Everyone watched as every single piece of clothes on the aisle was packed up by the boutique’s staff members. Once everything was settled, all the pairs of eyes turned to Alexander.“Well, the clothes have been packed for you.” The middle-aged man raised a skeptical eyebrow at Alexander. “It’s time for you to pay.”Alexander sneered before digging into his jacket pocket only for his hand to touch a space. His smile dropped in place of a confused expression as he turned to his jeans pocket only to find that his card was missing. That was when he recalled that he had left his premium black card at home. He had been so excited to spoil Kelsey for the day that he had actually forgotten to take the one thing he needed."What's the matter, you low-life scum?!" The middle-aged woman glared hatefully at Alexander. "The staff is waiting for you to pay." There was a moment of silence as everyone waited for Alexander to say something. On getting nothing but silence from him, the middle-aged woma
Everyone watched in surprise as the pompous family dropped to their knees with pleading eyes."Sir, please forgive us. It is my fault." The middle-aged man now had an unbelievably miserable expression on his face. "On behalf of my family, I apologize for any trouble we might have caused you. We had no idea we were messing with such a big shot."Alexander walked slowly before stopping right before the three kneeling people; the middle-aged woman had even forced her daughter to kneel beside her. She couldn’t even dare look up at Alexander.Alexander scoffed. “So let me get this straight. You’re telling me that you wouldn’t have felt any remorse for how you treated me and my daughter if my true status hadn’t been revealed.”The middle-aged man began shaking both his hands and head. "No! No! That's not what I meant…"“Then what did you mean exactly?” Alexander cut off the middle-aged man with a stern gaze.The middle-aged couple shut their mouths as they couldn’t find anything reasonable
Alexander had been in a very joyous mood when he arrived home with his daughter. Kelsey had bought an ice cream and she was in a very happy mood. Unfortunately, the loving woman they met at home threatened to ruin the mood.“Hey, my love. How was work?” Alexander got closer to Lola and he was about to place a kiss on his wife’s cheek only for her to push him away.Lola glared at Alexander with anger. “Don’t you dare come near me.”Alexander’s face slowly lost its radiance as he stood in confusion. “My love, what was that for?”Lola simply turned away from Alexander and walked away from him. “It’s nothing.”Alexander sighed. Only a fool would believe that the beautiful woman wasn’t in a terrible mood right now. Even a blind man could easily decipher the truth solely based on her tone.Alexander wasted no time as he followed her to the living room. He sat across from her with a concerned gaze. “Are you hungry? I can order us some of your favorite seafood. You’re gonna…” He didn’t get to
“Yes, Sir!” Fisher bowed his head slightly, looking more like a butler than a company manager. Once Fisher McCall was gone, Alexander instructed his subordinates as he began making some calls. No one messes with his family and gets away with it.Back at Alexander’s home,Lola noticed that Alexander had left their house without telling her about where he was going. Worried, she picked up her phone and was about to call him but she halted as pride welled up in her heart. If there’s anyone who should be taking the initiative to call, she believed it should be Alexander as he was responsible for their argument.She was still pissed at him. At the office, her superior – Edmund Porsche – had always treated her with respect, until Alexander messed it all up by disrespecting the man. The worst part was that with Alexander gone, Edmund was taking revenge on her instead. She shook off her train of thought and brought herself back to the present. Since Alexander wasn’t here, she couldn’t leave
Lola couldn’t take it anymore. The client’s hand on her thigh really irked her. She felt the strong urge to go home and scrub any trace of his hand off her body. She had tried her possible best to be professional through this meeting, but the awful man had the audacity to threaten her into sleeping with him.This was why Lola felt no remorse when she got up and slapped the man across the face before leaving.Meanwhile, the client could not believe what had just happened. Though it didn’t take long before the stinging pain on his cheek made him realize that he had indeed been slapped. He then furiously yelled out threats as he watched her leave the restaurant.The client was about to reach out to Edmund to have Lola fired. After all, he was the contract agent from the company that Styleon wanted to work with. He had begun texting Edmund when a call came in. The client was left in deep shock as he saw that it was the CEO of his company who was calling him.“Hello, Sir.” The client quick
When Lola got to the office to submit the contract file the next morning, she was unnerved as she was met with smiles and pleasant greetings from her coworkers. She quickly ignored them as she had long chosen to focus on her work while ignoring any form of insults that might be directed at her.Lola got to the company manager’s office and she submitted the contract file. “Sir, the contract deal was a success.”Fisher McCall smiled at her. “I know; the company we’re working with called to make a formal confirmation on their side.” He stretched his hand in the direction of one of the two seats on the other side of his desk. “Please, take a seat.”Lola was worried when she heard this. This was not her first time bagging a minor deal with a company. Normally, once she submits the file, she’s supposed to get back to work. But now, the company manager was suddenly asking her to sit.“Sir, is there a problem with the contract file? I personally went through it before presenting it to the cli
