I rolled my eyes and turned away from him.Edward tugged at my hand and pulled me into his embrace."I'm sorry, Taylor! Please give me another chance! I love you! I don't want to lose you! Please, just give me one more chance, for the love you've had for me over the past six years!"He wouldn't loosen his grip no matter how hard I tried to shrug him off.Repulsion filled me. It felt like being pulled into a cesspool. I just wanted out!In desperation, I stomped on his foot. He inhaled sharply in pain as I broke free from his arms."How fucking low can you be, Edward?! How the hell do you expect anyone to forgive you after all the shit you've done?!" I snarled, my voice low."You can punish me for the rest of my life. I'll accept it… if you stay with me for the rest of yours," he said, devoid of any shame.I looked away and snickered. "I think you got that wrong, you moron. The only one being punished by being stuck with you is me."I turned again, but this time, he raised his
I had been spending way too much time staring at that Patel Philippe lately.I thought Soren would call me. After all, this was an expensive luxury watch! But two days had passed, and he hadn't called about it once.I was starting to wonder if he had even realized it was missing. Did he have so many expensive watches that he couldn't even tell one was gone?When I checked the calendar, nearly time to go home, to plan my schedule for the next few days, I realized Lisbeth's birthday was the day after tomorrow. She had mentioned it when I took her measurements at the estate. I knew I was too low in status to be invited to her birthday party, but Lisbeth had been so kind to me… and her son had been a great help. I should repay them somehow, right? But should I give her the gift in person? I pondered my options and decided that the best way would be through Soren. I could return his watch all in one go, too.-The next day, after much consideration, I picked out a perfect gift
"Alright. I'll be there soon.""Me too."I grabbed my things and left the office, my heart pounding.I thought I would arrive first, but he had beaten me to it. I spotted him sitting at a table by himself.It was easy to find him—he always stood out just by being himself.Autumn's warm, golden sunlight streamed through the window, bathing him in its glow. His simple white shirt with rolled-up sleeves caught the light, and he had removed his jacket, hanging it next to him.The shop's decorative purple flowers bloomed behind him, perfectly complementing the golden hues of his shirt.An ultra-slim laptop sat in front of him. He appeared to be working, a slight frown on his face.I must have been staring at him for what felt like ages, only snapping out of it when someone walked past me.I took a deep breath to steady myself, offering a smile as I approached him. "Sorry to have kept you waiting."His frown vanished, replaced by a warm smile. "No, no. I just arrived."A waitress
Soren replied earnestly, "I wouldn't do that. We don't actually use that much luxury in life, and we certainly don't base our preferences on the name or brand of things."If we like them, then they're precious. Even a small trinket from a regular shop on the street could be a treasure!"I nodded approvingly. What a family!The waitress served our drinks, and I took a few sips of hot chocolate.Warm contentment filled me, and I felt more like myself again.The question that had been puzzling me for days came to mind, and I put my cup down. "Say, Mr. Kenway… How did you meet me on Sunday?""It was a coincidence. I was there to take someone else home.""I see. Thank you," I said earnestly. "I must have given you quite a bit of trouble, being so drunk. You took care of me all night! I'm very sorry for the trouble."Soren smiled helplessly. "When are you going to stop sounding so formal? It's a bit awkward...""Oh! I… uh." I smiled awkwardly. "Force of habit from work.""You're tr
I could feel my face cracking even more. A drunken person's vomit had to be the most disgusting thing anyone could deal with. It stank like hell.But I had made a refined young man of high prestige deal with my disgusting mess!No wonder the trash bin was clean and odorless the next morning. He had already cleaned it up for me."I knew I'd forgotten it by the time I was home, but I didn't call because I wouldn't dare bother you," Soren explained, seemingly oblivious to my embarrassment. "I'm sorry to have troubled you over it."Something in his words caught my attention."You... wouldn't dare call me?" I asked aloud.He smiled sheepishly. "I thought you'd think I left it behind to make up an excuse to contact you again. Well, it seemed like you misunderstood something about me a while ago, and it caused our relationship to become rather distant. I've been trying to honor that distance ever since."I stared at him in disbelief.Why would Soren care this much? He was supposed to
I felt so embarrassed I didn't think I could ever raise my head to face him again.Soren knew how badly I felt and offered some gentlemanly consolation. "It's fine to let your hair down and have fun with your friends every once in a while. It helped you release stress, didn't it?"Besides, I'm the only one who saw this other side of you. No one else has, right?"He lowered his voice humorously. "This could be a secret... just between the two of us."Something was sparkling in his eyes. It almost made me think it could be something more.My embarrassment deepened. My cheeks burned even more, and my heart raced. And my mind—oh God—was starting to fantasize again.My instincts told me that our relationship was not normal at all.But could I say that aloud? I couldn't.What if he didn't feel the same way about me? It would be like I thought I was that hot. Our relationship would become even weirder!In the end, I decided to respond with humor, too. "Well, looks like I have no ch
