EASTON’S POV
I let out a sigh as I held my head in an attempt to stop the wicked headache that was stopping me from concentrating. It’s my fault anyway for drinking so much; I just needed to clear my head after everything that happened today.I had left the party early as I couldn’t stand seeing her with that man. The way he held her, and she laughed almost every time he said something, she seemed so open and jovial around him, and for some unknown reason, it angered me.She did say he was the father of Alfred, so what else was I expecting? But still, it was a lot to take in. I didn’t mind the embarrassment I received at the party; I wouldn’t blame Martha for acting that way.I should be happy she’s moved on; I should be happy she’s doing alright; I should be happy seeing her happy again, but instead I feel a bit uneasy. I shouldn’t be jealous, not one bit. I was the one who asked for divorce; she loved me, but I never cared about her feelings. But then again, for someone who claimed to have loved me so much, she moved on really fast.‘What are you talking about? You pushed her away.’ I said to myself, letting out a heavy sigh. I should accept the fact that I lost the little cutie who followed me everywhere for good.“Sir, we’re here.” The Uber driver said, snapping me out of my thoughts. I turned to the left and sighed upon seeing the gates of my parents’ house. I know they’ll be home by now, waiting for me so as to rant all over again about what happened at the party. I should have just gone to my house, but with my current state, I wasn’t fit to drive on my own.“My goodness, Easton! Look at you, you’re a mess!” My mother, Lucia, exclaimed.“Why did you go to the party?! And what is the meaning of the display you showed today?!” Lionel, my father thundered.“I’m not in the mood for you two tonight. We’ll talk in the morning.” I responded dryly, and began walking away.“You will hear what we have to say, and you will hear it now!” Father thundered, and I knew he was dead serious. I gritted my teeth; if anything, I’m the one who should be mad at them.“Fine, you want to talk? Let talk!” I said, turning towards them. “Why didn’t you tell me Mirabella was back?! For six years, all you’ve done is talk about her, about how I was a fool to let her go, about how she was the perfect daughter-in-law! Why didn’t you tell me she was back now?!” I yelled, letting out all the bottled-up anger and frustration I’ve had towards them for the past six years.“Are you done?” Father asked in a surprisingly calm tone. When I didn’t give a response, he continued. “You are right about two things: the fact that Mirabella was the perfect daughter-in-law, and that you were a fool to let her go. You have no right to scold us about anything, as you lost that privilege the day you filed for divorce.” He said, and I clenched my fists.“You were blinded by that snake; Nicole, and didn’t see what you had right in front of you. Mirabella has always loved you –”“I will not tolerate you speaking ill of my fiancé.” I said, cutting my mother off.“Fiancé? Have you lost your mind?! Mirabella’s return is a golden ticket for your redemption, your chance to make things right, and you’re still set on marrying that woman?!” Mother snapped.“Do not mess this up, son; opportunities like this don’t come twice. That’s all I have to say.” Father said this before walking out of the living room, and Mother followed shortly.They weren’t wrong, though; I have lost my mind. Nicole has always been my one true love, while Mirabella has been nothing more than a sister to me, and yet a part of me still doubts my relationship with Nicole. Calling her my fiance In front of my parents, it sounded a bit bizarre, but then again, Mirabella had moved on. I shouldn’t let these mixed emotions get to me. If anything, I should just try to make amends for hurting her in the past, but nothing else can change.I went into my room, and after a quick shower, I fell heavily on the bed, ready to forget everything. Minutes passed, and my eyes refused to close up, my gaze glued to the ceiling as I kept on recalling the scene at the party.“This is Roman Lawrence, the father of my son.” I replayed Mirabella’s words in my head.Something doesn’t add up. Alfred’s age is accurate to make Roman his father, but I remember taking a good look at the boy; he looks nothing like the man Mirabella had introduced as his father. Although I can't use that as a conclusion since Alfred looks a lot like Mirabella but I still couldn’t ignore the attraction I felt towards him.“Just let it go; it’s not important.” I muttered, trying to convince myself to stop thinking about it, but I still couldn’t. I finally got off the bed, frustrated by my thoughts. I had to confirm if it was really true. I picked up my phone and dialed a number; it connected after the third ring.“It’s late; what do you want?” I heard the displeased voice of Kyle, my best friend, and someone who’s very good at getting personal information about people.