Chapter 3.
Our new lecturer.Adrian pov.It was a Monday morning, I was dressing up in my small, and poorly furnished room, whose painting on the walls was already peeling. The room had stained and worn-out linoleum floors, and it had a few pieces of furniture, which were just my wooden bed reading table, and chair, the room was filled with the smell of cheap detergent. The lighting was a harsh fluorescent which was almost broken as cracks were obvious around it.I tried to make the room look better by adding a few decorations around it and covering the windows in cheap linens, which added a little bit of beauty to the room also, I made the room so neat.I finished dressing up and left my room to the mini dining room, which had just four wooden chairs neatly arranged around a cracked and crippled dinner table in the dining room and a few dishes were placed on the table.Mom was already seated, with Galton, my younger brother, they were waiting patiently for me to join them for breakfast. He was just like the male version of me, very handsome and young and he was a teenager of age 15, but was way more gentle and reserved than me, though he loved teasing me."And finally the princess arrives." He muttered as I came in sight and he opened his covered plate, "Can I eat now Mom?" He questioned Mom cutely, and she nodded, falling for his cuteness."Sure, your sister is here by the way.""Thank you, mom, I love you." He muttered again and dogged into his meal immediately.I chuckled and ruffled his slick hair, before settling on a seat beside him, directly opposite my mom.We began to eat and I was smiling all through, feeling just so happy that I even began to hum a song to myself as I ate. Mom must have noticed my happy mood that morning, which was so unusual, but she decided to remain silent, probably thinking that her prayers were already getting their answers. I rolled my eyes and chuckled when I remembered why I was happy. My wicked lecturer had been changed! I bet he was fired, good for him."You seem so happy this morning, are we safe? Or should we start running?" Galton muttered with a mouth filled up with pasta as he ate. He must have noticed my happiness too and had decided not to be like Mom and had voiced out his mind which resulted in him getting a hard glare from Mom. "What Mom?" He questioned Mom whining while I only chuckled.I stood to my feet, distracting the mother and son little scolding, "You know what Mom? I'm happy because I might finally pass my exams now as the bittered lecturer has been changed." I told her happily, throwing my hands in the air happily with my smiles illuminating and room."Oh dear! Good for you." Mom replied smilingly."Thank God, I can now sleep peaceably at home without any worry. Do you know you always kill your lecturer in your dreams?" Galton said, his lips formed a smirk."Shut up Galton and face your food, when adults are talking, keep quiet." Mom scolds him again.I glared at him silently, deciding to ignore him, then replied mom, "Thanks mom, I will leave now, I don't want to be late, the new lecturer will be introduced to us this morning." I told her.I pecked Mom's cheeks and that of Galton's, though he pulled off a disgusted face and muttered, "Ew!" But I'm sure he loved it and I left after, I left without Ryan and only called him to inform him that I was gone.I got to the school and was just beaming with smiles, I got into the lecture room as I would be having literature that morning and the new lecturer too would be announced and presented. I took a seat at the third flight of chairs in the art theater, waiting.I was one of the first few students that arrived and I noticed that the hall became so much filled up as seconds turned to minutes and as the clock ticked to the main time for the lecture, I also noticed that every word on the lips of the students had a thing to do with the new lecturer and I became anxious and sweaty, almost dying of anxiety.The door to the theater hall finally opened immediately the clock struck 10:00 am and the lecturer entered, I mean Mr. Sam, our formal lecturer. "No, no, no!" I thought with my heart cracking in excruciating pain, almost developing a panic attack."What?""What's happening here?""I thought he was changed!" The students around me murmured, making their bitterness known and I realized that he was not wicked to just me.I felt myself stiffened on my seat and all I wanted was a shoulder to cry on."Good morning to you all." He greeted."Good morning sir." The response was so weak."Well, as you must have known, I won't be teaching you anymore." He said and the class roared in gladness. I felt at peace immediately like a bowl of chilled water was poured on my hot self. He didn't seem to mind the students' relief, he just continued, "Permit me to introduce your new lecturer to you, Dr Raphael O'Neill."I turned my head to the door and a man softly walked in like he was careful of getting broken by any obstacle, like he was a runaway model, and I forgot how to