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15
“Here’s your coffee, sir.”
I thanked Sheila and sipped the hot heaven, sighing in bliss. There was so much to do before I left for the business trip. The two weeks off had been wonderful. While I would give anything to re-live those two weeks, work consumed me. There were so many proposals and reports that required my attention.
Two days had passed, and all I ever did was eat and work. I hardly had time to sleep with everything I had to do. Arianna was constantly at the back of my mind. Her face popped up in my mind in between, and she had called twice, which I missed.
My headache returned as I skimmed through the papers. The investors in Europe needed numbers, and fortunately, we covered it already.
“Have the reports ready this evening. I––”
My cell phone blared for the sixteenth time, ruining my mood as Isabela’s name flashed on the screen. I’d deal with her in court. I turned the phone on sil
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Resisting Her 16
The chilly wind tussled my hair as I moved closer to hear the conversation. Light from a distant post illuminated the sides of their faces.“You already lost me, Brian,” I heard her say. The fury in her voice was a soothing balm to my jealousy.“Hear me out, please. I lied to you. Alana was the first one I met. My parents wanted us to get married. But then, one day, I bumped into you and got intrigued. I wanted to get to know you better. I fell in love with you and even broke up with Alana.” That son of a bitch ranted, and his voice grew desperate.I clenched my fists and forced my tense shoulders to relax. Arianna folded her hands over her chest and faced the bastard. “So, you were seeing each other.”“Kind of.” Brian averted his gaze.“There can be only one answer to this question, Brian. It’s either yes or no.”Atta girl! Speaking of which, I shouldn’t stay.
Resisting Her 17
The plane touched down at the destination airport, jerking me out of my thoughts. I rubbed my eyes and stretched my aching limbs. Sleep evaded me the entire flight, as I could only think about her.Sheila had booked the tickets in economy since first class was full. First class sure had its perks when compared to economy. But the discomfort mattered less when I thought about the day I got to spend with Arianna.An hour and a long line to immigration later, Sheila greeted me at baggage claim. Her shoulders sagged with relief as she checked the time.“Here.” She handed me a steaming cup of coffee and a sandwich once inside the car. “Your flight arrived on time. We have enough time to make a quick stop at the hotel before heading over to our first meeting.”With a nod, I bit into the sandwich, glad to have something to my liking, unlike the food they served during the flight. The aroma of the coffee lifted my mood considerably. Sheila
Resisting Her 18
Orlando CortezWhen I left for the Europe trip, she was the last person I expected to stumble upon. Last night, she was at the party. Sheila told me about the business gathering when I got back from a meeting with Colossal Inc. It was a last-moment invitation. Who’d have invited me to the party? I got my answer when I reached the venue. When Sheila stressed that most of the people I was visiting during this trip would be there, and it would help to build a rapport, I agreed.The evening started off well, meeting and greeting business prospects until my eyes fell on her. Dressed in a shimmery outfit that bared her midriff and revealed her long, tan legs, Kenzie stood there, gaze fixated on me.What is she doing here? I scanned the room, finding Desmond not too far from her, perched on a barstool, sipping a fancy drink. I turned around, not wanting to meet her gaze. But less than a minute later, I felt her arm snak
Resisting Her 19
Arianna SwansonThe sun’s rays infiltrated through the dark curtains. It did little to lift my spirits. My phone lay on the bedside table. No calls. No messages. Three days had passed, and it killed me from the inside out. Rosie called, complaining I was shutting her out again, but I was barely getting through one day at a time. This morning was no different.My body swayed when I slipped out of the bed. I gripped the wall, steadying myself, and made it to the bathroom. The next thing I knew, I was puking my guts out.“Oh, fuck,” I groaned, reaching for the tissues. I hadn’t puked since my seventeenth birthday. My eyes rolled into my skull as I rested my head on the edge of the bathtub, waiting for the moment to pass.It felt like a great achievement when I finally got dressed for the day. Only I couldn’t make it to work. This was the worst time to catch the stomach flu. Patrick, the bulldog of the office, wo
Resisting Her 20
Orlando CortezDead. She’s dead. Inhaling, I closed my eyes. Martha Pennington, the only witness, was dead for three years. Despite what our legal team claimed, I didn’t think we stood a chance with the drunken video we had in hand. The man who sat across the table could be useful.“Here’s your drink, sir.”The waitress placed the tray of drinks on our table before leaving. I picked up the glass of water and sipped it, all the while eying the shaking male in front of me.Andrew Pennington, Martha’s son and our only hope, grabbed the glass of whiskey, gulping it in one go. When Marcus tracked him to a rundown apartment at Vegas, where he lived by taking multiple jobs, I had him flown down here.The guy, now in his early forties, looked like shit. And I assumed his battered coat had seen worse. The bags under his eyes and the five-day beard proved my theory. He could use a d
Resisting Her 21
Arianna Swanson“That’s okay.” Gaby rubbed my back soothingly. “I’m right here.” She kept talking in a soft voice as I hunched over the toilet.My stomach wrenched as another wave of nausea hit with full force. Gaby supported me as I emptied the contents of my last meal. She helped me to clean up and walked me to the bedroom.“Why is it so hard?” A groan left my lips, and Gaby chuckled. Her eyes crinkled with amusement.“Who said it’s easy?” she asked. “Each pregnancy is difficult in its own way.”I rolled my eyes and eased onto the mattress, relaxing as the nausea subsided. The past two days had been a rollercoaster ride. I didn’t know what I’d have done without her.“Here, munch on this.” She handed me a saltine cracker.“I don’t feel like eating anything.” Taking the cracker from her, I bit on the
Resisting Her 22
I woke to the familiar scratch on the door, and an involuntary smile stretched the corners of my lips. Arianna stirred in my arms, still asleep. I caressed her hair, tracing the new highlights. While I loved the new color. her need to hide and change identities didn’t sit well with me.Arianna was beautiful inside out, and she did not need to change herself like this. I noticed the new additions to her ears. Could I blame her for going to this extent? No. When you had an evil twin who loved to steal your identity, you did anything to stay sane.I remembered how Alana dyed her hair brunette before the wedding. For instance, she caught me off guard. They had such an uncanny resemblance, and I could tell everyone around them had such a hard time telling them apart.However, I knew it wasn’t Arianna in those photos. First, the dupe didn’t have her tattoo, and second, the eyes in the photos were distantly cold and calculating. I’d recognize my
Resisting Her 23
I’m a coward.I banged my head on the table and stared at the far wall. Instead of going over to my apartment, I went straight to my mansion and slipped inside the dark office I rarely used. I didn’t bother to turn on the lights. Outside, the sun was setting for the day, dousing the room in the darkness that reflected my mood.The courage and fury I felt at the court building drained as soon as I climbed into the car. My hands still trembled.A child. My child.I walked to the only window in the room. I pulled the curtains closed, letting the room submerge in complete darkness.There was this foreign emotion snaking its way out of my heart, and I couldn’t quite put my finger on it yet.She’s pregnant with my child.And this was Arianna. Wiping off the thin sheen of sweat, I paced. Scenes from my past pushed their way through, and I shoved them aside.The door opened with a click, and I
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