"Francis has just woken up.""Alright, Mommy's going to check on him first, okay?" Amanda changed her clothes, freshened up, and disinfected herself before heading to her son's room."Francis, Mommy's home!""Mommy!" Francis lay in bed, a big, bright smile lighting up his frail face.Since birth, Francis had been dealing with the challenges of Parkinson disease.For over three years,Francis had been confined to his bed, unable to even stand up. Needle marks and scars adorned his skin.The burden of hospital bills and ongoing treatments weighed heavily on Amanda, driving him forward. Her deepest desire was to see her son recover one day and stand on his own. She thought he had recovered when she saw him today in her father’s house only for her to get to her hotel suite and discover that it had become worse."Francis, does it still hurt?" Amanda held her son's delicate hand, her heart throbbing with pain. Each time Amanda saw her son, she fought hard to hold back the tears.Francis wast
Amanda's response was silence; she disconnected the call without uttering a word. From the bedside drawer, she retrieved four bottles of trembling hands, both containing antidepressants. In quiet despair, she spilled out several pills and swallowed them in one go, battling the depths of severe depression.Initially, she only needed one or two antidepressants a day, but over time, the quantity escalated. Now, there were instances where she had to ingest more than a dozen pills to find solace."Mandy? Hello? Amanda?" Andrew anxiously shouted into his phone, but all he received in return was the persistent beeping sound. Concerned, he stashed his cell phone and hastily descended from his apartment. Andrew rushed into his car and sped toward Amanda's hotel, driven by worry for her well-being.Having known each other abroad since childhood, he and Amanda were once neighbours. Despite the three-year age gap, Andrew found the seed of romance taking root in his heart during those early years.
"Who's responsible for this mess?" Dickson barked, slamming his fist on the table. His secretary, standing nearby, turned pale. "We've likely been hacked! I'll check the IP address immediately."Dicskon's face turned an alarming shade of red. Whoever orchestrated this juvenile prank would face consequences. As the top enterprise in New York, Dickson Corp boasted top-notch security. How could they be so easily breached? Dickson muttered, "d*mn it, it doesn't matter. This just exposes the incompetence of my technical staff!"The IP address was swiftly traced back to the King’sHotel. Dickson, squinting at the screen, frowned. In the next moment, a realisation dawned upon him."Isn't Amanda currently residing at the King’s Hotel? She must be involved in this!""That woman," Dickson seethed internally, "she can't defeat me in the real world, so she resorts to humiliating tactics like these?" Dickson clenched his teeth, his expression growing even darker. "Jack, do you have the papers? The
Inhaling deeply, Amanda took hold of the contract and carefully reviewed its contents. The agreement proved to be exceptionally stringent, with terms that were outright oppressive. Given the current state of the company, completing the contract within two years seemed like a near-impossible feat."This is unfair.""If you're hesitant to sign, just say so," Dickson retorted.Joanna clenched her teeth in frustration. "Mr. Dickson , you're crossing a line! Show some decency, will you?""Yeah, yeah," Dickson responded dismissively. "I'm just annoying, okay?"He slouched back in his chair, casually puffing on his cigarette, appearing nonchalant. "If you're too scared to sign, just quit the family company. Besides, it’s not even your company!"His arrogant demeanour fueled Amanda's inner fury. Yet, she was no quitter, not back then, and certainly not now.The terms were exorbitant, but if she could complete the task, she could finally rid Dickson and his team members for good and for the be
All Dickson desired in that moment was to assert dominance over Amanda. He was inherently aggressive, and once he targeted someone, escape became nearly impossible.Amanda's shirt was forcibly torn open by Dickson, his hands roaming recklessly over her body. Despite the fear and humiliation, Amanda fought fiercely. "Let go of me, no! Hmm... let go, you understand?""You think I don't know what you're doing? Nobody plays hard to get with me. Dickson always gets everything he wants," he declared.As he spoke, the zip on Amanda's skirt was ruthlessly torn apart. However, no matter how vigorously she fought, pinned to the sink, she felt utterly powerless. Horror consumed her entirely.This man had always been brutal to her, and she knew Dickson would only cease when she was shattered and broken.When Bruce was on the verge of attaining his desires, the door was abruptly pounded with rapid and loud knocks.Dickson halted, and an uneasy silence enveloped them. What a disappointment!The doo
Amanda furrowed her brow and addressed Amelia, asking, "What are you doing?" Amelia responded with a sneer, turning around to forcefully hit her head against the wall, resulting in an instant swelling on her forehead. Collapsing weakly to the floor, she began to moan, "Ouch, it hurts. Don't hit me, Mandy, please. Help!"Dickson, hearing the commotion, hastily pushed the door open. Upon entering, he witnessed Amelia lying on the floor, pitifully covering her head."What's happening over here?"Amelia stared at Amanda in horror and weakly said, "Mandy, she hit me. She just hit me..." Dickson glanced at Amelia's forehead, noting the bruise. "It hurts!" Amelia sobbed, appearing pitiful. That finally convinced Dickson. "Amanda, how could you treat Amelia like this? She is a good person!" Amanda tried hard not to roll her eyes."She hit the wall herself, and I never touched her. I had nothing to do with it." "Oh, come off it! How can Amelia be so stupid as to run herself into a wall?" "Fine
For a moment, time appeared to come to a standstill. Dickson, despite feeling a wave of weakness, managed to stay conscious, his strength prevailing. "Who do you think you are, shocking me with a taser?" Dickson glared at Amanda with eyes filled with menace, akin to a falcon zeroing in on its prey.Amanda took a step back, regaining her composure despite the tension. "It was self-defence. If you come at me again, I'll call the police!"Dickson let out a scoffing laugh. "Call the police? Go ahead! I'm the top dog in New York! Even the local government relies on the support of the Dickson’s family. The police would side with me!""Don't get involved, Dickson. This is between her and me," he snapped, fueled initially by concern for Amelia but now consumed by anger.Amanda summoned her assistant, Betty. "Call the police immediately. There's trouble here."Betty, ever dutiful, responded, "Yes, Mrs.Amanda"Dickson, incredulous, protested, "You've crossed the line, Amanda!" He had underestim
Finally, they were gone. Amanda sank into her chair, a palpitation seizing her, leaving her face as pale as a ghost.Betty rushed in, observing Amanda's distress. "Mrs. Amanda, are you okay?"Amanda took a moment to massage her chest before letting out a long sigh. "I'm fine! Get me a cup of coffee.""Yes Ma’am !” Betty responded promptly, swiftly heading to fetch the coffee. Though she hadn't been with her for long, Betty had shown great discipline and never delved into matters she shouldn't know.That's why, the moment Amada stepped into the family business, she immediately placed Betty by her side. During lunchtime, employees gathered in the break room, finishing their meals and engrossed in gossip on their cell phones."Look at Mrs. Amanda. So open!" one remarked."I heard she had a quickie with Mr. Dickson in the bathroom on her first day here!" another added."What's the big deal? It's not her first time! Five years ago, at Mr. Dickson and Amelia’s engagement party, Mr. Dickson