Every member of the Meyer family alighted from the luxurious car in front of their mansion after the party in the same way they went, and they all sauntered into the living room silently with so much silence that was stifled with heavy tension, through the grand double doors of their opulent mansion which swung open.
The family's footsteps echoed on the marble floors with their heels and shoes clicking rhythmically, with the force under their feet evident as they made their way in, each stride a confirmation of the restless anger coursing through their veins."Do you all believe what you just witnessed at that banquet?!" Ivy, who never took her time to speak her mind among everyone in the family, suddenly lashed out as soon as they all got to the living room."Is it even possible for someone to suddenly change within two weeks, and go from being a wretched lady from the countryside to the heiress to the Sinclair wealth?! Can you even comprehend the possibility?!" She continued with a huge frown, as she stormed her feet on the ground and held her temples with her hand, which was a way of coping with the headache that was threatening to split her head open."Malcolm, did you have any idea of this? I thought grandfather said she was his childhood friend's grandchild. How is she suddenly a part of the Sinclair family?" Isla turned to question her brother calmly regardless of repressed fury that was threatening to gnaw her from within, because she knew he was the only one that could have an answer to that question.The shocking revelation that unfolded before them at the banquet hall was too much to not talk about.However, Malcolm didn't answer Isla. He said nothing to his family either. He had a lot on his mind and he was contemplating heavily on what to do next."Did you guys see her dress? It cost millions and it is a limited edition. It is freaking expensive that you have to travel to Italy to purchase it only with connections to the brand owner!" Audrey almost lost herself as she marvelled in awe at the dazzling dress, which was the most stunning part of suddenly seeing Zoe stand before them.However, Ivy's scrutinizing eyes which turned to her direction shut her up instantly as she smiled awkwardly. She was talking out of context in the heat of a serious moment, and it could make everyone more mad than they already were."I mean, she walked past us like she wasn't scrubbing our floors just until recently. She acted pridefully like she didn't know us at all. Am I about to lose my mind here in oblivion to this crazy encounter of Zoe as a heiress?!" Irina, the matriarch of the family who was usually poised and composed, finally lashed out angrily, her gaze burning with an intensity that could scorch the earth. It was hard for her to believe no matter how hard she tried to think of it."Calm down, Mum. You shouldn't stress out yourself too much," Isla cautioned her mother when she noticed that she started coughing after her lash-out, because Irina, was on hypertensive pills and could not afford to have something to stress her out."Maybe that was why she rejected the alimony? I mean, how did someone who grew up with her grandmother suddenly become Sinclair's only granddaughter?" Ivy questioned no one in particular again, as she tapped her feet anxiously on the floor at the recollection of how her eyes met directly with Zoe's at the ball, and how she was brutally murdered by her fiery gaze."I said that it could be some kind of action-packed revenge-related series. Do you think she might come back for us? With her grandfather to punish everyone here for making only her do the chores?" Aaron turned to ask his Mum without minding the rage that was flying in the room at that moment, and the jocular Mum was fast enough to clamp her palm over his mouth. She sent him aggressively to his room instantly.A hush settled into the room as everyone seemed to have lashed out all their might even if they had no one to answer, and were all waiting for Malcolm to say something regarding the case. However, he said nothing, and didn't even meet their faces. He just sauntered out of their sight as soon as he took out his phone to make a call, leaving them to their restlessness and cluelessness. That was all for the day.The night ended with the members of the Meyers privy to the truth behind Zoe's sudden rise in power and wealth, and it left them with bloodshot eyes the next morning which told tales of sleep deprivation that left imprints on their faces.They were antsy all night!……•••>>>•••……Malcolm didn't allow his confusion to get the best of him in front of his family, and maintained his usual stoic and cold expression as he walked out of their sight without any answers for them. Immediately he entered his room, he phoned Edward instantly to get him moving that night, on finding the information about how Zoe was related to the Sinclairs.By the next morning, he had his answers."Francis Sinclair is her paternal grandfather?" He asked with a loop that suddenly formed an apprehension against his throat, as he mentioned those unimaginable words even if he was questioning no one in particular.Finding out that the only possibility of what happened at the ball party that he thought of all night was actually true, was rather too much to wrap his head around no matter how positively he tried to think of it.'Never in his life had he been caught unguarded by the news before. Never in his entire life had he been in the dark about something so trivial before.''But since he never cared about the wife that he married for business sake, he would not have the need to know anything about her either. Besides, no one knew Emily, Zoe's mother, had a child for the son of such a powerful man like Francis.'"Is this news confirmed and accurate?" He asked his assistant curtly who nodded instantly."Yes sir. She has been seen going on a few trips with him in his private jet, and the news is all over the press this morning to confirm the legitimization of it. Everyone is totally shocked too by the news, and even his board of shareholders. They didn't expect him to have someone like that as his next-generation inheritor," Edward explained everything to his boss in detail, even though he was also taken aback when he realized the new identity of his boss' ex-wife.He knew things were just about to get crazier with the new turn that had switched Zoe's position, after suffering so much physical, mental, and emotional abuse from the Meyers. He wondered what the illustrious billionaire would do next.Malcolm's lips twisted into her smirk as he began to think calculatively and smartly, of what he could do to make things not as hard as it might seem. Though his family had unprecedented power in the