ARNOLD's P O V‘‘She's my wife...,’’ I responded to Sean while quirking an eyebrow. ‘‘There's no reason for you to question me about it...’’Another glass of alcohol went down my throat while my attention was still fixed on him.He gave me a grin while glancing in my direction with his head cocked to the side. ‘‘Then why are you allowing her sister to treat Celestine in such an unacceptable manner, and all her troubles?’’I couldn't help but crack a smirk as I refilled half of my glass.‘‘Why did Celestine marry you in the first place?’’ he continued to ask. ‘‘Why did she have a fallout of Leina? What exactly have you been doing for her all this time?’’I was speechless for a few seconds before I raised my glass to indicate that it was Sean's turn to drink. He didn't waste any time as he took a swig and emptied it out immediately after.‘‘What do you want me to say?’’ I inquired of him while maintaining a composed demeanor and looking at him intently.‘‘Do you know what Celestine’s fa
CELESTINE’s P O VWhen I finally opened my eyes, I was surprised to discover that it was already morning. The sky remained still cloudy despite the fact that the rain had ceased falling.I was startled when I felt someone moving at the foot of the bed, and when I lifted my head, I saw Arnold putting on his suit.‘‘Good morning...’’ He greeted me with a smile, and as I sat up and rubbed my eyes with my hands, I nodded in response to him.After having breakfast together at the hotel, Arnold led me back to the city, and because he informed me that Sean was still sleeping, I was unable to pay him a visit any longer; thus, I just sent him a message informing him that we’re currently on our way back home.While we’re driving back, there was complete silence in the car. I rested my chin on my hand as I stared through the glass and focused my eyes on the hazy scenery outside.I could sense that Arnold turned his head to look at me every so often, but he didn't initiate a conversation with me.
CELESTINE’s P O V‘‘Olivia…’’ William finally made the decision to get involved. ‘‘I beg of you, do not become enraged... Why can't we discuss this matter in a calm and collected manner?’’‘‘Calm and collected manner...?’’ she scoffed. ‘‘How are we even going to be able to discuss this in such a manner when your son is just as stubborn as you are? Take a good look at the woman your son adores and see what kind of person she is. Look at Leina! How much anguish has she been forced to endure!’’Olivia's disposition was deteriorating, and she was becoming increasingly harsh in her tone. My husband's dad stared at me with a confused look on his face, his brows were wrinkled, and he had disappointment in his eyes as he did so.But I looked directly into his eyes as I decided to speak and defend myself from his wife’s accusations. ‘‘I swear, I didn’t do it, dad!’’I was not someone who enjoyed explaining things, but William Maxwell had always treated me fairly, and nicely. And because I didn
CELESTINE's P O V‘‘Leina, are you okay?’’ Ada made a beeline for her stepdaughter as soon as she saw what had happened, and Leina sobbed loudly in her arms.‘‘And in addition to that, you played a role in the passing of your mother, didn't you?’’ Arnold revealed yet another surprising piece of information.‘‘W-what?’’ It took Leina by surprise. ‘‘No… of course not!’’Olivia was surprisingly quiet, and she was attentively listening to her son, making me smile in silence.‘‘Despite the fact that Sandra Stewart led a poor, and had been through so much in her life that her appearance couldn't even compare to your nanny, she was still the one who gave birth to you...’’ Arnold paid no attention to her rebuke. ‘‘According to the findings of my inquiry, she was clandestinely coming to see you once a year in order to offer you some money that she had, but you not only turned it down, and you even handed the money that she had saved up for you to a beggar...’’Oh my God!No… this couldn’t be…
CELESTINE's P O V‘‘Are you hungry?’’ Arnold asked with a smile as he turned the key in the ignition and started the car. ‘‘I'll take you out to lunch somewhere where you can get something very good. What took place today is something that deserves to be celebrated...’’I shook my head. ‘‘Let's go home…’’ I don’t believe that this is something that we ought to celebrate. Even his mother wasn’t in a good mood too. In addition, I'm still exhausted from the journey we took from Staten Island. ‘‘I'm sure your mom is feeling a lot of pain right now. Let’s go home and comfort her…’’Olivia was really harsh to me, but she didn’t do anything that would destroy me. She had her mind manipulated by Leina and Ada, and as a result, she wrongly believed that I was the bad daughter, which is why she acted in such a way toward me. According to what Cynthia had previously shared with me, her mother did not have any ill will against anyone.When I heard Arnold laughing, it snapped me out of my trance-l
CELESTINE's P O V‘‘How did you like it?’’ Arnold questioned as he watched me take a bite out of one of the dishes.‘‘It’s delicious…’’ I commented, nodding my head.Arnold’s dark eyes brightened at my reaction, his lips parted in a smile. ‘‘You have to eat more. You haven’t eaten much at lunch…’’I experienced a mild sense of unease. I was unaccustomed to other people showing concern for me.After taking another three bites, I decided to inquire about Olivia. ‘‘How’s your mom?’’‘‘Don't worry too much about her…’’ He said while adding additional food to my plate. ‘‘She went out with dad and Cynthia. Julian also went along with them. I’m sure her mood will get better soon…’’‘‘They went out…?’’ It took me a little surprised to hear that. I thought Olivia would have locked herself in the room and refused to see anyone. ‘‘Why didn’t you go with them?’’They all went out to comfort his mom, but why did he chose to stay here. With… me?Arnold's laughter caught me off guard. ‘‘If I were to
