Hunter's POV

I am woken in the middle of the night by something crashing. I bolt up in bed.

Keegan?

Getting out of bed, I run straight to Keegan's room and open the door. I find her snuggled in bed, with one arm and one leg sticking out of the blankets.

She looks like an angel sleeping like that.

Closing the door, I make my way through the Wing. I find Tia going through the cupboards when I get to the kitchen. She looks up at me and smiles. "Good morning, Hunter. I'm here to make something for Keegan. I want to apologise to her for what happened to her head."

"What happened to her head?" I pretend not know what's going on and she tells me a story that I know is full of shit. "Tia, it's too early for you to be here. I would like you to leave."

"NO," she shouts. "You can't kick me out."

The door to Keegan's bedroom opens, and I hear her feet on the floor as she approaches us. Keegan looks between Tia and me. "What's going on here?"

Tia steps towards Keegan and holds her hand out. "I want to apologise to you, Keegan."

"Bullshit," Keegan crosses her arms. "There's an agenda with you, Tia. I'm not going to play games with a woman who likes to cheat."

"I am sorry." Tia uses crocodile tears on Keegan, but it looks like she won't fall for it."

Keegan bursts out laughing. "How many people does that work on, Tia? I've been around some good actors, but you're the worst I've seen. I think you should leave."

"No," Tia grabs my arm. "I don't want to go anywhere. You can't kick me out."

"You can stay until morning. Then someone will escort you off the property, Tia. I don't want to see your face again."

"Aagh," Tia screams. "Since, you've been here my life has turned to shit."

"Your behaviour is causing all the problems, Tia. Get some help and find another family to bother. Your time with the Westbrooks is up. Good luck out there." Keegan walks over to the balcony door and opens it. Now, get the fuck out."

Tia looks over at me, hoping that I will help her out. When I don't, she screams before walking to the door.

Keegan puts her arms out, halting Tia from leaving my Wing. "Give me the key you used to come here."

"No," Tia grips the key in her pocket. "I don't think I will give it to you."

Keegan pulls her hand out of the pocket. She opens the hand and pulls the key out. "Stay away from the family, Tia. I will make you regret crossing them if you come near them."

Tia flips Keegan off before walking out the door. "I hate you, Keegan Jennings."
"Ouch," Keegan places her hand over her heart. She flips Tia off before slamming the door shut and locking it. She winces and then places her hands to her head.

Lifting Keegan, I carry her to her room and place her on the bed. "You exerted yourself by dealing with that bitch. You should have stayed in bed."

Keegan looks at me and says. "Tia would have continued with her dramatic ways. I only wanted to sleep, but she can wake the Devil with her screeches. Can you grab me a bottle of water?"

"Sure," I say, leaving the bedroom and walking to the kitchen. While I'm in the kitchen, my phone vibrates. Pulling it out, I see a message from my brother.

Ayden: Tia's back.

Me: I know.

Ayden: How?

Me: She came to my Wing.

Ayden: Really?

Me: Yes, she wanted to apologise to Keegan.

Ayden: Did Keegan believe her?

Me: No, she kicked her out.

Ayden: LOL, I wish I could see her face when that happened.

Me: It was good to see Keegan stand up for herself.

Ayden: Keegan would never let anyone walk over her. When is Tia leaving the house?

Me: In the morning.

Ayden: Good.

Ayden: Shit! Tia's sneaking into my room.

Me: Kick her out.

Ayden: I can't.

Me: Why?

Ayden: Tia's too good with her mouth.

That's the last thing I want to know about that woman.

Me: Goodnight.

Grabbing the water bottle, I walk down the hall towards Keegan's room. When I get there, I see the bed empty. "Keegan?" I yell.

"I'm in the bathroom, Hunter. I'll be right out." Keegan walks out and sits on the bed. "You don't need to worry about me, Hunter."

Pulling her into my arms, I kiss the top of her head. "I like you, Keegan and hearing that you got hurt in my house pisses me off."

Keegan places her hands on my arms. "I understand how you feel, Hunter. Do you want to stay here until I fall asleep?"

"Sure," I lean against the headboard. "Do you want to play twenty questions?"

A smile spreads across Keegan's face. "Sure, this is an easy ice breaker. I'll go first. Favourite colour?"

"Blue, yours?"

"Violet,"

"Favourite place in the world?"

"Paris, yours?"

"Italy, all of it. Favourite food?"

"Italian, yours?"

"Same, on some days I could eat Mexican."

"Have you had your heart broken?"

"Wow," leaning forward, I say. "You're going with a heavy topic now."

"I know." Keegan looks away. "Sometimes it's best for us to reveal something difficult to discuss. I hope you're not mad about this question."

