The Spy Within - Special Edition E-Book

Lavinia Dasani

• Herausgeber: L.D PLUMITIF
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Beschreibung

"This new edition is amazing and was a good vacation read. It was not too fast-paced, and not boring, making me want to continue reading to know what happens next." - Beta Reader
"The characters are really amazing. I mean, they portray real emotions and at the same time don't." - Wattpad Reviewer
Her primary goal is to protect her family and her secrets. But what happens when the truth about her family is uncovered by the guy she is forbidden to kill?
Born in a world of secrecy, assassins, and danger, Phoebe Smith, a ferocious and unforgiving spy, is an expert at leading several lives.
Always in control and driven by hatred and a need for vengeance, Phoebe is a loving mother who would go to any length to protect her kids. Even if it means securing a cover as Federick Archer's executive personal assistant - someone she couldn't hurt even if she wanted.
However, as fire meets cold and Federick's curious interrogation leads him to discover Phoebe's kids and their relationship with his family, Phoebe's well-established cover quakes.
Simultaneously, her past catches up to her in the most unimaginable ways, threatening to destroy all she had built.
Will Phoebe be able to prevent both her worlds from colliding?
Or will her past and present turmoil crash into each other and drown her?
A novel packed with romance, drama, and hilarious moments in a world of spies and business billionaires.
Unveil the Special Edition of 'The Spy Within' & enjoy the same amazingly alluring storyline & improved copy-editing.

Leseprobe

SPECIAL EDITION

The Spy Within

Book 1

ЖCalm Collected And Controlled Meets Fiery Sassy And Wild Ж

By

Lavinia Dasani

Plumitif Press LLC

L.D PLUMITIF

An Imprint of Plumitif Press, LLC

1309 Coffeen Avenue STE 1200

Sheridan, Wyoming, 82801

Copyright © 2024, 2022. 2019 by Lady Lavinia Dasani and Plumitif Press, LLC

All rights reserved. Except for reviews or as permitted by U.S. copyright law, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereinafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Plumitif Press, LLC. For questions, permissions and comments, please contact us at [email protected].

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Cover: A collaboration between Lady Lavinia Dasani and GetCovers.

Visit Plumitif Press, LLC at www.laviniadasani.com.

This SPECIAL EDITION is based on the 2nd edition published in 2019. It contains major changes in terms of line editing, plot improvement and addition, grammar edits and more. The 1st edition was published on Wattpad in 2015.

ISBN (pbk): 978-1-7339857-8-9

ISBN (ebook): 978-1-7339857-9-6

ISBN (Hardcover): 978-1-965147-00-9

ISBN (Pocket Book): 978-1-965147-01-6

Printed in the United States of America

Purchasing this book without a cover means it’s seen as stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”

The Spy Within Review

“The history line reminds me of a bold and sensitive woman. Career and family women in the world of man. A MUST read to raise strong girls.” — Deborah, Amazon reader.

“Super love the book. Hope you guys give this story a chance because it has a new approach and a lot of humor, family, comedy, domination, action, love all in one book. You will be hooked and have a feel good moment once you start to read the story.” — Beta Reader.

“The Spy Within is a page-turner and jaw-dropping book. It is a book that won’t disappoint. Every page holds new surprises. It will keep you on edge, but in a good way. I promise you that this book will not disappoint you. It is such an amazing boom you won’t want to put it down until you are done.” — Rachel M. Cordero, Goodreads

WARNING

The following material contains S-ensuous contents. These are described as containing graphic romantic details that are not as explicit as an erotica novel would. Then again, like any romance novel, be it action or not, expect love scenes. However, I will give a fair warning that there might be some gruesome details within the literature.

This ROMANCE book is entirely an entertainment literature and you’ve been warned of its potential ‘dangerous’ contents in advance. Keep out of reach of children.

Proceed with caution — Not for the faint of heart

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

For this special edition of The Spy Within, book 1 of Tame Series, I want to say thank you to all the readers that have given me critical feedback so I could make this version better. And despite all the problems I encountered throughout this long process of re-editing this novel, I’m grateful for all who supported me and guided me.

Keeping true to the 1st edition, I would like to say a special thank you to all my readers from Wattpad. I started off on Wattpad and got a lot of valuable critics and reviews. You, wattpaders, are great and a blessing. Thanks for supporting me throughout my rollercoaster of a journey, especially with all the grammar mistakes in the first version of the Tame Series.

Additionally, I’m dedicating this book to my mother. She has genuinely supported me through my writing journey and has always let me know I can do it no matter what happens in my life.

A big thanks to my family and friends throughout the years while this book was in the making.

All of your support has meant a lot to me.

CHAPTER 1LIFE AS USUAL

PHOEBE

Swiftly leaping up from my seat like a coiled spring, my leather chair almost toppling over, I fitted my concealed earpiece, “How are you even a part of my agency!?” In a low voice capable of rumbling the ocean, I rebuked the spy.

