Six months later "Stop shuffling Danny. Don't you want to look good in the Christmas photo?" Anne warns, trying to keep smiling and also tell her kids what to do at the same time. It's Christmas eve and they're taking a family photo but the kids for some reason can't stay at a spot for more than a minute. "You heard your mother," Asher says in a deeper, sharper voice and the boys stay still as the cameraman once again takes the shot. "Aha. This is perfect!" he exclaims, urging them to remain in the same spot. After a few minutes, the photoshoot is finally over and they collectively breathe a sigh of relief. The pictures look so clean and beautiful on camera, even the boys look delighted. "I'll send the photos immediately after I'm done editing them," he says. "You have a beautiful family," he adds before leaving and Anne mouths 'thank you', with a blush. As they all sit down to have dinner, all in their pajamas, the word 'family' keeps ringing in Anne's ears. Even after six mon
(Five years ago)"Please sir.." Anne begged, her bare trembling legs sprawled across the floor, quite unsure what to say. "Get out of my house you slut!" The old CEO thundered, completely red in anger. Anne shakily hugged the flimsy material of her nightdress around her body in a hopeless attempt to cover up her nakedness. She felt fear, despair and shame. How could she defend herself when she was almost completely naked in his kitchen? How could she explain she'd still been a virgin an hour before? "I'm sorry…" she babbled, her eyes fixed on the floor, not wishing to look any of her oppressors in the face. "I'm not a slut. I'm…Your son and I love each other." She lost her balance and her covering when the slap came, so unexpected, it tingled her cheek. Her lips quivered along with the rest of her body as the tears began to fall. She watched them all; her best friends who'd shared their dirty fantasies with her, the old CEO who'd hated her from the start and the few maids whose con
Five years later "Hurry up and do the freaking designs I showed you! How do you manage to screw up every single thing you put your hands on?" The words coming out of Anne's mouth sounded nothing like hers but in her position, anyone would have done the same. "Ma'am, we're only three in this kitchen and we're doing the work of more than thirty people." Rain, her least favorite employee, spoke up with a voice dripping with sarcasm Anne's mind was all over the place so she didn't even give her a reply. Her kitchen looked like someone had set a zoo on fire, with pans and ruined cakes all over the floor. She was livid. The most important people who had the power to decide the fate of her bakery and ultimately her life were right behind that door, and if she didn't deliver her best, she was screwed. "Drop your pans and get the fuck out." She ordered quietly, her forefinger pointing to the door. She couldn't stand Rain anymore. If anything, the puny woman had been nothing but a setback ev
Anne sighed as she closed the bakery, desperately hoping she hadn't just closed it forever. She felt exhausted, mentally and physically. Her last order had been testing but she'd put in her all.Her chest felt heavy as she went home, thoughts of having to depend on her grandmother once again, weighing her down.After losing her both parents within months of each other, Anne's monthly visits to her grandmother's had become permanent. She blamed herself for their deaths. Her father had died of a heart attack not long after she gave him news she was pregnant and her mother had grown thinner each day after, wasting away so badly that when she died it was like she'd already been dead for a long time.Anne had just had her babies then and with no support from anyone else, she'd felt so alone in the world. She'd spent each day staring out the window, neither eating nor feeding her babies until her grandmother forced her to. She thought of her life each day, her hatred for the Ingram family g
Anne felt all kinds of emotions at once. She was standing face to face with the man who'd single handedly ruined her life in one day and had never turned back. He had left her pregnant, humiliated, alone, while he enjoyed his perfect life. She'd had to quit school indefinitely in order to take care of the kids, his kids. He hadn't shown interest even after she'd sent him dozens of messages, emails and calls he never responded to. She'd received nothing following her parent's death, only news that all her father's property had been willed to some mystery brother she hadn't known she had. Her mother had been too depressed to even notice or complain. Now she was standing face to face with the man she hated most in the world but she didn't know what to do, how to translate her feelings into words.She thought of him everyday. The hurtful things she'd say to him whenever she'd meet him, how terrible she'd make him feel just like he'd done to her. She'd always imagined she'd be extremely w
After a long day of sitting down at the long conference table, listening to old men who happened to be the board of directors, speak about the things he already knew, for hours, Asher was more than due for a break. He knew he'd already begun to accomplish more than his father had as CEO, and the constant get togethers were just excuses to remind him of his superiors. He'd had to stay. He couldn't bear them going back up to his father and giving the old man a reason to see him sooner than he needed to. Strangely, after the meeting, Asher did not feel like partying or seeing anyone. That was not all true, though. He felt like seeing one person, but he doubted she'd ever agree to come if she knew it was him, judging from her actions the last time. He came up with an idea. A few hours after he'd placed an order, a different one this time in order not to raise any unnecessary suspicion, he'd placed the delivery address to a different mansion of his which he rarely used. There was really
