Anna Brookes thought she was getting the perfect life she wanted; a marriage with the man she loved and freedom from her adoptive family. But when she woke up in bed with a stranger with no memory of what happened the night before, that marked the end of the perfect life she longed for Eight years later, Anna is struggling to be a good mother to three children, juggling meager jobs while searching for the truth about her real family Meanwhile, Mark Grayson, CEO of the world’s most luxurious cars is in need of a maid, offering a pay that can solve all her problems. She takes the job only to realize that her previous meager jobs were better and the billionaire CEO is the same stranger she slept with eight years ago, which leaves her wondering if Mark could be the father of her triplets But in an interesting turn of events, Anna’s ex-fiancé Luke returns, begging for a second chance with a promise of a better life. Caught between her unresolved feelings for Mark and her rekindled love for Luke, Anna is torn between the man whom her heart is constantly yearning for or the man from her past
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Anna’s POV
6:45a.m
The sound of heavy traffic in the street woke me up a little earlier than I wanted. I blinked slowly and opened my eyes, the sun’s scorching rays settling directly on my face.
My head was still aching from last night. I know I shouldn’t have been drinking, alcohol never mixed well with me, but it was a party and it was only right that I did.
What happened last night? I remember drinking, but not that much, and then suddenly nothing. I must have blacked out.
Nursing the throbbing pain in my head, I searched around the bed for my phone but unexpectedly, my hand hit a solid wall of muscle next to me.
‘Oh my God!’ I recoiled in shock but covered my mouth just before the words spilled out.
He tossed and turned slightly, but then went back to sleep.
I shakily laid back down and covered myself with the duvet. My eyes dilated fully from the shock and I realized then that I wasn’t in my bedroom, and not only that - I was also completely naked.
‘What the hell? What happened? How did I get here?’ I wondered, scanning the unfamiliar room, trying to acquaint myself with my environment.
The room looked quite luxurious with elegant furnishings and tasteful artworks on the wall.
I sat up slowly and noticed some clothes on the floor. That was when it dawned on me - I had spent the night with this man. Like a flash, the memories from last night slowly returned.
I remember meeting my adoptive mother, Linda Brown here to celebrate finding my birth family.
I had a feeling something wasn’t right when she wanted to celebrate with me, and the way she acted all through the night confirmed it, but I decided to wave it off. I truly wanted to belong with their family and thought I was finally getting that chance.
Linda never really loved me and never shied away from making that clear, reminding me constantly that I was just some stray they took in out of pity.
But last night… yes, I remember now. I hung out mostly at the bar because I was uptight and nervous about the party. I didn’t know anyone there, so I just sat quietly in the corner, sipping my drink.
‘That’s right!’ I sat up fuming with anger, it was Linda who approached me with this man lying next to me now. She introduced him to me and it seems we had a little conversation of some sort before she poured me another glass of wine and that’s the last thing I can remember.
‘Oh my God! Did she spike my drink?!’ My eyes widened with a sudden realization. My brows furrowed furiously as an overwhelming anger surged through my body.
I felt violated just thinking about it and hurriedly reached for my phone to call the police, but just as quickly, fear crept in. My adoptive mother was a cruel and vindictive woman. She might probably retaliate if I wrongly accused her and reported it to the police. Besides, who would believe me? It’d probably sound crazy to anyone I told it to anyway. They’d just think I was being paranoid and having cold feet.
‘Oh my God! Luke!’ I covered my mouth reflexively, feeling an instant regret.
Quietly, I got out of bed and hurriedly put on my clothes. I grabbed my bag and tiptoed to the door, making sure not to wake the mysterious stranger lying in the bed as I opened the door quietly and crept out.
Once outside, I needed to find Linda. She needed to explain who that man was and how I ended up in his hotel room.
I trudged through the hallway, with my stilettos in my hands and my head down to avoid any cameras in the hallway, praying that no one recognized me here or saw me coming out of a stranger’s hotel room. But still, I couldn’t escape the heavy guilt weighing on my heart. I knew what happened wasn’t my fault, but my heart was still in shambles.
As I reached their hotel room, I knocked twice but no one answered, so I pushed the door open and walked inside, clenching my fist in anger, ready to confront Linda. That was when I heard her voice. It seemed to be coming from the balcony, so I strode quietly towards it,
“You were right mom, she didn’t suspect a thing.” It was my adoptive sister, Sarah Brown.
“What did I tell you, your sister…pardon me. That snobby bitch is so naive and clueless, she wouldn’t know she was being used even if she was told,” Linda replied chuckling.
“She deserves everything that’s coming to her. Does she actually think that she can marry Luke? Who does that bitch think she is? This will teach her to know her place!”
