Chapter 42Jane's heart pounded in her chest as she stood in the doorway, staring at Stella lounging on Caleb's bed. “Where is Caleb?”“He's washing,” Stella said and sluggishly stepped out of bed, yawning as if tired and began to gather her things from the floor. “I'm sorry you had to see this, Jane. I wasn't expecting you back this early.”Jane felt her blood boil. She didn't know which pissed her o the most, the supposed things they must have done together or Caleb's illness.As if on cue, Caleb walked out from the bathroom wearing a robe, his wet hair falling into his eyes. He froze on the spot when he saw Jane. “You're back.”Then he turned to Stella and frowned, “You’re still here? And why are you putting on my pyjamas?!”Jane’s voice was cold. "Ask Stella to leave, I want to have a word with you." Stella, who was trying to slip into her heels, scoffed and looked at Caleb. "She can't be serious.”Jane’s voice rose. "Give us privacy, Stella. Now."Stella glanced at Caleb, who
Chapter 43Jane sat at the bar, nursing a glass of whiskey. The loud, pulsating music did little to drown out the chaotic swirl of thoughts in her mind.She usually avoided bars, seeing them as refuges for the broken-hearted and desperate, but tonight, she fit right in. The last time she had been to a bar was when she was going through the divorce process with her ex-husband, Marcus. And here she was again.She took another sip, her eyes wandering around the dimly lit room, observing the clusters of people laughing, drinking, and dancing.She sighed and drew her scarf lower, to hide her face. The confrontation with Caleb replayed in her mind, his harsh words cutting deeper than she cared to admit.She took another sip, hoping the alcohol would dull the pain, but it only seemed to amplify her frustration.Suddenly, she felt an arm snake around her waist. She stiffened, her hand instinctively clutching her drink tighter."Hey, pretty girl," a man slurred in her ear, his breath reeking o
Chapter 44The next morning, Jane arrived at the office earlier than usual, determined to keep herself busy and avoid any thoughts of Caleb.She tried to focus on her work, but the tension from the previous night lingered, gnawing at her insides. As she typed away at her computer, she heard Caleb’s familiar footsteps approaching. Her pulse quickened, and she kept her eyes fixed on the screen, refusing to acknowledge him. “Good morning boss.”“Good morning, Jane,” Caleb said, his tone light and almost cheerful, a smug smile curved around his lips.Jane ignored him, her fingers moving faster over the keyboard. She couldn’t afford to let him see how much his presence affected her. Caleb leaned against her desk, his presence impossible to ignore. “Avoiding me won’t make you stop having feelings for me, Jane. It all seems cute though” She finally looked up, her eyes flashing with irritation. “I’m not avoiding you. I’m just busy.”He raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing on his lips. “Busy
CHAPTER 45Jane’s eyes sparkled with defiance. "I’m not playing games. I’m just trying to survive this ridiculous situation we’re in."Caleb’s smile faded slightly, a more serious look crossing his face. "I know it’s not easy. But you handle it better than anyone else could.""Flattery will get you nowhere," she said, though she felt a warmth spread through her at his words."It’s not flattery," Caleb insisted. "It's the truth."Jane sighed, the weight of their situation pressing down on her again."Why are you doing this, Caleb? Why do you keep trying to get under my skin?" "Because you fascinate me," he said simply. "And because I think you feel the same way about me."Jane’s heart skipped a beat, but she kept her expression neutral. "Don’t flatter yourself.""It’s not flattery," he repeated. "Just an observation."She shook her head, standing up to put some distance between them. "You’re impossible."Caleb followed her, not willing to let her escape. "And you’re avoiding the quest
Chapter 46Jane's cheeks flushed with embarrassment, and she tried to move away, but Caleb’s grip on her waist tightened. “I’m not done yet,” he said, his voice low and serious. “I still want more.”Jane turned her face away, her heart pounding. “I’m done, Caleb. Let go.”He chuckled softly, but his eyes were intense. “You didn’t lie when you said you were only using me.”She shrugged, feeling a mix of frustration and confusion. Almost immediately Caleb’s playful demeanor shifted to something more serious. “Do you really want a divorce?”Jane swallowed hard, avoiding his gaze. “No,” she admitted quietly. Caleb’s eyebrows lifted in surprise. “Were you threatening me last night? Because if you were, it would be kind of sexy.”She frowned, her frustration bubbling to the surface. “Does my anger intrigue you?”A slow smile spread across his face. “I like how smart-mouthed you are.”Jane shook her head, trying to keep her emotions in check. “Just to clear the air, I’m not in love with yo
Chapter 47Weeks later, Jane was lounging in her bedroom, half-watching a movie on her laptop. The film's plot was barely registering; her mind was a swirl of thoughts about the recent unsettling events. Her phone dinged, pulling her attention away from the screen. She picked it up and saw an email with the header: "The Robert's Quinquennial Family Reunion." Her heart skipped a beat as she sat up almost frantically. She reread the heading to ensure she wasn’t imagining things and when she was sure, she sighed and opened the email, her hands trembling slightly as she read:From: The Robert's Family Reunion CommitteeTo: Renesmeé RobertsSubject: Invitation to The Robert's Quinquennial Family Reunion Dear Renesmeé,We are pleased to invite you to the Robert's Quinquennial Family Reunion. This special event will take place on Saturday, August 5th, at the Robert family estate in Houston, Texas.Join us for a day of reconnecting with family, reminiscing about cherished memories, and cel