ARNOLD's P O VI was sitting at the edge of the pool, my head lowered as I stared at my hand that was injured from cooking dishes for Celestine, when I heard the door open to the pool area. When I looked up, I was slightly surprised to see her here. It was the very first time that she went here while I was having my night routine of swimming.‘‘Hey, what are you doing here?’’ I asked with a smile, and leapt to my feet in a hurry to approach her.She walked towards me with a blank face, and without uttering a single word, she grabbed my left hand in hers, and opened my palm.My palm had a horrible scar that looked like the twisted body of a centipede. It was long and thin, and following an excessive amount of time spent submerged in water, the large blister began to tear.‘‘I'm fine…’’ I mumbled shortly while attempting to get away from her grip on my hand, but she resisted my efforts and instead gazed up at me with fury evident in her eyes.‘‘Are you an idiot?’’ She asked incredulousl
CELESTINE'S P O V‘‘This vacation abroad will serve as our honeymoon...’’ While we were climbing the stairs, Arnold mumbled something into my ear.‘‘Who is interested in spending their honeymoon with you?’’ I snapped, picking up my pace as I ascended the next flight of stairs.‘‘You’re my wife…’’ he said as he continued to tease me. ‘‘If you don’t go on a honeymoon with me, then who do you want to go with?’’I paid him no attention while purposefully pounding the ground with my feet.‘‘Sean told me that he only treats you as a sister, therefore you shouldn't even consider him…’’ he added, and I came to a complete stop and glared at him.‘‘You better stop or I won't accompany you on this trip...’’ I said, and the smile that had been on his lips gradually disappeared.I averted my gaze from him and continued to walk till I arrived at our room, with Arnold following close behind.‘‘You’re sleeping on the couch tonight!’’ I ordered before I opened the door, and I couldn't help but smile t
JULIAN’s P O VAunt Olivia insisted that Cynthia must first complete her education, and give birth to our child before she allowed us to get married. And I felt worried about Cynthia because I was aware that she was waiting for this moment. Even though she wasn’t voicing it out, I could sense that she was expecting me to propose to her, for us to build our own family, but Auntie asked me not to let Cynthia know about our agreement.After seven months, Cynthia gave birth to a healthy baby boy who she gave the name Mark Julian. And while I was occupied with the expansion of the business that Arnold had requested me to handle, Cynthia continued her studies.Finally, Cynthia graduated and I’ve never been so proud of her. I believed that as a result of all of the things she went through, she got more matured. She never complained about the fact that I did not offer her marriage.When it was time for Cynthia to get her graduation present from me---it’s not exactly a graduation present, but
CYNTHIA's P O VAt this moment, tears were beginning to run down my face. I couldn’t keep them at bay. Now that it was almost certain that I’m losing this baby.I may not know a lot about pregnancy, but I knew that bleeding was a bad sign.As soon as we entered the emergency room, an array of questions and answers ensued, and I answered them to the best of my ability, while my parents and Julian were listening attentively. Julian refused to let go of my hand even when I was wheeled back toward a room and directed to strip for an ultrasound.The nurse stopped Julian when he was about to enter the changing room, insisting that he wanted to help me change into a hospital gown. ‘‘I can help her, Sir. Just stay with her parents outside…’’Julian did not immediately follow the nurse after initially hesitating, but he did so eventually. Soon after, he began to loosen his grip on my hand before leaving completely.My parents sat in a chair along the far right wall, and Julian stood a few feet
CYNTHIA's P O VTWO MONTHS LATERI groaned as I sat up in bed and stretched my arms. A quick look at the clock that was sitting on my nightstand revealed to me that nightfall would arrive sooner. How long have I been dozing off?These past few days, my normal pattern of sleeping has been thrown off. Simply put, I was mentally and emotionally exhausted to the point where I lost track of time because of it. Even though my parents, Arnold, and Celestine regularly checked on me every once in a while, one of the harmful things I'd been doing was spending most of my time alone in my room. This was another habit I'd gotten into.They have been monitoring the media, calling people and giving them orders, as well as discussing the situation with the authorities. They would act wary every time I descended the stairs, as if they didn't want me to hear about those fucked up news again.I never heard from Julian again after that day. I was aware that his wedding took place last month, but none of