I hadn't expected Soren to know as well.It made me feel even more embarrassed. I had lied to Edward about us having sex "many times!" Just thinking about it left me tongue-tied in the real world."He… He, uh, refuses to divorce me. I have to resort to suing him. The trial starts in June," I said hurriedly, looking away."That's more than half a month left."I sighed. "I know! But the court chose the date. I have no say in it.""Hey, you've got time," Soren comforted me. "But do you know they almost always go for mediation instead of a divorce verdict in the first session? You'll probably have to sue him again after about six months to get an actual divorce.""I know. My lawyer told me as much. It's going to be a long fight," I said.I'd have to wait at least six months before I was legally divorced!As he nodded, the elevator stopped. We stepped out together.Soren's driver was already waiting at the entrance.I waved. "Goodbye, Mr. Kenway."He turned to me as Michael opene
No wonder he looked so exhausted and pale!Cameron suddenly lunged and grabbed my hand. Even Bullet jumped."Taylor, just help Maddie once, okay? I admit it, alright? All those things in the past were our fault! I'll even apologize to you! Please, just get to the hospital and help her…"I frowned and smirked to myself."Well, well! Who would have thought we'd ever see you apologize to me over anything?" I snarked."I'll do anything you ask! I'll apologize too! I'll do anything, as long as you save Maddie, please! She's your sister! She's a human being, with a life…" she wept.She was, ultimately, a mother. I supposed she genuinely cherished her daughter—and Maddison was lucky to have that.Unfortunately, none of these sentimentalities would work on me."She's already halfway gone. You can only extend her life, even if you forcibly inject blood into her veins," I argued. "So why make the living go through that pain for nothing?"I was only telling the truth.My mother had acce
"So what? It's always couples' intimacy hour everywhere," Soren replied with a grin, leaning in for a kiss.I turned away. "You reek of alcohol!"He sniffed himself, clearly thinking he smelled bad, too. I expected him to ignore it and keep going, but instead, he pulled me upright. "Let's go. To the showers!"I guessed he was worried that our first time after two years would be ruined by bad breath and stench.He tried to lift me into his arms, but I was concerned he might be too tipsy. We had a playful struggle before he finally scooped me up in a bridal carry."I told you. I'm not drunk!" he insisted.I realized there was no escaping him today, so I reminded him, "Our son is still at the hospital, Soren. With Aunt Sarah.""Mm-hmm. Once his mommy and daddy love each other very much, he'll see us.""Soren! Be serious!""Loving my wife is the most serious thing there is."-Two months later, my grandmother passed away peacefully in her sleep. Soren and I had only just woken u
I got up and shot Soren a glance. "You guys must have been worried about him over these two years. Thank you for taking care of him.""Why, you're welcome," Richard replied with exaggerated pomp. "He didn't torment us, actually. He took it out on his subordinates. He worked like a machine, and everyone under him had to do the same. You should really thank his employees the most!"A pang shot through me as I looked at Soren. I'd heard about this from Jean, but hearing it again from his close friends only deepened that painful regret.I thought I'd been kind, but it was likely the cruelest thing I'd ever done to him. And yet, he held no blame against me and still loved me.It moved me. I filled both our glasses to the brim.Soren looked baffled. "What are you doing? They didn't specifically want to make you drink—""A toast to our relationship, my love," I said, passing him his glass.Soren froze, clearly not expecting this from me.The crowd, though, had already erupted into che
Being with Soren felt like a walk in the sunniest, coolest spring. He told me he loved me, and that made me his equal.Know what? It made me feel confident all of a sudden.We locked eyes for a long time before I pulled away."I… I'm basically unemployed right now," I muttered.I was about to launch a new business, but my grandmother's illness and my son's age forced me to set everything aside again."It wasn't easy raising a child alone, Tay, so don't put so much pressure on yourself. Besides, with your skills, it's only a matter of time before your career takes off again."I beamed. "You really think so? That's a lot of confidence, dude.""Of course I do." He held my hands. "Starting a business takes time and energy, so how about you move in with me? I'll raise our son while you focus on what you want to do."I laughed. "Oh God, was that the whole point of this talk from the start?"Soren laughed as well, his handsome face relaxing. "Well, now that we're getting married, whe
