The door opened and an Amelia came in, grace noted how pretty she was, her bouncing blonde hair was cut into a clean bob, She had on a classy cream suit that she folded at the wrists, exposing a beautiful gold watch. Grace noticed that her nails were painted a striking red that also matched her lips. making Grace feel plain in comparison. She walked purposefully to where Nicko was standing, kissed him on the lips, and put her hands on his waist.“Darling, James said I will find you here, I didn’t know you had a meeting,” giving Grace the up-and-down look, clearly not impressed.“Amelia this is Grace, Grace this is Amelia my fiancee.” a pale-looking Nicko said, finally finding his voice and introducing the two ladies.Grace felt like someone had punched the air out of her. she felt hot and nauseated. The room started spinning, and everything turned blank.*****When Grace came to. she was laying in her bed, she could feel the soft covers from earlier. she tried to get up but her head f
She Stumbled out of bed and checked the time next to her bed. 01:45 am. her knees felt weak but she got dressed and went in search of her coat, she put it on, collected her small belongings, then made her way to the front door. She opened it and she went out, trying to make as little noise as possible.She sat down by the water fountain in front of the house. and played back all the episodes of that day, how could he blame her for everything? her heart was aching. And today she could hardly look at him, standing next to that woman like a terrified schoolboy. How could he act as if nothing happened between the two of them?She remembered the night she saw Nicko for the first time. She was out to get fresh air when she stopped dead in her tracks. There he was on the top deck standing on the guardrail. He seemed to be deep in thought, gazing ahead into the blackness. the lights behind him were on but she could only see a part of him. She hid in the shadows where she could stare at him op
Grace was back in the flat she shared with a roommate in downtown London. A week had passed since she left the Meyer Mansion. The past few days had been brutal on her. She spent most of her time in bed wallowing in self-pity. In all that time She had not heard from Nicko and did not expect to.Now that she was going to be a single parent, she needed to make arrangements about where she would stay. The flat was too small to bring up her child in. their child.The place had been perfect when she was still a hostess on the ship but since she could no longer work, the place felt cramped. Today she planned on calling the flight Center to get a flight back to Ireland as soon as possible. She was moving back to her childhood home in Culmore. The house had been vacant for 5 years now. She took a long shower, giving her time to put a pause on her thought, relishing the pressure of the water on her skin. As she stepped out of the bathroom, she felt like a new person. Her mind was clearer th
After seeing the mystery car outside the gallery. Grace hailed a taxi and went back to her flat. she didn't feel safe walking back home.'could it be a coincidence?' but why was the car showing up in places she went to? she guessed who was responsible for the car following her but she did not see any reason why would he, given the fact that he had not bothered to reach her after telling her about his engagement.*When she arrived at her flat she locked all the doors. her flatmate's light was off, which only meant one thing: she was working the night shift again. they had a special language. if their lights were off, they were out. she went through the kitchen looking for any leftovers from during the week. she did not plan on cooking that night, she had already made a note to eat out after visiting the gallery. she realized as she opened the fridge that her hands had a slight tremor. the car from earlier had raffled her feathers. she found a slice of pizza and warmed it up. This was
Nicholas sat in his office looking at the file in front of him. he'd been staring at the contents of the file for half an hour and still, it did not make it easier with each passing moment. the results from Grace's blood work were back and he was more confused about his cause of action than he was a week ago. in front of him, he was staring at the paternity test results of Grace's unborn child. their unborn child. he took in a long breath to calm himself.underneath the medical file was another file he wanted to look at, which was thicker than the first. since Grace sneaked out from his home a week ago, he had hired a private investigator to track her down and stationed his private security team outside her block to keep an eye on her. the idea that Grace was out there with what was then his potential child gave him sleepless nights. the last time they spoke she didn't look happy and he didn't know what her next move was. Andhe knew he was in no position to talk to her face-to-fac
Amelia sat drinking her morning coffee. The house was silent, and she wondered what time Nickolas came in last night. They hardly saw each other. They were living like total strangers. The wedding plans had been put on hold, he refused to discuss anything related to the wedding. Amelia's need for control meant that she went ahead with the plans behind his back. The fact that he was not letting her in on the baby saga was infuriating. She saw Grace as Vulture that would do anything to make a buck. she knew their type. As she mentally went through her list of boutiques she wanted to visit for her wedding gown, she needed a pen and paper to jot everything down, and after breakfast, she was meeting with her wedding planner. she wanted everything to be perfect. While she and Nickolas sorted their differences, the wedding plans needed to be in motion. Becoming Mrs. Meyer was no small matter even for her. She made her way to Nickolas's study in search of a notebook and pen. The office wa
