The phone call dropped and I bit my bottom lip for a few seconds before releasing it. I then took in a deep breath, released it, and headed for the door. I needed to tell Sterling that his brother was coming over. I knew that they did not get along as they used to when they were kids. They may have looked identical but they were very different people. I opened the door and stepped out. I still needed to take a shower but I needed to warn Sterling about his brother coming over first. When I reached the stairs, it did not take much walking for me to see him sitting at the dining table with his laptop open. He did not even notice me until I sat at the table. “Oh, hey.” He smiled brightly, and I hated that I stared at his smile for a few more seconds than I should have. “I thought you would have been getting ready for bed.” He chuckled. “Did you change your mind?” He asked. I shook my head. “Oh, no. It’s not that. It’s just that I would like to tell you something.” I cleared my throa

I released a short sigh and tightened the towel warped around my naked body. “What do you want, Sterling?” I walked deeper into the room and sat on the bed. The hair fell onto my shoulders and was dry because of the hair cap I used in the shower.Samuel watched us, also waiting to hear what his brother had to say. He only had on pajama pants and his hair was messy. It was obvious that Sterling has already showered and gotten ready. He was dressed as if he was ready to go to a business meeting. His hair was styled perfectly and his suit was a deeper color of blue. His fit body complimented the suit. In short, he looked really good and I had to remember that Samuel was right here so I had to stop ogling his brother. He ran his eyes over me, and an emotion flashed across his face for a second before it became hard again. I tried to recognize the emotion but it was gone as quickly as it came. “Alone. I need to talk to you alone.” “Wh-what?” I chuckled lightly. “Whatever you want to sa

The car came to a stop right in front of a brick building. We had driven a little over two hours to get there, but at least we were finally there. Summer was already outside, standing at the door. I was no longer sobbing; my tears had dried, and I felt much better now that I had exploded and let it all out. I opened my side of the door and got out of the car. After my breakdown, we had not really said anything to each other. Sterling was quiet. Samuel was quiet. And I was too. When the others got down from the car, the doors were closed and locked. I led the way to the house while they followed. “Hi,” I said to Summer and flashed her a small smile. I sniffled dryly and breathed out a sigh as I waited for a response from her. “Are you okay? You look like you were crying,” She pointed out and I chuckled nervously. “But it’s okay, you don’t have to explain yourself to me.” She smiled back. “Hey.” Samuel nodded toward Summer. “It’s been a while, innit?” Summer scoffed lightly and s

I stood to my feet and paced the living room as I chewed mentally on all that Summer had told me. To be honest, it crossed my mind that maybe she could even be playing us and just telling us what she thinks that we want to hear.But again, I did not think she was. Everything she was saying was adding up. This was the chance to finally not be in the dark.“We already have money and power. The Smiths are one of the richest families in the world,” I explained to Summer. “We already have generational wealth.”“Yeah, but your mom wants more. She always told me that everything she did was for the greater good. She planned the contract marriage and allowed it to play out just how she wanted.” “Is my dad part of any of this?”She shook her head slowly. “I don't think so. He’s oblivious to it all. You and I know that your family merged one of their biggest companies with one of the biggest companies of the Williams. And just a few months after that, you people get conned? It was all Mrs. Smit

Laying on Samuel’s chest had me feeling a sense of normalcy and security. It reminded me of the good old days; of how things used to be so simple and almost perfect. “Okay, let’s talk about it. Letting fear paralyze you from making a decision does nothing good for you. You would still have to make that decision. And the longer you wait, the more complicated and uncomfortable things would get,” Samuel explained. “And if you wait even longer, life would make the decision for you. And we all know that life tends to do things that are unfair and messy. So, let’s go. We are going to talk this out like we used to do with everything that came out way. And you are going to make a decision,” He continued. The cloud of anxiety and fear hovering over my heart was still evident but I felt like I gained a little more control after Samuel’s speech. “Gosh, I love you so much.” I giggled, and he planted a kiss on my forehead. “And as you, my love for you only grows stronger by the day.” His voice