Derek POV I wonder why he suddenly stopped the project when they were so close to finishing. Some bricks and cement had also been left here. If it weren't so remote, homeless people would probably camp here."I don't know what he sees in this place," I muttered, looking around the area. It wasn't bad, but I expected more from him.I was beyond surprised to see a woman descending the stairs. She moved closer to the wall, probably to keep herself from falling. I wonder what she was doing up there.I looked closer, realising it was Maddison's mom. What was she doing here?She also noticed us as she stared at us with her eyes widening. The black clothes she wore and the sour look on her face made her look like she was going to a funeral.“Derek? What are you doing here?" she asked."I should ask you the same thing," I replied, putting my hands into my pockets.I guess that explains who the third car belongs to.Maddison was a snake. She probably got it from her mother, which meant I coul
Clara's POVIt's been two days, at least I think it has. My only way of telling time was by how dark it got and the occasional meals they gave me.My hands were tied behind my back to a pole.I tried loosening the rope by wiggling my hands, but it was too tight.The place was dusty, with nothing but sand and concrete around me. I wasn't conscious when they brought me here. If it wasn't some abandoned warehouse, it was most likely some unfinished building. We were definitely on a higher floor. I knew this because of the concrete staircase on the left. The foundation also ended further down, with bricks piled up on the edge.The two guys who kidnapped me had their backs turned on me and were busy wiping the blades of their knives. If I was going to devise an escape plan, now was the time.I noticed a broken glass piece on the floor. I tried stretching my leg out to kick it towards me, but I had no luck. It was too far, and my legs were too short.I sighed in frustration. How else was I
Clara's POV This whole thing was about money? I was fine with being broke but alive."If this is about money, I don't want any. You can take all of it." I pleaded."You've been a nuisance since before you were born. The only way is to eliminate you since it didn't work the first time. I tried to be gentle and had someone run you over. But you couldn't die, so now I have to do this." She smiled."You don't have to do this. I could disappear, and no one would ever see me again. I won't tell anyone about any of this." I continued. Maybe what I needed to do was to buy myself some more time. Hopefully, someone finds me here before she decides to slit my throat."You don't understand how far I've come, all the moves I had to make to get here. I won't let you be the reason my daughter ends up with nothing." She paused."I know you must think I am so cruel, but think about all the favours I've done for you. I allowed you to live as long as you did. Do you know how many secrets I've had to bu
Clara's POV "Now, you will pay for all of this!" Amelia yelled, picking up her gun.She turned off the gun's safety before placing her hand on the trigger."Wait!" Scar yelled in panic. "There is someone here. Standing by a car parked outside, I see another car coming. You can't shoot her now. They will hear the gunshot." Scar warned.I was about to scream when Moustache placed his hand over my mouth.She remained hesitant as she pointed the gun at me.She finally accepted defeat as she pulled the gun down. Maybe if I made enough noise, someone could find me, and I'd finally be freed from this."You got lucky this time, and you won't be so lucky next time." She threatened.We heard footsteps and voices entering the building."I want you to tie her up and wait for me until I return. I have to try and get rid of whoever it is." She announced.She then slipped her gun back into her handbag and walked downstairs.I tried to free myself from Moustache's grip. Scar walked over to me and co
Derek's POVAfter I left my grandfather's construction site, my mind became restless. Something was going on. Clara wouldn't just disappear like that. She loved her family. Everything was just far too crazy. As absurd as Katy sounds, maybe she had a point. Which meant I needed to investigate.The thing about solving a case is that everyone is a suspect—especially the crazy ex-boyfriend. I'd met him before; he seemed too eager to get back at Clara so that I wouldn't put any of this past time.After several threats, he confirmed that he had seen her earlier that morning. The creep followed her from her house without noticing and stopped her at a corner. He assured us that he didn't do anything to her. With the frightened look in his eyes, I might have believed him. It took everything in me not to punch him.This was how we got to our next clue. Luke sent some guys to that street to ask if anyone had seen her. There weren't security cameras in the area. That's what led us to our next clu
Derek POV That left one obvious suspect, her mother. I had never trusted her either. People like Madison don't just magically become that cruel; they are made to become it. With an equally cynical mother, I can picture how Madison became that way.Suddenly, it made sense. It explained why she looked so strange and surprised when she saw us yesterday. It would explain the marks on her arm. Someone attacked her. Those bruises didn't seem like something that happened earlier that day. They looked much more recent. Maybe someone else was in that building."You are not thinking that..." Luke paused. His horrified expression matched mine. I could tell he thought the same thing.I jumped off my seat to search for my car key."Do you think she would be capable of that?" Luke asked."It's 2023. Women are capable of anything," I answered."I'm pretty sure that is only supposed to be used when referring to something good." He answered.I spotted my key on the opposite side of the room. I needed
