LAURA'S POV"We can't do it again. I'm someone's daughter, Mr. Funch," I stated, and he threw his head backward as he laughed crazily."I'm someone's son too, love," he replied, and I smiled."What's with you and these sweet names? The last time I checked, you hated me," I remarked, arms folded and eyebrows raised."I was protecting myself from actually letting my feelings for you control me," he answered, kissing my temple."So you never hated me?" I inquired, playing with my fingers."I can never hate you' I just felt hurt," he responded calmly."Which I had no right to feel in the first place. I'm sorry," I expressed, and he smiled."We have a lot to talk about, but first, let's freshen up," he suggested, carrying me in his arms. I couldn't help but smile at the baby-girl treatment.He helped me get ready and applied lotion to my skin. I helped wash his hair, and he held my wrist when I tried to go downwards."Don't..." he warned with his strained voice."Why?" I wondered, confused
BRYAN'S POV"Fine, I will set things straight with her," I stated calmly."I'm sorry for her, she doesn't deserve any of this," she remarked, and I smiled in her direction."Stop thinking about sad things. C’mon," I urged her, and she smiled, her smile melting my heart in the process.We spent the whole day in my mansion. We even made love again late in the evening and decided to leave the next morning. She cooked Italian dishes for dinner, after which we slept cuddling each other.The next morning, I drove us down to the estate."Bye," she whispered softly as she kissed my lips before heading in her direction. As I made my way to my room, I bumped into Steph."Hey, Sis," I uttered, my cheeks heating with a blush."Laura, huh?" she teased."Who?" I replied, feigning innocence."Oh, please, bro, I saw the romantic gesture. So you guys are finally together again?" she probed again, and I rubbed my forehead."Not exactly, we're still working on it," I answered, and she smiled."Make thin
LAURA'S POV"You'll never be happy! Shameless woman, you think you can take him away from his family. I have his child, I have his daughter! What do you have?" I sat on his bed as her words echoed in my ears. My eyes stung with unshed tears. I was trying my best to hold them back.Her words hurt so bad, it felt like my heart was stabbed over and over again with a knife."That's ENOUGH!" Bryan shouted angrily as he walked her out of his room."You can't say such things to her," I overheard him speaking as he got outside the room."Oh, really? She deserves to hear more after throwing herself at my man!" she yelled. I knew she wanted me to hear everything. I knew I was guilty."She doesn’t know how it feels because she has no child. If she did, she'd know how Ruby will feel without a complete family! You're selfish, Laura!" she screamed, and tears rolled down my face.She was right. I don’t know what having a family feels like. I’ll never know how it feels to have a child of my own.My h
LAURA'S POVAfter my conversation with Julie, I knew what I wanted, and that’s to spend the rest of my life with Bryan.I’m tired of running away from my feelings, tired of hurting him when all he has ever done is love me unconditionally.As if he could hear my decision, he walked into the room at that exact moment. I turned to him with a bright smile."Hey," he murmured softly."Are you okay?" I inquired sweetly as I walked over to where he stood."I should be asking you, my joy," he remarked. I stood on my tiptoes and kissed his lips softly, making my heart warm up."I'm fine if you're fine, my crown," I stated. He pulled me into his arms and kissed me sweetly. Pulling me closer by the waist, I felt nothing but his sweetness. I’ve never felt more at peace."I was scared you'd shut me out again," he confessed after a while, and I frowned."Really? I'm sorry," I apologized, staring into his eyes."Why?" he probed, holding my hands."I'm sorry for shutting you out and hurting you. You
LAURA'S POVAfter our night of passionate lovemaking, Bryan pulled me into his arms. A bright smile played on my lips lazily as he kissed my forehead, and I drifted into sleep.I heard his phone ring, and I groaned slowly, turning to find a better position to sleep."What the fuck is going on?" I heard him groan in frustration as he picked up the call, his voice still sleepy."Shit," he cursed under his breath, making me snap my eyes open immediately as I looked in his direction, wondering if everything was okay."My love, what's wrong?" I inquired as I sat up, the sheets dropping to my waist as I watched him put on his shorts, searching for a shirt."Julie's water broke," he replied, and my eyes widened."Like right now? It's 2 a.m.," I uttered in shock."I'm coming with you," I added as I got down and slipped on my room slippers. I was already anxious, and I wasn’t even at the hospital yet."Babe..." he trailed off, concerned."I know it's your family, but I want to be there too. Ju
LAURA'S POVI was fast asleep on the bed when I felt someone walk into the room. My eyes snapped open and softened when I saw it was Bryan, and there was no cause for alarm."What happened to your arm?" I asked, standing up from the bed and walking over to him immediately."Hey, I'm fine," he assured me, but I refused to believe him."You don't look fine to me, Bryan," I stated, a frown on my face. I always had a bad feeling about his outing today, and this just proved me right."We got attacked, but we're good, I promise," he assured me, kissing my forehead, but I refused to buy all that. He was hiding something from me."I have a mission tomorrow night. Mikoy is gonna be there," I informed him before I could stop myself, and he froze."I'm coming with you," he declared almost immediately."Bryan..." I tried to argue."I didn't ask. I'm coming, that's final," he declared, making me anxious."Bryan, I only told you because we promised no secrets between us. I have been taking care of
