The pregnancy is taking a toll on me, sometimes I wonder if it is the pregnancy or my life's never ending problem. There has been no major improvement with the sick feeling I have. "Denise… are you up Honey?, Mum calls out. "I made some soup, it will make you feel better." She hands me the soup, and I accept it. As the soup enters my mouth my taste buds come alive and the soup warms me. I hum in satisfaction."This is so good mum, thanks". "You're welcome honey, I'll be leaving for the senior home now. I volunteered to read to them and help with other stuff today. Oh and Denise there is a man in black suit that has been standing around the house. I wanted to call the police but I taught to ask you about it maybe you might know something about it before I call the police."" So he went through with it," I murmured to myself."Yeah mum he's my new bodyguard" I say."When did you start needing a bodyguard, and most of all how are you going to even pay him."" I'll explain everything to
My heart is beating rapidly with the fear of the unknown, but regardless I do not look back. My shaky hands reach for the door knob twisting it open. He says nothing as I hastily leave his office. My legs are a wobbly mess but I try to move, my heart is racing uncontrollably with each step I take. The secretary says nothing as usual but what do I care. The thought that no one is after me as I leave his office in that manner comforts me.The comfort I feel is short lived when the elevator door dings to a stop and before me is my bodyguard. His eyes are fixed on me with an intent and I feel like a cage animal. He steps out of the elevator towards me and I take fews steps backwards. There's nowhere to run to. His bulky hands reach for me."Let me go," I pleaded. But my pleadings fall on deaf ears. I twist my hands to free myself from his tight hold. His fist is iron, refusing to let loose. He pulls me towards the office I just left. I pin my feet on the floor not willing to go with him
"Where did you guys meet" my mum's eyes held me in place."Well, I met him at an event where I covered their photographs, a charity event. Those sorts of stuffs" I mumbled with a low voice."Oh" was her only response. She didn't push the matter further because she knew I wasn't finding it easy to talk. "Go freshen up, you're exhausted. My sleep is peaceful, the most peaceful night rest I have had in a really long while and what makes it even better is that I was given the Saturday off, So, I slept in. I intend to maximise this relaxation time I've gotten. "A trip to the park would be nice" my smile widens at the thought. It has been a while since I did that.With that thought in mind I move towards the bathroom to take a warm shower. My reflection in the mirror is horrible. I look like a raccoon. The sight of myself makes me laugh, not that there's anything special about it, but I feel at ease today despite everything I went through and how my life has been going south. I undress, wi
"Mrs Walter, I'd love to take Denise out for a bit, if that's okay with you". He smiles at my mum. "Of course you can, you don't need my permission for that, she's your fiance". Her Statement makes him chuckle lightly."Denise, can we step out?" The question is weird to me but I nod my head in agreement. "Give me a minute to put on my shoes" with that said I head for my room. I don't know what this man is planning but he better not drag my mum into anything shady. "Dear God, please make him leave my mum out of this mess, please." I pray. When I return back Mum and him are laughing over something. They seem like old buddies catching up. "I'm here". I simply state breaking whatever conversation they might be having. "Lovely" he says. They both stand up and mum gives me a hug before seeing us to the door. As soon as the door closes and I know we are out of ear reach from my mother I turn towards him. "Please I plead with you, keep my mum out of whatever evil plan you have please". "D
I didn't need a soothsayer to let me know who the message was from. He has a way to dampen my mood whenever he feels like it. I finish my food like nothing happened and wait till I get home. Oliver helps me carry my things into the house. He greets mum and Rosie before he steps out. I didn't bother with introductions because I hardly know the guy too. I make a mental note to change that if he is going to be the one protecting me from whatever he is protecting me from."What's all this?, I know for a fact that my best friend doesn't like me shopping alone, especially without her". Rosie curls her eyebrows at me. "It was Gregory who took me shopping". And you agreed? worst of all without me…" she had an exasperated look on her face. Mum chuckles at her. "I'll let you guys have some privacy, plus I really need to see Mrs Miller from the seniors' home". She grabs her bag from the table and leaves Rosie and I."Now tell me what's going on, cause your mum didn't freak out with all the gift
My mother is staring at me as the makeup artist works on my face. I can see her from the mirror in front of me. The room is silent except from the noise the makeup artist makes as she drops each brush or pallet or whatever she uses. I may be looking calm but my hands are fidgeting underneath the apron placed on me to prevent me from being stained.She is putting the final touches to my face and after this I'll be getting married to a stranger. He is still a stranger to me. "I'm done" she brushes my face one last time and gives me a radiant smile, in return I give her a nervous one."Thank you" my voice is small, barely audible but she heard me. She nods her head in acceptance and appreciation of her work. She moves on to gather her makeup tools before making her way out.Mum and I make no move to speak, we just stare at the mirror looking at each other. Consumed by our individual thoughts. She takes in a really deep breath and then exhales slowly." You look beautiful, my baby," she
