Chapter 5 Shocked!

Auden Bernard let out a gentle chuckle, shaking his slowly while gazing at a furious Brenda. She seemed almost eager to rip him to shreds.

"You seem quite fond of that girl, don't you?" he inquired, though Brenda's hands continued to clench into tight fists.

"But you must know that, we are not cut from the same cloth. The girl and I do not belong to the same league, Brenda" His demeanor changed from playful to serious as he leaned against the desk, closely observing Brenda's expression.

"And just in case you don't know, I am engaged, Brenda. My fiancé is far more attractive and alluring than that little girl. And I am sure you would accuse me of sexual misconduct if you were to see me with her,"

Any trace of playfulness vanished as he spoke, his words measured and deliberate. This seemed to calm Brenda a bit, as she realized Auden had been teasing her earlier.

Once Auden noticed that Brenda was no longer tense, he continued, "Can you give me the address of where she works now?"

Brenda's eyes widened in disbelief, but before she could utter a word, Auden interjected, "Don't you think I should meet her in person? After all, I am the one who caused this mess and I must take responsibility for it."

With a furrowed brow, Brenda stood upright, still staring at Auden as if he had grown horns.

"I will apologize to her, if that will make her return to Glamour," Auden said, his gaze softening.

Brenda scoffed, shaking her head in disbelief. Who would have thought that someone as heartless as Auden Bernard would take the initiative in seeking out Evelyn and apologizing?

Auden couldn't help but smirk as Brenda grabbed a pen and paper, hastily scribbling down the location.

That night, after bath time, Evelyn helped her children into their nightwear.

"Mommy, you haven't told us bedtime stories in a while," Harper grumbled as her mother tucked her into bed.

"Yes, Mommy," Harry chimed in from his place on the bed, "you promised us an interesting story soon."

Evelyn joined her children on the bed, settling between her two little ones with a smile.

The children beamed, always finding comfort in their mother's embrace.

"The story," Evelyn began, her voice trembling slightly and causing her children to look at her worriedly.

"What's wrong, Mommy? Is the story really emotional? Is it about our Daddy?" Harper inquired, feeling her own tears gathering.

"I've told you to stop mentioning Daddy, Harper. We don't have a Daddy," Harry snapped, clearly frustrated.

"And I've told you that Mommy couldn't have had us on her own, Harry. There must be a Daddy out there somewhere," Harper retorted in the same tone as her brother.

"There's no Daddy at all," Harry scoffed.

"There is a Daddy, you foolish boy!" Harper shot back.

"Alright, my darlings. That's enough," Evelyn finally intervened after taking a little trip down memory lane.

She began to affectionately caress their hair with both hands as she sang their favorite lullaby.

"I love you, Harry," Harper murmured sleepily, her eyes slowly shutting.

Harry smiled as he gently stroked his sister's cheek. "I love you more, sis."

Together, they chorused, "We love you very much, Mommy."

Tears welled in Evelyn's eyes as she replied, "I love you too, my dears. Have a peaceful night's sleep." With that, she kissed their foreheads.

Then the tears came, cascading like a river, and she welcomed them. "I'm sorry, my darlings. I'm so sorry, please forgive me," she sobbed softly.

Beneath the dim light of the lamp, she gazed at her children's sleeping faces and cried even more.

"Forgive me, my babies."

****

Auden Bernard's brows furrowed deeply upon driving into the parking lot and noticing that the house lights were on.

"Does she ever listen?" he muttered, exiting the car and striding towards the villa with his hands in his pockets.

But his brows furrowed even deeper when he entered the house and saw an abundance of tealight candles -over a hundred of them-lit from the entrance door all the way to the staircase.

And that wasn't all. Alongside the candles, vibrant red rose petals were scattered everywhere on the floor and anywhere. In the center of the room, large letters spelled out "MARRY ME" with light bulbs.

As he sighed and rubbed his forehead, the electricity suddenly went off.

Shortly after, the sound of heels clanking against the floor began echoing in the room, and from where Auden stood, he saw a woman in a red midi dress approaching.

The candlelights were enough to illuminate her as she came towards him with a seductive smile spread across her mouth.

The dress ended right above her butt, revealing her perfect curves and a low-cut neckline that drew attention to her ample cleavage. Her blonde curls cascaded down her shoulders, and her makeup enhanced her natural beauty.

Meanwhile, the man remained unfazed, waiting patiently for her to approach.

"What is all of this, Maeve?" he inquired, his anger barely held back.

However, Maeve moved even closer and slowly wrapped her arms around Auden.

She inhaled his scent and exhaled dreamily, "I want to devour you, Auden. You smell good enough to eat," she grinned, showing off her white teeth.

Auden's jaw clenched in annoyance as he gently freed himself from her grasp.

"I have warned you countless times to stop invading my privacy, Maeve. This is my house, and you are not welcome here without my consent," he didn't raise his voice, but he didn't have to, his words were just as impactful.

Auden's fierce stare pierced through Maeve's alluring facade as she challenged him with her words, placing a seductive hand on his cheek.

"This is our home, Auden," she reminded him, her tone dripping with desire. "We are getting married soon, aren't we? So that makes this my house as well."

Annoyance flared in Auden's nostrils as he swiftly removed Maeve's hand from his face, his actions showing his disdain for her touch.

"Stay away from me and my space, Maeve. I'm warning you," he stated bluntly, giving her one final piercing look before storming towards the stairs, untying his necktie.

The very next day, Auden found himself sitting in the backseat of his car, completely engrossed in the tablet in his hands as it occupied his attention.

However, his gaze was involuntarily drawn to the window, causing him to blink in surprise before widening his eyes in disbelief.

"Stop the car," he commanded sternly and the vehicle came to an abrupt halt at his order.

Setting his tablet aside, Auden sat up straight and stared out the window in shock, his mouth agape in awe.

"She...she's a mother? A-Are those her c-children?" His words came out in a stammer, his eyes frantically blinking as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.