breathe. What is happening to me? Who is he? I wondered."Hello all, I'm Raphael." He introduced himself when he got to the podium. His baritone and husky voice rang out throughout the hall. "You can call me Dr Raphael, I'm your new literature lecturer for the time being." He concluded with a hard task smirk. What is that? I wondered.I watched him silently as I tried to put everything together, I was beginning to feel weird in my body, a feeling I had no explanation for and a feeling I hadn't felt before in my life. Snap out of it Adrian, just focus! You have to start understanding more of this course today, not this weirdness! I yelled in my mind, scolding myself to stop the feelings and uneasiness.I stared away from the man to drop my jotting note on the desk with my pen between my fingers when something snapped in my head, "Lecturer!" I remembered him calling himself our new lecturer.I jerked up from my seat, "Lecturer?!" I shouted out subconsciously."Are you okay miss?" The question got me back to my senses, and I saw myself being the center of attention.I squeezed my body, feeling a sudden biting cold due to the piercing gaze around me. "I'm sorry." I apologized and got my butt back on my seat."You should be careful next time, Miss Williams! He might look nice, but don't misbehave and don't you dare take his niceness for granted!" Mr Sam snapped at me and I nodded vigorously."Don't worry sir, I will just take it up from here." Dr Raphael butted in and the lecturer left. I watched as he got the projector remote and a display arose on the board. "Introduction to literature." It read and I widened my eyes in astonishment, "What?! He is starting from the beginning!" I beamed, already blessing the new lecturer in my mind.At first, when he entered, I didn't know that he was our new lecturer, I can't believe I almost started up some weirdness for him. Thanks to the Lord, I realized quickly."Who can tell me what literature means?" Dr Raphael questioned and surprisingly, nobody raised their hand. "What? No one?" He was equally surprised."Not our fault Dr, literature was one of my best courses until Mr. S.am began his thing and we lost interest,t and yeah, he didn't mind." A guy replied to him."Just sit down." Dr. Raphael told him and he obediently sat down, "I will start now from the beginning and I will urge you all to pay rapid attention to everything I will be teaching today, because if you still don't get it after today, then I'm scared you will never understand the course again." He stated and we chorused a "Yes Dr Raphael".Dr Raphael began his lecturing, ignoring all what everybody said to him, and til he was done, my pen was dancing between my fingers as I wrote out almost everything the lecturer said. I relaxed in my seat when the day's lecture was done, having a bright smile on my lips. That was my best literature class ever!"Who is Adrian Williams?" Dr Raphael suddenly questioned as he got ready to leave.I was shocked to hear my name from him, "Is that me, or is there another Adrian Williams in the department?" I thought and feared that maybe he had noticed my results and found me so dull and useless. I stood up when I noticed everyone's gaze on me."Meet me in my office in the next one minute."Chapter 4. Confused. Study or money? Adrian pov. I left the lecture room, looking so nervous as I fiddled with my fingers, my heart was beating too fast as I walked towards the office of the new lecturer. If meeting up with him was not so important, then I would have been planning an escape route by now, and I wouldn't have been so nervous. I was nervous about a lot of things and the dominant of all the things was that I feared what he would think of me after seeing my failures, he must hate me immediately and for the fact that he easily fished me out of the multitude of students meant something. "Adrian!" I heard myself being called on and I halted. I turned back and saw Ryan running up to meet me. "Ryan," I muttered in relief when he got to me, he crouched to the floor with his hands holding his knees as he tried to catch his breath. At least, there is someone that calmed me down a little. I told myself, then questioned him, "What are you doing here? You are supposed to be in
Chapter 5. The handsome stranger. Adrian pov. I woke up on a Saturday morning, as usual, I was dressed for work and was eating a quick breakfast of roasted steak with my family. "You should rest more Adrian, I will foot all our bills, that's why I'm your mother," Mom told me. I glanced at her before returning my gaze to my plate of steak without saying a word. I didn't know why she would not just let everything be as it was, we all know that she can't foot the bills alone, she needed help and since there was no dad, I took the responsibility upon myself. "I know you regret having me as your mother, I know I'm useless." "Enough Mom!" I shouted at her, banging the table loudly, "How many times do we want to talk about this? Didn't I tell you that I'm okay? I am not complaining, am I?" I listed out the questions for her with my heart rising and falling like I was just done with a marathon. "But Adrian....." I cut her off, "You know what Mom? I lost my appetite." I finalized and
