LOGINMONIQUEI picked it up. “Hey, baby.”“Hello, precious,” he answered, his voice warm, familiar. “How is your day going?”“It’s going great.”“Yeah?”“Yes,” I said. “I highly doubt it, because Jason told me Mr Bennett was there. What did he want?”I nearly rolled my eyes. I can’t believe Jason went to tell.“It’s nothing of importance,” I said. “I’ll tell you everything when I come home later.”“Are you sure you’re not upset?” he asked. “You sound… different.”“I’m okay,” I said softly. “It’s just...you know how Mr Bennett can be.”There was a small pause.“I know,” he said exhaling.“I’m coming home early today.” A small smile touched my lips as I said it “I love hearing that,” he said. “And I hope you’re resting,” I added.“I am.”“Did you take your meds?”“Yes.”“Everything okay?”Another small pause.“Yes,” he said. “I just miss you.”Something in my chest softened.“Thank you,” I said quietly.“For what?”“For trusting me.”I could almost hear him smile.“If I can’t trust my wi
MONIQUEHis voice turned almost mocking.“Meanwhile, the other woman had two healthy children. Made Ryan a father and me a grandfather.”A pause. “And guess what happens to Marcus's empire when the two of you are gone?”His eyes locked onto mine.“Ryan’s children....the Bennetts....inherit everything.”Silence. And then, I couldn’t help it. A laugh slipped out of me. The sound surprised even me. A soft laugh at first… then a little louder.Mr Bennett frowned, clearly not expecting that reaction. B“You think that’s funny?” he asked, his tone sharpening.I shook my head, still smiling, though there was nothing amused in my eyes.“No,” I said. “I think it’s pathetic.”His expression darkened.“All of this,” I gestured between us, “this entire speech, this whole… performance. You came in here thinking you had something..... Something that would shake me, something that would make me fall apart.”I took a step closer “And that’s what you chose?” I asked quietly. “My womb?”His jaw tighten
MONIQUEI didn’t respond. I didn’t need to.The air between us grew heavy, thick with tension. I could feel something like danger coming off Mr Bennett. He looked pretty damn serious and confident about whatever this was.Mr Bennett kept watching me before he suddenly burst out laughing. But I didn’t even blink. I just kept watching him, a blank expression settling on my face.“You’re going to be the destruction of the Bennetts, aren’t you?” he said. “Your anger isn’t just about Ryan. It’s about all the Bennetts. And you’re determined to make us fall.”He stepped closer.“You’re here to bring back your father’s empire. I can see it in your face.”I said nothing.“You don’t love Marcus,” he went on. “You never did. You have always loved Ryan. I watched you, running after him, the way you would look at him as if the sun rose and fell from his ass.”His voice hardened.“And you can’t tell me that a love like that would just die in a single night just because you found out something fooli
I frowned.“What do you mean?” I asked, feeling like I was about to lose it entirely.“I have been more than patient with you, Mr Bennett, and you have wasted enough of my time. I am not going to play riddles with you. If you are done… please leave.”Mr Bennett merely smiled, looking mighty comfortable as his gaze went all over the office.“This is exactly why Marcus shouldn’t have trusted you with his empire.”I narrowed my eyes at him, and his smile grew brighter before he straightened and got more serious.“To run such a huge company requires patience and wisdom. You can’t be prone to anger every few minutes when someone tells you the truth…”I interrupted him. “What do you want, Mr Bennett? Say what you need before I call security on you.”He stood up, and I could see the mean streak that Ryan always had on his face when he got angry. For a second, I was scared.He straightened and started walking around the office as if he owned it.“I am Marcus’s father. His blood flows in my ve
MONIQUEI wasn’t her anymore.“You have changed,” Mr Bennett finally said.A light, almost humourless smile slipped onto my lips. “That tends to happen after betrayal… from the people you trusted the most in the world.”His jaw tightened slightly but He didn’t deny it. Instead, he said, “Ryan died, you know.”“Yeah,” I said, my voice calm, my face giving nothing away. “I know. The police told us when they came to take our statements”“I expected you at the funeral,” he continued. “We all did. More people thought you would come. After all, you had been married to Ryan for ten years. That had to mean something.”I let out a quiet breath.“Yeah, well,” I said, “I’m sorry that he tried to kill the man I loved, the man I was taking care of, the man I was praying to God to bring back. The funeral of the man meant to kill him was the last thing on my mind.”I leaned forward slightly, my eyes locking onto his.“So I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings by not coming to his funeral… because he almo
MONIQUEHis hands moved, warm and familiar, like he was trying to remind me of everything we hadn’t had time for.... But I pulled back gently.He looked at me.That look.Half amused. Half frustrated.“Come on,” he said, his voice low. “It’s been like a hundred years.”I crossed my arms slightly, trying not to smile.“Doctor’s orders,” I said. “Until they say you’re fully recovered and can handle… exertion, we are not going there.”He stared at me unapprovingly. Then let out a dramatic groan as he fell back against the bed.“I can’t believe you.” he groaned.I laughed. I couldn’t help it. Because he was alive. He was here. Arguing with me. Smiling. Healing. Everything felt like it was finally, slowly… falling into place.Little did I know that the next day I would go to work at the office, and I would have a surprise waiting for me.*The next day started normally, as it always did, with Marcus trying to get me to stay in bed with him. Of course, him trying to get into my pants and me
MONIQUEMarcus's expression changed instantly. His face turned into something sharper, protective.“That's not going to happen,” he said firmly. He caught my face in his hands, forcing me to look at him. “Listen to me, Monique. You're not going anywhere alone, okay? From now on, you're not going a
MONIQUEHe laughed this time. “I can’t imagine your aunt walking into your bedroom and finding me in there. She will lose it.”I couldn’t help myself, I laughed too.Without waiting for him to answer, I turned and started walking toward his bedroom, holding his hand. Of course, he had to follow.Wh
MONIQUEI lifted my glass slowly, “To life,” I said quietly.“To us being here,” he echoed. “And to having you here,” he added again, softer this time.Our glasses touched with a gentle clink.I took a sip, letting the wine settle me, letting the warmth spread through my chest. Marcus leaned back i
MONIQUEI swallowed, trying to gather whatever patience I had left, but my aunt’s eyes were sharp, unblinking, already drilling into me like she was two seconds away from exploding.“Auntie…” I began, but she lifted her hand, stopping me.“No. Don’t ‘Auntie’ me.” Her voice had that tight, trembling







