Mission: From Divorcee to Millionaire

No, she was even more stunning than he had imagined. Every fiber of his being wanted to hold her, kiss her, stay by her side, and protect her from the world. Yet just moments ago, he couldn't even muster the courage to touch her, afraid his resolve would melt away, afraid his heart might betray him.

And then there was Selena. She would never know how close he came to crumbling when she rushed out, standing before him, demanding to know if he had his reasons. He almost, just almost, let his guard down entirely.

In the quiet of the night, his phone rang sharply, tearing through his somber thoughts. With a heavy sigh, he picked it up, and seeing the caller ID, a wry smile played on his lips. He answered with a frosty, "What do you want?"

Carolina's voice was just as chilly. Neither of them was one for small talk. She cut straight to the chase. "On such a perfect day, I set everything up for you, and what did you do?"

"Theresa's mother called me. She said Theresa was in tears when she got home. Everett, leaving her alone like that was beyond rude. You've left her open to ridicule and hurt her pride. First thing tomorrow, you need to pay her a visit and smooth things over."

Everett chuckled, "I'm not interested in her; find someone else."

"What did you just say?" Carolina's voice brimmed with anger. "Just because she flaunted a bit in front of Selena, you're throwing a fit? Since when did you become so lovesick, Everett?"

Everett rubbed his temples, his tone steady, "Selena is the mother of my two children, at least. And Theresa? She's strutting around before she's even in the door. Do you really think someone like that is fit to be the matriarch of the Bennett family?"

Carolina's fury evaporated. As much as she hated to admit it, Everett hit the nail on the head. The matriarch of the Bennett family needed to be a woman of substance. Someone who got caught up in petty jealousy and cheap tricks wasn't up to the task.

After a pause, she spoke again, more softly, "The youngest daughter of the Shepherd family seems promising. She's young but carries herself with maturity. Let's set up a meeting."

Everett didn't say yes or no; he simply hung up. But Carolina knew he was on board and contentedly went about making arrangements.

...

Selena stood outside in the biting wind for what felt like forever, shivering until she finally retreated indoors. She crawled under the covers and fell into a deep, uninterrupted sleep.

She slept right through to the next evening, and when she finally awoke, the world felt eerily quiet, as though

she was the last person onough

Earthnoveldrama

Until she noticed the door inch open and a small head peek inside cautiously watching.

Seeing it was her son, Selena waved him over. Only then did Mateo dare to dash across the room and leap into his mother's arms. "Mommy why did you sleep so long? Ava said you

toere super tired and told me not

to bug you. Were you really that

tired?"

Selena hugged him tightly, breathing in his comforting milky scent. "Yes, I was exhausted, but now I'm all rested up and won't... be like that again."

Mateo, not grasping the weight behind her words, earnestly declared, "From now on, I'll handle my own stuff, and I can help take care of my sister too, so you don't get tired."

"You're such a sweetheart." She kissed his cheek.

Her phone buzzed with a notification. She glanced at it out of habit. It was a news alert. As she read the headline, her expression changed in an instant!