《One Night Stand Gone Wrong》


 Chapter 1 Saving the man

    Arielle Ward was 5¡å3¡ä, a green-eyed, 29-year-old woman who had not enjoyed a single day of her life ¨C at least as far as she can remember. For the 20 or so years that she could recall, she was always busy ¨C barely sleeping for 5 hours a day, always studying, always working, always doing chores, always hustling.


    Finally, at 29, she became financially secure enough to take the first vacation of her life. She decided to go big as her first-ever vacation had happened so incrediblyte.


    She was idling in the open-rooftop bar of a seven-star hotel where she was staying.


    She sipped her cocktail, leaning against the counter as she watched the happening crowd.


    The groups and the pairs were quite eye-catching, and barely a few people were alone like her. But that did not bother her at all. As someone who had been hustling her entire life, she never had time to make friends or party. Being alone was herfort ce.


    However, her quiet musings got interrupted when a 6¡±4¡ä extremely eye-catching man wrapped his arms around her waist and tugged her close.


    She could smell his masculine perfume and feel the ridges of his toned body. However, instead of the usual reaction expected by the man, she was irritated.


    She had no interest in men. Her family had a few, which made her never want to get acquainted with another, not to mention those sexist pigs she had had to deal with at work.


    She frowned and tried to push him away, only for him to lean into her and whisper in her ear, ¡°y along, please. I don¡¯t want to be harassed by strangers.¡±


    She stiffened at his deep baritone and blinked several times as she scanned the crowd. Sure enough, a few women were staring daggers at her. The woman who had been trying to pry the man away had stiffened.


    ¡°Honey, what took you so long?¡± She turned around and asked with a pout which she hoped was convincing.


    It probably wasn¡¯t, as the man looked at her with a smile before he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer still, making her clench her fists and close her mouth to hide her gritted teeth and fake a smile.


    The woman turned around, and he led her away from the clingy one.


    ¡°You are a lifesaver. Thank you so much!¡± He said as he detached himself from her.


    Thomas Payne was the 6¡å4¡ä blue-eyed 30-year golden bachelor who had turned his family business upside down, doubled the profits, cleared up all debts, cut off all bad investments, and made a ton of changes since he inherited thepany five years back.


    After grueling five years of work and several years of studies, he was exhausted ¨C mind and body.


    Hence, he was trying to rx in the bar of the seven-star hotel where he was staying.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    He scanned the crowd, and his eyes caught a beautiful green-eyed woman with long legs, bubble butt, and thin waist, but barely any breast. She was standing in the crowd, but she was not a part of it.


    Her eyes held an unnatural detachment, but she seemed to be enjoying herself all the same.


    He watched as she frowned whenever someone approached her, and she refused everyone without even looking at them.


    Thomas felt drawn to the woman as he thought they were the same type. But he was in no mood for an entanglement.


    However, his musings were interrupted. One of thedies who had been eyeing him for a long time decided to make a move. He refused her politely but firmly, yet she seemed determined to score him.


    Irritated, he excused himself and went to another ce to enjoy solitude in the crowded bar, but the youngdy found him all the same.


    Then a sudden idea came to him, and he made his way towards the green-eyed detached beauty.


    He asked her to save him as he noticed her resistance. Somehow his plea for help worked. She did help him, albeit reluctantly.


    It was a first for Thomas. Throughout the years, he had been used to girls throwing themselves at him. He had begun to expect that as a normal reaction from the opposite sex.


    Seeing her indifference and resistance, he was pleasantly surprised.


    Even more surprising was how she heaved a sigh and scanned around to leave him as soon as he let her go.


    That made him want to get to know her, so he proposed an arrangement.


    ¡°Hey! Why don¡¯t we stick together? I had noticed that you kept getting bothered by unwanted advances the same as me. So, let¡¯s sit together and mind our own business. That way, we both get rid of the nuisance.¡±


    That made her squint at him as she scanned him from head to toe.


    Arielle looked at the man who was spouting nonsense and carefully observed him for the first time.


    He was one of the fair few people in that bar who was alone, and he did not seem the type who was looking for a hookup.


    Arielle could see he must be telling the truth since he was good-looking enough to have women drooling over him. He was wearing low-key expensive brands and had that air about him that spelled old money. He would have had no trouble finding a good fuck.


    As such, she agreed, ¡°I am Elle.¡±


    Thomas watched the wheels turn in her head before she finally decided and offered her name.


    ¡°I am Tom,¡± He offered as concisely as she had. They both could tell that it was not their real names, but neither was interested to know the truth, so they did not bother.


    Thomas led her to a secluded corner that was an open space and ordered drinks for himself before turning to her.


    Arielle did the same and turned around as she watched the crowd. She let her thoughts drift away.


    She was pulled back to reality as Thomas patted her hand and gestured towards the counter where the bartender was trying to grab her attention.


    She gave the bartender a sheepish smile and an honest apology.


    The bartender waved it off and asked a few questions politely. She answered as truthfully as she wasfortable and asked him about the city.


    The happening corners, the quiet ces, and the general things to do. Something not overly touristy.


    Arielle had arrived the day before, and she had covered most of the tourist-crowded ces. That had rather bored her.


    The bartenderughed at her question and answered her good-naturedly.


    She thanked him with a smile and turned around to continue her musings.


    Thomas looked at the girl ¨C more than a foot shorter than him and overtly uninterested.


    That piqued his interest, and he decided to disturb her again.

 Chapter 2 Virgin?

    Arielle was, once again, interrupted by the blue-eyed hunk beside her who kept asking her this and that.


    Despite her irritation, she was relieved to find that he was asking vague questions. He had not asked anything specific like her name. Or the hotel she was staying in, where she was from, or anything of the sort.


    ¡°Tom, right? I think you said that we would mind our own business.¡±


    ¡°Well, we should at least keep the appearances of being together.¡± He answered with a shrug which made her frown.


    She looked around, and, sure enough, some flies had started buzzing around them already.


    Exasperated, she leaned closer to him and smiled at him.


    Thomas was distracted by her fake smile as hepared it with the real one she had shed to the bartender.


    ¡°How about this? Let¡¯s chat a bit, but no personal questions,¡± Thomas proposed with a hint of anticipation.


    She grunted her agreement.


    ¡°This must be your first vacation in a long time,¡± Thomas remarked.


    ¡°Well, this is my first vacation ever. Or at least as far as I can remember. What about you?¡±


    Since they had decided to chit-chat, Arielle decided to talk. There was no harm in sharing some titbits of her life as long as she left the details blurry.


    ¡°Are you kidding? The first-ever, and here I thought I was pathetic, this is my first vacation in more than a decade,¡± Thomas eximed, not minding his words.


    That was one of the perks of talking to a stranger he would part ways with shortly after. He could be himself without minding a dozen things at once.


    Arielle rolled her eyes, ¡°Thanks for calling me pathetic. Just what I wanted to hear from a stranger. I was busy. Studies, work, debt, sick family, more work, more studies.¡±


    Thomas felt bad for the girl as she shrugged off her tiring life.


    ¡°What about you?¡± she asked him.


    Thomas could tell she was just being polite. She had no interest in him at all.


    And that made him want to answer truthfully, so he did.


    ¡°I had myst trip during college. A group of ssmates, along with my then-girlfriend, who I had considered the love of my life. I overheard her talking to her ssmate and telling her that she was dating me despite how ugly I was because she wanted to use me to connect with the guy who was the heir to apany. Then, she went on and on, dissing me, including some very personal details. I was heartbroken, or so I thought I felt at the time. Regardless, I had realized why my grandmother had insisted that I cover my appearances and hide my background. I broke up with her, focused on my studies, and got busy with life.¡±


    ¡°Well, that was harsh!¡± She said indifferently.


    Thomas had never shared this with anyone, not even his best friend. The first person he opened his broken heart to indifferently brushed it off with a casualment.


    ¡°Well, better to find out soon thanter, I guess.¡±


    He barely managed to string a sentence, but as he said it, he realized he was undoubtedly lucky to have seen through her earlier.


    Thomas wondered why he wanted to be truthful with her but shrugged it off. Her indifference was lethally attractive, perhaps, because he could tell it was not an act.


    But maybe because he had been honest, she opened up as well ¨C albeit only slightly. And the night went on between cocktails and conversations as they lost themselves to the irresistible chemistry they shared.ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    Arielle sobered up a bit when she felt a cooling sensation on her breasts, followed by a wet warmth. Something that she had never felt before.


    Arielle wondered how she managed to go from ignoring the guy to opening up to him to making out with him to getting a room together to the foreign sensation that spread around her chest and went straight between her legs.


    But he was exceptionally skilled with his tongue, and she lost herself again as she moaned aloud.


    Thomas kissed and caressed every inch of her skin, but the more he touched her, the more insatiable he became.


    He wanted to brand her with himself, and he looked up to see her a moaning mess that turned him on like nothing before.


    Arielle, inexperienced as she was, let him lead her to euphoria. With every sensation grew the urge to touch him and return the favor, which she gave in to, much to Thomas¡¯s pleasure.


    Arielle kissed him and wed at his torso and back, feeling every ridge of his muscles, admiring his shape, and leaving hickeys in her wake.


    But when she took off his boxers, she froze.


    She shouted before she could help herself, ¡°Oh My God! It is never going to fit.¡±


    Thomas felt gratified at thepliment but seeing her horrified face devoid of all the lust that had been ringly apparent a few seconds before made him realize something.


    ¡®No wonder she was so tight! Even my finger got squeezed.¡¯


    Thomas looked at her, his hard-on bingid at the thought.


    ¡°You are a virgin!¡± He said with a sigh.


    Arielle came to her senses at his words and the sight of his hardened shaft slowly softening.


    ¡°What¡¯s with a sigh? Why would that bother you?¡± She asked, confused.


    ¡°Why would it not? I feel like I have taken advantage of you,¡± He ran his hands on his hair and tried to focus anywhere but on her naked body. He had littered her with hickeys.


    ¡°Well, I am twenty-nine, not neen, nor a minor,¡± she said with a frown.


    ¡°Look, I am sorry, okay. I was not nning on getting on with anyone. I was just curious about you. One thing led to another, and here we are. I should not have done that.¡±


    Thomas could not deny he was attracted to her, but he instinctively thought that if a girl was keeping her virginity until 29, it was not to waste it on a one-night stand. He did not want to mess her up.


    Arielle, on the other hand, was offended.


    She did not find anything wrong with being a virgin. She was too busy, and now she had the time, and he had made her feel so fucking good she wanted to have a taste.


    But his every word was killing the mood.

 Chapter 3 I promise I will make it up to you

    The next day, Arielle and Thomas¡¯s rms rang together.


    After a lot of bickering and shouting, they had fallen asleep exhausted and in a bad mood. They both grunted at once before reaching for their phones.


    Both jerked awake as they felt a human beside them instead of an empty bed.


    ¡°Oh, dear God!¡± She eximed.


    ¡°Damn!¡± He sighed.


    Arielle turned off her rm and yawned, ¡°It¡¯s too early to wake up while on vacation. Let¡¯s get some more sleep.¡±


    She fell asleep again without realizing that she had said it like they were a couple on vacation together.


    Thomas, having realized it, curled his lips in a smile and pulled her in his arms before going back to sleep.


    The next time he woke up when he heard a door close. His arms were empty, and he could hear movements in the bathroom.


    He wrote a quick note and left, hoping she would still be there upon his return.


    Arielle came out of the bathroom to an empty room. She spied a note that read, ¡°I have ordered breakfast. Let¡¯s eat together. I will be right back, don¡¯t leave yet.¡±


    She raised her brows and left, hoping to be back before he did.


    Several minutester, two lifts opened, and two people exited together. They froze seeing each other.


    Thomas and Arielle had both showered and changed.


    ¡°You stay in the Presidential Suite. What a waste of money getting this room!¡± She said, not surprised at seeing him exit the elevator that led exclusively to the Presidential Suite.


    ¡°I did not know you stayed in the same hotel. No wonder we were both in the bar.¡± Thomasmented, ignoring herment. He knew she was just making an observation and was not interested in him or his money.


    They both entered the room and had a sumptuous breakfast amidst light-hearted conversation and increasing embarrassment.


    ¡°Listen, I am sorry about yesterday. I don¡¯t know why it spooked me so much when I should have been privileged.¡±


    Thomas mustered the courage to broach the topic and truthfully said what was in his mind.


    ¡°That¡¯s alright,¡± Arielle replied honestly.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I was on a mission to do it. Anyway, it was nice meeting you. We should both go and stick to our itineraries.¡±


    Arielle had calmed down and realized they were acting like idiots the previous night. It was not something bothersome.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hang out. I promise I will make it up to you. You can ditch me any time you don¡¯t have fun.¡±


    Thomas proposed surprising her and himself.


    Later at night!


    Arielley on her back on the boat in the middle of the ocean amongst stars and waves. She could not help but think that he did more than makeup for the previous night.


    It was the best day of her vacation so far. She had not thought she would enjoy herself so much. And he made a goodpany.


    Thomas looked at her as shey with her eyes closed. The serenity on her face was contagious.


    He had never met anyone who was in peace with themselves as she was.


    It was undoubtedly one of the most rxing days of his life in a very long time.


    Despite the ten-odd days remaining of his vacation, he thought his break was already a sess.


    He alsoid back and closed his eyes in thefortable silence.


    The next day Thomas woke up to a goodbye note.


    ¡®Elle¡¯ thanked him as she wrote that she had a flight to catch and was off to another town. No names, no numbers.


    Thomas was not surprised at her departure.


    In the short day he had spent with her, he could tell that she was not the clingy type.


    He was slightly disappointed about not getting enough time with her. Shrugging it off, he moved on ahead with his schedule.


    **Two dayster**


    Thomas got off his private jet and walked towards the exit. He froze on seeing a familiar figure.


    Arielle was focused on the phone, checking her itinerary for the day as she walked out of a ne. She felt someone staring at her and looked around, trying to find the source of her difort.


    She saw a good-looking man staring at her from a distance, frowned, and walked ahead.


    However, she froze with widened eyes only after two steps as she realized he was Tom. The guy she had almost slept with and spent a fun day together.


    She turned around and looked around him to see a private chopper taking off.


    Her estimation of him had been correct. He sure was a private chopper, presidential suits, and private chefs in a mansion type.


    She saw him looking at her intently and walked forward with a smile. She walked towards him, almost covering half the distance between them.


    But seeing that he had no intention ofing forward, she smiled, turned around, and went her way.


    Thomas saw the green-eyed beauty nce around as if sensing his gaze. She frowned at him and turned around without any recognition.


    But then he saw her freeze and look at him wide-eyed before she smiled. She must have recognized him then.


    Thomas kept thinking about her and what a coincidence it was to run into her again. She would have walked away without seeing him if he had not stared at her intently.


    He watched as she walked toward him. Almost halfway through covering the distance between them, she gave a soft smile, turned around, and, resolutely, left.


    Thomas smiled.


    She sure had high self-respect. Thomas¡¯s estimation of her kept growing.


    Yearster, he would remember this little reaction. It urately reflected Arielle¡¯s thought process and unhesitating mindset.


    Thomas did not want to miss the chance to enjoy his vacation with her.


    He ran towards her and held her hand.


    ¡°Hey there, stranger!¡± Thomas quipped.


    ¡°I was wondering if you are following me or if I am following you?¡± Arielle asked with a smile.


    ¡°Some coincidence, huh!¡± He spoke.


    ¡°Please tell me you are not staying in the Grand Orchid as well,¡± She squinted at him.


    Thomas¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°Oh My God! I am indeed staying in the Orchid, though mine is the Royal Orchid.¡±


    Arielleughed, ¡°Damn, you are turning out to be more and more of a presidential suite of seven-star hotels, private ne, personal chef, home theater kind of guy.¡±Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Thomas shook his head.


    ¡°I did not know you had me pegged.¡±


    She onlyughed as she started to walk forward, ¡°It¡¯s right on the face. Nothing to peg.¡±

 Chapter 4 What if you are after my genes?

    Thomas followed behind Arielle and proposed, ¡°Let¡¯s go together. Since we have already run into each other, let¡¯s have some fun.¡±


    Arielle nodded as sheughed, ¡°Why not? I would have suspected you to be some sophisticated kidnapper luring an innocent victim, but you have already spent more than I am worth. Besides, you look too much like old money to be a kidnapper.¡±


    Thomas was surprised at her words, ¡°Hey, I should be the cautious one here. What if you are here to steal my genes and my property?¡±


    Arielle chuckled at his joke, ¡°Well, I almost seeded at the first one.¡±


    She added, after some consideration, ¡°Let me cancel my hotel reservations.¡±


    ¡°It would be a waste if I don¡¯t enjoy a Presidential suite for free.¡± She added cheekily.ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    Thomas was amused at her self-invitation, ¡°Be my guest! I would love to have you on board, and you have my permission to try and steal my genes throughout the vacation.¡±


    He winked at her, which made her roll her eyes.


    Arielle only said, ¡°You already lost your chance, mister.¡± as she walked away to make a phone call.


    Thomas could not hear the contents clearly, but the vague words made it clear that she was indeed canceling her hotel reservations.


    It seemed she was there for three days.


    Thomas was there for five. He would only have three days with her.


    Thomas and Arielle bantered casually on their way to his hotel room.


    They freshened up in separate rooms and took a nap together, lying in the same bed and talking about random things.


    Arielle had more knowledge of that city as one of her colleagues had stayed there for two months, so she showed him around per her itinerary.


    On the third day, they unexpectedly found themselves in the bathtub together ¨C drunk, happy, horny.


    More importantly, they were covered with sand and sweat as they had yed like kids at the beach while sipping cocktails the entire day.


    The cold shower woke them up slightly, but it was not enough to drown their lust.


    Thomas was the first to sober up enough to reconfirm that they were both ready, ¡°Are you sure you want to steal my genes?¡±


    Arielle had the best three days of her life with him. She was happy to lose her virginity to the stranger she genuinely liked. She had never taken it seriously, but this was much better.


    ¡°Maybe not the genes but the feeling of it.¡± She slurred as she rubbed herself close.


    Thomas understood her, and the rest of the night followed naturally.


    Arielle had never experienced such a feeling of euphoria before. Knowing that it was her first time, he was gentle and patient.


    However, the second time, he pushed her over the edge repeatedly and tested her limits until she was screaming at his pace, unable to keep up, unwilling to stop.


    The next day, Thomas had to wake Arielle up as she was too spent to hear her rm.


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s your flight time. Do you want to get up?¡± Thomas asked gently, caressing her softly.


    ¡°Hmm!¡± Arielle only moaned without opening her eyes.


    Thomas went back to sleep as he was too exhausted himself. He was barely awake at the rm, and it hardly took him half a minute to go back to sleep.


    Arielle, however, came to her senses a few minutes after Thomas had called her out.


    She rushed out of bed, not wanting to miss her flight, only to fall back owing to her weak legs.


    Thomas woke upte in the afternoon to an empty bed, which made him frown involuntarily.


    He freshened up and took a quick shower before his head cleared enough to think about what had happened the night before.


    He scanned the room to see that all traces of her being there were gone, except for the messy bed, torn condom wrapping, and tissues.


    He spotted a note attached to the mirror that read ¨C


    ¡°Have a flight to catch. I didn¡¯t want to wake you up from your slumber. I am sleepwalking myself.


    Thank you for everything during these days. I would have never imagined stealing someone¡¯s genes would feel this good.


    See you when I see you!¡±


    Thomas knew she was not the type who altered her ns or life for a man she barely knew. The more time he spent with her, the more he liked her.


    But she was already gone, and he knew absolutely nothing about her, so he could only lock the beautiful memories away before going about his day.


    **A Few Dayster**


    Thomas was on a cruise, scheduled to tour around two cities for three days before retiring. It was thest itinerary on his vacation. He would head back to work and his monotonous life after that.


    He was lying on a deck, sipping fine wine but not enjoying it. He missed the green-eyed beauty a little too much for hisfort.


