MAXI stood by the bathroom door listening to Jade as she spoke on the phone with Phyna.What she didn't know was that while she was slipping a phone into his pocket, I had caught her but pretended as though I saw nothing.Jade had broken my trust time and again and there was so much I ought to do to make her pay, but I was exhausted.I wished she could listen to me and let us work things out. In the end, they were our children and she was the woman I loved. She just had to earn back my trust and not stab me in the back again, then everything would be fine.I knocked on the door while she was still speaking and called her name, "Jade!"She immediately stopped speaking and soon opened the door. I could see fear in her eyes, like a child who had almost been caught, stealing.The emotions in her eyes switched in no time and she began to smile, "Hey, Max. You woke up?"I scoffed, "Seriously? Jade, please stop.""Stop what?" She asked, feigning surprise.I sighed and walked back to the bed
After walking out on Max, Jade decided to go home and get her luggage since it had been agreed that she could move into the house. The words Max had spoken to her kept ringing in her head and she didn't know why they made her feel very upset. When she got to her house, she packed her stuff before coming back to Max's house. She had thought he would leave and return to work, so she would be able to spend time with the children, but then she saw him in the living room, apparently waiting for her. Ignoring him, she walked past him with her luggage but he asked, "Do you need help unpacking? Don't forget, you're going to be staying in my room." "I'm sure they are other rooms in this house," she immediately replied. "I'd like to move into one of those rooms if you don't mind." Max got up and smiled, "Well, I mind and that's why I don't see that happening. Afterall we had an agreement. If you're going to be living in this house, you'll stay in my room. If you do not want that, I won't
Max received a picture of Jade dragging Henry into a guest house. He slid through the other pictures of Henry's face and his heart boiled with rage. "Who could this guy be?" He wondered. The face looked familiar, but he could not remember where he met him since he had seen too many people in his lifetime. He quickly forwarded the picture to one of his contacts and asked him to give him all information he could find about the man in the picture. A few minutes later, he got the information and his eyes widened in surprise. He instantly remembered that Henry was the man Jade once told him about. When she had come to his life, pregnant and told him about the story of her boyfriend who betrayed her, he had briefly looked into her background to confirm her story and then he got to see Henry's picture and plenty of other pictures they had when they were in high school. Seeing the same pictures that had been sent to him, he balled his fist in anger and got up, "Jade! So even up u
JADESeeing that there was no use fighting with Max over Henry whom I loathed, I sighed, "Fine! You win, Max." He furrowed his brows in confusion and I continued, "I am going to explain myself to you even though you do not deserve it." I walked back to the living room and down on the couch. He followed behind me and sat down as well, waiting for me to speak. "Yes, I met up with my ex, Henry. I'm not comfortable with you referring to him as my first love. Yes, he was. But I'd rather you just called him my ex." "I'm still waiting for you to go ahead and tell me why you got all dressed up and made yourself look sexy just to go and meet with him in a private house," he replied. "Isn't it obvious? I did it for revenge," I told him. "Revenge?" He was surprised. I rolled my eyes, "Yes, Max, revenge. Have you forgotten that most of what I suffered was because of Henry? When he was dying, I sold my body to you, just to get money for his treatment, but what happened? I never got a d
JADE I stared at my two princes lying in their cribs and my eyes brimmed with tears. They were just a little above one but I still had to leave them every night because I had to work. However, this was not the reason why I had tears in my eyes. Phyna was sick and needed me by his side but I could not stay. Ever since I ran away one year ago with Phyna and Ella, life had been very difficult. I had to conceal my appearance whenever I went out and I only did odd night jobs. The possibility of being caught by the men working for Max and his father was high if I moved around during the day. So, I lived in hiding, in the slums. It was not the life I planned for my children but given my circumstances, there was nothing else I could do. At first, I lived in a shared apartment with a middle-aged woman who had three daughters and we took turns looking after each other's children at night since we both worked. However, after eight months, she moved out and I couldn't keep up with th
JADE But what was I going to do? "You know, you could come with us to Paris," Angel told me. "Mason and I are not going right away. You can make plans and save up. Even if there's no one else besides you, you have me and I promise that no matter what happens, we will survive together in Paris." This time, I seriously considered Angel's words and said, "Okay. I will make plans." It was easier said than done. I was jobless and almost penniless. I spent the night thinking and finally made up my mind; I was going to do the kind of job I hated. I had gotten many opportunities before but refused to take them. Linda, a girl I worked with before had told me, "You have the body and looks for this job. What you will earn from one client in a day will be better than what you will make running night shifts in six months." I had turned down Linda's advice to become an escort for quick money because I did not want to find myself at the mercy of any man. However, that no longer seemed
