Annabelle's POV:
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"It's fine, Miss Walker. You don't have to go through the security procedure," Sam, the security head of the front gate, says politely and opens the door for me.
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"Thank you, Sam..." I make a broad smile and step to the side of the gate. Jackson has left to attend an emergency call with one of our marketing agents. It's already 8; he has taken almost ten minutes to get out of the thick forest consisting of wild animals.
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"Okay, Patrick, I'll call you later." He comes back from the corner of the building and stands next to me.
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"Why didn't you get inside? Oh, waiting for me... How sweet my darling is."
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"Jackson, I swear if you call me darling once again I'll kick your balls," I say while folding my arms and shivering lightly.
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"Balls? Well, it won't be better for our future, baby," he says simply.
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I would have probably put the words into action, but unfortunately, his sister Leena comes between with a huge smirk.
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"Oh, little brother, so you went to get these roses, huh?" She asks mischievously, to which he replies with an eye roll.
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"Leena, I'm not in the mood for a fight."
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"And who needs to speak to your asswipe?" She says boringly, making me chuckle. He swiftly turns his head and gives me a glare for supporting.
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"Hi, Leena."
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"Anna dear... It's been a while..."
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"Two years, to be precise," I say with a broad smile.
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"Aw... You look more beautiful, Anna... Just not perfect to some idiots," she says while eyeing Jackson, who looks offended.
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"Look... there is your dear husband Jerry looking lost and lonely. Go... And give him company," he says with pure annoyance, making her roll her eyes.
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"Let him have his own company for a while... Anna, let's have some talk... How is it goin-"
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"Anna, we need to discuss something important with mom now," Jackson gets in between, literally grabs my hands, and separates both of us.
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"But what?"
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"Business... See you at the party, Leena," he says plainly while holding my left hand strongly and striding inside the mansion, making Leena dumbfounded.
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We push past the people and reach the great ballroom crowded with guests. The whole room is in royal blue and gold.
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He leaves my arms and snakes his left hand over my waist.
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"Excuse me!"
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"You are excused, love." He adds more pressure.
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"Take off your hands, Jackson."
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"Nope."
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"This is so irritating!"
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"Well, if you forget you are my DATE for tonight... So as my date, you should be lovable and kind to me like them." His gesture to the lovely couple on the stage is set up.
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"They are your—"
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"Baby!" I was cut off by a sharp feminine voice, making me turn back. Amber Augustine, his chick and latest ex, is standing a few meters away from us in a tight mid-thigh-length black dress.
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A few days back, he broke up with this supermodel after finding her little affair with her first cousin in London. Okay, this is never gonna be a normal night... I tried to remove his hand from my waist, which was in vain.
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"Jacky, why didn't you pick my calls? I... I miss you so much... I'm so—"
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"Miss Augustine, I think we have settled everything between us long back," he says sternly, making her look offended.
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Her gaze shifts from his face to his left hand now circling around my waist like a snake. Her facial features darken.
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"I need to talk to you...in person," she says while shooting daggers in my direction.
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"No secrets between me and my girlfriend, and sorry, I have already closed your chapter, and we are DONE," he says coldly.
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Wait a minute... Girlfriend?!
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Amber snaps her head with pure anger and shakes in disbelief.
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Before me or Amber could respond to his statement, he leaves my waist and takes hold of my left hand and merges into the crowd. After a few stumbles, we pass the crowd and reach the bottom of the stage.
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He releases my hands and fixes his tie while glancing at the mirror on the left.
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"Jackson, what the actual heck did you say to Amber? Girlfriend?! We have just gotten into the bet less than an hour, and you already started to show your true colors."
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"Anna, listen, okay, first of all, I'm sorry for being a jerk... The only thing I could do to get rid of her was by saying I am already committed to someone else."
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"And you chose me for that?"
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"Ummm, it just happened, Anna. I am sorry," he says nonchalantly and continues his touch-up.
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"Really? But it seems like you aren't sorry for anything," I am so pissed by his neutral response.