Her skin came alive under his touch, exploring every inch of her body while he kissed her neck, making waves pool beneath her stomach. She writhed underneath him, paving the way for his torturous pleasure. His lips left her neck and moved slowly downward, leaving kisses in their wake, making her go mad with anticipation. He took one tweaked nipple in his mouth, tasting then sucking on the budded flesh. His fingers trailed the center of her moist womanhood, making her cry out. A finger stretched her open, then two until she felt she couldn't take it anymore. "Are you ready for me?" He asked out of breath. She nodded, pulling him in. Anna woke up with a start, feeling hot all over. It'd been months since she'd had such a vivid dream. Rubbing her eyes, she glanced around at the room, getting confused. The room was unfamiliar. Her fingers trembled and she felt her legs give way even on the very plush bed she was on. This wasn't right. Where was she? Where were her children? What had
Oh my God. This can't be happening." Anne muttered, trembling. "Calm down, girl. It's not the end of the world." Lola said, holding her shoulders. "Although the rest of the article says you're either a crazy fan obsessed with him or just some prostitute he's paying. I didn't know they were allowed to use such words.""Yeah." Jake said, finishing up the cake and giving Lola a look."Look at it this way. If this blows up and people recognize you, then it will be good for business.""That's not the kind of reputation I want to have. Anyone who sees that would assume I'm one of those cheap girls who sleep with millionaires." "Billionaire actually." Lola said and got a sour look from Gabby. "What? If you're going to say it then say it right. The man has a whole empire, several mansions, the most successful company in this state. I wouldn't mind if someone took a photo of me sneaking out. Like hell, I'd even do it myself. " "Don't pay her much mind. We all know Lola's a whore." Gabby sai
Six months later "Stop shuffling Danny. Don't you want to look good in the Christmas photo?" Anne warns, trying to keep smiling and also tell her kids what to do at the same time. It's Christmas eve and they're taking a family photo but the kids for some reason can't stay at a spot for more than a minute. "You heard your mother," Asher says in a deeper, sharper voice and the boys stay still as the cameraman once again takes the shot. "Aha. This is perfect!" he exclaims, urging them to remain in the same spot. After a few minutes, the photoshoot is finally over and they collectively breathe a sigh of relief. The pictures look so clean and beautiful on camera, even the boys look delighted. "I'll send the photos immediately after I'm done editing them," he says. "You have a beautiful family," he adds before leaving and Anne mouths 'thank you', with a blush. As they all sit down to have dinner, all in their pajamas, the word 'family' keeps ringing in Anne's ears. Even after six mon
"Trevor?" Anne repeated, not sure she'd heard right. But when she saw Trevor walk up to them with a determined look on his face, she knew he really had something to say. At the far end of the room, Lola and Asher's sisters kept gaping with open mouths. They were obviously just as unaware as she was. No wonder he'd shown up randomly and seemed to know about the wedding even when no one else did. When he reached up to them, he smiled and shook Asher's hand like they were old time friends. "A lot of you don't know, but Mr Ingram is now a very good friend of mine," Trevor began, addressing the crowd. "I have just started a small company in Chicago and it's very successful, all thanks to him." He gave Anne a slight nod of acknowledgement before he brought out a small flashdrive. "Some months ago, I met up with an old friend, Jason in Chicago. Unknown to me, he'd traced me there because he needed a favor from me. The favor was to burn down Anne's home with all of them in it." The cro
"What the hell are you talking about?" Jason asked, taking a step backwards. Asher smirked, turning to Gabby who looked like she was about to explode in tears. "You tell me," he shrugged. "You're the one who's desperate for this wedding to hold and I wonder why. You're in love with Gabby, she's carrying your child, yet you want us to be married. Why is that?" The congregation watched with keen interest as the drama unfolded before them. This was not what they'd expected but it was much better. Anne couldn't say anything. So this marriage was a sham from the start. It was comforting but strange. There were more questions than answers and she hated being in the center of attention but not knowing what would come next. "Asher," Gabby whispered in a weak voice. "Why are you doing this at our wedding? The baby in my belly belongs to you and you know this." "Will you just shut it already?" Asher said, rolling his eyes and turning to face her. It was evident he was sick of pretending