    He thought he must be hallucinating when he heard a familiar voice, ¡°you have got to be kidding me.¡±


    Arielle was flying kites aboard a ship when a strong wind blew her kite away, and it got stuck to the topmost deck.


    She followed it, but before she could reach it, she spied a familiar figure.


    Changing her course, she made her way to the deck where she saw the man who had apanied her for one-fourth of her vacation and made every moment worthwhile.


    ¡°You have got to be kidding me!¡± Arielle could not help but exim.


    ¡°Fancy seeing you here, Miss Thief!¡± Thomas was pleasantly surprised.


    He thought fate was trying hard to bind them together.


    ¡°Let me guess! You had your itinerary set by the Paradise Wanderers. You took their premium package and got yourself a personal guide. The guide set an exclusive itinerary for you for a pretty price,¡± Arielle had figured out why there were so many coincidences on their vacation.


    ¡°I guess you ran into some people we have run into before, huh?¡± Thomas asked.


    ¡°I met a couple who asked me to take their pictures together. I met them in three different ces. Then I figured it was not that much of a coincidence between us.¡± She answered in amusement.


    ¡°Where were you running off to?¡± Thomas asked.


    ¡°Oh! My kite!¡± Arielle eximed as she ran away.


    Thomas followed her, and they spent the rest of the day flying kites and doing water sports together.


    They ended up spending the entire trip together. ying, feasting, drinking, fucking, and enjoying every moment to the fullest.


    They both had an odd feeling like they were a couple on their honeymoon but shook off their thoughts.


    They were both old enough to differentiate between a fling and romance. It was former, as fantastic as it was.


    And it was so wonderful and rxing, probably, because it was a fling with no strings attached.

 Chapter 5 Pretending to be strangers

    Arielle and Thomas had parted ways for thest time ¨C saying goodbyes and thanking each other for making their vacation special.


    During the time they had spent together, they had felt extremelyfortable with each other. Whether it was doing things they liked or talking about their past, dreams, fears, or taboos; while eating and drinking; or in bed ¨C they seemed to be intenselypatible.


    At the same time, they were very much like each other in that neither wanted to intrude upon another¡¯s private space or was fantastical enough to assume something could be permanent between them.


    They both felt they would be their most memorable dream, but just a dream and not reality, nheless.


    After returning to their own life, neither had thought about the other.


    **Two monthster**


    Arielle headed to the headquarters of Payne Group of Industries, PGI. She was poached by PGI rather handsomely.


    Mr. Dous, the HR manager, helped herplete the formalities and introduced her to everyone.


    Finally, they arrived at the 49th floor of the building, which held the President¡¯s office, secretarial staff, and one of thergest conference rooms in the building.


    Mr. Dous led Arielle to a small meeting room where she was to meet the management staff of PGI before having a one-on-one conversation with the President himself.


    ¡°This is Mr. Andrew Knight, Vice-President of Payne Enterprises. He would be your point of contact as he is the only person who has the authority to provide you with all the credentials and the level of ess you had requested, except for the President himself.¡± Mr. Dous exined.


    Quietly he whispered, ¡°He is also friends with the President, so getting on his good side is not a bad idea.¡±


    After the introductions were over, the President himself showed up.


    He was supposed to be present for the meeting but was held back by ast-minute call. He joined them as soon as he could.


    Just as the door opened, and the two people saw each other, they stiffened, wide-eyed.


    But professionals as they were, they reverted to normal within half a second before anyone noticed anything.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    Arielle had never thought she would see ¡°Tom¡± again. They had had fun during the vacation and had not bothered to keep in touch. Seeing him in thepany was a huge surprise.


    But some pieces started to fit as she recalled the things he had said about himself.


    Arielle pretended not to know him and greeted himposedly when Mr. Dous introduced him.


    Thomas had never in his wildest dreams imagined that there would be such a coincidence between them.


    He recalled she had mentioned that she was celebrating bagging the biggest deal of her career. Seeing her in that conference room made him realize she was talking about his offer, which, he must admit, was quite generous.


    Looking at the shock on her face, she was just as astonished as he was. But as usual, she had quickly put two and two together.


    Thomas curled his lips at their strange fate together.


    Fortunately, Thomas¡¯s assistant, John Geller, ended their stiff introduction and awkward air.


    John had been Thomas¡¯s assistant since he started working right after college. He could sense his boss¡¯s emotions urately.


    It was a piece of cake for him to see that Thomas was acquainted with Miss Arielle Ward and that her being there was a pleasant surprise, albeit unexpected.


    He eased the atmosphere smoothly and led the conversation as they covered the key points on Arielle¡¯s contract and her requests with other folks from management.


    As per the contract, PGI was to cover Arielle¡¯s amodation andmute.


    John had prepared a gorgeous three-bedroom apartment in the middle of the city center, hired a maid, and arranged for a private car with a chauffeur.


    She refused the maid and chauffeur but epted the car.


    At the end of the meeting, Thomas asked Arielle to see him in his office.


    ¡°Miss Ward, let¡¯s head to my office. You will report everything directly to me, and John will help you with everything you need.¡±


    Arielle was surprised at his words.


    Even before Arielle knew Thomas was Tom, she had expected a private audience with him. The change in her point of contact was unexpected.


    She, however, managed to shrug it off and reply withposure.


    Andrew Knight raised his eyes at Thomas, but seeing nothing out of the ordinary, he stopped overthinking.


    He knew how important Miss Ward was to the future of PGI and the astronomical sum she was poached. It made sense for Thomas to manage her personally.


    However, instinctively he thought there was more between them as he could sense unusual chemistry.


    Arielle stood in front of Thomas¡¯s desk. John, thoughtfully, closed the door behind him after exchanging contact details with her.


    ¡°Are we going to continue pretending not to know each other?¡± Thomas asked.


    ¡°Not anymore, apparently,¡± Arielle said as she took the seat on the couch.


    Thomas sat opposite her on the couch.


    ¡°So, you are the most expensive Financial Analyst in the industry, huh? I am not even surprised given how meticulous you are,¡± Heplimented.


    ¡°Thank you! I can¡¯t believe I bragged about being poached lucratively to you.¡± She clicked her tongue.


    ¡°Well, I am happy to see you nheless.¡± He smiled.


    ¡°Me too. Though I would have preferred different circumstances, preferably one where you are not my boss.¡± She quipped.


    ¡°Ah well, small details!¡± He shrugged.


    ¡°Let¡¯s keep our entanglement private, please,¡± Arielle asked.


    ¡°Why?¡± Thomas was displeased at her wanting to pretend not to know each other.


    ¡°If the word gets out, I will get orchestrated for sleeping with the boss and used of getting this job that way. I would rather focus my time and energy doing actual work and not trying to deal with gossip.¡± Arielle exined calmly without any hint of anger in her voice.


    She could practically see herself hounded by everyone.


    ¡°I am sorry. I did not think of it like that. I will try my best not to make things difficult for you.¡± Thomas understood her point of view, and she was indeed right.


    Competent people always have to be careful of being dragged down by gossip and public opinion used by ipetent people who could notpete with them, fair and square.

 Chapter 6 Professionals in the banquet

    Arielle stood on the balcony of the ballroom. Payne Group (PGI) had hosted a Wee dinner for her, which was more like an unofficial banquet given the number of people who had attended.


    It had been a week since she had joined PGI and settled in her new apartment. Things were looking great so far.


    Arielle had been worried Thomas might leak out something about their private lives, but he had been nothing but strictly professional, which had helped her rx and ease into her role effortlessly.


    This so-called gathering, however, was not something she fancied.


    She had always kept a low profile and let her work do the talking. Being bad at office politics and not normal enough to make easy friends nor having enough time to socialize, she kept everyone at a distance with a cold face.


    But PGI had organized this gathering to let their employees know that she was a specially recruited person with high status. It was Thomas¡¯s way of showing his favor.


    She could not fault Thomas for this as this had been one of his conditions when they had signed the contract a few months back.


    Arielle was busy enjoying the cold breeze and lost in her musings when she was interrupted by Thomas.


    Arielle mused that he constantly interrupted her ever since their first meeting.


    ¡°Miss Ward, it¡¯s time for a dance,¡± Thomas said.


    ¡°Is all of this necessary, Mr. Payne?¡± Arielle asked in the same tone.


    ¡°Yes! Unfortunately, you will soon find that I have invited you inside a wolf den, and this is my attempt to show that you have my unconditional support. That you are someone I value immensely.¡±


    Thomas exined with seriousness as he leaned against the railing and looked at her intently.


    ¡°I am aware that this could cause a ripple effect. You could get targeted by ipetent employees and enemies alike. Nheless, I had to show my support openly as your work requires you to butt heads with many people. I can already imagine the uing conflict.¡±


    Arielle intently listened as he exined his opinions on the matter.


    A week had been enough for Arielle to see that the seemingly uprising PGI had some gaping holes. Things were not evident yet, and PGI was still a leadingpany, but without proper clean-up, it would copse from within slowly but surely.


    Arielle had to credit Thomas for his wless strategy.


    Thomas spent years cleaning up the most concerning mess. He brought thepany to an unprecedented height as he established himself as the top gun.


    But he was very much aware of the underlying issues which would constrict its further growth, so he picked an opportune time to have a 3rd party who came with an impable reputation do his dirty work for him.


    PGI, at that point, was neither stagnant nor rushing into anything, merely perfecting and stabilizing itself in its current state. The next six months were for her to clean it up inside out and help Thomas n for its further growth.ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    That way, the removed resources won¡¯t have anything to threaten thepany with, nor would they have ess to sensitive information about their uing ns.


    But at the same time, Arielle was keenly aware that she had to fight many small andrge battles in the next six months before she and Thomas could win the war and bring PGI to its potential.


    This party was Thomas¡¯s protection for those battles.


    ¡°In that case, after you, President. Please do take care of me,¡± Arielle said with a curt bow.


    Thomas could not resist his smile. He was pleasantly surprised at how they just clicked in the work matters.


    Thomas led Arielle inside the ballroom just in time for the first dance.


    ¡°Please assist me in weing the star of the evening, Miss Ward,¡± Thomas said.


    He knelt beside Arielle and said, ¡°May I have the pleasure of this dance, Miss Ward?¡±


    ¡°The pleasure is all mine, Mr. Payne,¡± Arielle epted his invitation with a standard bow, ¡°Please lead the way!¡± She spoke.


    All the female employees were jealous.


    Thomas was taciturn and had not shown any interest in women all these years.


    But not only did he onboarded Arielle Ward, the so-called financial analyst, in a high-profile manner, but he also hosted a banquet to wee her.


    Even Thomas, the CEO, was not weed with such a ir. It was clear as a day how highly Thomas valued Arielle Ward.


    They could only grit their teeth as they waited to see just how great this Analyst was who had their President wrapped around her fingers.


    Arielle and Thomas had danced together before, so their chemistry was off-the-charts, especially since the onlookers were unaware that they were acquainted.


    They ended the dance formally, but Thomas led her away to the buffet.


    They started talking about work as they dined together.


    Many of the employees had passed by them, but they were disappointed that they could not get any gossip.


    Thomas was exining the origin of thepany. They were strictly talking about work.


    As jealous as the female employees were, they could not fault Arielle for anything just yet.


    The same was the case for the board of directors and the executive staff.


    A bunch of them were waiting for Thomas to make a mistake so they could drag him down and appoint someone else from the Payne family as CEO, preferably someone they could manipte to their benefit.


    They had been unsessful so far.


    When Arielle was onboarded with a whopping pay and in a high-profile manner, they had assumed she might be his weakness, but they were disappointed to see that they only talked about work and were highly professional.


    It could only mean one thing ¨C either they had nothing going on between them, or they were incredible actors.


    Unfortunately for them, the truth was Thomas and Arielle were both extremely professional. They were both good at acting, and they did not have anything going on between them at that moment.

 Chapter 7 Getting back together

    **One monthter**


    Arielle woke upte. She had slept past 3 am afterpleting the report she wanted to discuss with Thomas that day.


    It was Friday, and she wanted to get some things out of the way before she could rx for the weekend.


    Arielle had the unhealthy habit of being too engrossed in her work and forgetting about her health and everything else.


    The more work there was, the more she would work off on adrenaline, making herself extremely tired by the end of each grueling project.


    She shut her eyes as she leaned in the elevator and yawned behind her palm.


    She was aware of the people looking at her wide-eyed as if she were an alien.


    Arielle could feel a few unfriendly gazes on her, but she ignored them. She had almost two decades of experience in ignoring hostile looks.


    However, what prompted her to open her eyes a crack was a feeling of someone stealing peeks at her as if she was a precious treasure, and they were afraid of disturbing her.


    She ignored that as well.


    Thomas was also in the elevator. He would asionally take shared elevators to mingle with the crowd. He had been surprised to enter the elevator and see Arielle leaning against a corner, yawning with her eyes closed.


    Her ignoring all gazes on her did not surprise him at all. They had spent enough time together for him to know that she couldn¡¯t care less about what others thought of her.


    The other people in the elevator shot her unfriendly looks and even tried to poke her, but she patted their hands away without opening her eyes.


    Everyone kept stealing nces between them, but he ignored them just like her.


    Finally, they arrived on the 49th floor, which had both of their offices, and she opened her eyes as if she could tell she had reached her destination.


    Arielle opened her eyes, and she looked straight into Thomas¡¯s eyes.


    She had a hunch that he was also on the elevator as she could smell his faint perfume even amidst eight other people, and she could only think of him who would look at her without animosity.


    Arielle suddenly felt shy as she met his gaze.


    They had gotten along exceedingly well. Both were in perfect sync at work as well.


    Arielle had never met a person with whom she had more inmon. Not to mention her impression of him was elevating each day.


    ¡°After you, Miss Ward!¡± Thomas gestured exaggeratedly.


    ¡°Thank you, Mr. Payne! Let me get you a cup of coffee as an apology. Besides, I have plenty of tiring things to discuss with you, and espresso would be the way to go about it.¡±


    Arielle replied half-jokingly.


    The people eavesdropping couldn¡¯t see anything intimate or unusual between them. They looked like co-workers who got along well.


    Thomas only nodded at her before he went to his cabin.


    Arielle went to her cabin and kept her stuff before making her way to the pantry.


    She made two espressos and grabbed her MacBook before making her way to Thomas¡¯s cabin just in time for their scheduled catch-up.


    Arielle knocked on the door and went inside after hearing e in¡¯ from the inside.


    Arielle smiled at him as she closed the door and kept the coffee on the table between the couch.


    Thomas took the cue and sat opposite her on the couch as well.


    It was the time for her first detailed assessment after one month of analysis.


    Thomas has cleared his schedule for the day for her. Their meeting would expectedly be a long one.


    They had dived right to work without exchanging any pleasantries and only stopped talking when they were out of coffee.


    Thomas took the chance to call his secretary and ordered two espressos and some light snacks.


    They took a 10 minutes break as they waited for their snacks. After spending another 10 minutes clearing the snacks, they both dived back into work.


    They, once again, took another break for lunch. Thomas took her to a high-end restaurant for a sumptuous lunch.


    The news had spread like wildfire in thepany that the Analyst had spent the entire day in the President¡¯s cabin, and they even had lunch together.


    But they were disappointed to find from the secretariat office that they only seemed to be talking about work.


    As per the onlookers, they were both looking at a screen and taking notes while sitting on opposite couches.


    Unwilling to admit defeat, some staff members took turns running into the 49th floor for trivial matters.


    But they were all exasperated as their findings corroborated what the secretariat office had said earlier.


    Disturbed by the continuous flow of people showing outside the ss doors, Thomas took a break and scolded everyone. He threatened to fire anyone who dared to disturb his work.


    His outburst further confirmed their guess that they were indeed just working.


    As such, they were not bothered that Thomas had closed the blinds making them unable to see inside his office.


    After all, there was nothing to see. Everyone knew that Thomas would close the blinds to focus on work.


    Inside the office, Arielle chuckled as soon as all the blinds were closed and the door locked.


    ¡°Your staff is too gossipy.¡± She shook her head, ¡°whoever managed thispany before you did a terrible job. You have been cleaning up their mess for thest five years. While you have done a stunning job, it¡¯s rotten from the inside and won¡¯tst long.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s start dating!¡± Thomas said.


    ¡°What?¡± Thomas¡¯s words took Arielle by surprise.


    ¡°I mean it. I like you. In every way. Let¡¯s get back together.¡± He added.


    ¡°First of all, we were never together. And second, I don¡¯t date my employer or co-worker.¡± She said without any hesitation.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°We can have a fling!¡± He proposed.


    ¡°Never thought about that!¡± Arielle pondered for a while.


    ¡°You mean just a fling, no emotions, no entanglement, no futureplication, and we end it whenever one of us wants to end it, no making fuss!¡± She added.


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Thomas agreed. That was not what he had meant.


    He thought they could upgrade their rtionship to a serious one after their contract ended. For now, he wanted to be together and was not bothered by the status.


    ¡°Alright!¡± She agreed. Arielle had missed their time during their vacation as well. It did not hurt to give it a shot.


    ¡°I will be discreet and won¡¯t let anyone know. I know how much this bothers you.¡± He added.


    ¡°Thanks! Let¡¯s get back to work for now.¡± Arielle agreed.

 Chapter 8 Fling, ex-girlfriend, ex-CEO

    **Three monthster**


    Thomas and Arielle were living in their high.


    Their work was going exceedingly well.


    They were practically living together. No one knew of the secret fling.


    They were happy and content with each other.


    However, thepany was in chaos.


    Arielle was good at her job. She had urately gged most of the employees hired through back-doors ¨C using connections or due to sucking up to others, rather than their workability.


    She had, simrly, gged troublesome projects likely to end up as a liability.


    There were a lot of peaceful and forced exits and contract breaches in thest three months.


    That led to a series of unrest among the employees. The internal stir and tense environment had Arielle and Thomas cracking their heads.


    It was evident that people were let go due to their ipetence. As such, people hired on merit and doing their work well need not have panicked, but unfortunately, that was not the case.


    Arielle suspected that someone could be causing panic deliberately and revealed her suspicions to Thomas. Thomas hade to a simr conclusion by himself as well.


    Hence, they devised a n to counter the detractors.


    The obvious way to do that was toy out the ns, reassess their values as apany, and reward their employees.


    They announced an impromptu event in addition to the annual event that would go on as scheduled.


    Everyone could hear the unsaid words; the event was to assuage the panicked employees.


    Soon the preparation began, and the mood shifted to a cheery one almost immediately.


    But this peace did notst long as two people joined thepany in a much grander fashion than Arielle.


    Those two were ¨C Emma Payne ¨C Thomas¡¯s elder sister who had the helm of thepany before Thomas; and Sophia Green ¨C Thomas¡¯s ex-girlfriend, daughter of one of the minor shareholders, and the heir of Green Group.


    Green Group was a newpany that was barely seven years old and had just about started flourishing in thest two years.


    Thomas was irritated because he could tell those two had joined thepany with ulterior motives and not actually to work. He knew both well enough to understand that they couldn¡¯t care less about thepany, merely the money and privilege it brought.


    Arielle did not know either of them. Given the timing they joined, the grand announcement, the banquet, and the fact that Thomas fiercely opposed their joining, she could tell they were bad news.


    But it was not in Arielle¡¯s nature to judge a person based on her prejudices. Arielle would form her opinions of them as and when they interacted, which was bound to happen sooner thanter, given their respective roles.


    Arielle was disappointed that they turned out to be the same as she had guessed. It is never fun to judge a person badly before you meet them, and when you meet them, they validate your opinions of them without leaving any room for doubt.


    The three women did not get along. It was evident for everyone to see.


    But there was no catfight, nor arguments or insults were thrown from any side, as some people had expected. It was just two privileged women picking on Arielle and thetter treating them like air.


    ¡°Well, I am amazed how you have instructed my brother to fire all good and loyal employees just because they could see through your facade and greed.¡±


    Emma snorted after Arielle¡¯s presentation in one of the meetings.


