Novels by Dorcas Baker

Lauren's pov.I quickly flew to the ground, trying to pick up the money that was scattered on the floor.“It.. it's nothing—” I muttered.I could feel their eyes Pierce over my back, before Ezra’s eyes suddenly drifted towards his mom.“Oh darling, I dropped my cash on the floor, your wife here is just helping me pick it up.”I didn't bother looking up as I cursed under my breath.“Let me help.” Ezekiel's voice resounded softly.“Don’t… Don’t bother.” I stammered.But it felt like my words had fallen to deaf ears as I watched him join me.Within the next minute, the scattered notes on the floor were already arranged.The moment we both stood up, Felicia yanked the notes out of my hands.“Thank you…” she whispered.“Why don’t you join us for dinner” Ezra muttered,“Dinner…” she smiled.“Yeah, I mean I can't let you leave just like that.”I was irritated, struggling to juggle between if I wanted to be around them or not.“I think, I'll go up and freshen up.” I said, grabbing my bags to

Lauren's Pov,My legs went numb and so did my mind. My Jaw fell as I blinked repeatedly.With every blink, I watched her move forward precisely and before I could blurt out another, my cheeks already ached.My hands flew over to my cheeks— It was unexpected, my eyes rose up to meet her only to see her other hands being held back by Ezekiel.“Really Felicia…” I muttered.“You disrespectful rat— how dare you throw yourself at another man, don't you know you are married to my son.”The air grew still, as gazes drifted between us three.“Why don’t we head into the house.” Ezekiel's voice finally broke the silence.The moment we all walked in, Felicia snared at me before sitting firmly over the couch.“You know what? I knew you were a hore, I warned my son not to marry you, but he insisted. And of all people to cheat with— his brother.”“Step brother…” Ezekiel chimned in.“You ungrateful bitch— and you are here siding her.”“Cut the bullshit woman.” Ezekiel's voice took over.My hands were

Lauren pov,People do say Love is a beautiful thing— that love can cure all things, I would have believed them but not when my husband is standing right outside the door with a bouquet of roses and I could not feel a thing.Ezekiel and I arrived quite on time and guess what, it was already afternoon. The moment the car pulled into the drive way, my heart felt sad.“Did you tell him we were arriving today?” I asked, staring back at Ezra through the tinted glass.Ezekiel stared at me for a while, paused and then he said “He texted me Immediately we got out of the airport.”“Oh…” I sighed.I was about moving my hands towards the door, when Ezekiel pulled me back and kissed me.My heart shivered. My thoughts pondered.“Do I really want to get caught?”Just then, the car door on my side opened up…My eyes widened as I immediately pushed Ezekiel away.I turned towards the opened door, hoping I wasn't caught just yet, only to catch a glimpse of my husband standing at a short distance away.I

Lauren's Pov“Oh my goodness, Why didn't you say it earlier?” Matilda's voice rang throughout the room.It was clear, everyone was excited, even the maid who brought out the champagne couldn’t hide her smile.“Hmm… that's not..”But before I could protest or say another word, Ezekiel moved closer, nudging me slowly.“ I didn't want to say anything yet, I wanted it to be a surprise.” He blurted.“A surprise, you really made me happy— your news made my day—oof.”I sat there staring at everyone clearly happy about a blatant lie, I slowly stood up and downed the crest of the bubbly champagne into my throat.“Ezekiel— do you mind showing me the restroom?” “Oh sure,”Ezekiel was about standing up to show me the way when Matilda whispered.“Why don’t you allow the maid to show you.”Ezekiel stared at me, but it was clear to him— I wasn't having it.“I'll take her mom.” He protested.“Oh..” She murmured, winking at him.“You should take her to your room, I made sure the maids kept it clean—

Lauren's PovMy eyes glared the moment I heard the words, was he joking. “You are joking,” I laughed.“I'm not.” Ezekiel said calmly.My expression lowered, slowly pulling my hands out of his. The car grew silent.“It's fine if you don't want to meet them.” He said, breaking the awkward silence, his hands grabbed mine back and this time he squeezed them softly.“You can stay in the car, I'll have the driver keep you company.”I was still silent, like my mind had its own pondered thoughts“I'll go with you.” I finally said.Ezekiel's eyes widened with joy, but then I watched it slowly deem away.“Are you sure about that?” he asked.But I wasn't sure, I never wanted to be hidden.“yes..” I said, forcing a smile onto my face. “I'll go with you.” I repeated.“What… what if he recognises you?” he asked.“Who?”“My father, Goddammit, he never forgets a face.”My face went blank, as realisation flashed through my eyes. I stared at Ezekiel, I looked lost.“Ezra you fucker…” Ezekiel whispered

Ezekiel's povEvery night spent with her felt like I was losing myself more than I was gaining.I sat up, my back laid squarely on the head board as I stared down on her frail body.My fingers moved squarely over her chin as I watched her sleep peacefully.“Beautiful…” I whispered.But still I couldn't help but detest the voice which warned me saying she was my brother's wife.My fingers slowly retracted as I stood out of the bed and headed straight into the bathroom.‘The cold shower would be the best help I would be needing..’ I said to myself.The cold spray from the shower engulfed me and within the next minute I was out standing at the balcony, where it all started last night.The clear ruffle through the bed helped to signal her getting out of bed.I sighed for a brief moment, until I felt a warm hand hold me from behind.Her lips planted squarely over my back as I turned to face her.“You are awake..” I said, like I had no idea she wasn't.“Yeah..”“Hope you slept well?”“I did

