Novel-novel oleh Destiny Williams

Leo's povI felt so happy, like I was on top of the world. Sitting across from her, nothing else mattered. Not even my business and definitely not Miriam. All that mattered to me at this point was my kiara. Everything about her enticed me. The way she tucked her hair behind her ear, the way she was laughing at my jokes, the look in her eyes even when she pretended not to care.Suddenly, she stood up to leave and I held her hand, standing up too.“What's wrong? Did I say anything bad?” She narrowed her eyes.“I just want to leave Leo, I'm no longer comfortable being here.”“Just like that? Thought we were having a nice time.” People were already starring, I guess that is why she sat back.“ Look Kiara, I know I hurt you in the past, and I’ve apologized. Maybe not enough, maybe not the right way…but I'm really sorry. All this while we've been working on that project, I’ve been trying so hard to prove to you that I’m a changed man. That I’m not the same selfish idiot you walked away fr

Kiara's POVIt felt so weird sitting across from Leo, having breakfast like we were just two old time lovers catching up. But we are not. Not anymore. He was my ex-husband, the father of my child he never knew about, and currently married to the woman who has done everything to ruin me. My own step sister.The thought of all these, made my skin crawl. But here I am, sipping coffee with him. How and why did I even get here?I glanced at him. He looked at peace, too comfortable for someone who had once wrecked my peace. And the worst part is that I was still finding him attractive. His calm confidence, those cute dimples, the way he smiled like he hadn’t done anything wrong. I sighed inwardly.Miriam is taking my place, while I’m now sitting pretty in hers. What an irony. I shook my head and laughed at the thought."What’s funny?" he asked, raising his brows."Nothing serious," I replied, giving him a dismissive smile.If only he knows what's going through my mind.The twisted sense of

Kiara's POVMy phone buzzed on the bedside drawer. I woke up feeling grumpy, stretched my body and pushed up my eye mask to check who was calling. It was Leo. I tried to ignore the call and get back to sleep, so he would probably get the message and stop calling, but my phone kept buzzing. “What is it this early morning!?” I shouted, finally accepting the call."Sweetheart it's 8:15am, it's no longer early.” Leo said. “And I'm here to take you out for breakfast."I sat up, blinking. “You’re what? Where exactly?”"I'm outside your house baby.”I stood up with speed and dash to my window to know if he was actually serious. I opened the curtain and my jaw dropped.There he was, leaning casually against his black car, dressed like some kind of runway model. Aviator sunglasses. Crisp white shirt. That damn charming aura.How did he find me again?My heart pounded as realization hit me. First, it was him going to Sophia’s school… Now our house? Was he spying on us? I think it's high tim

Kiara’s PovI shut my laptop with a heavy sigh and leaned back into the couch. The glow from the sun filtered through the curtains, casting faint patterns on the floor. It was 2:15pm, but I already felt like I had lived through an entire week. My luxury office proposal still needed revisions before the presentation and one particular indecisive client had spent nearly an hour contemplating over two wallpaper samples that looked exactly the same to anyone with sane eyes.The door opened and I heard Sophia's voice. She ran towards me.“Mommy! Mommy!”I opened my eyes just to see Sophia rush into the living room, a wide grin stretched across her face and her curls bouncing wildly.“What’s all this?” I asked as she dropped a large gift bag on the table. It was surprisingly heavy.She beamed. “Gifts!”I sat up. “Gifts?”She nodded, eyes glittering with excitement. “It was a birthday today! One of my friends. And there were snacks and toys and balloons and... look!” She pulled out her Bar

Leo's POV"Urrggh, yes baby, hit me harder," Kiara moaned, her voice full of longing and desire. I gripped her hair tighter, pounding her from behind, which was her favorite style. The way she arched her back drove me wild. I could feel her trembling under me. I flipped her onto her back, the mattress creaking beneath us, and pushed her deeper into the bed. Her skin glistened with sweat as I lowered my mouth to her sweet spot, tasting the essence of her. "Fuck!" she screamed, hands tangled in my hair, the other clawing the bed sheet.I licked my way up her body, slowly, savoring every inch of her skin, until I hovered above her lips, about to kiss her…"Grrrrrr!"The shrill sound of my alarm shattered everything."Shit!" I groaned, slamming the stop button and throwing the pillow over my head. The room was still, but my body burned with frustration. It was 8:00 a.m. I looked under the duvet, damn, I was fucking hard. Really hard.I closed my eyes, trying to sink back into the dream

Kiara’s POVI didn’t speak a word on the drive back.The man Leo assigned to drop me off kept glancing at me through the rearview mirror, as if expecting me to cry, but I sat still. Deep down, I was breaking. My mind thought about everything that happened.When the car pulled up at my apartment, I opened the door slowly. My feet touched the floor like they carried bricks. I reached the door and knocked, my hands trembling.“Good evening ma.” The nanny greeted me with a look of concern on her face because of the way I looked with my tousled hair.My mouth was even heavy to respond to her. I just moved straight to the stairs, dragging the weight of everything Leo had ever done to me with every step.The moment I got to my room, I locked the door, pulled the curtains shut, and sank to the floor. The silence felt suffocating.I felt like screaming so loud to feel better. Tears were already rolling down my cheeks.I cried like a child. How could he still think that he had a right over me?

