Anne sighed as she closed the bakery, desperately hoping she hadn't just closed it forever. She felt exhausted, mentally and physically. Her last order had been testing but she'd put in her all.
Her chest felt heavy as she went home, thoughts of having to depend on her grandmother once again, weighing her down.After losing her both parents within months of each other, Anne's monthly visits to her grandmother's had become permanent. She blamed herself for their deaths. Her father had died of a heart attack not long after she gave him news she was pregnant and her mother had grown thinner each day after, wasting away so badly that when she died it was like she'd already been dead for a long time.Anne had just had her babies then and with no support from anyone else, she'd felt so alone in the world. She'd spent each day staring out the window, neither eating nor feeding her babies until her grandmother forced her to. She thought of her life each day, her hatred for the Ingram family growing and growing, constantly blaming him for everything.It took her over a year to come out of her shell. When she saw how much her twins needed her, she knew she had to step up. The bakery had been funded and partly managed by her grandmother and it had blossomed at the beginning, but when the old woman fell ill and the responsibility fell solely on Anne, the bakery began falling apart.She knocked on the door of the home they all shared and waited. Two little boys sprang out and at once were all over her. Her babies. They were the light of her day. She immediately felt ten times better."Mum! Grandma didn't let us do anything fun…""Why don't you let us come with you…"It was like this everyday. She truly wished she could take her boys everywhere with her. Her grandmother was old and the stress of maintaining two five year old boys was definitely hassling for her, even though she never complained."Boys. Won't you let your mother rest?" Her grandmother scolded. She limped into the room with a soup spoon in her hand. "How did it go with the inspectors, hun?"Anne sighed. She didn't want her to worry but she deserved to know the truth. She bent till she was face to face with her boys who were on either side of her, squeezing her hands."Sweeties, why don't you go in and wait for mummy. I'll be right with you okay?" She implored them."That's what you always say!" Damien, the older twin screamed and dashed up the stairs."Damien." She called, but she only heard his light footsteps upstairs.Daniel, her younger twin stared at her with big deep blue eyes, still holding her hand. She felt like she was staring at Asher and she shut her eyes."Please Danny, you have to understand. Mummy has a lot on her mind and…""You never want to be with us anymore." He murmured accusatorily, pulling his hand from hers and following his brother.Anne watched him go and felt like a terrible parent. She hated the fact that her sensitive sons thought she didn't care for them. The bakery took almost her entire day everyday and yet there was literally nothing to show for it. She was extremely low on cash, with loans she really needed to take care of. It would probably have been better if she hadn't had the job at all but was there for her kids."You know you can tell me all about it." Her grandmother said, holding her close, and she let herself cry.***The good news came at night and Anne flipped. She'd just received an order, despite her negative reviews. The client probably hadn't checked them yet. The order was specific; the exact replica of the cake she'd prepared a few days ago, but as a batch of cupcakes. The client must have surely been at Jake's brother's party.As early as six in the morning, she was dressed for work. She kissed her sleeping sons goodbye, leaving them with promises they couldn't hear.At the bakery, she got straight to work. This was a recipe she knew like the palm of her hand, so making it was a no brainer, however, she regretted having asked Jake to take the day off. Jake usually handled the deliveries with his truck as she couldn't afford to pay the delivery fees each time.This meant she would have to deliver it herself and she was not looking forward to it.She drove to the address she was given and marveled at the sight. The house was gigantic. No wonder whomever it was had readily offered double the price to have it delivered directly to him.The gatekeeper easily let her into the building immediately he saw the small parcel she was holding. Her fingers lightly brushed the perfectly trimmed hedges as her mind went over the place, feeling fear. The last time she'd been at a mansion, bad things had happened. Her heart began to pound but she calmed herself down. This was nothing like the last time.She took her phone out and dialed his number."Come into the house. The front door is not difficult to spot." His deep voice said on the other end and she suddenly felt chilly."But…" she began, feeling uneasy. Coming into the compound was one thing but going into the house… anything could happen."I know you're skeptical but I can't walk right now. I'll give you a tip for your trouble. How does a thousand dollars sound?"Her eyes popped as she imagined all the things a thousand dollars could do for her. It was suspicious, but it didn't change the fact that she desperately needed money, and if some guy in a mansion who probably spent more than that amount everyday was her way to get that money, she would take it.She convinced herself nothing would happen. Her grandmother had access to every order that came so that meant she also had his address in case anything happened to her."Okay." She said, walking in and feeling like she's just signed a deal with the devil.