“Grandpa, you misunderstood. I don’t mean to disrespect you, but I have a reason I can’t explain to any of you. She is the woman I have chosen and I have faith in her. I hope you can accept it,” Samuel said. Grandpa’s face remained unchanged, with no smile on his face, and his eyes kept glaring at us even though Samuel had explained to him. He stood straight before us. The aura that lingered on him felt different. An aura of pride and arrogance, until I froze and sweat dripped down my forehead and palms. Samuel’s explanation did not please him. I did not know what to do. I wanted to help Samuel, but I was worried that my words and actions would throw things into chaos. Grandpa sniffed, annoyed, his eyes looking back at me sharply. He studied me from head to toe. ‘Oh no, when will this end?’ My toes and hand fingers moved together aimlessly. I looked at Samuel. He was also looking at me. From the movement of his lips, it looked like he wanted to say something to me, but we stood th
The garden beside grandpa’s mansion was not enormous, but it was exquisite and looked calming. In the middle of the garden, there was a pond of colorful fish. I sat near to the pond while occasionally observing the entrance to the garden, after which I returned to observing the behavior of the fish that swim freely in the water with no obstacles. After Samuel left and I finished my dinner, I said goodbye to Grandpa, Mom and everyone in the hall. None of them answered in a friendly manner. Mom just nodded without looking at me. Her attitude was cold and indifferent, unlike when Samuel was with me. While grandfather, his attitude remained cold as before. But at least the rest of the family smiled and said goodnight to me. Maybe they didn’t want to see me there. To them, I was a stranger who wasn’t on their level and wasn’t in their prestigious circle of friends. After that, I put on my jacket and walked out of the hall to the garden beside the mansion. I sat waiting for Samuel there af
“Now?” I asked, furrowing my brows and raising my voice. Then, his right index finger landed safely on my lips as he answered in a sweet voice, “For the sake of fulfilling the duties in the contract you signed. I’m ready to impregnate you, Mrs. Harris.” His cherry-red lips smiled and his hands unbuttoned his pajamas buttons one by one. “W-wait. But it’s already midnight. Wouldn’t it be better if we do it tomorrow morning?” I asked, while keeping his hand away. That was about to unbutton my pajamas. “Hun, I’m sorry. I never do that in the middle of the night,” I said while buttoning up my pajamas buttons. “Make this your first and let me see and touch those beautiful breasts of yours. We will do it tonight and tomorrow morning,” he said. He blinked one eye and smiled. I laughed out loud while holding my stomach. To be honest, I never thought he could seduce me. It’s far from what I imagined. “Why are you laughing? Take off your clothes now,” he begged. And what I saw next was all
“Alex, Alex, come here quickly!” I screamed like a lost child, looking for the parents in the middle of the crowd. “Hun, please. Which part do you feel pain in? Tell me.” I brought my face closer to his, my hand touching his forehead just to check the temperature. His forehead and body were hot, but he was shivering like someone feeling cold. “Alex, whoever, come over here quickly!” I shouted again. With shaking hands, I hugged him and kissed the top of his head several times while trying to communicate with him. I saw his lips move as if he was about to say something, but I did not hear the words clearly. My heart was beating pretty fast and my mind was a mess. Just a moment ago, he was still fine. He laughed and joked with me. But why was it different now? I started feeling uncomfortable. I didn’t want something bad to happen to him, because he was my angel. Alex and several female maids approached us. He ordered a maid to call Dr. Robert. The servant contacted the doctor and ask
I shook my head left and right, but the tears still kept flowing. My chest was rising and falling to hold back the overflow of sadness that I had been holding back since yesterday. Even though his pain wasn’t that bad, I couldn’t figure out why I was so melancholic. Everything I felt and thought about can bring tears to my eyes.“Jenny, if you have any problems, please tell me,” he said while touching and stroking my arm.“I-I’m fine. I’m just touched by your recovery,” I replied while wiping the edges of my eyes that were wet with tears.“You’re not very good at lying. Anyway, I’m hungry, can you feed me?” he asked spoiled, winked one eye.I immediately thought of the porridge I asked Alex to cook yesterday. I quickly stood up and said, “Wait here. I’ll bring you some food.”“Ask Alex to bring it here. You don’t need to come down.”“I’ll be down to make sure. Wait a moment, I’ll be right back.” However, before going down to the first floor, I went into the bathroom first to wash my fa
“You said that your mother is your grandpa’s biological daughter. There should be no reason for Lina and her son and your father to fight over the shares of the Harris Company. They are not directly related to your grandpa. They are outsiders. Am I right?” I asked with passion as burning as a bonfire that had just been lit. “It seems I forgot to tell you something. After my father picked me up from my grandpa’s house, it turned out that my grandpa had investigated Lina’s origins and from that investigation, it was discovered that Lina was the daughter of a woman who had a brief relationship with grandpa when he was young. Then, because of curiosity and guilt nesting in grandpa’s heart, he asked Lina to do a DNA test and you can guess the results. My grandpa had another daughter whom he met as an adult. Since then, Lina has become different. She acts arrogant after knowing that she is grandpa’s biological daughter and may inherit. With her sweet mouth, she influenced my father and Sean