“I’m sorry ma’am, it’s just-”

Cutting through whatever he was about to blabber and checking my surroundings to make sure nobody was within earshot, I whispered, “You are pitiful! How did an agent from D.S.I allow an essential package to be intercepted by a gang as lowly as the one you were assigned to? Explain it to me!” Stentorian and commanding, I was ready to crush the man with fiery insults and verbose punishment.

“I apologise once again, ma’am. But you should know I’m already working on rectifying my errors. I’m currently attempting to capture the person who first intercepted the package.” Quickly saving his ass from my current wrath, he gave me a briefing of his plan.

“I want that package delivered to its assigned destination by the end of tomorrow night! And if you need to put a bullet in your little girlfriend’s gut for not cooperating with this mission, then so be it.” Ruthless and emotionless, my order was definitive—one which he couldn’t dare to violate.

I could literally hear the horror and fear in his voice as he jumped to his feet. “But… Ma’am…” he whined.

As if his whining would change my mind. Ha. It seems like he is just now accepting the fact that the warnings he received during his training season about how heartless I am, almost like a monster, were completely true.

Going back to my seat and making sure my voice was still low but powerful, I firmly stated, “My patience is wearing real thin, agent! Do what needs to be done before I show you what disappointing me brings upon you and your family. Also, I require a full report about your mission from start to end. Send it to Pierce upon completion. I will check on it, two days from now.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He answered meekly just before I hung up and cautiously took out my earpiece. The last thing I wanted was for stupidly curious people in the office to notice I had something inside my ears.

I swear, lately I’ve been wondering how the agency has been handling their hiring process. If this guy was the product of our new hires under Pierce’s control while I was lying low and under the radar, then my agency was in deep shit.

“Miss Smith! Instead of idly sitting in the office, bring me the document for the new business proposal on the oiling company. Now!” Frostily declared my boss, making me jump in my seat. I swear, if this jumping trend continued, I would soon have to nail my chair to the floor.

“Yes, sir. I’ll get to it immediately, sir.” I voiced out through the phone with clenched teeth.

Oh, how I hated it when my boss, ‘The Great Mr Federick Ashton Archer,’ ordered me around and treated me like crap. If I sat around, as he so kindly put it, his business would literally fall apart. Yet, here I was, dealing with His Highness.

Knocking once on his office door, I walked inside when I heard him lowly grunted, “Come in.”

I showed no reaction to his crudeness and confidently walked to his desk. Placing his ‘oh so important’ paper in front of him, I made it clear he couldn’t intimidate.

Eager to leave the sight of him as soon as possible, I haughtily inquired if he required something else. When he said ‘no’, I nearly bolted out of his office, but then I remembered I had to notify ‘His Highness’ ahead of time about me going out for lunch today.

“Mr Archer, I won’t be available for lunch today. If you require anything during my lunch hours, I will be back two hours from now.”

He continuously stared down at his papers, swiftly nodded his head as if saying, ‘It’s okay’ and murmured a low “Hmm”. After receiving his ‘gracious response’, I happily left his office.

Usually, I would grab lunch at the office canteen and immediately walk back to my office to continue with my work. The reasoning is simple. Mr Federick Ashton Archer. He apparently doesn’t know what ‘break time’ means. If I don’t inform him whenever I go out for my lunch, he will inevitably seek me out for some trivial paperwork that can easily be put off — as he oh-so-routinely does. And if he can’t find me during these ‘crucial’ moments, then all hell breaks loose.

The moment I left his office, I let out a sigh of relief, solidifying my point about my inability to tolerate him and his arrogance. Unfortunately, my fellow gender and I did not mutually share this feeling — as far as they were concerned, the reality was an entirely different story. Every one of them had unashamedly thrown themselves at his feet, begging for Mr Federick Ashton Archer’s divine attention. It’s like they had never seen a 6’2” tall, dark-haired, grey-eyed man with 8 packs abs and a 9 o’clock shadow. The entire world basically treated him like a Greek God; worshipping the very ground he walked on. Then, there was me, who saw him as the perfect description of a man whore and a playboy.

How do I know you ask?

Well, let’s say, despite being the head of several departments, I also get the pleasure of being Mr Playboy’s own personal executive assistant. Consequently, I have frequently arranged his many ‘dates’, handled calls from countless women, and even stumbled upon him doing the nasty with his ‘dates’ in his freaking office. It is pretty disgusting.

Then again, unlike other executive assistants, I’ve taken upon more roles than just overseeing Federick’s work and arranging meetings. I’ve created a sophisticated filling system for the company and constantly come up with great ideas to push the company’s reputation and prosperity further. In all actuality, my excess responsibilities put me officially at about the same level as the great Federick Ashton Archer, and unofficially, at the same pay.