    Thomas frowned and bellowed, ¡°Emma! Behave! Don¡¯t forget who the CEO is here, and I was the one who approved all the terminations. If you have a bone to pick,e at me. She is just doing her job.¡±


    Arielle hid her smile. Thomas supported her in front of everyone and went against his elder sister. She was pleased that he never once hinted at their unusual rtionship and kept everything professional between them.


    Sophia could not help but snort at that, jealousy rearing its ugly head. ¡°Do you mean that she is sleeping with you?¡±


    ¡°We had been hiding it so well. How did you find that out, Miss Green?¡± Arielle eximed, making everyone gasp at her.


    Thomas frowned at her and looked at her coldly. He knew she hated exposing her private life at work, so he was unsure what she meant by that. She was also not easily provoked.


    But he did not say anything, merely maintaining a nk but cold look.


    The onlookers understood it as Thomas being annoyed at Arielle for spitting nonsense but staying out of it to give her face and simply not caring enough for mindless gossip.


    Oblivious to her surroundings, Sophia thought she had proved her point.


    ¡°See! I knew you were a bitch!¡±


    Sophia rattled on, much to Emma¡¯s embarrassment.


    ¡°You have been sleeping with Thomas. That¡¯s how you got him to spend so much on you. And yet, you dare to act all innocent.¡±


    Emma could not take Sophia¡¯s verbal diarrhea anymore as it indirectly implicated her since they were both friends and united against Arielle.


    ¡°Shut up, Soph!¡± Emma cried.


    ¡°Miss Green, you should listen to Miss Payne.¡± Arielle finally spoke. ¡°Please be mindful of your words if you don¡¯t want to pay a hefty penalty. I would advise you to go through my contract with PGI and preferably do some research on me if you go against me.¡±


    Arielle shrugged nonchntly, ¡°I have never lost awsuit. You are free to ask around.¡±


    It gave everyone the message needed without any explicit threat.


    She would sue if provoked needlessly, and she had never lost awsuit which meant she was innocent and resourceful enough to prove that.


    Thomas had to hide his smile.


    Arielle had told the truth when she admitted to sleeping with him. Yet, she managed to convince everyone that it was nder.


    They had been remarkably discreet. No one could have proof of it.


    It was clear that they were all verbal insults when they did not have anything against her. Knowing her advantage, Arielle had yed the word games well. It took her less than 100 words to scare others off.ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    Thomas knew he would soon be whipped, considering how hard and fast he was falling for her.

 Chapter 9 Threats and attacks 1

    Arielle was leaning against the counter while her espresso brewed when Emma arrived.


    ¡°You! Make me a cup of coffee!¡± Emma ordered Arielle like she would order her servants at home.


    For Emma, her employees were nothing better than her servants.


    Being the oldest child, the only child for the first five years, and the only girl in the family, she had been excessively spoiled. No one in her family corrected her attitude as it went from bad to worse as PGI flourished.


    Emma¡¯s grandmother was the only one who would not tolerate her behavior, even with her husband speaking on behalf of the kids.


    Perhaps, Emma and Thomas had different personalities despite being siblings because of their grandmother.


    Thomas had stayed with his grandparents since he was young because he disagreed with his elder sister, which led to constant fights. Emma would avoid anyone in the family who tried to discipline or contradict her.


    Hence, Thomas lived with his Grandma rather than his parents.


    Arielle ignored Emma¡¯s unreasonable demands and her derogatory tone. She pretended as if she had neither heard nor seen Emma.


    Emma and Sophia were not the first rich spoiled brats she had encountered, and she knew the best way to deal with them was to ignore them. She could never be as shameless or as unreasonable as them, so arguing with them was pointless.


    Nobody had ever ignored Emma before. Arielle was the first, except for her boyfriend, who had dumped her for a poor young thing.


    Emma could not tolerate the tant disrespect. She bellowed, ¡°Did you not hear me?¡±


    Arielle continued to ignore her.


    Emma grabbed her by the shoulder and tried to p her. Arielle held her hand before she could manage and stepped away after releasing her hand.


    ¡°Did you want anything, Miss Payne?¡±


    Arielle nonchntly asked as if she wasn¡¯t ignoring Emma or almost pped.


    Emma was seething in anger in the short time.


    Unable to take it, she picked up the cup of freshly brewed espresso and toppled over Arielle without a word.


    Arielle sidestepped, but her hands were not that lucky.


    ¡°This should teach you to be respectful, you bitch. Now get back to work. Don¡¯t even think of getting away from work.¡± Emma left with her chin held high.


    Arielle poured cold water on her arm and went directly to a hospital, unconcerned with Emma¡¯s words.


    On her way to the hospital, she called Thomas¡¯s assistant, John, and asked him to get her the CCTV footage for the pantry.


    Thomas called her a few minutes after she received the CCTV footage.


    ¡°Where are you? Are you okay?¡± Thomas was anxious.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    ¡°People¡¯s first hospital. Emergency section, burns unit.¡± Arielle sinctly replied and hung up.


    Thomas felt an ache in his heart at her cold tone. He only texted her ¨C ¡°Get treated and wait for me. I will be right there.¡±


    Thomas asked John to handle the remaining meetings on his agenda as he went to see Arielle.


    When Thomas arrived at the hospital, Arielle had just finished bandaging her severe burns.


    Thomas paid the fees and drove her to a teahouse to make her feel better. He was embarrassed and did not know what to do.


    They had been eerily quiet on their way to the teahouse.


    Arielle asked to be seated in the open area instead of a private room. It would require them to act professionally, but Thomas did not question her even though he minded.


    They had tea calmly without talking. The silence was getting to Thomas.


    ¡°Does it hurt?¡± Thomas asked, unable to take the silence anymore.


    ¡°Tell me about Emma!¡± Arielle ignored his question.


    ¡°I am sorry that you were hurt. You can deal with Emma any way you want. I swear I won¡¯t interfere or take her side.¡± Thomas said with conviction.


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Arielle was touched.


    ¡°Emma is older than me by five years. She thinks it gives her the right to lord over me and Alex, our younger brother. We never agreed on anything.¡±


    ¡°When I was young, I never felt like she loved me. She treated me only slightly better than the servants at home.¡±


    ¡°She was insufferable, so I threw a tantrum and asked to live with my grandparents. Grandma wouldn¡¯t coddle Emma or enable her bad behavior, something my parents simply ignored. Emma avoids Grandma. As such, we never really bonded.¡±


    Thomas tried to exin to Arielle his equation with his elder sister the best he could.


    ¡°Grandpa passed away when I was 20. He had been battling cancer for years by then, and, well, let¡¯s just say it was a relief for him. But it hit grandma and dad pretty hard. Dad retired, and Emma took over thepany.¡±


    He paused for a while before continuing, ¡°Dad was not the best when ites to management, but he was fair, just, immune to ttery. Despite not advancing rapidly, PGI did well and was stable under his care.¡±


    He looked annoyed as he added, ¡°Emma is the opposite. She is neither fair nor just. Despite being smart and having naturally good business acumen, she is prone to ttery, vain, and disdainful of people of a lower ss than her or poorer than her. Everyone she had hired is a worthless bootlicker.¡±


    Thomas took a sip of his tea and, heavily, sighed as he added.


    ¡°In the past five years, I have only cleaned up her mess. The people we have fired in thest three months were her leftoverckeys. That is why she hates you. I can¡¯t read her thoughts, but she sees that as a slight on her honor and her birthright as a Payne.¡±


    Arielle nodded. She got theplete picture that she needed to understand their equations.


    ¡°This is just the beginning of their threats and attacks.¡± She said, pointing at her bandaged arm.


    ¡°I am afraid so,¡± Thomas admitted.


    ¡°Well, then, I gotta fight my battles. I hope you will support me without making things obvious.¡± Arielle sighed.


    ¡°You have my full support. If you can help my sister and get her to drop from her high horse, I would be even happier,¡± Thomas added with conviction.


    ¡°It¡¯s settled, then.¡± Arielle smiled. Her smile quickly faded as she saw Sophia entering the teahouse.

 Chapter 10 Threats and attacks 2

    Seeing Sophiaing toward them, Arielle smiled at Thomas and said, ¡°Go take a long piss or something!¡±


    Thomas was dumbfounded. ¡°Excuse me!¡±


    Arielle said without changing her expression, ¡°I see Sophia Green making her way here. Let me talk to her in private.¡±


    Thomas frowned but did not turn his head. He left after saying, ¡°Whatever she says, don¡¯t take it to heart. I will give you an exnationter.¡±


    Arielle frowned but nodded before he left.


    Arielle acted unconcerned and started ying with her phone as if she had not seen Sophia.


    ¡°May I take this empty chair?¡± Sophia asked, emphasizing the word empty.


    Without waiting for a reply, she took Thomas¡¯s chair and tea as if she was marking her territory.


    Arielle kept her phone aside and said coldly, ¡°Miss Green, I havepany as should have been evident by the teacup on the table and the coat hanging on the chair.¡±


    Sophia sneered aloud, ¡°Miss Ward, why are you so hostile towards me? I am here to offer an olive branch.¡±


    Arielle had nothing but contempt for her parlor tricks.


    ¡°Miss Green, you came uninvited and unannounced, took up the chair of the person apanying me without my consent. Yet, you say you are here with an olive branch.¡± Arielle remarked, ¡°I would have thought someone offering an olive branch would be more respectful.¡±


    Arielle paused before adding. ¡°I have yet to call the manager and have you removed from the table for your impudence, but you have already called me hostile. Please assist me in making sense of your behavior here because I only see a rude person in front of me.¡±


    Sophia eximed loudly, ¡°Miss Ward, I am sorry. I know I should not have called out that you were sleeping with your boss for money. I have already apologized to you for my innocent mistake. Why would you still call me names despite that? I am very sorry! Please forgive me.¡±


    Arielle looked at her as if she was looking at a clown.


    ¡°Nice trick, Miss Green. Is there anything else? Or are you done with the drama?¡± She sneered.


    Sophia was irritated with her attitude. She did not believe that Arielle was as innocent as she imed. It was her instinct that said Arielle was someone who could take Thomas away from her. Thomas belonged to her. There was no way she would let a no-name woman take him away from her.


    She took a sip from Thomas¡¯s cup and raised her head arrogantly to show her im.


    Arielle only twitched her lips at her action.


    Sophia took a cheque from her purse and shoved it at her, ¡°Take this and leave PGI and Thomas. It should be more than enough to cover your lifetime worth of expenses. Stay, and you will die a horrible death.¡±


    Sophia said it quietly, a distinct contrast to her subsequent loud words.


    ¡°Miss Ward, even if you do not forgive me, I hope you ept this token of apology from me. It is all the money I have with me. I dared not ask my father for more. Please do not hurt me, Miss Ward.¡±


    The others in the tea house began to murmur.


    Arielle, as usual, tuned out all the noise.


    Arielle had crawled to the top amidst all the noise, defamation, usations, doubts, schemes, and worse. She would not be Arielle Ward, the highest-paid financial analyst in the industry if she were affected by the chatter.


    ¡°Are you done, Miss Green? Is the grand finale of your act pending, or was this it?¡± Arielle calmly enquired, as if she was not the person being framed and orchestrated.


    Sophia spied Thomasing toward them. She leaned towards Arielle and said softly, ¡°You are going to die, bitch. Wait and watch as Thomas kicks you. You should have been grateful for my offer.¡±


    After that, she deliberately sshed herself with tea and fell.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t hurt me, Miss Ward. Thomas is my fianc¨¦. Our families have finalized the date of our wedding. I was impulsive earlier because I was jealous and angry. I didn¡¯t mean it when I slipped my tongue. Please don¡¯t hurt me. I swear I was not trying to pick on you.¡±


    The insults hurled at Arielle increased at that. But as usual, she tuned it out.


    She looked back at Thomas and was curious at his reaction.


    ¡°Sophia! What¡¯s wrong with you?¡±


    Thomas was on a phone call from his mother. She had informed him, not asked but informed, of his marriage with Sophia. He was to propose to her and get engaged at the uing office event.


    He opposed it unequivocally, but his mother ordered him before hanging up.


    Thomas was never close with his parents, especially his mother, who was directly responsible for Emma¡¯s bad character.ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    He was exasperated and thought he could talk to Sophia and get to the bottom of whatever they were ying.


    But he came outside to see Sophia on the ground with tea sshed on her. The tea was only lukewarm, so she was not hurt at all, but he still needed to mediate whatever was happening.


    Thomas knew Arielle well enough to discern that she would never create a blunder. It could only be Sophia¡¯s scheme.


    ¡°Thomas, I was just apologizing to Miss Ward. Please don¡¯t be mad at her.¡± Sophia said in a soft tone like that of an injured dog.


    Thomas pulled her up and said, ¡°Why would I be mad at her?¡±


    Sophia cried pitifully and added, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to insult Miss Ward in the meeting earlier. It was an honest mistake. I was only apologizing.¡±


    Thomas shouted at her, unable to bear insults against Arielle anymore.


    ¡°Shut up! You cost your father¡¯spany 25% of his profits for the next five years in their coboration with PGI and only then managed to buy your way inside PGI with my idiotic sister¡¯s help!¡±


    Sophia was dumbfounded. Thomas had not bothered to lower his voice.


    Thomas looked at Arielle and added, ¡°She is someone I poached after three months of negotiations, and her pay for this 6-month project is more than yourpany¡¯s annual revenue.¡±


    He turned to Sophia and added.


    ¡°Do you think you are qualified topare yourself with her orpete with her?¡±


    ¡°Do you deserve to stand on the same tform as the most talented and highest-paid financial analyst?¡±


    ¡°Do you think I would believe she would participate in your petty schemes and make a gaffe when she had done nothing but ignore all your provocations in the past two weeks?¡±


    Sophia stammered to say something to Thomas, but he cut her off, ¡°Get lost before you get sued for defamation.¡±


    The onlookers were stunned at the turn of events.


    Sophia saw the change in people¡¯s expressions and cried.


    ¡°I know she is sleeping with you. What does she have against you that you support her despite everything?¡±


    ¡°We are getting engaged in two weeks. Why would you still nder and wrongfully use me in front of everyone? Why Thomas, why?¡±


    Sophia did not give them any chance to retort as she left the tea house with tears in her eyes.

 Chapter 11 Break up

    **Three weekster**


    Arielle had all the proof to sue both Emma and Sophia.


    When she was about to take action, Thomas¡¯s mother, Emelia Payna, approached her. It derailed her ns.


    Emelia threatened to make her disappear if found entangling with Thomas, who was due to marry Sophia.


    Arielle waited for two weeks for an exnation from Thomas, but he did not say a word.


    Thomas merely exined that Sophia was the girlfriend he had at college, the one who had tried to use him without knowing his identity.


    Thomas had assured Arielle that he did not have any feelings for Sophia, he had not had any in years, and Sophia was nothing to him.


    But he could tell something was bothering Arielle.


    His worries came true when he arrived in her apartment to see candlelight dinner, wine, and a table full of his favorite dishes.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± He asked straightaway.


    ¡°It¡¯s scary how well you know me,¡± Arielleughed bitterly.


    ¡°El, what is it?¡± He panicked.


    ¡°Let¡¯s break up!¡± She said, looking straight into his eyes.


    ¡°Why?¡± He managed to ask, his fists clenched and jaw tight.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Because I broke the rules of engagement. I am starting to have feelings for you.¡±


    She sucked a deep breath before adding, ¡°This was a fling. I should have broken up with you as soon as I realized I had started to catch feelings.¡±


    Thomas did not know whether he should be happy or sad at this revtion. He already knew he liked her, a great deal at that. He had never said anything because he was unsure of her feelings. But the way the reveal came made him tongue-tied.


    ¡°El!¡± He mustered the courage to confess, but she cut him off.


    ¡°You are not the right person for me,¡± she said stubbornly.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Thomas changed his words.


    ¡°You are my employer. You have a responsibility, a family, a fianc¨¦. All the people around you hate me. I have always wanted to marry someone who would give me aplete family where I would be loved and cherished, something I hadcked in my own home.¡±


    Arielle exined her stand clearly.


    ¡°If I were together with you, I would be too exhausted fighting. I would be so overwhelmed that the budding feelings would quickly burn to exhaustion. I don¡¯t want to live so pathetically.¡±


    Arielle knew it was not fair to Thomas. Hailing from a family where no one ever loved her, she had vowed to spend her whole life alone rather than marry into a broken and toxic family.


    The Paynes were not for her. It was as unmistakable as it could get. She did not want to drag this any further.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say. I like you. I might even be in love with you.¡± Thomas swallowed the lump in his throat.


    Thomas could not ask her to wrong herself to give him a chance. She was too precious in his heart for that.


    ¡°You meet all my fantasies of the perfect husband and lover. And I know it¡¯s not fair to you or me. But I can¡¯t.¡± Arielle cried for the first time in more than a decade.


    ¡°My family never loved me. I don¡¯t want to be depressed and hurt again. I am so sorry.¡±


    Thomas felt his heart break at her sobbing.


    ¡°No, I am so sorry. I wish things were simpler, better.¡±


    ¡°I had hoped to ask you to be my girlfriend after your contract ended. And get married, eventually. It is my loss in every way.¡± Thomas held her in his arms and cried.


    The lovers stayed in each other¡¯s arms and cried for the longest time.


    When they settled their emotions, Thomas picked her up bridal-style and brought her to the washroom. He put her beside the basin and gently wiped her face. She did the same for him.


    They had a quiet farewell dinner.


    As much as Thomas hated breaking up with her and wanted to stay, he knew he could not. If he did, knowing the kind of fate that awaited her, he would be no different from her original family. He could not hurt her like that.


    After eating, Thomas packed up the leftover food and put it in the fridge.


    Arielle was still sniffling at the table.


    ¡°You are not wrong. You should not hurt yourself. You must never wrong yourself. In the future, when there are better circumstances, I will find you again. Maybe destiny has other ns for us.¡±


    Thomas said as he forced her chin up and made her look at him.


    Arielle was touched. She could not help but kiss him.


    The salty kiss escted to something more.


    They made love repeatedly until she passed out.


    Thankfully, Arielle had the sense to initiate a break-up on a Friday night. They did not have to worry about missing the office. It also gave them time topose themselves.


    Arielle spent the rest of the weekend getting herself to cheer up as she cleaned her apartment to remove any signs of Thomas being there. She could not remove his traces from her heart, but she could ensure she would not be reminded of him all the time.


    She dived back to work on Monday as if everything was okay.


    Thomas spent the entire weekend drinking himself to a stupor. John hade to check on him on Sunday morning, feeling something was off, only to find him in an inebriated state.


    John called Thomas¡¯s best friend, Mathew Stark, who fortunately had just returned from abroad.


    Together, they managed to pull Thomas out of his misery and talk some sense into him.


    It took an entire afternoon and the better part of 6 hours, but Thomas saw hope atst.


    ¡®Mathew is right. It is just like taking a break. She is not fickle. She won¡¯t immediately fall for anyone else. I will fix everything in thepany and free myself before I seek her and pursue her again. I will never let her go. It is just a temporary separation because the timing is wrong.¡¯


    With such thoughts, Thomas was no longer depressed and pulled himself together before going to work as usual on Monday.

 Chapter 12 Rumor Mills

    **Two weekster**ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    The secondst Monday of Arielle¡¯s contracted time in PGI proved to be a difficult one.


    Emma and Sophia had managed to cote some ¡®evidence¡¯ against Arielle and were determined to push her to the abyss.


    As soon as lunch break started, the main LCDs on the reception hall and the cafeteria blew up.


    A video,posed of a few small clips strung together, was yed in a loop.


    Emma and Arielle were having an altercation in the break room that ended with Emma dumping hot coffee on Arielle. Arielle left the office without informing anyone.


    Since there was no audio, people only saw Arielle ignoring Emma and being disrespectful.


    Emma was, after all, a Payne, former CEO of PGI, and current Managing Director.


    Arielle was just a specially recruited contracted employee. Worse still, she seemed to be dating the CEO, sleeping her way to the top.


    The next video showed Sophia apologizing and begging Arielle while thetter only had a disdainful, indifferent expression on her face.


