honor."I started dancing with Benjamin. It was magical. Like a father, like a son."Forgive my son for being such a jerk to a kind lady like you," Benjamin apologized, twirling me, and then he dipped me."Yeah, he really is a jerk, but my favorite kind of jerk. He's an amazing jerk.""Thank you for coming into our lives.""Thank you for accepting me into your family.""It's a pleasure. We hope to keep you forever.""As in?""As in, it's almost time to go home, Cora," he totally changed the topic. I just smiled at him."I'll be waiting for you in the car. Be careful.""Sure, Dad. Let me
ALENABenjamin and I arrived home in half an hour. My entire mood had changed. I felt angry, confused, and restless. I really needed to take a bath, relax, and go to sleep."Are you sure you are okay, Alena? You've been acting odd," Benjamin asked as we both made our way upstairs. We had eaten at the party, so we weren't going to have dinner."I'm okay, Dad. I just feel tired and a bit drowsy. My head feels a little heavy as well.""Should I call for a doctor?""No, thanks. It's nothing a painkiller can't fix. I'll take a bath, take some pills, then go to sleep. I should be okay in the morning.""Should I watch over you?""Dad, I'm okay. Go to sleep. You've been on your feet all night. You need rest more than even I do. Go and get a good night's sleep.""Okay, I give up. Goodnight, Alena.""Goodnight, Dad."We both went our separate ways to our bedrooms. When I entered my bedroom, I took off my jewelry first and put it safely away.We both went our separate ways to our bedrooms. When
ALENAWe left in a Tesla with him driving. My heart was still beating really fast. At least Harry wasn't asking me any stupid questions. He looked somewhere around my age, and he seemed pretty nice. I remembered him picking me up from work at least twice. He mostly worked close to Dylan.We made it to the hotel, and I checked with the reception to see if the two were still booked in. Apparently, they had left a few minutes past midnight. That was about an hour ago. The only other place I could try was Sophie's apartment. The good thing was that Harry knew where Sophie lived, so getting there was pretty easy.I instructed Harry to stay behind so that I could go and check on Sophie on my own. By then, he knew I had made up the entire phone thing. He wasn't nosy, and I liked it. He respected my wishes."Mrs. Cameron...""Harry, you can call me Alena. What's up?""Well, Alena, be careful. I'm giving you ten minutes only. If you take longer than that, I'm following you. If there's any prob
ALENA"What are you doing, woman?" Liam asked as I opened Sophie's closet."What does it look like I'm doing? Collecting stones?" I replied, purely annoyed.Right after saying that, I felt Liam pull me by my hair. He was so rough that I feared he'd pull out my hair. It had been weeks since my last migraine. This one was going to be painful."You want to play smart with me, huh?""Let go of me! It hurts," I whimpered."Then learn to control your tongue. I'm actually doing you a favor here. You take instructions from me, not the other way around.""I thought we agreed on me calling the shots," I said, struggling out of his grip. He gripped me even tighter. Why was this happening to me?"Change of plans. I'm the boss here. Do whatever you were doing real quick. I have an amazing morning to spend with a billionaire's wife," he boasted, clearly trying to get to me. I scoffed, and he pushed me forward. I hit the closet with my forehead. That hurt.I quickly composed myself and opened the cl
ALENA’S EPILOGUE Our black SUV pulled up in Mom's driveway a little late in the afternoon and we all got out of the car. Amelia was snuggled in her daddy's arms, a place I knew was one of her favourites in the whole world and the way he paid enough attention to her and kept her smiling just made their bond stronger.Aidan and Iris were on either of my sides each holding each of my hands tightly as we walked up the driveway to the main entrance. We had all been looking forward to this family gathering for some time now. Spending time together, catching up on each other's lives and just being there for each other was something we all enjoyed. We were a family and meeting up together like this was always a pleasure."Thank you so much, Mommy, for buying me these pretty sparkly shoes and sparkly dress," Iris squealed excitedly, jumping up and down on her feet as we walked, staring admirably at her new outfit. "I feel like a princess," she added, giving me a brilliant smile that revealed
FIVE YEARS LATERDYLAN’S EPILOGUEThey say that you will never truly understand something until it happens to you.I honestly never paid much attention to this saying until realistic things happening in my own life started weighing much on it and opening my eyes to how everything I was once told about this big mystery called life started unfolding before my own eyes and manifesting in my life.Many a time, Dad would tell me about how marriage and fatherhood changed his life greatly for the better and it barely made any meaningful sense to me, but right now in this very moment, bonding with my baby and showering her with unconditional love made it all make perfect sense.There was something inexplicably intoxicating about seeing our precious bundle of joy happy with a radiant smile on her face. That smile had to be the prettiest thing I had ever seen, for it extended deep into my soul and filled me with joy. I couldn't resist smiling back at her with an even brighter smile, placing the
ALENADylan twirled me around, dipping me as he leaned forward closer to me. Staring at the masterpiece of a husband before me, my breathing became shallow and my heart felt heavy in my chest.Dylan pulled me back up into his arms and I rested my head on his chest and let him sway my body as the chorus rolled in. The song twirled like thread around us, the rhythm of our bodies simply passionate and majestic. I was deep in love."Alena, you're the inspiration for this precious song, and I just wanna see your face light up since you put me on. So now I say goodbye to the old me, it's already gone. And I can't wait to get you home, just to let you know, you are...""The love of my life," we whispered together in unison as I joined him in saying some of the lyrics along to the song playing.I was crying. He was way too sweet. I never imagined he'd be able to love me this much and take our relationship to a whole new level.Couples eventually started joining us on the dancefloor. I looked