Chapter 6. Test her for me. Lincoln's POV. I watched silently as the lady I hit scurried away. "Hmm! So interesting." I thought. "Sir, what should we do with her?" One of my guards questioned me. I stared at the cheque with me and chuckled coldly, no one had ever rejected my generosity before, not like I love being generous in the first place. A part of me hated the fact that she rejected my money and another part liked it, she was proving to be different, feisty. "Leave her for now til I come up with an idea, let her feel like she has won, allow her to rock the crown for now til I'm ready to break her." I replied to my guard coldly and squeezed the cheque in my hand before trashing it, "But I would like to know everything about her." I completed my speech and began to leave the hospital with the guards trailing behind me. "Okay, sir." The guard I was speaking with answered. "Adrian," I muttered out her name, tasting the name on my tongue, the name was such a nice name
Chapter 7.First day of tuition. Adrian's pov. I woke up the Monday morning and stretched from edge to edge on my bed, which resulted in a crack sound like the bed was breaking, then, I felt my elbows were in lesser pain, and my head was completely healed, the drugs I took from the doctor really worked and thank God that I remembered to grab the drugs before leaving the hospital. I was trying to escape from that hot and handsome man, and almost forgot to collect the drugs but I remembered just before I left completely and ran back into the hospital to grab it before scurrying away from its vicinity. I had only managed to go to the bar to work, when I got out of the hospital as it was evening already and I had to work for the money. I avoided Ryan throughout the night at work and every time he asked me 'Where was I in the morning?' I would just press my lips together and pretend as if I couldn't hear him and he gave up later, he must have noticed that I was not ready to say a word
Chapter 8. Raphael's POV. I was waiting impatiently for Adrian to show up in my office, but no sign of her. The day was supposed to be our first day of tuition, and just when I lost hope of her coming, I heard a knock on my door. "Come in." I permitted immediately. I knew it was Adrian as she was the only one I was expecting, and that was why I didn't hesitate to let her in. I put a light smile on my face immediately when I saw her. Her beauty was just glaring and if being beautiful was to be a crime, I'm sure she would be in jail right now, serving her life imprisonment with hard labor. I shook my head, realizing that I got too distracted, I was ready to feel the embarrassment, but then, I noticed she was not focusing on me too, she was equally lost in thought. I picked up my pen and hit the tip on her forehead, snapping her out of her reverie. "Ouch!" She shouted. That sound was something else to me, and I quickly registered it in my brain that even in my subconscious mind, I
Chapter 9.You are my favorite person.Adrian's pov."Damn you! Fuck you! Damn you! Fuck you!" I kept on muttering out, cursing myself as I hit my forehead and wept. I was just a step away from success but the spirit of Professor Sam would not leave me be, it kept on following me about to wherever I was going even at the point of breaking free from failure."Miss, are you okay?" I heard the cab driver questioning me.I had decided to use a cab to the bar instead of the public bus as I was so late for work and would be too late if I used the bus, it is always so slow."Yes, I am. Thank you."I bet he must have noticed my weirdness and decided to question me, which I appreciated, but it didn't stop me from remembering how foolish I behaved in front of my lecturer and I bet he would not want to help me anymore, even as he made it clear that I should come back to him after I regain my senses, I was just so sure that he won't accommodate me anymore.I finally got to the bar and alighted fr
Chapter 10.My lecturer's bad mood.Adrian's pov.I disengaged from the hug with Ryan and he got on his bike without another word and I got on it too, I held tightly to his waist after using the helmet and the journey to the restaurant began.Ryan was unlike me, he had a lecture in the afternoon and that was the same time I would be meeting with Dr. Raphael. I would just go to the bar later with him after his lecture and my tutorial.We got to the restaurant and began to work, without saying a word to each other. The air around us was thick and awkward, and even the remaining workers around us noticed but were not brave enough to question us.Ryan and I's friendship had always been the best and the talk of the people who saw us together, we hardly fought and gave each other the silent treatment, but then, I think the silence was the best at that moment, though it was so killing and was unbearable, but I just had to do it, it seemed to be the only language he understood that time and I
