After Ariel got fired, she sought other work to do. It wasn't easy, as many people did not want to employ a young schoolgirl without experience.The days flew by. Ariel's parents got a divorce. Her father packed his things and left the house while she and her mother picked up the pieces of their broken marriage, yet Ariel was happy."I'm sorry, Ariel. I neglected you all these years because of your father. I promise to be more responsible now. Give me another chance to make it up to you," her mother said after a few days of her husband's leaving."And how are you gonna make it up to me?""I'll get a job."Ariel didn't forgive her mother that easily. She was too angry with her to forget the suffering she had caused her all these years.Esther did get a job, though, and things got better. She could pay the house rent, Ariel's school fees, and the basic needs.But there was still no hope of getting Ariel's college fund.While things got a bit better, Ariel was still unhappy because while
She also felt a sensation in her lower abdomen, one she had never felt before. Was she horny?Ariel left the kitchen, heading for the maid's quarters for a cold shower. Perhaps she would feel better if she showered. She thought.But it became even harder and harder to move. Her vision was very blurry, and she felt very dizzy.Strangely enough, too, there was nobody around. The hall, which used to have people walking around, seemed empty.Why was it empty? Had everyone gone to sleep? At this time?Ariel approached a room, hoping to be the servant quarters, and went inside.But when she entered, she was in an unfamiliar man. He was staring at her intensely."Sir?"The man suddenly grabbed her and threw her on the bed."Sir! What are you-"She could not finish her sentence because the man pressed his lips against hers and kissed her.Strangely enough, his kiss felt so calming and satisfying, so she kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his neck.He allowed her to breathe for a while
The next day, Ariel returned to work at the mansion as if nothing happened. She was still a bit shaken about the incident but it didn't matter anyway.By the time she returned that day to the mansion, no member of the family was there anymore. It was only Grandpa Grey who was there.She remembered the first time she spoke to him. The head maid had informed her the boss wanted coffee and that she should serve him.Feeling a bit nervous because it had been some time since she made coffee after being fired a few years ago, Ariel went ahead to make the coffee and served him.He had been lying down on one of the long expensive sofas in the sitting room, wearing a long cotton robe and he had glasses on. He was hooked on some magazine as he had not noticed when Ariel had walked in."Here's the coffee you wanted, sir.""Oh?"He sat up and immediately took a sip of the coffee."This is good."Ariel slightly nodded and started to leave."Wait."She turned to look at him."What?""You said you w
Shit! What had she done? She hoped Tristan was okay, though.Old man Grey let out a wicked laugh."Yeah, those products can't be found by the government. If they find out we're producing something so illegal and harmful, that's instant jail time. But what can we do? It's quick money for me and you."So Tristan knew about Old Man Grey's dirty secret and wanted to expose him? Was that why he was…eliminated?Ariel had her hand on her mouth, shocked by the discovery."Yes, Yes," Grandpa Grey continued, "Cole, it's settled now. Tristan Davies will never see the light of day again. By the way, your daughter, Charity, I hope she's getting along with my grandson. Don't forget our agreement. About the engagement?"Ariel fled the garden, returning to her maid quarters. She shut the door and sat behind the door, feeling extremely guilty. What had she done? She has given Tristan's info to such a dangerous person. She had thought it was a bit skeptical, the way he was pressing her for his info,
Dylan Grey sat in his office that evening, looking out of the window and sighing heavily. The past week had been a difficult one for him. It had been a rollercoaster.He was currently having a meeting with the board of directors and though he was present there, his mind was elsewhere. All they were saying, flew over his head as he was lost in thought.This week alone, he had been drugged by his despicable grandfather a second time, had had to spend the night with a strange woman, had to deal with the press being in his face as they tried to verify the identity of the woman, a big argument with his grandfather, finding the woman he had slept with three years ago, finding out he had a son from three years ago.All these were too much for even him to handle.Dylan whipped out his phone and checked his messages again. He had sent a message to Ariel reminding her of his proposal for a contract marriage. He hoped she would consider it, but she did not reply.He needed to marry her. That way
Dylan and his father would eat together, laugh together, and then go home for the day.Sometimes he took Dylan to amusement parks to have fun and spend time with him. Dylan always loved going to the amusement parks with his dad.They lived happily together until his father suddenly decided to get married to another woman under the pressure of his family.So when Dylan was five, Cirrus married another woman; Esther. Dylan finally had a new mom.Contrary to his expectations due to all the stories he had heard about stepmothers and their wickedness, Esther was very sweet.She was kind, and considerate and treated him like her own son."What's your name? My! You're so cute! I wish I had a son just as cute as you!"A year later she was heavily pregnant with Dylan's stepbrother. Dylan was happy to finally have a sibling and Cirrus was happy to have another son.Unfortunately, Esther died while giving birth to the child, and Cirrus and Dylan were devastated. Dylan remembered how he had cried
