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Sinking at the edge of her bed, her hand trembling with the phone she held in her hand, tears streamed down Audrey's cheeks, her breath coming in ragged gasps as she buried her face downward. It was two days after she had accompanied Irina and Ivy to the spa, and nothing had gotten better ever since that time. The transfer of aggression multiplied and got worse, which had the clueless maids gossiping about what was going on. Audrey had never felt so alone, and utterly desperate in her life as she sat in the melancholic darkness of her room, sobbing endlessly and uncontrollably. Her son had asked her what happened and why she was suddenly being treated in such a poor manner by his grandmother, but she was unable to give him answers. Every moment, she could hear the gossip of her flying around the mansion, as she had now become a laughingstock among them. She decided to make up her mind. ‘She would rather become a slave to someone else.’ Audrey stared at the screen of her phone
The silence in the room was heavy, almost suffocating as Audrey waited, her heart pounding with each passing second as her eyes continued to dart to the doors nonstop, while awaiting Zoe's arrival. She had practiced in her head over and over how she would act if Zoe came in, and the words she would put together to show how sorry she was for being so mean, and avoiding her like a plague for the past weeks. When the doors to the room finally opened, having waited for a long time, her breath hitched in trepidation, as her eyes caught a wind of Zoe stepping into the room so elegantly. Instantly, she sank to her knees, the pain of having to put up with so much hatred and pain in the Meyers home, driving her even more, “I am so sorry, Zoe,” she choked out, her voice trembling with emotion. Tears had begun to trickle down her cheeks as her vision blurred while looking at Zoe, who was still startled by her sudden breakdown, “I am sorry for everything I have ever done to you Zoe. Everythin
“Mrs. Hamilton! Mrs. Hamilton. Are you okay?” Were the voices that went off in the air as a group of maids began to run in one direction, their anxiety and fear amplifying by each second. Irina, who was pale and visibly in pain, was being carefully carried on the back out of her private quarters by one of the maids, while another one fanned her, trying to keep her calm.“Please hang on,” another muttered, as they ran as fast as they could, knowing nothing could go wrong on their duty. “There are rashes on her face, and it is increasing! What do we do?” The one fanning her cried in fear, as she pointed to the red, visible bumps beginning to swell on her skin. "Get the antihistamines! Now! And get a call across to Dr. Felix!” Cordelia, who got to the scene in less than three minutes from being informed of where she was coming from, barked out orders authoritatively, her voice laced with urgency. The other maids scattered instantly, some rushing to the medical cabinet, others fumblin
“Did you find what you were looking for?” Audrey, who had been singing while preparing to cook lunch, moved to the other side of the kitchen the moment Zoe entered. “No,” Zoe didn't turn to look at her, as she walked to the refrigerator to grab a life lobster, and casually placed it on the kitchen countertop. “Goodness. She must have changed the layout of her room, and hidden it somewhere else. Do you want to try again?” She walked casually to where the gas cooker was to place a pot on it, and turned on the fire. “I will just have to get in another time, and end this once and for all,” Zoe mumbled without moving her lips. “What?” Audrey didn't hear her properly. “Nothing,” she responded, “I probably don't need it again.” “What were you looking for though?” Audrey began to sprinkle diced onions into the already sizzling oil she had added to the pot, as she did a little dance. “Audrey?” Zoe suddenly called, her attention still on the lobster that she had begun to cut carefully
A stunned silence followed as Zoe's words hung heavily in the air, and Audrey’s face went pale, her mouth falling open as if to speak, but no words came out, her eyes filled with confusion and fear, “Lost your memories?” she finally managed to whisper, her voice trembling.“Yes,” Zoe's answer was firm, willing to take the risk of telling her, if it meant finding out the truth. With confusion spiraling in her mind, Audrey freed her collar from Zoe's grip and walked away from her, as she intentionally threw one of the bowls of peppers that she was using to cook on the floor. She got down behind the counters immediately with the aim of packing them, and whispered, “Wait for me in the garden. Someone will be looking at the cameras in the kitchen.”Overwhelmed by what she had just heard after Zoe left, Audrey let out a soft gasp as she continued to pick up the peppers, while trying to process her words again and again. She quivered with shock, her eyes darting around the room as if searc
“What is wrong, Audrey?!” Zoe tapped her as she jolted her out of her deep thoughts, the moment Zoe shook her by the shoulder. “Yes,” she breathed out. “You seem lost.” Taking a deep breath, Audrey began to speak, her voice low but urgent, “I know you don't remember much about your past, Zoe, but I will tell you the little I can right now,” She hesitated, as if gathering the courage to continue, “This family... they weren't always kind to you. In fact, they were downright cruel.” “What do you mean?” Zoe's voice was barely above a whisper. Audrey looked away for a moment as the muscles along her jawline clenched, before she turned back with a fierce and resolute expression, “Everyone has hidden a lot from you, Zoe. Everyone! And that is all of us, including Malcolm, and your grandfather,” she pursed her lips, as if under pressure. “The way they treated you... it was horrible, Zoe. They belittled you so much, made you feel like you weren't worthy of being here, blamed you for th
