All Chapters of My Dearest Beautiful Cousin: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

33 Chapters

COLD SHOWERS

ENOCHEnoch stood by the bed too long.Anna was already asleep again judging by her slow breathing, dark hair spread across the pillow like silk. He watched her chest rise and fall. Felt a dangerous twist in his gut.Dearest.The word she'd murmured against his shoulder still burned. For one moment in the dark hallway, he'd almost believed she knew who held her. That she wanted him to.He left before he did something unforgivable.The shower ran ice cold.Six years. That's how long he'd tried not to want her. Since her nineteenth birthday. She had been in a yellow dress that caught his attention like fire. Since he'd walked into his aunt's house, hed known that he was in serious trouble.She'd been laughing with her head tilted back. He'd stopped walking mid stride. Twenty-four years old and suddenly capable of nothing but staring at his cousin.He'd spent the years pretending it wasn't real. Sent birthday gifts. Avoided family gatherings. Built a company and told himself that was en

A TRIP TO READING

ANNA I cranked the volume on my phone the second we left the garage. K-pop slammed through the Tesla, the bass thumping against my ribs like a second heartbeat. Enoch didn’t say a word about it. He drove with steady hands on the wheel, while I curled my bare feet under me and let my green dress ride up my thighs. I tore open a packet of crisps and shoved it at him without looking. Our fingers brushed slightly. “Energy for the drive,” I said. “Thanks.” He said carefully. I popped one into my mouth and chewed hard. Another song dropped, and I caught myself singing under my breath before I shut it down. I offered him the next crisp straight to his tongue. My fingertips pressed against his lower lip and I held them there until his eyes flicked to mine. “They have no idea we’re coming,” I said. “Mum will probably be in her gardening clothes.” Enoch changed lanes smoothly. “They’ll survive the surprise.” “I hope so.” I stared at the road. “You’re walking in with me right?” “I br

The Confession

Anna sat at the scarred oak table, Enoch’s jacket still draped over her shoulders from the car ride. “Start from the beginning,” her mother said quietly. Anna opened her mouth, but the words stuck. She looked at Enoch instead. He sat beside her, his thigh pressed against hers under the table and rested one of his hands on the back of her chair. Anna saw her father's eyes narrow. “Jack cheated,” Anna said at last. Her voice sounded small in the familiar kitchen. “With Mia. For months. I found the messages the night I thought he was going to propose. Also found out he went behind my back at the company and claimed complete ownership. Then he tried to trap me at the company, and when I left. Mia showed up at my flat pregnant. Flashing a ring. Telling me he chose them.” Her mother gasped and the spoon clattered to the counter. “Pregnant?” she whispered. Anna nodded. She pulled out her phone with shaking fingers and slid it across the table. The screen was still open to Mia’s last te

First Day At Work: Male Drama

ANNAAnna stepped out of the black town car Enoch had sent for her and smoothed the front of her dress. The fabric clung to her waist and flared just enough to make her legs look endless. Wade Global’s glass tower gleamed in the weak London sun. She squared her shoulders and walked through the revolving doors. The lobby receptionist did a double-take. “Miss Wade? Mr. Wade said you’d be starting today. Top floor, private lift on the right.” Anna smiled politely and stepped into the elevator. The doors had barely closed when another body slipped in behind her. “Hello?” The voice was smooth and with an accent. She turned and found herself looking up at the beauty at the airport. Anna stared foolishly. She recognized him in an instant, bearing witness to how beautiful he was to remember. He was taller than she’d thought, with warm brown skin, sharp cheekbones, and a smile that looked like trouble wrapped in charm. Exactly the kind of beauty that belonged on her list. “Anna Wade

Date Number One: Mr Model

ANNAThe restaurant Enoch chose was all low lighting and black marble. He was beautiful. Candlelight flickered across the table where the six-foot-three Ghanaian model smiled at her like she was a prize.Kwame leaned forward, his deep voice warm and easy as he refilled her glass. “So tell me, Anna, what do you do when you are not stealing men’s breath away?”Anna laughed softly and took a sip of the rich red wine. “I work in marketing. Mostly campaigns for fashion brands, ironically enough. I spend my days convincing people that a scarf or a pair of shoes will change their whole life.”He chuckled and said. “I know that world too well. Last month in Milan I shot for three days straight in the rain. The creative director kept yelling that the wet look was intentional. I was just trying not to freeze.”She tilted her head, genuinely curious for a moment. “Was it worth it? All the freezing and the yelling?”“Worth it the second I saw the final images,” he said, pulling out his phone and