Edmund glared at Lola. “I expect you to succeed the same way you sealed the $700 million deal this week.” He saw the glare he was getting from the other coworkers. “Guys, C’mon! I’m merely teaching my underling the importance of consistent success. She had done the impossible while being a mere sales manager. Imagine the great things she could accomplish as a sales director! I’m merely equipping her with the best gift a mentor can offer: the chance to climb higher.”Even though some of the members in the meeting didn’t believe Edmund, they really couldn’t say anything against it as the excuse he gave was quite valid.At the end of the meeting, Lola had no choice but to accept the task. She had entered the meeting room feeling excited and optimistic. Unfortunately, she was now leaving the meeting room feeling apprehensive and worried.It was now Friday, the day Alexander had ordered that the meeting would be held. All the notable members that were expected to be there were now rushing
Everyone at the meeting was quite confused as to what exactly was going on. The new shareholder had walked into the meeting with sunglasses and a mask. Even his hair was styled in a way that the frame of his face couldn’t be seen clearly.After the greeting, everyone began feeling awkward but a look from Fisher kept everyone on their best behavior. They shouldn’t gawk at the new shareholder; he might get angry. As for Lola, she was seated further back thanks to Edmund who didn’t want this new shareholder to end up being impressed with her like his coworkers had at the past meeting with the upper ranks. Despite the distance, Lola couldn’t help but feel like the masked shareholder looked quite familiar. After a while, her eyes widened as it suddenly clicked.“Alexander?! Could it really be you?!” Lola whispered this under her breath as she knew better than to disrupt the meeting. Her body shook and she squinted her eyes to get a better look. She couldn’t help but internally curse at E
Final Act: Present Day The gala gleamed with luxury. Chandeliers emit a warm golden glow throughout the room, reflecting off the crystal goblets and shiny marble floors. It was a festivity of victory, not only for Ashlyn Bennett but for a legacy revived. The tables were filled with the elite of the business world. Conversations hummed with curiosity, admiration, and whispers of awe over the events of the International Business Summit. The Ashlyn Bennett Foundation’s launch was the talk of the night, and at the center of it all stood Ashlyn herself, poised but undeniably powerful.Richard Knight rested against the bar's edge, swirling his drink. His gaze remained fixed on Ashlyn, who was engaged in a conversation with a distinguished man dressed in a pinstriped suit. “She’s something, isn’t she?” Steven White remarked, sidling up beside him. His voice carried a mix of pride and regret. Richard smirked. “Something? She’s everything. Hard to believe she pulled all of this off in one l
Veronica sat opposite Isabella, a serious expression on her face. "So," she began, her voice low. "Tell me everything."Isabella hesitated, her fingers nervously tracing the outline of the Gemini Heart pendant resting against her chest. "It's... complicated," she began, her voice hesitant."I've dealt with complicated things before," Veronica replied, her eyes steady. "Try me."Isabella took a deep breath. "My name isn't Isabella," she confessed, her voice barely above a whisper. "It's Jennifer. Jennifer Clarke."Veronica raised an eyebrow, a flicker of surprise crossing her face. "Jennifer?" she echoed. "But... you look exactly like Isabella.""That's because... we switched bodies," Jennifer explained, her voice trembling slightly. "Our souls... they swapped."Veronica stared at her, a mixture of disbelief and curiosity in her eyes. "Switched bodies?" she repeated. "How is that even possible?""It's the necklace," Jennifer said, touching the Gemini Heart. "It happened wh
"I missed you, Alexander," Sophia cried. "Ever since Isabella came into your life, you've been... different. Distant. I felt like I was losing you.""So you decided to sabotage my relationship?" Alexander asked, his voice filled with hurt and anger. "To lie and manipulate me into turning against the woman I love?""Sophia cried as she expressed, "I didn't mean to cause you any pain, Alexander." I simply... I desired for everything to return to normal. Prior to her arrival and I was scared of losing another family member like we lost dad.""Nothing will ever return to how it used to be, Sophia," Alexander said firmly, his voice unwavering. "You've completely changed everything. You have shattered my trust and my belief in you." Sophia's cries grew stronger, her body trembling with sadness. She had nothing left - her brother's faith, connections with her family, and the man she had fought hard to win back were all gone. Alexander observed her, feeling a weight of sorrow and disill
