"Sorry Mackenzie, I don't have any money right now. I spent all of my savings to promote my e-tube channel,""I understand, totally, Fel""Sorry, Kenzie.""It's fine, I'll find another way… somehow."Mackenzie ended the call and sighed.She had called both of her best friends to loan her money to pay her father's hospital bills but…Charlotte barely made enough as a teacher at Noose Hage elementary school so she already spent all her money on the magazines she bought the last time.As for Felicity, she had an e-tube channel where she shared awareness with people on the importance of trees and plants. She also shared tips on how to heal injuries using specific plants. She'd spent all her savings on promoting that content.Mackenzie didn't know what to do. She didn't have other friends to call.So she just sat on a bench, stranded and depressed.She stared at the darkening sky and sighed. It was getting dark and she hadn't found a solution yet. Was her father okay? She was worried, but
FOUR YEARS LATER“I hereby pronounce you, husband and wife…” The officiator announced. “…and you may kiss the bride.”Mackenzie’s father flashed a big smile at Beatrice, who returned the smile with a tender one of her own. They moved closer, and leaned in to share a kiss.Before their lips could touch, Mackenzie covered both of her twins’ eyes with her palms, like the overprotective mother that she was. Calista, her baby girl, leaned closer into Mackenzie’s dress, clutching the ring case assigned to her as the ring bearer.Unlike his sister, Cameron, the more hyper-energetic of the two, squirmed against Mackenzie’s palm, trying to see what was going on.Once the kiss was over, the guests erupted in cheers and claps, and Mackenzie removed her hands from their small faces with a fond smile. Now free, they both ran off before their sight was taken away again.She laughed, then looked back at her father, and his bride. She had never seen her father this happy.He almost looked young again
Chase strode through the doors of the house, and came to a stop when he saw his father standing in the middle of the large lobby, right before the stairs.He already knew the reason why he called him here from the office, but he still asked, “Why did you call me down here, dad?”Richard turned around immediately he heard Chase’s voice. His face was red with the uncontrollable anger he had been holding in while he waited for Chase to arrive. “Selene told me you’re filing for a divorce. What is that supposed to mean?!”Chase stared at his dad dead in the eye, and replied quietly. “It means I want to end the marriage.”“Don’t you get cheeky with me, Chase!” Richard exploded. “You are not ending your marriage with Selene! Never! Why would you want to do that? What is your problem, Chase?!”Richard's voice echoed through the walls, rising further with each word he yelled.Chase found himself growing pissed off as well. What gave his father the right to forbid him from getting a divorce?“I
In three weeks after moving into a three bedroom apartment in Greensville, which Uncle Maverick helped them get, Mackenzie had been busy with trying to kick start her career as a designer. After all, she, Charlotte and Felicity have been living off their savings from North Dakota.They could not depend on that for much longer.Uncle Maverick has been a great help so far. Because their apartment lied outside the heart of Greensville, and Mackenzie was busy with the kids and her works at the back of the house, he helped her drop her samples at many of the huge hotels around the city searching for new designers.It worked because he lived right there in the center of Greensville.But so far, none of the hotels had gotten back to her.It was a lot of work to take care of two growing and energetic kids while trying to organize their lives, and Mackenzie could definitely not afford to hire a babysitter. She had barely even been able to get them into preschool, pay their tuition and other ne
Mackenzie’s phone burst out ringing on the kitchen counter. She straightened up from the dishes she was washing and wiped her hands on a towel before reaching for it.It was Uncle Maverick calling.She answered, “Hello, Uncle Maverick. How’s it going?”“You will not believe what just happened, Kenzie.” His excited voice came over the phone. “I’ve got amazing news!”Mackenzie moved away from the counter, clutching the phone tighter. “What happened?”Uncle Maverick cleared his throat, and said in a levelled voice. “One of the hotels got back to me. They are interested in buying your design and hiring you as their major designer, Mackenzie!”Her mouth dropped in surprise. For a moment she was speechless, filled with a mixture of shock, disbelief and unexplainable happiness. When she finally got her voice back, she exclaimed, “W-what?” She let out a big breath. “Wait a minute, Uncle Maverick, did I just hear you right?!”He was laughing on the other end of the phone. “I mean every word I
Mackenzie was frozen still from that voice. It was still ringing in her head. It’s warm texture, it’s masculine timbre. It’s confident accent that could only belong to one person. And she was strongly hoping, that she was wrong.The projector went off all of a sudden, leaving the room pitch dark.Her heart stopped. In the next split second, the lights came on, fully illuminating the person in front of her. Her eyes focused on the figure of the CEO, with her stomach twisting in dread.Chase Axford.It was unmistakable. Those sea blue eyes gazed at her with the intensity of stormy oceans. His jet black hair was perfectly tousled, silky and soft like it was made to be grabbed. A tiny tremor shook her shoulders as her eyes raked down that handsome face of his.That face she thought she would never see again.Like an Adonis of the night, his tall, big and manly body was encased in a jet black suit. Those dark clothes accentuated the ripped perfection that lay beneath, reminding her of it’s
Those words felt like boulders in her mind the moment Chase pointed them out. But that meant nothing to her. Even if the world came crashing down, she would never let herself be involved with the Axfords ever again!“I don’t care!” She snapped. “I’ll pay you that fine, even if I have to sell everything I own! I’ll terminate this contract even if I have to sell myself! And every valuable organ in my body! I would gladly do it!”Her voice held the defensive tone of a cornered woman who would do anything to stay away from a threat.Chase raked his gaze over her body, noting how beautiful she was, even when she was sending him death glares and resisting him with every fiber of strength in her body. That only made her more attractive to him.More damn desirable.Her pretty, creamy complexion was glowing. Her hazel eyes were brighter, framed by dark eyelashes that batted seductively each time she blinked. Her dark hair fell down her back in thick, shiny curls that looked perfect for Chase t
For a long moment into the drive, Mackenzie was still in a daze over what just happened a couple of moments ago. It was all so fast, that her shocked mind had not had enough time to register it all.The intense and shocking meeting with Chase Axford. Him kissing her. Her nearly running into a busy highway. Him saving her. His fierce, possessive words.And now she was sitting in the passenger seat of his Lamborghini. It was difficult to make sense of it all.But now, she was snapping out of her breathless daze, and suddenly realized she couldn’t let Chase drive her home. She thought about her kids, and panic struck her.No way. He definitely should not ever know of their existence.Sitting upright in her seat, she brushed her hair back a she looked out the tinted windows. Her heart jumped in anxiety. They were already entering the suburban parts of Greensville where she lived.Triggering what-ifs bombarded her thoughts. What if her kids were on their way back from school, only to meet