DASHIELLFuck. What the hell was I supposed to do? How do I rectify the damned situation???Biting the cap of my pen, I glanced up as my secretary walked into the office. “You said she would back down when I push her to a corner, but that wasn't what happened! There was no way for me to save her like a knight in shining armour when she was fully prepared!” I complained, my gaze fixed on her. Back when I asked Nova to give her opinion on the new project we were discussing, I figured she would be scared and unprepared. I was ready to swoop in and save the day, so she would look at me as a saviour, not an enemy. Who knows, it might have been enough to make her see me as more than the nuisance she thinks I am. However, things didn't go the way I planned it. “I'm not at fault here, sir,” Bridget said, walking over to my table. “I believe Miss Nova isn't like the others who you will easily help. I thought it would be easygoing with that approach, but that doesn't seem to work at all. I
NOVATo take my mind off Dashiell, and the thing that happened in the boardroom, I took half a day off to rest. Brion had already informed me he wasn't picking the kids up from school because he had a meeting with someone. This he told me through a text he sent this morning after he took the kids to school. Like I said, he hadn't spoken to me since that fateful day, aside from when he deemed it necessary to do so. “Mum, did you argue with Uncle Brion?” Willow asked, peering at me with her cute eyes. I stilled at her question before I cleared my throat, forcing a smile as I demanded, “No, why did you ask?”“Why has he stopped smiling with you?” “He doesn't help you in the kitchen anymore,” River added, his mouth in a pout as he watched me. “Did you do anything to him?”Now, that amused me. “Why do you think I was the one who did something to him and not the other way around?” I patted their heads, smiling to ease their worries. “Because Uncle Brion likes you. He can never do anyth
BRIONI stared at her, into her grey eyes, which I loved more than anything in the entire world. Hearing her call me her best friend hurts more than anything else. It felt like a kick to the gut, like a blunt knife being continuously thrust into my chest while I struggled. I wanted to tell her I didn't see her as a friend. Hell, I wanted more. To me, Nova wasn't just a buddy. It wasn't how I saw her, and I doubt I would ever see her as one. “It hurts,” I confessed, placing my hand over hers. “It stings, Nova.”However, she didn't understand me. She thought I was speaking of the silence, not knowing I was talking about something else entirely.“Same.”I got up from the floor and sat on the bed, enveloping her in a hug. I felt at home in her embrace, a peace I hadn't felt for a long time.“Don't lie to me ever again,” I stated, letting her know how badly I suffered when she lied about Dashiell. “I won't,” she promised, hugging me tight. “I vow never to do anything that will jeopardiz
DASHIELL“Mr Marshall,” I said, my voice clipped as I stared at him with a fake smile on my lips. “It's nice to have you honouring the invite.” Though my words sounded thrilled, my tone was far from being that. I wanted nothing to do with the man standing in front of me, and I could tell he felt that way. Had it not been for Nova, I would have called an end to the agreement. I wouldn't have wasted my precious time with this bastard, smiling at me like one who had a secret to share. “Mr James,” he greeted, inclining his head with a small smirk placed on his lips. His light green eyes peered into mine, challenging me to back down from the stare, but I held on. This was a battle, one I wasn't ready to lose, and I won. Keeping my gaze on him, I smiled when he averted it at last. Sighing, he released my hand from the grip and sat down, the small smirk on his lips still there as he watched me. I sat back on my chair and commenced with the meeting. Listing out the things I needed for this
“I came to see Nova,” I said, squatting in front of him. The nearer I was to him, the more I felt familiar with him, like I had seen him somewhere. His tousled hair and lovely grey eyes made me want to reach out to touch him, and when I did, he avoided my touch by taking some steps back, still glaring at me. “Who is she to you?” Oh, my. What an elegant gentleman he is. I half expected him to run for the front door, not to challenge me with a gaze that looked so familiar, it was surreal. Shaking my head at the odd thought that had just crossed my mind, I held the young man's gaze. “How old are you?” I demanded, not answering his questions. As much as the ludicrous thoughts in my head sounded as stupid as I tagged them, I couldn't shake off the impression that somehow, the boy was close to me, which was why I asked to know his age. He raised a suspicious brow at me, his mouth in a pout as he took some steps back. Once again, his gaze went over to the front door, and I realized so
NOVAMy heart thumped against my chest as I watched him. Knowing he met River freaked the hell out of me, but not as much as it would have done had he met Willow. Thankfully, I had Willow indoors because I was braiding her hair. Else, he would have known she was his, at a glance. River looks so much like me, while Willow is a replica of her dad.“Nova?”“He's my son,” I gritted out at last, glaring at him as I tried to conceal my expression, so he wouldn't notice how scared I was. “Your son?” He frowned, drawing another step toward me. “Our son?”“Not really.” I unfolded my arms and placed my hands behind me to hide them. The last thing I wanted was for him to see how much my hands were trembling. He would know I was hiding something from him.“Not really?” “Our child… Died… Just like you wished.” I had to bite my lower lip at my words while cancelling the evil pronouncement on my kids. There was no need to let him know the kids were alive. Knowing his child was dead might make him