Elena’s pov The car ride felt longer than it should have. The silence in the car held longer as Adrian's last words lingered heavily in the air.I stared out of the window, watching the city lights slide past my dress.“What did you mean?” I finally asked.“Huh?” Adrian blurted“You said I didn't have any choice— what did you mean?” I finally asked.Adrian didn't look at me immediately, instead, he adjusted his cuffs off his sleeve with the same calm expression.“It means,” he started, “ that tonight changed a lot of things.”“How?”He turned his head slightly as he met my gaze.“Half of the people in that ballroom work with me.” His voice was soft.My stomach tightened as I watched him continue.“So?” “So by tomorrow morning,” he continued, “every major business circle in this city will believe you're my wife.”The weight of that statement suddenly sank slowly in my chest.“You announced that in a room full of people,” I murmured and he nodded.“Yes.”“And you expect me to just…. g

Elena's pov.The ballroom doors closed loudly behind us and just like that, the noise of Matteo and Sofia's engagement party disappeared. The hallway outside was quiet— almost too quiet and for the next second, neither I nor Adrian said a word.We both walked side by side through the hotel corridor, along with the soft muffling of our footsteps . My heart was still racing and everything that had just happened replayed in my mind like a storm I couldn't escape.From the accusations to the humiliation—and down to the way Adrian had walked in and turned the entire room upside down with that one sentence.“Taking My Wife Home….” Jeez.. it kept ringing in my head .I finally stopped Walking and Adrian? He had already taken an extra step before he realized that I wasn't beside him anymore.He slowly turned towards me, as his eyes grew with concern.“What is it?”I stared at him confused. “You can just go around saying things like that. ““Like what?” He asked, his expression still calm lik

Elena's povThe entire ballroom fell silent.Every pair of eyes were now turned towards the entrance, he was framed by the golden light of the hallway.Dressed in a perfectly tailored suit, different from what he had on earlier. It made him look even more intimidating than he had been at the penthouse.Whispers immediately rippled through the crowd.“Is that–”“Adrian?”“It's Adrian Laurent…”“What is he doing here?”Even the staff near the door froze, because men like Adrian Laurent didn't attend small engagement parties.Men like him owned the buildings where these kinds of parties were held.Matteo’s face immediately drained of color as he noticed the man by the door.“Shit,” he muttered under his breath.Sofia's confident smile faltered slightly as Adrian began to walk into the ballroom. His steps were slow and controlled.And somehow, the room seemed to shift around him as he moved.The guest instinctively stepped aside, like people parting for a storm.I stood there frozen in th

Elena's povThe elevator ride down felt unreal.The glass walls reflected my face over and over agian—I was now pale, shocked and my feelings?— hollow.A woman who had just discovered that the man she loved had traded her like a merchandise.And even worse….He was celebrating his engagement to her sister while she stood in another man's penthouse. My hand tightened around my purse. Inside it, was my engagement ring which now felt heavier than before.As if it carried all the weight of the lie Matteo had ever told me.When the elevator doors opened into the lobby, the receptionist glanced up again.Her polite smile returned.“Good evening , Miss Rivera.”I nodded stiffly and walked towards the glass doors.Outside the building, the cold night air slapped my face and for a moment there, i just stood on the side walk, staring up at the towering building behind me.I could have just gone home, crawled onto my bed and pretend none of those happened.But the thought of it, made something

Elena's pov,For a moment there, I couldn’t breathe.My eyes were glued on the phone screen.It was Matteo, my sister. Holding hands and standing beneath a banner celebrating their engagement.“No,” I whispered.The words escaped my lips before I could stop it.“Nah… this isn't real.”But Adrian did not say a word, he simply watched me carefully, like he was observing a storm unfold.My hands began to shake as I reached for the phone.“Let me see.” I said, stretching my hands towards him.He handed it over to me without resistance. The image filled the screen and it wasn't blurry, nor was it fake.The ballroom was decorated with white roses and golden lights. The guest were gathered around them, smiling and clapping.And right there at the centre—Matteo was standing proudly beside my sister, Sofia.Her hand rested possessively on his arm, and right there on her finger was a diamond ring.A larger one than mine–could you believe that?My chest tightened so painfully I thought somethin

Elena's pov,The silence between us stretched.Adrian Laurent stood only a few feet away, watching me like I was some kind of strange puzzle he couldn't quite solve.It made my skin itch, I shifted slightly under his gaze.“You said this night became interesting , “ I said carefully. “Why?”Adrian's lips curved faintly.Instead of answering, he walked past me towards the bar near the window.“Drink?” he asked.“No.”I watched him pour himself another glass of whiskey anyway. The ice clinked softly as he swirled it.“You're nervous,” he said without looking at me “I think that's a normal reaction,” I replied.“That depends.”“On what?”“On whether you came here willingly.”My chest tightened again.“I told you already. I did.”Adrian turned, then he leaned casually against the marble counter.His gaze swept over me slowly—this time it was not in a crude way, but I was careful.Like he was studying something rare.“You ‘re not dressed like someone who came here willingly,” he said.I g