CYNTHIA's P O VNothing could have prepared me for the crushing agony I experienced when my mom told me that Julian had departed without even alerting me, or even bidding farewell to me before he flew back to France. Nor could anything have prepared me for the profound sense of loss that caused my heart to tighten, leading me to believe that it was going to cease beating altogether.Even though I was aware, on some level, that he was meant to return and marry her, the fact that he did still hurt. How could he? How, after making love to me? After I had already given him everything? After stroking my hair until I fell asleep? After spending so much time gazing at me with that breathtaking smile? How could he love her and marry her still?There was a painful lump that was lodged in my throat, and it was making it difficult for me to even breathe. In addition to this, I had to fight against my tear ducts in order to keep from crying in front of my family because of him. In total honesty,
CYNTHIA's P O VThe moment the door to the Maxwell villa opened, I was met with a resounding slap across the face from my irate mother.‘‘Aunt Olivia…’’ When she raised her hand to slap me again, Julian attempted to stop her, but she instead hit Julian which caused my eyes to widen in shock.‘‘Don't address me like that, you have no connection to any of us anymore!’’ she said through gritted teeth, a threatening tone was used as she glared at him.It appeared as though everything around me had come to a stop. I blinked back the tears that was on the verge of falling down my cheek. ‘‘Mom…’’Did Arnold tell her about us?‘‘What are your intentions with regard to my daughter?’’ She asked Julian while completely ignoring me. ‘‘Do you intend to take him as your mistress?’’‘‘No, I…’’‘‘There is no future for the two of you, and even if you leave the woman who will soon become your wife, I won't let you have my daughter!’’ And she smacked his face once more, which prompted me to push her aw
CYNTHIA’s P O VJulian grabbed the shower head, turning on the water. He pointed it at me and he made sure to let it pour all over my body, until every inch of me was soaked. ‘‘I’ll take it that it will make you behave…’’‘‘Uhmmm…’’ I agreed mindlessly, not really listening to a single word he uttered, for I was too busy gawking at his dripping wet physique. I could feel my lids becoming heavy, my veins burning under my skin as pure sexual desire course through them.Unwittingly, without even noticing it, I kneeled in front of him, coming face to face with his semi-hard shaft, but before I could even touch it, he grabbed my shoulders firmly. ‘‘Get up before I fuck you again…’’‘‘But I want you to fuck me again…’’ I protested with a pout, still resting on my knees.He chuckled amusedly, lightly shaking his head. ‘‘Come on, Cynthia, we’ve got to go…’’But I didn’t listen, I remained still.Julian decided to bring his arm under my armpits and pick me up against my will, laying small kiss
CYNTHIA’s P O V‘‘Do you think that somebody was listening to us?’’ I inquired anxiously as fear began to course through my veins.Julian gave a dismissive shake of his head before rising to his feet and reaching for the bathrobe that was still hanging on the door of the bathroom. ‘‘No, the rooms are soundproofed. You stay here...’’ he covered himself and left the room.But I couldn’t mind my business in a situation like this. I rolled out of bed and took a fluffy bath towel, wrapping it around my body before following him towards the living area.From the other side of the slightly open door, I could hear a feminine voice. ‘‘Uhmm, Hi… I mean, good morning. I was wondering if you saw Cynthia---’’I rudely pushed Julian out of the way and came face to face with Stef, who let out a sigh of relief upon seeing me.‘‘Oh, Cynthia… I was worried about you!’’I smiled at her and placed a kiss on her cheek. ‘‘Well, as you can see, I’m good…’’ I then stepped closer to her so that she would be a
CYNTHIA’s P O VI completely let myself go, carelessly giving up on trying to hold myself up and completely leaning against his tall, manly frame. ‘‘Oh, fuck…’’ I moaned as I gripped his hair and pulled on it, moving his head and craning my neck so that our lips would touch. I immediately opened my mouth, allowing his tongue to slip inside.Julian added a second finger into my tight canal, starting to thrust harder. ‘‘You’re such a sexy little thing, aren’t you...?’’ he pulled his hand away and brought his fingers which were coated in my juices, to his mouth, sucking them clean before he picked me up and walked back to the bedroom, letting me fall onto the bed, and then followed me immediately.I pushed him down onto the sheets and got on top of him, hovering over his rock hard member. ‘‘Do you want me…?’’ I inquired in a hushed tone as I took both of his hands in mine and placed them on my waist.He nodded with his mouth agape, looking up at me with full of desire and appreciation.‘
JULIAN’s P O VThere was something unbelievably intimate about waking up next to someone, especially when that someone was the one you love.Strips of golden sunlight shone into the room and Cynthia managed to wrap herself around most of my thin sheets.I woke up with my arm lay across her stomach and her head was tucked into my bare chest. We hadn’t bothered dressing ourselves after last night’s events, as we had already seen every inch of each other.Also we were exhausted, that we had drifted to sleep after another heated kiss.Cynthia stirred slightly, which brought me back from recalling what brought us here, and buried her head further into my chest while placing a hand onto my torso.But all of this felt so wrong, since everyone around see us as cousins, and in addition to that, I am already getting married.But then, why did last night feel so right? And why did her touch alone light my body on fire?I knew that my old self would think otherwise, but Cynthia and I couldn’t hap