It's been two hours since the guest left. I am sitting in the living area watching the cleaners clean the place. My husband "did I just call him my husband". I laugh humorlessly. Gregory left ten minutes after the guest left."Ma'am is there anything else I can do for you?" One of the staff asked me, " we are done, we are about to leave". He continues. "No, thank you, you guys can leave. I instruct him. I sat there for more than two hours, he still isn't back. I didn't realise when I fell asleep on the couch. It is only when my name is called that I regain consciousness. "Refrain from sleeping on my couch, Your room has been prepared, Come with me" he instructs with an expressionless face. I follow him silently till he opens the door to a room and walks in. "I trust everything is to your liking. If you need anything, inform Carolina, she'll be coming Next tomorrow. He steps out leaving me all alone. The room is magnificent if I must say, very spacious with a king sized bed. Minimal
It's been two weeks since our wedding. Gregory and I are strangers still. He is rarely home. He leaves for work early in the morning and returns home really late at night. I only see him when I get my midnight snack and that isn't every day. Last night when I saw him, I told him of my appointment with the doctor for my antenatal care.The strangest thing happened, he offered to take me there. For someone who doesn't like my presence in his home this is really weird. I guess he is doing it because he wants to find out how the baby is doing first hand.I am wearing a plain purple shirt and a loose white short. My bump is now obvious so I try as much as I can to wear loose fitting clothing. Basically anything that makes me comfortable. I carry my black backpack and pair it with a black sandals. My line of work most times gives me the freedom to dress as I please. I also intend to go straight to work after this. My life has gone back to the way it was after the wedding. The only differenc
DENISE'S POVNot long after we woke up did my greatest nightmare walk in. Blood drained from my face and for a split second, my heart forgot to beat.“Patrick”“Why, Hello there sweet peas” his smile broad as a Cheshire cat.“Never thought we would meet in these circumstances, what can I say the Lord is good”. It's sickening, him mentioning the Lord. This brute knows nothing about the Lord.“Now, now, don't be sad, this will only last a few hours and we can be happy. We could even play hide and seek if you like”.He stalks closer to us, no me.“Get away from her you psycho” Luke screams. Patrick pays him no mind as he moves even closer. He raises his hand to graize my temple, I flinch in reaction. “Get your hands away from me”. He laughs heartily at my reaction.“And why would I do that, huh, sweet peas”.“I owe you nothing, I paid all of my debts with interest. So. Get. Your. Hands. Off. Of. Me”. I seeth.“Come on sweet peas”. He draws. “This isn't about debt, this is about how muc
“Dee…” Rosie badges into my room. Luke called, he said he has something to show us. My eyes widen a fraction. “He has figured out something” I murmur. Rosie nods her head frantically at me. I waste no time picking up my bag as we dash out.“Carolina…, we will be back soon”. I hollered at Carolina who was cradling Ivy in her arms.“Ra tat tat” Rosie knocks on Luke's door. There is no answer at first but the second time the door swings open. Luke stands there with an awkward smile that doesn't reach his eyes. He looks kind of nervous. “Come in” he opens the door wider allowing us enter.“Luke are you…” the words are choked shut in my mouth as something hard hits my head. I hear Rosie scream before I black out. The pain at the back of my head is heavy. I try to raise my hand to rub the spot but I can't, my hands are bound.“Ah…” A wave of pain shoots through my head. I blink slowly several times to get the black dots out of my vision.“Ro…..” I call out to my best friend. She is lump
"Target has locked in”. Luke the tech guy tells me on the phone.“This is going to take roughly thirty minutes to one hour. Rosie found a way to get me invited, being Gregory's wife propelled it though. They gave me front row seats but I declined. I opted to sit behind. Sitting behind will keep me away from the prying eyes of Ellie. My eyes are on Ellie the moment she steps in. She's wearing a cream coloured A-cut short gown. She is wearing a black heeled boot to match. She looks good, I won't lie. She greets Peggy Ross. They exchanged pleasantries soon after the show starts. I take subtle glances and I notice how she suddenly feels uneasy after checking her phone. Is she unto us.? Has she found out her phone is about to be tapped. I quickly text luke. He doesn't respond, this gets me worried. My fear bites deeper, my legs bounce on their own accord revealing my anxiety.Ellie puts down her phone focusing on the models as they walk down the runway. I watch her for a long time and
The sad thing about me is I tend to forget too quickly. I forget how he can be and then I get hurt. I need to constantly remember my place. In less than three months I would be gone from this life.My ears perk at the sound of my name. Rosie pokes her head into my room. “Denise” she calls me in a quiet manner. Her eyes stare directly at me as she walks in. “Denise, l knows you are mad at how Gregory reacted towards our suggestion. She sits down on the bed getting comfy. “And just because he says it doesn't mean we are going to stop. You have my full support to pursue this to the very end”. She stretches her hand placing it tenderly on my arms. I wrap my hands around her instantly. Having a friend like Rosie who supports you is a big blessing. “What are we going to do?. We don't have the necessary information to help out”. I detach myself from our hug. “I was banking on our alliance with the guys to get info”. Worry plasters my face as I tell her this.“Don't worry we will figure
Denise's POV: Gregory and Isaiah have been avoiding Rosie and I. Purposefully if I might add. We know the reason they are avoiding us. It's so they don't get to give us details on what's going on with the Ellie thing. They leave the house pretty Early and return late at night. We are asleep when they return and we don't get the needed information. Tonight is going to be different though. Tonight we are not sleeping a wink till they return home and tell us all we need to know. “Dee, I'm not sure I can stay up any longer, my eyes are closing on their own”. Rosie yawns. Her eyes shutting down completely as she yawns. “Common Ro, we need to stay awake if we want to know what's going on.”. Rosie nods her head at me with her eyes still shut. When I look at the clock for the fifth time this night, it shows it's just eleven forty five. I sigh in annoyance knowing any moment from now I'll be falling asleep. I need to stimulate myself in order to stay awake, not just me but Rosie as well.
