Six weeks later, Stephanie was confirmed pregnant. They’d carried out the insemination after her encounter with Jake in the library.
Morgan was beside herself with joy but Jake was annoyed. He hated keeping secrets from his wife but how was he going to tell her that the baby may not be a product of the donor egg but Stephanie’s?
The moment he’d been dreading finally came when Stephanie cornered him in the sunroom one afternoon, while Morgan was taking a nap upstairs.
“I want to revisit the terms of our agreement,” she said confidently.
“Why?”
“Why not? I’m not just a surrogate anymore, Jake. I’m your baby mama.”
“Stop it. Don’t you ever say that again!”
“I will say whatever I want.”
“We had a deal, Stephanie. A signed legally binding deal. If you breach it, you’ll pay me and Morgan ten million dollars. Do you have that ki
“Aww… she’s so precious,” Morgan gushed tenderly as Jake placed the baby in her arms.“Are you happy?” He asked her softly.“Of course, I am. This is a dream come true for me, although I’m still pissed that I missed the birth.”“There’s nothing we can do about that. I just wanted to make sure that I have kept my promise to you.”“Thank you, Jake. Thank you for always seeking my happiness even when it’s not convenient for you. I am very grateful.”“I’m glad to hear that. I’d also like to inform you that from this moment on, I am a man of my own. I will no longer go against my instincts to please you.”She frowned. “What do you mean?”“Things almost went sideways today with Stephanie but that wouldn’t have happened if we’d hired a proper surrogate instead of trying to take on a charity cause.&r
Contrary to Arturo’s warnings, Martin does not show up again or threaten Sherwood Holdings. A year has passed since their meeting and Mendici Shipping was struggling to stay afloat.Jake had doubled his personal security as well as the security for his family. They never went anywhere without a convoy of armed guards.“We can’t keep living like this,” Morgan complained to him one afternoon.It was a few days after their daughter’s exclusive first birthday party. Only the high and mighty in society were invited to the heavily guarded event.“What are you talking about?”“I want Victoria to have a normal childhood but that can’t happen with all these huge armed men hovering around us all the time. They scare her.”“She’ll get used to it. I’ll rather have armed guards hovering around her than expose her to our enemies.”She sighed. “Have you heard a
“You slept with her? I can’t believe you!”“It wasn’t consensual.”“So, why didn’t you tell me?”“Because I figured it didn’t matter. She got pregnant after the fact.”“How would you know?”“Remember that day we went for the age scan? Her due date would have been in late October or early November, not December. That was why she was arguing with the sonographer.”“That doesn’t prove anything. You got your ex-girlfriend pregnant right under my nose and I didn’t see it!”“That’s not true, Morgan.”“And the fact that you didn’t even tell me that she was your ex. The whole time!”Jake sighed. He wished he could have avoided this confrontation somehow but it was inevitable. The empire that her father laboured to build all his life was about to be taken away from them unless
“Where are we going?” Jake asked. “You’ll see,” the mystery woman replied. “Look, I’m not doing this with you, ok? I need to know exactly where you’re taking us.” “I just saved your lives in there. If I wanted you dead, you wouldn’t be talking to me right now.” “Still… I demand to know where you’re taking us.” She looked pointedly at Rex. “The things you need to know are for your ears only. Your bodyguard can’t be privy to them.” “I’ve heard of the Boogeyman before,” said Rex. “I used to think he was just a mafia myth.” “He is neither a member of the mafia nor a myth,” she replied. “You can say whatever you want to say in Rex’s presence. He’s more than a bodyguard to me. He’s my confidant.” “You might want to stop confiding in the help,” she said disapprovingly. “I’ll take my chances,” Jake replied. “So… the Boogeyman. Who is he?” “A powerful man who just like you rose from nothing to prominence. He’s a Greek hustler who came to America at a young age to find a better life.
Jake ended up spending two days in Cancun. When he returned to the U.S., he was a certified member of The Association. His membership would be announced to the rest of the group by the end of the week and his induction ceremony would be held the following month. He was sad to hear that Aturro had died in the gun battle at Yingu, while Sergio was badly wounded, and Joaquin got arrested for fraud. The Mendici dynasty was officially dead and buried. When he got home, he found Victoria and Linda in the TV room watching a cartoon. “Daddy!” Victoria squealed and ran into his arms. “Hey, pumpkin. How are you doing?” “Happy!” She replied excitedly. “Hi, Linda,” he greeted his mother-in-law after putting Victoria back on the couch. “Welcome home, Jake. You’ve been gone forever.” “Yeah… Work.” “You’re working too hard, Jake. We’re not poor, you know. Sherwood Holdings will still be standing if you take a few days off to rest.” He smiled at her. “You’re right. I was thinking the same t
“What’s the hold-up? I don’t have forever to wait!” “I’m not selling Sherwood Holdings to you, Martin. Get lost!” “What did you say?” “You heard me, clown. Scram!” “I see… you think Stephanie and I are bluffing, don’t you? You think we’re playing games with you, huh?” Jake chuckled. “If you think those amateur props you and that tart put together will make me hand over my empire to you, then you’re more stupid than I thought.” “What!” Jake was thoroughly enjoying himself. He could imagine the veins on Martin’s head were straining against his skin right now and he almost laughed out loud. “You think this is a joke, don’t you? We’ll see then. By the time I’m done with you, you’ll be sinking under the sea like the Mendicis!” “Bring it on, Martin. I’m ready.” “Watch out for the news tomorrow, boy. You’re going down!” After Martin hung up, Jake called Mamba and she answered on the first ring. “He’s doing it tomorrow,” he said. “Noted,” she said and hung up. Later that night, J
While Jake and Victoria were getting whisked away to an unknown destination, The Association sent a team of cleaners to Sherwood Mansion to clean up Jake’s fingerprints. They’d also driven his car back to his mansion to eliminate any evidence that he was ever at his former home that evening. They finished up and disappeared before the real police showed up. When they called him later that night to break the news to him, he did his best to act upset on the phone. He was told to make himself available for questioning. “What now?” He asked Mamba after he got off the phone. “Now, we’ll rehearse your statement,” she said flatly. “They’re going to consider me a suspect because of how Morgan and I separated.” “That’s none of my business. Just do your part and let The Association handle the rest.” “The Association, my foot! Weren’t they supposed to protect my family?” “You didn’t inform us that you were separating from your wife.” “I thought you guys knew everything.” “That’s a lousy
“We, therefore, commit these bodies to the ground. Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust; in the sure hope of the Resurrection to eternal life,” said the priest. His bleak voice rang out across the quiet graveyard where the remains of Morgan and Linda were being buried. It was raining lightly and the few funeral guests were huddled together under their umbrellas. Both Jake and Victoria were covered by the umbrella held by Rex. The usually lively toddler was very quiet today. It was as if she understood what was happening. After the bodies were laid to rest, everyone expressed their condolences to Jake again and left. He instructed Rex to take Victoria back to the car so that he could have a moment alone with the spirits of the departed. “Thank you, Morgan, for changing my life,” he whispered over his wife’s grave. “I don’t know what you and Richard saw in me, but I’m grateful to you guys for elevating my status.” He faced Linda’s grave and said, “Thank you for trying to be