Sophia's confident expression wavered, shifting to a glimmer of astonishment. "I have no idea what you're referring to," she replied, pretending to be innocent. Isabella snapped at Sophia, "Don't act shy with me. I listened to it all. The picture, the falsehoods, the scheme to tear us apart. It all originated from you."Sophia's calm facade finally shattered. "Who cares if it did?" she snapped, her eyes filled with rage. "He is too good for you. You are just an opportunistic Bennet."Isabella stated angrily that it was untrue, her voice filled with emotion. "You are only jealous. Jealous of our joy, jealous of the love we have for each other.""Feeling jealous?" Sophia laughed with contempt. "Don't be dumb. I am simply trying to defend my brother from a deceptive witch such as yourself.""Protect him?" Isabella echoed, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "By framing my father? By feeding Alexander lies?""Your father was a criminal," Sophia insisted, her voice rising. "He deserves ev
As night descended, they snuggled on the couch, watching a movie, their bodies wrapped around each other. A feeling of routine came back, a pleasant break from the disorder in their daily lives. Isabella whispered softly, leaning her head on Alexander's chest, "This is nice.It just the two of us." "Yeah," Alexander agreed, tightening his arms around her. "Just us."While they enjoyed their renewed bond, they couldn't shake a persistent feeling of unease. The sensation of being observed, of something feeling off. While carrying Isabella to bed, Alexander noticed a sudden movement outside the window. He looked quickly, but noticed no one. He brushed it off as just his imagination, yet the sense of unease lingered. Later that evening, while Isabella was fast asleep in his embrace, Alexander couldn't rid himself of the sense that something was wrong. He rose from the bed and approached the window, gazing out at the darkness. The road underneath was empty, with only the soft buzz of t
Veronica's eyes grew wider. "Monica?" Do you really think that's a wise decision? Isabella was adamant about needing to hear it directly from her. "I need to find out the truth." Veronica nodded. "Okay. I'll go with you."They found Monica at the same luxury hotel, lounging by the pool, a smug smile playing on her lips."Ah, I see," Monica sarcastically uttered. "If it's not the betrayed wife. What reason do you have for this visit that caught me by surprise?"Isabella advanced, her fiery gaze fixed ahead. She expressed a desire to discover the truth, her voice vibrating with rage. "Tell me the truth about you and Alex's alleged child." Monica arched one eyebrow. "And why do you believe I will share any information with you?" "I know for sure that you are not telling the truth," Isabella stated, her voice getting louder. "I am sure that this is all planned. I am going to find out one way or the other."Monica chuckled, emitting a rough, scraping noise. "You are out of touch wit
Alexander paused, his face briefly showing a hint of uncertainty. He said with a strained voice, "I... I can't bring myself to believe it. The way he behaved... the gleam in his eyes while revealing the safe code... it seemed like he was aware of something we weren't."Isabella suggested that, "perhaps he was simply concerned," although a hint of doubt had been instilled in her thoughts."Perhaps," answered Alexander, though uncertainty still lingered in his tone. The upcoming days were a flurry of inquiries, questioning, and allegations. The intense media hype about Monica and Daniel kept going strong, further escalating the situation. Every discussion, every exchange was tainted with a sense of doubt. "David, have you found anything else about James and Uncle's whereabouts?" Alexander asked over the phone, his voice sharp with impatience."Nothing concrete yet," David replied. "Sterling has vanished. Cleaned out his accounts, disappeared without a trace. And James is in Europe.
Three days laterThe opulent office, once a symbol of Romano power and success, now felt like a prison. The silence hung heavy, broken only by the occasional muffled sob from Mr. Romano."I... I can't believe this," Alexander said, his voice hoarse. "How could Sterling do this? We are family."Isabella sat beside him, her hand resting on his. "I know," she whispered. "It doesn't make sense."Alexander looked up, his eyes red-rimmed. "He was always... different. Ambitious, yes, but this..." He trailed off, shaking his head."We need to figure out why," Alexander said, his voice firm. "There has to be a reason beyond simple greed.""What about Monica?" Isabella asked. "And the child? How does that fit into all of this?"Alexander ran a hand through his hair, his face etched with frustration. "I don't know. But I intend to find out."He stood up and began pacing the room, his mind racing. "James said he manipulated the marriage agreement. We need to see the original document.
Monica ended the call before Alexander could answer. His thoughts were racing as he gazed at his phone. He had never encountered a woman named Monica, much less had a child with her. This must have been some sort of error. The following day, the news spread like wildfire through the press. Headlines blared, "Secret Love Child of Romano Heir!" Photos of Monica and a young boy, prominently displayed in newspapers and websites, sparked the controversy. The media frenzy escalated dramatically, with reporters constantly following and harassing Alexander and Isabella. "Mr. Romano, is that accurate? "Do you possess a hidden son?" "Isabella, what are your thoughts on your husband being unfaithful?" "Are things turbulent in your marriage?" They were overwhelmed by the incessant barrage of questions, leading to a tornado of disorder and bewilderment. "This is absurd!" Alexander shouted as he made his way through the crowd of journalists. "I have no idea who this woman is