AIDEN"How is she, doctor?" I asked pulling the doctor aside as we spoke in a low tone. "I will advise we admit her as soon as possible, I understand your desire to have her under your care but she needs to be in the hospital where she can....""I can have my men provide you with whatever equipment you need to keep her stable as well as to treat her cancer," I interrupted the doctor. I couldn't risk taking her to the hospital, not after what had happened to Brianna, I didn't want Selena to have to go through that trauma yet again. "Then we will need to change some things in her room to make her more comfortable, and she will also need a stand-by maid in case something like this happens again.""Very well, whatever she needs I will provide, just make sure she is stable," I said. She was all Selena had right now, I couldn't imagine Selena losing her mother too, I had just lost the man I thought was my father all these years, and even though in my eyes I didn't take him as my father, a
• PART TWO •~ SELENA'S APARTMENT ~Selena carefully guided her mother to the nearest chair, helping her settle into a comfortable position.Taking a deep breath, Selena spoke softly to her mother. "Once I'm finished unpacking, I'll prepare lunch for us. Okay?" She paused for a moment, searching her mother's eyes for any signs of reassurance, but found only worry and skepticism.However, her mother couldn't hold her tongue any longer. A furrow formed between her brows, and she couldn't help but ask the question that had been plaguing her mind since they left Aiden's mansion. "Are you sure, Selena? About divorcing Aiden and moving into this one-room apartment? It's such a drastic change, my dear."Selena's heart sank as she listened to her mother's disapproval. She knew she had made this decision without asking about her opinion but she couldn't spend one more second in that mansion. Aiden had hidden something from her yet again and she feared there was more he wasn't telling her, she
"Excuse me, I need to pick this call," Selena said letting go of her mother as Sofia nodded her head, she walked to the side of the house picking the call and bringing it to her ear. "I did as you asked, I want all the details," she said on the first beep. "You really don't think I did buy into that Selena," Vincent's voice came on. "For all I know, this could be a plot between you and Aiden to set me up and get me arrested.""What are you insinuating?" Selena asked. "We should meet and for your own good come alone," Vincent replied. "I will send the address, you should be there in an hour or I might change my mind.""You can't just go about telling...hello...hello.." Selena removed the phone from her ear angrily as she realized Vincent had disconnected the call before she could tell him that she didn't want to meet him up in a restaurant. She turned to stare at her mother who was already sited while Sofia hurried to get her bags and arrange the contents in place, she placed her h
"What nonsense are you on about?" Selena asked eyes widened, was this his plan all along to lure her out of Aiden's mansion and get her to agree to something so stupid? Did he think that she was gullible? She leaned back into her seat suddenly bursting into laughter as Vincent stared at her perplexed by her reaction. "What is funny?""I used to think that you were stupid but now I can see that you are not only stupid but foolish as well, if this is why you called me here then you must be wasting your time," Selena said rising to her feet as Vincent got on his feet quickly grabbing her wrist. "Your mother is a murderer, do you know that?""Let go of my hand," Selena yelled at him, she had been so stupid to have come here in the first place, Aiden was right about Vincent, there was nothing good about him. He was just filled with lies and stupidity. "I have proof," Vincent chuckled letting go of her hand not to create a scene as other people in the restaurant were starting to look at
When Selena arrived home, she could feel the weight of Vincent's words pressing against her mind. It seemed as though her thoughts had become entangled with confusion and disbelief.As Sofia greeted her with a warm smile, Selena's heart was heavy, and she could barely find the strength to respond. Her action didn't go unnoticed by Sofia who wondered where her madam was coming from but she didn't dare to ask, she went back to the kitchen to continue what she was doing.Deep in her thoughts, she took slow and deliberate steps toward her room, once she got in, she closed the door behind her but her mind was still consumed by Vincent's shocking revelation. Did her mum kill someone? Vincent had claimed to have evidence, even if it was falsified there had to be some element of truth in it, Selena dropped her purse on the bed and made her way to her mother's room, where she hoped to discover the truth.She opened the first door opposite her and figured it was Sofia's room, she closed the do
"What?" Caught off guard, Selena's face contorted with surprise and unease. Her instinct urged her to deny any knowledge of what Aiden had just said, she concluded in her mind that his men must have been trailing her the moment she left the house. She had totally forgotten about the possibility of him still keeping tabs on her, he had warned her to stay away from Vincent but that was when they were together.Now it really didn't matter who she wanted to see or not, why was he meddling in her affairs? Was he planning to follow her every single place she goes to and question her about every single thing that she does with her life?"Don't play dumb with me Selena," Aiden yelled angrily. He didn't want to believe that Selena would stoop so low to be with Vincent, she wasn't the kind of woman who would easily take a liking to a man, much less someone like Vincent. He feared that something must have happened between them and whatever it was, was what led to her sudden desire to get a divo