****When Anne agreed to his odd request of coming into the house, Asher released the breath he didn't know he had been holding. She must have been really struggling just as Jake had told him, since tiny change like a thousand dollars had silenced her skepticism immediately. He'd been willing to pay more, but he didn't want her to become suspicious.He was happy he'd decided to work from home that day as he was afraid she wouldn't have come herself if she knew she would be delivering to the current CEO of Ingram Corporations.He had wanted to get more information about her from Jake, but the guy was a blabbermouth. He didn't want her wondering who wanted to know so much about her.For some reason, he felt uneasy when he heard his iron door open, then footsteps. His body was on edge. She was actually coming.When she stood before him, he noticed all her changes in emotion; recognition, confusion and then anger. The cake parcel fell out of her hands, her face contorted in anger. He'd expected a negative reaction, but not this quickly."You bastard!" She said, seething, pointing at him.He crossed his arms, looking at ease, despite the extreme storm going on inside him.He didn't know what he had expected to happen, but this wasn't it.Anne felt all kinds of emotions at once. She was standing face to face with the man who'd single handedly ruined her life in one day and had never turned back. He had left her pregnant, humiliated, alone, while he enjoyed his perfect life. She'd had to quit school indefinitely in order to take care of the kids, his kids. He hadn't shown interest even after she'd sent him dozens of messages, emails and calls he never responded to. She'd received nothing following her parent's death, only news that all her father's property had been willed to some mystery brother she hadn't known she had. Her mother had been too depressed to even notice or complain. Now she was standing face to face with the man she hated most in the world but she didn't know what to do, how to translate her feelings into words.She thought of him everyday. The hurtful things she'd say to him whenever she'd meet him, how terrible she'd make him feel just like he'd done to her. She'd always imagined she'd be extremely w
After a long day of sitting down at the long conference table, listening to old men who happened to be the board of directors, speak about the things he already knew, for hours, Asher was more than due for a break. He knew he'd already begun to accomplish more than his father had as CEO, and the constant get togethers were just excuses to remind him of his superiors. He'd had to stay. He couldn't bear them going back up to his father and giving the old man a reason to see him sooner than he needed to. Strangely, after the meeting, Asher did not feel like partying or seeing anyone. That was not all true, though. He felt like seeing one person, but he doubted she'd ever agree to come if she knew it was him, judging from her actions the last time. He came up with an idea. A few hours after he'd placed an order, a different one this time in order not to raise any unnecessary suspicion, he'd placed the delivery address to a different mansion of his which he rarely used. There was really
Her skin came alive under his touch, exploring every inch of her body while he kissed her neck, making waves pool beneath her stomach. She writhed underneath him, paving the way for his torturous pleasure. His lips left her neck and moved slowly downward, leaving kisses in their wake, making her go mad with anticipation. He took one tweaked nipple in his mouth, tasting then sucking on the budded flesh. His fingers trailed the center of her moist womanhood, making her cry out. A finger stretched her open, then two until she felt she couldn't take it anymore. "Are you ready for me?" He asked out of breath. She nodded, pulling him in. Anna woke up with a start, feeling hot all over. It'd been months since she'd had such a vivid dream. Rubbing her eyes, she glanced around at the room, getting confused. The room was unfamiliar. Her fingers trembled and she felt her legs give way even on the very plush bed she was on. This wasn't right. Where was she? Where were her children? What had