Chapter 48The house was adorned with decorations. As Jane reached the gates of the grand Robert estate, the security guard stepped forward, his expression impassive. "Invitation, please," he said, holding out his hand.She showed them the email on her phone. They verified it before announcing her name over the hall. Jane's legs wobbled, and her hands trembled as she was led to the family table.The room was filled with guests, and Jane spotted many distant relatives who didn’t seem pleased to see her. She saw some of them were with children and the cousins she knew that were little were all grown up.“How time flies so fast,” she thought. She heard Abigail's snide remark, "She finally rolls in. Who knew the prodigal daughter would appear here?”Jane took her seat, which was unfortunately next to Abigail. People began whispering, "That's Lockwood's wife," They whispered but she ignored them. Of course, they must have been the news.Jane faked pleasantries, silently praying for the g
Chapter 49Jane lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. The day felt like a double-edged sword, offering both respite and a chance to sink deeper into her thoughts. She had asked Caleb for permission to take the day off, and he had granted it without hesitation, instructing the maids to tend to her every need. But Jane found herself unable to leave her bed, surrounded by memories of her father and haunted by the memorial. Or reunion as they had tagged it.She picked up her phone and scrolled through pictures of her father, his warm smile and gentle eyes staring back at her. She wondered how long Abigail had known about his death and why she hadn't mentioned it. Burying her face in her pillow, Jane let the tears flow freely.A soft knock interrupted her thoughts, but she didn't bother to ask who it was. She knew the way Caleb knocked. She heaved a heavy breath and managed to croak out, "Come in.”Caleb entered, looking stressed. His eyes softened when he saw her disheveled state. "Hey," h
CHAPTER 174Minutes after Marcus revealed all he knew, dozens of patrol cars as well as two helicopters were despatched to the location Marcus had given.One of the helicopter pilots sighted the house from above and the officers, including Caleb quickly moved towards it.They kicked the door of the building down without hesitation and as Caleb ran in, his gaze immediately fell on Jane's weak body sprawled on the bare floor. Caleb rushed to her and wrapped his arms around her. This time, he did not hold back his tears.Her body and clothes were covered in dirt, some parts of her body was swollen and there were a few cuts in different places, but still she didn't lose her beauty.Jane muttered something with her eyes half closed.“I'm here, baby, I'm here. You're gonna be okay. It's all over, you'll be fine,” Caleb didn't mind that some droplets of his tears fell on her face, all he knew was that he had finally found her and he was never going to let go ever again.Some medical attenda
CHAPTER 173“He's a lying bastard! How can you believe all that?” Xavier asked Ross who had asked to question Xavier immediately Lorenzo told them everything.“It's not something we would want to believe as well, Mr Xavier, but he showed us the millions of dollars as proof,” there was a look of disappointment on Ross's face. “You do know that drug trafficking is a really serious offence, right?”“There is nothing to prove that I'm involved with this man!” Xavier yelled. “How do you know if someone didn't pay him to lie against me?”“He gave us a perfect description of you and said you came around every week to collect the profits that belonged to both you and coincidentallly Marcus Dreame.”“This is outrageous, Ross.”“Trust me, Mr Xavier, the whole situation has also left me totally dumfounded, but it's also helping to put the pieces together.”“What pieces are you talking about, Ross? What the hell is all this? I deserve more respect than this, don't I? How and why would I get mysel
CHAPTER 172Four days and there had been no word from either Xavier or Mann, no newspapers to tell him what was going on outside, and they were running out of food. And he still haven't received a cheque from the weekly profit as usual. Marcus was totally losing it.He paced from one end of the house to another.“That fucker!” He said through his teeth, imagining Xavier amassing all the money to himself. He reasoned that Xavier had probably withdrawn himself from situation and had left him and Jane there to die of starvation. And probably enjoying all the money and profit from their illegal business. The thought of that sickened him. Xavier had probably come to his wits end and had decided to keep his slate clean.But Marcus was not one known to easily let go.He knew he was eventually going to go down, and he would stop at nothing to bring others involved down with him.“You'll be a dead man if you step out of that door,” Jane said weakly as she watched him put on his camouflage.
