Jess’s POV The grand ballroom was alive with multiple colors, lights, and music. It felt like another world. A world which radiated power and luxury in every detail. The chandeliers sparkled brightly above me and casting a glow on the polish marble floors. I stood from the stairs, and from there I could see the fancy mask everyone had on. Some glittered with an expensive jewelry and others with feathers. The billionaires, politicians and CEOs all mingling with a drink in one hand and deep secrets in the other hand. “Hi dear, it’s ok to be nervous.” My dad said from behind me as he gripped my shoulder tight. “They’re all here to see you.” He continued with a smile. “No dad, they’re here for their own ambitions. Nevertheless, we will go with what you said.” I whispered, making him let out a little laugh. My gown was a masterpiece. A silky black satin liquid-like flow, hugging my body in all the right places. It had a bold open back with crisscrossed straps, diamonds attached arou
Jordan’s POV I walked through the crowd, my head held up high as I collected the champagne Rob handed to me. Attending a party wasn’t what I planned on doing after series of meetings, but here I was anyways. I arrived in London the previous day and attended all the business meetings I had. Rob had called me up since he knew I was in London and invited me to the birthday party of Mr Hart’s daughter. Mr Hart had always been someone I looked forward to working with in the near future. The old man was filthy rich and had an aura I desired. Rob knew how much I adored him and so brought me along for the party. “Bro, I can’t believe we missed the introduction of his daughter. I heard rumors she’s really hot. Maybe I just might ask her to be my girlfriend.” Rob teased. “Come on Rob, who’s Angel to you?” I asked, clearly pointing out the fact he already had a girlfriend. “Angel’s someone I love. I still have rights to admire this Jessica chick, you know. We can just get laid one or t
Jess’s POV The party was over, and I had put Andrea in her crib after feeding her. I hopped in the bathtub and let my thoughts take me away. I let my thoughts take me to the man I love. The man I shared the best times of my life with. The man who gave me my beautiful daughter. Earlier, I had spotted him in the crowd after following Maya’s gaze. My eyes widened and my heart pumped faster than it had done in a very long while. The question “what was he doing here?” couldn’t seem to let me think straight. Maya said to behave cool and that even if he saw me, she can bet he’d never recognize me. Some men walked up to us, distracting me. Old men, as usual, talking about business, marriage and offering to take me out on dates. I can swear that if they didn’t fear my dad, I’m sure they would have forced their way to me from how rough one of them acted and spoke. I could tell because he behaved like he was related to that devilish Baxter family. I put on my mask, not wanting him to re
Jordan’s POV “We commend your servant to you, O Lord. Receive her into your arms of mercy and grant her eternal rest.” The priest said the last prayers as the surrounding sobs grew louder. I watched my mum being wheeled 6feet underground. The strongest woman I knew but yet she fell in the hands of death. I clenched my teeth and fought the tears that struggled to roll down my eyes as I threw a rose on her coffin, saying my last goodbyes. Fiona cried so much I felt sorry for her because she was so close to my mum. One could think Fiona was her daughter and I could feel the pain she felt. Auntie Maggie as well lost her best friend, and I lost my mother, the woman who raised me with so much pride, giving me everything I could ever ask of, but now death took her away and I wasn’t there to protect her. The cemetery grew empty as Attorney Dimitri walked up to me with sadness in his eyes. “I’m so sorry for the loss of your mum, child. She was an exceptional woman and a warrior indeed.”
