JASMINE POV
Jasmine, what the fuck?!" Sebastian shrieked as I poured the milk all over him and his flashy ring.
I gritted my teeth. "I was never yours in the first place, you asshole!"
He winced as I stomped down the aisle, but he grabbed my elbow, pulling me back.
"Wait! Wait a second," he raked a hand through his soft, long, milk-stained hair, "Let me do right by you. Please."
"Seb, it's been eight years! I have forgotten all about you, and I don't need a fucking reminder of the heartache."
As I stormed away, I heard him mutter to himself. "This isn't over, Jasmine. You'll be mine soon."
I shuddered at that dangerous promise, blocking it out of my mind as I met the kids at the front of the line. Emily had my wallet with her.
I dropped the empty bottle of milk on the counter, and the cashier gave me a weird look.
"Don't forget to add that." I smiled nervously.
When everything had been processed, I grabbed the grocery bags and the kids, hurrying out of the store.
At the lot, Sebastian was long gone. I sighed in relief, opening the backseat for the kids.
They scooted in and took a few of the bags with them while I kept the rest in the trunk.
The ride home was painfully long.
Asher met me at the door of our modern house. He took the bags from me and put them away in the kitchen. The kids jumped on him, giving him a hug.
"Hey, kiddos. Did you have fun?"
They bobbed their heads.
He ruffled the boys’ hair and kissed Emily's cheek. "Good. Now go up and finish your homework."
In the kitchen.
I kissed Asher against the counter. It surprised him. I never initiated in the past, but today, I needed him to make me forget all those good things about Sebastian.
To wash off the memories of his kisses on my lips, on my skin, in between my legs. I deepened our kiss, moaning.
Asher broke it soon. "What's going on with you, Jes?"
I cocked my head. "Is kissing my boyfriend wrong?" My eyes fell to the bulge in his pants, and they darkened. I touched him through his jeans. Asher groaned.
"No, it's...oh, fuck, Jes..." He threw his head back, biting on his bottom lip.
"You were saying?" I kissed my way up his throat.
Asher placed a hand over mine on his pants, stopping me, and I whined, biting his earlobe. A frustrated moan fell from my lips. "Ash, let me touch you."
"We've never... Are you really ready to take that step, Jes?" A notch settled between his brows.
I giggled at seriousness, muffling the sound in his shirt. "Of course, I am. You are the only man I want to be with. Just you."
We kissed again, and this time, he didn't stop me.
That night. Barneji and his girlfriend rang the bell. I hurried down the steps, careful not to trip over my dress.
Rylee gasped. "Ohmygod, Jes. You look so beautiful!"
She gave me a hug, squealing at how much makeup and playing dress up had transformed me. Since the triplets' birth, I didn’t have time for myself. I had dedicated my life to them.
And now, Asher and I had decided that this night out was important for our relationship. We would finally take things to the next level.
Liam winked at me. "You clean up nice, Ross."
"You! I still haven't forgotten this afternoon." I raised my heel to his face as a weapon, glaring at him until his girlfriend whisked me away to save his ass.
Asher came around and gave Liam a bro-hug. They laughed over sports and other guy stuff as Rylee and I caught up.
"I'm so glad I could count on you guys to watch over them." I placed a hand on my heart.
Rylee held my hands. "Girl, you know I would do anything to make you happy. Go have fun with your beautiful man—" suddenly, she yanked me closer, lowering her voice, "You shaved those pretties down there, right?"
I pressed my lips together. Asher would have definitely heard that from where he stood, no matter how much Rylee tried to whisper.
"Rylee." I blushed.
"What? He's obviously going to tap that fine ass tonight."
We made eye contact. I nodded my head in approval. I got a wax done two days ago for no particular reason.
She wiggled her brows at me, and I almost died when I felt Asher's gaze on me.
We said goodbye to the twins and gave Emily extra special warning to behave. My daughter was crazy but cute, and I loved her and her brothers so much.
Asher had made dinner reservations at a fancy restaurant, and I thought the night would end there until Asher took me to an airstrip.
"Asher." I covered my teary face with my hands.
"Come with me. Allow me to show you how much you mean to me, Jes."
The private plane took us to Lexington. Asher booked an entire art gallery for me, and every photograph on display was about us.
We visited an aquarium, where he had booked the entire thing for the night. There was a path underneath the water. Asher and I walked it, hand-in-hand.
In the end, his arms wrapped around me from behind. I pressed my back to his front, savouring the magnificent view of the stars on this penthouse’s balcony.