Halfway through the makeover, Anne already felt her spirits returning. The old man was in another room and Lola had joined in to help select the perfect dress that would turn heads, according to her. Within an hour she looked even more breathtaking than she'd looked at the ball a few weeks ago. Her jewelry matched her skin tone perfectly, her gown hugged her curves and flattered her glossy skin which glowed from the expensive ointment Yvette rubbed on her. Heads would definitely turn. "We should open a beauty salon," Lola gasped, shaking her head like she couldn't believe what they'd just created. "And Anne will be our model." "I second that," Yvonne said, honestly. "You really think so?" Yvette said, trying to mask her pride. "You look absolutely gorgeous.""Asher's definitely going to rethink everything when he sees you." Danny and Damien came in with Trevor who was wheeling in the old man when he heard a lot of noise. "You make me regret losing you." They laughed.The kid
Lola and Trevor agreed to wait in the car for her while she went in, simply because Yvette's voice had sounded very frantic on the phone and they didn't want her mincing words because of them. When she entered the house, she suddenly felt on edge. Breathing in again and again, she went up the staircase to the room Yvette assured her she'd be, and tried to remove the memory of her fighting and humiliating herself on that very staircase. She heard their voices before she reached the room so they were easy to spot. They? She'd only hoped to see Yvette. When she heard the throaty male voice come out from the room, accompanied by Yvonne's voice, her expression turned sour. This had not been part of the plan. She wanted no business with the horrible man who was Asher's father. Sometimes she wondered why God had taken her grandmother and not him. "Anne!" Yvonne called, just when she decided to go back down the stairs. "oh thank God you're here. Please come in. Asher's about to make th
"You need to go there," Lola said, trailing after her."And wreck their wedding?" Anne asked, trying to mask the anger and betrayal in her voice. "Of course. You're always letting things go. You want him and if he gets married to her, that's gonna be the end. Even if you don't do this for your own happiness, do it for your sons. She's a slimy bitch and that's how their relationship is gonna be forever. If he continues to take custody of them, they'll have to grow up with her. Forever." "Where else do you think I'm going?" She asked getting into her car. "I knew you had it in you, girl." Lola said, getting into the passenger side of the car beside her. As they zoomed off, Trevor gave them the directions to the wedding arena while Lola hyped her up. She didn't know what she would do when she got there, but it would all be worth it. As long as the anger in her remained, there wasn't going to be a wedding. "Wait!" Lola suddenly screamed, making Anne screech the car to an abrupt halt.
Her newfound admiration for Asher died down the moment he bade her goodbye, revved his car and started to leave with the kids. Perhaps she'd been wrong to assume that after the culprit responsible for her grandmother's demise had been found and him taking her out, the least he could do was let her have her children back, at least for some time. "I don't really think you're in the right frame of mind to have the children hovering all over you. I don't want you to lose it," he'd said before giving her an apologetic look and driving off. Now she was in her new house, telling everything to Lola after finally finding her voice. "Did you just say Jake was arrested?" Lola asked in disbelief. "For arson?" "I'm just as surprised as you are.""Hmm. I knew he was wicked but not a murderer. Are you sure the detective was right?" "They've been trailing him for a while now and even got his confession on tape." "Hmm. I suppose I'm lucky for everything that happened. Imagine we were still datin
Fear engulfed her body, making her mind run places as she searched for her sons. They were nowhere to be found. Oh God. Why did she have to turn her face away to listen to what Asher had to say. "Damien, Danny!" Asher screamed their names and she followed suit, suddenly remembering it was a possibility.Where had they gone? She had to be positive, she told herself, and realistic. No one could have possibly kidnapped them right under her nose without them screaming or yelling for help. They'd either left to find some other more interesting place not so far from there or worse, like the last time, they'd seen someone they knew and followed them."Danny, Damien!" She called, desperation entering her voice. "Mommy!" She heard from not so far away. She turned immediately to the sound of her sons' voice. "Oh, God," she breathed in relief as she ran to where the boys were. Asher was still on the other side of the field looking for the boys but she called him over, signaling to him th
Having the kids all to himself had not been anything like he'd expected. There were several things he never thought he would experience. He was only used to seeing them once in a while, usually when they happened to be on their best behavior because they were just excited to see him and tried to please him, but when the excitement wore off within a few days of them spending day and night with him, everything changed. Just at breakfast the other day, they'd asked for their mom and when Gabby told them she wouldn't be joining them soon, they began to complain about how the crusts of the bread hadn't been cut off like their mom always did. Danny made a fuss and threw the contents of his side of the table away and Damien soon followed suit. When he tried to get them to stop, they only spat at him and threw tantrums.. He wished that was the end but it wasn't. They complained about the most random things and threw a tantrum anytime anyone corrected them. The most unbearable part of it was