CELINE POV-“Mummy. Mummy, wake up.”I woke up to Skye’s voice as he repeatedly patted my cheek along with calling me and waking me up.Based on my body clock, he woke me up earlier than we usually wake up.“Sunny, is not here.”I quickly opened my eyes and got up.Sunny was sleeping in the middle of us; on the other side, I made sure there were big pillows for Skye as well as on the floor.“Where is Sunny?”“He took…”He stopped as he blinked his blue eyes.“Is it Lance?”“Lance?”“The one who gave you a car.” I reminded Skye in a different way.“Yes, Mummy. He came here earlier, and then he invited Sunny to leave the room.”“What?”I immediately stood up. “Come here.” I hurriedly called Skye.I right away picked Skye up. I didn’t even think to put on my slippers as I hurried out of the room.Did he take Sunny while I was sleeping? Will he keep Sunny away? All this question is freaking me out.“Sunny!” I shouted at the same time I hurried downstairs. “Sunny!”When I got downstairs,
CELINE POV-“Thank you.” Was all I could say.I suddenly felt ashamed of myself. If I continued to leave, I would leave Starr’s grave alone and I wasn’t sure when I would be able to visit her grave, if that happened.“You don’t have to. Starr, is also my…”He didn’t continue because he wasn’t sure if he could say that.“She is also your child.” I continued.A moment of silence prevailed around us before we heard Skye calling me from the kitchen.“We’re being called by…” I mentally took a deep breath. “Let’s go?”I didn’t wait for him to answer but instead I walked past him. I felt strange as if something heavy had been removed from my chest, which I was so delighted to feel relieved... I want to hug him.“Yes, sweetheart?” I asked Skye when we arrived at the kitchen.“Mummy, I’m hungry. Aren’t we going to eat yet?” Sunny asked.“We will eat now. I’ll just get the rest of our food.” I told them.“Can I sit beside you, Sunny?” I heard Lance asking permission as I grabbed the broccoli
CELINE POV-When we arrived at the mall except for the staff and security guards, there was no one else but the four of us.“Wow! We’re the only people here.” Sunny commented in amazement.“Did you rent the entire mall?” I pump Lance.“Yeah. So that we can enjoy it. Sunny can't be with the many people in the mall.”“Yes, she is, but you don’t have to do this. What about the other people who–”“Celine, don’t think about other people first. I only rented this mall, not the entire mall in Chicago. Also, Sunny could enjoy the mall without worrying and without you worrying about what might happen to her because of the crowded people.”I watch Sunny and Skye holding hands. Sunny pointed at the playground that we can’t go to sometimes or, if we did, we didn't last more than five minutes because of the number of people and children playing there.I think Lance is right, maybe it’s not bad to be a little bit egoistic for the happiness of my kids.“Mummy, can we go there first?” Sunny asked wh
CELINE POV-Our meal at the restaurant was good, and most of all, we enjoyed it. After we ate, we went grocery shopping, and since the kids were already feeling tired, it was already night when we finished grocery shopping, so we went home.“Mummy, will Lance come here again?” Skye asked after I applied lotion to him.“I think. Why? Do you want to play him again?”He nodded. “Yes.”“I will ask him when he will come here again.”I think Lance will come to see the kids every day, but I still don’t want to promise them without assurance. Lance still has a lot of work, and I’ll understand if he doesn’t come here every day.“I hope he can come here,” Sunny said when I was applying the lotion to her. “Mummy, isn’t Daddy Tristan coming here?”“It will take some time before he visits us. He was working far away.”“I miss him too.”“Let’s go to bed. You have to go to school early tomorrow.” I immediately changed the subject.As I placed the comforter on their bodies, they fell asleep in less
[ NEW YORK ]..LANCE POV-When I got off the private jet, my lawyer answered my call. “Have you finished everything I asked you to revise?”“Yes, Sir. Will you pick it up now?”“Yes. I’ll be there in less than five minutes.”I didn't wait for him to say anything, but instead I immediately got into the car after my personell gave me the keys. The time I stepped on the gas pedal, I wasted no time and drove the car at full speed.While driving, I accidentally glanced at the rear-view mirror, and I saw myself smiling. I didn’t notice I was smiling like this again, thinking of my own family. This day was the happiest thing that happened to me that I will treasure until my last breath.It made me realize that there is no equivalent or value to being with my own family. I want to be with them every day; when I wake up, they are the ones I want to be with and see until the end of the day.I regret everything I did to them, and I am so grateful that Celine became the mother of my children. I
CELINE POV-“Mummy, this is delicious!” Sunny praised what I had cooked.I made a simple spinach dish. I boiled the spinach to soften it, mixed it with tomatoes to reduce bitterness and trout fish to give it a more delicious flavor, and I partnered with brown rice so they would be full and have more nutrients in their food.“Mummy, is Lance coming here?” Sunny asked.I noticed Skye suddenly stopped eating. It seemed like he was also waiting for Lance; he just couldn’t say or ask.“I’m not sure. I haven’t talked to him yet,” I replied to them.I want to surprise them by saying that Lance and I will take them to school.I gaze at Skye. “Continue your food; you might be late for school,” I reminded him.“Yes, Mummy.”After we ate, I helped them brush their teeth, then washed our dishes and returned to my children in the living room.I eye at the digital clock next to the TV. We had to leave so the kids wouldn’t be late for school, but Lance wasn’t here yet.Not long after, someone rang