Thankfully, the finance and accounting department is under my wing with little to no direct supervision from Federick, making it easier for me to blend my actual income and hide it from curious eyes. Leaving all technicalities aside, let’s just say, ‘Archer & Associates’ has a few secret investors with high voting power — investors whom Federick Archer has been dying to meet face to face for the past two years.

Luckily for me, I have rules and self-respect, unlike women like Lucy Braton, the office go-to-bitch. There is no way I would allow myself to feel remotely attracted or lustful towards someone with such a big ego and asshole-ness level as Federick Archer. Not to mention, I vowed years ago that I would never date someone I worked for or with.

But let’s forget about the person whose life’s goal is to make mine impossible and difficult. Instead, let’s talk about the people who continuously make me smile. People who help me forget about the bad days and turn them into good ones. Basically, the two people I love the most — more than anything, even life — for them, I will do anything.

Those two dudes are why I needed a two-hour lunch break. My sons — the two most important men in my life — are so sweet. They saw how stressed I was from work and scheduled a lunch date for us to bond and relax. Thankfully Federick Archer didn’t bother asking why I was taking such a long lunch or what I was doing, because I would’ve had to lie my ass off. What most people, including my boss, Mr Federick Archer, didn’t know was that I was a mother with two sons. For the people at the agency, and at Archer & Associates, I was single and without kids. Only my best friends, who are also a part of my team at D.S.I., and my kids’ grandparents, knew the truth about my life.

You may ask yourself; how?

The simple answer is that I’ve been with the company for so freaking long — even before Federick Archer took over from his dad, Joseph Archer — that I escaped having my personal information go through the new systems.

Now many of you may ask, how come Federick Archer hasn’t yet looked over my files?

Let’s just say Joseph Archer and I have a special bond that even Federick Archer himself doesn’t know about.

Plus, I have my ways of feeding Federick as many lies about me as I want. Obviously, as a promise to Joseph and Alicia Archer, I try not to take advantage of the benefits I have over Federick. I am, after all, assigned to protect his arrogant ass whenever necessary, and only keep things which need to be kept secret from him, for his own protection and safety. What you don’t know can’t hurt you, right?

CHAPTER 2MATCHLESS TRIO

PHOEBE

Best friends since kindergarten, Mia Luc, Damien Ambrosh, and I, Phoebe Ziva Smith, aka Angel in the spy world, were the most badass trio of our times. We were what every team envied and aimed to achieve.

Together, we were unstoppable and an epic typhoon despite our significant age difference. With Damien being six years older than me, and Mia being five years older than me, we indeed made an odd and peculiar group. Even though we all originally connected in kindergarten, I had known of Damien since I could walk. His father and mine were business buddies. Mia, however, was transferred to my private school from the orphanage because of her exceptional intelligence. They were relying on her intelligence and potential to bring influence to their orphanage. The two of us immediately clicked on the first day of kindergarten after she stood up for me and trashed the kid that was bullying sweet little me. Ever since that day, she had been the big sister I never had. So much so that even my dad ended up accepting her as a second daughter.

Rounded brown-hazel eyes, long brown hair, tall, lean, with an athletic build and reddish perky lips, Mia Luc was nearly the picture-perfect version of me. The fundamental difference was that I had pure brown eyes, slightly curvier and about an inch shorter than her.

Damien Ambrosh was such a guy. Muscularly built, about 6’2, he hadsharp blue eyes, thin rosy lips, blond hair, and a chest worthy of praise. His 6-pack at the young age of 15 was a sight for my 9-year-old self.

As a team, we were always pushing each other beyond our limits. We helped each other improve, but most importantly, had each other’s backs, no matter the situation or circumstance. Not only were the three of us known for our top performance as spies, but we were also known for our devious yet hilarious pranks. The coolest part was that with me being next in line, we couldn’t get into trouble for pulling our infamous devilish pranks on other agents.

My father, Robert Smith, was a single parent. He was my role model. He was powerful, successful, ruthless when needed and extremely loving toward me. His attitude, together with his propensity to always push me to be better than him — to be perfect in whatever I do — was what made me the powerful badass agent and the woman I am today.

Despite my requests for my dad to train and treat Damien and Mia the same as me, he was adamant about making me work harder and longer. We had recurrent private sessions at senseless times of the day. The harshest ones were the aggressive and intensely dangerous workouts and occasional training sessions at 2 in the morning. As a teenager, I highly prioritised my sleep over everything else — but getting my father to understand that was an almost impossible task. And so, whenever he was present — and not gone on one of his many long trips — he would make me give up on my precious sleep.

But now, I can proudly say he showed me how to always go for the best — even when my mind tells me I can’t handle it. Thanks to him and my life experiences, I learned sacrifices were part of the process to achieve or gain something of significance in life. It was harsh but reality and it all contributed to my success.