Jordan’s POV “What is your bracelet doing under mum’s bed Fiona?” I asked for the second time while she stared at me like I was crazy. “Oh, I’ve been looking for this baby. I must have forgotten it here the last time we came to see Auntie.” She said sounding more defensive than usually. “I bought you this bracelet as a wedding gift, Fiona. If you lost it here, then that will be months back. Besides before I left for my trip, I think I remembered seeing you wearing this.” I argued as I lifted it up more to get a better look at it and to make sure I wasn’t mistaken. “Did you visit mum Fiona?” Her body tensed up like it was a crime to visit her in law. But if she did visit mum, then she’s got to know what had been bothering mum for her to take such a decision. “Fiona,” I called out her name in a softer tone now and began walking towards her. “Please, if you know anything or if mum had told you anything about what was bothering her, can you please tell me?” She stared at me
Third Person’s POV It had been two days since Fiona and Jordan got back to their place at Evergreen. Jordan had resumed his work and Fiona had not done so much. She had woken up from bed to find out Jordan left as usual without offering a word to her. The feeling something was off about him kept taunting her mind, but she shrugged the feeling away and carried on with her plans for the day. Fiona got a call earlier from Jake saying their dad needed to see her, so she got into her car and drove to Jake’s condo. In no time, she got there and let herself inside. “Oh, baby sis, you made it. I thought we needed to kidnap your husband so you can leave the house,” Jim welcomed her sarcastically, like he always does. “You’re crazy Jim. Where’s Dad?” she asked, paying no heed to his statements. “Right this way, ma’am.” He said as they made their way to the dining table. “Ahh, right on time for a meal, dear.” Dave said as he saw his daughter he hadn’t seen in almost two years approach
Third Person’s POV “Jake, what happened? I thought everything was fine?” Dave asked as he leaned backwards to make himself more comfortable awaiting the disastrous news Jake had. Jake cleared his throat while pacing around the dinner table and fidgeting with his phone. “Bro, if you don’t talk to us soon, we’ll have a headache from your pacing. Jesus Christ, please say something already. How bad is the issue, and I thought that family will be left alone? Why do I need to kill them? It’s not like I don’t love the idea. I’m just curious,” Jim said. Fiona stood up from her seat and walked over to her dad, placing a kiss on his cheek. “Dad, I have an angry husband who just lost his mother because of me. I’d not like him to start searching for me. Plus, his mood has been off lately since we got back and no, I don’t think it’s about his mother’s dead. Something else. So, dear brother Jake, when you finally have the information you want to give us, call me.” “Fiona, sit down. Your du
Jordan’s POV “Baby, I and Jake aren’t that close. All I know is he used to be friends with my late father.” Fiona said, looking me straight in the eye. “Why? Is something wrong?” I ignored her question and continued typing the message I wanted to send to Rob. He’ll be flying in tomorrow. “Baby, hello, talk to me. Is there a problem? You’ve just been ignoring me lately and I know something is wrong, so spill.” Fiona snapped her fingers in my face. I had received a letter from Attorney Dimitri earlier and what he wrote left me feeling like an idiot for not giving a listening ear to John. So I tried reaching to the number John used to get to me, then I realized he must have left the country like he said he would. Jake Baxter had threatened Dimitri to have me sign a fraudulent document that would benefit his family’s business, and there was only one person who knows how I operate with documents. My witch of a wife. Fiona must be working with Jake and from what Dimitri explained,
Jess’s POVOnly the unlucky get attacked on the night of their honeymoon, and it turned out I was one of those unlucky ones.I struggled to pry my eyes open, and it felt like they’d been closed for eternity. My body felt paralyzed, and my head throbbed a lot. Once I finally got my eyes to open, I turned my neck slowly to look around me, but there was no one.This place sure wasn’t my home. The house looked like it had been made strictly out of bamboo. “Where am I?” I murmured, trying to wake up from the painful bed I had been laying on, but I noticed footsteps approaching, and I pretended to be asleep. What if they were bad people and wanted to hurt me? I had to be careful. “Maria!” I heard a female voice yell, and some more footsteps approached.“Yes, Mum?”I struggled to peep and found a younger lady; she looked about 18 years old.“I was finally able to get us some newspapers. Now look at this woman in the picture; doesn’t she look like this lady we saved?” The woman asked, and th
Jordan’s POVThe drive back home was long and silent. I had shut my mind away from any sound and let my thoughts swirl around. It was pretty late, and I was certain Andrea should have been sleeping, so I didn’t bother to check. I went straight ahead to find John. I made it inside, and Miss Anna was in the kitchen as usual. I wondered if this woman ever got to take time off for herself and just stop standing there always. She noticed my presence and turned to me immediately with a smile. “Good evening, Mr. Denver,” she bowed and greeted, but I shrugged, and her smile faded fast. “Where are Jerome and John?” I asked in a calm but stern tone. “They’re by the pool, sir, having a drink,” she replied, her voice shaky. I turned on my heel without so much as a thank you and made my way to the pool area. John and Jerome seemed to be having a great discussion. I could tell from how loud their laughter was as I approached them. Why does everyone find it so fucking easy to move on from the d
Jordan’s POV“Jess!”“Jess!”“Bye, Jordan, please take care of yourself and Andrea, that’s my only wish,” Jess sobbed, standing before me in the white, silky nightgown she wore on the night of the explosion, but it was messed up with blood stains.“Don’t tell me goodbye, Jess. Andrea’s waiting for you, and I am too. Please stay, my love,” I wailed, but she began to disappear into the darkness.“I love you, Jordan. I’ll always love you,” she yelled and disappeared completely. I had tried to grab her hand, but she was gone. The woman I loved so much was gone.“No, Jess, I love you. Please don’t leave me,” I cried, tossing and turning, sweat dripping down my face faster than a water slide. I dug my fingers into the sheets and held on tight, as if doing that would make her appear again.I felt a hand on my shoulder. “Boss…” the voice came, but my eyes refused to cooperate. “Boss, it’s me, John,” the voice came again, this time shaking me with more force.“Jess!” I kept yelling as the tear
