Semua Bab Claiming My Father’s Best Friend : Bab 101 - Bab 110

ASTRIDI walk into the kitchen to grab a glass of water, expecting to see Laura bustling around in preparation for my parents’ anniversary but the scene that greets me is totally unexpected. Dad is at the stove, cooking, and Laura is working alongside him.Mom is sitting at the counter, sipping wine.I stop dead in my tracks. “Okay…um…I must’ve walked into the wrong house. Sorry to intrude!” I say dramatically, spinning on my heels to leave.Mom bursts out laughing. "Get back here, Astrid!" She reaches out, grabbing my arm and pulling me toward her. "You’re in the right house, silly."“Oh really? Mom, have you seen Dad anywhere?” Laura and Dad chuckle."What is going on?" I ask, my eyes darting to my dad, who looks oddly focused as he stirs something in a pot.Mom grins and takes another sip of her wine. "Since today is our anniversary, your father decided to surprise me today by making my favorite dish, just like he used to when we were dating."Dad chuckles without looking up fr

JORDAN“Double-check the schedule with the board,” I tell Nelson, rubbing a hand over my face. “If we can consolidate some of these meetings, I want to be in and out as fast as possible.”Nelson and I are going over the final details of our trip. The plan is to be there for two weeks, but God, if I could cut it down to a week... hell, even three days, I would. The idea of being away from Astrid for that long is already gnawing at me.Nelson chuckles on the other end. “What’s the rush? Italy’s a dream, boss. You should enjoy it.”I sigh. “Yeah, well, I’d rather be here.”“Already missing, Astrid.”“Shut up, Nelson.”The buzzer goes off. I glance at the time, past midnight. My brows furrow as I check the security monitor, and I see Astrid standing at the door.“Shit,” I mutter.“What?” Nelson asks.“It’s Astrid,” I say, still staring at the screen. It's late. How did she get here on her own? There’s a beat of silence before Nelson whistles. “Someone misses you already.”I smile, but t

JORDANI’m back, and I feel like I can finally breathe. I’m finally back. I can’t wait to have Astrid in my arms again. I can already picture her face when she sees me.The way her eyes will light up, the way her lips curl into that beautiful smile, and the inevitable squeal as she jumps into my arms.I check my watch. My driver is late. Great.Nelson stretches beside me, looking way too relaxed for someone who just spent hours on a plane. “You look like Astrid starved?”I shoot him a look. “Shut up, Nelson.”I’ve lost count on the number of times I nearly smack Nelson upside down because he took every chance he got to tease me about Astrid.“Seriously, you’re buzzing,” he notes, smirking. “Like a man who’s been starved for too long.”I shoot him a dry look. “Keep talking, and I’ll send you back to Italy. You know we left a lot of things undone.”“Heartless,” he mutters under his breath.I roll my eyes. “Why are you even still here?”“I’ll head to the office and wrap up the report be

ASTRIDI’ve heard stories about my dad and his ruthlessness, but last week was the first time I had witnessed it first hand and it was terrifying. It’s still is.Dad hasn’t said a word to me and it been a hellish three days since he dragged me from Jordan’s house and I haven’t heard from him. I don’t know if he survived dad’s beating.My heart bleeds for the way he took every blow and I know he would have fought back but he didn’t. Because of me.I’ve missed Jordan so much. With each day, the empty hole inside me grows bigger and deeper, and soon enough, it’ll swallow me whole.The walls of my room are already closing in on me, and if I sit still it will suffocate me. I’m slowly losing my mind. Dad took my phone so there’s no way to contact Jordan or hear any news regarding him.Dad promised to destroy him, and I know my father, he never makes empty threats.I can’t breathe in here. Every second that passes without knowing if Jordan is safe is eating me alive. Dad hasn’t allow me to t

ASTRIDI hear noises outside my window and glance over, my brows furrowing in confusion. People are moving about, carrying large bouquets of flowers; roses, lilies, and hydrangeas in soft pastels. I spot long white drapes, golden lanterns, and a team setting up fairy lights along the pathways. There’s even a towering floral arch being arranged by the entrance.What the hell is going on?No one told me about an event today. Then again, why would they? My parents barely speak to me anymore. Mom just looks sad. Like she’s carrying some invisible weight she can’t put down. I’ve caught her staring off into space more than once, her expression distant, troubled. It makes me wonder if she and my father have been fighting about me.Every time I try to enquire what the problem was, she would just leave without a word. Even the house staffs have been ordered not to speak to me.I tried once to have conversation with Laura but the way she flinched was enough to tell me that even she was terrif