Coraline's POVShit, shit, shit. How was I going to get out of this mess? Elijah can not find out about Jeremy. I refuse to let him take away one of the few good things in my life."Mei. I'm meeting Mei on Friday. We're going shopping for baby items. You know I'm just so excited about our baby that I can't wait for Friday so I can buy some clothes." I rambled. Fuck, I can't believe I just tossed Mei's name out there. I needed to call her immediately after this to solidify my alibi." Didn't you go shopping last month?" He cocked an eyebrow. Crap! My palms started to sweat and I rubbed them continuously against my shorts."I did but I didn't get everything I wanted, I need a few more things. Last month, Mei was the one that really bought things." He gave me a skeptical look but didn't press on the issue. "If you say so." I quickly finished rinsing our plates, kept them to drain, and hurried out of the kitchen before he could change his mind.In my room, I called Mei, and she picked u
Coraline's POVJeremy was heaven-sent, I hadn't laughed this hard in a long time. My late husband had been the last person to make me laugh so carefree.I still couldn't believe that I was at The Pristine, I wondered how he had gotten a reservation at the restaurant on such short notice. He laughed it off when I had asked as luck but I didn't really believe that."I thoroughly enjoyed myself tonight. What about you?" Jeremy asked as he escorted me to my car.I smiled, " I did as well. I almost wished the night didn't have to end." His eyes flashed with heat, " If you don't want the night to end, it doesn't have to. We could go someplace else and continue enjoying each other's company." He wrapped a hand around my waist, pulling me closer to him.Damn, his words sounded so good that I was almost tempted to say yes. I palmed his chest and pushed him back a little, " I'm sorry but that can't happen today. I have to go pick Becca up from my friend's and then head home." His smile dropp
Coraline's POV I swiveled and stared at him with wide eyes, " What!" "I said pick up the call." I raised my hand and bopped my head from side to side, " No, there's no need for that. I said it was a wrong number." Elijah stopped mopping and rested his jaw on the butt of the mop stick, looking bored out of his mind. "If it was a wrong number, I can answer on your behalf and tell them not to disturb you ag…" I lifted both hands this time and waved them, " No, no, you don't have to do that. It's very unnecessary, the caller will soon get the hint and stop calling. See?" I said when the ringing stopped then almost immediately the phone started to ring again. Elijah's jaw clenched and he sucked in his cheeks, " Coraline, I swear to God if you make me repeat myself again. You will not like what will happen to you, so I advise you to pick up the call or you let me talk to them." A chill went through my bones and I shivered, the pace at which my heart was beating was enough for som
Coraline's POVI've never felt so powerless and scared in my life, it felt like the air had been knocked out of my lungs and I was sinking into the abyss. I didn't have the money to pay Elijah back. I was still struggling to live day to day, sure, I had savings but they couldn't pay half of what I owed Elijah."Also, you'll have to pay interest on all these bills. So an accountant will go through all the money that was spent and the interest rate on it before I can determine the actual amount you'll be paying me." He said with a bored expression, it seemed like he wanted to be anywhere but here and that I was wasting his time.God, how was it that no one saw the evil that this man was? How was he able to conceal his demonic spirit so that everyone saw him as a saint? And why was I the only one it seemed like he was after their destruction."Eli, I made a mistake, it hasn't gotten to this. We can work this out, I'm carrying your baby." I placed my hands on my stomach, hoping that menti
Coraline's POVAll through the night, I tossed and turned, I barely slept a wink, and every time I closed my eyes, I saw myself back in Elijah was office but I wasn't participating in the kissing and dry humping, I was watching him and me. It felt like I was watching a movie, the prelude to a porno. Towards the wee hours of the morning, I finally dozed off but even then I had a very vivid dream about Elijah and all I have to say was that the man was dead gorgeous when he was wearing nothing. I dragged myself out of bed, did my routine, and went downstairs to make breakfast for Becca and I since Elijah would have left for work by now. I could hear the clanking of metal as I neared the kitchen and my heart began to race, who the hell was there? There was nothing close by that I could use as a weapon. I stopped and took in deep breaths to calm myself, Elijah's house was huge and well-secured, there were CCTV cameras everywhere and the only way anyone could enter was if they had the sl
Coraline's POV " Excuse me? I don't think I heard you clearly." I certainly hope I didn't because there's no way I'm spending Christmas day with Elijah's grandfather, from what I've read about him on the internet, he was a tyrant. "I'm sure you did but just in case, I'll say it again, we're going to be at my grandfather's house on Christmas day. He's requested our presence, he wants to meet the woman who's carrying the heir to the Warren empire." I almost snorted, 'Requested my presence' more like he ordered that Elijah bring me. If I refused to go, I wondered if Simon Warren would send guards to the house to haul my ass to his house. "But why? Why does he need to meet me? It's not like I have anything to offer him. We have nothing in common." The man was a trillionaire while I was a measly barista who just happened to be carrying his great-grandchild. "Kitten, it's no use trying to look for a way out of this because it's not going to work." Elijah rested his back on the railing.
Coraline's POVThe car ride to Simon Warren's house was silent as it was loud, silent as Elijah and I didn't say a word, loud as my sweet oblivious daughter sang along to Christmas songs that blared from my Spotify playlist which was connected to the car's speakers through Bluetooth.Elijah pulled up in front of a normal one-story house in the suburban province. It was probably the most normal house I've ever seen and definitely not where I expected Simon Warren to live."Are you sure we're at the right address?" I asked unbuckling my seatbelt. Elijah was in the back seat helping Becca out of her car seat, " I think I would know the house I grew up in."" But…but this can't be it. How?" Elijah carried Becca out of the car and set her on his hip as she refused to walk. I reluctantly got out of the car and picked up the bottle of wine that I had stolen from Elijah's wine cellar."Why are you finding it hard to believe that this is where my grandfather lives?"I gave him a bewildered l
Coraline's POV "I'm so sorry, I didn't know I said that out loud." " It's fine, you deserved to know." He waved me off and continued to look at the pictures. "Lina, my daughter, fell into the wrong crowd when she was a teenager, a good-for-nothing named Marvin knocked her up. Her mother and I begged her to stay with us so that we could help her but she was too obsessed with Marvin and she didn't want to leave him. We asked her to give us Elijah but she also refused. She and Marvin had a toxic and combustive relationship that I knew was one day going to kill them and it did but I found out about her death too late because they moved to another state, and changed their names so when they died, child services couldn't find any next of kin to take in Elijah so they put him in foster care. He…he had a horrible time there before I found him and brought him home." Simon took the picture of him and Elijah off the wall and traced his finger on the glass. Damn, I always assumed Elijah wa