JADEAshton closed his eyes and opened them again. I could perceive his sadness, and for reasons I did not understand, I felt guilty. "Please forgive me for lying to you, back then," I told him. "I didn't have...." "I knew," he replied. I drew my brows together, "You knew what?" "I knew the children were yours," he revealed. "But I couldn't say anything because you went through so much trouble to hide the truth from me. However, I was going to reveal everything to you on the day you left, so we could start afresh. I sighed, "How did you know the children were mine?" He scoffed, "Are you kidding me? Those boys are miniature versions of you. Eyes, nose, and everything else. I would not have doubted you if they had shared a little resemblance with Angel. You said she was your sister but your surnames were different and so were your looks. I remembered how upset you got when I referred to the children as baggage, and everything just pieced together. But I still wanted to know more
JADE After we drank and exchanged numbers, Ashton drove me back to Max's home. I waved him goodbye and proceeded to Max's house. I was going to have a long talk with him. From the moment I came back, I planned to take Aurora and disappear from Max's life forever. However, things got complicated, and Max discovered my real identity. I did not want to keep blaming him for the decisions he made in the past, because we were both affected by circumstances. Since he wanted us to start over, perhaps it was time I let go of all the hurt and bitterness in my heart. Ashton had been kind to me and that made my life easier in the long run. I had to be kind to Max, especially since he was the one who had my heart. I could not keep depriving myself of my true desires. I noticed Max was not in the living room and quickly went into his bedroom. I knew he was going to be happy, once I confessed my feelings to him and my decision to spend the rest of my life with him. I spotted him, sitting
Jade put all her clothes in her box and took it out of Max's room. Afterward, she marched to her children's room and said to them, "We need to go back home, babies." "Are we not all going to live with daddy again?" Aurora asked. She smiled and kissed her cheek, "Of course, you guys can see daddy whenever you want. Right now, mummy wants to go home and she can't leave her three angels behind. I'm going to make everyone's favorite pasta for dinner." "Yay! Thank you, mummy!" They exclaimed and all kissed her cheeks in excitement. "But what about our family fun night?" Ella asked. "Daddy said it's today." Jade sighed, "We will have it next week Saturday. Okay?" Afterward, she led them out of their play room. When they got out, they saw Max in the living room and the children ran to him, saying, "Daddy, mummy is taking us to her house to make our favorite pasta for us." Seeing how excited they were, Max whose heart was filled with anger, became very sad. He could not bring him
When Jade opened her eyes, her hands were tied behind her back and she was seated on a chair. The smell of burning wood filled her nostrils and she felt a little weak and drowsy. She looked around, trying to figure out where she was and the first thing that caught her eyes were the legs of a woman. As her vision became clearer, she finally noticed Stacy in a red dress and gasped. Stacy smiled, "Hello, Jade. I've been waiting so desperately for this moment." Jade looked at the three basins of fire in the room and asked, "What do you want?" "What else?" Stacy asked. "I want revenge. Does this scene not look familiar to you?" She moved closer and whispered, "The pain you inflicted on me, I am going to return it a hundred fold. Thanks to you, I still feel pain whenever I walk. How can you think I will let you go without making you experience the pain I went through? You took everything from me. From the moment you showed up years ago with a big belly, you ruined my life. Max used
"You're going to be fine. Don't worry," Jade heard a familiar voice speaking but she was unable to wake up, despite wanting to.She eventually felt a sharp needle prick her arm and fell asleep.Soon she found herself in a dark room and began to search for light. Suddenly a bright light came on and she covered her face as it almost blinded her.When she uncovered her face, she saw Stacy with a red, steaming iron, approaching her. She tried to run away but her hands were suddenly bound together and she was unable to move.She cried out as Stacy stretched out the iron and placed it on her cheeks, burning her flesh."No...." She screamed and suddenly her eyes shot open. She found herself lying on a bed and touched her face, only to realize it had been a nightmare. She was sweating profusely and the room was dimly lit.She was just about to get up from the bed when someone came into the room and increased the brightness of the light."Ashton!" She exclaimed as she recognized who it was. In
When Jade entered the house, her children ran to her and welcomed her.Agatha had already made breakfast for them and made them shower."Thank you," Jade mouthed. She wondered how her children would have fared if Agatha had not been there to help her out. Ashton had asked her to show up at the police station later, to ensure that Stacy received the punishment for her crimes."No matter what, I won't let Stacy get away with what she did last night," she told herself.After they had breakfast together, Agatha asked, "What about Mr. Anderson? Seeing that you spent the night with him, I was thinking he would accompany you back here."Jade sighed, "I did not get to Max." She proceeded to tell Agatha everything and the latter stared at her in shock."So if your friend, Ashton had not shown up when he did, Stacy would have killed you?"Jade nodded, "Apparently. My body would not have been able to bear so much pain.""Don't you think you should tell Mr. Anderson about what Stacy did?" Agatha
Donning a red dress, Jade left her children with Agatha and left the house, looking very beautiful and sexy. She was sure that Max would be blown away once he saw her. Even though Stacy was in police detention, Jade could not rule out the possibility of being in danger again. So, while she drove, she kept observing her surroundings as she had in her bag, devices that would help her easily take out anyone who tried to hurt her. Earlier in the day, she had gone to the station and given her statement like Ashton encouraged. She planned to tell Max about it since Ashton had promised that Stacy would be charged in court for her crimes. She finally arrived at the restaurant and once she located the seat Max had reserved, she spotted him sitting down and approached the seat. The moment he saw her, Max got up and like a gentleman, took out the opposite chair for her to sit down. "Thank you," she said, smiling at him. He took his seat as well, "You look beautiful, Jade." She sm
When Jade introduced Max as the love of her life and kissed him, Max concluded that it was because she wanted to spite Henry, and decided to play along, to help her complete her revenge. He closed his eyes and his arms went around to hold her waist while she kissed him. However, Henry lost it and pulled Jade away from him. Before Jade could react, a slap landed on her left cheek, instantly turning it red. Not satisfied, Henry lifted his hand to give her another slap but was sent tumbling back by a punch in the face from Max's fist. Jade's hand which was already halfway through the air to retaliate against Henry's slap paused while Henry groaned in pain. The punch Max delivered on his face left him with a nosebleed but that was not the major reason why he was in pain. He immediately got up, ready to fight. "You bitch, I'm going to take you down with me," he spat as he heaved uncontrollably in anger. A few policemen appeared at this time and Max signaled for them to arrest Henry.
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