I dust up my chest in some gold glitter along with my collarbone and neck. Turning back to Lia and Lucia I smile hesitantly, "How do I look?" I ask.Thumbs up from both of them, "Perfect." The say simultaneously. The moment I saw that message, I may have had my 'girly' moment then I got ready, for three hours.My hair is done up, in a very complicated way thanks to Julia. Lucia helped me pick which shoes and bag to wear with the dress.The dress has sheer long lace sleeves and a sort of corseted torso and a fully covered lower body. It ends mid thigh and accentuates my breasts in a way that will 'grab every man's d*ck, including his' Julia's words not mine.Lucia decided on some five inch red bottom heels from Chanel and a gold chain strap purse from LV. To top it all off, some simple make up with glossy lips and smokey eyes.I feel like a different person tonight, a good kind of different.I'm happy.Our heads turn to the closed door as we hear Jul call my name, I take in a deep bre
I pick up the menu and my eyes widen, "I swear-""I won't." We lock eyes and I nod, "Promise." This time a waiter comes and greets us, "What would you like to order?" He looks at me, I look down at the menu."I'll have the lobster shiitake salad with the spicy lemon dressing." $68.His eyes travel to my chest, "And a side of you not looking at me chest, paired with the Garden Gimlet. Thank you."He gets my hint and looks up at my eyes, I lock eyes with him. He looks down, "I'm sorry ma'am." He then looks at Grey, who doesn't the least look calm."I'll have the Yellowtail tartar with caviar and the sashimi salad with matsuhisa dressing as the main and a grapefruit on the rocks for now. A bottle of Salon, Blanc de Blancs, Brut, Le Mesnil '06." He takes all of that down."A-anything else?" He asks avoiding eye contact with my boss."Yes, please call for a waitress to serve us. Thank you." I stare daggers at him but at the same time wondering how he could be so dismissive and polite at t
I wake up to an empty bed and killer headache, I almost think that last night didn't happen but the strong scent and birthday card on my bedside table tells me otherwise.I smile to myself, even though I don't remember most of last night the happiness is still in me.I reach over and read the card, "Happy birthday hermosa." This makes me grin even wider, I notice the car keys next to it and shrug.He must've forgotten them, I'll give them to him tomorrow.He has so many cars, I hardly think he'll notice. I snuggle in to his side of the bed taking in his scent.An hour later I finally get up, take a shower and clean up my room. I take my phone and head downstairs where the smell of bacon consumes me, I take a seat and watch Lia do her thing."You're glowing...again." She points out, I giggle."I had a very blessed birthday. What can I say?" I sigh in bliss, she slides a plate of food to me and leans on the counter and looks at me with a huge grin."I'm guessing you won't tell me what h
Hey." I greet as Nic pulls my into a hug."He's waiting in B6, and before you ask you aren't late. He's just early." I smile as this reminds me of the first time we met in a way."Thanks." I pass by my office and grab my notebook then head to the room.I walk I with a smile and he stands up immediately and sticks his hand out for. "I'm Jackson Cooper." He introduces.He looks like he's in his early fifties with peppered hair and a few stress wrinkles over his face."Rosaleigh Clarkson, Mr Grey's personal assistant." I return and motion for him to take a seat which I take opposite him."I'm not sure if Xander told you but I'm a criminal defense lawyer. I've been in this line of work for thrity five years now, I am the best of the best in the country and I'm happy to be at your service." He smiles but I find it hard to return it.I remain silent, a criminal defense lawyer?He's got to be kidding me.Mr Cooper notices my silence. "I know all about your situation and I can assure you that-
"...we will meet again in a month's time for further trial #209B." The judge bangs the gavel and takes his leave.A few people disperse except for Kat and I. Mr Cooper heads to Logan as the officer cuffs him, a part of me wants to look away. Orange has never been his colour and I'd hate to see it on him for life.They spoke for a minute before he made his way to us, meanwhile Logan kept his gaze on the floor the entire walk out of the court."What do you think?" I ask immediately as he reaches us, he nods."I know it doesn't look good but I one thing I'm a I'm aiming at is not having him in prison for more than three years." He explains."Three years?!" Kat almost yells, I grab her hand and squeeze it reassuringly."Katrina, three years is better than a life sentence. As much as I don't like it either, if that's the case...it's better than nothing." The words are heavy on my tongue, three years my brother could be in jail.I've failed as a sister.Mr Cooper speaks again, "We need to re
I quietly swirl the drink in the tumbler which is in my hand, looking at my boss who's been quiet but thankfully hasn't taken more than three drinks."Are you ready to finally talk about it?" I ask softly, I regret it the moment he downs the drink in his hand and asks for another one.I sigh, we stay silent for thirty minutes and five drinks more. Now I'm certain that the drinks have started to hit him along with anxiety for sure.His foot hasn't stopped tapping, and as much as it annoys me it stops him from snapping so."I think I should get you home." I state getting up, he shakes his head, I'm shocked."Why not?" He shakes his head."Take me up to the penthouse, Noelle can't see me like thiss..." He slurs, I nod as he gets up and slightly sways left, I'm by his side supporting half his weight."Remind me to never let you drink in my presence." I mutter as I help him walk to the elevator.He laughs, we finally get into the elevator and press the button that takes us to the penthouse
Morning traffic and shuffling awakes me, I open my eyes in time to witness a worker walk out and the silver tray on wheels besides the bed.My pillow gently rises and falls, shocked I look up and realize that I am still on my boss's chest, who happens to be looking down at me."Morning." He greets, his minty breath hitting my face and aftershave filling my nostrils. He smells clean, I'm guessing he cleaned up before I woke up."Morning." I return, rising and stretching slightly. "There's some unused toothbrushes and clothes in the bathroom if you'd like." He informs, I smile in gratitude and make my way to the bathroom.I start by washing my face, as I'm rubbing the soap onto my hands I notice a silver band on my left hand.None of my rings are silver.I immediately rinse my hands and turn my hand over, my mouth falls open and heart stops.So gor-Before I even finish that thought I rip the ring off my finger and throw it at the owner the moment I'm back in the room, he catches it."