The chandeliers of the mansion were bright and starlike, splashing golden light upon varnished floors, Bunches of flowers scented the atmosphere as one heard the sound of reverberating laughter and music across the halls and jingling sounds that waiters made around the crowds with flutes of fine champagnes and hors d'oeuvres on their trays."Is everything ready for the toast?" Rafael demanded from one of the serving people. Authority was in his voice while his eyes played around the room."Yes, sir. Champagne is ready and so are the musicians," he said with a slight bow and scurried away.Rafael turned his eyes on Bernice, standing near the middle of the room in her glittering emerald gown. She covers it quite well, yet he manages to see right through it, to the scared smile below. Rafael moved to her, threaded an arm reassuringly around the nape of her lower back."You look lovely tonight," he whispered softly, clear into her ear."Thanks," she whispered, looking into the hall. "I ju

Sheets of rain lashed outside a small café across Liam's apartment complex as Alexander sat nursing coffee that was already cold, which he had not touched. His gaze turned out the door expecting Liam to walk in. Hoping he got his text. The anchoring weight on this day further depressed his body. The sound of defeat played out in his head until the door finally swung open, and Liam came in with drips coming off his umbrella."Alexander," he said, shock mingling with the sudden sobering of his tone. "Never thought I'd be coming in here to find you of all people waiting. What's up?"Alexander motioned to the empty chair opposite him. "Sit down. I need someone to talk to, and you're the perfect person at the moment.”Liam raised one eyebrow but did as instructed, tugging his coat off and hooking it over the back of the chair. "This does sound serious. Let me take a guess, it's about Bernice."Alexander exhaled with a heavy sigh, and the strain in his voice betrayed him. "It is always ab

"Two daddies?" Luca echoed, his voice full of wonder. "Does that mean we get two birthday parties too?"In the naivety of the question, a small, bitter laugh was dragged from Bernice. "Oh, sweetheart…", she started, but her words caught in her throat as tension pulled thick in the air.Rafael hunched down beside him, his features soft but strained. "It means you'll always have more people who love you. But I'm your father, Luca. You and Mia…you're my everything.”Luca looked up at him and furrowed his little brow as the meaning of Rafael's words digested. "But Uncle Alex takes care of us. Is he not our daddy too?"Mia stared at them, clutching her stuffed animal tightly. "Uncle Alex is fun…is he still our daddy?"Alexander had been leaning quietly against the wall until now; he stepped forward, his face composed, an edge laced in his voice. "I'll always be here for you, just like I always have been. But…," he paused, his eyes flicking to Bernice before he finished, "…your real father

The shrill ringtone of Rafael’s phone broke through the tense silence. Bernice flinched, startled from her thoughts as Rafael answered. His expression, initially sharp, softened slightly as he listened.“She’s awake?” His voice carried a mix of relief and urgency. “We’re on our way.”Bernice’s heart leaped at his words. “Mia?”Rafael nodded, snapping his phone shut. “The hospital called. She’s asking for you.”Without waiting for another word, Rafael pulled Bernice to his car, started the engine and pressed the gas pedal, speeding toward the hospital. Alexander’s car followed close behind, his headlights glaring in the rearview mirror like unspoken accusations.“I’ll need to explain things to her and Luca” Bernice murmured, her voice trembling as she twisted her hands in her lap."You will get the chance," Rafael replied tightly, his eyes fixed on the road. "But it is no longer just about you. It's time the kids knew the truth."Bernice's chest tightened; she wanted to argue but knew

"Gate 27B. Last call for flight 489 to São Paulo," the calm, automated voice echoed over the airport intercom.Detective Marcus was concealed behind a pillar, his striking eyes scouring the busy terminal. So excited, he could hardly contain his accelerating heartbeat. He then glanced at his watch-just at this time, Olivia's got to pop up. Every single lead, each and every crumb-into which he had looked-intimidated him before it all boiled down into this. Marcus reached for his radio."All units, Gate 27B. This one's not going to make it," ordered Marcus.Across the terminal, Olivia sashayed confidently through the crowd, arm linked with a man whose face bore a cruel smirk—Sebastian Reyes, the man who had framed Bernice three years ago. They looked relaxed, like a couple off on a romantic getaway. Olivia's sunglasses shielded her eyes, but her smile was bold, too bold. She believed she had won.“They really thought they could stop us?" Sebastian whispered, his hand tightly squeezing

"Run the footage again," Rafael ordered sharply, voice as keen as a razor. Fingers clasping the edge of his desk, white-knuckled. His assistant Gabriel blinked and then replayed the security footage on Rafael's big office screen.Rafael's eyes narrowed as the figure coming into view was one he could never mistake: his nephew, Ethan. Wearing a sharp suit, Ethan navigated the restricted areas within the company with confidence. It wasn't just access to the right places that remained an outstanding thing but what he was doing with it."There," Rafael pointed. "Pause it.Gabriel froze the footage; Ethan slipped a small USB drive into the server room. "We thought it was a cyber-attack," Rafael whispered, his quiet tone boiling with anger beneath. "It was him all along."Gabriel nodded grimly. "It matches perfectly with the timeline of events. Every major breach happened after he had entered the server room.Rafael leaned back, running a hand over his face. His heart pounded with a mixture