XANDERMy plan had been to show her around before we got to the lounge where we would have our dinner. I had also intended to make a fake proposal to her in line with the plan, and I had gotten the engagement rings. Of course, it was going to be made public; Thayer would see it online, and the idea had been to get him angry.Maeve is pregnant with his child, for Christ’s sake! I didn’t raise an irresponsible son who would abandon his pregnant wife! I wanted him to come to his senses, and I was going to take a huge step toward that tonight!I was not expecting Thayer to actually be here and make things difficult for us! Not only was he here, but he was also twisting the truth! Buying Maeve over? And now, he was challenging me to kiss Maeve.Of course, I would love to give Maeve a long kiss on the lips, but I wasn’t under my son’s orders. And I wasn’t going to kiss Maeve under some sort of stupid challenge. Also, I didn’t want to do anything that would make her uncomfortable. Each time
MAEVEI actually thought Xander had a thing for me, and I was looking forward to the day he would finally say it out loud; confess his feelings to me. Little did I know that I disgusted him too? What was I even thinking—that my father-in-law would turn against his own son and fall in love with me?Not only did he fail to prove to everyone back there that I didn’t disgust him like Thayer challenged, but he also openly told everyone I was pregnant with his grandson. The reason he kept me was because of his unborn grandson! Why does he think it’s a boy? Was he actually looking for a son to replace his irresponsible son? He was using me! He just wanted to secure his grandson and then get rid of me!I sobbed painfully into a pillow, ignoring the way my stomach growled at me in hunger. My throat tightened and my heart felt heavy as hot tears continued to rush down my cheeks. I was lying on one side on my bed in my room, still in my dinner dress. When we got home earlier, I had rushed inside
MAEVEA knock jolted me awake from my sleep. I had fallen asleep in my dinner dress from last night while thinking of the possibility of another deeper, longer kiss from Xander. Slowly, I got out of bed, the sheets making ruffling sounds below me. I went to get the door.“Kath,” I said in a weak exhale. She was standing outside the door with a large smile on her face. “What are you doing here so early?” I asked.“Good morning, ma’am. Trust you had a wonderful night,” she beamed, and I wondered what was with the sudden excitement and the squeal that followed.“You look so excited this morning,” I pried.“Yes! It’s my day off.” She quickly grabbed some neatly wrapped clothes from the carrier she came with and handed them to me. “This is yours from that first night. Sorry, I didn’t tell you earlier. I changed your dress while you were asleep,” she explained, holding the packaged dress before me.I actually thought it was Xander who changed my dress—creepy of me to think he did. I almost
MAEVEKath stood there with a smile plastered on her face as if she saw nothing. She brought the lunch box in front of me, and I took it, wondering what was wrong with her this morning. “Thank you,” I managed to say as I turned to Xander, who looked like nothing had happened, too. Was I the only one affected?“It’s your day off, right, Kath?” he asked.“Yes, boss,” Kath bowed.“Then why are you here so early in the morning?” I could detect the irritation in his voice.“I wanted to help the new madam with her meals, that’s all. I’ll get going right away, sir,” she responded and quickly turned to leave.“Wait!” Xander called, and Kath turned. He sighed and turned to me. “Don’t worry about it. It’s your day off; I shouldn't make you work today.” He turned his gaze back to Kath. “Just be here early tomorrow morning and maybe get two more workers to help out around the house.”“But I can do it alone, sir. I’ve been happily working here alone,” Kath protested.“I know, and I appreciate your
MAEVE“Have you no shame?” the curator continued pouring the cold water over my head until the glass was empty, then she dropped it with a crash at my feet. I opened my eyes slowly; seeing her face through my wet lashes was difficult, but I blinked rapidly until I was able to see her properly.Although she was an older woman, she was extremely beautiful. Her dark eyes bore into me like sharp daggers as she continued. “You seduce and steal your father-in-law…”“Ex’s father-in-law,” I corrected. Thayer is my ex, for Christ’s sake!“The man you ruined! Are you really this selfish and greedy?!” the curator shouted, and the little crowd gathered around us fell into stunned silence. I could feel their eyes on me as more people moved closer. How I hate spectacles! I stood there with a sinking heart, watching my self-image being crushed.“You are the most shameless creature I’ve ever seen in this world! Running from son to father, and as if that wasn’t enough, you had the right to publicly pi
XANDERTwo tablets of aspirin couldn’t dull the splitting headache that had haunted me since the night before. Kissing Maeve… holding her… picturing the curve of her lips… and now I can’t think of anything but to see her again. The more I thought about it, the more my responsibility got in the way.As I sat in my office, waiting for a partner to finalize an investment deal, my thoughts drifted back to her and the complicated situation we found ourselves in. I had offered to help her reconcile with Thayer, but she had moved on from him completely. She had told me she was doing it for revenge, and not to get back with Thayer.I knew I needed to confront her about how long we would continue pretending to be in a relationship before things get out of hand. As I reflected on it, I realized I hadn’t even properly proposed, thanks to Thayer’s interference.The time for our meeting came and went, yet there was still no sign of my investor. I took a deep breath, trying to expel the heaviness i
