Hey, Y'all!!!
Let me start by thanking each and every one of you for your support and your love. Having you on my team means the world to me. Seeing how much you appreciate this book is filling my heart with joy. Since day one, you gave this story wings to fly high, to reach heights I never thought possible in such a short time. And you did it through your passionate comments, your wonderful reviews, your public and private messages of support. And, of course, your gems.
I must say, I love how invested you are in my creation (even if my English is not perfect). I am so very lucky to have such passionate, amazing, patient readers, ready to motivate me to do better. I really love and appreciate you all.
With your permission, I would like to give a special shout-out to a few readers, who are pushing this story high on the Goodnovel rankings:
1. Olubunmi - 14 gems (I love your last comment, at the end of ch. 19, but it's not the right time to reveal some truths. Please, bear with me a little while longer)
2. kayehardt - 8 gems (Don't 'kill' Paxton just yet... after all, he's a man. He needs more time to comprehend the obvious. Thank you so much for your review, for 'keeping an eye on me' on Goodnovel, and for your sweet words.)
3. Xienne Gutierrez - 8 gems (welcome back!)
4. Azliza Radzi - 4 gems
5.- 12. - Joan Cox (Thank you so much for your sweet words! I really appreciated them all even if it's impossible to reply on the website.), Pea, Susan Quek (thank you for the first review), Yazzie0804, Sherry Weaver, ashwini kulkarni, Karen Vertucci (Welcome back! Your texts are cracking me up! Thank you so much for the review!), iash - 2 gems
13.-16. - vkpppppp (thank you for your comment at the end of ch.19), Bhavisha Soni, Lean Cantara (thank you for your comment at the end of ch.19), pretti khangarot - 1 gem
All I can say to you is THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart, for believing in this story so much, for believing in my abilities as a storyteller.
Well, with this being said... I'll go back to my writing. I'm sure you all are expecting the continuation of Rhiannon's adventure. I can't give you spoilers, you know that. All I can say for sure is... this is not going to be a 100 chapter story... I won't torture your souls and minds for a long time. So, pour yourselves a glass of wine, or a cup of coffee, prepare yourselves some snacks, and join me patiently on this creative path. Trust me, you won't be disappointed.
Feel free to leave an honest review or a comment, allowing this book to gain more relevance on Goodnovel.
Baci & Abbracci,
Emma.
The funeral was over. Kieran was resting in the Ridgway family vault. And she was once again back in Paxton’s apartment. Rhiannon didn’t even paid attention to the elevator. She was feeling so incredibly tired and drained out. Was it the pregnancy? Was it the stressful situation she was currently living with Paxton? Was it the funeral? Rhiannon took a few steps into the living room, not knowing exactly what to do. Where to go. What to say. She just stood there, in the middle of the room, looking at the evening sky so red and wonderful.“This was Kieran’s favorite part of the day,” she said slowly, almost talking to herself.“I didn’t know that,” Paxton replied walking slowly towards her. She turned and gazed at him.“He used to say that evenings are a gift… A time to reflect, and find peace. Each evening brings with it the promise of a new dawn. Let go of the past and embrace the possibilities of tomorrow.” Rhiann
She remembered Paxton saw her apartment, the day she left the hospital. Rhiannon rushed to her own defense.“My apartment isn’t always the way it was when you saw it. I… Uhm… I was sort of... preoccupied last month.”“I wasn’t criticizing you. I was just stating a fact. Do you think I care about your apartment?”“Put me down, Paxton. Where do you think you’re going? What are you doing?”“I need to clean up your foot, and the nearest bathtub is on the second floor. Since you don’t like elevators, I’m carrying you up.”“But I can handle elevators,” she said testily, perversely annoyed at his thoughtfulness.“Right…” Paxton grinned down at her.“You do them so well.”“I practice.”“Really? How? Like one would a piano?” Her lips twitched. She fought not to smile.“Sort of.” He wasn’t nice. She didn’t like him. She didn’t find him amusing. Paxton was making fun of her neurotic fear, a fear that was perfectly logical cons
