Trevon was behind the wheel this time, following Madeline's directions to the bustling food district of Redenbaugh University.As soon as Madeline signaled to park, Trevon's expression soured.Madeline raised an eyebrow, "Mr. Gibson, I thought you were watching me. Get out of the car, come on."Trevon stayed put, his voice low and firm, "What kind of diet food would they even have here? Trust me, let's head to the Luxuria Supper House. The chef there will whip up something special just for you."Madeline just laughed and stepped out of the car without waiting for a response.She stood by the car, grinning at Trevon.With a frustrated smack on the steering wheel, Trevon finally got out, his face a mask of annoyance.Seeing the eatery Madeline had picked, Trevon's mouth twitched in irritation. "You think you can lose weight eating this?"Madeline placed her order, the subtle aroma in the air making her stomach growl.She shrugged it off. "Got to fuel up if I'm going to shed any
Lydia turned in her scene sketches, and sure enough, they were met with a wave of admiration. Camden even suggested that they should consider making it the main backdrop for the video.All those late nights sketching were worth it."Lydia, you're amazing! Could you show me how to draw this bit?"No sooner had Lydia dealt with a stream of people seeking her expert opinion—reminded that she was a sought-after artist fresh from abroad—than she headed up to Trevon's top-floor office, gift in hand. As she reached the door, she hit an unexpected roadblock. "Mr. Gibson's out, Miss Sanders. If you need to talk, you could try giving him a call."Whether Trevon would even pick up was anybody's guess, a thought that Lydia could not help but echo silently to herself. "He's not here?"Lydia frowned in confusion. It was barely three in the afternoon. Trevon had no business being anywhere but his office. She had double-checked his schedule, and he was not due for any outings today."So, whe
Madeline watched Trevon end the call with Lydia and dial Daniel, her eyes drifting away, lost in thought.What was he even trying to prove? Drawing a line with Lydia? What was the point?Madeline rubbed her belly, which was starting to show, and winced. She wanted Trevon to cut ties with Lydia, but back then, he was rushing to the altar with her.When Madeline was ready to walk away, Trevon was suddenly all about setting boundaries, acting like he was ready to settle down for real.That did not sound like Trevon. Was he for real?It did not make sense. He was head over heels in love with Lydia. How could he flip-flop just like that?Thinking about it made Madeline's head spin. She shook it off, not wanting to waste another second on it.She had made up her mind to divorce him. What they thought, what they did—it was none of her business anymore.They pulled up to the hospital, and Trevon tried to follow her in, but she blocked him."My mom's fine, Mr. Gibson. You've got more i
Grandparents.In the Sanders family, that word was almost taboo, only brought up when Bella taught Madeline how to paint, and even then, only in whispers.Madeline gathered that her grandparents were masters with a brush, but their true identities were a mystery Bella never unraveled. She always reminded her daughter to keep it a secret from Cilix.As a child, Madeline never understood the secrecy. Only as she grew did she see it for what it was.A shield for Cilix's fragile ego.With Bella and Cilix's divorce, there was no longer a need to walk on eggshells."Mom, should I try to find out more about them?" Madeline ventured.Bella paused, a shadow crossing her face, then shook her head. "No, let the past stay buried. What matters is you, Madeline. Just take care of yourself and your little one."Bella's words trailed off as she seemed to run out of steam, her eyelids fluttering shut.Madeline, seasoned by past crises, did not panic. She tucked Bella in and settled into a chai
Yeneth blurted out an excuse and bolted for the front desk.Madeline, feeling uneasy, gave Sherah a heads-up before dashing back to the office.Meanwhile, Yeneth was halfway down the stairs when Carmen's voice cut through the air."Where's Yeneth? Get her out here! She needs to cough up my son's cash! After four years together, that girl blew through a hundred and fifty grand of my son's cash! Now that she realizes the well's run dry, she's kicked him to the curb!"That hundred and fifty thousand dollars was scraped together by my husband and I, penny-pinching every step of the way!"The bystanders could not help but chime in with their two cents."Four years, and only a hundred and fifty grand? That doesn't seem too steep. It's not a fortune.""I'd say it's pretty measly."Those folks were all office workers, pulling in decent paychecks. To them, 150 thousand dollars over four years was barely anything.Not everyone agreed."Check out the way that lady's dressed. She's clear
"You're charging me for taxi fares too? What about the utilities? Water, electricity, internet? You're hitting me up for those as well?"Yeneth laid out every memory in detail, and with each revelation, the crowd's sneers at York intensified.York's face turned a shade darker with each accusation. "Isn't this how it's supposed to be? We lived together, so we split everything down the middle. It's only fair!"Yeneth let out a cold snicker. "Oh, it's fair, all right. If you hadn't shown me this receipt book, I'd never have guessed that every single 'gift' you gave me was just another tube of lipstick. York, you're pretty smart, huh?"The guys in the crowd were clueless about her sarcasm, but the girls caught on immediately.Why lipsticks, of all things? What was a couple hundred bucks for a lipstick compared to the thousands they could drop on skincare or designer bags?"Ugh. No wonder you've only spent a measly hundred and fifty grand over four years. Such a tightwad!""One hundr
The security team was at a loss, their eyes fixed on Yeneth.One of the older guards tried to reason with her, "Look, the money's not going to break your bank. Just pay her and end this drama. If the company gets involved, you'll be in trouble. Trust me, it's not worth it."Carmen's grip tightened at those words.The guards were just trying to smooth things over. They could not escape the blame for letting the chaos drag on.Yeneth was torn, her heart a mix of hurt and anger. Why did she ever fall for York's charms?Alone, with no one to turn to, Yeneth resigned herself to the unfairness of the situation.She was about to reluctantly transfer the money when Madeline's voice cut through the tension."Hold on."Madeline had fought her way through the onlookers. Seeing Yeneth trapped in Carmen's hold, her expression turned stormy.She gave Yeneth a reassuring nod, signaling her to stay calm. Then, she confronted York.York, sheepish and avoiding eye contact, was about to speak w
York tried to soften the tension, looking at Madeline earnestly. "I'm here on personal business, it's got nothing to do with work."Madeline let out a mocking laugh. "Oh, so you know it's personal? Then, why did you storm into the Gibson Group during office hours? Let me guess, you're trying to pressure Yeneth into coughing up some cash? What's the matter? Can't I play the same games you do?"York's mouth opened and snapped shut without a word.He struggled for a moment before coming up with an apology."Look, Madeline, we go way back to our school days. There's no need to make a scene and embarrass each other."I was out of line today, showing up during business hours. I'm sorry for that, but you can't just cancel my deal. I earned that fair and square."Madeline's response was frosty. "Well, earn it back the same way."Madeline was in no mood to be pushed around. Did they really think they could just toy with Yeneth like she was some naive kid?Madeline gave the receipts a c