LANCE POV-“Lance.” Hannah stopped me.Hendrix lifted one side of his lips.I tightened my grip on his collar. “You and your brother, you both stay away from Celine.”“Don’t forget you’re not in your territory.”He seized my hand and released my grip on his collar.“Lance!” Hannah whispered loudly and pulled my suit from behind to make me sit up. “I will let this go, as compensation for what your men did in helping Lucian during your wedding,” he said while fixing his tangled collar.I turned to Hannah for an explanation. She shrugged her shoulders, not knowing what Hendrix was talking about.“What are you talking about?” I asked him.“Lucian went to Fire-Hart Castle six years ago,” he casually answered.Six years ago, that was the time I got married there.“He is with a woman, which is why your man let him in.”He is with a woman; it’s possible that Celine was with him. That means that day she was there and witnessed it. I didn’t know she was there that day. Surely she herded every
CELINE POV - When I arrived at the hotel, I noticed that there were people working at the former Stellar restaurant's place. “Madame Celine, you’ve arrived here. I was planning to come to you at the cemetery.” “Ah, yes. I left there early it because—” Possibly he’ll tell Lance that Tristan and I met. “What’s being done there?” I changed the subject as I pointed to the former Stellar restaurant’s place. “Matthew’s restaurant is opening soon.” “Matthew’s restaurant? Hannah’s brother Dylan’s restaurant, right?” “Yes, Madame. Would you like to take a look?” “Is that okay?” I’m curious that Dylan agreed to have a branch here, from New York to Chicago. Christine and Astrid had told me before Dylan didn’t want Matthew’s restaurant to have multiple branches because it was too tiring for Dylan. “Yes, Madame. Let’s go? I’ll join you inside.” I nodded and followed Conrad. When we entered, it was no different from the main branch in New York; it was just a smaller place
LANCE POV-“Go to sleep now.” I spoke, then rose from the surface after tending to her wound.”I went back to the bathroom of this room. I put the basin back in its original place, threw away the white towel, and washed my hands. After drying my hands, I walked out of the bathroom. The moment I opened the door, I found Celine standing in front of it, waiting for me.“What now?” I asked with annoyance. “What do you need again–”I didn’t expect what she did. With her kisses, she silenced me.She came close to me, tip toe, and pulled the collar of dress polo and kissed me. Her lips moved slowly and gently. My body reacted quickly to her simple kiss. My hands moved spontaneously towards her body and brought her body closer to mine. I slide my tongue inside her mouth and gently bite her nibble and, a moan escapes from her mouth.I brought Celine to the bed without breaking the kiss. I let go of the kiss when she sat down on the bed and I leaned forward as she held my nape.“Lance…” she ca
LANCE POV-When my eyes caught sight of the main door and saw Celine holding a bottle of wine while Hannah comforting her from crying without tears; I hurried over to them. The moment I saw Celine holding a bottle of wine, I knew she was drunk.“I’m taking back your bride.” Hannah said as I approached. “My ears hurt from her repeatedly mentioning your name.” She complained without feeling any resentment.Grabbing and hugging Celine’s waist I smiled when she looked at me. “Lance?”“Yes, it’s me.” I said calmly, knowing what she had done. Even though no one told me what she did without me being by her side in this situation, I know the suffering of those with her.She hugged me tightly. “I missed you so much.”“I’m leaving.” Hannah said goodbye.I carried Celine in the bridal style, I glance at Hannah. “I don’t want this to happen again.” My voice laced with a warning.“I understand.”“Thanks, for taking care of her.”She answered me with a disgusted look and walked out. Benjamin clos
CELINE’S P O V-“What I’m going to say is important,” she adds.“What else?” there was bitterness in my tone.“For your sake, your family’s sake.”“Tell me what you want to say now.”“No. It’s better if I tell you in person.”“No.” I also refused. “I won’t meet you until you tell me what you want to say.” I insisted. “You broke my trust in you, so I can’t trust you this time.”Judging by her voice on the other line, she seemed desperate to talk to me. But if she deceived me for five years, she was capable of doing it again.I wasn’t mad at Bianca for having an affair with Lucian. I was mad at her for ignoring our friendship and my trust in her.“About…”I looked at my phone screen and saw she ended the call. Out of nowhere, worry overcame me.I attempted to phone her number, but my attempt failed. Was it possible she had something important to say? If so, what about it? If she knew about Lucian’s condition and that’s what she should tell me, there’s no need, because I already know