Grandpa Grey then made Michael get married to a respectable woman from a respectable family, hoping he would change. But he did not change and his children, took after him, in being vagabonds; as you can not give what you do not have.As for Stella, well, she wasn't any better than Michael.She has been involved in so many scandals she has almost burnt the reputation of the Grey family to the ground.Today, she was found in bed with a man older than her father, tomorrow she had been kicked out of a party due to fighting, the next day she got heavily drunk and made a nuisance of herself on the streets. Once, she had not liked the way the mayor visiting their home looked at her and had smacked his head with a small sculpture. This landed her in prison for five years and was such a disgrace to the Grey family.This type of unstable person could not possibly be in charge of a company.Even after being released from jail, she has not changed. She got married and had children but just like
"I love you, Dylan. Why can't you love me back?" asked Charity again while they had gone out for lunch."Charity, you are beautiful. So many of her men will love you if you give them a chance. As for me, I have someone else I love."Dylan was trying his best to remain calm. But this woman was getting on his nerves.She and his bloody grandfather had drugged him and they were acting normal like nothing had happened. Well, he'll play along with their games till he gets married."Is it because of the woman of that day? Do you know her?""Yes, I do. And we're getting married.""What? Married? Are you joking?""I'm not."Charity let out a loud throaty laughter that earned them the looks and stares of others in the restaurant.This was another thing he disliked about Charity. She was too loud and embarrassing, even when they were in a public place.He didn't even know why she had asked him to meet her in this cheap restaurant which had many people, rather than the expensive restaurant with
Ariel stood at the door of the mansion watching Dylan button up his suits again, his bodyguards waiting patiently for him by my car.He came towards her."How do I look?" he asked, smiling.She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his lips.He chuckled."I don't need you to say any words. Your actions have confirmed to me that you think I do look good."" Yes. Actions speak louder than words."He turned to leave to go, but Ariel held his arm and pulled him back. Then she wrapped her arms around his firm waist and pouted at him.He chuckled again."Baby, I know you don't want me to leave, but this trip is necessary. I have to close a deal with a multinational company. It is for the betterment of the company. I hope you will understand.""I know the trip is necessary, Yet I do not want to let you go."Ariel still held onto him."I don't want you to go. Must you go yourself? Can't you send someone else?""I can't," I said, gently removing her hands from my waist.Dylan took her fa
'I should have brought more,' Ariel thought when she saw how the things she brought were almost finished and how so many others had not collected any food or blankets.She immediately phoned her guards and ordered them to bring more food and clothing.She was also planning to get these homeless people a new building so they would not have to stay on the streets. Dylan on the other hand supported her in the way he could. He told her often that he was proud of her efforts and sometimes showed up at her fundraising events to make more people come and invest as well, given his popularity."Thank you so much!" the homeless people said to Ariel and Maggie.They were all so grateful.One older woman held her hand and prayed for her. Another homeless person, a young boy, gave her a flower she was sure he had seen at the side of the road."A beautiful flower for a beautiful woman," he said, looking at her with awe. He could not have been more than two years older than Paul."Awww. Thank you so
Ariel and Maggie were out in the streets together when she received Dylan's call.They had been in the streets to do some work.Earlier that day, Maggie had come into the house to pick Ariel up.Dylan on the other hand had left to go see his mother."Ariel! Where are you?! Must you be late everywhere?!" Maggie, cried one Wednesday Afternoon."Coming!"Maggie and Ariel had both attended the same high school and even college. Yet, they had never been friends and they had only become friends when they met again at work!The company where Ariel worked, after receiving a lot of investment from Ariel who now had access to her father's wealth, became more successful. Ariel had become a Director of a company. No one saw that coming.Ariel became a shareholder of the company and made her friend Maggie, a manager.The click-clack of Ariel's stiletto heels filled up the hallways as she walked. All the people in the hallways turned their heads to see who was making so much noise."Good morning Dir