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"Jackson... Anna... Over here, couple..." Aunty Aleena waves her hands and gestures for us to climb the stairs.
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"Oh Mom..." Jackson claims the little stair excitedly, followed by me. The stage is decorated with royal blue and pure gold, which kind of matches with mine and Jackson's outfit
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She gives him a warm hug and kisses his cheeks. Next to her stands Joseph Blake, her lovely husband, and the chairperson of the Blakes Enterprise. He just has a nonchalant expression while speaking to his son Johnny, who has just got discharged from the hospital.
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"Happy Anniversary, Aunty." I approach her with a warm smile and extend the gift box Mom handed to me before leaving the apartment.
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"Aw... Thank you, Anna... It's so sweet of you," she says happily and peers through the crowd and frowns.
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"Umm Anny? Where is she?" She asks me with a confused look.
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"I'm really sorry, Aunty, Mom left to attend something important."
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"Important? More important than my anniversary?" She huffs and turns to her husband.
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"Joseph, like I expected, she skips the party... I don't know why, but she is trying to avoid me for no reason," she complains to Joseph, who just nods and gestures for Jackson to come close to him.
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"Why is she here?" He asks coldly while eyeing Amber, now having a conversation with some of the guests.
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After finding the affair of hers, Jackson broke up with her and canceled all of the contracts with her in the Blakes Enterprise. In a fist of rage, she dashed to the head office of Blakes and demanded to speak with Joseph Blake for a compromise resulting in destroying her whole modeling career. She was thrown out by her agency for no reason, and many of the ad companies canceled their contracts with her.
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That's how it works, never mess with a Blake, no matter who the wrongdoer is. They have a huge network and connection throughout the country in every industry. Now she needs to get patched up with the Blakes and get into a compromise, which would be better for her almost broken career.
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"How could I know? I was stuck for a moment when I saw her here," he grumbles and shifts to his mom and gifts her a small rose box, probably containing the limited edition of Rolex Daytona.
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"Jake... Do you have any explanation for it?" Joseph inquires.
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"Yes, Sir... Actually, she is one of the members of Madam's charity trust. We have sent invitations to every member without making a detailed background check," Jake says professionally.
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Joseph just nods and whispers something in his ear.
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Aleena by now unwraps the gift box I have given and takes out two emerald green couple rings, which quickly grab everyone's attention on the stage.
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"Wow, it's so cool!" Jackson mutters and takes one from her.
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"It's quite familiar.... Mmm Oh My God... It's from L Brothers... The Italian brothers," she literally cries out, making me pop my eyes like a soccer.
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L brothers?? Is she f***ing serious? It's impossible for us to get a single piece of ornament from those globally recognized brands.
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"Wait, let me check... Yes, mom, you are right, it's from the L Brothers.... Damn it's one of their limited editions..."
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My head starts to spin... How did mom ever manage to get these limited editions? Last time when I checked her bank balance, it was below 400 NOK, which is saved up for God knows what. No wonder the shipping cost almost cost half of my income from the bakery.
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"Aw... Last time I tried to get one of their ethnic collections, which was on exhibition last month, but was already taken by someone.... Anny saw how worried I was after that... She is such a sweet friend."
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And expensive.
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"Mom, don't underestimate the power of Walkers; they are so capable of making us crazy like hell," Jackson says with a grin, which his mom responds to with a knowing smile.
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"Ahem... Can you all please clear off from the stage, will you?" Johnny now looks frustrated and anxious, saying annoyingly. Usually, he is the host of most of the Blakes' parties.
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"Sure, Mr. Handy," Jackson jokes and climbs down the stairs. His Dad and secretary leave the stage just after him. Aunty and I climb down the stairs carefully without stumbling.
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We all settle down and wait for him to begin.
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Johnny takes the microphone, clears his throat, and begins his welcome speech.
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"Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed guests, family, and most importantly, the two incredible souls we're gathered here to honor today – my beloved parents....
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And here we go again...
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Author's Note: lovely reader, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter ❤️
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