    The video was from a surveince camera, and whatever Sophia had said quietly could not be heard. As such, everyone saw arrogant and shameless Arielle, who was unapologetically rude and third-party.


    Moreover, it did not show Thomas¡¯s intervention, so it worked well against Arielle.


    The third video showed a KTV inside which a man with a blurred face was trying to bribe Arielle to leak information about a project of PGI.


    It made everyone gasp in shock.


    While the first two videos showed Arielle¡¯s bad character, it was just gossip fodder.


    However, the third was a corporate theft that could get her banned from the industry. Moreover, it was something that would affect PGI and all its employees.


    It agitated everyone as they grew anxious, and some started hurling insults at Arielle loudly.


    However, that was not the end.


    Another video showed Arielle leaning against a hotel room door with a man as theyughed and smiled. The strange man said something, and they both entered the hotel room together.


    This video was aimed at Thomas as Sophia meant to show Thomas that Arielle had another man in her life.


    The employees, however, took it as validation of Arielle¡¯s rotten character.


    Lastly, there was another video where she pped one of the vice managing directors of PGI.


    The managing director had been in PGI for ages and was well known and well-liked.


    Those five short videos were hardly ten minutes in entirety. It was in a loop, so no employee missed it.


    The rumors started, and many employees cursed Arielle.


    Thomas was outside the office for a meeting. He rushed back immediately after John informed him.


    John had someone turn it off as soon as possible, but Arielle¡¯s reputation was already in shambles.


    Thomas rushed back to the office, barely controlling his emotions and expressions, and went straight to Arielle¡¯s cabin.


    However, he was dumbfounded to see her working intently while ying loud rock music on speakers.


    As soon as she spotted Thomas, she smiled at him and turned down the volume.


    The gossiping employees had stopped talking as soon as they had seen Thomas, so it was eerily quiet on the floor.


    ¡°I was about to text John to pencil me in forter today. Pleasee in! Here, let me show you this!¡± Arielle said excitedly.


    Thomas finally heaved a sigh seeing how unaffected she was.


    However, with relief came the realization that she must have suffered worse over the years to be that calm.


    Thomas had clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white. Arielle looked away from the emotions in his eyes.


    They had broken up.


    She no longer had the right to affect or be affected by him.


    She drank some water and calmed down.


    ¡°Check this out!¡± Arielle pushed a chair in his direction. She pointed at therge monitor hooked to herptop.


    The monitor disyed a bunch of graphs, histograms, statements, a hierarchical table with lots of highlights, and so on.


    Thomas and Arielle spent more than two hours pondering over the slides as she exined everything to him.


    Thomas had John cancel everything on his schedule as he wanted to use that opportunity to stay close to Arielle.


    Thomas had not gotten any chance to spend time with Arielle over the past two weeks after their breakup.


    He had seen her lost in thought and mncholy on her face several times, but she would always spring back to normal, making it hard for others to see through her.


    But Thomas could read her well. It hardened his resolve to get her back after stabilizing himself.


    Arielle drank a ss full of water after she had exined everything to Thomas and made notes based on his suggestions and questions.


    ¡°I think I am all set here. It will take me one more week to finalize everything. Why don¡¯t we push the banquet to Sunday and give Monday off to everyone? That way, I can present the non-confidential version at the banquet. I can also take the chance to rify my name. I must get my revenge.¡±


    Arielle said nonchntly.


    ¡°Alright, I will make the arrangements.¡± Thomas agreed without any hesitation.


    ¡°Do you mind if I deal with your sister and your would-be fianc¨¦ in front of all your employees?¡± Arielle asked bluntly.


    Thomas smiled bitterly, ¡°No, I don¡¯t. She is not my fianc¨¦. I have never agreed to it.¡±


    Arielle felt a lump in her throat, ¡°Thank you!¡± She said hoarsely.


    ¡°I was worried. I am d you are fine. Call me if you need anything.¡± Thomas said as he stood up to leave.


    Thomas wanted to leave before he confronted her.


    They had broken up, and he had no right to ask her anything. Moreover, he could tell from the pictures that she did not have an unusual rtionship with that man, but it did not prevent him from being jealous.


    Arielle heaved a sigh after he left. She had barely contained her urge to hug him and lose herself in the security of his arms.


    She shook herself and kept herself busy.

 Chapter 13 Mid-year Banquet 1

    Arielle spent the entire week drowned in insults and jabs aimed at her, but she was too busy to care.


    A few people were in awe of her indifference and ability to endure.


    While a bunch of people thought she was too shameless to care.


    The majority, however, kept their opinions to themselves.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Unbeknownst to them, Arielle was listening to everyone and keeping note of overly verbose people.


    A part of her job was cleaning thepany, which meant she had to root out the bad apples.


    This rumor had helped Arielle by creating an environment of conflict. It was a chance to evaluate people¡¯s characters.


    Arielle disliked people who thrived on gossip and other people¡¯s misery without empathy or remorse.


    She would include them on her list of toxic people ruining the work culture.


    It was up to Thomas what he wanted to do with them.


    Finally, the day of the banquet came.


    Arielle showed up with a date who happened to be the man whose hotel room she had entered in one of those videos.


    It threw everyone into chaos as they could not understand her motive.


    Thomas gripped his wine ss tight as soon as he saw her linking arms with someone else.


    But as he stared at her, he noticed something peculiar. Her date seemed to be checking out men and not women. It was subtle, and he would not have caught it had he not been staring daggers at them.


    That made him rx and heave a sigh.


    Finally, the time came for Arielle¡¯s presentation.


    Arielle was halfway through when she realized that no one was listening to her.


    As such, she breezed through her report without any exnation. Her presentation ended 30 minutes before it should have.


    The noisiest employees took this as another validation that she had been using immoral ways to get to the top and did not know her job.


    While the rest, who were paying attention, were annoyed by the abrupt increase in speed.


    The 30 minutes Q&A round got extended to 60 minutes.


    The gossipy employees and the bribed ones began to ask her embarrassing questions, making their intentions clear.


    ¡°Well, since you people want to gossip, why don¡¯t we talk about the pretty ne that Miss Emma Payne is wearing?¡± Arielle was waiting for this provocation to retaliate.


    Thomas had given his go-ahead in whatever she had nned, so she did not hold back.


    ¡°Miss Payne, where did you get such an exquisite piece of jewelry from?¡± She asked, pushing Emma to the spotlight.


    ¡°Someone does not know her job and diverts the topic to glittering things to make her presence known. Why do we even tolerate them in thepany?¡± Emma scoffed.


    Arielle humbly said, ¡°You are right. I was too busy thinking of your jewelry and where you got it to be able to finish the presentation as nned. Won¡¯t you assuage my curiosity, Miss Payne?¡±


    Emma was smug at Arielle¡¯s subservient attitude, so she answered, ¡°As expected of vermin! Since I am feeling generous, I might as well tell you ¨C my would-be-sister-inw Sophia gifted this to me.¡±


    Emma was oblivious to Sophia¡¯s difort. Sophia sucked a deep breath as a sense of foreboding came to her. Emma felt smug at showing off and telling everyone that Sophia was Thomas¡¯s fianc¨¦.


    Arielle, surprisingly, chuckled, ¡°I had thought Miss Payne and Miss Green were best friends. I had not imagined Miss Green was so insincere that she would humiliate and dare to provoke Miss Payne by making her wear fake jewelry. In a PGI event, no less.¡±


    Everyone gasped as Sophia¡¯s eyes turned murderous. Emma went red with anger and embarrassment.


    Thinking it was a trick of Arielle¡¯s, she eximed, ¡°What nonsense is that? You even dare to pretend that you know anything about Soul¡¯s jewelry. At least know what is above your paygrade, bitch.¡±


    Thomas frowned in distaste at her bad behavior and said, ¡°Mind yournguage, Em! That¡¯s no way to talk.¡±


    Thomas did not approve of billeting another. Especially his employees who worked hard for him and his family¡¯spany.


    Emma was furious at being scolded in front of everyone and forgot all her manners, ¡°How dare you talk back to me? And for this bitch? Does she have anything against you? Why are you so protective of this slut?¡±


    Thomas did not want to embarrass his sister, but he could not let her talk crap about Arielle like that. Besides, Emma needed a harsh lesson.


    ¡°She is better than you in every way. You would be nothing if you were not a Payne.¡± Thomas said without holding back. It resulted in another loud gasp and silence.


    Arielle cut them off as she said, ¡°Hey, Evan, miss me?¡±


    Arielle¡¯s phone was on video calling as she projected the image.


    ¡°Elle, my love! Did you finallye back to your senses and decide to date me?¡±


    ¡°And have all those pretty flies around you after my blood? I think not! You are on the loudspeaker, and I have projected the video in front of several hundred people, by the way.¡±


    ¡°Damn! My reputation is going to be ruined by you one of these days.¡±


    ¡°What are friends for?¡±


    ¡°Heartless bitch!¡± Evan eximed, but everyone could see there was no malice in his words.


    ¡°Since you have already called me heartless, might as well ask you for help?¡±


    Evan suddenly turned solemn.


    Everyone watching could finally believe that it was indeed Evan, the top designer of Soul Jewelry.


    ¡°Elle, honey, I am not designing another beautiful pendant for your 5-year-old goddaughter. Anything other than that, count me in as long as I can help.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry! Do you think I am that prodigal that I shell out 10 million dors worth of gifts every other month?¡±


    ¡°In that case, I am at your service, little Elle.¡±


    ¡°Well, the butterfly ne that you designed for my goddaughter, I saw it on someone else¡¯s neck today.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Hahaha! I was going to call you about this, slipped my mind. Some bitch called my assistant and asked for a real-looking replica for 5 Grand. Can you imagine? She even dared to threaten me by using somepany¡¯s name ¨C PGI. I remembered you had a contract with PGI, so I had a little fun. I guess you found out already.¡±


    Evan burst intoughter while Emma nearly bit her tongue in embarrassment. Sophia did not know where to duck her head.


    Arielle rolled her eyes, ¡°What did you do?¡±


    Evanughed even harder, ¡°I filed a policeint, of course. And with consent, I sold a ne with a little voice transmitter. I bluffed and asked for 50 grand instead of 5. If you have seen it already, the cops should be close by.¡±


    Evan nearly toppled.


    Arielle was speechless, ¡°Did you not hear when I said you were on speaker and your image projected in front of everyone?¡±


    Evan only shrugged, ¡°So what? Publicity is publicity. Besides, the cops would announce it soon.¡±


    Arielle only shook his head, ¡°Alright, I gotta go. I will see you next week. Brunch at my ce! I will text you the details. Ar and Belle will be there as well.¡±


    Evan waved goodbye, ¡°Make sure to make garlic shrimps. See you!¡±

 Chapter 14 Mid-year Banquet 2

    The hall was still silent as everyone processed what was going on.


    Arielle, the one ndered the entire week, was friends with Evan, the top jewelry designer of Soul Jewelry, the most unique and best jewelry brand in the world.


    She had purchased a 10 million dors worth of ne for her 5-year-old goddaughter.


    Emma Payne and Sophia Green, the rich kids born with silver-spoon, were involved with the case of fake jewelry and bribing and threatening.


    Emma recovered and threw the ne at the floor, which not unexpectedly broke to reveal a small chip with a glowing red dot.


    Sophia was shivering and looked ghastly.


    As if on cue, a police officer, apanied by the manager, came looking for Miss Sophia Green.


    Arielle interjected as Sophia started to make a scene.


    ¡°Officer, why don¡¯t you have dinner and wait for a while? I also have to sue Miss Green. It might save time for you as well. Please!¡±


    Arielle said respectfully. The officer nodded, and the manager himself brought him some refreshments.


    Arielle looked back at Emma and said, ¡°Miss Payne, I was offering you an olive branch when I exposed the fake jewelry to you, but you called me names instead. I won¡¯t hold back either.¡±


    She turned to the office and added, ¡°Officer, I had asked for support from the bureau on intentional injury and defamation. Please instruct me. Here is my evidence!¡±


    Arielle then yed a video from the pantry in the office, but this time it came with audio.


    PGI employees were shocked that the reality was far from what they had assumed for the past week.


    Arielle,beled as disrespectful, was someone with self-respect who simply refused to be bullied and humiliated and suffered burns for it.


    ¡°Does this count as intentional injury, officer?¡± Arielle, once again, ignored all the gossip and asked the police officer directly.


    ¡°Yeah, it does.¡± The officer replied affably.


    ¡°Thank you! President Payne asked me to hush it up and even took me to a luxurious tea house for a private settlement. s, some people don¡¯t deserve such protection.¡± Arielle said to no one in general.


    But the message was clear.


    Emma saw Thomas¡¯s disappointed expression and felt worse. She turned around and red at Arielle.


    ¡°This is apany meeting. What do you mean by doing all these?¡± Emma asked furiously.


    ¡°If you had taken the time to read through my contract, Miss Payne, you would have known that this all is within my rights. Why else do you think your brother had rushed in for a private settlement and is allowing all this?¡±


    Arielle asked with a smile that sent chills down Emma¡¯s spine.


    ¡°Next up, a very amateur act. Here you go.¡± Arielle joked as she guided everyone to the projector.


    Arielle yed the video of the tea house without including what Sophia had whispered.


    Sophia was dancing in joy internally as the video yed out amidst everyone¡¯s puzzlement.


    ¡°This does not count as defamation. There must be proof that it is nonsense.¡± Another office appeared in time to react.


    Both the officers greeted each other and sat down.


    Arielle mumbled, ¡°You are only making things difficult for me because I brought your husband as my date.¡±


    It created another uproar.


    The man in the video was gay, and his husband was a police officer. There was no way Arielle could have had any unusual rtionship with him.


    Arielle effectively silenced another rumor about her without any effort.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    Then she connected her phone to the speakers and yed an audio recording.


    Sophia knew what that was even before it yed. As expected, it turned out to be the full audio of their conversion. It included everything Sophia had whispered, along with Thomas protecting Arielle and calling out her act.


    ¡°Does this work?¡± Arielle innocently asked.


    The spectators were speechless. The employees of PGI finally began to understand why their President paid her due respect. Arielle Ward¡¯s reputation had not been in vain.


    However, they were puzzled as to why she was still an enigma. She was low-key, but a person of her caliber would have to be well known. Yet, they had only heard hushed whispers about her, nothing concrete.


    They did not get to ponder for more as the officer answered, ¡°yeah, this works. Do you want me to arrest them now? Or are we waiting for dinner and drinks?¡±


    It left Sophia and Emma speechless.


    Arielle, however,ughed, ¡°You can have dinner. I promise to send your husband home safely if he gets drunk. The show is just starting.¡±


    The officers looked at each other and shook their heads.


    Arielle yed a video of a private booth of a restaurant.


    ¡°Mister Scott, why are we here? You said President Thomas had sent you to get me urgently because he had to discuss something sensitive?¡± Arielle asked, annoyed.


    People gasped seeing one of the board members bringing Arielle to a restaurant in a dubious way.


    He was one of the people who was kicked out by Thomas two months before, which had created quite an unrest in thepany. Now it seemed that the management had sound reasons for doing that.


    ¡°Miss Ward, please forgive me for being presumptuous. But I have someone important who wants to meet you.¡± Mr. Scott said with a wink.


    A bald guy showed up in the video. Everyone instantly recognized as the deputy CEO of theirpetingpany.


    ¡°Mr. Scott, do you realize what you have just done is illegal?¡± Arielle straightforwardly asked.


    Then it shows the two men buttering up Arielle and offering 100 million to betray Thomas and join them.


    Arielle just yed along and strung them along before she eximed.


    ¡°Ah! My partner is here! How about we ask for his opinion?¡±


    Then Thomas strode inside with the CEO of thepetingpany.


    The end was clear. Those two men got dismissed from their respectivepanies, and Arielle received amendation for her integrity.


    Moreover, theirpetitor offered her an even better pay for auditing theirpany which she t out refused, citing a use in the contract.


    She joked she would be more than happy to help but only after five years.


    After five years, everything she had proposed to PGI would have already borne fruit. That would effectively make her clueless about ongoing or uing PGI projects. And so, she would no longer be contract bound and could audit any rivalpany.


    Thomas joked that he would appoint her back after five years.

 Chapter 15 Mid-year Banquet 3

    Arielle no longer said anything.


    She yed a video of that managing director who she had pped.


    The manager made lewd remarks to Arielle and asked her to sleep with him for better benefits.


    Arielle pped him in the face without a word.


    After that, an image showed hisputer stats, followed by other images revealing his unusual rtionship with some female employees. He had spent 85% of his time in PGI watching porn and sleeping around.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    Another short video showed a few former employees who had quit. All of them said the same thing.


    They quit because they did not want to sleep with that manager. When asked why they had notined, they all answered the same ¨C the manager was supported by Mr. Green.


    Mr. Green was a board member, a shareholder of PGI, founder and CEO of Green Group, and Sophia¡¯s father.


    Another hushed silence followed the hall.


    Arielle became serious and announced.


    ¡°PGIans, you can rest assured that no project of PGI has been leaked, at least not through me.¡±


    ¡°President Thomas is quite aware of ongoings inside PGI and keeping tabs on everything.¡±


    ¡°Every employee who was ¡®let go¡¯ after I joined was a threat to PGI. Or they were holding on to a position without doing the actual work. Or they were misusing their position. They were using the budget and resources which could have been distributed amongst you or used to hire fresh blood.¡±


    She nodded at Thomas and added.


    ¡°President Thomas wrote to me during our negotiations during my hire that he was hiring me to clean up PGI inside out. And to help him develop a work culture which will make everyone feel epted, included, and a part of growth.¡±


    ¡°He wanted to build apany culture where things were about people and ideas instead of numbers and projects. He wanted to create a team of leaders who mentored talent rather than lead heedlessly. He wanted to align everyone to thepany¡¯s vision and take care of all its employees while employees give their time and effort to PGI.¡±


    She paused as she added.


    ¡°The changes we had made throughout these months were drastic.¡±


    ¡°I admit it was intentional. President Thomas did not try to cover it up or downy it. That was because he did not want to hide from you guys. He wanted an open environment where everyone was ountable, including himself.¡±


    ¡°Everything I have done so far was to help him reach that vision of PGI.¡±


    Arielle added, ¡°Lastly, please allow me a few more minutes before we can get back to the actual presentation.¡±


    She then yed a video of Sophia sneaking into her cabin and changing some data in herptop, stealing pages from her file, and another video of Sophia and Emma ying those misleading videos in PGI during lunch break.


    She told the officers that that was all she had, and they took Sophia and Emma with them.


    The humiliation wouldst forever.


    Arielle continued her presentation but only went over the critical parts.


    This time, everyone listened attentively because they all knew she was a biggie.


    Finally, she ended her session after Q&A.


    Before she went off the stage, she announced something that left everyone speechless.


    ¡°As per my contract with PGI, all the employees must help protect my privacy, or you would be liable to pay a lot of money, while PGI wouldpensate the same amount.¡±


    Now, everyone found out how she managed to be extremely low-key.


    Everyone important knew her, but to ayman, she was a nobody.


    Arielle left the stage amidst thunderous apuse.


    Thomas¡¯s speech was thest. He exined pretty much the same things that Arielle had highlighted.


    He told everyone to enjoy the banquet. He would dismiss ten people who were not a cultural fit by the end of the week. They had deliberately spread gossip and panic while ignoring their work.


    As apany, he expressed his hope to build an inclusive environment where everyone would act as a group and help each other in need, stand by the innocent and help them out of trouble. He would not tolerate anyone who spread panic and defamed or disturbed others.


    A standing ovation followed his speech, where everyone, especially women, was very touched. They were usually the ones left in the mud.


    The nasty gossipers, including those paid by Sophia, were in a pickle as they were sure to be fired. With Sophia and Emma out of PGI, their support system was gone.


    Some wanted to curry favor with Arielle, but she had that ¡®stay away from me¡¯ look on her face the entire time.


    After the dance, she proposed a toast to Thomas and bid her goodbye as it was herst working day on PGI.