In the dangerous world I grew up in, being engaged and married at an extremely young age was no shocker. So, when Damien asked for Mia’s hand in marriage when she turned 15, after officially dating each other for two years, it was no surprise. Those two had been in love since middle school but were too stubborn to ask each other out.

All it took was for me to inform Damien that Mia was asked out for the annual Homecoming dance and that the guy planned to deflower her on that night. The jealousy and anger in his eyes made me believe in true love. It was something the young, ignorant, and stupid me wanted. But that wasn’t my reality. For business’ sake, my father betrothed to someone I didn’t particularly like.

Unfortunately, a few months before their wedding, my dad sent Mia out on a ‘special’ long-term case. But they didn’t allow me — the leader of the team and future head of the agency — to know the details. Then again, I wasn’t one to take no for an answer. Even though it took me 2 years, I never gave up. I remained persistent, and as resourceful as my father, until I uncovered Mia’s special mission and the evil dark shadow that was Cole Vanderwill.

Ignoring my dad’s wishes, I fearlessly threw myself into the lion’s den once I realised my dad gave Mia a mission intended for me. I refused to let Mia be the sacrificial lamb and the vengeful target of one of my kills’ sons. Regretfully, my rescue mission went south, and the devil himself gave me the front seat to watch him cold-bloodedly slice Mia’s throat open with no remorse or hesitation. The same woman who, in the meantime, had become the mother of the monster’s two children.

To this day, I still detest this cursed, never-ending mission. Mia was only 20 years old when she died and endured the sufferance that was supposed to be mine. Not even being kidnapped and tortured for several months after witnessing Mia’s death by the author of my tribulation made up for the loss that Damien and I felt. There isn’t one day that goes by when I don’t miss Mia Luc; her smiles, her cockiness, and the role of big sister she played in my life.

However, I am also grateful for what she left me on her way out — the one thing I know I couldn’t get on my own. Mia gave me something to live for again. It was something new, and once I learned its value, it became just as important as my life. She left with me her two wonderful sons, Wyatt and Teo, making me an instant mother.

With Mia’s death, the matchless trio was incinerated. Damien lost the true love of his life and, till today, has loved no one as much as he loved Mia. Like me, he too turned frigid — colder than Antarctica. He was a living corpse, killing mercilessly. For the longest time, he pretty much only talked to me, the author of his destroyed life. To this day, I am still in awe of how Damien could look me in the eye, talk to me, and work with me for years before taking off to Rio for a long-term mission. Since then, he’s been a ghost to me.

Following my rescue from Vanderwill’s den, I spent months in a pitiful corner, incessantly crying my heart out until the mental anguish became physically unbearable — worse than a gunshot wound would. Full of hatred and an aggressive need for vengeance coursing through my blood, I craved to avenge Mia’s death. Blinded and constantly seeing red, my decision-making skills significantly waned. My anger and pain destroyed my ability to care about others, even my father.

All I wanted was to painfully and slowly kill Vanderwill. To rip his heart out of his chest while staring directly into his eyes. I craved to see the fear growing, and the light dimmed in his eyes. Cole Vanderwill has been the monster and shadow stuck to my ass like a second skin ever since I infiltrated his gang to rescue Mia.

The worst part is that he vanished into thin air — off my radar — after he effectively stripped me of my stress-free life and immediate family. Because of him, at the shy age of 16, I had the blood of the two most important people in my life on my hands. Because of Cole Vanderwill, Wyatt and Teo never got to grow up with their mother and grandfather. Those lovely kids missed having Damien as their dad.

While Mia was still Vanderwill’s mistress, she made me vow that if something happens to her, I should adopt Wyatt and Teo, and never reveal to them she was their mother and Vanderwill their father — unless it was essential. And around ten years ago, when I became Wyatt and Teo’s legal parent, I held true to my promise. In the beginning, I hated it, and wanted to hurt them with the truth, thinking it would hurt Vanderwill. But I refrained for Mia. With time, Wyatt and Teo wormed their way into my heart and became my most prized possession — my world and the reason I started feeling again.

Fortunately, I can now say they feel the same toward me. Throughout the years, their abundant love, the glint of pride whenever they talk about me, and the respect they’ve shown me changed my heart. To where I now find their over-protectiveness sweet and don’t mind them holding me to a high standard. With time, they’ve successfully cast away my doubts about their feelings and intentions towards me. They showed me their loyalty and that I can trust them.

Although Wyatt is more built than Teo, people almost always perceive them as twins, even though Wyatt is 16 years old and Teo is 15, only one year younger than his brother. Even more strange is that Wyatt and Teo sometimes would have this somewhat twin-telepathic moment. Most of the times, it was hilarious. But these two troublemakers knew how to use this ability to annoy me or get their way. Nevertheless, they have been a blessing to me as a family, especially after the tragedy and loss caused by Vanderwill. But no matter how much I loved my sons; I was more than thankful that they both looked more like Mia than Cole Vanderwill.