Chapter 11.First long conversation together.Raphael's pov.I was coming to the school for the class with Adrian as I had no lecture that day, I was driving when I saw her with another guy arguing on the roadside. At first, I wanted to believe that it was not my Adrian, but I couldn't lie to myself for long.I packed my car by the roadside, watching them from afar. Seeing her with him got me and the fact that they seemed close to each other worsened it. Maybe he is her boyfriend. I thought, but then, when my friend helped me to search her profile, I learned that she was strictly single, so what's going on? Did she change her mind and decide to start dating someone? I questioned myself.My mind was a mess, what if they just started dating? Maybe they met immediately after I got employed in the school, or maybe they were in a secret relationship before I arrived, but how's that possible? Charles never makes a mistake with people's profiles, never! Maybe she just hid him so well that it
Epilogue.Months later...Author's POV.Adrian was in the hospital, staring into space and that was how she had been for the past months. Always staring into space, thinking.Things had happened those past months, and Natalia couldn't be revived. She died while saving her daughter, leaving Adrian and Galton orphans.Lincoln Lime was arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment, and all his property was given to Adrian as compensation, though she rejected it, giving the government a chance to own the properties til further notice.Galton was very hurt by the death of Natalia, and he was adopted by Raphael, even though he was of age, he wanted it.Ryan and Beatrice also got married and Beatrice was pregnant."Adriana." Adrian was called out of thought by Raphael, and she turned to him with a thin smile on her lips."Hey, you're back."Raphael had gone to grab her a basket of fruits as she craved."Yes," He leaned to her forehead and pecked her with his hand caressing her protruding stoma
Chapter 120.The end Adrian's POV.We have been hidden here for more than enough days and I haven't seen Mom no matter how I tried.The proposal Lincoln wanted to make with me just went by like that because I couldn't choose one, I couldn't lose my Mom, neither could I lose my baby whom I just know about.I love them both. So much.So I chose none and he left me then.Since that day, I haven't seen Lincoln, and I have been locked in the room. The only time I saw people was when I wanted to eat, they would bring food for me to eat.Today, like every day, the door opened, but this time, unlike every day, it was Lincoln who entered, and unlike every other time, when he would come by just to tease me and try to kiss me or seduce me.He tried to touch me just once, and after that, he left me, but today, he came into the room looking so annoyed.Lincoln grabbed my arm and began to pull me out of the room, "Lincoln, I..."He's cut me off with a snap, "Shut up and follow me!"I had to shut m
Chapter 119.Realizing where they are.Raphael's POV.I rushed to meet up with the investigator as they returned from their investigation, "Any news?" "No, Mr O'Neill, not yet." He replied to me.My body grew cold and my inside turned crisp like a nipping fall was happening inside of me. I was not okay, and the only thing stopping me from running mad was an unknown call that would say that Adriana was dead.I bet I would die immediately. It was very certain."What's your job if you can't find a little missing person? One got missing, we were thinking of escaping her, now another, and all you could tell us is that you can't locate them?"We've been waiting impatiently for words from you, and now that the words come, all you have to answer to us with is no? Why? It's days and do you have any idea of what that bastard is doing to my Mom and my sister, especially my sister? "If she's your sister, won't you locate her even if you have to enter the ground to find her? Are you playing shi
Chapter 118.Sorrow mixed with happiness.Adrian's POV.I couldn't let him go to my Mom, I ran to him when he was walking away and fell on my knees in front of him while weeping.I held onto his legs and cried, "Please, kill me and let my Mom go. She did nothing wrong and think of the good times when she would support you and fight for you."Think of the times my Mom would hit me because I treated you badly and spare her because she did nothing wrong to you. I am the one that wronged you. I chose Raphael over you and I should be punished. Please kill me and let my Mom go."Lincoln squinched in front of me and wiped my tears with his thumb, "You will be my gain in all these things I'm doing, so if I kill you for your Mom, what will be my gain? Nothing."I shook my head still, "Please don't hurt my Mom.""How will you believe me if I tell you I won't? You don't believe me when I told you at first.""Then let me see her, I have to be sure that she's okay, please." He twisted his lips, s