Audrey blinked in shock as she struggled with the tears that had pooled behind her eyelids and were struggling to spill, her heart pounding in her chest, a rapid, painful rhythm that seemed to echo in her ears. For a moment, she could only stare at Ivy, whose eyes blazed with anger, her eyes wide with disbelief and pain. She could feel the eyes of everyone in the room on her, as she struggled to find her voice, “Why did you slap me, Ivy?” “Utter another word and I will finally ruin your face!” Ivy threatened, glaring at her. “I... I don't understand. What is going on?” her voice trembled as she spoke, feeling utterly exposed, and vulnerable in a way she hadn't felt in years. The humiliation of the slap in the presence of a maid was the one that hurt more. “You vile, deceitful woman!” Ivy spat, her accusatory voice cutting through the air like venom, “What did you do to Mother? What did you put in her drink?! Are you trying to kill her?!” She raged viciously. Audrey's breath cease
Zoe stumbled into her bedroom, her head almost blowing from the devastating truth that she had just been told by Audrey, her legs and body failing her in swift mobility. Her heart pounded in her chest as she tried to process the information, which left her gasping for air and struggling to keep the tears that stung behind her eyelids from falling. She felt a lump form in her throat which made it hard to breathe, as her throat suffered a patch that made it hot and dry the more she thought of how everything she had thought in her head had been confirmed. ‘How could that happen? How could everyone deceive her like that? She understood that she and her grandfather never saw eye to eye about things, but still? How could he?’ Zoe's mind tumbled in so much pain and wretchedness, the more she tried to comprehend and grasp the affirmation of her truth. ‘So the room that was hers in his damn mansion was fake? The pictures and setup too? The schools they claimed she went to? The awards? The
“How did it feel to see her?” Malcolm, whose eyes were already shutting in weariness brightened at the mention of Zoe, saying she met her mother. “To be honest, I was so glad. I was exhilarated because it felt so surreal to know I still have a family,” a small smile graced her lips as she spoke of it, “She doesn't know yet, but I like seeing her every time. She is a gorgeous woman. Full of dreams, and beautiful. Fun fact, we have similar eyes,” she was so excited to talk about Jasmine to someone. Turning to look at her, Malcolm stared into her eyes with a smile, “Really?”“Yes. She is stunning,” her lips widened in a deeper grin. His heart, suddenly hurting at the thought of his mother again, Malcolm was curious, “You don't resent all the times you spent away from her? Or her?”“If I say I don't, I lie,” a soft sigh escaped Zoe, as she looked up at the beautiful chandelier that was sitting up on the ceiling of the living room, while staring at it dreamily like a new kind of attra
Ding dong! The shrill chime of the doorbell outside the door instantly cut through Jasmine's thoughts and her back to the present from her room. For a moment, she couldn’t move. Her body remained frozen as if her brain had paused, and her heart, hammered. It was when her phone which was by her side sounded with a loud notification, that she fully kicked out of the reset mode her mind had gone into. She grabbed the phone so languidly as if something was sucking life out of her. A message notification from Justine flashed through her face when she swiped the screen up, and it read, ‘I’m outside. Please come get me.’ Turning on the lights in the room, Jasmine rose to her feet and hurried out of her room with light steps, careful not to wake Raine up. When she opened the front door of the house, a silent gasp escaped her as soon as she saw her. Justine was looking like life had chewed her up and spit her out. Her eyes were red with weariness and swollen with tears, and her sho
The bedroom showed no sign of life because the lights there were off, but someone was sitting by the window side, staring out into her uninteresting compound, while lost in thoughts. She sat at the edge of her armchair with her arms crossed over her chest, her eyes fixed on nothing in particular. The air around her felt so thick with tension, and it felt too heavy to pull into her lungs, because it was constricted with pain. It had been almost two hours since Zoe left, but Jasmine’s heart had not known rest because of what she said. The most shocking part of her life was all exposed in just one evening, and she was still trying so hard to process it. Her truths were wrapped in so much pain.She had been trying to keep up with the chaos inside her head, but it was as if Zoe's pain now lived in her lungs.‘She was married?’ Jasmine could not get her mind off that part, because that piece of information was not included in her public biography. There was no news about it. ‘If she was
Zoe adjusted the face cap she was wearing and bent her head, her eyes boring deep into the floor as she entered into the elevator with Malcolm. It was when they entered and the doors shut, that she thought to herself that it would have been better if he had gone up first. ‘What could be worse than the tip-off of where she was staying the night? Meeting up with Malcolm Meyer in his private penthouse? It would look too good on paper. The speculations would be terrifying and suffocating!’“You can remove the cap now,” Malcolm told her as soon as they reached the penthouse of the forty-five floored building, and stepped out of the elevator. “Okay,” she muttered, even if she didn't pull it off immediately. She was still a little bothered that someone might see them. The penthouse was quiet when Zoe stepped in after Malcolm opened the door, and it was the kind of stifling silence that made her heartbeat echo in her own ears. And maybe somehow, because she had seen what his house looked
“Those two must have been planning it since! They must have!” Irina’s flare cut through his thoughts, as she gritted her teeth hard, “I have never even thought of her ever coming back. Mill assured her everything was over, and that she would never have reasons to return anymore!” Her heart continued to beat fast, as a raging headache began to rise within her head. She had been having that for days now, and it had just worsened. “This was his silent comeback?” A bitter scowl escaped her, as she sucked in a shaky breath of fury before taking her seat as she shut her eyes tight because of the terrible headache. “No wonder that bastard wasn't saying anything and just watched us run things behind him. He was planning to bring his mother back to the company,” Irina groaned. “Then we should tell the board. This might change their minds,” Andre blurted out without even thinking. “You stupid fool!” Irina cursed under her trembling breath, “What has that got to do with the shareholders?