LAURA'S POVI moaned in pleasure as he kissed me sweetly. The kiss felt so sinful yet sweet, and his naughty hands roamed my body, playing and squeezing my b**bs."Bryan, please..." I cried out in pleasure, as he latched onto my hard nipples, touching me in all my weak spots.I was supposed to be ready for tonight's mission, but here I am, doing something so sinfully dirty with Mr. Finch."Bryan, the be..." I stammered."Turn around, sweetheart," he commanded, and my eyes widened."Wh...what?" I asked, stuttering at how sexy his command was at that point."Turn, baby. If I repeat myself, I'm gonna spank your ass red," he warned, and that turned me on as I spun around before I could stop myself.He patted my legs, and I heard him unzip his trousers. I waited curiously, my desire building up. I was soaking wet by that point. I took off my robe and heard his sharp intake of breath. I cried out the moment he slide into me.My jaw dropped open as I shut my eyes tight, breathing rapidly. I
LAURA'S POVIt was time for the dance, and I knew just what I wanted.As I moved to the dance floor, I could feel pairs of eyes burning holes into my skin.One belonged to my man. I could recognize his intense gaze because it did something sweet to my insides. The other belonged to the girl under the mask. I held her gaze, and her unfamiliar eyes made me curious.*Who is she? She's with Mikoy, and that makes her an enemy of mine.*Lastly, I held Mikoy's dirty gaze as I swayed my hips to the music while different people moved to the dance floor.He’d come over to me because the old bastard couldn't help himself around beautiful women.I did a countdown: 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1. I felt his dirty hand snake around my waist.My blood went cold as memories of his different assaults filled my mind."Beautiful," he whispered into my ear, and the stench of smoke hit my nostrils.Mikoy has always been a disgusting man, and this just proves the extent of his madness."Dance," he whispered softly, yet
LAURA'S POV We returned to the city after that weekend, and the whole family was happy about the news, especially his mom and friends. The plans for our wedding went on with full force. Bryan and I wanted something simple, by the sea with family and friends, that was it. A few days before my wedding, I noticed I was seriously sick. I couldn't eat anything because the moment it got in my stomach, I threw it all up. I couldn't even leave the bed. Bryan was out of the country with Oscar for business otherwise, he would be worried sick. "Babe, get off the bed, we are supposed to go cake tasting today," Kora complained. "I can't... I feel so weak... my boobs ache a bit, they feel so full..." I murmured weakly. "What?" Julie inquired, and I rubbed my forehead. "Have you eaten something? Besides, you're burning up pretty badly." "I throw up the minute it gets in my stomach," I replied, and she gasped. "When was the last time you saw your periods?" she probed, and I stared at her. "I
BRYAN'S POV It's been two weeks since the incident with Mikoy and the rest. Laura hasn't been herself, she's been quiet, and the nightmares have moved to a whole new level. It hurt me because it felt like the devil still controlled her happiness from the land of the dead. She has been seeing a therapist, and we are hoping for positive results. I just want my woman to be okay, and maybe a change of environment for a while would help, I thought calmly. "What are you thinking about?" she inquired while walking into our room. It's crazy how I went into a state of confusion when I found out Ruby was not mine. I did a DNA test and I'm waiting for the results. "About you, about us... I think we need space from everything, love," I stated, and she looked at me in confusion as I held her hand. "Let's go out of the country for a while," I suggested, and she stared at my face. "But what about our daughter...?" she trailed off, and my heart warmed at her ability to always create spa
AUTHOR'S POINT OF VIEW "Sylvia didn't commit suicide. The annoying thing is the fact that she was murdered right under our nose," Oscar declared angrily as he fixed his tie. "Who killed her then?" Chase inquired as he took a drag from his smoke. "Her former boss," he replied, rubbing his forehead. "Madam Valencia?" Bryan cursed under his breath as he looked away. How she managed to get her men into the estate was definitely something to worry about. "She didn't send her men, she paid one of our men to do it, then sent a letter of apology after her job was done," Oscar responded as he threw the envelope. "And the fucker that betrayed us?" Bryan inquired. "Nowhere to be found for now. I think he went into hiding." "I always knew she wasn't stupid enough to take her own life. Too bad her past came back at her," Trenton commented, shaking his head. "Enough of Sylvia. Tonight is Cindy's party. Everyone must stick to the plan. I want this over. I've had enough of their madness," B