JADEI shook Ashton's hand, as I said, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ash.""Are you very good at acting?" He asked."I have been told that I am," I replied.He nodded, "Good. Let's go, I will fill you in on everything you need to know."I followed him out of the building and was directed to a white Range Rover Sports car.He opened the door for me like a gentleman and I got inside. On the way, he explained what was expected of me while I listened quietly.After pausing for a while, he asked, "Are you single?""Yes I am," I replied."Children?" He asked further."I have none," I lied and my heart began to race as I hoped he would not find out the truth.He smiled, "That's good enough for me. I know it was stated in your form that you are single and without a child, but I had to make sure. I hate baggage."I gulped and turned my face away, looking outside at the malls and people we drove past. My hands fiddled with each other as I tried to hide the unease in my heart."Look at me when I
JADETrue to his words, Ashton showed up at the agency thirty minutes later. As before, my makeup had already been done and I had been given a bespoke luxurious black dress, made for me by the agency's top fashion designer.After receiving Ashton's call and learning that he was waiting outside for me, I walked out of the agency and got into his car."Wow! You look very beautiful," he complimented.I noticed his eyes were focused on my thighs, as the dress I had been given this time was tighter than the previous one. Since it wasn't a long dress, the moment I sat down, it moved upwards and exposed my thighs.I became uncomfortable and began trying to pull it down."He scoffed, "If it makes you so uncomfortable, then why wear it?""I don't pick out my clothes, Ashton," I reveal. "The agency does."He nodded, "I see."Afterward, he started his car and drove away."Had dinner yet?" he asked when his car pulled up at the garage of a luxurious restaurant.I swallowed, "Food is the last thin
TROY After two years, I was back in the Scandinavia, the place that took everything from me. I had rented the whole beach for the evening because I wanted to be alone. I stood by my once favorite beach in Oslo and closed my eyes as memories from the past flooded my mind; Her beautiful smile, and the warmth of her body, pressed against mine as we stared at the stars together. Aislinn was everything to me until she was snatched away so cruelly. I opened my eyes and stared at the water, hoping its calmness would soothe my turbulent heart. All of a sudden, something caught my attention. Floating and approaching from a distance, I tried to make out what it was. I took a few steps closer, dipping my legs into the water. I gasped when I realized it was a person; a woman, and judging by the way she looked, I knew she was dead. I turned and wanted to leave but a question struck my mind; what if she wasn't dead? What if Aislinn was in a similar situation and needed help? Would I have
MARIANNE If it weren't for the date and time stamp on the video, I would have thought Paula was lying to me. As I watched the video, everything began to piece together in my head. I recalled when Tony had first approached me for a relationship. I had refused his advances, especially since I had just clocked eighteen, but Britney kept encouraging me to give him a chance, claiming we were perfect for each other and would be together forever. Back then, I was amazed at how Tony and I had the same tastes, interests, and even fashion sense. I believed he was truly destined for me. Only after Paula's revelation did I realize that Britney had planted him in my life and told him about my likes and dislikes. No wonder he seemed so perfect in my eyes and I ended up falling in love with him. They deceived me for so long and plotted my downfall. The false testimonies from my secretary and Tony's sister finally made more sense to me. I felt so much anger surge within me and a deep yearn
MARIANNE Everything felt like a dream. Just like that, I had been condemned for something I never did. My only crime was being too kind and trusting the wrong people. As I was being transported by ship along with a few other prisoners, the judge's words echoed in my ears, "This court finds the accused; Mrs. Tony, guilty of first-degree murder and sentences her to life imprisonment with hard labor in the Norwegian Island Prison. I recalled the triumphant look on Britney's face as I was being taken away and could not understand what I ever did wrong to her. When I met her so many years ago, I had just finished high school. Being the daughter of the richest man in the city, I lived in affluence as opposed to her who was struggling to get by. I saw her working as a waiter at a party and took her side when a guest treated her disrespectfully. We got close from that night and I got to find out that she had no family. She was an orphan who had to work from a very young age just to