"Did you enjoy tonight?" He planted soft kisses on the side of my face.
A soft sigh escaped me. "I don't deserve you, Asher."
"Lies." He backed me against the railing, hooking my arms around his neck. "You deserve everything good, Jes. Sometimes, I wonder if I'm even worthy of you."
I gazed into his sterling grey eyes, mesmerised.
My lips crashed with his. My tears seeped into the kiss, even as it turned passionate.
"I love you so much, Asher Slade."
He smiled against my mouth. "Say that again."
"I love you," I giggled, giving in because it was the first time he was hearing that from me.
"Again."
"I lo—"
Asher ravaged my mouth, grabbing my ass. That night, he made love to me, and for the first time in eight years, the past was a blur in my mind.
I didn't want it to end, but we eventually returned home, and I had to go to work.
We were making out in the kitchen until a dish broke, and quickly we jumped away from each other.
Ezra rushed into the kitchen. "What happened?!"
I couldn’t even face my son.
Luckily, Asher distracted him and Ethan, taking them out of the kitchen while I recovered from looking red in the face.
There was a permanent smile on my face, even at work. I forgot all about the video and how wanted I was by the media.
I happily attended to patients, and each time I met Banerji in the halls, he would give me a knowing smile.
I looked like a woman utterly in love—I was one.
"Dr. Ross."
That was Brady's voice.
I turned away from my office's door, facing the chairman of the board. "Good day, sir. I was just about heading out for lunch..."
It took a moment before I processed the scene before me. Sebastian stood at Brady's side, a devilish smirk colouring his face black.
Carter approached, bowing to Sebastian as he handed him a file.
I stuttered. Fingertips turning white.
"Dr. Ross, I'm afraid we were all acquainted with the director’s personal assistant that morning," Brady smiled like a man who just won the lottery, "Meet Sebastian Carter, the new director and your replacement."
I gaped, horrified.
My one night stand was my new boss.
JASMINE POV I froze like a statue. It was not enough that Sebastian showed up like a bad dream and now he would work in the same space as me, worse still, as my boss? Oh no!My breathing alternated from slow to fast pace and right now, it felt like my heart would burst from too much workload. “Dr. Ross,” Brady called wryly. My soul jerked back to where my body remained in a frozen state. The movement caused my phone to slip from my hand and fall with a loud thud. I'm certain my screen must be damaged and also certain it's not up to what my life would be in minutes. Wrecked. Absolutely chaotic. I reached down in swift seconds, retrieved it like it never occurred, and saved myself the heartbreak of looking at the damage. “...are you okay?” Brady asked with that goofy grin. I could stake my career on the line that he didn't give a bloody hoot about how I felt. This whole charade was to rub my misfortune right in my face. “Ye..ah” I gulped balls of thick saliva that were about to
JASMINE POVWith that, Nurse Carol was gone. Sebastian is surely getting on my nerves! For about a minute, I forgot I had the 'Carter’ problem to deal with and just with a message from my supposedly annoying director, I lost composure. “What does he want?” I murmured and began pacing, hovering about in the small workspace. “Is there a problem?” Liam asked, curious. "Yes, there is." I spun to face him and he looked surprised at seeing a new side of me; terrified. “Do you need anything? Water...”"Brady just knows how to piss me off, and I would make him pay!” I revealed it anyway, yelling at the top of my lungs. Thankfully, the door was shut because I needed to vent, and now that I have... Well, it still felt the same. "Whoa,” Liam muttered and gestured for me to calm down. Eyes closed, I inflated my lungs with the cold-conditioned air. “What has Brady got to do with this, I thought Nurse Carol mentioned ‘a Sebastian’...”"You're right.” I bluffed. If only he was wrong. “Wait,
JASMINE’S POV _Smash the freaking ketchup on his face!_ _Pull his ears out till he looks like Penny!_ These were a few of the tens of revenge ideas that came to mind. Instead, I kept mute, stabilizing my mood. After the milk incident at the mall and with me still not over it, it would be plain stupid to make things worse. My bloodshot eyes burned with intense hate and irritation. Sweat dripped from each of my pores. I was furious and he knew it. "Jas. You should think about this.” He reached out for my hands on the table and I cringed. “First, you don’t get to call me that and lastly, there's nothing to think about.”"Don't act rashly, Jasmine. You can take a few days and...” “Have a nice day.” I pushed the chair backward, as the squishing sound made silly noises and drew unwanted attention to us. I avoided eye contact with a few of the staff that chose my business over theirs and wore a fake smile. The news of my demotion rocked the four walls of the hospital, and with my rep