Taking a breath, I look into her eyes and say. "Last year I had a fiancé. Before we could get anything organised for the wedding, she cheated on me with my best friend. He was supposed to be my Best Man."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Hunter. I can't believe a woman would do that to you. Was she blind when she cheated?"

Throwing my head back, I laugh. "She was blind to go after my friend. I recently heard she's got a kid and another one on the way. He's cheating on her with another woman."

"Serves her right. Cheats will cheat. There's nothing you can do about it."

"True," we go quiet for a bit. I know it's hard for Keegan to tell me. I wait patiently for her to talk. "You don't have to tell me tonight."

"Yes, I do." Keegan wraps her fists around the blanket, and then her eyes look into my brown ones. "What happened to me is public knowledge. So, I will give you the quick version."

"Okay," I'm surprised Keegan told me that her story is public knowledge. She must be high-profile to have something like that happen.

"It was my wedding day, and I was waiting to walk down the aisle to my groom. Before I could leave the room, I got a letter from the groom. He dumped me on our wedding day. He got another woman pregnant and decided she was a better fit for him than me."

"What an asshole. No woman should be dumped on an important day like that. I can't imagine the pain you went through."

"He is an asshole. If I never see him again, that would be the best thing to happen to me."

"If you could do anything in the world, what would it be?"

A smile spreads across her face. "I'm doing it, Hunter. I will tell you what it is at a later date. You?"

"A billionaire would be at the top of the list. I've been thinking about expanding the company I own."

"Take the chance, Hunter. I'm sure that it will pay off."

"How can you be sure?"

"Hunter Westbrook is an amazing man who puts hard work into everything he does. I will be by your side as you succeed."

A smile spreads across my face. "Do you mean that?"

"Yes," Keegan says, kissing my cheek. "I'm starting to feel tired." She yawns.

"We haven't finished the game."

"Let's play it until I fall asleep." Keegan looks away for a moment before she says. "Do you want kids?"

"Yes, you?"

"Of course. Would you like a child right away or wait?"

"That's two questions in a row?" I say. Keegan shrugs. "I'd like to wait, but if it happened sooner, I would be fine too."

Keegan nods. "I would like a child right away, but if it took a while, I would be fine too. I have enough money that taking time off from work won't affect me." She looks away for a moment. "I'm sorry, Hunter. I shouldn't have asked that."

"It's fine," I wrap my arms around her. "Getting the hard questions out of the way is better."

Keegan lies on the pillow and closes her eyes. "Goodnight, Hunter. I will see you in the morning."

Once she's asleep, I sneak out of her room and make my way to mine. As I close my door, I hear a ding sound from my phone and look at it. I see that it's a message from Suri.

Suri: Ayden, butt dialed me.

I start laughing at that.

Me: What did you hear on the line?

Suri: Ayden was fucking, Tia. Is he out of his fucking mind?

Me: Yes, he was talking to me earlier. He told me that after Tis got kicked out of my Wing she went to his and she sucked him off.

Suri: Ew, we must teach our brother when he should stick to certain things.

Me: We can't tell him what to do, Suri. I've tried to intervene in certain things, but at the end of the day, I was told to mind my own business.

Suri: Luna, could you talk to him then?

Me: If we can't get Ayden to do something, what makes you think she can?

Suri: Luna is Ayden's favourite sibling. He will change for her if she thinks something is wrong with his behaviour.

Me: I don't think that will work.

Suri: Why?

Me: Ayden had opportunities to change. After watching what happened with Charlotte and me, he decided that women should be used and discarded after they pleased him.

Suri: That's not a healthy way to live.

Me: I know.

Suri: I will talk to you in the morning.

Me: Okay, goodnight.

Suri: Goodnight,

Before turning my phone off, I look at the emails I received during the day. I come across one that looks important, and I click on it.

From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Date: 5/12/24
Subject: Apology

Dear Mr. Westbrook.

My wife and I would like to apologise to you on behalf of our daughter, Tia, who has been causing trouble for your family while at the house. We will take full responsibility for the injured party. We would like to pay the hospital and treatment fees as well as any added cost to the injured person. Please let us know who we have to pay.

Regards

Tomas and Carlie.

P.S. Please keep Tia on. She will change.

There's no way in hell that woman will spend another night with us.

I sent a message of my own to Tia's parents.

From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Date: 5/12/24
Subject: Re: Apology

Dear Tomas and Carlie Stormer,

Sorry to inform you, the injured party won't accept the offer to pay for their medical fees. With the trouble Tia has caused, I think it's best that she goes home to you. From now on, she won't be allowed back to the house. We have terminated her contract. Tia has been allowed to get away with a lot of things over the years. Now, I won't allow that to happen. It's time to take responsibility for the crimes she's done.

Reagards
Hunter Westbrook.