Date Number Two: Mr Actor

Enoch booked the private box at the theatre himself. The dark-haired, brooding, actor, fresh off a Netflix lead, was already waiting when Anna arrived in the silver slip dress Enoch had laid out for her.The play was good. The actor was better. During intermission he leaned close and whispered lines from the script against her ear. When the show ended he walked her out into the cold London night and kissed her slowly. He was skilled but Anna felt… nothing.She came home at midnight to find Enoch in the kitchen, shirt unbuttoned at the collar, pouring tea like he hadn’t been waiting for her.Anna kicked off her heels, the silver dress whispering against her thighs as she crossed the room. She walked straight to him, took the mug from his hand, and set it down on the marble with a soft click.“My date kissed me,” she said, voice husky from the wine and the night air. “Properly this time.”She stared at him with one raised brow, daring him.She stared at him with a raised brow as if ask

Office Gossip

ANNAAnna stood at her desk and stared at the top sheet someone had placed, right in front of her monitor. Her own words stared back at her, transcribed in clean black font, every slurred syllable captured for public consumption.Transcription: Voice Note – 2:17 AMCousiiiiin. You are so beautiful. Did anyone ever tell you that? … You are the number one on my list.Another sheet had her completed beauty list. List of men I'd let ruin me, with a blank space where Enoch's name should have been, left empty like a taunt.Her stomach twisted so hard she had to grip the edge of the desk. Her eyes stung, hot and urgent. She refused to let the tears fall. Not here. Not where everyone could see."She has the hots for her own cousin," one of the analysts whispered, loud enough for the whole row to hear. Three of them walked past Anna's desk with their heads bent together, performing discretion badly. "Can you imagine? After everything with Jack, now this?"Another shook her head slowly, pity th

Daniel's Move

ANNAShe followed him because the alternative was causing an even bigger scene. He walked her the short distance without letting go and shut the door behind them. Locked it with a quiet click.He then crowded her against the door without touching. Not a single inch of skin contact. The absence of it made her irritable."Are we going to talk about what happened last night?" His voice stayed cool. The same voice he used in board meetings.Anna's head snapped up. Anger flared hot and sudden under the shame, burning through the humiliation like a match to paper. "Really? That is what matters now?" She heard her own voice rising and didn't care. "The whole office just read my drunk confession that I want my cousin to ruin me, and you want to talk about last night's fight? The rumors are everywhere. People are laughing at me. Men are winking at me like I'm some kind of joke. And you stand there like none of it touches you."His eyes never wavered. They were dark and steady and completely, i

Trading Rumours.

ANNA Daniel was waiting by the elevators, where he'd said. He offered his arm with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. His eyes flicked over her shoulder towards Enoch's door, and she noticed."Rough morning?" he asked as they stepped into the elevator."You could say that." She forced a smile, and let him lead her to the cafeteria. He set the trays down and studied her face with an intensity that made her want to look away. Anna's fork stopped halfway to her mouth. "You heard the gossip, right?""Everyone's heard it, Anna." His voice was gentle. "But here's what I keep thinking about." He leaned forward, elbows on the table. "Am I delusional to think I might be on it too? Airport beauty, maybe?" The unexpected kindness of him, he wasn't judging her, made her laugh despite everything. "Don't worry, it'll pass." "I'll tell you those words, when it's your turn to be the topic of the gossip.” I scoffed and continued eating."Let me tell you mine, then you stop feeling sorry f

A Date With Daniel

ANNA Daniel’s thumb stayed on the inside of her wrist while the waiter slid the dessert menu between them. The touch was warm, steady, the kind of contact that should have felt like progress. She left her hand exactly where it was and ordered the chocolate torte because it looked rich enough to distract her. He launched into another story about a deal that had gone sideways in Milan. She laughed at the punchline, the sound bright and automatic, the same laugh she had perfected for client dinners back when she still believed Jack’s version of the future. Her mind, though, had already left the table. It was upstairs in the penthouse, picturing Enoch reading her text. Don’t wait up. She had typed it fast in the cafeteria, right after saying yes to Daniel, right after the knot in her chest had tightened into something sharp and useful. She had wanted the words to sting. She had wanted them to land. Now they sat in her stomach like the wine she had drunk too quickly. Daniel paid

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