Oh my God. This can't be happening." Anne muttered, trembling. "Calm down, girl. It's not the end of the world." Lola said, holding her shoulders. "Although the rest of the article says you're either a crazy fan obsessed with him or just some prostitute he's paying. I didn't know they were allowed to use such words.""Yeah." Jake said, finishing up the cake and giving Lola a look."Look at it this way. If this blows up and people recognize you, then it will be good for business.""That's not the kind of reputation I want to have. Anyone who sees that would assume I'm one of those cheap girls who sleep with millionaires." "Billionaire actually." Lola said and got a sour look from Gabby. "What? If you're going to say it then say it right. The man has a whole empire, several mansions, the most successful company in this state. I wouldn't mind if someone took a photo of me sneaking out. Like hell, I'd even do it myself. " "Don't pay her much mind. We all know Lola's a whore." Gabby sai
Asher was with his father again on one of those compulsory weekly visits he'd devoted for him, wishing he was anywhere but there, yet again. The old man's condition was worsening, and with it came his incessant demand that Asher have a son. The man was nothing but a pest, Asher thought, staring at the machine that kept his father alive. "I understand the problem, Asher. You don't think any woman is worthy. I don't either." His father spoke up, each word sounding like a sickly croak. "Like your sisters. They have been nothing but leeches to me, such regrettable investments." Asher was fuming. He didn't want a woman, because he knew a lot of them only wanted him for his money, but he would be damned if his father ever thought they were alike. His father hated women, even his daughters, so much that the only reasonable jobs in his company were never given to women. It was something Asher had begun to change and he was already seeing more female investors who had avoided the company b
His touch was feathery soft, a sharp contrast to his hard features. Beneath that exterior was a tender, almost vulnerable part of him she'd never seen before. He looked bad, well as bad as someone like him could possibly look. With his roughly tousled hair and stubby chin, he still looked better than any man she'd seen. "What do you mean?" She asked, frowning a little. This man had insulted her, she reminded herself. He stared at her for a long moment, without saying anything. He looked down to where both their hands were still entangled together, neither making any moves to remove it."I'll get the menu." She said and left as fast as she could.She sifted through a few of the piles of books she'd already been packing, in search of the menu when she felt a presence."I just wanna talk." He said, his voice deeper than usual, making her stomach turn. "About?" She answered as casually as she could. She was a bundle of nerves inside and she'd be damned if he even got as much as a whif
Anne gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. She'd thought they were safe when she'd pulled Asher into the store room with her, but the clear picture of both of them in the article which looked like they were making out, meant that those slimy reporters had gotten what they wanted. She couldn't let Trevor see this. He wouldn't understand. He already thought she was cheating, but with this article, it would be all the evidence he needed. Her heart pounded in her chest. It was from Times Arizona, the biggest news corporation in the city. Definitely, anyone who read that article would think she was just some clear shot golddigger who had managed to worm her way up to the richest billionaire in the state.She dialed the number Asher had used to make orders but the automated voice kept announcing he was unreachable. She was a mom for god's sake. Children in school were mean. Her kids had already been taunted in the past for not having a dad. She knew it would be worse if they believ
I didn't know he'd act that way, I wouldn't have brought him in…" Gabby trailed behind Anne, trying to apologize."Leave me the fuck alone. You were well aware of what you were doing." She knew her anger should not have been directed at her best friend, but when the tears threatened to give out, she knew she had to let out the emotions somehow, on someone. "What's happening?" Lola asked, reading the tension when they both got into the baking room. "Trevor came and…" "I don't want to talk about it." Anne cut her off. "There aren't a lot of people out there anymore. I think I can manage well on my own, you can all go home." "If there's something wrong you know you can always…" Jake began, coming closer."For god's sake I just want to be alone!" She screamed, shocking everyone within and outside the room into silence. One by one, everyone began to leave, no one wanting to get on her bad side. Everyone except Jake, who wouldn't budge. She left him, deciding it was best as long as he