Denise's POV:Gregory mentioned Ellie has returned to her parents house. She must have figured something was up. I mean it is obvious non of us are home anymore or she is simply evading being caught either way she is out of the house. You would expect us to return hom but we didn't we are still staying in Isaiah's mansion. Isaiah has refused to let Rosie leave as well. I don't blame him though, after the whole incident he wants us to be safe. Not that Gregory's Mansion was not safe but Isaiah's mansion is on another level. The place is surrounded by so much bodyguards that are armed, I mean heavily armed. It's scary sometimes. The men don't look friendly, they all have similar tattoos but it's located on different parts of their body. It makes me wonder what agency Isaiah found such terrifying looking men. Men that have access to such heavy weaponry. Then again he is a billionaire, money can buy alot of things..Rosie and I step into the balcony were Gregory and Isaiah are having a
Denise's POV:Flashes, blood stains, pleas. I jolt up from my sleep breathing heavily. My forehead is covered in sweat despite how cool the room is. “You're awake” Gregory says, stepping out of what I assume to be the bathroom. His voice scared me a little since I wasn't expecting him here. He rushes over to my side. “You look frightened”. He noticed my fear. “I-I had a nightmare. My voice comes out hoarse. Gregory rubs my arms affectionately. “It's just a nightmare you are safe”. I nod my head and he wraps his strong arm around me holding me in a warm embrace. “I made a warm bath for you. Figured you'd be waking up soon”. He kisses me on the forehead, breaking our embrace. “Ivy”. I say. “She's fine she's downstairs with Rosie and Carolina”. Gregory holds my hands to help me out of the bed. I notice that I am still in the clothes I wore yesterday. The site of the dried blood raises bile to my throat. I close my eyes for some seconds to pushing it down. Gregory is patient with me.
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND ONE (Anger)Gregory's POV The blood within my veins like molten larva ready to give way, ready to melt these people with my rage. The only thing holding me back is Isaiah and the thought of harming the mother of my child in my blind rage.Isaiah and I move closer. Isaiah takes two precise shot. The shots are faster than I anticipated. Two of the men surrounding Denise fall flat on the ground. The last guy pulls Denise fast, holding her captive by the neck with a gun pressed by the side of her temple. He cannot see us but he is certain of where the bullet came from. Her captors eyes are wide in shock and fear. His expression almost mirrors that of Denise. Hers are rounded in fear of the unknown. I can see her visibly shaking in his hold.“Come out or I'll kill this slut”. He roars, eyes focused on our location.“At the count of three if you don't come out you'll pick up her carcass”.My eyes dart to Isaiah and he has an easy smirk. In this horrible situation m
I turn my head to Rosie and her eyes are round and wide mimicking my own. “shit” I mouth. “Who’s there?”. Someone shouts from inside. The sound of footsteps approached us. My heart is beating faster than I can process. This wasn't how I planned it. I was just going to sneak up on her and find out what she's up to. The sound of a gun being corked is heard and colour drains from Rosie's face. I bet my face mirrors hers “On the count of three we run”. I mouth to Rosie. She nods to my suggestion like an understanding child. “One, two, three, run”. I mouth to her. We both rose, hitting down the cans we hid behind. They have all realised that people were indeed in their territory. Various footsteps are heard as we run; they are after us. “Boom, boom, boom”. Shots are fired at us but luckily we've taken a left. Soon enough I find some men hot on our trail. “Rosie”. I call out to Rosie as we run. She briefly looks back at me before keeping her eyes on her track we need to split up. “what!