The next day was a Saturday and so the kids were home. After lunch, as both Angelina and Nanna got busy in the kitchen washing all the utensils they used, Maxwell and Nanna's two grandkids; Paolo and Lisa, occupied themselves playing in the living room.After playing hide and seek for a while, Lisa got bored of it and pouted, "I'm tired of hiding and seeking! I want a pony ride!"Nanna, who had just walked out of the kitchen alongside Angelina, quickly intervened before Maxwell is lured by the playful, hyperactive kids and forced to do something he's not used to. "Sorry Lisa, but no pony rides for you. Have you forgotten that Paolo strained your Papa's back while giving him a pony ride the other day? You don't want someone else to get hurt, do you?"Just as Lisa slowly shook her head, they all saw Maxwell bending down on all fours before he turned to smile at Lisa. He then opened his mouth to speak but before he could get a word out, Nanna hastily protested, "Oh no you
The following day, even though Maxwell woke up feeling much better, he didn't repeat the mistake of giving in to the kids' demands once again. Infact when Paolo looked at him while they were all having breakfast at the dining table and excitedly chirped, "Uncle Max, yesterday's pony ride was so boring! It was a bit fun at the beginning but then I eventually got bored. I just kept on going just because of you. I didn't want to hurt your feelings since you seemed so eager to do it. Anyway, I know what we can do today that is really fun! How about we do the pony rides outside on the gravels? It will be just like real horse-riding in the open fields! I love ponies and since I don't have one, that will be the best replacement."Maxwell nearly spilled out the food in his mouth due to both shock and horror. Pony rides on the gravel? He wants him to go on all fours, with both hands and two knees galloping around on the bare fields with gravel, stones, grass and goodness knows what else
Much later, they sat down to enjoy a very sumptuous picnic while Angelina animatedly rattled on about the fun she was having. After the underwater scooter ride, they had undergone more series of fun beach activities that Angelina chose which include playing frisbee, water bucket relay, building sandcastles and last but definitely not the least, racing one another both on the beach and while swimming inside the water, both of which Maxwell deliberately let Angelina win just so as to make her feel happy.As she kept on babbling on and on about the fun she had, Maxwell arched his perfect eyebrow at her and queried, "You call that fun? How about I show you what real fun and adrenaline rush is truly like? Are you up to it?" "Is that a challenge? If yes, bring it on, frogman!" "Then get ready to jump in pure delight, like the frog you are, frogwoman!"**************Angelina frowned when she saw the set up of the activity Maxwell chose for them. "What's this? Why does i
About two weeks after their return from Spain, Angelina was in the garden with Honey perched on the concrete chair beside her when Elliot, one of the burly security guards came to her, bearing a large bouquet of flowers and a dessert box in his hands. Like she usually does to all their workers, she didn't wait for him to greet her as she cheerily greeted him first. "Good morning Eli! For you to have left your post, this morning must be a very special one indeed!" Elliot removed his dark glasses and bowed his head respectfully. He's the no-nonsense chief security guard and a man of very few words. All that matters to him is his duty. "Good morning Angelina ma'am. This is a special delivery for Sir."The smile on Angelina's face instantly vanished. Special delivery for Sir? Flowers and desserts? For Maxwell? Her husband?Just as that thought came to her mind, another tiny voice in her mind reminded her, 'Contract husband. Remember, he's just your contract husband Angie!'
For the first time in all of her life, Angelina was at a loss of words. She didn't know what to say or do as she didn't want to say the wrong thing and blow up the whole thing. This is the very first time that he's opening up to her about his past and she's afraid that if she crossed her limit by saying the wrong thing, he might clamp his mouth shut once again. And she had so many questions that she was dying to ask but she didn't know if he would even answer her or just tell her to mind her own business. Afterall, theirs was a marriage in name only.But Angelina will always be Angelina. So biting the bullet, she queried, "Where is she now? How come she never visits? Or calls?"From where she's standing, Angelina could vividly see Maxwell stiffening as soon as she asked those questions. Thinking that she must have crossed her limit just as she had feared that she might, Angelina sighed. She turned to face the door and slowly made her way towards it. She had just placed her right
Trigger Warning: The chapter you're about to read contains talks that might be considered a trigger to some people. There will be no explicit description at all, just few vague narrations of the abuse the male lead went through. So please be warned. Thank you. "He married her when I was four and a half and from the first day that she came into our lives, she started…touching me."Angelina gasped out loud while her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets in horror. Touching him? A four year old?! Never, never in her most wildest imaginations had she thought that was what he meant when he described Janette as a devil. She had heard of pedophiles but she had always thought that they existed only in make-believe stories and not in reality. Never in reality! "At first, it was just with her hands, then with time, she used her mouth as well. She always threatened me with a knife, pledging to slit my throat and that of my Nanna's if I dared to tell anyone. And I never did because I
Maxwell's low tone broke into her thoughts. "Fortunately, I was finally able to get rid of her about two years after I started M.J Tech. At that time, I had built a small bungalow for myself and thinking that my business had started blooming, she brought Isabella to me, claiming that she couldn't continue living with an imbecile. That was what ticked me off. I loved Isabella ever since she was born and so that name she called her with just because she couldn't speak hurt me a lot. So I took in Isabella, hired Lucy and placed a very tight security which kept Janette out of my life for a very long time. She kept trying though, and I must admit, keeping her at bay was one of the hardest things I have ever done." "I suffered beyond imagination. The withdrawal syndrome…it was something else. But with courage, determination and will power, I passed through the phase by immersing myself completely in my work, taking care of Isabella, therapy sessions and doing some… strategies of
Maxwell sharply turned to look at her. Although he wasn't really sure about his mother's case, what Angelina said made sense. A lot of sense infact. He had hastily passed judgement on Angelina and up till now, he's still regretting that. The woman he had written off as a two-timing, deceptive, phony and scheming she-devil had actually turned out to be the sweetest, kindest, funniest and most pure-hearted angel he had ever come across. So yes, what she just said made a great deal of sense indeed! Hasty judgements mostly lead to regrets.Angelina's melodic voice stole into his thoughts. "I'm still confused about one thing though. You mentioned earlier that you banned both of your parents from interfering with your life. But in your story, it was your father who…erm, sent you away."Maxwell scoffed. "Yeah, when the love of his life came back into his life, the duke thought that he could have it all. I guess he thought that her return into his life automatically meant that ev