SAVANNAH “Savi?” Wesley called out as he knocked. “Hurry!” “Coming!” I shouted back. I put on a pair of pearl earrings to match my Grecian maxi white dress. The straps hung on my shoulders with a racy V-cut on the cleavage and had a side split at my right upper thigh down on my leg. My back was half bare, but a strip of gold chain connected to the other side to keep it from falling off. I didn’t wear any necklace. I liked the way my neck was also bare. I let my hair fall on my shoulders with the right curls and wore six-inch because it emphasized my butt when I walked. For the final touch, I swiped a red lipstick and hurried outside. I was now ready for the party. “What’s taking you so long?” he complained, but Riley slapped his arm. “You boys should know by now what it means for us girls to dress up,” she said. I grinned. “Yeah, because you’re not bad yourself.” Wes looked debonair tonight in Brioni tux. With a body and handsome face to flaunt, I rarely saw him less than gorgeou
SAVANNAH I looked around before I asked Rafael. “What are you doing here?” He smirked. I wasn’t sure what he was smirking about, but his gaze slightly dropped to my breasts—to my low-cut V line. “What do you think?” I blinked. Was he playing with me? How was I supposed to know that? My only guess was he, too, was an invited guest. Was he some sort of celebrity I didn’t know? Because how could someone be so breathtaking? And how the hell didn’t I know about him yet? If thoughts had a sound, he already heard me squeal. I couldn’t take my eyes off his face. “I don’t know.” I chuckled, shaking my head. I couldn’t believe I had got to see him again. Was this fate? Others would call it ridiculous, but I was the kind of person who believed in that. “I’m here for work. You?” “You work for PeekFlix?” He sounded interested. “Oh, no. But I heard we are looking forward to it.” His eyes narrowed. “Who’s we?” I wasn’t probably making any sense, but that wasn’t so important. I was bewildered
SAVANNAHI sobbed on Rafael’s shoulder for what seemed like forever. His embrace felt good that a silent comfort rushed through me. I fit against him perfectly. He stroked my back, hushing me softly. His hold was strong but careful that it was comforting, making my heart beat faster.When a bit of the ache diminished, I broke back first.“I’m sorry. That’s very unprofessional.”He chuckled, and the sound was light and genuine.I furrowed my brow, confused if he thought this was funny. He probably saw everything back there. I pouted. “Don’t laugh.”“I’m not.” He smiled. “I just think you’re cute.”I hid my face in embarrassment. “It’s just... I want to go home.”“I’ll drive you.” He sprang up and pulled out his phone from his pocket.I stood back up to my full height so I could react. “Wait.” I held his arm, but I wasn’t sure I was allowed, so I released him.I had so many questions. I wished to know if he was Carter’s brother. There should be no other Rafael Sebastian at this party, r
SAVANNAHThe River Café was a restaurant under the Brooklyn Bridge. Its riverside location exhibited the gorgeous New York City skyline views. They offered classic American cuisines and various outstanding wine lists on the menu. The place was one of my favorite spots where Edward bent on his knee and proposed. Everywhere I went, the ghost of my past followed me.Live piano music was playing when we entered the elegant fine dining room. Daniel, the maître d’, greeted him with a firm handshake and a good evening. Rafael answered him warmly.“Have you been here before?” I asked.“Yes, once.”The headwaiter greeted me politely and then led us to the back of the side, where he provided us with his best and most romantic table for two by the window. It took Edward two months to get a table at this place, but Rafael could enter here without one.Daniel asked me if I would like a bottle of their vintage red wine. Rafael answered he would be delighted with whatever he would offer. I thanked t
RAFAEL“Hey, bro.” Carter entered my office after a knock. “You disappeared from the party. Emilio was looking for you.” He pulled a chair in front of my desk and sat.“I went somewhere.” I passed the documents I was working on to Billy. “Give this to Adam.”“You have a ten o’clock today with Mr. Oliver Katrakis of G&E Enterprises, sir. He’s already in the meeting room,” my assistant reminded me, trying to say I didn’t have much time to chat with my brother.“Five minutes, Billy.” G&E Enterprises was a potential partner to open my technology division. Their reputation in the industry was close to my requirements.My assistant nodded and greeted Carter before he left.“I had to make reasons, do you know that?” my brother went on with the questioning. He looked somewhat pissed. I could imagine his restlessness in front of the Mexican businessman. He was still young in the business, after all.“What did you say to him?”“What else should I say? That you had a more pressing matter to atte
SAVANNAHI sat across from Edward in the restaurant where he ended it all and the same place where I saw Sofia and insulted me. There was no way I’d ask Edward to meet me near my office.“Is this necessary?” he asked after a few minutes of gawking.“You know why I asked to come here.” I folded my arms across my chest. “We’ll talk eventually, anyway, and I’m ready for whatever this is. I just need you to tell me everything.”“You’re looking better. You’re getting used to this,” he said out of nowhere, staring at my face. Then he picked up his cup of espresso and took a sip. “What do you want to talk about?”I could say the same thing. Edward’s features looked younger than I remembered him. It wasn’t his skin or the outfit since he always wore suits; it was the expression. He looked well-rested and... well, happy. That was exactly what shattered me: that he was obviously not happy with our marriage anymore.“I’ll say what I want to say first. I need my house back. Michael gave almost ev
RAFAEL I struck out my racket, took a split-step in the center of the court, and then hit the ball back to my opponent. The rhythm of our rallies kept going; neither my competitive challenger nor I were backing down. Tennis was my best sport whenever I needed to clear my head. There were a few of them that kept messing with my rationality: Dad’s retirement and his impossible request, PeekFlix, and Carter’s delectable assistant. I’d avoided my father over the past few days. I deliberately didn’t come to their house over the weakened when I usually did to evade further discussion about marriage. I still thought it was ridiculous. I had a meeting with Emilio tomorrow evening. Carter arranged it for me with Sue, so it was all good. It seemed they were interested in what I’d been offering them so far. He still couldn’t decide, which meant he was still considering New Star and Dragon’s Gate. As for Savannah, I still had difficulty getting her out of my system, knowing she was just a flo
SAVANNAH“This is outrageous!” I tossed my phone on the bed, frustrated at seeing the article about me and Rafael Sebastian. There was even a picture of Micheal’s house on the page. “This is my fault. I dragged him into my mess.” I walked back and forth across Riley’s bedroom. I was staying in the Allen sibling’s apartment in Manhattan until I found a place to move in.“Can you please sit down? My head feels like breaking watching you right now. This can’t be just your fault. The guy is practically a celebrity,” Riley said. I told her everything I had already spoken to Wesley, so she knew the whole story about Rafael and then Sofia and Edward’s infidelity.I perched next to her. “Well, my face is blurred. I shouldn’t have let him drive me home. Michael will be furious if he sees this.”“He won’t find out. You know Michael isn’t interested in internet gossip.”“I’ll apologize to Rafe tomorrow.” I buried my face in my palms. “God! It’s embarrassing.”“Or don’t.” Wesley entered, already