Honestly, the way both these boys turned out baffled me. Yes, they bicker a lot and are mischievous and childish at times. And I would love to not have to deal with their continuous efforts to sneak out without security. Keeping up with their teenage boys’ secrets sometimes is a pain in the butt. Then again, after having spent 10 years of my life worried and scared that they would turn out like their father, I was happy to be proven wrong. Long story short, the idea of not raising my kids in a good way was beyond terrifying to me. But, overall, they’ve turned out pretty much perfect.

As the years went by, I noticed I was becoming more like my father. Without realising it, I started repeating the same things he used to tell me when I had too many questions for my own good. Luckily for me, my kids turned out to be farmore understanding than ‘child-me.’. The privilege of mothering and raising them was not lost on me, especially after experiencing years of guilt in the beginning for not being able to provide them with a father. However, as time went by, I realised I had done my best as a single-working parent.

Other than my presence when I would be gone on countless peculiar work trips, my kids have missed nothing in their life. In fact, when they turned 12, I giftedboth with their own unlimited bank cards. They handled their expenses under the brief supervision of their grandparents and nanny while I would be on one of my many trips.

Wyatt, Teo, and my relationship didn’t follow the usual norm. Yes, I was their parent, and I held them to a standard. But I was also easy on them. Along with being their mom, I was also their best friend and confidant. To the world, I was cold, harsh, and unattainable, but to them, I was warm, carefree, and open. I had no hesitation openly joking with them and sharing parts of my private life with them. We had no filter in our family. On occasions, I would openly joke about Wyatt’s sex life and all his embarrassing moments at school or out with his friends. I would listen to them express how they are feeling about someone or a situation or talk about the people in their lives. When needed, I’ll share how annoying a specific person at Archer & Associates was or a brief about what’s going on in my life. Honestly, ever since they became my reason to live, all I wanted was to fully enjoy every single moment I get to spend with my boys.

Then again, all this pampering might have had something to do with the guilt I felt, knowing that I had been deceiving my family and going against the explicit rule of no lies or secrets. But I had no choice. I had to break my own rules to protect my kids. They may find me elusive and strange, and at times my words may not align, but I am resolute in my mission to protect my family from any danger. I had long come to term about my propensity to suffocate my loved ones in a silk cocoon; so, no rules in thisworld were going to stop me from overprotecting my sons.

All I can do is try my best, even when it gets irritating, frustrating, and exhausting. I must continue being cautious and on my guard. And as tiring and straining as it is, I just can’t stop myself from acting the way I do — not when I have so much to lose and have been on my own for so long.

Thankfully, I got a good deal for a beautiful family home by the beachside. With a few discreet modifications, the house now caters perfectly to my needs, all while maintaining the facade of its original design. The best thing is that it’s not too far from my agency headquarters and Archer & Associates. Having both so close to me has been a blessing for my family and me.

The little dark secret about Archer & Associates is that it ran deeper in my veins than anyone could ever imagine. Since its origination, Archer & Associates has been Angel Agency’s covert ally. Angel Agency, now known as Delta Special Intelligence, aka D.S.I, was my pride and where I truly belonged. And Archer & Associates actively worked as a shield in the shadows, masking the true extent of D.S.I’s operation.

Fortunately for me, no one from my either work knew where I exactly lived or who I truly was. To everyone outside the spy realm, I lived in a New York City apartment and was the Executive Personal Assistant to the cold, ruthless and heartless Mr Federick Ashton Archer, and I intended to keep it this way for as long as I could.

Given my childhood and my complex surreptitious background, I had learned to like normality and the simplicity of a normal life whenever I could get it — which, to my great displeasure, was only possible at ‘Archer & Associates.’. This was one of the main reasons, despite despising being pushed or ordered around, I was still working as ‘Mr Cold Grey Eyes’ executive personal assistant. That asshole was the only person who could push my buttons with a snap of a finger. And damn him for being so tall. I hated how, during a confrontation, he could easily topple over my average height and stare deep into my soul.

When Mr Federick Ashton Archer first moved back to New York after university, he immediately assumed I was a decorative presence, lacking substance and purpose. Like one of those bimbos who does little other than being pretty and sitting idle. Yet, throughout our two-year of working together, I’ve joyfully shown him how wrong he was on multiple occasions.

Nonetheless, this didn’t stop him from continuously belittling me, as if I had done nothing worthwhile. Yet, I knew deep down he had long acknowledged I was worth much more to the company than what he showed on the outside.

Heck, I directed the entire company in his absence. I knew everything there was to know about this dang company… from the inside out. I, for sure, knew more than Federick himself did. For once, any person who searched well enough about ‘Archer & Associates’ would see that the company deals with establishing businesses property, authenticating, shipping, buying, and selling of materials and objects provided by diverse companies, countries, and branches, such as cargo, airplanes parts, food, artifacts, spices, arts, clothing, among several other things.