    Her job in PGI was over.


    Thomas watched as she was led away by another man while he had to stay back and hold onto hispany that he no longer interested him. He knew Emma would be back to create trouble again, so he had lost all enthusiasm.


    The rest of the employees stayed back and enjoyed the banquet to the fullest as they had seen security in their workce with a better working environment and benefits.


    Thomas received a message from Arielle to meet her in her apartment for something urgent.


    Just as Thomas arrived at the entrance of the building, he received a call from his father. His father called him back urgently for a family meeting.


    Thomas had no choice but to head back to his family vi.


    Arielle watched from her window as Thomas took a U-turn and left.


    In a way, Thomas had made his choice.


    She packed and left without turning back.


    There was no need to stay back for a man who could not prioritize her despite being in love with her.

 Chapter 16 She was gone

    Thomas arrived at his family Vi at 4 am.


    He was slightly drunk and had the beginning of a headache. He did not want to go inside despite reaching the gate. He knew what awaited him inside.


    Thomas had half a mind to take a U-turn and bring his grandmother along, but he did not want to disturb his elderly grandmother.


    As soon as Thomas opened the door, a vase flew at him.


    He dodged but barely.


    ¡°What the hell is wrong with you?¡± He red at his elder sister, Emma, who was clearly out of prison.


    ¡°You tell me, what¡¯s wrong with you? How could you let some random bitch harass your sister like that?¡± Thomas was not surprised to see his mother speak up for Emma.


    It was one of the reasons why Emma was that spoiled.


    ¡°Mom, first of all, mind yournguage. She is not a bitch. Emma was the one who went and provoked her repeatedly without any rhyme or reason.¡±


    ¡°I spent a few months and 300 million dors to get her to audit ourpany which is a shell from the inside and would have been facing bankruptcy within the next three years. It needed a clean-up, and she was the best person for the job.¡±


    ¡°I understand why the Greens would try to sabotage her as they did not want us to flourish and wanted to reap benefits out of our copse. But I don¡¯t understand why Emma, who will directly benefit from Arielle¡¯s work, would try to sabotage her?¡±


    Thomas tried to exin the best he could without any impact.


    ¡°Are you trying to say a random bitch would have to save PGI, a golden goose? Have you lost your mind?¡± His mother eximed.


    ¡°Mom, that is the truth, believe it or not. Emma does not know how to discern between people. If she did, she would have seen Sophia¡¯s maniption and would not have ended up in jail either. She ruined her reputation in PGI with her own hands.¡± Thomas said indifferently.


    The entire scene was not new to him.


    ¡°And you let that happen? How could you do that?¡± His father voiced his discontent.


    ¡°I had persuaded her to drop it when she poured boiling coffee over her and treated her like a servant. It¡¯s not my fault she dug her own grave when I was outside the office. There was no turning back from there. Miss Ward would never tolerate an attack on her reputation.¡±


    Thomas shrugged.


    ¡°Can you stop praising that bitch in every sentence thates out of your mouth? She is a gold-digger who took my cheque to leave you alone. And the shameless hussy ruined your sister¡¯s reputation even after that.¡±


    His mother eximed. It made him gawk at her wide eyes.


    ¡°What did you do?¡± Thomas asked.


    ¡°What do you think I did? I only did what I should do to save my son from gold-diggers.¡± Mrs. Payne said arrogantly, clearly proud of her decision.


    ¡°Hahahaha!¡± Thomasughed out loud.


    That rmed everyone present, but they were still angry with Emma¡¯s situation to care about Thomas.


    Thomas calmed down and suppressed his emotions before speaking.


    ¡°Send Emma abroad. Let her earn her keep by hiding her connection to Paynes. She ought to know how hard it is to make a living. It would teach her humility. At the very least, she should be remorseful for treating her staff and household help so inhumanly.¡±


    He looked at his father and implored, ¡°Dad, that¡¯s what your daughter did all those years in PGI. The staff she hired were all worthless. They only took and took from thepany without adding any value. I had to rece 30% of the PGI staff to save thepany from solvency. Forget about making profits.¡±


    He continued without a pause, ¡°If you don¡¯t want PGI to be bankrupt, do not interfere in anything rted to it or my management from now on. I managed to save it once, but if this continues, I won¡¯t be able to do it again.¡±


    That got everyone¡¯s attention as they were all used to the rich life and did not know how to live without extravagant means.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    Emma, however, was not reconciled, ¡°You are just lying to get rid of me, you bastard.¡±


    Mr. Payne countered his daughter, ¡°Do not be agitated, darling. He is not lying. When he first took over, he showed me the books. Thepany was indeed only a few years away from bankruptcy.¡±


    That shocked everyone as their protests died down.


    Emma¡¯s matter got shelved.


    They unanimously agreed to never interfere in his management. Emma went abroad, though it was to have fun and rx rather than learn and grow.


    Thomas made his way to Arielle¡¯s apartment with a heavy feeling in his heart.


    He began to understand why she had resolutely broken up. Perhaps, she had waited for him to exin and apologize, but he never did. He did not even know about his mother seeking her out.


    As soon as Thomas entered the code, he felt his heart drop. His worst suspicions were confirmed.


    She was gone.


    She must have called him for thest goodbye or perhaps to give him another chance, but he had deprioritized her despite being right at the gate and turned back.


    No wonder she left.


    He looked at a sealed briefcase which was locked. On top of it was a note, ¡°The password is the date we met on the bar. DDMM format.¡±


    He opened the briefcase, and the topmost was a 5-million-dors-cheque given by his mother, and then there were multiple files rted to work.


    Beneath the cheque was a sealed envelope. Thomas opened it to find a simple tinum band without any inscriptions.


    With it was a simple note.


    ¡°I wanted you to be the first man for whom I bought a ring or any jewelry. You can wear it on your pinky if that¡¯s not too much to ask. Until we see each other again, please be happy!¡±


    Thomas tried to force it on his ring finger, but it was too tight and would not go. He had no choice but to put it on his pinky instead.


    He vowed to find her, make her fall for him again, and spend a lifetime with her.

 Chapter 17 3 years later

    Chapter 17 ¨C 3 yearster


    **3 yearster**


    Arielle sat on a couch watching financial news as she had been doing since she was 10.


    In thest three years, John was often on the news. Thomas was as low-key as ever. But she was content.


    PGI was doing well as she had expected it would under his management and with the scope and ns they had discussed. Admittedly, the share prices of PGI had doubled in thest three years, which was an unprecedented growth for a listedpany that was already doing quite well.


    That day, however, it was Thomas who made an appearance.


    Arielle¡¯s breath hitched seeing him after three years, even if it was just on TV.


    She heard his entire speech attentively as he talked about thepany and its future.


    However, his parting words kept ringing in her ears repeatedly.


    ¡°Three and half years ago, I had contacted the best financial analyst in the industry, Miss Arielle, and sought her help. It was owing to the personnel and project clean-up by Miss Arielle that helped PGI be a desirable ce to work for its nurturing work culture and environment.¡±


    ¡°It was also owing to the ns I made with Miss Arielle and the path we both projected together that PGI was able to make such unprecedented progress. The sess of PGI goes to her and all the PGI employees who have given their 200% on the job. I could not be prouder to have had the privilege of working with all of you.¡±


    ¡°Thus, with a heavy heart, I announce the end of my path with PGI. My only constion is that I am leaving PGI in capable hands.¡±


    ¡°My younger brother, Alex Payne, has worked closely with me for thest two years and has been involved in every project, leading almost all of them in thest six months. My capable assistant, John Geller, will continue to assist Alex for another year. My good buddy, Andrew Knight, will continue as vice-President of PGI.¡±


    ¡°I will miss PGI, but now I want to try an ordinary life. Thank you for your support!¡±


    Arielle was dumbstruck. Why would Thomas leave after bringing PGI to its current heights at a grueling pace?


    But she shook herself before her mind wandered. She was in no position to have opinions.


    Thomas went off the stage and out of the building. A strange sense of relief washed over him.


    He was finally free to seek his happiness ¨C Arielle.


    Thomas had been looking for Arielle for three years. But she had disappeared without a trace.


    He had grabbed onto every trail and managed to reconstruct some of her paths.


    After leaving PGI, she went home. He was unclear on what had happened, but she had taken a series of quick actions.


    She had sponsored tworge-scale blood donation programs with two different local blood banks. She had also pre-booked the same to conduct another blood donation program after six months. For her contribution, her parents would get a VIP blood transfusion at any point in their life.


    In an elderly care home, she booked two rooms for her parents with a private nurse for the entirety of their life.


    She had transferred all her shares to her family¡¯spany, their familial house that was in her name in her parent¡¯s name.


    She had transferred her stocks in otherpanies and her private apartment to her younger brother¡¯s name.


    She had created separate ounts for her parents and brother. She had deposited 1 million dors in each of them.


    She had created a trust fund for her goddaughter.


    She had donated 5 million dors to three different charities and had requested everyone to take care of her family.


    After that, she removed herself from her household register and left.


    Even after three years, Thomas felt his heart break whenever he remembered that.


    Her parents hated her as they thought she was unlucky for them.


    Arielle was, unfortunately, born on her grandfather¡¯s death anniversary. On her fifth birthday, her father¡¯s older brother urged everyone to go to a fun park.


    Hence, six people, Arielle and her parents, her uncle, aunt, and their son, went to the fun park in two different cars. But they had met with an ident en route which caused the death of her uncle and aunt and crippled her father.


    She was then forever deemed as a curse and treated as such. Her cousin was worse as he hated her entire family and was dead set on destroying them.


    Her condition worsened after her brother, Phillip Ward, was born when she was nine.


    Given the environment, Arielle¡¯s brother did not even know that she was his elder sister until he was 10. He simply did not know that she was someone to be loved and respected.


    By then, it had been toote to fix their rtionship. Phillip treated Arielle like a freeloading servant.


    The only reason Arielle had nevercked a roof above her head was that her grandmother had left that cottage in her name and made the transfer so binding that it could not be taken away from her under any circumstances until she was 20. After that, she could do as she wished. As such, her cousin was unable to take it away from her.


    Much to her cousin¡¯s frustrations, Arielle grew up to be very smart and mature and rose to prominence quickly. She developed a brand out of her name.


    Thomas could not help but shudder at the thought of how painful her childhood and adulthood had been.


    He was d their break-up could provide a leg up to give up on her family and leave.ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    It was more or less like what he was doing.


    Thomas¡¯s grandmother had passed away a year before.


    She had died at peace, knowing that Thomas had fallen for a sweet and sensible woman. Thomas had told his grandmother everything about Arielle. She had liked the woman and thought she was a good match for her grandson.


    Thomas had thwarted every attempt from Sophia to get close to him. Thankfully, she had fallen out of favor with her father due to the incident caused by Arielle. And she did not have much ess to him. In any case, he avoided her, not bothering to hide his distaste.


    With his grandmother gone, his younger brother ¨C Alex ¨C in charge of PGI, Emma still being Emma and even more unruly, and his parents being insensibly doting and enabling her bad behavior, he could only leave.


    He had done everything he could for his family. He had left PGI in good condition and in good hands. He had no regrets. He wanted to live his own life now.


    After three years, he had caught wind of many small factories from the small town on a hill by a beach. They were making it big, and he could see Arielle¡¯s work all over it.


    Three yearster, he finally had some lead and was determined to follow it.

 Chapter 18 Finally home

    Thomas arrived in the small town by the beach and took a hotel.


    He had arrived in that town. But he had no clue where to start his search or what to tell Arielle when he found her.


    Hey on the bed, exhausted, having flown economy for the first time in his life. But happy and content at being free and not having to maintain an image all the time.


    However, despite his exhaustion, he could not sleep.


    Various scenarios of his meeting with Arielle kept appearing in his mind making him restless.


    But worst of all was the thought that she might not even be there in that town, and he would not be able to find her.


    With every passing hour, as the night deepened, that thought kept getting stronger, depriving him of much-needed rest.


    He locked his hotel room and decided to roam around on the beach to rx.


    It was close to midnight, and the beach was almost empty. That was probably the most significant difference between towns and big cities. A city never slept, while people in small towns enjoyed those mundane luxuries.


    He walked for a long time before he spotted a woman who looked suspiciously like Arielle sitting on a boulder.


    He wanted to walk over and talk to her, but something kept him rooted at the spot nearly 10 meters away from her.


    He watched in slow motion as his dreams broke apart.


    A man holding a child came up to her, and the woman took the child from the man¡¯s arms and kissed the kid all over his face, making him giggle and shout, ¡°mommy¡± repeatedly.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go home! It¡¯s almost midnight, El.¡± The man, probably her husband, said.


    ¡°Alright!¡± The woman said but made no effort to move. She ced her child on the ground and made him walk. A light shone on her face, and Thomas felt his heart bleed seeing the woman he had longed for day and night with her family that did not include him.


    He turned around before she could see him and walked away before running back to the safety of his dingy hotel room.


    Thomas clutched his chest and found it difficult to breathe.


    Over the years, his friend Mathew had reminded him, time and time again, to curb some of his feelings. He had warned him that a woman that wonderful was bound to have admirers and might not wait for him for years.


    But he had stubbornly refused to listen.


    He had been sure what he and Arielle had between them was something rare. In his heart, he always felt what they had was magical.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    But now, he had lost all hope.


    Thomas wandered in town for the next few days trying to catch a glimpse of her and figure out if she was as happy as she looked.


    He had sworn that he would leave after making sure she was happy with her family.


    But luck was against him as he did not see her anywhere.


    Finally, he decided to wait for her at the same ce he had seen her with her husband and child.


    Thomas felt his heart clench at the thought of her family, but he sat on that same stone every night waiting for her.


    It had been a week since he had arrived, and it was the 3rd night since he started waiting for her in the same ce.


    He absentmindedly picked up a little pebble and threw it on the open sea, his mind nk as he did not have a path forward.


    ¡°Is this a dream?¡± Thomas was startled by a familiar voice. He had longed to hear that voice for three years.


    He looked up to see Arielle in tears as she gazed at him obsessively. He could not read her emotions.


    He instinctively walked up to her but hesitated before holding her.


    Arielle could not believe her eyes when she walked to the beach to her spot and suddenly saw Thomas sitting there.


    She kept looking at him for a long time, afraid that he would disappear if she made a wrong move.


    After a long time, she spoke. Her voice broke Thoma¡¯s reverie as he stilled and turned towards her, very slowly as if he was afraid a sharp intake of breath would ruin it.


    He walked up to her, and she could not help but throw herself in his arms.


    Thomas held her tight and took deep breaths to calm his emotions.


    Arielle looked up at him and smiled softly. It made him unable to keep hold of his emotions.


    He leaned forwards and captured her lips. She responded just as enthusiastically, and, before long, they were frantically groping each other.


    They were both too lost in sensations to realize a man holding a child wasing toward them but covered the child¡¯s eyes and turned around after seeing them.


    Arielle finally pulled into thest thread of rationality and led Thomas to her house while still kissing each other throughout the way.


    Thomas did not hold back as she led him to her bedroom.


    They melted and molded as one without even bothering to wash their feet or freshen up.


    Thomas felt that he was finally home. He could finally breathe easy after three years.


    He watched the sleeping woman in his arms, who had passed out exhausted.


    As his emotions slowly settled, the realization of what had just happened began to set.


    However, he shook his thoughts. What was done was done!


    He picked her up and took her to the bathroom. He cleaned her and himself, changed the sheets, and fell asleep holding her close in his arms.


    Arielle woke up, feeling sore but satisfied.


    She felt held tightly in familiar arms before she even opened her eyes. She smiled softly, recalling the events of the night before.


    She had missed this for the past three years.


    Three years and finally, her house becameplete. Finally, she felt the security that a home should provide.


    But she wasn¡¯t sure if this was fleeting happiness or the start of something long-term.

 Chapter 19 Happily ever after

    Arielle woke up happy.


    Since it was a beautiful beginning of the day, she decided not to worry about the future and enjoy what she had while she had it.


    She did not mind that they were tangled naked. She did not dare to disturb the perfect harmony. She did not move.


    She slowly untangled her hands and caressed his face that she had longed to see every day for thest three years.


    Thomas had the best sleep in three years. He felt soft caresses on his face, and with the gentle touch, he could feel her love for him.


    He slowly opened his eyes and saw Arielle looking at him with love and happiness in her eyes.


    He smiled unconsciously, happiness blooming on both their faces.


    They kept looking at each other and caressing each other¡¯s faces, trying to etch every fine line in their memory.


    Their perfect moment was interrupted when Arielle¡¯s phone chimed in.


    Thomas turned around to see the brightened screen of her phone. His fantasy broke immediately.


    Arielle felt him stiffen and looked over. It only took her half a second to realize what had caused Thomas¡¯s reaction.


    Her wallpaper was the first photo she had with her son in the hospital shortly after delivery. The picture made it clear that she had just given birth to the child she was holding.


    She moved and hopped on top of Thomas as she grabbed her phone.


    She read the message andughed.


    ¡°Adrian¡¯s with me. I am taking him to the children¡¯s park. You can have fun. After three years of celibacy, you deserve it!


    I told him you were at an important meeting and will be busy until tonight.


    I covered his eyes. He did not see his parents groping each other on an open beach. Ah! Imagine the trauma it would have caused!


    Take care! Use Protection!¡±


    Thomas was dumbfounded at her reaction.


    He knew her long enough to understand that she would not cheat on her husband. Nor would she marry someone if she still had lingering feelings for him.


    And she even pressed her naked body on him even after she knew he had found out about her baby.


    Something did not add up there.


    Thomas¡¯s gut feeling told him that what he had seen at the beach was not like it had looked.


    Moreover, it was clear that she had given birth. Given her reaction, it could only mean one thing.


    Arielle watched Thomas¡¯s dazed expression and could see the wheels turning in his head.


    She patiently waited for him to realize things. As expected, he did not disappoint.


    Thomas¡¯s whole body trembled as he looked at her, eyes wide open as realization set in.


    ¡°Do you want to reply?¡± Arielle asked him and showed him the text she had just received.


    ¡°I¡­We¡­I!¡± Thomas could only shutter. He did not know how to process such big news.


    He was a father!


    He had a baby!ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    A son. More than 2! Their son was more than two years old.


    A tear trickled down his eye as the realization set in.


    Thomas could not make sense of his emotions.


    How could he love a human being so much without even meeting him, just because he was his flesh and blood?


    Their baby was the living, breathing proof that something special existed between him and Arielle.


    Arielle did not interrupt and let the reality sink in as her own eyes teared up.


    After a long time, she slowly wiped his eyes and kissed him tenderly on his face.


    Thomas came out of his trance and kissed her hard.


    Arielle pushed him away and said, ¡°Brush your teeth. Both of our mouths stink!¡±


    Thomas was speechless. How could she ruin a perfect moment like that?


    But he recalled she had never let him kiss her or do anything without freshening up first. They had, after all, lived together for almost four months.


    He walked naked to the washroom and closed the door, making herugh at his childishness.


    She slipped into a simple gown and went to the guest bathroom to freshen up.


    She took a spare toothbrush and knocked on her bathroom. Thomas had, thankfully, put on her robe.


    They brushed together, and Thomas carried her bridal style to the bed again.


    ¡°I saw you a week ago,¡± Thomas said as he pressed her beneath him.


    She had wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist.


    ¡°What?¡± She was stunned.


    Thomas kissed her softly and added, ¡°Before I could walk up to you, I saw a man and child approach you. He called you, ¡®mommy!¡¯. I thought you were married with a child, so I ran away.¡±


    Arielle did not know what to say.


    Thomas caressed her cheek with his thumb as he added, ¡°But I still stayed back to ensure you were happy before leaving. I could not find you, so I waited by the same ce where I had seen you.¡±


    Arielle kissed him hard and bit his lips.


    ¡°Three years ago, I suspected I was pregnant a few days before the event. I was not sure, and I was scared. After the event, I finally mustered up the courage to buy a pregnancy test kit and asked you to meet me.¡± She exined slowly.