Dylan and his mom had coffee together, where they discussed many things."I have breast cancer."The moment she said that his heart burst into pieces.'No, no, I just got her back.'"Are you saying you have cancer, Mom?" Dylan asked.Denise started to cry again."Yes, my son. I have cancer, and the doctor told me I have only a few months to live."His chest felt tight, and he suddenly could not breathe."So why are you here? You should be receiving treatment in the hospital!" he exclaimed, grabbing her hand.She smiled so sweetly at him his heart melted."Dylan, I want to spend my last days with you. That is why I'm here. I don't want to die without at least spending my last months with my son."Tears rose in his eyes. His dad was dead. He could not let his mom die as well."Don't cry, son. Such is life.""Mom, if there's anything I can do. Is there anything that I can do at all? Isn't there any?""Yes, there is something you can do. You can borrow me some money to begin the treatment
The weekend was over, and Dylan was back to work. So it meant double work and more extended hours in the office.Because of the issues with his brother and Charity, he has been away from work for a long time. Now that he was back, he had so much to do.The uproar that the public had had as a result of their discovering the truth about his grandfather and other families involved in the drug trade had begun to die down. Yet it still caused a bit of negative press towards the company. Many partners had even pulled out from the company so as not to be associated with a corporation his grandfather had used to traffic drugs and launder money.Dylan sighed heavily as he realized he had to do it all himself.None of his family members who were even still mad at him for exposing their grandfather helped in running the company.Another thing that was being talked about the most was that Dylan was now the real face of the Grey family. With his grandfather in jail and his brother dead, he was now
Dylan was enraged."I can kill you here and now!" he threatened.Charity laughed in his face."You and I know you can't try it. If you do, you will never see your beloved wench again. So tread carefully."Dylan let her go after that."Goodbye, my love," Charity said mockingly and got into a cab she had flagged down.Dylan watched her drive away, clenching his jaw.When the car was out of sight, Dylan brought out the tracking app his tech friends had installed on his phone. He had attacked Charity simply to put a GPS tracker on her.He watched Charity's location move to a site on the outskirts of town. It seemed that was where she was hiding Ariel. He brought out his second cell phone and called his men."Hello, boys. It's been a long, but I have a job for you."Ariel woke up in a dark place, her throat parched.She sat up, unable to fathom what was going on. It felt like she was in an enclosed space, and she did not know how to get out."How did I get here?" she asked herself.She cou
But if you keep your mouth shut and act like nothing happened, your secret is safe with me. At least for now. Do we have a deal?"Charity nodded. Ariel laughed.Then she pushed Charity back to the floor and left the apartment. Charity sobbed as she left, hoping she would not return. She didn't know Ariel was this crazy.Ariel laughed as she walked out of the house. Charity is stupid enough to think she would just let her go after killing her mother. That is very funny of her.This was just the beginning. She was going to get her revenge on all of them. They made her and her son and husband miserable and she was no longer going to sit back and watch them continue to take. She held out the card Cole had given her and wondered what to do with it.Dylan and Rhodes finally found Marcus. He was hiding in an old office in another city while the police were looking all over for him."I can't believe this fucker is still hiding in the country. Where did he get that many resources to hide so pe
Ariel recalled the sound of her mother's laughter, like a melody that could lift even the heaviest hearts. She described her love for nature, recounting memoriesThe room was filled with tears and bittersweet smiles - a tapestry of emotions woven together by memories of a woman who had touched many lives.As Ariel finished speaking, she looked at the mournful faces before her, each person united in their grief and love for Mom. She saw her mother's friends and a few relatives she had kept in touch with, their tears flowing freely as they nodded in understanding. She noticed her husband's family's slumped shoulders and sad looks, and she was a bit confused about whether they were sincere or just fake.Through it all, she felt the support and presence of the community that had rallied around them throughout their long goodbye.As the memorial service drew to a close, Ariel invited anyone who wished to share their memories of Mom to come forward. One by one, family members and friends st
Not even when Ariel's closest friends- Kira and Maggie wanted to talk did she agree to discuss Mom.Kira encouraged her to speak about her."It will help you in your grief," she said.But Ariel said nothing. It was as if speaking about her dying was admitting that her mother had truly died. That she was truly gone. She could not accept that she'd never see her again.So she said nothing.It was only one rainy morning that she finally spoke of Mom.She was in her kitchen trying to make some breakfast for myself- an omelet.She was cooking the egg with too much force, and it fell to the floor. She hurried to pick it up, but it had some dirt smeared.The omelet falling on the floor reminded her of a scene from years ago when she had wanted to learn how to make an omelet.After making the omelet, Ariel rushed to her mom to show her but slipped and fell. The omelet fell to the ground."Sorry about this," Ariel apologized about the egg."Oh…It is okay," Mom replied, "I don't think you can s