Clara's POV "Exactly, for more than twenty-five years, she has been on your mind. Don't you think she should suffer? I'd kill her slowly if I were you," Kevin suggested.Right now, I would prefer a bullet to get this over and done with.Amelia remained quiet as she stared into space. That meant she was considering it. "You'll be doing me a favour as well. I've tolerated how annoying she is for far too long. I'll owe you one. You'll see your big rival crumple to her knees." Kevin continued. "Besides, if they find her body with a gun wound, they will investigate. They will know that someone did this and track this back to you." He added."So, what are you suggesting?" she asked, turning towards him."Well, I suggest we give her some drugs. Lots of them. She will suffer a lot. In time, we can make it look like she died from an overdose. People will believe it because they know how depressed she is. We can dump her body in some bad neighbourhood and make it look like she died from a bad
Derek POV How was he trying to save her? At the moment, she looked more dead than alive. If she stayed like this for longer, she would die."Luke, call the ambulance," I demanded.Luke fumbled through his pockets for a phone."You can't do that right now," Kevin stopped him. "She can't know that Clara is still alive. You'll put Clara and her family in more danger. We can't do anything until she has been arrested." He rumbled.She? Who was he referring to?I couldn't just leave Clara like that and wait for her to die."She should be awake at any moment. I switched one of the drugs when they weren't looking. It's just a sedative." Kevin continued.Drugs? This was far more serious than I could have imagined.As luck would have it, Clara slowly began to wake up. She coughed lightly as her eyes slowly opened. Her hands moved soon after. I sighed in relief. This was a good sign, at least. I had hope again.“Clara," I whispered, hoping she could keep her eyes open long enough.Soon after, s
Derek POV The things he is willing to do make me sick to my stomach, and I'm finally done. He deserves everything coming to him. I was glad that the trial with Maddison's mother went smoothly. Turns out, there is nothing Maddison loves more than her reputation and money, and for that, she is willing to let her mother rot and make herself the victim.I was finally done with the cooking and dished our food in the dining room.I slipped my hand into my pocket, ensuring the ring was safely secured.Clara voiced her approval. I'd made a Pad Thai dish for her, knowing it was her favourite. I finally influenced her. "If my mom calls, please tell her I'm not pregnant." She stated this in the middle of her dinner.I nearly choked on my food as my eyes widened."Are you pregnant?" I questioned, puzzled. "Of course yes. She came over the other day and found a pregnancy test in my bathroom." She explained."Oh," I noted, amazed. "That explains why she's been texting me a lot more often." I am
Derek’s POVI must have looked at my watch about five times in the same minute. Why was I nervous? I've made far more risky decisions, and none have ever made my heart beat this fast. The house had already been set, our dinner table was perfect, and the garden was just as I had instructed. Clara would be arriving any moment from now, and I was almost done cooking. Everything was perfect, so why was I this nervous?I wiped the sweat off my brow. Vincent was right; my idea was stupid. What was I thinking about planning a proposal here? Surely, I could have thought of a better idea.I needed to calm down. Hopefully, she had another busy night, and she wouldn't show up.Maybe I should turn off my lights and pretend I wasn't home. But she'd walk in. That's what I get for giving her an extra key.Since we've both been tied up with work, we have dinner almost every evening. It made sense that we'd both have the keys to each other's apartments after she moved out of her mother's.I needed to
Derek POV About a month ago, my mother decided that the best way to end her obsession was to start a new one. She went and got herself a replacement kid. I don't know who in their right mind decided that it was okay for her to adopt a ten-year-old kid. I'd be fine with all this, except the kid hates me. I've done nothing wrong to him. Maybe I'm a bit biassed, but it only took one visit to know there was no longer any space for me in that house."You should be happy about this," Vincent laughed. "Your mother will finally get to fix all the mistakes she made with you. It happened to me, too." He laughed.The secretary walked in to announce that an old friend of ours, Dexter, had arrived. We were working on a new business venture, and we had been waiting for him to start our meeting officially.Dexter walked into my office as laid back as usual. He had barely changed much since I'd last met him. He had a few classes in college together.We exchanged greetings as Dexter settled himself i