    ¡°I watched as you banged on the steering wheel and turned around. Although reluctant, your priorityy elsewhere, so I left without taking the pregnancy test.¡±


    She kissed his furrowed brows and soothed him.


    ¡°I went back to my hometown. My parents told me to marry an aged man who would invest in our family business and transfer all my shares to my cousin. Even though I had bought them from the market on my own.¡±


    ¡°I left and took the pregnancy test in my apartment. It was positive, and I knew I could not raise my child, our child, in a toxic environment like my family. So, I did a few things and made arrangements for my parents before removing myself from the Ward family tree and leaving for good.¡±


    ¡°Only my best friend, Arabe, and my other two friends ¨C the gay couple you saw at the PGI event ¨C Joe and Rick knew where I came.¡±


    ¡°Rick helped hide my trail, so my family could not find me, not that they cared, but they probably would want to milk some more benefits. Joe moved here three months after I did when Rick got transferred to a different unit which required him to travel a lot and participate in closed operations on and off for five years.¡±


    ¡°Arabe and her daughter Belle visit from time to time and spend their entire vacation here.¡±


    ¡°Joe practically took care of my entire pregnancy and childbirth. He was practically the father figure for Adrian.¡±


    She kissed him gently and added, ¡°I named our son Adrian. I always show Adrian your picture and tell him that you worked far away and cannote. You will be back as soon as you can.¡±


    Thomas felt a lump in his throat.


    ¡°Thank you! I love you so much.¡± Thomas said huskily.


    ¡°Are you here for good?¡± Arielle asked.


    ¡°Yes! Like you, I have fulfilled all my responsibilities towards my family and left them in good hands. I can focus on my life and happiness now. That is you. And our son! Let¡¯s get married. I want our happily-ever-after.¡± He said, kissing her tenderly.


    ¡°Alright! But can we choose a different surname for ourselves? I don¡¯t want to be a Payne. No offense to your family,¡± Arielle asked with a pout.


    ¡°Okay!¡± Thomas replied without hesitation.


    ¡°I love you! I missed you for three years.¡± Arielle snugged in his arms.


    ¡°Me too!¡± Thomas said as they started groping each other again.


    ¡°You are insatiable!¡±


    Arielleined when he continued to entice her even after she begged him to stop.


    ¡°I have had a dry spell for three years!¡± Thomas grunted as he pushed inside her and grunted in satisfaction.


    She moaned loudly butined, ¡°This is thest time! I can¡¯t take it anymore.¡± Her words came in broken pants.


    Thomas did not reply as he had no ns of stopping.


    His son was out for the day. Thomas meant to keep himself busy until he was back.


    He did not want their first meeting to be in a public ce. So, he resisted his urge to run to him.


    What better way to keep his mind off things than making love to the love of his life?

 Chapter 20 Reunion

    Adrian was on cloud nine.


    He had finally seen his father. While he did not understand the whole thing, he knew his father was busy with work, like how his mother, uncle Joe, and uncle Rick got busy sometimes.


    ¡°Daddy, I want to build a treehouse,¡± Adrian said, trying hard to speak inplete sentences.


    ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s go find a tree,¡± Thomas chuckled.


    ¡°Ad, honey, daddy is tired. Let him rest for tonight. Tomorrow morning you can build your treehouse,¡± Arielle interjected as she looked at them from the kitchen.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, El. I got this!¡± Thomas smiled at her.


    ¡°No. It¡¯s getting dark, and I don¡¯t want you guys falling from the tree,¡± Arielle was stern about her decision.


    ¡°Mommy wants to steal Daddy,¡± Adrianined as he hugged Thomas and looked at his mother with a crinkled nose.


    ¡°Mommy already got daddy; otherwise, how could you have been born?¡± Arielle teased, making Thomas choke on his saliva.


    ¡°Mommy is being meanie again,¡± Adrian grumbled, not understanding his mother¡¯s words.


    ¡°Seriously, who says that to a kid,¡± Thomas disapprovingly asked.


    ¡°Belle taught him all sorts of nonsense. I am just setting things straight.¡± Arielle shrugged.


    Adrian pressed his head on Thomas¡¯s shoulder and stayed like that in silent contemtion.


    ¡°Mommy, where is my list?¡± He asked after some time.


    ¡°It¡¯s in your cupboard. Go pick something indoor,¡± Arielle said,ughing at her son¡¯s antics.


    ¡°What is he talking about?¡± Thomas asked.


    ¡°You will see. Give it a second.¡± Arielle shrugged.


    Adrian came out running, holding a small notepad which he excitedly showed to Thomas.


    Thomas felt his heart break seeing the note that included a list of things his son wanted to do with him.


    Arielle could sense his emotions and exined, ¡°I helped him note down everything he wanted to do with his father. I wanted to ensure neither of you missed out on any bonding time. And there are no regrets. Well, I tried, at least.¡±


    Thomas was too choked to say anything, so he just nodded.


    He sat down with Adrian on hisp and started going over things. They were simple things, and he was more than excited to cross off everything on the list.


    ying horse with daddy ¨C probably meant he was supposed to walk on all fours with Adrian sitting on his back.


    Sitting on daddy¡¯s shoulders and seeing a fair.


    Building Lego house


    Building treehouse


    ying chess with Daddy


    Going to an amusement park with Daddy and Mommy


    Eating breakfast made by Daddy


    Eating ice cream made by Daddy


    Buying secret gifts for Mommy with Daddy


    ¡°Are you sure you did not include this one by yourself?¡± Thomas asked.


    Arielle just rolled her eyes.


    Thomas and Adrian started to build a Lego house, and the family of three slept together with Adrian in the middle after ying around in bed.


    **Two monthster**


    Born in a prestigious family, Thomas had never thought he would end up being a househusband.


    But life has a way of surprising you. He loved every minute of the two months he spent with his family.


    They had registered their marriage and got their household registered.


    Adrian became Adrian El Carter.


    El for Arielle and Carter was Thomas¡¯s grandmother¡¯s maiden name. She had been his guardian, family, mentor, guide, and best friend.ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    After two months of his arrival, Arielle and Thomas finally managed to have a reunion dinner with the people closest to them.


    Arielle, Thomas, Adrian, Arielle¡¯s best friend ¨C Arabe Knight and her daughter Belle, Arielle¡¯s other two closest friends ¨C the married couple Joe and Rick, Thomas¡¯s best friend ¨C Mathew Stark, and Thomas¡¯s assistant ¨C John were the attendees.


    Instead of calling them all in the small town, they all decided to meet in a new ce. Rick did not want toe home due to being on multiple assignments those few years, so it made more sense.


    The introductions were a bit stiff, but they all managed to get along well and bonded through the dinner, especially with Adrian and Belle keeping everyone entertained.


    After dinner, the kids went to bed.


    The adults started drinking as everyone opened up, sharing the happenings in their dull life.


    Mathew kept stealing nces at Arabe, and Joe teased him right away.


    To divert the topic, he asked about Joe¡¯s friendship with Arielle. It made Rick groan.


    ¡°Oh! There¡¯s a story here.¡± Mathew asked. He had only wanted to change the topic but had struck gold.


    ¡°Yes, darling, spill!¡± Arabe teased. It was her favorite thing to tease Rick with Joe and Arielle¡¯s story.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell your husband how you met Joe?¡± Arabe teased.


    Arielle only rolled her eyes at that.


    Thomas eyed her curiously and asked, ¡°C¡¯mon!¡±


    Joe said dramatically, ¡°Elle was the one who made me realize I was gay.¡±


    John eximed, ¡°What!¡± before he could stop himself.


    The rest of them burst intoughter while Rick was annoyed as he kissed Joe hard in front of everyone. The others booed and suddenly felt very young.


    Arielle winked at Joe, ¡°Go ahead and exaggerate. It won¡¯t be me who won¡¯t be able to sit tomorrow.¡±


    Mathew cursed, ¡°Fuck!¡±


    Johnughed, ¡°Exactly!¡±


    Joe rolled his eyes, but the redness on his ears said it all.


    ¡°Elle and I had the sameputer sses in college. She took basicputers and ethical hacking sses for extra credits on top of her Finance and Management sses. I majored in Computer Science. We became good friends probably because we were both boring. Anyway, I had a crush on her. We were both virgins at the time. I thought it was shameful since I had not expected to still be a virgin at 20. She simply did not care.¡±


    Arabe was impatient, ¡°Get to the main point.¡±


    Arielle rolled her eyes, ¡°Well, he asked me out and told me he had a crush on me. I had thought he was gay and was just messing with me, so Iughed in his face. When he kept insisting, I thought he was taking the joke too far and decided to y along to see who chickens out first.¡±

 Chapter 21 Brave in love

    Mathewughed, ¡°I am so loving where this is going.¡±


    Joe gulped some more wine, ¡°Can¡¯t we skip the embarrassing parts.¡±


    ¡°Nope!¡± Arielle continued, ¡°We started dating, or whatever you call it. By then, we had already known each other for a year and a half. We were good friends for a year and knew each other pretty well.¡±


    ¡°When we went on dates, it was oddly awkward because I thought he was just messing with me, and he could understand why I was being weird. At that time, he had not quite figured out he was gay.¡±


    ¡°We were buddies and used to eat together and go to movies that we both liked, but mostly we used to go to a cafe andpete over hacking or some games. And that used to be a lot of fun. Our dates were anything but fun.¡±


    Joeughed, recalling those dates, ¡°We dated for an entire semester, and we had formed a weird rapport. We would have a lot of fun when we hung out normally. But when we called it a date, it would be awkward and mentally draining.¡±


    Arabe added for them, ¡°6 months of supposed dating, they had not even kissed. And then came the exchange students, and El had an influx of admirers. Things got very interesting after that.¡±


    Joe sighed, gulping away his embarrassment.


    Arielleughed, ¡°It was so hrious. Joe would get annoyed whenever anyone made a pass at me or asked me out. Expected behavior from a supposed boyfriend, except his reasoning would be all over the ce.¡±


    ¡®He is so cute. What does he like about you? You are hideous.¡¯


    ¡®He is the topper of the batch. You are above average at best. Why would he be interested in you?¡¯


    ¡®He is a football prodigy. What does he see in you? You suck at all sports.¡¯


    ¡®Look at those muscles, he is so hot, and you are an ugly duckling. Is he blind?''¡±


    Arabe snorted,ughing as she recalled those days.


    ¡°Oh, dear god! El and I talked about how miserably Joe was handling the joke that was their rtionship.¡± Arabe managed to say with her face covered with tears as she rolled off the couchughing.


    Arielle finished the story.


    ¡°One day, when we were talking about one of Joe¡¯s antics, she asked if Joe was aware that he was gay. That got me thinking that maybe he did not know, hence the weird behavior.¡±


    ¡°I knew he would not believe me if I just went up to him and told him that he was gay. So I made a n.¡±


    ¡°I went to this guy in our data analytics ss who I was pretty sure Joe was crushing on. I asked him to ask me out when Joe and I were together during the lunch break. I did not tell him the details, merely asked for his help. I told him it was important, and we would be in a semi-secluded ce.¡±


    ¡°He agreed, and a few dayster, I was with Joe under this tree behind the cafeteria, which did not have too many people. He walked up to me and asked me out. I smiled at him, but before I could reply, Joe eximed that she had a boyfriend and asked him to leave.¡±


    Joe sighed heavily, ¡°Ah! The heartbreak and bad memories.¡±


    Arielle pointed at Joe and exined.


    ¡°This guy spent two hours, two freaking hours, using me of seducing that guy. He went on and on about how that guy was perfect, and I was way out of his league. I did not even speak, but I recorded him.¡±


    ¡°Then, after a week or so, when he had calmed down, I yed the recording and pointed out to him that he was not upset that someone asked out his ¡°girlfriend¡± but upset because that semi-perfect guy asked me out.¡±


    Arabe snickered, ¡°Even then, he did not get it.¡±


    Joe thumped his ss and said, ¡°In my defense, that idea had never crossed my life.¡±


    Arielleughed at him, ¡°You were not living under a rock.¡± She continued before he couldment.


    ¡°We spent 2-3 hours arguing, I can¡¯t even remember, about some nonsense. Long story short, one thing led to another, and, would you believe it, Joe used me of changing the narrative to initiate a breakup. So, I taunted him that anyone would break up with a guy who would not even want to kiss her.¡±


    ¡°Finally, it dawned on him that we were tonically dating for more than half a year. He said he would just kiss me and prove his point.¡±


    ¡°We kissed! Hardly 3 secondster, he pushed me away and was like, ¡®Okay, you are right. I am gay. ew!¡¯ I will never forget the look on his face that day.¡±


    Everyone startedughing uncontrobly, and Arielle had to hush everyone to keep quiet, or the kids would wake up.


    Joe grumbled, ¡°That was embarrassing. God! You guys will tell this story to our kids, won¡¯t you?¡±


    Arabe could not speak, so she nodded repeatedly.


    Joe continued the topic.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    ¡°Anyway, these two bitches held aing out of closet ceremony for me. Which was weird because I had never even realized I was inside the closet.¡±


    ¡°I told my parents. They already knew and were waiting for me to find out. The next few months were the most wonderful. I had never realized I had been so stressed inside without even realizing it. But realizing that I was gay freed me up in unbelievable ways.¡±


    They all clicked their sses to cheer for that.


    Joe continued, ¡°After that, the three of us became even closer. I realized firsthand what girls mean when they say ¡®every girl needs a gay best friend!¡¯.¡±


    ¡°I was their human shield to repel all unwanted attention. A few years down the line, I became Belle¡¯s dad when she managed to get knocked up when she was shitfaced drunk over her breakup.¡±


    Arabe shrugged, ¡°Don¡¯t parade my shame, which is now my badge of honor.¡±


    She had never regretted giving birth to the child she had borne from a one-night stand when she was drunk over a breakup.


    Joe clinked sses with her, ¡°To our daughter.¡±


    Joe continued, ¡°Anyway, using me as a human shield finally showed its consequences. Around half a yearter, the footballer guy who had asked her out cornered her close to a public library in thete evening one day. He tried to harass her, and I tried to fight him, but he was a football prodigy, and I was, well, me. He beat the crap out of me and then continued to try to kiss her forcibly.¡±


    ¡°Then Rick showed up, he had just graduated from the Police academy, and it was the first month of his assignment. He was patrolling the area. He was like those knights in shining armor who came to save the princess. Except, I fell in love with him at first sight, while the ungrateful woman only said thank you!¡±


    Arielle snorted, ¡°You exaggerated it so much to get Rick to send us to hospital. And I will never forget how you asked for his help.¡±


    Rick finally spoke. He was a man of few words, but he could never forget that moment. That night, part of him knew his life would never be the same.


    ¡°Please save her, good sir. She is my best friend and the future surrogate for my children. I will need a surrogate since I am gay, but it can¡¯t be a random person. The mother must be in the picture. It¡¯s for the wellbeing of a child.¡±


    Arielle proposed a toast when they finally reigned in theirughter, ¡°To being brave in love!¡±

 Chapter 22 The new couple

    The week went by exceptionally well.


    The friends had not spent time together in a long time, and some of them had never met. They all got along like a house on fire.


    Mathew got enamored by Arabe¡¯s spunky personality and her honesty. He was pleasantly surprised to see how well-mannered Belle was and how well Arabe had raised her daughter, all on her own to boot.


    He asked her out after a few days, and she agreed.


    Arabe thought Mathew was fun and adventurous and seemed to be a good guy. He already knew all about her, thanks to all the nights they had spent drinking and spilling secrets. She feltfortable being herself with him.


    More importantly, being Thomas¡¯s best friend, he was probably not trying to score her to just hook up with a single mom.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    She was not looking for a marriage at the onset, but she was not okay with one-night stands or flings.


    Surprisingly, they got on much better than either had dared to hope.


    They had simr interests and were both adventurous. They went on a couple of dates together without the others and enjoyed every moment of it.


    Before their vacation ended, the new couple became the most cuddly and cheesy of the group.


    Mathew loved Belle and treated her like his own, which everyone could see was not an act. It impressed Arabe a lot and gave her some hope.


    Three days before the trip ended, Arielle and Thomas left the others and the kids and went out together. They had not gone out together, just the two of them, after they reconciled. Thomas could not bear to leave Adrian behind for even one evening.


    It had been Arielle who had dragged him away because she had something serious to discuss.


    After dinner and dancing, they ended up strolling by a park.


    Arielle sat him on a secluded bench and confessed her thoughts.


    ¡°I want to be a surrogate for Joe and Rick¡¯s child. We could do artificial insemination with both samples and leave the rest to fate. Just one try!¡±


    Thomas was shocked and needed a minute toe to his senses.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°They are my closest friends. Joe is like the best friend/cousin I never had. I want them to be happy. They have yed with the idea of using a surrogate, but they did not want to keep the child away from the mother or take help from a random woman.¡±


    ¡°All their pleas for adoption were rejected. They turned their lives upside down to get adoption permits but never managed. I just want to help. I want them to be happy.¡±


    Thomas did not know what to think. Even though she would not have any physical rtionship with them, it was still awkward for his wife to conceive someone¡¯s baby.


    He kept thinking things over and was silent.


    Arielle could sense his thoughts and added, ¡°It¡¯s awkward. I know. I got this idea when Adrian was born and saw the look of longing in their eyes when they took care of him. I never said it out loud, not even to Ar, because I was never sure. Even now, I am leaning both ways.¡±


    She wrapped herself in his arms and said, ¡°Say whatever you want. It¡¯s normal if you don¡¯t want this. I won¡¯t do it if you say no. I will never breathe a word, and I won¡¯t regret it. I had the thought, and I just had to tell you, get it out of my system.¡±


    Thomas held her tight and kissed her tenderly on the face.


    ¡°To be honest, my first thought was whether you had lost it or it was a prank. And then I thought you were probably drunk or crazy. Pregnancy is not a joke. It¡¯s fine to want to help your friends, especially since they are more your family than friends. But you could hurt yourself fatally during pregnancy or childbirth. Let me sleep on this. I will tell you when I have thought it through.¡±


    Arielle kissed him till they were breathless.


    ¡°Thank you for even thinking about it. I was ready to drop the idea if you said no. I know this is crazy.¡±


    On thest day of their vacation, the mood was somber.


    None wanted to part ways, but duty calls, and they could not just leave their lives behind.


    Joe asked if John had any ns ahead. John would be leaving PGI sooner orter.


    John shrugged it off and said, ¡°I am waiting for these two to start apany. I can join as an investor. I have a lot of money now. They left all their fortunes and are broke.¡±


    Everyoneughed while Mathew agreed.


    ¡°We could do it. Just between us, we have enough money and resources to start a newpany.¡± Mathew added.


    ¡°We all live in different countries now. That might not be possible,¡± Arielle said.


    ¡°Well, you and I are stuck together. Rick has agreed that we will move wherever you move. I mean, he stays away most of the time, and sadly you are my only family now. I also don¡¯t trust you with Adrian.¡±


    Arielle threw a French fry at him as they allughed.


    Joe continued, ¡°Arabe got kicked out by her family after her pregnancy. She can move. Belle will have so many people around if we stay close.¡±


    Arabe raised her ss to show her consent.


    Joe looked at John and added, ¡°John seems ready, though he may need to travel back and forth a lot to keep in touch with his family. That should not be a problem since he is rich.¡±


    Theyughed at the innuendo as he continued, ¡°And based on what I gathered, Mathew has not lived in one ce after college. It would do him good to settle down somece, especially if he is serious about Ar.¡±


    Arabe red at him, so he added.


    ¡°I mean no pressure, Mathew. At least for now, but you gotta keep some things in mind. I knew I would move around the world to keep Rickpany. I have not lived in his quarters because we missed the slot when it opened. My parents were sick and on theirst days.¡±


    Joe smiled at Rick, who hugged him tighter at the mention of his parents. They had a great bond between them.


    Joe shrugged and added for Rick¡¯s benefit, ¡°It worked out in the end since she got knocked up, so I moved along with her.¡± He pointed at Arielle as he added.