XANDER“I’m sorry; she had a miscarriage. The embryo’s development was disrupted due to dehydration, a reduction in blood volume, and the mother’s stress. But thankfully, the mother’s health is okay. She just needs to rest and get IV transfusions; she will be back on her feet,” the doctor had said, patting my shoulder.I looked down at my hands—it was covered in blood from Maeve’s body from when I helped load her onto the stretcher that brought her to the hospital—and felt my chest tighten at the fact that I had touched my grandson, but only in blood. I left the tap running, too consumed in thought to place my hands under the water and wash off the blood.Now that the baby is gone and Maeve wants nothing to do with Thayer anymore, I should just let her go, right? But at the thought of that, I felt a hollow ache in my chest. It felt like I was trying to break off a certain part of me. I tried to convince myself to keep her close to comfort her over her loss, but deep down, I knew that
XANDER “Respect?” Nora echoed, her lips curled in disgust. “She lost all respect in my eyes the day she agreed to marry Thayer. I wanted my son to marry the daughter of a rich realtor who would build your business more across America. I never expected he would end up with an orphan whose late mother was nothing but a whore, my sworn enemy!” I never knew Nora had this much venom in her voice.Yes, she always hated Lilian, Maeve’s mother, because she dated her college crush instead of her. When Edgar, her crush, died in an accident, she blamed it all on Lilian for breaking his heart.“I’ve worked with her at the gallery, and I know she’s the gold-digging type. She can make you sign off all your investments to her. She almost made us lose all our customers at the gallery; that’s why I had to get the director to fire her…”“Fire her?!” I repeated, shocked. “She was fired today?” I was so annoyed I almost jumped on Nora. “Who the fuck fired her?” My fists clenched at my sides as I struggl
MAEVEXander pulled out a velvet box from his pocket and flashed it in my face, a radiant smile lighting up his features. I laughed as I realized what would be inside that box. “Don’t tell me you carry the ring around?”“Yes, I take it with me everywhere I go… since the first day I proposed. I’ve been waiting for the perfect moment to place it on your finger,” he replied, gently taking my left hand and brushing a tender kiss against it. “I should do this properly,” he said with a soft laugh, getting down on one knee beside me at the foot of the bed while I sat up, my heart racing.“Will you marry me?” he asked again, his voice filled with hope.“Yes!” I beamed, watching as he slipped the exquisite ring from the velvet box onto my finger.“Thank you,” he looked grateful like I’d done him a favor. His soothing voice warmed my heart, accompanied by a gentle hug from him that enveloped me in comfort.When we broke the embrace, I finally gazed at the ring. It featured a platinum band adorn
MAEVEI had been angry and jealous, watching the way Xander’s wife touched him back at the gallery. Insecurity and overwhelm had begun to creep in, overshadowing the heavy ache that seized my lower abdomen.I wanted to run away, to disappear as the curator tarnished my image. I wanted to hide and cry after I concluded I was about to lose Xander. But the moment I tried to move, my head spun, and a sharp pain gripped my body, causing my legs to give way as I collapsed to the floor.What happened next felt alien until I woke up in a hospital with Xander by my side. Seeing him immediately brought back memories of his encounter with his wife. He had never told me he was still married. Why did he put me in the limelight through this fake relationship? To ridicule me? Was that all men liked to do to women who weren’t attractive enough—ridicule them by pretending to have something going for them?I was so mad at him that I didn’t speak, even when he showed me kindness. He made me look like a
XANDER “Respect?” Nora echoed, her lips curled in disgust. “She lost all respect in my eyes the day she agreed to marry Thayer. I wanted my son to marry the daughter of a rich realtor who would build your business more across America. I never expected he would end up with an orphan whose late mother was nothing but a whore, my sworn enemy!” I never knew Nora had this much venom in her voice.Yes, she always hated Lilian, Maeve’s mother, because she dated her college crush instead of her. When Edgar, her crush, died in an accident, she blamed it all on Lilian for breaking his heart.“I’ve worked with her at the gallery, and I know she’s the gold-digging type. She can make you sign off all your investments to her. She almost made us lose all our customers at the gallery; that’s why I had to get the director to fire her…”“Fire her?!” I repeated, shocked. “She was fired today?” I was so annoyed I almost jumped on Nora. “Who the fuck fired her?” My fists clenched at my sides as I struggl