But they won’t find out that I secretly owned half of the company. The most they could find is that I’ve been working for the company for a long time. And maybe, just maybe, with extensive and purposeful search, they could find out I’ve been working as the executive personal assistant for the past nine years and a half. First to Joseph Archer, Federick Archer’s father, and then to the jerk-face himself. And they could search heaven and earth, but they would never find my face or name under the partners and associate search on the web or company records.

It was Federick Ashton Archer who was the face of this multi-billion-dollar global company. Yet, the arrogant bastard didn’t even know that his own company dealt with the import and export of military weapons and newly designed tech behind closed doors, under my supervision.

CHAPTER 3LUNCH DATE

PHOEBE

~ Flashback to the beginning of the day ~

“Sweetie, are you sure you don’t want to go out with your friends or the girls at school? You know, instead of taking your old mother out, who has to go to work,” I jocularly commented, with a smile.

They both laughed. “Mom, you are not old, and the answer is yes, without a doubt. We want and would prefer to go out with you, not our friends or some girl at school,” Wyatt, my outspoken boy, responded.

“Are you asking me out, baby boy?” Swallowing my laughter with great difficulty, I sheepishly inquired. Unfortunately, I did not do an excellent job of hiding my smile. They saw right through my façade and played along.

They exchanged a knowing glance, then offered a respectful half-bow in my direction. “Yes, indeed, my lady,” Wyatt and Teo simultaneously replied with a respectful nod. It was like they had practiced this line a thousand times before ambushing me this morning with their request.

“It’ll be our honour to go out for lunch with you. Say yes, and we’ll pick you up this afternoon.” Wyatt continued with gentleness.

On queue before I could utter a word, they both grabbed my hands, raised it to their month and gently kiss the back of it. As cute as all of this was, their unison and twin-like behaviour were creepy and annoying sometimes.

As a mother, I couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of sweetness and pride, knowing that I had raised two remarkable and well-mannered young men. But considering the current situation, I couldn’t hold it anymore and burst into laughter.

Several minutes passed before I could release my grip on my stomach and regain my composure. Grinning from ear to ear, they were happy that their attempts to make me laugh and relax had paid off. I have a knack for hiding my emotions. And I try to keep my stress and frustration away from them. But seeing how hard they were working at making me happy told me my perfect façade had cracked. With how hard Federick was pushing me lately, it was no wonder my face painted my stress. This civilian life was trying to take me out.

Covering my grin with a semi-serious expression, “I must head to the office and catch up on my work if I want to join you boys for lunch. And if you end up waiting for me, please do not talk to any strangers. Or ask for me from the people in the company.”

The boys gave me a familiar look, one that I’ve grown accustomed to recognising all too well lately. I could tell my odd remarks intrigued them whenever they offered to meet me by my work. But over time, they learned I would not provide them with a direct response, at least not in the way they expected.

~ Present ~

I felt a tinge of sadness, imagining the expressions my sons gave me after I gave them another complex and cryptic instruction with no logical explanation. Despite my career choice, I didn’t like lying and hiding things from my boys. And sometimes, when I couldn’t come up with a good enough excuse, I gave them my infamous ‘stop asking questions’ look. But, with them growing so fast, even that move sometimes failed to deter their questioning, leaving me no choice but to lie to their face. I might hate every second, but there were dangerous people out there who only lived to ruin me. And my family was the only way to destroy me.

Actively pushing all those dark thoughts, I dug into the pleasant memory of what had happened this morning and I felt much happier. I hurried down to the office’s lobby, knowing my boys were always punctual for me.

Considering the last time the boys visited me at work was about 2 years ago, before Federick took over, I was undeniably worried about what this new batch of people would say if they saw me with the boys. What unpleasant comments they might make in front of my kids that would undoubtedly make me snap? Or worse, what if they flirted with them?

My sons were gallant, and they would take advantage of looking older than they were and flirt back. Which would only cause more problems for me. At age 16 and 15, they could both easily pass for 20 years old, if not a bit more — especially with all the bodybuilding they’ve been doing. This was precisely why I wanted to be at the entrance at least five minutes earlier.

As soon as I walked out, I noticed them parking in a ‘no parking’ zone in front of the building and waving at me excitedly, as if the red Mustang wasn’t already attention-grabbing enough. Smiling, I lightly shook my head in slight amusement as I strode toward them. Leave it to my sons to break the law outwardly. Much to my surprise, as soon as I reached them, they embraced me in a bear hug, puissant enough to crush me, lifted me up, spun me around, and planted kisses on my cheeks all at once. Furiously blushing at their open affection, I didn’t dare to look around. I was sure people were looking at us, thinking we were weird.

