“How’s she?” Lyon asked over the phone, his voice filled with curiosity.“Great,” Jace replied, beckoning to Becky, his PA who stood at the door unmoved to step forward. “The last time he saw her, she was doing great.”‘The last time you saw her, it was indeed great.’ the nasty voice in his head said, and he shook it off.She placed the documents in her hands on the desk before taking her leave.“I feel like the older she becomes, the further away she gets.” Lyon groaned.“And that’s how it should be, don’t you think?”He mumbled something under his breath before saying, “I don’t know, sometimes a little ‘hello, Papa, how are you doing?’ Doesn’t hurt.”He laughed at the change in his voice. “You’re getting old. You need to find yourself a wife and let your daughter live her life.”He scoffed, and he could feel him rolling his eyes. “As if you’re any better. You’re just two years younger than me, last I checked.”“Two years and three months younger,” he told him, emphasising the younger
The bathroom door opened, and Elle walked out, wrapped in a white towel. She had another towel over her head, probably to dry off the water on her damp hair before blow-drying He turned to her with a curious eye even as he stayed silent, trying to figure things out on his own. One thing was certain, though, and he couldn’t make sense of it.She lied to him about her purpose for coming over yesterday, and it didn’t make sense as to why she would lie. Was there something she was trying to hide? If there was, what was it?“You’re staring.” Elle finally spoke up while putting on her blouse. “Is there something you want to talk about?”“Darcy just called,” he said and held up his phone. “She asked to know where you were because she didn’t see you when she got home last night.”“Okay,” she said casually, and he wanted to facepalm.“Okay?” he repeated, not understanding her casual response to his words.“I don’t understand what the big deal about her call is,” she answered.“You told me you
Jace stepped into the room and paused on his step as the eyes of about six people in the room turned to face him at the door. His eyes scanned through the faces, trying to find the one that he knew and loved. She had to be somewhere here, and finally, he would get to the truth.“Hey, old man, what do you think you’re doing here?” A young man at the corner of the room, seated with a girl in his arms not older than eighteen, asked.He refused to answer, and his eyes did their search. He heard a gasp from the other end of the room, and his eyes flew there and landed on Elle, seated on the brown sofa in the arms of a blonde man.She wore a pair of thigh-high boots just like the girl that approached him earlier and a blue bodycon dress, stopping where the boot started. Her curly hair fell over her shoulders to give her a different look, and the makeup on her face was heavier than he usually saw on her. She looked surprised and scared at the sight of him, and she tried to look away and stay
Estelle She watches him leave with his head bowed and without looking back at her. Something the Jace she’d known all her life would never do, she had broken him to the point of no return. He got into his car and drove off, and a tear ran down her face. She wiped it off. Why did it hurt watching him leave when she wanted nothing more in the last three months? He was right; he was a monster to her once, and he broke her heart. Things weren’t always black and white; sometimes it was grey, and so far it has been that way. Jace wouldn’t understand that, and there was no point explaining it to him. At least they hadn’t been. She saw the pain in his eyes, the hurt, and she realised she was as much a monster now as he was three years ago, if not more. He loved her, perhaps even more than she once did, and she saw it, but only got him entangled in her mess. He may not say it, but she knew he was brokenhearted. She pushed the door to the house open and stepped inside. Meeting Darcy awa
“Before I say anything, I would like to ask how you’re doing. You took quite a beating last night.” His health stayed on her mind throughout the night, and she could only wish he was okay. Seeing him in one piece was good news for her.“I will live,” he answered, adding a mild shrug. She nodded, now prepared for his questions.He placed the cup down on the counter, and the steam oozed out. “Are you with him? The one called Orlando?”“It depends on what you mean by ‘with him’,” she answered in a small voice.“Do you love him? Is that why you couldn’t agree to a relationship with me?” He went straight to the question, but his eyes strayed away from hers as if afraid of her answer.She shook her head. “I do not love him, but he is a part of the reason I couldn’t agree to a relationship.” She answered, “At first I didn’t because of how things ended between us, and even when you swore things were different, I didn’t trust it. I couldn’t trust you.”She sat on the stool before the kitchen co
“Why are we here?” Jace finally asked when their car came to a stop at the foster care home.“Because I haven’t been completely open or honest with you. I know you haven’t asked why I took the money from Orlando because you didn’t want to push, but I think you should know the truth. Inside there are foster children aged two to nine, and one of them is called Star, and he is ours.”He stayed silent now, as if thinking about what she just told him. The silence weighed on her heart, and she couldn’t stand it. She wanted him to speak, to say something, but he didn’t. Instead, he looked away from her and towards the foster home building standing before them.“Jace, please say something.” She pleaded, her voice small and filled with grief.“He’s two,” was all he said.“Yes,” she nodded and pressed her lips together.“You gave him up.” There was no trace of judgement in his voice, but rather remorse.“I had to. I had studies to focus on, and I was alone and lost. And I didn’t think I was ment
Estelle was just coming in from her lunch break when her phone beeped in her pocket. She picked it up, and it read.(Dinner at my place this evening, love. I’ll cook; you just come as you are; you’re already beautiful.)From JaceReceived 1:16 p.m.She was grinning from cheek to cheek, and this caught the attention of the doctor taking them because he asked what the last thing he said was. Thank God for her mate Josiah, who whispered to her that it was professionalism, to which she responded.The doctor then stared at her, and she knew he was telling her to focus with his eyes. No more distractions.As her training ended, she took an Uber over to Jace’s residence but messaged Darcy to inform her she wouldn’t be home today.It’s been a month since they first visited Star, and they’ve gone to see him a few more times since then. Jace wanted to spend more time with him, and who was she to deny him his rights? The agreement was to wait until her medical studies were over before making the
Estelle initially planned to get an Uber, but Jace thought his Lexus was a better option. She had gotten us tickets to see the premiere of the latest DC superhero movie featuring Dwayne Johnson, called The Black Mamba. He hadn’t seen it yet, and her excitement about it got him in the mood. He had an easy schedule for the day, so it was time to plan out the day. Though Estelle had suggested the date, he wanted to make it as easy on her as possible, which made him suggest the Lexus over an Uber. They drove it over to the cinema, and on our way, he asked how her day went. She told me it went well, and that was good to hear. She told him she also paid Orlando the money she owed him, which would bring whatever they had to an end. She thanked him, expressing her gratitude, but it was nothing to him. He would have done much more than that if that was what she needed. Her happiness was all he wanted to see. They arrived, and he got down and then helped open her door for her before offering h