Jess’s POVThe night breeze blew Jess’s hair in the right direction as I wrapped my hands around her waist from behind, my head buried in her neck. We had chosen to spend our honeymoon enjoying the sweetness of nature, and I must say it was the best decision.“This is incredible,” she whispered, turning her face slightly behind to meet mine.I grinned, pulling her tighter. “Only the best for my wife,” I said, my voice laced with affection. I kissed her cheeks softly. “It’s only the beginning of a good life, Mrs. Denver.”The evening went on smoothly as we dined under the stars on the upper deck. The candlelights flickered between us, and the sound of the stream brought out sweet melodies.After dinner, we had an intense lovemaking session until Jess could no longer feel her body move. Her tiredness made me chuckle as I covered her up in some sheets and made my way outside to enjoy the rest of the night. But as I stepped out of the door leading to the upper deck, I felt a cold metal po
Third Person’s POVJordan’s fear about the message he received in Vegas lingered. Even as they returned to Evergreen, and right up till today, their wedding day, it haunted him. As he dressed up in his impeccable suit, Jordan and Jerome stood behind him with grins on their faces. Jordan turned around to face them as Jerome pretended to make crying noises. “I can’t believe he’s all grown up,” he teased, and they burst into laughter.Jordan stretched out his hands as they helped him with his cufflinks. “John, what did Officer Benette say about the messages I’ve been receiving?” he asked as a frown settled on his face.“He’s suspecting it to be from Jake and his twin. He said it could be they’re trying to scare you, but they have everything under control,” Jerome assured him, but it didn’t ease Jordan’s mind.Since their trip to Vegas a month ago, he had received five unsettling text messages from the same number—both freaky messages and death threats—and he had successfully hidden all
Chapter 101Jordan’s POVEver looked at one woman and imagined spending your forever with her? That’s exactly how I looked at Jess as I slipped the ring onto her finger. When she said yes—which I already knew she would—it made me the happiest man, both alive and dead.“I love you, Jordan Denver,” she whispered as we graced the dance floor with our skills. The Vegas moonlight shone brightly on us as she held on to me tightly.Her dad, John, Linda, Jerome, and Andrea all had their eyes glued to us with wide grins on their faces as we slowly danced on the terrace. Jess had cried over a million times, and it almost felt like she was in pain, but it was all tears of joy.We had been through so much already, but fate made a way for us to fall back into each other’s arms. Despite Fiona’s attempts and many more, we surpassed everything. Staring right now at the family I have—which I never did before—I’m grateful. This was my best birthday gift ever.The night went on as we all made it to our
Jess’s POVIt had been 1 year since the announcement of Fiona’s death. The day Jordan had broken the news, I felt a mixture of anger, sadness, and satisfaction all at once.Angry because she didn’t suffer for all her crimes, sad because I had just found out she was my sister, and satisfaction because I could finally live peacefully without having to look over my shoulders.“Fiona’s dead,” Jordan had said, and everywhere went dead silent as I almost choked on the glass of water given to me by Chu.“How’s that possible?” Dad asked as Jordan’s hold on his cellphone tightened.“She tried to escape. Her brothers managed to bust her out from jail, but during a police chase, the car she had been riding in exploded while her brothers sped off in their own car, leaving her behind. The body was badly burnt up, and the clothes she had been wearing turned to ash,” Jordan explained as he turned his gaze away from me.It was understandable he had to feel a bit hurt because Fiona was the only thing
Jess’s POVMy breath hitched uncontrollably as Mrs. Mei kept talking. I could never have imagined the trauma and pain my mother went through. Yet, all I could think of is how she left me one day, saying she was going to get food, and she never returned.Dad finally came back inside, with Will following behind him as we braced ourselves for the confession of Mrs. Mei. I had tried so hard not to cry, but hearing your mother being locked up for years until her last breath is the hardest thing to deal with, especially after losing your best friend not so long ago to monsters like Fiona.“I’m sorry, Isabella, please forgive me. The first day I discovered what my job would be, I tried going to the police twice, but each time I stepped foot inside that cell, something bad happened. They were always watching me. They even killed Chu’s mum because I had tried to escape. I lost all hope and did what they asked me to.” Mrs. Mei kept explaining, and I could see the hurt the Baxters must have caus
Third Person’s POVJordan, Jess, and Dominic all traveled together to Hong Kong with Will and Ken. They had traveled in Dominic’s private jet earlier that morning, leaving behind Andrea with Miss Anna and a ton of guards to watch over the house at all times.Jess had insisted they carry her along, but it was too dangerous even for her, and even more dangerous for Andrea, so she let it go and they tripled security back at her penthouse.They had been in the air for some hours now as she slept peacefully on Jordan’s shoulder, but he stayed awake, thinking if he blinked even for a second something might take Jess away. All he had been doing was watching her sleep.Dominic, on the other hand, watched the both of them, and it reminded him of his Bella. Yesterday, when the news had been broken to him, he had held it in so much, trying not to break down in front of his daughter, but when he got back into his room, he let the tears flow. He mourned his one true love, the woman who made him st