I turned around and couldn’t find him beside me. At first, I thought he might have been working in his workroom, as usual. Sometimes he went to the office, but more often than not, I saw him working at home. It is his assistants who went here and there to report or just to convey what was happening in the office. I thought I should go downstairs, walk into his workroom, greet him, and offer him a cup of coffee and a plate of sandwiches. I rushed out of bed, opened the curtains, and entered the bathroom. I want to look pretty and fresh in the morning so I could cheer up Samuel. A few moments later, I was standing in front of the dressing table, applying a little makeup to make me look prettier. Because that day I would just stay at home and not go anywhere, so I wore white shorts and a pink V-neck t-shirt and let my long brown hair down. Humming a little, I walked down the stairs. From the second floor, I saw the maids cleaning the house, while Alex was pacing back and forth, puttin
“Sam, I suggest you hand over your position as director to your brother, Sean. He is an adult now and quite knowledgeable. I see he can work well in your place. By reducing your busy life, you can attend therapy to cure your paralysis so you can walk again. Your stubbornness will accomplish nothing. The other shareholders have agreed to make Sean the new director. You are incompetent anymore with your current condition. A year has passed, but you are still not cured. Doctor said that you can walk again by following the therapy. Come on, Sam,” said someone in an annoyed tone. ‘So Sam can recover. But why doesn’t he want to get well?’ “Whether I want to recover is my business and has nothing to do with my performance. I can still do my job well as a director. Then, where is the problem?” he asked. I wanted to see their faces clearly, but if they caught me eavesdropping, they might kick me out. I guess it would be better if I listened quietly even though this curiosity urged me so stro
Samuel’s POVI got into Mr. Taylor’s car and led the chase for Stacey. She was reckless. She took Deasy with her. That’s the same as jeopardizing her child’s life. What was her actual intention?The chase scene continued. We traveled a road that was getting more and more difficult to navigate. The left side of the road was a ravine, while the right side of the road was a high hill.The car Stacey was driving got faster, and Mr. Taylor stepped on the gas pedal. This was crazy. I was afraid something bad would happen until what I thought happened. The car Stacey was driving lost its balance and went off course.At one point, to avoid a collision, Mr. Taylor ordered his men to avoid and stay away from Stacey’s car for a while but still be prepared to catch the woman without hurting either of them.However, unfortunately, the car driven by Stacey was moving more and more erratically and crashed into Mr. Taylor’s car. And at that moment all I remember was my head hitting the dashboard of t
Samuel’s POV“Ok, I’m ready to listen,” I replied. My heart was beating quite fast. I couldn’t wait to hear the good news that Chief Taylor was about to deliver.“Mr. Harris, you must have heard about the black van that was used by a group of criminals to kidnap your wife and two children. We’ve identified the van’s police number and we have the owner’s name. Last night we went to their base, but unfortunately, the head of the gang escaped. So, we could only arrest his girlfriend and men. They are now at the police station and will be investigated soon. If you are not busy, I hope you can come here to see the investigation process. Is what I said clear enough?” Chief Taylor asked.“Yes, it is clear enough. Thank you for your help. I’m not busy today, so after breakfast and everything is done at the mansion, I’ll rush over there,” I replied.“Ok, let me know if you’re on your way here. I’ll get ready right away. Is there anything else you want to ask?” he asked.“No. Thank you, Mr. Tay
Jennifer’s POVWhen the door opened, it was the middle-aged woman who lived next door. She handed me a package and from the smell; it looked like food. To be honest, it smelled so good that it made my stomach churn.“Thank you. Please come in,” I said.“No need. I just wanna give it to you. Bye and good night,” she answered as she walked away. Before closing the door, I noticed that the surrounding houses had all turned on their lights and it seemed like they were all eating dinner. Only a few men were walking past the house, some of them smiling and nodding their heads. I guess this fishing village wasn’t bad. It’s just that we need Sam.After dinner, we lay down on the bed. The sheets smell nice and the place was spotless. Maybe the middle-aged woman probably cleaned this house often.Long story short, a week had passed. We spent a lot of time inside the house because I was too scared to go out and socialize with the villagers. However, after the middle-aged woman who lived next to