Chapter 117.Kidnapped.Adrian's POV.I know it was very bad of me to sneak out of the room and away when I could have waited behind and told what I wanted to do to Raphael, but I couldn't wait anymore for his judgment, he was taking too long to take a step and help to locate my Mom.I had pretended to be asleep after calming down from the shock of Millar's death and for the fact that I could have prevented her death, maybe if I was fast enough to stop her the other day she came to me, I would have saved her.Or maybe if I pretended that she was my friend as she said when she arrived, I should have saved her.However, the truth remains that she was dead, and I couldn't save her, but there was my Mom who needed me. She was in the custody and must be suffering. I would have been calm that my Mom would be fine since Lincoln had her, but he was bold enough to kill his girlfriend, so who is my Mom that he couldn't kill? So I had to leave to do what I could to save my Mom.When I was gett
Chapter 116.Why my brother?Raphael's POV.I managed to lure Adriana to sleep because she kept on shivering and reminding me that Millar was good.That was yet, another one of our difficult times.I gently closed up the door behind me, making sure to keep her in and to make sure not to wake her. I returned to the sitting room.I met Galton, Ryan and Karla sitting down in different thoughts, they sat on different sofas."Do you find something else?" I questioned randomly.Ryan raised his head to stare at me and he shook his head, "Nothing yet. The guards haven't returned since you left."He rubbed his hands together and was deep in thought, "Last time we saw Millar, it was two days ago when Andy went to the mall to buy her dress. Millar seemed to have something up her sleeve to be keeping from us, and she wanted to tell us, but_"He cut himself off and sighed."But what?" I moved closer to him, "Anything is useful right now Ryan.""But we didn't allow her to talk. You know Millar is a
Chapter 115.Millar is dead.Raphael's POV.I sat on the bed with everyone, they were all ready to see what the manager sent to me, it was the CCTV I requested from the manager.I was to play it but paused, "What are we expecting in this video?" I questioned them all."To see who lured Mom out," Galton replied to me."To know if Mrs Williams is kidnapped or something else happened to her," Beatrice muttered too."Let's just check it and see what's there to see, I want to know if my Mom is around and can be located immediately. There might be a location somewhere, she cannot be kidnapped without a reason." Adriana snapped at me.She spoke with pain lacing her voice like she knew that I was trying to defend my brother, like she knew that I was trying to believe that my brother could not do something like that.Like I was waiting for them to change their mind and stop focusing on Lincoln and tainting him evil when he was not.I signed, feeling defeated. "Fine."I pressed the play button
Chapter 114.After party enjoyment ruined.Raphael's POV.Adriana and I got up and managed a quick shower. We dressed up as quickly as we could, and we went out of the room.I met my guards outside, "Where's Galton?" I questioned them.One moved forward and replied to me, "He left for the mansion with ma'am Karla. I think they're searching for Mrs Mom.""On my gosh! Raphael, it's true." Adriana broke down in tears.My eyes moistened when I saw her tears. I almost felt useless that just a day after our wedding, I was already breaching my promise to her.I promise to protect her and her family, and now, this.I blinked my tears away and picked up my wife in a bridal style, "Let's go to the mansion to see what's going on there." I told her and she replied with a nod, with tears dripping slowly from her eyes.We left the hotel for the mansion, and throughout our journey, I just kept patting my wife's back with her in my arms.I was silently telling her that all would be okay.Whereas, I d
Chapter 113.After-party enjoyment.Raphael's POV.The party was over to some extent, and Adriana and I had to leave. I held Adriana in my arms and beckoned to Galton."We will be leaving now," I told him."Yeah, leaving immediately for your honeymoon." He chuckled."Can't we just wait til tomorrow? I'm very tired right now." Adriana whined out."No, sis, can't do."Galton walked away from us.Adriana turned to me, "Why don't you try to stop him? He will listen to you." I smiled at her, "I support everything he says but today, I'll consider my wife first."She gave me a beautiful smile and hugged me. "I love you, dear husband.""I love you, my sweet wife.""Let's get lost before Galton returns."She nodded and laughed.I picked her up from the floor in a bridal style and escaped through the backdoor and straight to the private elevator that whirled us to the penthouse.We entered and I locked the door, bolting it and keeping us secured."Even if they find us here, they won't be chanc