XANDER“I’m sorry; she had a miscarriage. The embryo’s development was disrupted due to dehydration, a reduction in blood volume, and the mother’s stress. But thankfully, the mother’s health is okay. She just needs to rest and get IV transfusions; she will be back on her feet,” the doctor had said, patting my shoulder.I looked down at my hands—it was covered in blood from Maeve’s body from when I helped load her onto the stretcher that brought her to the hospital—and felt my chest tighten at the fact that I had touched my grandson, but only in blood. I left the tap running, too consumed in thought to place my hands under the water and wash off the blood.Now that the baby is gone and Maeve wants nothing to do with Thayer anymore, I should just let her go, right? But at the thought of that, I felt a hollow ache in my chest. It felt like I was trying to break off a certain part of me. I tried to convince myself to keep her close to comfort her over her loss, but deep down, I knew that
XANDERTwo tablets of aspirin couldn’t dull the splitting headache that had haunted me since the night before. Kissing Maeve… holding her… picturing the curve of her lips… and now I can’t think of anything but to see her again. The more I thought about it, the more my responsibility got in the way.As I sat in my office, waiting for a partner to finalize an investment deal, my thoughts drifted back to her and the complicated situation we found ourselves in. I had offered to help her reconcile with Thayer, but she had moved on from him completely. She had told me she was doing it for revenge, and not to get back with Thayer.I knew I needed to confront her about how long we would continue pretending to be in a relationship before things get out of hand. As I reflected on it, I realized I hadn’t even properly proposed, thanks to Thayer’s interference.The time for our meeting came and went, yet there was still no sign of my investor. I took a deep breath, trying to expel the heaviness i
MAEVE“Have you no shame?” the curator continued pouring the cold water over my head until the glass was empty, then she dropped it with a crash at my feet. I opened my eyes slowly; seeing her face through my wet lashes was difficult, but I blinked rapidly until I was able to see her properly.Although she was an older woman, she was extremely beautiful. Her dark eyes bore into me like sharp daggers as she continued. “You seduce and steal your father-in-law…”“Ex’s father-in-law,” I corrected. Thayer is my ex, for Christ’s sake!“The man you ruined! Are you really this selfish and greedy?!” the curator shouted, and the little crowd gathered around us fell into stunned silence. I could feel their eyes on me as more people moved closer. How I hate spectacles! I stood there with a sinking heart, watching my self-image being crushed.“You are the most shameless creature I’ve ever seen in this world! Running from son to father, and as if that wasn’t enough, you had the right to publicly pi
MAEVEKath stood there with a smile plastered on her face as if she saw nothing. She brought the lunch box in front of me, and I took it, wondering what was wrong with her this morning. “Thank you,” I managed to say as I turned to Xander, who looked like nothing had happened, too. Was I the only one affected?“It’s your day off, right, Kath?” he asked.“Yes, boss,” Kath bowed.“Then why are you here so early in the morning?” I could detect the irritation in his voice.“I wanted to help the new madam with her meals, that’s all. I’ll get going right away, sir,” she responded and quickly turned to leave.“Wait!” Xander called, and Kath turned. He sighed and turned to me. “Don’t worry about it. It’s your day off; I shouldn't make you work today.” He turned his gaze back to Kath. “Just be here early tomorrow morning and maybe get two more workers to help out around the house.”“But I can do it alone, sir. I’ve been happily working here alone,” Kath protested.“I know, and I appreciate your
MAEVEA knock jolted me awake from my sleep. I had fallen asleep in my dinner dress from last night while thinking of the possibility of another deeper, longer kiss from Xander. Slowly, I got out of bed, the sheets making ruffling sounds below me. I went to get the door.“Kath,” I said in a weak exhale. She was standing outside the door with a large smile on her face. “What are you doing here so early?” I asked.“Good morning, ma’am. Trust you had a wonderful night,” she beamed, and I wondered what was with the sudden excitement and the squeal that followed.“You look so excited this morning,” I pried.“Yes! It’s my day off.” She quickly grabbed some neatly wrapped clothes from the carrier she came with and handed them to me. “This is yours from that first night. Sorry, I didn’t tell you earlier. I changed your dress while you were asleep,” she explained, holding the packaged dress before me.I actually thought it was Xander who changed my dress—creepy of me to think he did. I almost
MAEVEI actually thought Xander had a thing for me, and I was looking forward to the day he would finally say it out loud; confess his feelings to me. Little did I know that I disgusted him too? What was I even thinking—that my father-in-law would turn against his own son and fall in love with me?Not only did he fail to prove to everyone back there that I didn’t disgust him like Thayer challenged, but he also openly told everyone I was pregnant with his grandson. The reason he kept me was because of his unborn grandson! Why does he think it’s a boy? Was he actually looking for a son to replace his irresponsible son? He was using me! He just wanted to secure his grandson and then get rid of me!I sobbed painfully into a pillow, ignoring the way my stomach growled at me in hunger. My throat tightened and my heart felt heavy as hot tears continued to rush down my cheeks. I was lying on one side on my bed in my room, still in my dinner dress. When we got home earlier, I had rushed inside