JASMINE’S POV "No secrets; remember your pinky swear?" He scanned my face for any reactions. “Common, honey.” I sighed. "Like I said, it's nothing. What could possibly be wrong?” I threw the question back at him. "Anything..." He shrugged. "And in this case, I’m sure something is up.” He doesn't change his foot. I exhaled and groaned loudly, so he knew how frustrating this was getting. I thought I was gaining his sympathy until he chuckled and went silent. That's all?! I frowned. “Asher, you're beating yourself up for nothing.” I squeezed his arms roughly. "I’m fine.” I insisted. “You ain't fine, and we both know it.” His brows furrowed. Gush! Could this be any easier? For the umpteenth time, I told him I was fine, but he just wouldn't indulge me. And the more I didn't budge, the more he didn't go weak on his stance. He let go of my waist and started for the centre table. “Where are you going? This is the way to the kitchen, remember?” I rolled my eyes. He ignored me and kept u
Sebastian’s POV _I want her so bad..._ It scared the crap out of me as I would do anything and go to any length just to claim her... My hands beneath her thighs, where they belonged, her head peacefully laid on my bosom, and my nose buried in the length of her neck, as I sniffed her sweet vanilla scent. "You’re mine,” I murmured. If I can't have her, nobody would. I was ready to make up for all those years I hurt her so badly. I was naive and stupid and helpless. Everyone deserves a second chance, I won't be ripped off. Back then, she was this soft-spoken, calm, and quiet weak girl. Eight years was enough to change your whole personality. She was no longer the girl I knew her to be. The Jasmine I was faced with was fierce, stubborn, and more beautiful than I imagined. It made it even more difficult to think of the best way to win her over...She was a totally different person. Life was going fine for her, I didn't need a seer to know that; being in a big city, and a good doctor
Jasmine's POV _8: 00 AM_ I was already late and I was sure to get scolded by Brandy. _Silver paws and fur so wild,_ _A gentle heart, yet fierce and mild._ _Underneath the stars so high,_ _A lullaby for the moonlit sky._ “Argh.” I groaned, about to explode because I needed peace and quiet and the kids' singing was not helping matters. “Easy, darling.” Asher nudged my elbow. "They're just having fun.” “If fun means ruining my mental health, then I don't want it.” Asher just chuckled, having more tolerance than myself. They didn't seem to care as they jumped and clapped in excitement, with Emily taking the lead. She would definitely be the death of me aside from Sebastian. For about an hour and a half, we drove around the city, navigating our way through hounding traffic and road workers. I couldn’t keep up with the number of rules Asher broke ever since we started this less than two-hour journey. If I told him that the kids were watching and might pick up from this bad habit of h
Jasmine's POV _Miss Bianca?!_ Nurse Carol’s voice rang like a siren in my head. Miss Bianca, and emergency in the same sentence? I couldn't think what could possibly go wrong with her. I was her personal doctor, and we had a good relationship outside of the work environment. The last time she came, she did a full body check and she was doing just fine. It's just weeks after... Or was it an accident? “When did she arrive?” I spoke up for the first time even though my words mocked me after. She obviously came in a while ago. The hospital wasn't her home."Yeah, a while ago." Nurse Carol responded anyway and turned to leave. "Dear moon,” I murmured. "Please keep her safe.” Miss Bianca was such a sweet soul, and one client who would stick with you no matter how messy things got, just like she stayed true to me even after the scandal on the miracle doctor. In haste, I shoved Sebastian aside and hurried after Nurse Carol who led the way. My patient's health meant more to me, and if it
Jasmine's POV“In my office,” Brady instructed further. “Don't keep me waiting.” Stern gaze, chiselled jaws, and hands crossed behind his lanky frame, he walked out of my office. Not even an 'excuse or pardon.’ He nudged my shoulder with his, as he walked past me. Was I that invisible? That was a quarter of my worry right now, though. Brady didn't allow me to defend myself before he left, which meant there was no guarantee that I stood a chance for a fair fight in his office. How did my mistake get out of the operating room with such speed? Was I being watched all those while? I guess no one believed in me that much to allow me to handle something as basic as appendectomy without being watched like a dog. Or... My heart skipped meaningful beats. Was that freaking loser the one that sent Brady my errors? Was it Dr. Jenkins? Dr. Kylie? Nurse Sam? One of those desperate interns?... Brady had left for a while now, yet I was confused and on the same spot his shoulder shove kept me at.