It felt like a bomb had been dispelled into the room at what Isla said, and it was almost impossible to take her seriously immediately, because she was never in the position to care if Aaron was truly missing or not. However, the expression she had on her face was too stern to be fake. “What? Are you serious now?!” Ivy looked up from her phone, confusion etched across her face, waiting for Isla to say it was a joke, even if she knew her sister was not the type to make one. “Apparently, his mother told his school that they were moving to another country, and received every necessary school report and document for him,” Isla appeared so calm and spoke softly as if she was saying the most natural thing ever. “What?! Audrey did what?!” Irina finally found her voice after processing what she had just heard, her eyes jumping wide open in shock in a way none of them had ever seen, as she signaled to the deaf maid to leave instantly. “Yes. He is nowhere to be found, and the supposed camp
“Sit and eat your food,” Zoe instructed Aaron, whom she called from his room, after she served breakfast on the table. “I will not eat!” Aaron declared with an impassive expression on his face, as he stood up from the chair he was sitting across from her, ready to leave. “Then you can starve,” she muttered coldly as she stared at the immature child, before she put her face down and began to force the food before her down her throat even if she was not willing to eat. “I am going to my room,” he muttered sternly as he sauntered past her, but Zoe said nothing and just continued to eat her food. When he was out of sight, she instantly got on her feet, packed the untouched food in the kitchen, and carefully sorted everything back in its right place, before she left for the room she used upstairs, knowing he would still come back to eat the food. A few minutes after she was done taking her bath and dressing up, Zoe sat in front of her dresser afterward to touch her face and s
“I heard you delegated the conglomerate to a professional management!” The voice from the other side of the phone raged, as soon as Zoe picked up the phone, “What the hell do you think you are doing?! Leaving my conglomerate in the hands of those management professionals? Have you lost your mind?!” he fumed uncontrollably, unable to contain his fury. Remaining unfazed by his exasperation, she remained composed as she sat back in the back seat of her car as Dylan drove, and spoke calmly, “Yeah. Before the scandal. Those dimwits that are busy holding meetings to take me out should have gotten the news now.”“Are you trying to ruin the conglomerate?!” He was so pissed that he didn't allow Gary to speak on his behalf this time around. “I never knew you cared so much about the conglomerate in the first place, Mr. Sinclair. Considering how you have put me through hell for the past months of running it,” her voice dropped heavily with sarcasm, her face contorting to a mask of indignation
For as long as anyone could remember, Malcolm had been a pillar of ice-cold, distant, and apathy, and everyone in the family had learned to live with the silence that followed him wherever he went. He had always had the perfect image of the heir to the conglomerate, his gorgeous face, sharp and handsome, always a blank mark that revealed nothing. He barely spoke unless it was necessary and there was no warmth or comfort in his presence, while forcing himself to suppress every emotion he had ever felt from a young age. He had known since he was a child that his family’s legacy was not built on honor, but on betrayal, manipulation, and lies that stemmed from the first generation, which was his great-grandfather. His father, Mill Meyer, had made sure he understood from a young age what his position meant in the family. His grandfather, Mac Meyer, groomed him to carry the burden of the family name, and made him understand that he was the heir and that he couldn't make mistakes ever si
Like any other day that passed after that fateful day, nothing made sense again. Ever since Malcolm found out that his siblings weren't his, it was the day his life got even more difficult because his father started expecting too much from him. Knowing the reason already, even if he had been better off not finding out, he wouldn't cry, or grumble. He just took whatever he was told and tried so hard to become everything his father wanted. The realization of his life hit him like a punch to the gut, and he felt nothing but disgust and anger, even when he was supposed to feel some twisted sense of relief, maybe even satisfaction, knowing that his place in the family was secure. The truth was bitter and sharp, slicing through him at every meal eaten together, every event attended together, and every family portrait taken together. His father's words couldn't help but echo in his ears, even if he wondered endlessly how he was able to maintain the facade of being indifferent to the truth
Edward intentionally didn't mention Zoe's name straight up, so that it might not end up sparking rage in Malcolm, considering that he still could not figure out what was going on between the two after the hospital incident. Upon hearing that, Malcolm's eyes snapped up the moment he processed and the tension in his body accelerated instantly, as his intense gaze made Edward swallow as he quickly continued. “She is involved in a scandal that is on the verge of ruining her reputation now and is being investigated for attempted murder. Mrs. Audrey Meyer, who she is friends with, was pushed from the mansion's terrace during Mrs. Meyer’s birthday party, and now she is in a coma. The press is all over it, and... your family has been making sure she stays at the center of it. They are pushing for her to be charged for it,” he quickly rushed his words without taking a sip of breath. For a moment, the room fell into an agonizing silence, as if Malcolm went momentarily deaf, as he tried to pr
Instead of going to the Meyers mansion as intended, Zoe thought long and hard about it, and thought of how she could leverage her chance of going back to the mansion to settle things out.With the ongoing case, it would be much more difficult to get by because it would seem as if she had returned to her crime scene, but she was still very much disturbed about Audrey, even if she should be more worried about herself, and wondered who on earth could have pushed her from the terrace. Taking care of Aaron had not been easy either, because she couldn't leave the house with him because of the reporters that were always after her, could not hire a housekeeper because of trust issues, and could not leave the country with him because of the travel ban that had been placed on her. Nothing seemed to be working at all, and she was in a difficult pickle which was so hard to get out of, considering that the investigation had not led to any other clue that might suggest another person was the pe
Irina sat alone in her room in the most terrible state for the first time in a very long time while sipping from a glass of whiskey, her facade crumbling into shambles the more she tried to pick herself together, and her heart pounding louder with each passing second, because of Isla's sudden confrontation that left her cold with fear and unrest. For years, she had carefully guarded so many secrets away from her daughters, and had thought that there was no way they would ever know if she never told them. However, she was overthrown twice in the most shocking way, by her daughter, whom she even thought was most oblivious to what was going on in the house. It made her heart ache so restless, and fear gnawed at her heart, while twisting violently in her stomach. ‘How did she know? What else does she know? How much did she know?! How long had she known all this and kept to herself only to reveal them so casually?!’ Irina almost went crazy with numerous questions in her head, her mind
“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