CHAPTER 171Lorenzo sat at his desk, brooding.Two days had passed and neither Xavier nor his scary looking second hand man had come to collect their weekly profit.He looked down at the stack of money in the bag on his desk. If he took even a note from it, Xavier would know and would kill him without thinking twice. He was a man not to be conned and also a man to be feared. But as he constantly stared at the pile of money, he felt his walls of restraint breaking down. The sight of money always enticed him but tampering with Xavier's money was like signing his own death warrant. He quickly zipped up the bag, swallowed some sedative pills and then looked up Xavier's address on his computer. It was better to get the money to him instead than let it stay another day in his office.___Lilian was wrapping her wet hair up in a bun and preparing for lunch when she heard the knock on the front door.“Don't worry, I'll get it,” she said to the house worker who was setting the table.“Hi?” She
CHAPTER 170Lilian, who had heard from Caleb about her mother and uncle's arrest quickly returned back to the state to see them.Rose on the other hand, had just spoken to the detective and was still in a state of shock. Tears rolled down her face as she stared at the photos of her and Xavier sprawled on the table. She had initially thought that Stella was bluffing when she said she had kept some clues for her lawyer to give the police if anything happened to her.The door suddenly opened and an officer popped his head in.“Ma’am, your daughter is here to see you,” he informed.“What? My daughter?” Rose asked with surprise and began to clean her face while stacking the photos together hurriely. “Take everything with you,” she told her lawyer. “Leave immediately.”Lilian stepped in just as her lawyer walked out.They both stared at each other for a long time and Lilian's steady gaze was like hot iron searing her heart. Every second of silence that passed reminded Rose that she had now
CHAPTER 169“You're lucky my lawyer is already on his way. You'd better start preparing an explanation for why you had the guts to touch me!” Xavier ranted as the officers led them through the station.Rose on the other hand did not even try to struggle because she knew they were guilty, and her conscience kept battling with her. She did a very bad job concealing the shock expression that was spread across her face. As she watched the officers lead Xavier to one end of the hallway, her eyes landed on two familiar faces and her eyes widened with shock.Stella's parents! Stella's dad was consoling his wife who was shaking and sobbing uncontrollably.“Rose… you…” Stella's father said when their eyes met, but before she could respond, the officers led her away. She could still hear Stella's mother's voice.“I told her to stay away from their family, I warned her…”Xavier was taken to a dimly lit interrogation room, the room was hotter than usual and Xavier swiftly adjusted his tie, the
CHAPTER 168“I'm sorry… what? What's that supposed to mean?” Xavier asked with his brows furrowed in annoyance. Fear flickered in his eyes but he squared his shoulders and maintained an annoyed visage.“Mr Xavier you have a right to remain silent. Anything you say now can, shall and will be used against you in the court of law…”“You can't arrest us!” Rose said. “What the hell did we do? What's all this about? This is an insult to my person!”Caleb watched with his spoon frozen in his hand. Things were happening too fast for his brain to process and he almost thought he was hallucinating when an officer walked to his mother and ordered her to stand.“Hold up! Hold up!” Caleb finally said to the officers as he stood up.“What's all this about?”“They are being arrested as prime suspects in the murder of Miss Stella Rosman,” the officer explained. Rose and Caleb exchanged glances and while Xavier was able to maintain his composure, Rose visibly went pale.“This is crazy! I barely even k
Chapter 167It had been two days since Marcus was revealed to be the prime suspect in Jane's disappearance. And the forensic tests came out fine that Marcus was the owner of those male accessories as some combs in the bathroom had his hair samples which were tested. The police officers had combed the woods for two whole days yet there was no sign of either Marcus or Jane and there was also no clue left that could lead to them.“They couldn't have just disappeared,” Rose said one morning as they were having breakfast.Caleb had only taken a few slices of his toast and then walked to the living room with his coffee. His mother had been trying to make conversation with him for the past few hours but talking was the last thing he wanted to do. He was preparing to step out one last time with a few officers to search deeper into the woods. He turned on the television.“Have they found out if there's an insider yet?” Rose was speaking only on the topics that related to Jane because she kne
Chapter 166“I still don't understand why it's so difficult for you to put a call across to him!” Marcus shouted. “We've been waiting for hours for fucks sake!”They were now in a bigger house with lesser windows and only one sofa as furniture. Mann was staring out blankly from one of the windows.“You know, Mr Dreame, you complain too much for a man.”“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Marcus scowled and lunged towards him.“You come in at the middle of the night and sweep us all away without explanation and you want me to be quiet and act like nothing happened?”“No, I'm only asking you to be patient,” Mann replied cooly.“Don't tell me that bullshit! My patience expired hours ago. Now call up Xavier.”“Boss is the one who would make the call to us. I'm in no position to call him unless in a serious emergency…”“This is a serious emergency!”“No, it isn't, Mr Dreame. This is just you acting like a scared little girl. Even the woman's doing better than you.”They both turned t