    They allughed as he jokingly remarked, ¡°I am the default dad when these two get knocked up. How heavy is the weight on my shoulders!¡±


    But soon, they all became silent as they pondered over the possibilities.

 Chapter 23 New journey

    Thomas finally voiced, ¡°The idea sounds good. We all know how to run apany, but none of us know what to sell.¡±


    John nodded at the realization.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. You, your wife, Mathew, and I ¨C have a finance and management background. Arabe is from product marketing, Joe is awork engineer, and Rick is a cop. We know how to protect and sell something. But none of us know how to produce anything.¡±


    Arabe chimed in, ¡°How about we open a Logisticspany?¡±


    Mathew asked, ¡°Logistics?¡±


    Arabe hummed, ¡°There isn¡¯t any good logisticspany where we grew up, especially at the international level. Same with where they currently stay. It¡¯s been a nightmare when I have to send something to this cavewoman.¡±


    Arielle rolled her eyes at the reference, ¡°So, I take it you did some research?¡±


    Arabe clinked her sses, ¡°Touch¨¦!¡±


    She shrugged and added, ¡°Work habits are hard to suppress. There is a good market for it, though the initial few years would be bad. Combined with all our expertise and if Mathew¡¯spany and Thomas¡¯s family¡¯spany start using it, it should get a decent boost.¡±


    Thomas nodded after a long time, ¡°This can work. But before that, we all need a good ce to settle down. Somewhere our kids can grow up, and we can retire.¡±


    Joe added, ¡°Yeah, we should all build houses close by for our extended family where the kids can stay until they move out. Need good schools and high schools within amutable distance. Also, the warehouse and our offices should be close, and the seaport and airport.¡±


    They discussed it for a long time and ended up with a rough n in their half-drunk state.


    **One yearter**


    In a semi-urban city ¨C Pearl City, less than a dozen miles from the capital of country Z, the friends and family decided to build their home.


    The group of 7 adults with two kids procuredrge amounts ofnd for four different houses, their offices, and arge warehouse with potential for expansion.


    It was a new beginning for everyone.


    John still had a few months left before he left PGI. He extended his stay to help Alex, who was losing his mind at Emma¡¯s mismanagement.


    Rick was still busy with assignments. Though, he and John would be avable in half a year.


    Joe had introduced Rick¡¯s cousin to John, and they both had hit it off well. But they were going rocky due to different aspirations.


    They were still trying to make it work, though things weren¡¯t looking good.


    Mathew and Arabe were doing great. They were nning for a Frozen-themed Winter wedding as per Belle¡¯s request. Belle was thrilled to have a father and a loving extended family.


    Mathew made many attempts to convince his parents to no avail, but Belle had won them over in less than an hour.


    Thomas and Arielle could not be happier. Adrian was growing up wonderfully.


    After thinking for many months, Thomas decided to go ahead with Arielle¡¯s n to be a surrogate for Joe and Rick.


    After spending a year and a half together, Thomas was clear of Joe¡¯s longing for a child. He saw how much Joe cared for Adrian and Belle. And how much Joe meant to both Arielle and Arabe, as well as Adrian and Be. He could not say no after seeing all that, despite still feeling as awkward as ever.ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    Joe became teary-eyed at their proposal. Rick proposed a condition, hiding his joy well.


    Instead of injecting only Rick and Joe¡¯s semen samples, they would also take Thomas¡¯s. Whoever ends up fathering a baby is up to fate.


    That made things much easier for Thomas to ept.


    Arielle had refused, ¡°After two years, I want to have another child with Thomas by conceiving naturally.¡±


    Thomas was overjoyed hearing her ns but kept a lid on his emotions. It was not the time or ce.


    But Rick was adamant that all three should do it to ease off the awkwardness.


    And so, that was finalized. As soon as Rick¡¯s training was over, they would go for artificial insemination. No matter who ends up fathering the child in the end, none of the three wanted to miss the process.


    Arabe was jealous just imagining the pampering, ¡°I am imagining you in a reverse harem setting given how much they are going to pamper you.¡±


    Arielle teased, ¡°You can get pregnant and ride on my coattails.¡±


    Mathew agreed to that right away, ¡°Works for me!¡±


    Arabe pushed him away, ¡°Of course it does. You are not the one who would be raising another human inside of you and pumping them out of your privates.¡±


    Mathew and Thomas were horrified hearing that literal description, while Joeughed at them.


    Compared to Thomas and Mathew, Joe was an old hand, having been an integral part of Arabe and Arielle¡¯s pregnancy journeys.

 Chapter 24 Babies

    **One and a half yearster**


    John stood outside a police station in Pearl city, awaiting his girlfriend.


    A year earlier, he had broken up with Rick¡¯s cousin after giving each other several chances. They were simply notpatible because they wanted very different things in life. Hence, they had broken up mutually.


    One day, he had ended up making a scene at a bar in a drunken stupor, and they ended up calling the police.


    The one who responded was a female police officer. The first thing about the female officer that John had noticed was the scar on her left eyebrow that made her look equally sexy and dangerous. John had an instant crush on her. Especially with how smoothly she handled everything.


    John had always admired people who were good at their jobs, which had also been one point of discontent with his ex-girlfriend. Rick¡¯s cousin was never into one thing for long enough to do it properly.


    John had called Rick to help bail him out. Then, John found that the female police officer was Brenda, a good friend of Rick¡¯s who had been on several assignments together.


    The acquaintance then became friends, and then something more.


    A yearter, John had be a familiar face in the police station.


    John and Brenda had hit it off unnaturally well. While their dates were few and far between, they both liked each other well enough to put in the extra effort.


    On the other hand, their logistics business ¨C F&F Logistics ¨C Friends and Family Logistics, had just started, and everyone was rather busy.


    John did not have a tiny child to raise, unlike others. He was busy with work. Others barely went to the office.


    Arielle had given birth to twins ¨C a boy and a girl. However, no one knew who the kids belonged to and what to do with them.


    They had left the decision to Arielle as she had the most right to decide.


    Arielle said Joe and Rick could keep both if she had a natural delivery. She and Thomas could have another child anyway.


    If there wereplications during pregnancy or childbirth, she would keep the girl for Thomas, and they could keep the boy.


    They were all floored at her decision, but it had indeed made sense.


    She could not deny her husband the joy of raising a child just to help her friends. It¡¯s not like she was refusing a child to Joe and Rick.


    Fortune seemed to have favored Joe and Rick as her pregnancy and childbirth went without severeplications. The gynecologist confirmed that she could give birth again, though she ought to hurry given her age.


    They decided not to check who the father was because it did not matter.


    All four houses shared boundaries. There was a shared children¡¯s yground behind their homes.


    Thomas and Arielle¡¯s house was the biggest of the four. Mostly, everyone would just stay at their ce. That was ironic because Arabe was the default host.


    Arielle and Arabe¡¯s joke of having kids together had turned out to be prophetic since Arabe got pregnant a few weeks before Arielle.


    Mathew would often panic since everything was new to him, so during the third trimester, everyone simply moved to Arielle and Thomas¡¯s ce for convenience.


    Two pregnant women pampered by four men and two children! It was a lot more fun than any of them had anticipated.


    Thomas had to suffer throughout the pregnancy since Joe forbade them from having sex with his kids on her belly.


    It was one hrious conversation. Thomas¡¯s grudge against Joe hadsted throughout the pregnancy.


    Finally, the best friends, very unexpectedly, ended up giving birth on the same day, which caused an instant panic in the house.


    Joe was the one who had first-hand experience of two pregnancies. He handled everything well and directed everyone to stay calm and keep with the nned process for the emergency.


    Arabe gave birth to a boy. Arielle had a pigeon pair, which livened up the house.


    They all decided to stay in the same house to better care for all children and their mothers.


    Arielle and Arabe had the mostfortable postpartum that any woman could imagine. The four dads took care of the kids and handled all the night duties.


    The two mothers got to sleep through the night every night, only waking up to feed the babies.


    They all got to bond with the kids in a rxed mood as they skipped work.


    F&F Logistics had just started. There was not much that needed their attention. They had, anyways, taken things slow owing to the uing birth of the children.


    Arabe left for Mathew¡¯s parent¡¯s house a month after the delivery. His entire family was eager to meet the little one. They nned to stay there until the feeding ceremony when their baby boy turned six months old.


    Mathew¡¯s family could not be happier with the thoughtful couple. Theymented not bringing Belle along, but she could not miss school for that long. Mathew nned to fly her in and out every other weekend to make it up to everyone.


    John felt like the odd one out, being the only one unmarried and without kids.N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    Thankfully, Brenda assured him that it was all good. His wife and kids will be doted upon by that many people.


    John thought of how far they all hade in terms of everything as he waited outside the police station.

 Chapter 25 Clingy children

    Brenda broke John out of his thoughts as she patted his shoulders.


    ¡°You were so lost in thought. What were you thinking about?¡± Brenda asked as John wrapped his arms around her.


    ¡°I was just thinking about life. How far all of us havee since Mathew, Thomas, and I graduated! Not to mention having five kids at home. It¡¯s been a long journey and, thankfully, a very fulfilling one.¡± John exined sinctly.


    Brenda hugged him, ¡°Well, you have good friends. They are so weing. It¡¯s like living in a joint family but of your choice. You get all the good parts and not many bad parts.¡±


    John had to agree. ¡°Well, you are more than wee to join that family officially.¡±


    Brenda punched him, which hurt for real, ¡°Ouch!¡± John cried.


    ¡°Was that supposed to be a proposal? If that was, it was fuckingme.¡± Brenda punched him once more but managed to control her strength this time.


    John gulped and kept quiet. He would get beaten if he confessed that he had yet to think about marriage.


    Thankfully, his phone rang and saved him from trouble.


    ¡°What?¡± John asked Thomas over the phone.


    ¡°But why do you want me there?¡± He asked again with a frown.


    ¡°Thomas, I don¡¯t want to go to a gynecologist with your wife. Are you crazy?¡± John eximed.


    ¡°How about we switch? I will take care of your daughter, and you go with your wife.¡± John proposed wondering why Thomas could not think of that.


    ¡°I think she already knows that they will move to another house. So, she is clingy. How about this? I will take care of Mathew¡¯s kid, and Arabe can go with your wife.¡± John proposed.


    ¡°Are there any of the triplets who would leave you, Joe, or Arabe?¡±


    ¡°Fine, then let Joe go with her. I will take over his son.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I will be there. You have ruined my date. You owe me one. When I have a kid, you will babysit all the time.¡± John grumbled before hanging up.


    Brenda wanted tough at his face. He kept muttering under his breath.


    ¡°Well, I have to go. You only have a 30-minute break. I guess I will just leave. Come to my ce when you get off?¡± John told Brenda. He was sulking and muttering some things about Thomas under his breath.


    ¡°I can go with you. You had to wait longer earlier because I was finishing up my tasks for the day. We could leave together.¡± Brenda informed him with a wink.


    ¡°Really? That¡¯s great. Let¡¯s go. I will cook tonight.¡± He excitedly volunteered.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    ¡°No thanks! I will eat what Arielle makes.¡± Brenda snorted as she went inside the car.


    John could only shake his head. Brenda never bothered to hide her partiality to Arielle¡¯s cooking.


    Funnily enough, neither Thomas nor Adrian liked her cooking. Something about having a different pte. It was a joke of their otherwise perfect marriage.


    As soon as she saw Brenda, Arielle¡¯s little girl tried to jump from her father¡¯sp. That girl loved Brenda for some reason and would only want Arielle more than Brenda. Her three fathers were almost invisible to her in front of Brenda.


    Thomas shook his head in defeat.


    ¡°Well, I guess I can apany El now. Brenda, can you please take care of her until wee back? It should take us 2-3 hours.¡± Thomas asked.


    ¡°Sure thing. Go on ahead!¡± She said absentmindedly, already lost in the games she shared with the little muffin.


    Thomas and Arielle left the house through the back door. The twins would start screaming whenever they saw their mother going anywhere.


    They consulted a gynecologist on Arielle¡¯s health. They wanted to conceive another child after half a year, give or take. It was best to get checkups done early, so they could take corrective measures if required.


    Less than an hourter, the gynecologist confirmed that everything looked normal based on the scans, but they had to visit two dayster for further confirmation from the test results from theb.


    Arielle heaved a sigh. It was tiring taking care of three kids at once. Thankfully, Adrian was very well behaved for his age.


    Thomas drove her to a hotel instead of their home. Arielle was too lost in her thoughts to realize that. She only realized they had not gone home but somece else when Thomas pinned her to the door.

 Chapter 26 Her deepest fear

    ¡°You are so absorbed in thought,¡± Thomas remarked.


    ¡°I feel like these few years have gone by too fast. Not that I amining. These were the best years of my life. I have never been this happy before. It¡¯s just sometimes it¡¯s too overwhelming.¡± Arielle exined as she hooked her arms around his neck.


    ¡°Do you want to go somewhere just you, me, and Adrian? To rx and have your me time.¡± Thomas asked as he picked her up by the waist.


    She wrapped her legs around his waist as he started to walk to the bed.


    ¡°That sounds like a good idea. Maybe wait a few months. The twins will be moving with Joe and Rick soon. Let¡¯s let them get used to it first. I have yet to stop breastfeeding. It will take a while.¡± She said, tracing his face with her fingers.


    ¡°Are you happy?¡± He asked as hey her on the bed and hovered on top.


    ¡°I am not sure. I don¡¯t regret it. It will be hard in the beginning. But at the end of the day, the twins are our kids. They are just a wall away.¡± She exined, understanding what he meant.


    ¡°Joe has not stopped smiling since I got pregnant. It is the happiest I have seen him in his entire life, especially after his parents passed away. They were his rock; they were so close. Ar and I used to be so envious. So, I understand the deep-seated need to have a family of their own. I am happy I could give him that happiness. I would not take away that happiness for the world.¡±


    Thomas knew her well enough to see through her words. ¡°But?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I am afraid the kids will resent us for giving them away. We have Adrian and the kid we are nning with us. But those kids will not have our names under parents or guardians and won¡¯t live with us.¡± Arielle confessed her deepest fear.


    ¡°I have thought about that too. We can always ensure it does not happen. The kids, all four of them, in fact, all 6 of them, can live in all three houses. They won¡¯t ever be ufortable. Besides, they will understand it when they grow up.¡± He exined. It was one of the first things that had crossed his mind when they had agreed to surrogacy.


    ¡°Hmm! I feel better now. I would not change it for the world.¡± She sighed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t overthink! We will handle everything together,¡± He consoled her as he traced her face with his lips without kissing her.


    ¡°Why did you bring me to a hotel?¡± She asked as her breath hitched and her body arched for closer contact.


    ¡°Why do you think I brought you here?¡± He teased as he blew on her ears and neck on her sensitive spots.


    ¡°I am too preupied to think right now.¡± She said as she tilted her head upwards to give him better ess.


    ¡°To screw you, of course,¡± he crassly said to infuriate her.


    Knowing his designs, she teased back. ¡°I thought you wanted to reminisce about how we met.¡±Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    Thomas had tough. ¡°By getting all turned on and then not fucking you.¡±


    Arielleughed as well, ¡°Look where it led us.¡±


    Thomas kissed her passionately and asked before they lost themselves, ¡°Are you sure you are fine?¡±


    ¡°I will be if you screw me. Nice and proper.¡± She challenged him with a wink.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not waste our time then!¡± He said as they both started to take off their clothes.


    ¡°Wait!¡± She eximed as he tried to touch her again.


    ¡°What?¡± He cried in rm.


    ¡°Shower! I feel all weird with gel on my abdomen.¡± She pouted.


    ¡°Right!¡± He said as they both stripped naked before he picked her up and made his way to the bathroom. They had to wear the same clothes on their way back.


    After a steamy shower, they were both too aroused for anything else.


    Thomas had held back on going all the way in the shower. As hot as shower sex always felt, Arielle¡¯s body was still recovering from having twins.


    He had always been gentle after they started doing it again after childbirth.


    ¡°God, I am dying,¡± Arielle said as he picked her up and started walking when she thought he would do it.


    ¡°Hold on, baby! The bed¡¯s right there.¡± he coaxed as he walked slowly and steadily. It would have been too embarrassing if they slipped and fell.

 Chapter 27 Don鈥檛 want to shortchange you

    By the time Arielle and Thomas returned home, it was already 4 hourster.


    They did not offer any exnation. But the glow on Arielle¡¯s face and the satisfied smirk on Thomas¡¯s were self-exnatory.


    ¡°You ruined my date to screw your wife. You have a big house; you could have done that anytime.¡± John grumbled under his breath.


    Having been friends with Thomas for over a decade, despite working for him for eight odd years, they shared a good rapport, even though it could notpare to that between Thomas and Mathew, who had been friends since diapers.


    Brenda heard him andughed but did notment on it.


    ¡°She is sleeping now. I think John and I will get going now. I wille some other day to eat garlic shrimp.¡± She said to Arielle before she started tidying herself.


    ¡°I would ask you to stay back, but we have not even started prepping for dinner. We will probably end up with takeouts now. You guys have fun. Call me next time you have time off, and I will cook you a feast.¡± Arielle joked with Brenda.


    The entire group had been very close to Brenda despite knowing her for less than a year. She was honest, straightforward, and had an uncanny ability to behave just like kids when she was with them. It made her a favorite with the kids.


    As soon as John and Brenda entered John¡¯s house, he pinned her to the door and kissed her passionately.


    ¡°I wanted to do that the whole afternoon,¡± John admitted when they pulled back to catch their breath.


    Brenda pushed him to the couch and sat on top of him.


    She teased him mercilessly by grinding on him but would swat his hands away every time.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± John growled again.


    ¡°Sure, baby,¡± Brenda purred as she took off her top and bra ¨C slowly and seductively.


    ¡°One of these days, I am going to get ED, you little vixen!¡± Johnined as she continued with her slow progress.


    Brendaughed and sped up, looking at his frustrated face.


    After they both tumbled from their high, Brenday on top of John, breathing in pants as John caressed her back, tracing her spine with his knuckles and making her moan.


    ¡°If I ask you to marry me, will you agree?¡± John asked.


    ¡°What?¡± Brenda stood up startled.


    ¡°I love you so much. And I want more. But to be honest, at this point, I am not sure what that ¡®more¡¯ entails for me. You are only 27, while I am 34. A small part of me wants what Thomas and others have, a happy family. Though, I am not exactly sure if I want kids yet. Besides, unlike all of them, I have a close-knit, happy family who would want to be involved in everything in my life ¨C all the big and small events.¡±


    John tried his best to exin his feelings, ¡°Don¡¯t make that face! I don¡¯t mean in a creepy or intrusive way, more like participating when called or throwing a surprise, now and then, and being a phone call away no matter what or when.¡±


    Brenda heaved a sigh but continued to look at him silently, aware that he had yet to finish.


    ¡°But one thing I am sure of is that I am very much in love with you and don¡¯t want to be apart. I am serious about you. It¡¯s not a passing crush. And let¡¯s be honest, I am old enough not to think with my other head. So, just tell me what you want.¡±


    Johnid out all his feelings and asked her to take a call because he was not sure of anything except how he felt about her. And he did not want Brenda to feel short-changed.


    Brenda kissed him and said, ¡°I love you too. And I can see a future with you. Us ¨C living here close to your friends and being weed by your family. My entire family is in the force, and it was not a happy home. I am already an outcast because I chose to be a police officer and not an army. Plenty of expectations, rules, and orders, but not all that much warmth. I had always hoped to marry someone whoes with a warm family because I wanted to be a better parent to my kids and wanted guidance.¡±


    Brenda paused before adding.N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    ¡°But I don¡¯t want to have kids now. I don¡¯t want to get married right now either. If you proposed, I would say yes, but maintain a long engagement. How about we live together? When we are sure, we can get certificates first, and your family can n a wedding. We can skip the whole engagement part.¡±


    John thought for a while and nodded, ¡°That makes sense. But Brenda, I am not very good at rtionships. I have had girlfriends, and they hadined that I had neglected them and wasn¡¯t emotionally avable. If you ever feel shortchanged, let me know. You are the one person in the world I don¡¯t want to see feeling wronged. It would break my heart.¡±


    Brenda was okay with that, ¡°That¡¯s fine with me. Besides, you already know I don¡¯t sugarcoat things. And you have never neglected me. Between the two of us, I am the one who never has time for you and has too many secrets ¨C courtesy of my job and my birth family.¡±


    Johnughed, ¡°Wow! I feel so much lighter now.¡±


    Brenda huffed and teasingly ordered. ¡°That¡¯s good. Now, please make something nice for dinner.¡±


    John yed along, ¡°On your Command, officer.¡±

 Chapter 28 The hungry hormones 1

    **One yearter**


    Arielle pushed Thomas away when they were making out and dashed to the bathroom.