Selena and Aiden gripped onto the stretcher tightly alongside the nurses as worry palpable in their faces, as they rushed into the brightly lit hospital. Flashing white lights and the sound of hurried footsteps filled the air, heightening their anxiety as they pushed Selena's unconscious mother on a stretcher toward the theater.Desperation etched across her face, Selena's eyes darted around and then back at her mother, searching for any sign of hope, "Mom! Mom!?," she called out in hopes that her mother would wake up and all this would be over. As they approached the reception, a nurse, seemingly out of nowhere, stepped in front of them, effectively removing her hands from the stretcher and blocking their path toward the surgery room."Sorry, but you can't go into the surgery room," the nurse said firmly, her voice filled with sympathy but unyielding in its stance. This was a usual routine for her, if some patient had their way they would want to be in the operating room with their
Selena stared at Aiden and then back at the phone as she disconnected the call, Aiden was surprised by her action. He didn't know if that meant that she was done with Vincent and his schemes or if she didn't want him to listen in on their conversation."You can speak to him if...""No, I...he is blackmailing...trying to blackmail me," Selena confessed staring at Aiden. "How is she?" Axel asked stepping in, he had been on his way to the police station when he got a message from Aiden regarding the issue on the ground. Astrid had also called him about their father's death in prison and if he was aware, he had to play ignorant because Aiden had told him to but from the way Astrid sounded he could tell she suspected that they had yet again hid something grave from her.He had promised to call her back once he was settled."Fine," Aiden responded breaking free from the hug, he pulled Selena by the side towards him still giving her the comfort she needed."She will be fine Selena, she is u
~ TWO YEAR LATER ~ As the sun peeked through the stained glass windows of the quaint church, casting a warm glow on the pews and aisle, an air of excitement and anticipation filled the atmosphere. Today was a special day for Axel and Claire, as they were about to embark on a journey of love and commitment in front of family and friends. The delicate scent of flowers wafted through the air, adorning every corner of the church with their vibrant colors. The essence of love was palpable, adding an extra layer of magic to the already enchanting ambiance. Soft music played gently in the background, setting the perfect mood for the upcoming union. As the guests started to fill the pews, their eyes filled with joy and enthusiasm at the sight of loved ones coming together to celebrate the union of Axel and Claire. Aiden, Selena, and their son, Alex, and daughter Brianna alongside Astrid and her boyfriend Tom sat on one side, beaming with pride and excitement. Guests were the extended f
"Her water just broke," Aiden announced. They all got on their feet, Claire and Astrid rushed to her side helping her stand up as they could see the pain etched on her face, while the men ran to get the car ready. It didn't take long when they arrived at the hospital and she was taken to the theater in excruciating pain, Aiden remained outside the reception with Claire, Astrid, Axel, and Tom before the doctor informed him that he could join his wife."Everything is going to be alright," Aiden reassured her when he entered the ward to find her lying on the bed, her hand extended for him to come hold her. "It hurts so bad," Selena cried out. "Sorry," Aiden replied holding her hand in his firmly and planting a kiss on her forehead. He didn't know how else to comfort her, he could see the pain in her eyes and could only hope the delivery would happen sooner.After hours of labor pain, Aiden holding her hand and trying to soothe her pain with reassuring words, delivery began.Aiden had
"You are serious?" Claire asked just to be sure Axel wasn't joking around.He barely nodded his head to sign yes when she pulled him in for a hug, of course, she was going to move in with him and travel to another country if that was what he wanted.Everything seemed to be moving too fast when it came to how they felt for each other but for the first time in many years, she felt loved. She didn't feel like she was forcing herself on Axel like she had forced Luke to love her.Axel loved her and she could see it."I am happy for you guys," Astrid squeaked with joy, it had been a while since she last saw Axel looking at a woman the way he looked at Claire. It was like she and Selena weren't even in the room."By the way, there is something I was going to tell you, Axel, I hope I am not ruining the mood," Selena said. "I already told Claire and Astrid yesterday that -""Selena is pregnant," Astrid took the word right out of her mouth. "Are you sure you are not the one who is pregnant?" C
