CHAPTER 5

PAST PAINS

Deysha got back to her luxury apartment looking defeated. Javyn Andrew was her last chance at freedom from her father.

She was the only one of his daughters yet to be married off to a wealthy businessman who would benefit her father.

Her brothers were put into business as soon as they turned eighteen, while her sisters were sent off to their husbands. Since she showed no interest in either and wanted to become a doctor, she became his worst nightmare.

Their mother was no use; she simply did what he instructed. The plan was so perfect in her head, she would tell him why she disappeared all those years ago, and he would save her from her father.

She took out a beer from under her bed and quickly gulped its contents. Three beers in, she could not contain herself anymore.

Tears were streaming down her cheeks uncontrollably, and the anger she had felt when he held the nurse’s hand all came back to her.

She smashed the empty beer cans on the glass table with her bare hands. The beer cans she had targeted only lost their shape, but the table smashed and was now shards of glass.

Her hand was bleeding, yet she felt no physical pain; the hurt she felt was from within. She had lost her one true love, not to death but to another woman.

****

Back at the mansion, everyone seemed to be easing up. Savannah left Zayn and Mr. Andrew at the table, and they were fully absorbed in their business talks.

She was exhausted from the day’s events and wasted no time falling asleep. It was a peaceful enough night.

Mr. Andrew made sure his investigator was looking into Deysha before he went to sleep that night. He was certain her return was not genuine.

Unlike Mr. Andrew, Zayn had other errands in mind. He was about to go to his room, but could not cure his curiosity about how she was doing.

They both knew how badly Deysha’s sudden disappearance had affected Javyn, something they had chosen to conceal from Celia.

Her room was just down the hallway, so he quietly walked there. He was quiet when opening the door to avoid any noise.

Just as he had thought, she was awake, probably worried about her brother. They shared two things in common: one was that they cared about billionaire Javyn Andrew.

Jada Rose was hoping he would visit her that night. She was just as shocked as she was hurt to see Deysha return as though nothing had happened.

“I’m here, Rosy, talk to me.” He was seated at the edge of her bed, looking at her.

She had no memory of the last time anyone called her that. She was no longer the baby everyone looked out for; she was now an arrogant teenager everyone avoided.

Seeing her reluctant to respond, he got into the bed right next to her. Zayn urged her to talk to him. The response he got was not at all what he had expected.

Jada slowly leaned in for a kiss, reaching for his jeans’ button. This caught Zayn by surprise as she had never been the one to make the first move.

She was already naked underneath her oversized T-shirt, making it easier for him. He slowly let to fingers inside her and could feel the juices she had inside.

Once both were undressed, he got on top and slowly let himself inside her, taking in her soft moans as she held on to the sheets.

The second thing they shared in common was that they love making love to each other. That was exactly what they did that night until they fell asleep in each other’s arms.

****

Javyn Andrew’s billion-dollar company was marking fifty years in business, and for weeks, that was all the Andrew family would talk about.

Celia and Jada had gone all out, planning a lavish party to celebrate. Savannah had a few days before her semester began. She was excited yet slightly apprehensive.

On this day, they had spent their time shopping for outfits as instructed by Mr. Andrew. He told Jada to make sure she got more than enough outfits for the semester, in addition to getting their outfits for the big day.

They had Zayn and a driver who helped them around throughout the day, whether it was carrying bags of shopping or helping them decide on an outfit.

So that evening, two exhausted men brought two excited women back to the mansion. Mr. Andrew was in the living room waiting for them.

Jada was quick to let her brother know what an amazing day it was. Even though he listened intently to her yapping, his eyes followed Savannah’s every move.

They kept looking over at her as she helped Mia carry some of the shopping bags to her room. It had been a while since they spent time together.

Mia was helping Savannah put everything in order when they heard a knock on the door. It was Mr. Andrew, so Mia excused herself.

“Thank you for today, Mr. Andrew.” Saying this, she pulled out his credit card from her purse and handed it to him.

“You are going to need it more than I do, keep it. I wanted to know how your day was.” He was holding onto her hands.

She told him all about her day, and soon they were talking about any and everything. He was telling her about how exhausting work was, about the excitement for the party.

She, in return, told him about how much reading she was doing to pass the time and how she was eager to start school again, but also scared.

They were laughing about how excited Celia was about the upcoming party when Mr. Andrew’s whole demeanor changed. Savannah was confused for a moment.

“She is excited to meet her future daughter-in-law.” He went silent for a moment.

“You do know you are the other person I told her about that day?” Savannah was at a loss for words.

She knew they shared something and could not try to deny it, but for him to admit he felt the same way changed a lot. They were in love and they knew it.

Savannah simply looked at him. Then she did what she had always wanted to do whenever she looked at his lips as he talked. She kissed him.

Javyn Andrew had not anticipated this from her, but he had wanted this just as much as she did; he did not hold back.

They seemed not to get enough of each other when Mr. Andrew’s phone began buzzing. He apologized to her and kissed her once more before he excused himself.

Savannah lay back on her bed with a smile on her face. She was on cloud nine. It was as though she could still taste his lips.

It was Javyn Andrew’s investigator calling with information on Deysha that he said was shocking to him. Her return was indeed not genuine.

All Mr. Andrew wanted in that moment was her address, which he was quickly given. He knew what he had to do.

She had once taken away his happiness by disappearing. He was not going to let her do it once more by reappearing in his life.