This was the worst part of her day.“Morning sickness… This is a punishment from hell,” she groaned as she sat on the bathroom floor, her bare legs sprawled on the cold tiles. That day, she was expected at the restaurant, for an extraordinary staff meeting. They needed to know about Anthony Ramsay’s arrival. Rhiannon wished she could sit here until her stomach settled, but she didn’t have the luxury of time. “I need to get up… somehow…” Rhiannon took a deep breath, trying to calm her stomach, then looked at her heel, almost healed, thanks to Paxton’s careful but unexpected intervention. The next day after the kitchen accident, he stood at home, working in his study most of the time. But quite frequently, he came to her room, genuinely interested in her ‘health status’, helping her walk slowly around the house. Paxton was behaving so nicely… And their truce was exactly what she needed since fighting with him every day was absolutely debilitatin
“We both know that’s the last thing you want to do, Paxton,” she muttered.“You are carrying the Ridgway heir,” he said, pointing at her womb. “His or her well-being is my concern as much as it is yours.” Rhiannon automatically wrapped her arms around her belly in a protective gesture.“No, Paxton, it’s not. We are behaving like civil people, we are talking nicely to each other, but we both know the truth. You’re doing this against your will. You’d rather chew your arm off than be here. All you see in me are lies and money interest.”“Since we’re being honest, I’ll say it one last time… I’m still mad at you and my brother… For the secret marriage, the money he invested without talking to me first, the pregnancy. But I wouldn’t blame a child for his parents’ sins.” She stilled as Paxton’s words stung.“I’m not willing to test that out,” she replied and took a deep breath. Paxton flattened his hands against the wall as a dark, unpredictable energy swirled a
“Have you got those food costs for me yet, Rhiannon?” Anthony Ramsay smiled down at her as he stepped into her office.“Not quite but almost. During my absence, my mother decided to surprise me for the first time in her life and she… she cleaned up the office. So, I’m finding bits and pieces of documents here and there.”“Still, remember it’s essential that you know what they are. You can’t be fuzzy about numbers or they’ll kill you. Trust me, I’ve learned that the hard way,” Anthony said.“I’m almost there… Just a second… Ah, there it is!” When Rhiannon handed him her notebook, which bulged with dog-eared receipts, Anthony took the jumble and sat down. Rhiannon couldn’t believe how easy it was to work with him once Barbie and everybody had warmed up to him. With his shaggy blond hair and affable smile, he seemed like a huge blond bear, albeit a friendly one… most of the time. His quick temper could be formidable. She discovered that since day one.
Anthony poured two glasses of water and offered one to Rhiannon.“There was this one time, a few years ago, when we both were so… wasted,” he continued after he took a sip. “That night, in front of a good scotch, Paxton talked of things that happened in his life I knew nothing about. I mean, I knew something about his childhood years but not everything. Even at school, Paxton wasn’t talking much, keeping a low profile, focusing on his studies.”“What did he say to you?”“Paxton was living with Amelia in a very small apartment. So, every time his mother was… uhm… falling in love, that boyfriend would come and stay with them. He said every man present in his mother’s life has tried to buy his affection with gifts, trying to bribe him into accepting them, but he never liked that. And hated all of them.”“Oh…&rdq
Hey, Y'all! May 6th is the most important day of my life. It's my birthday. After a certain age, celebrating this day or talking about it in public, didn't seem all that important to me. But this year... well, this year I felt the need to make an exception. The other day, a friend asked me what gift I wanted for my birthday... Well, I said to her I wanted nothing because thanks to you all, I have everything I want and more. You, guys, are the best gift ever. Every single one of you. I'm not trying to suck up, if that's what you're thinking. No! I pride myself on being honest and real with you. I've said those things to you because I like to think we're friends, and because I think you deserve to know how I feel about you. 2023 has been a tough year for me, so I've entered 2024 kinda tiptoeing around Goodnovel, not sure about writing anymore. Up until a few of you contacted me here and on my socials, asking if I was okay, and wondering about a new story. So, I've decided to push
He knew how things were going because he talked to his friend every night. But he wanted to hear it from her.“We are,” Paxton replied. “I said nothing because it wasn’t important.”“Oh… It wasn’t my intention to make it sound like an accusation or something.” Paxton shook his head letting her know it was okay, he wasn’t mad.“Anyway, thank you so much for asking Anthony to take a look at the restaurant. He’s made me see all sorts of things I never saw before. And all the changes… the way he talked to my staff… Your friend is an amazing person and a great chef.”“I’m glad it’s working out.” He was, but at the same time, Paxton envied her easy friendship with his be