ALENADylan pulled me towards him gently but firmly by my waist and he placed his lips firmly on mine, cupping my cheek with his hand.His lips were soft, almost silken against my own. Our lips fitted perfectly as if they were meant for each other. Moving against each other, feeling each other.Warmth blossomed in my chest, sparks igniting. This was beautiful and magical, a dream come true. When we pulled away from each other, the crowd was cheering loudly for us, clapping and everything.We both chuckled, holding hands tightly. We turned and faced everyone. Their cheers grew even louder and more enthusiastic.I could see Mom sitting in front with Benjamin, Steve and Celeste. Ezra was in front on the other side with Axel, Sophie and Elizabeth. Everyone else followed behind them. They all looked happy for us.Dylan and I stepped down from the wedding altar and we proceeded down the aisle. Everyone rose and started throwing confetti at us as we walked out. It was perfect.I looked up at
ALENA"Of course, I will. When can we start making the preparations?"Dylan laughed, pinching my nose. "Silly, I mean today. Everything is already set. You just have to get ready and walk down the aisle.""You're kidding right?""I'm dead serious, honey. Everything's the way you wanted it and mostly your choice. I know this isn't our first wedding, but I want us to consider this our actual wedding because the previous wasn't even one. This time around, I'm marrying you willingly with pride."I laughed, failing to believe this. "How? I can't believe this.""Believe it, baby. We're getting married and this time around the proper way. I've been so excited to finally take you as my wife the proper way and give you the joy you deserve. I want to marry you, Alena.""Dylan, how did you even think of this? Just how?" I asked him, blinking away my tears.He wiped away my tears with his hands. "Because I want to see you happy and make your dreams come true. It's called love, honey. You've drown
ALENADylan opened the door of his car on my side and I stepped out, taking his hand which he had extended politely towards me to help me out. I murmured a polite thank you with a smile on my face as he helped out and closed the door once I was standing next to him.We linked arms and he gave me a small peck on my forehead before we started walking down the pathway that led to the dock of a beautiful lake.There were bright heart shaped lanterns hanging on tree branches and rose petals artistically scattered on the pathway we were walking on. Star shaped twinkle lights were wound around branches and lining the pathway. It was breathtakingly beautiful.It was a beautiful sunset and it felt extraordinarily magical with the water in the lake glimmering beneath the beautiful sky, looking calm and inviting.I had no idea if it was the beautiful weather and scene that added the special magical effect or if it was the exceptional man right next to me, holding me like his entire life depended
DYLANI loved it when she played dirty. I loved seeing that side of her that only I knew. I loved this state where she was raw, untamed and fierce sexy."Naughty girl," I chuckled, smacking her butt firmly. She winced, her lips cracking into a wider smile."If I am naughty, what are you?" she purred, pressing her body firmly into mine. She bit her bottom lip tenderly, looking at me with lust filled eyes."Your sexy husband who loves bringing the naughtiness out of you." I smacked Alena's butt one more time, pressing her body into mine at the same time."Ah," she moaned, throwing her head back. She loved it.I took my spoon and scooped some ice cream onto it. I trailed the spoon from her earlobe down to her throat. She shivered, looking at my hand. "Cold," she breathed."I'll set you on fire," I promised and with those words, I smashed my lips onto her neck, earning a loud moan from her.I held her firmly close to me by her butt as I attacked her neck with deep kisses, soft nibbles and
DYLANShe took her wine glass from me and looked up at me, taking a step closer. "Careful what you wish for, Princess. I want to, I can and I will eat you," I said, closing the small gap between us."Is that a promise?" she asked me, running her finger slowly down my torso. I had been working out a lot to get back in shape. All my hard work hadn't gone to waste."It is," I affirmed, brushing my lips against her smooth skin. "And you know I never break my promises."Alena stood on her toes and she pecked my lips. She held both of our glasses, looking deep into my eyes with her bottom lip between her white teeth. I poured the wine and took my glass from her."What are we toasting to?" she asked me."To us. To our lives, love, freedom and everything we ever wanted that we can proudly say we achieved.""Cheers to that," she said, raising her glass."Cheers." We clicked our glasses and washed down the red wine together in one go. We had a second round and we drank the wine in the same mann
DYLAN"No," she mumbled quietly. She was crying."Show me your face. I want to look at you," I spoke softly."Do I have to?" she replied quietly. She sounded cute and in my head, I could see a cute pout on her lips as she said so. That made me smile."Yes. You have to," I murmured, kissing her temples. Alena slowly pulled away from me and she sat up, facing me. She had tears in her eyes and a few had fallen down her cheeks. I wiped them away using my thumbs."And why is my beautiful princess crying when we're supposed to be celebrating?" I asked her, taking both of her warm hands into mine. I planted sweet kisses on both of them and looked up at her. "I don't know," she mumbled, looking at our hands. "Tears of relief if there's anything of that sort I guess.""You don't have to hide your feelings from me, you know. It's okay to cry if you feel like it. We all express joy and relief in different ways.""Does that mean I can bawl my eyes out and you'll still be okay with it?""Hmmm...