MARIANNE I sighed in relief as I thanked Britney repeatedly. "There's no need to thank me," she expressed. "You are my best friend and I will do anything for you." The next morning, just as my lawyer had promised, I was arraigned before a judge. I had been restless throughout the night as it was my first time being in a cell. I tried not to cry because I knew it wouldn't help my situation. I convinced myself that I was just unfortunate. I never should have married Tony. After the judge questioned me, I took a plea of not guilty. My attorney didn't seem pleased by that but I didn't care. No one was going to make me admit to something I never did. Since it was my first appearance, I expected that I would be granted bail and allowed to show up in court from the comfort of my home during the preliminary hearings. I planned to get the best lawyer for myself once I was released on bail and got access to my phone. However, nothing like that happened. The judge allowed a ten minut
MARIANNE At the police station, I was cuffed and kept in a dimly lit room with four chairs, one table, and a window. I was exhausted and my eyes were puffy from crying. Even though Tony cheated on me, he was the love of my life and I could not believe he was no more. In a flash, I had become a widow; the youngest I knew because I had just turned twenty, a month ago. The three policemen sat in front of me, questioning me as though I were a common criminal. "Don't you know who I am?" I asked. "I own foundations, charity organizations, and free hospitals. I help people, not hurt them. No matter what, I could never murder a man I loved with my life." "Stop beating around the bush and answer the damn question!" One of the policemen yelled at me, slapping his palms on the table. I didn't have to be a police officer or a lawyer to know that what the men were doing was not standard procedure. They were biased toward me and I had no idea why. "I won't speak any more until my lawye
MARIANNE I stepped on my brake pedal and gave myself a minute to catch my breath. My hands were shivering and I felt chilled to the bone. I still could not believe what I had just seen. I opened my phone and watched for the umpteenth time, the pornographic video that had been sent to me anonymously. My husband of almost two years was in bed, having sex with a woman that wasn't me. His face was revealed in the video, while hers was concealed. The only thing I could make of the woman was her slender wrist and the gold bracelet around it. It seemed oddly familiar but I could not remember where I had seen it. For two years, I believed my marriage was the best in the world because my husband, Tony adored me and worshipped the ground I walked on. I was the richest woman in the city and my company, RAY INDUSTRIES was the number one in the country, yet, my happiest moments were the ones spent with my husband. That was how much I loved him. How could he betray my trust? Hands still
SYNOPSIS "My husband walks about freely, lavishing my fortune, with his mistress by his side, while I am condemned to spend the rest of my life in an island prison for his death. If this is my fate, I will fight it until my last breath."~~~ MARIANNE Betrayed by the ones she trusted most, Marianne finds herself convicted for a crime she did not commit. In a desperate attempt to change her new reality, she ends up at the brink of death but gets a second chance in Troy; An unusually sexy billionaire willing to place the world at her feet. Marianne swears she is done with men and love, and her life's goal is revenge against those who wronged her. But why does her heart race uncontrollably at the sound of his voice? ***His hands reached out, framing my face as his fingers caressed my lips. I closed my eyes when he cupped my breasts and his lips settled on the crook of my neck, lavishing it with kisses until I was breathless and wet beyond control. "Troy," I panted and my eyes flung
In the morning, Ethan woke Cila up from his bed and calmly asked her to leave his bedroom and stay away from it. As she walked out of the room, she stood by the door, staring at Ethan who was watching her leave. She wished she could turn back the hands of time. If she hadn’t tried to take Laura’s place and planned for Laura to catch them in the act, Ethan would still be meeting her behind Laura’s back. She wouldn’t feel so alone. She would still have him—if only she hadn’t been so greedy for more. She had no clue Ethan was secretly seeing Laura again. He came home early, spent most of his free time with her. Little did she know, Ethan had been stealing moments with Laura during their lunch breaks, meeting at the small apartment he had rented temporarily for her. The joy of those stolen hours made time fly for them, but each day weighed heavier on Ethan’s heart. He kept counting down the days, marking them on his calendar, waiting for the moment he could bring Laura back home
"Shh......," Byron shushed Laura as he moved closer to her, cupping her face and attempting to kiss her once more. This time, however, he was met with a sharp slap across his face. The sting of it made him pause, his hand instinctively reaching for his cheek as he glared at her. "So, you’d rather sit here, pining away for a man who’s off fucking your best friend, instead of giving me a chance to make you happy?" he spat, his voice dripping with bitterness. "You know what, Laura? You deserve everything that’s happening to you. You’re foolish, indecisive, and weak. You deserve to be ditched by your husband and betrayed by your so-called best friend." The words cut through Laura like a blade, each one more painful than the last. Byron stormed out, slamming the door behind him. Laura remained standing, her legs suddenly too weak to hold her up. She sank to the floor, the weight of his words pressing down on her. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she sobbed uncontrollably. "Do I reall