“I need a background check on the Brookwoods, particularly Mirabella and her son.” I stated.“Mirabella? Have you not given up already? It’s been six years, and I told you I haven’t found anything –”“She’s back, and with a kid.” I cut him off. There was silence for a while before Kyle spoke up.“You think the kid is yours?”“He’s not; at least that’s what she said. I just need to know who the actual father is.” I stated.“The Brookwoods are high-profile and private people; they don’t leave information like this. I can’t assure you of anything.”“I don’t care about that! Just find something!” I snapped, running a hand through my messy hair.“I’ll see what I can do; don’t call me this late again.” Kyle said before hanging up.I let out a heavy sigh before returning to my bed. I still couldn’t understand why this bothered me so much—was it the kid or Mirabella?The moment I saw Alfred, I felt drawn to him, and for a moment I thought he was mine. He is a fine young man and a bright fella too. Just talking with him got me all excited for no reason.I was about to put down my phone when I saw the missed calls and voice message from Nicole, and almost immediately, a call came in from a private number. I watched it ring for a while before hesitantly answering it.“Good evening, Mr. Grey.” I heard an unfamiliar masculine voice speak through the phone.“Who is this?” I asked bluntly.“No need to be on alert, Mr. Grey; I come bearing good news.” The man responded, and a scowl appeared on my face.“Who the fuck are you?!” I snapped. I wasn’t in the mood for games.“Who I am isn’t important right now, Mr. Grey. What’s more important is what I have to say.”“Waste someone else’s time!” I said this in an attempt to hang up.“You should at least hear me out, as what I have to say is about someone you know very well, and maybe even love.” Hearing that, I decided to wait a bit just in case it’s something serious.“Speak.”“It’s about your girlfriend, Nicole Freeman.”NICOLE'S POVI dialed Easton’s line for the third time, hoping he would pick up, but it switched to voice mail again. I finally left a message before throwing my phone on the bed. It is unlike him to miss my calls this much, and I started to think his parents had finally gotten to him. All my efforts to get them to accept me were null and void. I thought if I pulled the poor and humble girl act on them like I did Easton, they would love me like they did Mirabella, but that didn’t work either. I don’t get what they see in Mirabella that’s making them hate me this much. Unlike myself, Mirabella came from a rich family; she had everything at the tip of her fingers, while I had to suffer and bleed my way through just to get a penny. It didn’t help that my parents weren’t supportive. My mother abandoned me with my gambling-addicted father when I was barely one year old. At first, he paid attention to me, but the moment I turned five, it was like I didn’t exist. I watched other kids with
ROMAN’S POV“I’m sorry about what happened, Roman. It felt like my best option at that moment.” I let out a soft chuckle, not because what Mirabella had said was funny, but because of her cute pout and the puppy eyes she made while saying it. Even if I were mad, which I am not, her expression would have melted my anger away in less than a second. At first, I was shocked by the abrupt revelation, but I immediately understood why she did that. I don’t mind keeping the lie and playing along as long as it makes her happy. I love Alfred, and would be more than happy to be his father if Mirabella would have me. “I understand, Mirabella. You don’t have to be sorry.” I replied, giving her a reassuring smile. “I’m happy to help; that’s what friends are for, right?” I added, and she smiled brightly, nodding her head immediately. “Yes, yes, that’s right.” She replied, still carrying that bright smile. Even though it hurt me a bit how she accepted without the slightest hesitation, it made me mo
MIRABELLA’S POV My pupils dilated as my eyes scanned through the document in my hand. It was a proposal from one of the companies Roman and I were to work with. My gaze went back and forth to the company’s name; Delta-Grey. I couldn’t believe my eyes! Just when I had resolved to keep a fair distance away from Easton, it turned out to be this way. “Is everything alright?” Roman’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts, and I raised my head up to meet his gaze. “This…” I said, showing him the document. “This is Easton’s company.” I added as he received the document from me, his eyes scanned it thoroughly. “I see.” He mumbled, lowering his hand. He smiled slightly, and took a seat next to me. “You don’t have to let this get to you. I’ll go to the meeting in your stead if you want.” Roman suggested, and I smiled brightly. He’s always so considerate, putting my needs and comfort before his. Indeed, I’m more than lucky to have him in my life. I stared at the document in his hand. Running