James sat transfixed on the table, with the letter in front of him. The sound of water spinning over the stove shook him to reality. he got up and removed the hot kettle. He looked at the water spilled over the stove and sighed, then carried the prepared tray of tea to the dining table. the woman sitting at the table was drumming her nails on the table for the pure enjoyment of the sound they made. she raised her head the minute James walked in."Your tea Maam," he said as he put the tray down. her lips curled into a half smile and she noticed the white envelope next to the cups. her eyes twinkled with wonder at what surprise awaited her. despite her scheming, she wanted the relationship between her and Nickolas to work.James had retreated to the kitchen when he heard the breaking of China on the wall. he rushed out and found Amelia in a fitting rage. the tray he put on the table not long ago, what remained of it, was on the floor in pieces." That bastard!" she was livid. James k
[Four Months later]Rose Campbell walked briskly towards the brownstone house. she was late, although her neighbor didn't mind. she wasn't critical about such things, but Rose was a woman who liked to keep her promise. she never broke a promise and she hated being late. but more than her punctuality, what got Rose so worked up was the gossip she was carrying, the news was burning a hole in her chest. when she reached the front door, she was gasping for air. she put down the packet she was holding and poked around for the house keys in her small purse. when the door swung open. surprising her, she cried out, "Grace, darling I almost caught my heart in my hands" she walked inside the house. And once inside, she took off her Cardigan and hung it on the coat stand behind the door, together with her small purse. Then walked straight to the kitchen and threw herself on a bench by the French doors, getting an overview of the backyard."I saw you coming up the lane, like the devil's at your
"Watch your step." Nickolas walked behind a blindfolded Grace."You know how much I don't like surprises. Are we there yet?" They had been walking for a while now and she was getting suspicious about the so-called surprise. "Almost. You gonna love this one." He was praying he hadn't gone off the mark. They took the last step and he stopped them both. Grace could smell the salt In the air. It reminded her of the smell that was a permanent fixture in their old basement. "Now you can open them." He let go of the cloth that was covering her eyes.When Grace opened her eyes, she couldn't stop blinking at the sight in front of her. "No!" She screamed in delight. "Yes." He couldn't stop grinning as he took in her happiness. The yacht had been an impulse purchase but he was glad he had bought it. "I thought since we met on a cruise ship, for our second honeymoon, we could recreate that experience on a more intimate scale." He was usually very confident but in the past months, he had be
Grace put a steaming cup of coffee before Nickolas on the kitchen island."You are starting to behave like the wife I was meant to have." He looked at the steaming cup and she raised her eyebrow and glared at him."I will take it back if you don't behave." She sat down on one of the high stools and looked at him, her face softening. "Can I ask you something?" She cleared her throat. shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Nickolas raised his eyes and looked at her. "Anything." She shifted in her chair. "When we were clearing out the mansion, I saw a jewelry box in your study…" She let the sentence trail off. "What about it?" He took a sip from his coffee without looking at her. "Is it yours?" "Yes. Pretty much everything in the study was mine. Say what you mean and mean what you say kiddo." He eyed her suspiciously."There was a picture with a woman and a child inside.""And you wanted to know who the woman was, if you must know, she's not my woman.""Of course, I know that I'm your w
The following morning, Grace, Nickolas, and Luther walked into the Meyer mansion. The furniture on the first floor had been removed, giving the place an overly open feeling. As much as the light came through the big glass windows, the air inside was stifled and cold, giving the illusion that the house had been vacant for a while. The dust had started to settle on the marble floor, causing a scraping sound as their feet moved against the floor. Nickolas opened the door to his office, the only room on the first floor that had not been touched. Except for the mess that was on the floor, the room was intact. He also felt strange being there, given the fact that he hadn't been gone for over a week. Maybe the mansion had always carried a heavy presence without him realizing it, what was worse, he had gotten used to it. The office looked like someone had ransacked the place or the windows had been left open causing the papers to fly in all directions.He crossed the door threshold, insta