“Seriously, boys,” I said with a headshake and a grin as I hopped into the car. “Where are we going this fine afternoon?”

“Oh, nowhere fancy. There’s this small but awesome Mediterranean restaurant near the park. Let’s have lunch there, then go for a walk, and you will be free to go back to work after — stressing out and making us some good money to spend. While we, the youngsters, will go to our friends for some fun and games.”

They once again shared ‘the look’. Clearly, there was more to their plan than what they were revealing. But I dropped the subject and smirked back, showing I knew they were hiding something from me but would not press, to which they responded with a reassuring smile.

“Ok, boys, let’s start this adventure. Wyatt makes this baby roar, and please don’t be drive like a grandma… We are impatiently waiting here.”

“As you wish, woman, you asked for it,” he declared with a smirk as hewheezed to the New York City Park.

As promised, we reached the restaurant in record time. I ordered myself a plate of fresh pasta, and the boys ordered their burgers and sodas, which were typical of them.

“You know, if you boys continue eating so much junk food, you will soon be like mister over there.” Softly teasing them, I pointed behind me at the obese guy eating burgers.

Facing the boys, I added, “Remember what grandma said, ‘you are what you eat…’” gesturing toward their food with my forefinger I attempted to hide my smile and put on a serious face.

“Seems like I’ll have to go all motherly on both of you. What do you say?” I lifted an eyebrow as I devilishly and proudly smirked.

After staring me in the face for a few seconds, they erupted into fits of laughter, their boisterous cackles filling the room. For them, this matter was too trivial for me to go into full-on mother mode on them. Any other day, I would agree, but I couldn’t give them this win — not so easily, at least.

“Well, my dear sons, your health isn’t a trivial matter to me, as you’ve so eloquently suggested. So, if I must, I will go full-on mother mode on you two. What do you guys think about that?” Inquisitively raising both my eyebrows, I explained in a sweet voice and an ‘I won’ smile.

That sure did the job of shutting them up. Gulping and smiling timidly, they shifted uncomfortably in their seats. Their behaviour was so hilarious that I burst out laughing after watching them for a few seconds. If I were to venture a guess, I’d say they weren’t fond of my controlling, motherly side. It was truly scary sometimes, that I must admit.

~~

“Well, boys, I had a wonderful time, but I should get back to work. Make sure you both are home before me.”

We had already taken our walk around the park and were joked around as usual. However, my two hours were almost up, and I still needed to make my way back to the office.

Since my dearest boss loves taking every tiny opportunity to irritate me, my five minutes lateness was perfect for him. Not wanting to get caught by him, I sped-walked to my office. Luckily, yet surprisingly, Federick Archer was not in his office, meaning he would not know of my lateness. I wasn’t one to take my rare luck for granted, so I strode the rest of the way to my office in case he was lurking around.

Regrettably, for me, the stars weren’t in my favour. Mr High and Mighty was nowhere else but in my office, looking unhappy and impatient for my return.

Who was I kidding?! This guy was always angry and on edge. I was pretty sure these were the only feelings he knew. Hum, I wondered how he didn’t get bored with himself or with his lack of expressions and emotions. Heck, I doubt if he knew how to smile and laugh. His face was like a plain granite structure that continuously emitted negative emotions and expressions. If I’m asked, Federick was a creepy, angry, and cold guy. And that’s coming from someone as emotionless and frigid as me.

“Good afternoon, sir. How can I help you and—”

“Cut the crap, Miss Smith! Why are you this late? And you better have an excellent explanation.”

Was he seriously getting all worked up over such a petty matter? This dude gravely needed a life, mainly one comprising not annoying the life out of me. On the plus side, his reaction was funny and totally laughable. However, I kept my humour to myself and gulped. With my reservoir of excuses dry, my attempt to think of a good enough explanation was taking a toll on my brain.

Silently standing in front of his majesty, I stared at him, pondering what I had done so wrong for him to be acting so alarmingly. Alas, I came up with nothing. Five minutes late was never such a big deal before. Well, if I couldn’t come up with an appropriate excuse, I might as well accuse him of being absurd. Not that it would significantly affect him. His entire face was an absurd joke.

“What happened, Miss Smith? The cat finally got your tongue. Or is it you don’t have a good enough explanation this time around?” The great Federick Archer derided with his infamous smack-worthy smirk, which was both rude and devious.

Suddenly, he took a single step towards me, and something shocking and unimaginable occurred. I took a freaking step back. And let it be known, I’ve never ever taken a step back. I was one of the most ferocious cold-hearted killers, after all.

Federick’s eyes widened in surprise, mirroring my astonishment at the sudden step back. Locking my gaze with a hint of intrigue, his usual standoffish and neutral look was long forgotten. However, I was so furious that I didn’t bother to notice his strange looks, nor did I let them get to me.