MIRABELLA’S POV “Yes, I am.” I responded boldly, putting on a deadpan face. Nicole glared at me, but I wasn’t moved at all by her vicious gaze. “You really are something, Mirabella. After all these years, why did you suddenly come back? If you’re here for Easton, you should just go back and save yourself the embarrassment.” Nicole said, folding her arms across her chest. “Do you feel threatened by my presence, Nicole?” I asked with a knowing smirk. “The fact that I’ve been gone for six years and you still haven’t gotten the title of Mrs. Grey must be really frustrating for you, isn’t it?” I snickered. It felt good to see the defeated look on her face, even though it didn’t last. “You seem to forget your place, Mirabella.” Nicole started clicking her tongue. “You seem to forget the fact that Easton has always and will always be in love with me. You were married to him for three years, but during that period, I’ve always been the one in his heart.” She stated, letting out a scoff. “
NICOLE’S POV I stormed into Easton’s office after watching Mirabella leave majestically. I can’t believe he didn’t tell me about her return, and I had to find out through one of my spies. I came here to ask Easton about it, but I guess it’s already confirmed now that I’ve seen her for myself. Mirabella has always been a thorn in my flesh, and I was more than happy when she left. I don’t know why she’s back all of a sudden, but I’ll definitely find out and put an end to whatever treacherous plan she has. I pushed open the door and froze at the sight that welcomed me. Easton’s gaze was on his laptop, and his face was lit up in a bright smile! It was as though I could hear him humming to imaginary music while he worked on his computer. What the heck?! Easton has never been one to act merrily, at least not for the past six years. He always forced a smile on his lips, but this one right here was a genuine smile, and I could only guess the reason behind it: Mirabella! I stood at akimbo
MIRABELLA’S POV I paced back and forth in my room as thoughts of my discussion with Easton’s parents flooded my mind. It felt as though I was in a crossfire, and I couldn’t think straight. This was the first time they had made such a desperate request, and I could tell it really bothered them to the point of coming to ask me for help.“Mirabella, please help. We had an argument with Easton a few weeks ago, and he hasn’t visited us ever since. We were only trying to talk some sense into him, but he remains adamant on marrying that woman, Nicole. We had the strong feeling that the woman was just fooling him, but he wouldn’t listen to us. Please. Mirabella, could you talk to Easton about this?” Lucia’s eagerness kept resounding in my head.Easton may have been a jerk to me during our marriage, but his parents have always been good to me. They treated me like their very own daughter, and always made me feel loved when Easton failed to. I could never resent them; they’re like my second pa
EASTON'S POV I ransacked my wardrobe for the perfect suit to adorn. All my clothes were made by top-notch designers, and some were even the first of their kind, but today it seemed as though they weren’t good enough. I screamed at myself internally, reminding myself that this was just a simple dinner, and I was taking it too extreme by trying to look my best, but even with that said, I couldn’t help but try to look my best. I just felt I had to impress Mirabella.I admit that I felt a bit nervous to meet her in private. Although we’ve been working under the same roof for close to two weeks now, Mirabella only treated me like a co-worker. Rationally, I knew that it was the best state for us; it was better than her completely ignoring me, but on a personal level, a part of me wanted to be closer to Mirabella.When I had finally clad myself in my finest suit, I checked the mirror once more just to make sure everything was perfect. I brushed back a strand of hair that had left its posit
EASTON’S POVI tried so hard to focus on the steering on my way back, but thoughts of my discussion with Mirabella clouded my mind. I didn’t know how to feel about it all; if it wasn’t Mirabella, I would have concluded that this was all a vicious attempt to ruin my relationship with Nicole.My parents have always been against my relationship with Nicole, right from day one, but I never paid their words any attention, as I assumed their disapproval was due to Nicole’s poor background. I never cared about her background because, to me, she seemed diligent, well-mannered, and ambitious. She also showed kindness to everyone around her, and seeing how much effort she put into her studies contributed to my willingness to help her.I finally got back home, and Nicole was waiting for me as usual. She dashed towards the living room with a bright smile on her face and wrapped her arms tightly around me. “You’re back! I missed you.” She said enthusiastically with a cute pout, and I forced a smi