LAURA'S POVBryan smiled softly as he looked in my direction. I returned the same hearty smile to him.The meeting moved from dinner to the discussion of our plans and how things would be done."Cindy is already a fool right now when it comes to me, so letting me into her party is gonna be the easiest thing to do," Trenton spoke up, telling us his plan."So Laura is gonna be the bait?" Bryan inquired immediately after I came into the picture."It's a brilliant idea," I uttered before he would say no."Brilliant idea? My love, you can't face that bastard. Remember how it turned out the last time?" He questioned, concern written all over his face."How long will I keep running, love? It's high time I face my past and put an end to Mikoy once and for all, so I'm in," I declared firmly, and he sighed softly without saying anything else.He was angry, but I'd deal with his drama later. We can't add that to the list of our numerous problems.Trenton chipped in, "This time around, we have to
BRYAN'S POVThey used to have a romantic relationship in the past? If it really isn't something to be worried about, why didn't she tell me? I wondered as I ran my fingers through my hair with a frown on my face."Don't tell me you're still thinking about that stuff," Trenton nudged me on the arm as we walked toward our rooms."I can't help myself," I replied, and he chuckled."Talk to her, then. Don't let doubt creep in. This is the time when you both need each other the most, man," he urged, and I nodded as he walked in the opposite direction.I walked to my room, and there she was, in her nightwear with Ruby in her arms."Hey, love," she greeted with a bright smile on her face.I couldn't return the smile, though, even if I tried, my mind kept going back and forth."My crown," she called, and I sighed softly."Why didn't you tell me you used to have a past with Cris?" I inquired, and she turned to me in confusion."Are we still talking about him, love? I told you, there's no need t
LAURA'S POV"He asked about Cris," I told my best friend, and Kora stared at me."And what did you tell him?" she questioned while folding some clean towels."Nothing, I didn't tell him. What would I have told him?" I frowned, even the thought kept a rotten feeling in my stomach."At least, Cris used to work for you, so he would let it slide. You don't know how men can be," she chuckled."Cris used to like me so much, there was a time we even kissed, like, made out," I said, scratching my neck nervously."Wait, did you guys sleep together?" she exclaimed, her jaw literally dropping."No, no, bestie, what would make you even think that?" I replied, and she raised both hands in surrender."Don't blame me, baby girl, that guy is smoking hot..." She trailed off."Plus, you guys used to make out in the past," she teased, and my cheeks heated up in embarrassment."Kora..." I whined, and she burst out laughing."Chill, it was in the past. Bryan also had a relationship with Sylvia, they even
AUTHOR'S POV"Is he okay?" Diane inquired, as she rubbed her arms softly."Mom, you need to calm down, please. At least eat something, Bryan wouldn't like to see you in this condition," Stephanie complained, as she hugged her mother closely."I can't eat with all those pipes connected to his body. I'm so scared, I can't lose any of my children," she voiced her fear."Bryan is a fighter, he'll be fine. Just be strong," Stephanie assured her mommy, and she nodded slowly.She had to be strong for her children. Bryan wasn't going to die on her, and that's one thing she strongly believed, even as fear gnawed at her."Hello, ma'am, the lady is awake," one of the nurses reported."Laura is awake, Mother," Stephanie exclaimed happily and left with the nurse to Laura's ward.Laura's eyes fluttered open for the second time, she closed them immediately due to how the bright lights burned her eyes.She opened them again and winced at how sore her body felt, her throat dry and her head hurt."Brya
LAURA'S POVBryan has been the sweetest since I woke up. I was strangely craving noodles, so I asked him to make me some.He stared at me in amusement because noodles weren't something I craved on a normal day. But he left to make me some, after which I invited him to join me.We ended up eating together, and his phone rang in the middle of the meal. I stared at him curiously as he picked up.He looked shocked about whatever he heard at the other end because he started talking in monosyllables.Something told me deep down that something was off."Huh..." He trailed off and stopped himself from continuing."I need to go," he announced immediately after he hung up the call."Go where? It's evening, and I want you here with me," I replied, and he bit his lower lip."It's very important, baby, but I promise I will be fine," he expressed, and I sighed."At least tell me where you're going, I don't feel too good," I complained."Maybe you're worrying too much," he mentioned and kissed my fo
BRYAN'S POV"How is she doing now? Is she okay?" Her best friend Kora inquired as she rushed into my room where Laura lay unconscious on the bed.We moved her to my place after the doctors were done with the most important treatment."She's still unconscious, but the doctor assured us she's out of danger," I responded, and she heaved a sigh of relief."Glad to hear that. I was worried when they told me what happened," she remarked, and I smiled."I caused it though, I made things worse," I mumbled, and she chuckled."Oh c'mon, it's not easy to be with Mikoy in one space and not want to end his life, not after everything he put our girl through," she said, and I pressed my lips tightly together."Be careful, Bryan. I know Laura would want this fight to end with everyone alive," she commented, and patted my back."I will come to check up on her again. Yvonne is awake," she informed me, and I murmured an okay."Everything is complicated, Cindy is part of Mikoy's team, meaning they planne