Derek's POVSOME MONTH LATERI swivelled in my chair, fiddling with my pen as I tried to develop ideas. When I needed my brain the most, I couldn't think of anything. I've never felt this anxious about anything before."Are you certain that's a good idea?" I inquired of Vincent, who sat across from me.He had visited my office to discuss our new business deal. We just happened to have moved on to the next item on the agenda.He looked at me in disbelief, as if there was only one obvious answer. "Yes, which woman wouldn't want you to take her to Paris and propose to her in front of the Eiffel Tower?" He answered sarcastically. He threw his hands in the air in disbelief.As incredible as his idea sounded, that didn't sound like something Clara would want. She wasn't that sort of girl.I leaned into my chair and stared at the ceiling. I always thought the proposal would be the hardest part, but I guess so was how to propose."If you think that is too cliché, you can go on a private islan
Clara's POV I leaned on the door and peeked through to stare at Derek's motionless body. My eyes were quickly whelmed in tears. I never wanted things to end this way.Without thinking, I pushed open the door and walked in.I collapsed into his chest, held onto him tightly, and sobbed."Please wake up and get back to me; I'll do anything. I love you." I whispered. I held onto him even tighter.I wish I'd said this when he wasn't fighting for his life. There were so many things I would have loved to have done differently, but now I can't take any of it back.I suddenly froze as I felt a hand patting my head.I looked up.I blinked at Derek, who was staring back at me. For the first time, I saw clearly. Derek wasn't covered in bandages or had wounds all over his face, as I expected."It's okay, I'm alright." He answered.I wiped away the tears, my vision becoming clearer. "You are not hurt?" I asked, finally realising what had happened."No, but I will be if you continue squeezing me li
Clara's POVDAYS LATERIt took a few days before the doctors could clear me out and send me home. I was being discharged today, and I had decided it would be the start of my new life.Derek hasn't come over as much, at least not to see me. It meant he was starting to get it. This way, we'd both be able to move on eventually.I was packing the few items Mom had brought to make me more comfortable when I heard a knock on my door. Layla peeked through the door before walking in.She has been responsible for ensuring a fresh batch of flowers in my room every day. She visited me a few times. I was glad she never pushed anything between Derek and me. Without me explaining, she said she understood.Today, there was something different about her. She didn't look like she was dressed for the runway, nor did she carry around her fancy handbag. She was wearing flat shoes. I noticed her eyes were red."I'm so sorry I haven't visited you much in the last few days. How are you, sweetheart?" she ask
Clara’s POV I was relieved when the nurse announced I'd have a visitor until I saw who it was.The sound of the walking stick should have been enough to know who it was. I could have used the time to pretend I was dead or, better still, leave the room,m but I was foolishly hopeful.Derek's grandfather walked into my room with his usual sinister look and a mightier-than-thou attitude.He looked over at me and smirked. "You don't look too bad. I guess everyone exaggerated how bad you were." He commented. If my hand weren't connected to an IV, I'd be the one leaving this room. He was here for a peace offering."Why are you here?" I asked."Don't worry," he replied, raising his hand. "I won't be here for too long. I wanted to be here in person to ensure my message was clear. I hope you liked my flowers." He smiled. "It's funny how I've tried to make sure you and I don't end up as a family, yet here we are." He chuckled. "You've cost me a lot lately, you and all your recent drama." He pau
Clara's POV I understood him, too. I made many bad decisions that I thought were good at the time, and he reacted that way because of it. I should have never done any of what I did, either. I know and understand that lies can never be good.But I wish things were different."You should leave," I finally replied. My mouth became dry, perhaps because I knew I was about to tell one final lie."Of course, you need some rest. I'll see you in the morning." He concluded. He smiled weakly and leaned in to kiss me on my forehead."You shouldn't come back," I added as he pulled away.He stared at me with confusion, but he dismissed whatever he was thinking as his face lightened up. "Of course, I'll be here," he answered.I shook my head at him. "You shouldn't come back to see me, not today or ever. We should end this. Everything that did or didn't happen, all of it." I explained."You should get some rest. We are not thinking right now; so many things have already happened on the same day," he
Clara's POVI woke up to a beeping sound and bright lights around me.All the anxiety rushed in. It took me a while to calm down and realise I was no longer tied up there. I was safe. I still couldn't close my eyes and not reimagine everything. I wish I could forget everything. About a month ago, I never imagined my life would turn out this way.The sedatives were wearing off when my family came rushing into my room.Mom and Katy were the first to strangle me with their hugs and kisses. Soon enough, my room was covered in flowers and soon balloons got well.It was a relief to see everyone again. I thought I never would.We spoke for hours and even cried. You never know how to appreciate these small moments until they can be taken away.I was glad to hear that the woman had finally been arrested. I hope she is locked away somewhere she can never hurt anyone again. Although everything seemed to settle, I couldn't help but think the real storm would soon follow.A nurse stopped by multip