"I attain full ownership of the company, easy as that." He says blankly, so he doesn't...That's what all of this is about, his father has come back for what is rightfully his. Something Grey was only supposed to inherit when he got married, I'm guessing Grey Snr is tired of all the embarassments on national TV."Can I think about this for a minute?" I ask looking up at both of them, Xander nods."You have the whole day." Even though it's short, and this should be no short of a doubt for me, I still need time to think about it.I stand up ready to leave, "I'll drive you home. Call me when you're ready." I nod silently and then head to the room where I dress up in yesterday's clothes, as much as I hate it.So many benefits on my side as compared to his, and they really solve every last one of my financial problems. But do I really want to give up five years of my life to someone I know but not enough to marry, let alone love?Don't lie.I snicker to myself, it's been five to six month
*3 years later*Xander's P.O.VI look up from my laptop to see Lucia leaning against my doorframe.It's crazy how she's grown up to look nearly the exact replica of her sister."Hey."I close the device and give her my full attention. "Hi."She scratches her head and gives me a nervous smile, "I-" She stutters as someone behind her clears her throat."We were hoping we could ask you for something." I raise an eyebrow."Well, I'm moving out to college in a few weeks and it's nearly uhm Rosie's memorial day, and we were hoping we could get some things that belonged to Rosaleigh. For memories?"My heart stops for a moment before it continues its job."Haven't you already been doing that for the past three years?" I try to laugh it off even though it's pissed me off every time.Although, Rosie was her sister and she deserves something just as much as I'd love to have kept everything of hers to myself.She hasn't moved things around, I'm grateful for that."I have and I would have continue
"Xander, man. Open up!" It's Nic. I wonder why he's here."The children are with Julia. Open up brother. What is going on?" he asks, I haven't moved in hours.Qaia is asleep in my arms, her face reminds me so much of Rosie's."If you don't open up the door, I am going to break in." Nic announces, he can't but I don't want him hurting Qaia when the door cracks from the impact, so I stand up and unlock it.He walks in, "you look fucked up." He comments the moment his eyes land on me.I don't respond. I don't have the energy to. "What's wrong man? You've got the kids all worried. And where is Ros-" his sentence dies off when he looks at the bed."Fuck." Tears well up in my eyes again.He pulls my head towards his and connects our forehead, "I'm so sorry." Tears are strolling down both our faces. "I-I don't know what happened. Noelle told me she wasn't breathing and... I just shut down. She can't be gone, Nicholas." I sob harder."I know, man, I know. I'm so sorry." His voice is soft,
*Two hours later*"Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Grey, it's a healthy baby girl."No words can explain the feeling that is spreading throughout my body. My heart feels so... I just don't know how to describe it.Rosie and I connect eyes, I can see the pure bliss going on behind them like a storm of some sorts, tears stream down her face, and I lean over to wipe them off."You did it, mariposa." I kiss her forehead. Our baby girl's cries fill the entire room, I throw my shirt off and accept her small frame. "8 pounds and 10 ounces," he tells me.Her face is reddened as she cries out, I sit beside Rosie and hand her over. Rosie starts to hiccup as silent tears stream down her face. She runs her finger over our baby's face."Shh-shh baby, mommy and daddy are here." she whispers, looking up at me. She cries even more when she sees me. She reaches out with one hand and wipes away the tears I didn't know I was shedding."We did it," I smile.We hold her for a while longer until the docto
After the heart to heart, if I can call it that, Xander took the pills and fell asleep. I, on the other hand, could not.I sat for hours just staring at him, so many times his face morphed from peace to anguish and from anguish to peace. It hurt me.My heart was broken. It still is.When dawn started to settle in, I spent my time on his laptop till full sunrise. I read up on the email he'd been reading, and a part of me felt guilty for not wanting to take the chemo.The other part of me was still insistent on not taking it. It would be a miserable play for all parties, I know from experience.I felt horrible for being happy and recalling all my favorite memories to my dad when all he could do was lay in his bed, hooked on machines. I ended up getting emotional and stressed, so I shut the laptop and began the day. To get my mind off everything, I had a virtual tour of the institute, then had an interior designer meet me at the house to discuss.After that, I spent time with Noelle as