Jennifer’s POVThe car driven by Joe entered a rural area. To enter this village, every passing vehicle must pass through a gate guarded by a fat man wearing a police-style outfit. He looked strange and unfriendly.Then the car stopped right in front of a house that looked dark and empty. Joe and Lisa got out of the car, then four of his men who were sitting with me at the back of the car got out as well, unloading several suitcases and bags of food.“Hey, come on down.” Lisa’s voice woke me from my reverie. I got down first, then one of Joe’s men helped Jean down.Joe knocked on the door of the house next to the empty and dark house. He knocked repeatedly until finally a middle-aged woman opened the door and the two of them had a conversation. I couldn’t hear their conversation. Their voices were too small and the middle-aged woman kept staring at me. Her eyes frightened me.“Mommy, are we going to stay here? I want to go home. I want to be with daddy,” Jean said.“I don’t know. We’l
Jennifer’s POVThe ship we were on was in the middle of a deep blue ocean with high and fierce waves. Jean, who had never been on a ship, was terrified. Luckily, she didn’t get sick, but she hugged me tightly and her body trembled with fear.The ship was moving here and there because of the waves. As far as the eye could see, there was only an infinite ocean and no islands or other ships passing near us. To be honest, I was terrified and imagined a shipwreck in the middle of the deep sea, with no help at all.The man driving the boat gave us life jackets and forced us to wear them, but I could not calm this fear. I was really in two danger. If this ship sank, then no one could find us. Let’s hope that what I was afraid of didn’t happen.When boarding the ship, Leo asked me to go inside the wheelhouse and wait there. The six of them sat outside. The man driving the boat was friendly. He smiled and told us many stories, perhaps to ease our fear of the ocean. However, we were still scare
Samuel’s POVJack hurried off to carry out my request. Simon and I waited for Leo and Alex to arrive.“Sir, please sit on the wooden chair while you wait for your other men to arrive,” Simon said.“No need. I think my body feels better already. Did you find anything?” I asked.“We’re not even looking yet. I’ll look over there.”“Oh yeah, you’re right. Alright, let’s split up to look for clues. Hopefully, there’s something left here that can reveal their identity,” I replied as I walked to the opposite side of Simon.Half an hour passed, and Simon and I had spread out quite far. Simon searched the restroom area inside the food court. While I just searched around the entrance of the food court to the front of the game stands and the reserve exit. I didn’t find any clues.Sweat had drenched my body, my breathing sounded heavy, my heart was beating quite fast and my energy seemed to be lost somewhere. I looked back, hoping to see Simon running towards me with good news. However, I didn’t
Samuel's POV “No, they’re not with me. I thought you had returned home to the mansion, but when we arrived at the mansion, you weren’t there. We were anxious, so we went back to the carnival right away while mobilizing my men to look for your whereabouts because I saw your car still parked in the carnival parking lot. What exactly happened?” Jack asked. “I don’t know what exactly happened to us. But if they’re not with you, then where are they? Help me find them, Jack,” Sam replied. “Yes, I’m mobilizing more people to look for them. I’m on my way to the carnival now. Tell me your position?” Jack asked. “I’m in front of the food court entrance.” “Ok, stay there. I’ll be right there,” Jack said as he turned off his cell phone. Sam put his cell phone back into his pants pocket. Simon, who was beside him, then asked, “What happened to your family?” “I don’t know. If something bad happens to them, then I don’t want to live anymore.” “Don’t say that, sir. They might be somewhere safe
Samuel’s POV“Where’s my cell phone?” I muttered as I reached into my pants pocket until I finally found my cell phone in my right pants pocket. Just like my habit of always putting my phone in the right pocket.Wait! Something was wrong. I hurriedly reached into the back pocket of my pants and my wallet was still intact in the pocket. All debit cards, credit cards, identity cards, driver’s licenses, and all cash were still safe. That means the person or persons who knocked me out didn’t want the money or all these cards. Meaning?Jenny and my kids. Yes, they must have targeted my family. Someone or some group of people. I had to rush to find the whereabouts of Jenny and my two children.Dizzy and aching all over, I tried my best to stand up while leaning against the wall. I observed the surroundings of the back terrace, thinking I knew this place.That morning, it was quiet on the back porch of the building I still didn’t know the name of. There was no one there. However, my memory k
At exactly one o’clock in the morning, I woke up. My throat felt dry. I noticed there was no mineral water bottle in the bedroom. I got up and put on the slippers that they had prepared when we first entered the room. Before leaving the room, I smoothed the blanket Jean was wearing and made sure Nick was asleep.I opened the door slowly while looking outside the room. It was quiet. I guess everyone had gone to bed. Then I closed the door tightly and walked through room after room to the stairs.As I passed a room, I heard a moan accompanied by a woman’s voice asking for help. The sound was strange. At first, I thought the people in the room were having sex, but why was the woman asking for help?My bad habit had returned. I was curious because I thought she might be in danger, even though I was in danger myself. My patriotic spirit returned at the wrong time.I saw that the door to the room was not closed tightly, and I could even see a small part of the situation inside the room, alt