“Luke Johnson has been and will always be mine” Sarah responded angrily
“And when we show Luke videos of his dearest fiancée in bed with another man, this will certainly be the nail in the coffin. It will shatter whatever feelings Luke has for her and if those videos just so happen to be leaked, well… she can kiss goodbye to whatever reputation she has in this city. Everyone will see her for who she truly is, a cheap undeserving cunt!
Luke will have no other choice than to leave her, and guess who’ll be there, waiting and ready to marry him and mend his broken heart?” Linda said and shot Sarah a wicked smile.
“Gosh Mom, you’re an evil genius,” Sarah said smiling, then chuckled, “I can’t believe she bought that whole story about her real family. She can’t be that delusional; it’s obvious they never wanted her.”
“The way I see it, they’re the lucky ones. I think anyone would find her insufferable. But now with these videos, we’re going to exploit her and turn this unfortunate situation to our advantage,” Linda replied.
They chuckled and clinked their wine glasses, toasting to their malicious plans.
I felt as if a thunderbolt had just struck me. My head was buzzing and my feet became wobbly. I felt devastated, I knew my adoptive family were not the most caring or genuine people, but this…this was pure evil. Not only had they planned this whole thing to ruin me and destroy my marriage, but they also lied about finding my real family. ‘How could they do that to me?’
I closed my eyes tight as the tears threatened to form, feeling terrified and heartbroken, dreading their plans and the hole I’d found myself in.
They were the only family I had and I’d just found out that they didn’t have an ounce of love for me. They didn’t even want me in the first place.
Alas, I was unable to stop the tears from streaming down my cheeks. But crying over something I never had was pointless and pathetic. I opened my eyes, wiped my tears aggressively, and decided to leave the hotel. I needed to get away from this place, I had to escape from this nightmare, so I turned around and left quietly.
As soon as I was in the hallway, I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes again, so I just kept running and never looked back.
Suddenly, I heard a loud explosion behind me, but I never stopped to look back. My heart was too broken to care; all I could think about was finding Luke and explaining everything before they showed him the videos, so I just kept running.
The day of reckoning had arrived. In a few minutes now, Anna and her troop will be taking Edgar and his men by surprise. The stage had been set with everyone working together to end Edgar’s tyranny.Under the cover of the night, Anna, Mark, Jack, and their allies positioned themselves near Edgar’s main hideout. Zach had fed them crucial information about the hideout's layout and where Edgar and George would likely be during the operation. Armed and ready, they moved swiftly, slipping through shadows and avoiding detection.As they closed in, Anna felt a mix of fear and exhilaration. She knew this confrontation would determine everything—her role in The Circle, her fate, and Mark’s future with his family. She glanced at him, catching his gaze, and a silent understanding passed between them. Finally, they reached the inner sanctum, silently taking down Edgar’s security guards, until they reached where Edgar and George were having a conversation. The two men looked surprised but quickly
As Mark prepared to find his brother, Zach, he couldn’t help but feel a mixture of fear and hope. Although he had agreed to work with Anna, he wasn’t convinced she understood just how deep the roots of The Circle ran or how much any of this had affected him. However, seeing how resolved she was to take down Edgar had swayed him, and he knew that, for his brother’s sake, he had to give her plan a chance.Meanwhile, after Anna walked out of the room, she now decided to contact Jack. As soon as he picked up, she explained her suspicions about The Circle and how their influence might reach farther than even she had initially thought, informing him that she needed him now more than ever. A few hours passed and Mark arrived at a small, dimly lit bar where Zach was known to spend his evenings. Immediately he walked in, he spotted Zach sitting at the far end of the bar, looking troubled. Mark approached him slowly, and as soon as he sat down, he placed a firm hand on his brother's shoulder.
