A day later...

Shonee's POV

"C'mon Mirasol, you can do it!"

She took another powerful swipe at the pinata but it didn't break.

The kids surrounding her cheered her on, eager to get the candy out of the horse-shaped dummy.

Balancing the trays in my hands, I carefully moved across the lawn with another batch of eclairs and placed them on the buffet table, along with the other desserts.

The entire birthday setting was fun and lively, unlike what Nancy had in mind, and I quickly gave myself a pat on the back for a job well done. From the balloons, the music, the games, the bouncy castles, and the food, I was glad to see that everyone present had something to enjoy. Believe it or not, planning a birthday party for a billionaire's daughter isn't an easy feat, trust me. Everything has to be top-notch.

My eyes glazed around for anything that needed my attention. The parents of some of the kids, friends and other family members of the Beckhams occupied the tables, eating and chatting. A few paces away, Mrs. Beckham sat, having a conversation with a group of women. She tipped her head back, laughing at something one of them had said. It was nice to finally see her relaxed and having fun.

"Oh good, more eclairs." James appeared at my side with a paper plate in hand and wasted no time piling it high. "You've gotta tell me where you got these from cuz they are so good! Seriously, I've lost count of how many I've had." He took a big bite out of an almond-flavoured éclair with a satisfied "Mmm!"

"It's Gerta's recipe, actually. And no more for you!" I tried to snatch the plate from his hands. "You alone have practically emptied one whole tray."

James sidestepped me, faking a surprised gasp. "No way! I'm addicted now. You're not taking these from me."

I put my hand on my hip and shot him a playful look. "Really? Remind me why I invited you to this party again?"

"Cuz you love me," he grinned and finished off the almond éclair. "And I'm practically Mirasol's favourite person on the planet right now."

"Yeah right." I rolled my eyes.

Suddenly, a pair of arms wrapped around my waist from behind and I turned to see Vincent, smiling warmly at me. "Hi."

"Hey, you're back." I returned his smile.

"Of course," he replied, placing a quick kiss on my lips. "Wouldn't miss my daughter's birthday party for the world."

"Haha!" James took advantage of the distraction and quickly grabbed the last éclair from the tray. "You snooze, you lose!" He chuckled before dashing off with his fully stocked plate toward Jordin, who was hula-hooping with a group of kids.

I shook my head and laughed as I turned back to Vincent. "So, how did your meeting with the Paynes go? Did they show up despite it being a Saturday?"

"Oh, they definitely showed up," he said, then picked up a profiterole and slotted it into his mouth. "Richard Payne wouldn't pass up the opportunity to keep pressuring us, especially after he threatened to shut Beckham Incorporated down if we didn't adhere to his demands."

My eyes widened. "It got that serious?"

"Yeah." He shrugged. "But thankfully, we managed to offer him an alternative: an investment opportunity in one of our profitable markets. It was originally planned for Beckham Incorporated and would have been a lucrative prospect for us, but my dad and I agreed that it'll be worth giving it to Payne Travel and Tours since Richard will end up getting double what he invested in our company and it'll keep them off our backs for good. I heard Avril is taking off with her dad tonight to finalize the deal in South Africa."

"Oh ok. That's great." I nodded. "I'm glad to hear that the Paynes are no longer going to be a problem. Though, I'm sorry you lost that investment opportunity."

"Nah, it's just business. Other opportunities will come up," he said, snaking his arm around my waist and pulling me to his chest. "I'm just happy to be here and finally have you all to myself."

"Mmm, same here." My head tipped up with a smile.

Just as our lips brushed, a spiteful "Ahe-ahem!" had us pulling back.

Nancy stood close; her red-painted lips curled down in disapproval with her arms crossed tightly against her chest. "As much as I admire your bold attempt at a PDA, need I remind you that we have a reputation and a marriage to protect? A marriage in which I am the wife!" Her hand shot up, displaying the new wedding ring Vincent was forced to give her during the whole press conference hullabaloo.

Vincent sighed, "You might be my wife, Nancy, but I'm pretty sure everyone here knows that things aren't working out between us."

"So?" She snarled. "That doesn't give you the right to kiss the slutty nanny!"

At the insult, Vincent's nostrils flared and I quickly blocked him from lurching towards Nancy.

It wasn't that I didn't want to get back at her for that offensive jab—believe me, I really wanted to punch her in the face, but there was also no way I was going to allow her drama ruin Mirasol's day.

"Look Nancy, why don't you make yourself useful and help clear the tables, hm?" I picked up the tray James had emptied earlier and held it out to her.

She looked down at the tray and then let her eyes flicker back to me with a bucketload of abhorrence. "You're not serious."

"Actually, I am." I pressed on. "It's either this or you leave."

"You heard her," Vincent added, the anger in his voice was super evident.

Nancy too, was practically seething with so much indignation that her ears had become red like plum, ripe tomatoes. Honestly, I would've burst into a hearty laugh if she hadn't rudely swatted the tray out of my hand, sending it flying into the grass with a mild thump. "Hey!"

"Fuck you both!" She growled through gritted teeth, then pivoted on her heel and marched towards the house.

Except for a few heads, Nancy's outburst didn't attract much attention, thankfully. Mrs. Beckham was one of the few people who had noticed the altercation, and though she glared hard at Nancy's retreating form, she opted not to involve herself in the drama. She just shook her head and turned back to her friends.

Jordin and James must've witnessed it too because they had both paused their games with the kids and were watching me pick up the tray.

You ok? Jordin mouthed, and I nodded, gave her thumbs up, before turning to Vincent.

"God, she's so infuriating!" He ran a hand through his hair.

I set the tray on the buffet table. "You've gotta learn how to control yourself around her, Vincent. She can't get under your skin."

"I know, I know," he huffed.

"Have you asked her about the house yet?"

"Yeah. She claims she knows nothing about its past or the fact that it was linked to Michael. According to her, she was only looking at random houses and checking out her options in case I threw her out. And looking at the trajectory of things, that won't be long," he murmured.

But if she was just looking at random houses, why was she looking with Ruben? My eyebrows furrowed in thought. "I don't believe her."

"Neither do I." Vincent crossed his arms. "But I'm still struggling to figure out why she'd lie about this. It doesn't make any sense."

"Dadddyyy! Shoneee!"

Just then, Mirasol came barreling our way in her My Little Pony Rarity outfit.

"Hey, my beautiful princess." Vincent scooped her up into his arms. "Enjoying your birthday party?"

"Yes!" She grinned. "I even broke the pinata and got everyone a lot of candy!"

"Ooh, wow. Six-year-old Mira has gotten so strong." I tickled her tummy and she giggled, burying her face in her father's neck.

"We've still got a few more games to play, wanna play them with me and Shonee?" Vincent asked and Mirasol immediately perked up.

"Yes! And with Abbie and Julia too."

"Great, then let's go." Vincent slipped his free hand in mine and all three of us headed back into the party groove. 

*****