“Zoe, is this truly you? Is this your voice?” Martin could not believe the person that was speaking on the other side of the phone, his eyebrows furrowed so high. “Yes, it is me,” Zoe's voice came out as soft as possible. “Goodness! Goodness! How have you been so distant?” Martin, who sounded like he would cry in relief, asked her, his mind still reeling that Zoe suddenly called him, after he had been trying to contact her for weeks. Zoe's left hand rested on her temples, as she rubbed them softly, feeling so apologetic that she had been a terrible friend, “I am truly sorry, Martin. A lot has been going on lately,” her voice was low and shildy. “I thought you cut me off. I thought you……” his words got caught so heavily in his throat as he struggled to breathe, unable to process his emotions all at once, “I was sad, to be honest. I thought I did something wrong.” “I am truly sorry for everything I might have made you think or assume. It is just that…it is just that I have been goi
Huddled in a corner of her room was Audrey, whose knees clung tightly to her chest, her breath coming in short, panicked gasps, each one caught in her throat as if she were drowning in the thick air of her fear, while struggling to hold her tears. She had read the message that was sent to her phone over and over, the words blurring together every single time, as fresh tears welled up in her eyes, a terrible ache plaguing her head. Every time she tried to blink them away and put herself together, the terrifying message occurred to her again, with the choking realization that someone knew what she had done. The sender’s identity was unknown, but the intent was clear; they had her in their grip, and they weren’t going to let go.She pressed her hand to her mouth while trying to stifle the sobs that shook her body, her heart wrenching with an asphyxiating dread that threatened to choke her. ‘Who in her husband’s family knew? Who had discovered her secret? Was it Irina? Ivy? Isla?’ The
Malcolm returned home two days after he dropped Zoe off at her grandfather's house, and ordered those that were in charge of the tracking devices connected to the bracelet to put it off as he had promised her that he would, till she would be able to get rid of it herself. The maids all had shocked expressions on their faces when he appeared in the mansion, and were more surprised because he came in without Zoe, leaving them perplexed in the wonder of their wrong speculations that both of them had been together throughout their absence. As usual, he went up to his room without speaking to anyone or giving an avenue to be asked where he had been, and why he had been so distant without communicating to any of them. That was how they had always been as a family. Before pushing the door to his room open, he stood outside his room for a few seconds, his eyes lingering on the door of Zoe's room which was just opposite his. And even if he knew that there was no way she was inside the room
Stepping out of the sleek, white car that pulled up to the front of ANCLAIR, a towering able-bodied bodyguard with a stern expression and an imposing stature walked to open the car to the backseat. The door opened smoothly, and out stepped Zoe dressed in a matching tailored, white suit that hugged her figure with a commanding elegance, as she sauntered into the building so elegantly alongside the bodyguard walking behind her. With each step she took, her heels clicked against the polished floors, and she didn’t bother to acknowledge the curious stares or the hushed murmurs that followed her, with every worker scurrying to carry the news of her sudden arrival. She entered the elevator with the young man behind her with purpose, her mind was focused on her way to the conference room where her fate was being decided without her. The double doors of the conference room swung open as Dylan, her bodyguard pushed them, and she strutted inside, her presence commanding immediate attentio
The preparations for Irina's birthday party, which was less than a week ago, were already going so smoothly, and yet Audrey was still in a constant state of quiet terror that seeped into every corner of her life and left her feeling like she was always on the verge of a breakdown. Every day was a struggle to maintain the façade of normalcy, and to pretend that everything was fine within her as she continued to live in the Meyers mansion because of her son, when, in reality, she was barely holding it together.The fear was growing insidious day by day, creeping into her thoughts incessantly, and she knew that she had to send him away, far from their reach using Zoe's help, because it was the only way to protect him.And while the arrangements were made in secret, she quietly changed every legal document, listing Zoe as Aaron's guardian and next of kin, with a heavy heart, because she needed to ensure that if anything happened to her, her son would be taken care of, without question or
Zoe’s eyes widened in shock, her heart sinking at the revelation Audrey had made her know, unable to believe what she was hearing, “Is it true? Are you sure? How did you even figure that out?” She almost muttered gibberish.“Yes, it is indeed true. I found out three years ago before his accident, and found out that he was planning to marry another wealthy lady after divorcing me, taking my child, and was not going to give me a single penny for alimony. I dug into his room, and found a DNA test that was sent to him as a package,” Audrey narrated more boldly this time, as if she had been waiting to let it out for so long. “What?” Zoe couldn't believe her ears, as her eyebrows furrowed in confusion and bewilderment. “Yes. And I think someone else knows too, because it was delivered probably to put him on the edge of something. He traveled two days later, and news came to us that he was dead!” Audrey narrated further. “That is crazy. What if it was just to scare him or something? What
Standing quietly while lost in thoughts, Zoe stood for a few seconds, watching Audrey, who had slept off on one of the couches in the living room with an ache in her heart. Even in the poor lady's sleep, her eyebrows were slightly furrowed, and the pain was etched into her face even in unconsciousness, while wincing painfully in her sleep. Her eyes traced the contours of Audrey's face, which she had never really observed properly, and a soft sigh escaped her lips, when she winced painfully again and again, her body curling slightly as if to protect herself from the invisible wounds that haunted her even in sleep.Slowly, Zoe reached out, her fingers brushing lightly against her hair, as she whispered, “Sleep well,” before she pulled away. With a final glance, she turned and left the room and shut the door behind her, as she made her way to where the car was parked, with her bodyguard, Dylan, already waiting by the car. He opened the door for her as she approached, and zoomed off aft
Malcolm sat in his luxurious study, surrounded by walls of dark mahogany bookshelves filled with an array of leather-bound volumes, his eyes skimming over the contents of a report displayed on his tablet, his fingers lightly tapping the screen as he made some annotation. In one hand, he held his phone, effortlessly multitasking as he engaged in a conversation with Edward, through the small earpods tucked into his ears. “The financial statements for next quarter are ready for review, sir. I will forward them to you now,” Edward said from the other side of the phone, while sitting in the comfort of his home, for the first time in a long while. Ever since Malcolm had returned from his long disappearance, he had been working from home rather than at the office, and it had made things easier for him because he would not have to see his capricious moods switch violently all day. “Make sure the board sees these first things tomorrow, and prepare a draft response for the investors' inquir