Soren smiled. "No need to doubt. That was one of my ulterior motives."So he wanted me to agree to our marriage because he wanted sex?!I stared at him, unmoving."Come on, I'm sending you both up," he said, his driver's presence making things awkward.Soren took the baby from my arms and strode inside.In the elevator, he stared at me without blinking.I grew self-conscious. "What?""Nothing. I just wanted to look at you, not missing a single detail," Soren replied matter-of-factly. "I hadn't dared do that before we started talking again because I was afraid you might be upset."I felt even more embarrassed.He set Silas in the cot, then turned to me and walked away.It was too late. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me into his chest. I saw his face loom over mine and cried out, "Don't do this, Soren! This is Amanda's place!"His reason and restraint were still functioning, turning his kiss into a brief peck."When will you move to my villa?" he breathed."N
I knew what had happened to me. I knew what two years had done to my face. A woman aged much faster when she had a child, after all.Celebrities looked the way they did because they didn't bear the weight of child-rearing. They had the money to pamper their faces and dedicate themselves to rigorous exercise routines.I had raised my son on my own. I had help when I needed it most, but most of the time, it was just me."So, you don't think I've grown older and uglier?" I muttered.Soren laughed."Oh, I do!" he teased. "But you're the mother of my son.""What does that mean?! And you said you weren't pitying me!"He laughed again—this time, affectionately. "I was joking. I don't think you're any less than who you were back then. I actually wish you'd grow older, too. That way, only I remain by your side."I couldn't come up with a response to something so ridiculous."Do you need me to throw a grand, elaborate proposal to finally convince you I'm serious about wanting to spend t
"It's the way he looks at you. His eyes look suspicious!"Suspicious, my ass. Jamie was so far away from him by now that there was no way Soren could see anything in Jamie's "eyes."I sneered. "Don't be daft. He's got a girlfriend now." "Oh, really?""Yes, really. Can we go now?"My old colleagues had been staring at us, and I really didn't want to become the subject of their gossip. I just wanted to leave.Soren finally told the driver to go.Silas had probably exhausted himself from crying. It didn't take long for him to fall asleep in my arms.Soren stretched his arms out. "Let me.""I'm fine. It's okay for him to sleep like this. My arms are fine," I replied.I didn't want to give him an excuse to enter Amanda's residence with me again. I was only here temporarily, and I certainly didn't want things to get... steamy and intimate at her place. Besides, I didn't want to be steamy with him, period.Soren withdrew his arms sheepishly and snickered to himself.Annoyed, and
"Hello?""When are you coming back?" Soren asked in a low voice.I stood and left the lively private room. "I'm having lunch with some old colleagues. What's up?""Wow. So while I was trying to handle our son, you went out to have fun," he whined.Please. He wanted Silas with him—he was just being dramatic.The wine gave me enough courage to respond, "Weren't you the one complaining about missing out on your son's childhood? I'm just being considerate.""Fine. Where are you? I'll bring Silas to you. He wants his mom now—no one here can calm him down," he replied.Just as I had expected.I figured lunch was nearing its end anyway, so I gave him the address. "Call me when you arrive. I'll meet you at the entrance.""Got it."I returned to the room and quietly told Amanda, "I have to leave soon. You guys go ahead."She checked her phone. "Nah, we should all start packing up. We still have to work this afternoon!""Oh, right."I paid for our meal while the others chatted.Whe
The company had seen some new hires, but many were familiar faces.Case in point: Cherry Birkin. Now Amanda's assistant and principal secretary, she was ecstatic to see me."Tay-Tay! You're back!" she cried, rushing over to grab my arms. "It really is you! I'm so glad you came to see us. After disappearing for two years, I honestly thought you'd never come back!"Amanda, who had been the one to welcome me, stood beside me, smiling. "See? Your old colleagues have been complaining about you being heartless.""Aww, I'm sorry for being gone so long! How about this? Lunch is on me! Cherry, gather the old crew and invite them over!""You got it!" she replied eagerly.I stepped into Amanda's office—the same one where I used to work.A lot had changed in the interior, but everything felt warm and welcoming. The company was thriving under her and Jamie's leadership.There was a knock at the door. I turned to see the man himself."So, you really are back, Taylor," he said with a grin. "
I was irritated. If I were being generous, I'd say Soren was being proactive. If I were being honest, though, I'd call it disrespectful—he was undermining my agency!"I haven't even agreed to this yet!" I snapped, straightening my back and glaring at him as the seniors watched. "Who gave you the right to make decisions for me?!"Soren barely reacted. "You overthink everything. You hesitate more than you need to, so I thought... why not just ask your grandmother and aunt?"Turning to Sarah, he added, "What do you think, Aunt Sarah? Do you approve of us being together?"Sarah blinked, stunned, then shot a quick glance at my grandmother. My grandmother raised her hand, as though she had something to say. I leaned in immediately. "I'm listening, Grandma..."She took a deep breath, grasped my hand, and said, her voice raspy, "I can tell… Ren really loves you… You have a child now… It's good for you two to just get married."She paused, then added, "That way, I… can finally let go...