DASHIELLI trudged down the road, my mind going back to what Nova asked of me. I knew a day like this would come. A moment where I would have to choose between Nova and Lilith; however, I thought I still had time. I wanted a chance to tell Lilith how I actually felt about Nova, to let her know I wasn't going to fulfil my promise to her, the one I gave to her those years ago. My legs seemed heavy as I dragged it, my thoughts spiralling out of control as I tried to think of how to drop the bombshell on Lilith. I knew it had to be now. Knowing Nova, she might change her mind should I stall for more time. Telling Lilith about it now seemed to be the right decision, yet I felt reluctant. Just for a moment. Lilith has been with me for 5 years. She had faithfully stayed by my side, patiently waiting for the day I would confess to her, not knowing my heart had long found another person to love. I couldn't tell when it happened, but it did.Halfway to my location, I flagged a taxi down, and
NOVA I stood on my front porch for a long time before I decided he wasn't returning. I must have imagined that determined look on his face, and those words he uttered. Dashiell would never say those words. I know how much Lilith meant to him. She was his first love and the reason he despised me those years ago. He felt I was robbing him of the opportunity to wed the woman he loved, which was why he never liked me. “Mummy? Why are you standing here? Where's Mr Dashiell?” River's question interrupted my thoughts, stepping out of the house with Willow in tow. "Um—" “Mum, is it true he looks like me?” Willow demanded, her voice low as she stared up at me, blinking. My heart skipped at the question. I couldn't think of the right response to give to that, so I just nodded, hoping they wouldn't pursue the matter any further, but they did. “Really? I thought I looked like you! Uncle Brion said I did.” “Yeah, you do.” I squatted in front of her, smiling as I reached out to pat her ha
Brion was discharged three days later. Unlike the past few days, he could stand now without being tired or helped. The doctors believe he will recover well at home. After getting discharged, I took him and the kids back home. Dashiell was still getting treatments. They would have discharged him with Brion had it not been for his legs. The doctors wanted to keep him in the hospital for a week more, to check on his recovery. I just prayed everything would work out perfectly. Two weeks later, I drove him back home. Amaya came over to stay in the hospital with him so I could return to work. We had been gone for days, and the shareholders were making snide remarks about it, so I had to return to take care of the office while he recovered. The past few weeks have been a busy one for me. There were piles of work waiting on my desk for me when I returned, and I had to also combine it with Dashiell's. Had it not been for Benita's help, I would have drowned in work. She was such a darling, h
The doctor removed the IV drip before I could visit Dashiell. Ben led me by the hand, keeping me steady as he took me over to the room. Brion and the kids hadn't been alerted yet, so they didn't know we were back. My phone was off, so I hadn't gotten a call from him — yet. However, I knew it was only a matter of time before he called the police to report about me.The moment I opened the door, my eyes locked with that of a shocked man. Emerald eyes bore into mine the second I stepped into the room. "Nova?” He whispered, his voice shaky. He looked like he was imagining me because he lifted his right index and rubbed furiously on his eyes before it landed on me. “You are real?”I nodded, as tears rolled down my eyes. Dashiell was a shell of himself. Just a few days in captivity, and he had gotten so lean, I hardly recognized him. His skin was pale, almost translucent, and his cheekbones jutted out sharply. I was frozen, staring at my lover, and imagining how much he had suffered to l
When I came to, I was lying on a bed. The scent of disinfectant in the room made me realize where I was. I slowly sat up, grimacing at the pain in my arm. I had a bandage wrapped around my biceps, one that was stained with blood.The monitor next to me beeped as if it could sense my discomfort. Wincing, I leaned on the bed as I looked around the empty room. From the looks of it, Ben took me to the clinic I left Brion in. Heaving out a breath, I closed my eyes as images of the last time I was awake assaulted me. A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts. Snapping my eyes open, I looked towards it as it opened and Ben stepped in. “Thank God you are awake,” he said as he walked over to my bed and sat beside me, relief etched on his face. “Welcome back. You've been out for hours.”"Hours?" rubbed my temples, trying to clear the fog. “What of Gabriella?”“Dead. You did a pretty good number on her. The police have agreed to rule it out as self-defence. As she was an offender, it's not