LANCE HART POV-I put down the folder containing the documents I had to approve, but after a few minutes of reading it I couldn’t focus. Over three hours had passed since Celine left. Five minutes had passed when she called me to tell me to remove the body guards I had sent. After that, she said she would call me again in an hour. I can’t rest until my own eyes see Celine is doing well, also I miss her so much.I stood up to get a black coffee. Just as I faced the table again, I recoiled after I saw Skye sitting on the sofa. Upon approaching him, my eyes bulged when I saw he was holding Starr’s picture. As I often did, I looked at their pictures; among the many on the table, Skye focused on Starr’s lone picture.Celine will scold me if she finds out Skye saw Starr’s picture. We were planning to tell our children about Starr before we got married, but we planned to tell them together.I sat down next to Skye and put my coffee cup on the table. “Skye, why did you wake up?” I attempted
CELINE SALVATORE POV-I wore a sleeveless sexy backless white dress high waist slim a-line short dress, paired with three inch black ankle strap heels. For the make up I did I kept it simple, for my short hair is loose.After checking myself I came out of the walking closet. I straiht to the mini living room where Lance was watching a children’s cartoon with our children.“What do you all think?” I asked them.Lance turned off the tv first then he looked at me, followed by our children.“Mummy, you’re beautiful!” Sunny, lauded.“You look amazing, mummy.” Skye, acclaimed. “You look gorgeous as always.” Lance, extolled.“Are you all sure? Look again.” I turned around once to show them the entirety of what I was wearing.“What the f*ck, why is the back of your dress like that?!” Lance exclaimed as he stood up.I glared at him for swearing in front of our children.“Mummy, what is, what the fa... fa…” Sunny asked curiously but had difficulty saying the word she wanted to know.“That’s a
SABRINA RODRIGUEZ POV-I smiled after Celine sent a picture to our group chat. Joy welled up inside me at the thought of their happiness. I keep telling myself that she deserves her happy family. Despite all the problems and hardship they have gone through she and Sir Lance still love each other very much.I put down my phone and I drank the twentieth shot of whiskey.“Please have one more shot of whiskey.”I think the spirit of alcohol had kicked into my body. My head was aching from the loud music and the surrounding people, plus the various smells mixed with the smell of alcohol and cigarettes. Why did I even think of going to this bar?Since I’m finishing the project I’m doing for a client who will build a mansion for their growing family, I take a whole day off. I shopped almost everything I wanted I remained unsatisfied, so I went to the nearest bar I saw. “Thank you.” I told the bartender as he handed me a shot of whiskey.I drank the whiskey straight again and paid. I should
CELINE SALVATORE POV-Lance fulfilled what he said, after the grace period of three days he would finish all the work and, could take care of the wedding preparation. Today is our fifth day of preparation.We hired a wedding planner that Christine suggested to us. Her recommendation felt like a sure thing, given my experience with her previous wedding planning success. The wedding planner also suggested our photographer.This evening, we got back from Italy because we had a dress measurement.In Italy we found a designer who will sew wedding gowns, suits and bridesmaids’ dresses. I took the bridesmaids’ measurements one by one three days ago,. For the final touch, one week before the wedding, the tailor and designer themself will come to New York for last fitting for all of us.We have accomplished a lot in the five days of wedding planning. We might move the wedding to an earlier date.“I’m leaving.” I let him know after I took the bag from our room and returned to the living room.“
CELINE SALVATORE POV-I put back my gaze at the secretary. “Thank you.”I stood up and left in front of the secretary.I took a breath and it seemed heavy to know about that thing. It was clearly a work discussion, but the thought lingered–I quickly dismissed it from my mind.I shouldn’t waste time thinking about other things. Lance loves me, he loves our children, we love him–it is the important thing and above all I trust him.I was about to get in the car but I saw the man get out of the car and come towards me.“Can we talk?” Lucian asked as he approached me.I sight at the time on the watch I was wearing. “Sure.”——————————Lucian take me in a private restaurant, where he rented the entire restaurant for the entire time.I invited him to a coffee shop, but he refused. He said what he had to say was a private matter.When we arrived at the restaurant and sat down, the waitress served us food, after that, Lucian told them to leave us.“I’m sorry, Lucian. I didn’t plan on staying lo
CELINE SALVATORE POV-“What do you want for dinner?” I asked Lance after I cleared away the container. “I’ll cook dinner.”“About that.” He held my hand, his other hand caressing my knuckles. “I’m not sure what time I’ll be home. I still have a lot of work to finish, so I can finish everything by tomorrow.”He sounded sorry, as if the sin he had committed was too big.“It’s okay, don’t worry.” I said with a smile to ease his burden. “Just, please, take care of your health.” I said, almost begging. “On our wedding day, I don’t want our friends to drag you down the altar so our wedding can go ahead.” I joked.“I won't.” He said, laughing, then hugged me tightly, just enough so that my body wouldn’t be trapped in his arms. “Thank you for giving me strength. I don’t even need to drink energy drinks anymore.”I hugged him back.For a moment, the surroundings became silent as we still hugged each other.“Celine.”“Hmm?”“Can we have one round?”I pulled away from the hug. When I looked at h