economic and political business, working with the Sinclairs would have gained them more power and territory. Especially, if it became known that he was the husband to the new heiress of the corporation.His position would be unmatched!But sadly, they just divorced two weeks ago."Have our divorce papers been registered?" Malcolm asked Edward instantly as soon as the next possible question occurred to him."We were out of the country throughout last week, so I was only chanced to submit it for processing this week," Edward answered instantly, as he stood so rigidly in front of his boss, trying to think of the possible idea that could be going on in his smart brain.'Maybe something absurd?'"Find out immediately, and stop it if it has not been processed. Now!" Malcolm ordered sharply.Those words that had been captured in the recorder. Isla was the reason why Andre had an accident. That wasn't the worst of it. She figured out that Mill Meyer, her father, wasn't Andre’s or Isla’s father!Those haunting words. “I would have been better off not knowing that Mill wasn't our father!”“You would kill again. Just like you did to her.”“A secret you do not know is that Irina murdered Mill, our beloved fake billionaire father found out the truth.”And the violent sound of something smashing when Isla lost her temper and Andre’s loud groaning all made everything in Ivy’s mind blurred. Things collided inside her head, and her ears suddenly blanked into a screeching distant noise.A truth so heavy. The secret that could snuff life and soul out of a person. The chaos that lived beneath their roof, and had wrecked their entire world, and Ivy wished she had never heard it.She had dropped the recorder, her hands shook violently, the sound echoing in her ears, threatening to tea
The last floor of ZOELVA was unusually quiet that night, as most of the staff whose offices were located around had already gone home, leaving the feeling around eerie, while life was still hustling and bustling below, within the commerce mall and sections. Zoe had left hours ago already, but Dylan still remained behind since she wanted to leave by herself. He stood near the doorway of the secretary’s office with his arms folded, and his face masked with a stoic expression even though his eyes seemed restless, like someone lost in thought. At her desk, Zara was tapping her pen against a stack of files, while trying to tidy up for the day since their boss had left. She had been pretending to work for a few more minutes after Zoe had left, but the truth was, she had been watching Dylan for a while now, while he waited to drop her off at the bus stop. And suddenly, it slipped out of her, the thought she continuously had in mind, while resisting the urge to ask anytime they were left
Zoe gave him the smallest sad smile when he said that, with her lips pressed together as though she had so much to say but they were trapped, and her eyes crinkling sadly, “I said I had something for you,” She said instead as she turned and disappeared.Minutes later, she came back holding an old envelope, as she held it out to him, her eyes fixed on his as he took it.His eyebrows furrowed as he collected it, and looked at her face as if waiting for some kind of explanation, but she just stretched it and waited for him to collect it.Wondering what it was as he opened it and slipped out the letter that was in the envelope, Malcolm found a promissory note with his mother’s name inked at the bottom, and her signature scribbled into shaky strokes.The words, that she would never come claim to him again and stay away forever, floated before his very eyes as he read again and again, the already fading ink. Shocked beyond words, his hands trembled as he raised his eyes to meet Zoe's, “Whe
When Zoe walked into the restaurant they were eating at, Raine shrieked as soon as she caught a whiff of her, and ran into her arms, almost knocking her over. Zoe hugged her so tight with bright laughter, breathing in her little-girl scent, as relief filled her heart.“You came!” Raine squealed, “Your friend said you were busy.” “Would do anything to see you,” Zoe chuckled, patting her hair, as they made their way to the table, “How are you?” “I am good, and I had lots of fun!” “That is good to hear,” Zoe grinned so widely, “I'm glad you did.” “Can't wait to tell mummy everything,” Raine mentioned, and Zoe swallowed almost immediately but she concealed her expression so flawlessly. “Of course you will,” she affirmed, but her heart felt heavy mentioning it. She remembered how Raine had hugged her all night while sobbing in fear of losing her Mum, and how she had felt sad that she thought about her life the entire night, unable to sleep. It almost felt like she brought bad luck
Malcolm hadn’t planned to come and pick Raine up, after Zoe dropped her off at school that morning since she was staying at her place for the moment. She had decided it was best that she went to school and met her friends, so that she would not keep thinking about what happened. She had spent the day before in her office with Zara having to babysit her all day, and she asked a thousand questions about how her mum was doing. Raine also hanging around Zoe all day raised questions of her relationship with her, and she wanted her out of that spotlight. However, Malcolm texted her to tell her that he would pick her up and spend the day with her, before taking her to the hospital to see Jasmine, who was awake already.But when he went to pick her up from school that day, she was sitting with a dull expression in class, her eyes duller than they should ever be for a child. It made him remember her words from the hospital, that it was the first real outing she had gotten with her mom all y
Considering the outlook and interior design of the VIP ward that Jasmine was recuperating in days after the surgery, one would mistake it for a private suite room rather than a hospital room.It has been three days since the surgery was a success and two days since she had awoken. Raine had been so excited to see her mum open her eyes and spent the entire Sunday with her, while Malcolm visited back and forth whenever he had the chance. The only person who had not visited since she opened her eyes was Zoe. She had been feeling so guilty that she was the cause of what happened since it seemed like the hit was aimed at her, and it had made Jasmine worried that she hadn't been around. However, Malcolm gave an excuse for her that she had been so busy due to her packed work schedule, and ensured that she had the best doctors and caregivers around her to provide the best care she needed to heal fast. And amid all that, Justine, who had been out of reach for about four days with no one abl