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Jason —Two years laterI was in my penthouse in South Carolina, sipping my wine and admiring the beautiful city view when my fiancée Clara called my name from inside."Babe, your phone is ringing," she said, rushing over to hand it to me."Who's calling?" I asked curiously, not expecting any calls that day as I had decided to take a break from work."It's an unsaved number, but Truecaller says it's Zora," she replied, handing me the phone.I felt disappointed at the mention of that name. I thought I had blocked her, so how was she able to reach me?I hesitated to answer the call, but Clara had made the effort to bring me the phone, so I reluctantly accepted it to avoid devaluing her efforts or raising suspicions of infidelity."Speak," I said as soon as I accepted the call."Um, good morning, Jason. I'm really sorry for everything. I just hope you can find a place in your heart to forgive me, even though it may be difficult," a weak, feminine voice cried from the other end of the line

ZORA—"Hello, Zayn," I said as soon as I answered the call. My voice was so cold that it was enough to let him know I was not happy with him."Hello, baby. What happened? Is there a problem?" He asked inquisitively, trying to soften my mood as he knew he had upset me."Are you pretending not to know what you did? Okay, setting that aside, why didn't you pick up my calls?"He gasped and asked, "When? Oh, that must have been when I was in a meeting with some of our collaborators.""I'm really sorry," he added, sighing."It's okay. Actually, I wanted to ask about your close friend Blake. Have you been in touch with him recently?""Of course, I just spoke with him this morning. Is there an issue? Is he okay?" His concerned tone indicated he was starting to worry."Well, Daisy and I have been unable to reach him. He's unreachable while Daisy is undergoing the artificial insemination procedure. We're concerned that something may have happened to him, but since you said you spoke with him th

ZORA—I was at the office when I lied to Daisy on the call, telling her that I was off to work. Thankfully, there was nothing else to do in the office, as the board of directors had canceled the meeting that was supposed to happen in a few minutes.I went home, picked up my daughter, and drove to the hospital where Daisy is doing the artificial insemination.Upon our arrival at the hospital, she was already in the operating room, so we had to sit in the waiting room and pray for her safe operation."Mommy, where is Aunty Daisy? I thought you told me we were coming here to see her?" Daisy asked with a worried look on her face."Of course, darling. We're here for her, and she's here. She's just inside the operating room, so we have to wait for her," I explained calmly, caressing her hair with a smile on my lips."But what happened to her? Is she sick? I don't want her to be sick because she promised me to give birth to a girl I could go to school with.""Absolutely. That's the main reas

DAISY—"Really? I can't believe Paige came to your house. But I thought she was in prison. How did she escape?" I asked Zora in astonishment after she told me about her recent encounter with Paige."Honestly, dear. I couldn't imagine what might have happened if I did not show up at home by that time. The fact that I saw her carrying Daisy and that she was sitting comfortably on her thighs makes me want to throw up, gosh." I could hear her voice as she sighed. She was traumatized by the experience."Calm down, Zora. The most important thing is that you were able to save your daughter from her, and I hope you have taught her not to embrace strangers at all unless you approved her to do so.""Of course I did a long time ago. That was why I was stunned. I think Paige was using a sort of voodoo on my household. First, it was Zayn, and now my daughter." She said this with a pathetic voice."Oh, dear, don't think those things. What matters now is that your daughter is fine, okay?" I said, tr

ZORA—"When you do, come back to drive this lady out of my house."Amanda's facial expression changed instantly. She gave me a worried look, but she dared not question my authority."Come on, Zora, why are you causing a scene? Your daughter Daisy likes me, and that's why she was comfortable with me. You should let her go up when she wants to," Paige said with a disdainful tone, rising to her feet to leave and avoid embarrassment."I'd rather punch a rock than leave my daughter with a demon like you," I remarked, hissing with irritation on my face.Thankfully, Daisy and Amanda were already halfway upstairs, so they couldn't hear us exchanging words. Nevertheless, I would still scold Daisy later for feeling too comfortable with someone she barely knows to the point of snubbing me when I called her to embrace me."Well, thanks to the universe, you saw with your own eyes that I did not force your daughter to be with me. She was enchanted by my beauty just like her father was.""Beauty att

ZORA —"Well, I don't have an answer for that right now," he replied, releasing me and turning away, heading to the room to avoid further questions, unwilling to reveal what he was keeping to himself.I let out a deep sigh, gazing at him for a few seconds, and I shook my head with a faint smile on my lips. "Now it all makes sense," I blurted out, but he only winced in response.After washing my face, I went to his kitchen to prepare a meal for both of us and one for him to keep in the refrigerator. Surprisingly, he kept checking on me in the kitchen, assisting with cutting vegetables and other tasks to speed up the food preparation, something he had never done before.Usually, when he was at home, he would either be reading or watching football.Once the meal was ready, we sat down to eat, and Zayn was delighted, expressing his wish for me to cook for him every day.After we finished eating, he offered to drive me home, which I accepted, as it would also give him a chance to see Daisy