"Yeah, as friends. I think that would be better for both of us at the moment, I feel there are still a lot of things we don't know about each other and-""Are you joking?" Claire's eyes widened as she adjusted herself on the bed again, her face etched with confusion at Axel's words as her eyes darted from him to his hands on hers."Hey!" Axel placed his hand on her chin raising her head so he could see her face, was she crying? "Claire? I was joking," he laughed out. "I didn't find it funny," Claire smacked his hand off her chin. Axel chuckled at her reaction, "I am sorry, didn't know you were a crybaby.""What? I am not," Claire protested looking away from him. How could he tease her like that? It wasn't her fault that she had thought he was being serious about them being 'just friends' when she was attracted to him. "You look cute when you lie," Axel smirked, he placed his hand on her chin tilting her head gently to face him as he kissed her on the lips. "I will have them bring s
“Where the hell is she?” Axel yelled grabbing him by the collar, he didn’t want to believe that Claire was dead, the time period was too short for them to kill her and her clothes had no sign of blood stain when he pulled it out from the boot. “Let me off and I will tell you, lover boy,” Vincent laughed. Aiden reached for his phone immediately in his pocket, dialing one of the bodyguards who was back at Emily’s house, “Check around the house, she has to be hidden somewhere,” Aiden ordered on the first ring. “We found her boss. Was about to call you, she is unconscious,” the bodyguard replied. “Alright,” Aiden said disconnecting the call and staring at Axel who was holding back on punching Vincent in the face. “She is alright, we might just need to get her to the hospital, quickly.” “You should have stayed in jail,” Axel said to Vincent punching him in the face as Aiden held him by the waist pulling him back. “Let me go Aiden, we need to end him right now so he doesn’t come back t
“Claire,” Axel called out staring at Vincent on the laptop, his hand forming into a fist as he caused under his breath. He hadn’t anticipated seeing Vincent, wasn’t he supposed to be in jail awaiting his death sentence? This was the reason he had been against Claire going to see Emily, he reached for the door ready to hop out as Aiden grabbed him by the wrist.“Our men are already circling the building, he can’t get away with it,” Aiden said.“You want me to sit here and allow Vincent to kill her?” Axel asked shoving Aiden’s hand away, he stared at Selena and Astrid who were in disbelief at the sight of Vincent, he opened the van door and hopped out running down the street to Emily’s house.Axel ran down the street as quickly as his legs could take him, he couldn’t believe that Vincent had escaped from jail and worse Emily was working for him, what was she bound to gain from Vincent? That douchebag! He should have shot him dead a long time ago instead of hoping that the system would
THE NEXT MORNING, Aiden briefed everyone on the plan again in the van a street away from Emily's house, "If you feel uncomfortable at any moment, you just think of an excuse and leave," Aiden reminded Claire."Sure," Claire nodded. Axel walked up to her helping her put on the camera properly over her shirt button, the camera design looked like a button from afar, "this is a recording device," Axel said, placing a pen into the pocket of her shirt. "Axel, can we talk about…" Claire spoke in a low tone. She had been trying to speak to him all morning but he seemed to be avoiding the question, she didn't know why he would just listen to her so she could explain everything to him. "After," Axel cut her off. "Do you have your earbuds on?" He asked instead. "Yeah I do," she nodded, tucking her hair behind her ear so he could see it. "I was going to tell you, believe me," Claire whispered in a low voice. "What part of after don't you understand?"She bit the bottom of her lips, sad by hi
"I was just joking," Claire brushed it off at the puzzled look on Axel's face, she didn't know why she had blurted something out like that to him. Never in a million years had she asked any man that question, she smiled trying to make him see that she was bluffing."Yes.""What?" She gasped. "You… you will be my boyfriend?""Isn't that what you want? Yes, I will," Axel nodded, kissing her on the lips as her eyes widened in shock, unable to comprehend that Axel just agreed without any hint of hesitation in his voice.She watched him get out of bed and into the bathroom as she scratched the back of her head, playing back what had just happened in her head. She was about to get out of bed when the door opened with Astrid entering, she dashed out back at the sight of Claire lying naked on the bed."I am so sorry, please I didn't mean to badge in, I am so sorry," Astrid apologized. "Shit," Claire cursed, she could have sworn she used the key when locking the door or was it Axel who locked
"Don't start what you can't finish," Claire whispered. "What?" Axel chuckled. "Don't look at me like that, you just end up stealing kisses when you want to and I think that should stop," Claire said standing up but she soon came crashing into the bed as Axel grabbed her by her wrist. He grabbed her by the waist shoving her on the bed as he hovered over her, "What naughty ideas have you been thinking while I was away?" He asked with a smirk on his face. "Don't flatter yourself, mister.""So, you didn't think about my lips on yours while I was away?" Axel teased. Claire stared at him trying not to give him the benefit of the doubt but her face was suddenly turning red and she could tell from the smile on his face, darn her face.Maybe she had thought about him and she didn't know why exactly, it wasn't like Axel was laying claim on her but he had kissed her like he was, she didn't want to assume his feelings for her, it was best to stop him from kissing her any chance he got but now