Nina Pestova made plans to visit Simon again.The little get-together she had planned had not gone according to the plan. She knew he was mad at her, angry about how his father—George Walsh—and she decided to carry on their relationship. Or better yet, affair.Nina was still married to Ian when George came into her life, but she fell in love with him anyway. He was a handsome man, smart and cunning, a powerful businessman. There was something dangerous about him, in his dark green eyes, that drew Nina in like a moth to a flame.They started having an affair behind her husband’s back. But Ian found out, and Nina had to choose between the two men she had grown to love. She chose Ian in the end and gave up the child born out of her affair with George. That child was Simon.George, on the other hand, couldn’t give up on what they had. He was a stubborn man and he refused to let Nina go so easily. But hurting Nina or destroying her peaceful world was something he couldn’t bear. So he decid
“Caleb, here!” Elena shouted from outside the school gates, waving her hand frantically to attract Caleb’s attention. He spotted her immediately and ran towards her with a huge smile on his face, throwing himself in Elena’s arms. “Auntie Elena! Auntie Elena! I’m back!” He squealed excitedly, hugging her with all his little might. Elena chuckled, ruffling his hair affectionately. “Yes, I know. Did you miss me?” “Yes, yes, yes! I missed you so much and I have so much to tell you.” Elena laughed, kissing his forehead lovingly. “Tell me everything, baby boy. But let’s do that while we drive back home. Okay, sweetie?” She took Caleb’s backpack from him and handed it to the driver, before lifting Caleb up and settling him down in the backseat of her car. “Okay!” Caleb replied happily. Elena climbed inside after him, buckling both their seatbelts securely. Then she instructed the driver to start driving, as Caleb began telling her stories about his adventures during his summer camp. El
Simon watched Elena stomp down the stairs of her mansion with a small grin on his face. He had never seen her so furious before.“What are you doing here?” She hissed the moment she reached him. Simon raised his eyebrow in amusement, taking in her appearance. She looked beautiful even when she was angry. She wore a black blouse, matching pants and high heels. Her hair was tied back neatly into a low bun and her face was free of makeup, except for some lip gloss. Simon licked his lips unconsciously, imagining how those plump pink lips would taste like.“Are you even listening to me?” She snapped impatiently, snapping him out of his thoughts.Simon cleared his throat, pushing away his dirty fantasies to the back of his mind. “Sorry, darling. Got distracted there for a moment.”Elena crossed her arms over her chest, looking unimpressed. Simon chuckled, opening the passenger door of his car and gesturing for her to get inside. But Elena wasn’t about to move until she knew what the hell w
During the entire ride back home, Elena stayed quiet. Her gaze remained fixed outside the passing scenery while Simon tried to give her the time and space she needed. Or so she hoped. She couldn’t get the image of the man in the cemetery out of her mind. Even though she couldn’t see his face because of how dark it was, she thought she knew him. She just couldn’t…place him. Strange, wasn’t it? Who was he and what did he have to do with Shelly? Was he a friend of hers and Josh? A family friend maybe? Who the hell was he? He had to be someone close, right? Why else would he bring Shelly flowers? Elena sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. This was driving her insane. Simon must have noticed her distress, because he spoke up then, “Don’t think too hard about it. You’ll ruin your pretty little brain.” Elena rolled her eyes, shifting in her seat to glare at him. “Do you really have to be so annoying all the time?” Simon chuckled, his eyes never leaving the road. “It’s my natural ta
“I’m so sorry, I’m late,” Danika said hurriedly, as she rushed towards the table where Detective Cortez sat, waiting for her. “The shoot went longer than expected, and traffic was terrible.” Cortez waved her off, smiling kindly. “It’s fine, Miss Carter. I understand. Being famous must be exhausting sometimes.” Danika slid into the chair, but couldn’t hide her surprise. “You know my last name.” Detective Cortez shrugged nonchalantly. “I do my homework. It helps when you want to build a rapport with someone. Anyway,” he smiled, and Danika could only admire how handsome he looked with that smile. It didn’t help that he was dressed impeccably either. “Let’s get down to business. Shall we?” “Of course.” She agreed, folding her hands neatly in front of her, smiling. “I thought you’d be offended when I cancelled the lunch and suggested dinner instead. I hope you don’t mind.” Cortez shook his head. “Not at all. I understand completely. I’m sure you have a very busy schedule to keep up wi
There were too many cameras.The annual charity gala was a gathering place for celebrities, influencers, models, businessmen and women, politicians, philanthropists, artists, and others to flaunt their wealth and success. Every year, it was held in a luxurious mansion belonging to one of the organizers, who was always eager to show off their riches.This year, it was the turn of the famous Hollywood actress, Jasmine Milano, to host the gala. Jasmine was one of Elena’s idols, someone she had looked up to ever since she was a teenager. Aware of her obsession with the older actress, her father once launched a product in collaboration with Jasmine, and Elena was ecstatic when he invited her to the launch party. But she was sixteen at the time, too shy and awkward to talk to her idol, so she stayed hidden behind her mother and didn’t dare to approach Jasmine.However, now Elena had grown into a beautiful woman herself, and she wasn’t the same naive teenager anymore. She had moved past seek
Elena stormed back inside, her chest so tight she could almost not breathe.It was only when she reentered the room among the faces, which were nothing but a blur to her blindingly troubled mind, that she felt somewhat safe.She knew there were chances for Richard or any other member of the McDowells to show up at the Gala, but what she had not expected was to be dragged away by her ex-husband, as if she had no will of her own.The thought that he still had the audacity to treat her as if she were his to control made her angry. It made her want to push him away until he disappeared from her sight. It made her want to slap him so hard he would know better than to even think he had that kind of right over her.Because he didn’t.It took a cheating husband, a quick and greased divorce, and months of crying in her room at night for her to understand that she deserved so much more than a man as self-centred and as much of an asshole as him. That she deserved someone who did not make her fee
“I’m sorry,” Elena mumbled, not sure if the man even deserved her apology.What’s with the scowl and always looking at everyone with such disdain? Would it kill him to be nice? To talk like a human and not some angry bull who only knew how to shout?Derek narrowed his eyes, letting go of her waist, as if she disgusted him. Elena arched a brow, offended by the rude gesture. She wanted to snap at him, tell him to fuck off, but she held herself back, knowing that fighting with him would bring nothing but trouble.She cleared her throat, smoothing out her dress, and averted her gaze, intending to leave.She just wanted to leave and go home.However, before she could walk away, Derek grunted something under his brother, and she couldn’t help but raise a brow.“Excuse me?”“I said, you should be careful, Ms. Matthews,” he repeated, his tone clipped. “Accidents happen, and I don’t want you to fall flat on your ass and blame it on someone else.”Elena scoffed, glaring at him. “Accident happens