Nickolas made a move to walk towards the bed. But Grace opened her mouth and shook her head. "I don't think I'm ready to go there just yet." He stood next to the bed, hearing what she was saying but not understanding her. "What do you mean by that?""That I don't think I'm ready to share a bed with you just yet." It didn't get any louder than that.He gathered his wayward thoughts and mumbled something before walking into the ensuite bathroom, to take the longest cold shower of his life. Grace sighed with a smile on her face and changed for bed. She picked up the red dress from the floor, shook her head, and smirked at it. Nickolas looked at the two water taps and didn't understand how the cold tap could feel so hot against his skin. He needed it cold. Ice cold to freeze his bruised emotions. Grace was rejecting him. She had been ready to walk out through the front door with her chest barely covered to meet another man and do god knows what but she wasn't ready to share a bed with
Grace looked at her reflection in the full-length mirror. The dress looked, as though it had been sewn on her body. The neckline was too low, and the bodice that was supposed to cover her breast barely covered the whole breast. One mistake and they would be out on display for everyone to see. She put on her matching fuck me heels and did a final twirl in front of the mirror. Satisfied, she took her purse and carefully walked downstairs. She paused at the last step and looked around. With the furniture installed, the house looked more like the home she had envisioned. They had delivered everything she had ordered right to the T. Now all she had to do was to enjoy it. Starting this coming Saturday, with the get-together with her friends. She walked into an open plan that includes the lounge area and kitchen, next to it, the dining area. She walked to the kitchen and took out her wine glass. She needed to calm her nerves before she left the house. After pouring the wine, she gulped
The following morning after he spent a miserable night on the floor. Things seemed to be abuzz at the house. Grace was already up and having a merry time with Niells Nanny. "Good Morning. Hope you had a relaxing night, after all that work you and Luther did." She said when he approached them, moving to the kitchen, to take out two cups. The nanny disappeared at the same speed. Nickolas followed her to the open-plan kitchen h he had a miserable night. While She, on the other hand, looked as radiant as ever, liked someone who had a night's rest in a plump bed with supporting pillows. "It was okay. Not one of my finest. But it was okay, thank you for your concern." He thought his body would snap at the slightest movement. She busied herself in the massive kitchen and brought him a cup of coffee. After last night's events, he hoped it was not poisoned. He closed his eyes and took a sip. It tasted amazing. He looked at the cup in surprise. "What would you like for breakfast?" Grace wa
The following day, The Meyer mansion started getting cleaned and furniture wrapped. And other important items were put away into boxes for storage.By midweek, the undertaker had come to dig up the little coffin from the shallow grave by the pond to be moved to the new estate. Grace was home and they had already chosen a spot to lay her to rest.Nickolas now had two houses to sell. If Amelia ever left hers, he would also sell that house. "The house is in the process of being sold." He told Grace after the undertakers had put the coffin on the ground. "That means you will be homeless soon or are you not moving in with Amelia at her house?" He was taken aback by her question, he didn't think she would ever bring her up. He had a lot of repairing to do. "No. I thought you could spare a room for me. One room at the furthest side of the house. You won't even have to see me." He knew he was pushing his luck, but she looked at him as if considering his words. "I'm desperate here." He add
When Nickolas got home that evening. Stravos met him at the door. "Madam left with her luggage and the baby." Those were the first words that left the man's mouth. "Ok stravos, thank you for letting me know." He had known that it was inevitable, but he still felt a tug at his heart. He had been hoping that they would move across this hurdle unscorched. But maybe he had been right all along. It was too much for her. After all, it had been his cross to bear and not hers.He made his way to the master bedroom and started opening closets, she had taken everything. She wasn't only mad at him, this time she was done, and little Neill? Would they have to go to court and fight it out? It was his rotten luck. He sat at the edge of the bed and thought about his choices. To add salt to injury, Amelia had come out of their affair happier than him, and without a hair out of place. He laughed out loud. She had bagged a child with a man she loved and most of his money. He truly envied her. He got
When Nickolas got off the elevator, heads turned to look at him, some who were brave enough, whispered to their coworkers under their breath. It was clear that everyone was shocked just as Luther had been that morning, that they were going to work. He wondered what they must have been thinking all along. Did they think he was dying and the company was going down under? Lucky for them, he was back and ready to stir this ship to greater heights. As soon as Nickolas sat at his desk, his secretary came to his office and gave him a heap of messages that he needed to return. Soon enough he forgot all about Amelia and her drama, he had dodged a bullet there. Funny enough he thought he would lose his mind the day he found her with another man, but to his surprise he didn't feel a thing. Rather, his mind was preoccupied with Grace and the plans he had for them if she ever forgave him for his derailed ways. He wondered if it was too soon to ask for a second honeymoon.Luther knocked and peek