“Where is Dashiell?” I asked after a few seconds, still wondering why she hadn't attacked me. I figured all it would take was a little talk before we get down to business. “Dashiell?” She made a face at that before a knowing smirk took over. Getting up, she glanced towards the stairs, which seemed like it had seen better days. The stairs didn't look like they would last for another year before caving in. Just like the rest of the house, it was dying — most times, I always believed houses were entities. She snapped her fingers and three men appeared from a door behind where she stood, their chest bare, showing off muscles that must have taken years to build. My heart skipped as I gripped the pistol in my hoodie tighter. I knew it was about time for the fight. But I doubt I could take the men on. Gabriella alone? I could. “Do you assume the gun you hid in your hoodie will help you, darling?” She smiled, her eyes crinkling at the sides. "How?" I was dumbstruck by the question. “How
It looked just like the place someone as shady as Zoey would be. As I approached, I noticed the overgrown yard and weeds sprouting through cracks in the pavement. Nature had reclaimed the property, wrapping vines around the porch pillars. I slowed my pace, my senses on high alert. Something felt off. Though Ben's hidden presence reassured me, my heart continued to thud like a bass drum in my chest. I took a deep breath and stepped onto the porch, the wooden boards groaning beneath my feet. The door creaked as I pushed it open, and I called out, “I'm here.” My voice echoed through the empty corridor. At first, nothing happened, until I heard a rather familiar voice asking me to come forward. I looked back at the place Ben was likely hiding in before I fully stepped in and closed the falling door. I shivered as I walked forward, guided by the dim lighting in the hallway before I arrived in the sitting room. A figure sat perched on one of the sofas, the minute I walked in. “Hell
I got dressed for the operation. We didn't return to the hospital because I didn't think it was necessary. Brion would undoubtedly try to talk me out of my plans, which was why I didn't attempt a return there, not until we had gotten everything sorted. Today, I vowed, would be the day I bring Dashiell back home. He had stayed too long with Zoey. It was time for him to return, to his home, to me and the kids.“Ready?” Ben turned to me, lifting a brow, when I stepped out of the motel I checked into to change out of my clothes. I had a bulletproof vest under a hoodie.To cover my guns, I stuffed them into the pockets of my hoodie, waiting until I got an excellent location to conceal them. “Ready,” I confirmed, adjusting my hoodie to ensure the bulletproof vest wasn't visible. “Well, as ready as I can, for a dangerous mission,” I added with a smile. Though I was feeling as nervous as hell, and it felt like my heart was about to leap from my chest, I acted like I was okay. Yeah, perfectly
Suddenly, I was moving, being pulled towards a police car. Officer Maxwell's hands were still on my shoulders, guiding me into the back seat.As we sped away from the scene, I felt like my world was crashing down around me. My thoughts were all over the place. The drive to the hospital seemed like an eternity. It felt as if someone trapped me in a nightmare, one I was unable to wake up from.As we arrived at the hospital, I saw chaos. Police cars and ambulances were everywhere. People were running, shouting.I felt like I was going to throw up.After parking the car in the only space he could find, Officer Maxwell guided me out of the car. I stumbled, my legs weak. I wasn't physically weak, more like my emotions were getting the better of me. Thankfully, Brion was outside. However, my eyes were drawn to the little ones with him. The tears I didn't know I was holding back rolled down my eyes as I rushed towards them, feeling suddenly energetic. I knelt in front of my kids, hugging th
I complied, lying flat on the ground as the officers approached. They quickly subdued the third man, who was still trying to escape, and took the others away. I laid on the ground, thinking of a way out, until I looked up and saw Officer Maxwell walking over to me with a frown on his face. “Is that you, Nova?” He demanded, closing the distance between us. At his approach, the police officers standing around me made way for him, each watching him intently.He reached down and helped me up from the ground, passing a handkerchief to me so I could wipe the dirt. Smiling, I took it from him and started cleaning the dirt on my body. From hiding behind the bush to lying flat on the ground, I looked like a mess, like I barely survived. “Do you know how dangerous your moves were, Nova? You could have gotten yourself hit?!” He yelled at my face the moment I finished cleaning up. “Why are you so damned reckless??!”“I didn't get killed, did I?” I lifted my shoulders in a shrug, acting like I
“Are you really going there alone?” Brion lifted a brow, watching me get dressed for the assignment. Surely you're joking, right? Are you messing with me? I should have known that was what you were doing.”"Not in the slightest. I am heading out solo. I still have my gun with me, remember? If it turns out to be a trap, I will shoot those damned bastards right in their eyes. He must have found the promise in my gaze amusing, as he chuckled and covered his mouth with his right hand. “Though what you said right there is funny, we can't ignore the enormous elephant in the room. That is far too massive for that. You, Nova, aren't going anywhere without informing the police. I don't want to lose you, and I know the kids don't. We still need you, and —”“You are making this sound dramatic.” I rolled my eyes at him as I checked my reflection in the mirror. I didn't dress up. I just changed my style. Instead of the beautiful flowery gown I wore this morning, it was now a black shirt and blac