"I think it's a girl. Only she can allow you to eat something like that," I freeze, my wrap just about to dip into my McShake.Ice cream turned into more cravings.I give him a deadly look, which has him laughing out loud. "She'll be an exact replica of you. She'll have your smile, your hair, your eyes, and your laugh. She's going to break many hearts because she won't be allowed to date until we're the same age." He smiles, I giggle."So, never?" He kisses my forehead."She'll have your smarts too," I finish my shake and turn to him."Well I for one, know it's going to be a boy. He'll have my hair color with your teenage curls. Everything else about him will be yours, his facial features; his voice, his eyes. Maybe he'll be lean," I shrug.His eyes hold suspicion in them, "So Jeremiah Fisher is out of the picture?"Shocked, I playfully slap his arm. "Firstly, that was one time. Secondly, that wouldn't be a bad idea either. Either way I—"Everything I ate in the last hour comes up my
Despite my wishes to keep my birthday small and at home, Xander thought otherwise, and by otherwise, I mean:He bought a private island near the Maldives, we didn't stay at it because it was barren, but we did go to it and suggested that we name it and soon talk to designers, for a beach house.A virtual meeting with a Hermès designer for a custom Kelly bag, I don't know how he did it, but he did. To say I was lost would be an understatement, Xander just laughed at me when i didn't know what to answer when it came to the leather types.He took me shopping, obviously, skiing, and I tried surfing but failed profusely. Xander, on the other hand, looked like Gabriel Medina at his best.There's nothing this man can't do.We spent a day at the villa and gave each other massages and watched movies.I loved those three days, but when we came back to the United States, I realized that I love being home rather than being away, or maybe it just has something to do with being around the girls.I
The next couple of months pass by in a blur, a week after the Logan topic we spent a couple of days in New Zealand for Xander's birthday.In June we finally got to building the institute, it's still a working progress as we speak.In the same month, I don't know what strings Xander pulled but Shane Grey signed over the rights of the company over to Xander with no argument. We celebrated just the two of us together.Ever since that day, Logan and Sophia never got in contact, she finally decided to go see the psychiatrist I recommended her. She was broken when he'd cut contact but as time passed she started to seem more like herself as Xander said.We celebrated Lucia's birthday at Disneyland late June.July fourth we finally took Rosander on a joyride if you can call it that, I think we all enjoyed the night. Xander and Julio put their differences aside for that day and even chatted among themselves, including Nic, as they all sa
His body stiffens for a minute but he continues to walk around like it doesn't affect him, it does."Yes, I guess you've missed out on a lot haven't you? While you were slowly killing a defenseless woman, I was trying to pay for our father's chemo and trying to save our brother from rotting in prison for something he never did." I let the words settle in."Well didn't you do a great job at that?" He chuckles dryly, anger bubbles in me.I walk up to him and stare him down, he doesn't shy away. "What happened to you? The James I know would have never hit a woman or abandoned his family," He chuckles again, "You mean the family that is slowly dying one by one?""That is no excuse James! I thought I could rely on you, even if you disappeared occasionally you would always pull through, but I guess you were too busy weren't you?" "What I do with my life does not concern you," disgust flows through every vein in my body.I ca
The constant beep of the heart monitor is silent.The bed is empty.The entire room is silent.My mind doesn't bother to find any reasoning, and my heart beats achingly.He's gone.There's no going back, and I have to accept it.Of course I cried, he's my father. Whether or not he's alive, he will always be, and he left with a piece of my heart; all of our hearts.A week after we came back to L.A., he left us, and a week later, we buried him next to our mother's grave.I broke down, became sick, grieved, and then I pulled myself together for my sisters.That was over two months ago. My heart still aches for my father, but it's dulled. It was time. He got his last wish, I got married.Lucia has gotten better, I'm happy that it didn't take that much of a toll on her as compared to mom's death.We've moved into the new house, the kids love it. Xander and I love it.Being back though has separated us for a while, he's been stuck in piles of work and complications with his father.Despite