Back at the Meyers mansion, the moment of peace shattered the moment the front doors burst open, and Irina stormed into the mansion like a hurricane still pompously dressed in her extravagant ball dress.Her hair was still perfectly curled, but her face, which was shining so beautifully, was scrunched up in anger that made the maids scatter as soon as they saw her coming. They hadn't expected to see her so early and had rejoiced endlessly since the plan was to be gone for five days on a nice trip. It made them so disappointed.“Where is my son?!” she barked, tossing her coat and purse aside as she turned to the terrified ones that remained. One of the maids that worked directly with her hurried forward, as she looked to the floor instantly, “Ma’am, Master Andre is in the….”Irina didn’t wait to hear the rest as she stormed past the lady, only for her heels to hit the huge vase along where she passed, causing her to stumble. However, she was fast enough to catch herself against a gil
Driving away from Jasmine’s beautiful and peaceful neighborhood, Zoe struggled to breathe behind the steering wheel of her car. Her entire body was trembling and she was so tensed up, because of the heated encounter she had with her minutes ago, and she had not yet regained herself even after the short discussion she had with Raine. She didn't even understand why she had ranted uncontrollably and talked about her entire life in just a few minutes. She had screamed about her past, pain, and everything she had buried under fine clothing, and business smiles to no one else but her mother. Of course, in the most bitter way ever. ‘Goodness!’ Zoe screamed in her head, mortified that even if she wanted her to see the good side of her, she had failed. Her hands struggled to steady behind the steering wheel as she drove and gripped it so tightly as if it would help her calm herself down, her breath coming in shallow draws. She was confused. ‘Should she call Jasmine back and apologize for
A bitter smile curved Zoe’s lips, “I am sorry I have made you uncomfortable all this while. To be honest, I just really want somewhere to feel at home,” she shrugged slightly as if it was nothing, even if she was crumbling within her. “Growing up with my granny, I had a very rough life. Was bullied endlessly because I had no Mum, and was dirt poor. I worked my ass trying to get an education, but it didn't pay off because I had too many debts. Then an old man my granny knew agreed to take away my debt if I got married, so I did, hoping to escape my lowly, but it was way worse. I suffered a lot,” Zoe began to recount everything that she had been wanting to let out, at least to the very woman she desperately wanted to tell the truth to. She wanted her to know that even if Emily had been her biological Mum, she had a trashy life in the past either way. She had never truly had a family. “You.. you've been married?” Jasmine's incoherent words stumbled out of her trembling lips, as she st
“What do you mean?” Jasmine, who had been pretending not to listen to their conversation almost asked, her eyes widening in shock at what Zoe had just revealed.But Raine took the words right out of her lips before she could say it. “What? Really?” Her eyes sparked up in curiosity.Zoe shrugged lightly, as if trying to make the conversation as natural as possible, “She told me she is not my Mum.”“How?” Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, “You were adopted?!” Her voice rose in speculation. “No,” Zoe laughed.More confusion crossed Raine's features, making her more puzzled than the last, “Then how? She picked you up?” “Maybe because she has lost her mind or something. She rambles on these days. That was when she told me,” she mumbled. “Lost her mind?” Raine's voice lowered in pity. “Yeah. She did pretty bad things, and I guess maybe that is her reward. She doesn't even recognize me,” Zoe laughed like it was some bad joke. Genuinely, Raine's eyes lowered in worry, as she questione