LAYLA —I must say this month is the worst month of my marriage, especially the past few days. It has been drama upon drama, trouble upon trouble.I was still happy that people were realizing that my life isn't really what they think it is when things took a drastic turn. The media blog, which has been posting about Aiden's dark side and how he kept me as his handbag, suddenly started debunking the news.It all started from the most renowned blog, CBC News, which claimed that their account was hacked at first and that they weren't responsible for spreading the rumors.I let out an exasperated sigh and stood up from my bed to go greet Aiden as usual before he leaves for work.Nonetheless, when I walked to his room door, it was still locked, but when I knocked, he stated that he's busy and doesn't need disturbance as if I came to disturb him.He didn't even allow me to say a word, so I just quietly turned back and went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.Although we have a lot of maids

DANIEL—Just when I thought I had achieved a great win, I was devastated by the news that CBC News Channel had debunked the news about Aiden and even the one about his marriage to Layla."How much could he have paid them for the collateral damage?" I thought deeply, confused about what to do next.I took out my phone and called my adviser so we could discuss the matter and determine the next step. I didn't want to make any decisions on my own to avoid making a devastating mistake.The phone rang for a few seconds, and he picked up. "Hello, Mr. Daniel. Good morning. How are things going?" The young man on the other end of the call inquired in a friendly tone.I breathed a sigh and gulped hard. "Richard, I'm deeply disappointed to hear this question from you when you're aware of the issue we're tackling lately," I snapped, not masking the feeling of disappointment in my tone."I'm deeply sorry, Mr. Daniel. What's the matter this time?""Haven't you been online? Things are taking a drama

Words cannot express how I felt upon returning from the restaurant. All my plans for damage control in the media have been shattered by Layla. However, I must find other ways to curb the rumors and protect my image and reputation.I tried as much as I could to prevent myself from setting my eyes on Layla, let alone confronting her, because it would not end well for her. Out of anger, I might strangle her, and her death would only prove the allegations in the press to be true. I don't want to add salt to injury.I was boiling with rage. How could she challenge me and have the audacity to leave before me during a lunch date I organized for a purpose?"It must be Daniel who's backing her up because the Layla I know has no say when I give her instructions at home, let alone outside where eyes are on us," I concluded, gritting my teeth with irritation.I took a deep breath and finally went to my wardrobe to undress. I had slumped on the mini cushion chair in my room upon returning from the

LAYLA—My heart pounded in my chest at the question. I didn't know what to request to please him. It wasn't about choosing less expensive food. Aiden is a billionaire, so the most expensive food here isn't even up to a fraction of his wealth.I was afraid to request something less valuable to him because I'm sure everything we're going to eat here would be posted online so he could appear as the best husband who spoils his wife with lunch dates and more.I swallowed hard and randomly selected rice and chicken from the menu presented by the waitress.I expected him to react, but he was cool. He even chose the same thing I did, and the waitress left to get our orders."I believe you know why we're here." Aiden remarked, his nonchalant and icy tone creating a deep pit in my heart, reminding me of the reality of my marriage."Yes, I do," I stuttered, losing my appetite instantly. The food in front of me suddenly felt like a punishment."Good. Now eat. As time goes on, I'll tell you what t

Layla—I couldn't shake off the thoughts about what has been trending in the media about my marriage with Aiden.Although I was somewhat happy that people would realize that my life isn't as cozy as they think, I was scared that Aiden would think I'm the one who did that because no other person knows about our marriage."It must be the handiwork of Daniel, as he's determined to uncover Aiden and bring him down," I mumbled, sighing in regret. Right now, I regret involving myself in this rivalry because I'm not certain if Daniel is doing this because of me or if he's only after what he'd gain.I was still lost in my reverie of thoughts when my phone awakened in sign of an incoming call.Upon glancing at the screen and noticing that it's Aiden, my heart sank into my stomach."Good afternoon, honey," I greeted him as soon as I answered."Where are you?" That was his first remark, ignoring to respond to my greeting. His voice was a mix of rage and ice."I—I'm at home, at the playground," I

AIDEN—"Morris, what did you say is the problem?" I questioned my manager, my eyes wide open as I expected an answer.The fact he was looking pale contributed to my anxiety."I'm so sorry, sir, but I don't know how it happened," he blurted out, which infuriated me. Is that even an answer to what I asked him?"What is that supposed to mean?" I barked with an aggressive voice, confronting him."Tell me what happened. Has your incompetence resulted in this organization's downfall?" I roared, already grabbing his shirt collar and squeezing it tight, suffocating him."I'm sorry, sir. Let me explain," he pleaded, his hand twitching in the air as he pleaded for mercy."Now talk!" I dump him on the chair, and he gasps in relief. He breathed heavily for about ten seconds before gaining some strength to speak."I came to work today just to realize that a transaction was carried out on our portal, which I have no idea about. I and the directors didn't even have a discussion related to that durin