    It was a peculiar sight in the bathroom.


    Arielle was crouching down naked on the toilet and throwing her guts out.


    Thomas, also naked, was still sporting a boner as he rubbed her back and held her hair back.


    ¡°Oh, God! I feel like I am dying,¡± Arielle cried after a while.


    Thomas pulled her to his chest, his boner gone by then.


    He lifted her and made his way to the shower as he rubbed her head and back soothingly under the warm shower.


    They brushed their teeth and went back to bed.


    Thomas spooned her and kept caressing her until her breathing evened out.


    Arielle had started throwing up in the morning. It was probably due to the cold pizza that she could not resist. The entire day she had felt funny in the stomach due to acidity and had been in a bad mood.


    Thomas had forced her to have some nd porridge to settle her stomach at dinner.


    Thomas wondered if she was pregnant. He dismissed the idea instantly; her periods were due in another week.


    He would take her to the hospital if she continued to feel queasy in the morning. With that thought, he heaved a sigh, kissed her softly, and went to sleep.


    Thomas woke up when he felt himself stirring as a delicious feeling spread between his legs.


    He looked down groggily to see his beautiful wife going down on him.


    She had changed into lingerie and looked effortlessly delectable in her messy bun and droopy eyes.


    Thomas put another pillow under his head and watched her in fascination. He slowly extended his hand and caressed her hair, letting her set the pace.N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    His muffled groans made her bolder, and she was determined to get a more extensive reaction.


    She teased and tormented him without going fast enough to cum until he let out a frustrated groan.


    Then, she suddenly increased her pace and slowly grazed him with her teeth while soothing him with her tongue. It made him scream.


    Satisfied, she continued with that and increased her pace until he came.


    Thomas could see stars. That was the best way to wake up in the morning.


    Arielle was surprisingly insatiable. She wanted to continue until she dropped. It was his pleasure to oblige.


    The following two weeks went by the same way. Thomas went from pleasantly surprised to anxious.


    Arielle had be overly hungry for both food and sex. She would wake up in the middle of the night to get something to eat and wake him up for a quickie.


    She would often go down on him or ride him in the morning.


    Thomas was getting used to waking up with her hands, mouth, or herself around him.


    In the afternoon, however, she would eat and work, forgetting the world.


    She would spend the evenings with the kids ¨C ying, cooking weird things, mixing all types of food.


    Their dinners had turned into cooking experiments between her and all the kids.


    She would only fall asleep after being thoroughly tired after sex.


    Thomas, naturally, loved it. He couldn¡¯t even keep a straight face.


    But after two weeks, he was starting to get worried. Arielle seemed to be on overdrive and running on extra fuel.


    There weren¡¯t any signs of sickness or even anxiety on her face. She looked blissfully happy and content.


    But Thomas was worried. Those changes hade all at once.


    How was she suddenly so energized?


    That night after the kids went to bed, Thomas tried to talk to her.


    But Arielle hugged him tight and said, ¡°Honey, it¡¯s alright. Don¡¯t overthink it. If you are exhausted, I will buy some tools tomorrow. We should get a vibrator.¡±


    Thomas was astonished at her train of thought, ¡°Babe, I am not exhausted. I love this, but I am worried about you. It¡¯s like you are on some juice and overly energized. Your food intake has doubled.¡±


    Arielle shrugged it off, ¡°It¡¯s the happy hormones. I am happy. Our lives are so perfect these days. And I am spending so much energy, of course, I must replenish myself.¡±


    Thomas asked again, ¡°Are you sure you are fine?¡±


    Arielle again pointed out that he was tired due to work, and somehow the conversation escted to the point that Thomas ended up keeping her up all night.


    He woke her up every time she was close to falling asleep due to exhaustion and took her in different positions making her scream and beg.


    After trying several techniques and positions, it was almost dawn when Thomas himself could no longer continue. He slumped on the bed and wrapped her in his arms without even bothering to clean up.


    Thankfully, he had the good sense to text Joe and Mathew to help the kids to breakfast and drop them to kindergarten. He also told them that they would be taking a day off.


    The next day Thomas woke up around 11 am. It took him a few seconds toe to his senses. He felt sticky and in urgent need of a shower.


    But what surprised him the most was that his boner was between her pussy lips as she was unconsciously moving every few seconds to create friction. She was wet in her sleep.


    He wondered what was wrong with her, but she groaned and ground him when he tried to pull away.


    He decided to put them both out of their misery. He held his wife¡¯s feet up and took her just like that, slowly and gently, until they were both relieved.


    Surprisingly, she managed to ride her orgasm in her semi-conscious state and sumbed to a deep slumber.


    Thomas took a shower and woke Arielle up as he went to make breakfast for her.


    He came to the bedroom with a tray full of breakfast just as Arielle exited the bathroom after taking a nice long shower.


    They had breakfast in bed because they were both tired.


    But Arielle seemed to get ideas.


    Thomas did not know if he should be excited or scared when Arielle stared at him with a hungry look in her eyes as he opened his mouth wide to take a bite of his sandwich. Sure enough, she lost it when he licked the ketchup off his fingers.


    Arielle put the tray aside, sat on hisp, licked his fingers clean, and continued to lick and suck all his fingers like she would suck his cock.


    Then she started to nibble on his arm and took off his bathrobe to get better ess to his body.


    She thered his torso with Nute and licked it clean. She licked and nibbled every inch of his skin with fervor and rode him with an intensity that made him see stars. Based on how intense her orgasm was, Thomas was sure so was she.


    She hade three times by the time he came once, and he did not even take that long. They were always well-matched in this aspect, so he was not sure what was with her newfound vigor.


    But all his questions were swept away when she climbed on top of him again. This time she sat on his face making her requirements clear.


    Another change in her was how keen she was on dirty talk. Previously, Thomas was the one who would talk dirty, and she would go all red. But now, he could hardly keep up with her.


    After another hour of intense sex, they were both hungry and tired again.

 Chapter 29 The hungry hormones 2

    Thomas decided not to overthink things and enjoy his wife¡¯s enthusiasm.


    He told others they were taking an impromptu vacation for a week.


    Their friends did not even have to think to know that they were going on a honeymoon. Everyone knew that they had started to n for theirst baby, and what better way to make another human than to do it like bunnies.N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    When Adrian came from school, Thomas told him that he and his mother would be going away for a week to make him another sibling.


    Adrian was ecstatic and ran off to Joe and Rick¡¯s ce without looking for his mother. Moreover, he shouted it at the top of his lungs for everyone else to hear.


    Thomas fed Arielle some food in her sleep, and she obediently ate after he alternated every bite with a kiss.


    He drove her to a port from where they would take a boat to an ind where he had booked a small vi with a private beach.


    Arielle woke up when they were boarding.


    It had a private cabin and a person who was ferrying them to their vi on the ind. They were the only two people in the boat.


    That made Arielle horny as fuck, and Thomas was on board. They spend half the ride inside the cabin and each other.


    Now that Thomas had stopped worrying about her health, sex was getting even more intense.


    When they came out, they sat on the opposite side of where the ferryman was. In a lounge chair, Arielle sat on Thomas¡¯sp, watching the birds flying by them and the waves crashing on their boat.


    Thomas had brought thin nkets since the breeze was strong.


    They talked, sitting there covered in nkets and sipping theirplimentary wine.


    After two sses of wine and some food, they had somehow started flirting while feeding each other fruits.


    It turned into something more when Thomas slowly sat up while still holding her. He unzipped his jeans and lowered his boxer, freeing up himself.


    Just the thought of doing it in the open had Arielle gush out.


    She was already euphoric when Thomas teased her while tugging her skirt and moving her thong aside.


    She rubbed his fingers and crotch relentlessly, seeking more and more friction.


    Surprising herself and her husband, she managed toe with just rubbing on his hardon.


    The past weeks had proven that she could no longer hold out her orgasm, but it was a new record.


    Thomas chuckled and tried to insert his finger inside, but Arielle had better ns.


    ¡°I want you inside, babe, and your fingers can be of better use. You don¡¯t want the sailor to hear your wife¡¯s voice, do you?¡±


    Arielle smiled seductively, making Thomas ram into her in one swift motion while he shoved his two fingers in her mouth.


    He paused for her to getfortable before he began, making her bounce on hisp. With her sucking and nibbling his fingers relentlessly, moaning on his fingers, biting them to control her loud moaning, it did not take long before they both came.


    But Arielle refused to move and let hime out of her.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see how long it takes you to get hard again,¡± She slurred.


    ¡°It¡¯s your y, babe. Do what you want!¡± He provoked her.


    Thomas wanted to see her tricks, so he held back.


    She began to kiss him on his lips, sucking on his tongue as she would his cock. While she massaged his neck and yed with his earlobes.


    Thomas tried to take control, but she would twist his ears to stop him.


    It hardly took five minutes before Thomas was up again inside her, and she was already wet for him.


    When he tried to move, Arielle twisted his ears.


    ¡°It¡¯s my y, husband. Sit tight!¡± She teased.


    She started rotating her hips while continuing to kiss him seductively and moving her hands all over his face and torso.


    Without Thomas simting her, Arielle and Thomas came together hard. They were both breathing through their mouths, panting loudly.


    ¡°Wow!¡± Thomas finally managed after a while.


    Arielle¡¯s stomach growled before she could reply, but her proud look and the smile in her eyes were very telling.


    ¡°I love you, handsome!¡± She said as she fixed their clothes while he held her close.


    ¡°I love you too, darling, more than you know,¡± he said, kissing her softly.


    They enjoyed the rest of the ride on the deck, talking and looking at the vast ocean.


    The rest of the week flew by between having sex, eating, sleeping, and asionally doing some sightseeing.


    Thomas and Arielle, being in theirte and mid-thirties, had never imagined they would make a bucket list of the things they wanted sexually. Or that they wouldplete the entire list within two days and end up googling for ideas.


    But life can be full of surprises.


    Neither had been into outdoor sex, but most evenings, they would end up humping on their balcony or the roof. Or watch sunrise and sunset on the beach buried inside each other. Or do it while submerged in the water up to the waist.


    From giving each other erotic massages to eating off each other bodies, they did it all. Yet, they desired each other more than ever.


    Arielle acted every day as if she was taking aphrodisiac for breakfast.


    By the end of the week, Thomas said they should sleep early after only one round of sex. They had to leave in the morning. Arielle ended up wailing.


    It took Thomas a long time to stop her from crying, and she only really rxed when he called the hotel to extend their stay in the vi by another two weeks and called their friends to inform them of the same.


    The kids happened to be together, and they all, led by Adrian, hooted they would have more siblings if they took longer.


    Adrian told them to give him another brother and sister.


    Arielle cried again. Adrian probably said that because the twins stayed with Joe and Rick. He most likely wanted a pair of twins to stay with them.


    Thomas ended up spending an hour coaxing her.


    They ended up having another passionate encounter in the tub, after which Thomas fed Arielle leftovers food from dinner and screwed her until she passed out.


    Another week passed the same way.


    However, in thest week, Arielle spent more time sleeping.


    She was still more hungry and horny than usual. But she was getting exceedingly tired.


    Finally, in that sex-fueled haze, Thomas realized that Arielle had missed her periods and was almost a monthte.


    Out of curiosity, he googled if being pregnant makes a woman horny, and lo and behold, finally, he knew what was up with his wife.


    They spent another week on the ind as nned.


    However, this time because of how quickly Arielle was getting tired and the possibility of her being pregnant, Thomas curbed himself. They would still have sex a few times every day, but it was more mellow whenpared to their romp the previous two weeks.


    He also made sure not to go too rough just to be on the safe side.


    They also spent a good part of that week sightseeing which they had ignored the previous two weeks.


    Thomas did not tell her about his suspicions of her being pregnant.


    Finally, as a surprise, Thomas booked a one-day trip to the city where they had first met.


    He booked first-ss tickets, and they ended up joining the mile-high club.


    They spent the night in the same hotel, in the same room where they had stayed when they first met.


    Arielle woke up with an urge to pee. She untangled herself from her husband and barely managed to save herself the embarrassment of wetting the bed.


    Thomas followed her groggily but woke up instantly on seeing her pee. They had never seen each other while doing their business. They were both embarrassed.


    Thomas managed to diffuse the situation by running into the bedroom and back and handing five different pregnancy test kits to her.


    Seeing the pregnancy test kits finally made Arielle realize her period waste.


    As expected, four out of five kits confirmed that she was pregnant.


    Arielle ended up wailing out, speaking incoherently. Thomas froze midway towards his happy shout.


    Thomas caught the word ¡®wine¡¯ a few times and understood her worries.


    He coaxed her with words, food, and lovemaking before she quieted down and fell asleep.


    They flew back that afternoon as nned and arrived home wearing matching t-shirts that read ¡®mission aplished!¡¯.


    Adrian was the happiest to have them back and with his little siblings in his mommy¡¯s tummy to boot.

 Chapter 30 The last one

    **6 monthster**Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    John dropped Brenda off at the police station and returned to Thomas and Arielle¡¯s. Everyone was waiting for him except Brenda, Rick, and the kids.


    ¡°Ideas, guys, ideas! How should I propose to her?¡± John paced back and forth.


    ¡°I have no clue, buddy. I told Rick that my parents said getting married on Friday brings good luck. We registered two dayster, on Friday.¡± Joe shrugged.


    ¡°Mostme-ass proposal ever!¡± John looked at him in disdain.


    ¡°Mat did not even ask me. He asked Belle to pick the wedding theme for us and n for the winter wedding. We were at the dinner table, she squealed, and that was that. Damn! I got tricked.¡± Arabe said.


    John was at a loss, ¡°Yes, you got cheated. And you are not helpful!¡±


    He looked at Thomas; thetter just shrugged.


    Arielle had a thoughtful look on her face. She caressed her pregnant belly and said, ¡°Baby, your father has never proposed to me.¡± And she started crying.


    Thomas caressed and coaxed her while shooting a re at John, who just shrugged.


    They had all be used to Arielle¡¯s emotional outbursts.


    Unlike her previous two pregnancies, she did not suffer from morning sickness, and her cramps were not that bad either. But she was an emotional mess whose waterworks could start in a blink, and she was always hungering for food and sex.


    Everyone in the house was well aware of it. And they let Thomas coax her, who had by then be a pro. While the rest of them had gotten used to their PDA.


    Ten minutes and several kissester, Arielle was feeling a lot better. She had moved to Thomas¡¯sp, holding onto him like he was her lifeline.


    John¡¯s problems had yet to be solved. They had made zero progress.


    Finally, Mathew chipped in, ¡°How about take her out for a romantic dinner and maybe hide the ring in a dessert?¡±


    John shook his head, ¡°Cliche! And she has yet to find any food she likes better than what Arielle cooks.¡±


    Arielle kissed Thomas on the jaw. She looked at John and remarked, ¡°Isn¡¯t she sweet?¡±


    John nodded, ¡°Yes, she is. So, how about you give me an idea?¡±


    Arielle looked at Thomas and looked back at John before she asked. ¡°Where is the ring?¡±


    John pulled out a box excitedly, ¡°Here! How is this? I took her measurements when she was asleep.¡±


    Arielle looked at it and said. ¡°It¡¯s nice. Don¡¯t worry! I will give it to her.¡±


    And with that, she went back to snuggling Thomas. It took a minute for John to understand what had happened. The others, including Thomas, were holding back theirughter.


    John looked at everyone¡¯s twitching mouths and stammered, ¡°What just happened?¡±


    What followed was the soft sound of Arielle snoring.


    Thomas took Arielle to their bedroom and spooned her. She would wake up and cry if he left her alone.


    Just as the door to their bedroom closed, the others burst outughing, much to John¡¯s annoyance.


    Arielle¡¯s unpredictable behavior, clinginess, and waterworks weren¡¯t new to them.


    Being best friends, they did not mind even though she was frustratingly annoying at times like just then.


    Two dayster, Brenda was enjoying the garlic shrimps at Arielle¡¯s ce with everyone else and praising her non-stop.


    John had gone out to handle some problems at the warehouse that had cropped up unexpectedly.


    After dinner, Arielle gave a tiramisu to Brenda.


    She had spent the entire afternoon making desserts for everyone. She had made everyone¡¯s favorite dessert in single portions only.


    The kids all eximed and cheered as they relished their favorite dessert.


    Brenda moaned while enjoying her tiramisu, making everyoneugh and shake their heads.


    However, halfway through, she froze as she felt something hard in her mouth.


    She did not have the guts to spit it out, afraid of Arielle¡¯s waterworks.


    She discreetly licked the solid thing in her mouth with her tongue, and her eyes widened.


    She spat it out to see a ring wrapped in butter paper. At first, she had thought Arielle had dropped her ring by mistake, but the wrapping made her suspicious.


    She unwrapped it in front of everyone and found a glittering diamond ring.


    She looked at it closely and saw inscriptions ¨C ¡°I love you, Brenda. John¡± on the inside of the band. That made her feel so touched. John was so thoughtful.


    However, her beautiful moment ended as Arielle squealed in surprise, ¡°Where is John? Why is he not on his knees yet?¡±


    Arielle had overlooked that John had gone out unexpectedly. If not for her pregnant brain, she would have asked him to stay back and send someone else in his stead. But she was so focused on making Brenda¡¯s favorites that shepletely forgot about John.


    As she realized that John was not in the house, as expected by everyone, including the toddlers, her waterworks started.


    Brenda video called John and shouted, ¡°Yes! I love you too.¡± which had John look at her in surprise as he had no idea what transpired. Brenda hung up immediately after saying that, confusing him even more.


    Brenda did not have the time to care for his reaction and consoled Arielle saying, ¡°This was so special. Thank you, Arielle! Thank God John was not here, or he would have ruined the whole thing by speaking nonsense. I already epted his proposal, so don¡¯t cry now.¡±


    That made Arielle feel a little better. The crying stopped, and she fell asleep.


    John could not believe his eyes when he saw Brenda caressing her ring.


    He was thest to know that his girlfriend had been proposed to on his behalf and had epted.


    **A few weekster**


    John and Brenda had registered their marriage the day after that unusual proposal.


    His family prepared for the wedding. Brenda only wanted to pick the dress by herself. She did not have any preference for the rest of the things. So, they let his family handle the entire thing.


    Finally, the day came when Arielle¡¯s water broke.


    Unlike her previous pregnancies, she ended up giving birth in their bedroom.


    Her water broke when she was sleeping. It was Thomas who felt it.


    Thomas was stunned when he heard her murmur, ¡°Baby, stop moving! Momma needs to sleep!¡±


    He woke her up, called everyone as he got ready, and pulled out the emergency bag that had been sitting in their cupboard for weeks, ready for that moment.


    When he reached the door, Arielle shrieked that the baby wasing out. They ended up taking her back to the bedroom.


    Within 10 minutes, their son came out squealing. They had barely done anything.


    Thankfully, the ambnce arrived, and the doctors who came in took over.


    The mother and child went to the hospital just to be on the safe side.


    Everything was fine, and they were back before noon.


    It took some time for everything to sink in. No one had expected the baby toe out just like that.


    All the kids practically surrounded the crib and talked to the baby boy trying to make himugh.


    And so, they went on with their lives.


    New city. New homes. New families. New friendships. New babies. Newmitments. Newpany. A whole new promising future.


    And all that because a one-night-stand did not go as it should have.


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!