Author’s POV“So you’re telling me that you are not just a part of an evil organization that has been around for years, but you are also the head?” Mark asked, staring at Anna in disbelief. “I know this is difficult to process, but it is the truth. But we are not all like Edgar.” Anna said.“Right…” Mark scoffed.“No, I mean it. We don’t all want the same thing. The Circle has been in operation for years, working to maintain the balance and smooth operation of the surface world. Edgar and his associates are the only ones with the ideals that things need to change, and that for some reason they are the ones to affect that change. That’s why we are fighting them. We are trying to retain order and balance in this world.”“And how do you do that, huh?”“Tell me, Anna, does it involve letting the people up here decide for their lives or does your organization plan out the course of their lives?” Mark asked with a pruning look.“I don’t know about that, I’ve not been a member for long.” A
Author’s POV“What?” Mark recoiled in shock.“Who could have done that?” Anna hesitated for some moments, afraid of how he would take the news. “Tell me, Anna.” He demanded.“Zach!” Anna blurted. “Your brother Zach did.”Mark staggered for some time, trying to process what I had just said. “Are you serious?” He asked, still in disbelief.“I am,” Anna said softly. Mark remained frozen in place for some time, deep in contemplation. I could imagine how difficult this was for him to hear. Zach was a lot and had caused a lot of problems, but at the end of the day, he was still his brother. “I can’t believe this,” Mark muttered and immediately started searching through his drawers.“What are you doing?” Anna asked, to no reply.“What are you doing Mark?” She asked again. “What does it look like I’m doing?” Mark snapped irritably.“I’m going down to have a conversation with my brother and give him the chance to explain how he almost got me killed.” He raged and grabbed his car key.Ann
Author’s POVThose words filled Anna with a sudden dread. She hoped that somehow Mark would not ask her that because she still wasn’t sure who the father of her children truly was. There was that stranger from that night, and then there was Luke. For all she knows, it could have been either of them.Seeing how hesitant she was, Mark asked again,“Is the father still in the picture Anna? What happened with him?” At that point, Anna quickly turned around, “He’s not in the picture and that’s all that I can say. I don’t really like to talk about him.” She said, her heart beating out of her chest.Much to her surprise, Mark did not ask anything concerning him again. He waited for some time and then his lips curved into a smile,“I’d like to meet them.” As soon as she heard these words, Anna’s eyes widened in shock.“I’m sorry. You want to meet…”“Your children,” Mark interjected. “Is that okay with you?” He added.Anna remained frozen for some moments, her thoughts running wild. This w
Author’s POVUpon hearing that, Mark’s face reddened with humiliation. He didn’t think she would figure it out, but she was right, he was afraid. After Lydia died in that car accident, Mark had spent his entire life afraid of being abandoned, and that fear resurfaced when he learned of Anna’s children.“No Anna, the issue here is that you could not trust me. I’ve already been down that road once with Mia, and I don’t want to be in another relationship where my girlfriend is keeping secrets from me.” He argued.As much as he had a point, Anna was still not convinced. She knew Mark was trying to change the course of their conversation and she would not let him.She shot him a soft gaze and slowly walked toward him, “I know it’s not easy to admit Mark, and I know that I shouldn’t have kept this away from you for so long, but I am afraid too.” Anna said and Mark’s eyes shot up with curiosity.Anna heaved a deep sigh and continued, “When I first came into town, I didn’t know what I was goi
Anna“Who’s there?” Mark’s voice sounded through the door.I hesitated to answer. One word from me and he’d be calling the guards to throw me out, or at least that’s what I thought, so I knocked again and waited a while for his answer. This time he did not bother to say anything, and after waiting for a while, I knocked again.“I already told you, Rita, I don’t need anything!” His voice echoed in annoyance as he approached the door, and unlocked it.As soon as his gaze met mine, he froze in shock for some moment, unable to find the words to say anything.“Anna?”“Wh-what are you doing here?” Mark asked, and immediately his brows creased into a deep frown.“Mark, I just want to talk…” I started to say, but he rudely cut me off.“I don’t have anything to say to you.” He replied coldly and tried to close the door, but I quickly put my feet through the doorframe, stopping him.He shot one look at me and sighed heavily, turned his back, and walked inside the room, leaving me at the door.
Anna“You want my advice? Go for it.” I said, encouraging Jack. Deep down I knew it was a selfish act. As much as I hoped that he’d find love somewhere else, a part of me wanted to believe what it told him about Anna, that deep down she did not still harbor any feelings toward Mark. I’d hate to be in competition with my sister over a man we both wanted. Jack seemed flustered when I said that. I could tell he hoped that no one would spot his feelings toward Chloe, especially not the girl he was just trying to get over.Still, he managed to keep his composure and quickly tried to change the focus,“You should try taking your own advice with Mark. I know I’ve not always made your relationship with him easy, and I apologize for the part I played in that. But whatever this thing is between you and Mark, it’ll be a shame if you both fall out.” He said.“Jack, what happened between Mark and I is not because of you. He just couldn’t stand the honesty he wanted.” I said, pushing the bangs on
“Mark and I used to date.” The words echoed in my head like I was reliving a nightmare. I froze in shock, not sure what to say or how to even react. Deep down, I couldn’t help but dismiss the thought that this was the relationship Chloe and Mark shared, but I always tried to convince myself it wasn’t anything like that. Mark never talked a lot about her even after we met at that party, and I just assumed there was nothing much to say about an old friend.Now I see I was just trying to keep my thoughts away from a fear I didn’t want to have to face.However, I couldn’t understand why Chloe chose to tell me at this point and why Mark never said anything. Was he hiding something about their relationship? I didn’t know Chloe was my sister then, and I’m sure he didn't know either. Certainly, I wouldn’t have minded much about a girl he dated in the past, and at this point, I was convinced he was hiding something.As much as it should have felt good that I now had something to call him out
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