My anger was at both him and me. I was irked I didn’t have an answer to his stupid question, and for letting him talk to me so disrespectfully. And my reaction when he stepped forward was beyond infuriating. This was a substantially unreal and absurd surprise for me, but also the cherry on top of the annoyance cake.

I knew if I spoke up in that moment, I would lose control and explode. So, I zipped it for once in my life. I didn’t want to say or do something that I would undeniably regret later or create too great of a scene for the entire office to watch. That will just make my day worse. As such, I let Federick Archer talk his stony heart out.

But the asshole kept quiet. Boring into me like he was trying to read my soul, Federick captured my gaze for what felt like hours. Since he came back and took over his father’s company, this was the first time we actually looked into each other’s eyes for this long, and that too without a word between us. This moment was so weird and uncomfortable. I almost wanted to run out of the office. Then again, I would not break first, and let him win. No… not when I was actively striving to hide my anger and not snap at His Highness.

In the end, once he had collected himself and recovered from the initial shock, it was he who finally spoke up, breaking the silence. Frankly, part of me wanted to know what he was thinking. But the man was too complicated, and I had no intention of spending my precious time on him.

“If you don’t want to spend the night in the office with me, get to work right away. I want all the documents I had asked you to prepare earlier. Or should I wait longer, so you can get out of the phase you are in?”

It might have taken me a few minutes, but I eventually got out of my dazed state at the realisation that he had asked for some documents. “No sir, I’ll immediately get them for you.” I finally responded while going around him to my desk.

Still quite confused and irked, I lightly shook my head, attempting to get out of whatever sorcery I was under. Without realising it, I had bent over my table to get the folder, just like I usually do when he’s not present. I swear, that jerk was such an asshole and a pig. If I could, I would have kicked him right where the sun didn’t shine.

He dared shout at me, insulted me, and showed no respect for me or my privacy. But the moment I bent over my table to get him the documents he needed, he gawked at my ass. His eyes lingered as if I was the most scrumptious dinner ever. Indeed, he was a big jackass.

I was relieved that the rest of the day passed with no more incidents. Luckily, I finished everything I needed to do before heading home, feeling completely drained. All I got to say was that Federick Archer sure was extremely angry at me that day. And with no apparent reason or me having to push his buttons, might I add.

His royal assholeness dumped an overwhelming workload on me, insisting I completed them by the end of the day, even though I knew most of the tasks had no urgent deadlines. I had tacked the required documents for the next day a long time ago. But no… I had to do next week’s work as well.

Mr Archer did all this intentionally. He couldn’t deny it. He knew damn well I avoided bringing work from the office back home. Obviously, he never knew the exact reason behind it. But he sure took advantage of that knowledge today by giving me all this unnecessary work.

He even told me, “It’s a lot of work. If you can’t finish it by your end of day, take it home with you,” accompanied by that damn smirk … selfish, arrogant bastard.

I had him eat all his comments by the end of the day. I completed all the work given to me, even if it meant staying at the office later than I usually do. His facial expression as I dropped everything on his desk was payment enough. It was too damn hilarious. But with great effort, I refrained from laughing at his face rightin front of him.

Instead, I happily went home to my sons, indulged in a luxurious one-hour bath, and savoured a glass of chilled red wine as I relaxed in the night’s quietness by the beach. I felt extremely satisfied knowing that all my hard work paid off in the end.

CHAPTER 4THE PHONE CALL

PHOEBE

These past two weeks have been weird and shrouded by an air of mysteriousness. It was like Mr Archer had made it his business to attain a new height of rudeness and dictatorialness toward me. If I did not know any better, I would have thought it was me who was the problem. That he always behaved so annoyingly rude toward me because I am too ‘me.’ But working for him for the past two years made me realise it was he who was the problem, not the other way around.

In the beginning, Mr Federick Archer was tough to figure out, especially with that mysteriously enigmatic and powerful aura around him. Which, I must admit, under normal circumstances, would attract someone like me. And if he were someone else, I would undeniably want to discover more. But Federick wasn’t someone else. He was someone I couldn’t get close to, and trying to understand him confused me way too much for it to be healthy.

Consequently, I did what any reasonable person would do in my position. I stopped caring about his endless mood swings and emotionless ass. Mainly for my sanity, but also because I had far more important things to worry about than him. Heck, if I were to see a shrink, I bet he too would advise I keep my distance from Mr Archer, unless I wanted to end up in a looney-ville. Federick Archer was insubordinate and didn’t deserve my extra effort. That stony man was in the category of annoyingly cold-hearted people I pay zero attention to.

Having insight into Federick’s past self, I knew he didn’t care about people or their emotions. I would even go as far to say he despised anyone he couldn’t control and manipulate. All he cared about was himself — and possessing everything he oh so desired or wanted. Given what I know, his aloofness during the past two weeks shouldn’t have bothered me as much as it did. However, not knowing the reasons behind his actions bugged me more than I expected.