The dinner continued. But then a young woman sitting close to Stella asked Ariel,"Where did you school?""Sorry?""I mean, now that you are a part of this family, don't we deserve to know more about you?""Yes, you do. Well…I studied at Franca High School. That's where I attended.""Franca high school? Where is that? Never heard of it. Is it outside the country?" a dark-haired man around Dylan's age asked."Oh please, Jean, school outside the country? I heard she is not from a rich family. Where do you want her to see the funds to school abroad?" the woman said and cackled.Ariel blushed. She wanted to smack this stupid bitch across the face but decided against it. She aimed to win over Dylan's family, even though they were all getting on her nerves."Funny that with all your fancy education, you still ended up the way you did, cousin," Dylan said.The woman's face reddened with annoyance."Oh? And with all of your education and studying, you ended up with that as your wife?!"What?
It was quiet at the table afterward. Marcus's accusation had put a slight fear of God into everyone.Ariel kept looking at the door, hoping Kira would come, but she didn't, and I wasn't even sure she was going to come today at all."So what about your parents?" Old Man Grey asked.She was happy that he was finally showing interest."Well, my mom is alive and well. My Dad, on the other hand, I don't know what he's up to these days. I haven't seen him for years," Ariel replied."Why?" a young boy asked. He has been silent all through the dinner, and I was just noticing him now. He seemed like the youngest member of the family. He could not be more than thirteen."Well, my mother and father are separated," I replied."Separated? Like divorced?"I smiled, not willing to answer the question. My parents were too poor for a normal and official divorce. They separated from each other, with my dad leaving years ago and never coming back."Yes," I responded."Jeez, so she's poor and also from a
"Ariel? Ariel!"Ariel snapped out of a trance and looked at Dylan. He looked at her, his eyes laced with concern."Are you okay?" he asked."I'm fine," Ariel replied.The dinner ended soon without Kira even making an appearance. Nothing significant was discussed at the dinner, so it quickly ended, and they left for home.As Ariel and Dylan drove home that night, Ariel thought about all that transpired at the dinner. She had expected to be rejected and mocked by the family, and though it happened, it was not as bad as she imagined it to be."Ariel?"Ariel looked at Dylan, who had an apologetic look on his face."I'm sorry about what happened at the dinner. I should have defended you more."Ariel smiled to reassure him."It's not your fault. Don't be."Dylan hugged her suddenly, and though it surprised her, Ariel allowed herself to melt into his warm hands.Dylan took out his phone after breaking the hug and took a picture of them together."What is that for?" Ariel asked."I forgot to
Old Man Grey watched the phone ring for the fourth time. The Caller ID was clear- Cole Richard, his friend and business partner of many decades. It seemed like he was calling urgently about something. The last time they talked, Cole had told him he was coming back to the city. It seemed Cole had finally alighted, but he was not sure why he was calling him so incessantly. Cole never called up to three times unless there was urgent business or an emergency. What was so urgent that Cole was phoning him so ceaselessly?He finally picked up the call."Hello, Cole.""Hello, Frederick.""To what do I owe the pleasure of this call?""Stop all the pleasantries. You know why I'm calling."Old Man Grey raised a brow."If this is about Dylan's marriage, I've got it…""My daughter almost committed suicide today.""What?""My daughter, Charity, held her knife from her hand and threatened to cut herself.""Oh My God. Is she okay? How did that happen?""She saw a post of your son with his so-called w
Since the day Dylan and Ariel returned from the evening dinner with his family, they entered fully into a romantic relationship.They went on dates to fancy restaurants, the movies, fun fairs, sports matches, and whatever they could come up with as an idea for a date. It was bliss. Ariel had never felt so happy in all her life, so wanted. Dylan treated her like a queen. He made her feel special, made her feel like the most important woman in the world. For the first time in her life, she was the preferred one. The one who had something many people were envious of. The one who had a man whom many ladies were ready to die for. She loved the stares of envy she got from her fellow women whenever she walked outside, hand in hand with Dylan. And most of all, she loved the sex. She loved how he gripped her waist and pounded into her, pumping her full with his seed. She objected to condoms since she was taking contraceptives. Dylan had earlier opposed her use of drugs instead of condoms becau
The door opened, and the butler, Walter, stood there. He still looked the same to Esther. Even after twenty-three years, he still looked like the foul man she remembered, and the moment he opened his mouth, she realized she was not wrong."What are you doing here?" he asked coldly."It's funny how you use such a tone with someone who would have become your madam but for other reasons."Walter sneered and folded his arms,"But you didn't, did you? You ran off with that imbecile you claimed to be in love with, even though you were engaged to my boss.""I don't have time for your nonsense today, Walter. I want to see the master," Esther said."And for what? Haven't you hurt him enough? How did you even get in here?""The guards let me in."Walter looked at her with disbelief."You are lying," he said, "That's impossible. You are a total stranger!"Esther smirked and took another step on the sparkly marble stairs. Walter blocked her way."You are not welcome here. Not after all you did to
Ariel woke up in the morning on Dylan's chest. She got up and looked around. It was morning, but it was still dark. She looked at Dylan. He was sleeping. She pecked him and got off him, stretching. She left the room to check on Paul. To her surprise, he was awake and was in the sitting room, watching TV."Paul?""Mommy!"Paul ran to her and hugged her. Ariel lifted him into her hands and kissed his cheek. Paul giggled happily at her action."How did you get the TV to get on?" she asked."Uncle Tom on the TV!""Oh."Uncle Tom was one of Dylan's bodyguards he put in charge of protecting their son. His name was Thomas, but Paul called him Uncle Tom.Ariel carried Paul and sat on the couch. He was watching a baby cartoon where they taught vocabulary.Paul seemed to love the show. He kept pointing and talking throughout the show. The show ended an hour later, and Paul told her he was hungry."Really? So what do you want to eat?""Coco pops!""Coco pops?"Ariel got up, still with Paul in he
After that day, several attempts to kidnap Ariel were still made. Some were from Charity and Cole, and Dylan was unsure if the others were from Marcus or his grandfather. When he confronted them, they denied all of these allegations, and even the ones who confessed to being sent by that bitch, Charity had no way to link themselves to her other than their word. So Dylan could not report it to the police. Charity had scrubbed her tracks clean.But he did increase security around Ariel and Paul and kept an eye on them at all times.In the meantime, he wanted to finish the drug case in that slum to focus on his family.And that was what he was currently doing.Dylan sat in front of his FBI friend and partner, Rhodes, at a remote café in a remote town with a hat over his head and a fake beard to make himself unrecognizable."DYLAN! My boy! You've been scarce lately. Unlike before where,e you were like a raging bull trying to tear down all of these fuckers, you are now laxer than before. Is
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