Stacey’s POV“What are you doing? Close the photo album,” the woman exclaimed.I immediately closed the photo album in a hurry while calming my heart, which was beating fast enough. My mind was working extra hard to find a good reason to justify my actions earlier.I turned and tried to see her eyes. “I-I didn’t mean to find out. It’s just that I saw a photo fall out of the album when you went into the kitchen. Then, I took the photo and tried to put the photo on the album. I accidentally saw the word ‘destroyed’ and it turned out to be a picture of you and your husband. Sorry if I’m being presumptuous. What exactly happened to you, boss?”After hearing my explanation, she put the tray on the table, and after that, she looked at me while folding her arms in front of her chest.“There is nothing to hold on to anymore,” she replied.“What does it mean? I don’t understand,” I asked.“Please have a seat.”Then we both sat facing each other. Kelly, my boss, yes, I was used to calling her ‘b
Stacey’s POVAfter closing the gate, I saw Kelly standing in the doorway waving her hand. I smiled at her and waved back, then rushed to the car.From the villa by the lake, I had to travel to the shore of Valxina City, which was quite far from the villa. I turned on the music while singing along. Yes, I summoned the men I will recruit as my men.Even though the task given by Kelly was quite difficult, considering that she had given her child to an orphanage many years ago. Now, I only hold a note containing a little information about the address of Kelly’s aunt, the name and address of the orphanage. That means I had to start by visiting the aunt’s house and I would ask her to take me to the orphanage. Hopefully, the child has not been adopted by anyone. If he’s already adopted, then I won’t be getting paid such a large amount. Goddess Fortuna was on my side. Besides, as long as I was out of town, I could carry out my plans.An hour later, I arrived at a bar mentioned by one man I wa
Stacey's POV"We understand. We will wait for your orders while we prepare everything. Are you sure that the carnival will still go on for the next few weeks?" the man asked. "Yes, I've confirmed that with the organizers. Well, if there's nothing else, I'll be leaving now before everyone at home gets suspicious of me," I replied as I put on my long coat and walked toward the entrance. "Bye, everyone," I said as I waved at them and exited the room. "Bye."I couldn't wait to have Sam and the mansion just for me and Deasy. Enjoying night after night with Sam, making love to him all the time, and buying lots of luxury items with his money. Yes, luxury items that I could only dream of and not enjoy. A painful reality, but what can I do? Therefore, at any cost, I had to have Sam and all his wealth. Jenny, I'm sorry. I just wanted to get rid of you, not hurt you. I promise I won't hurt you or your children. Jennifer's POVAfter spending some time playing with Jean, Deasy, and Nick, we t
Jennifer’s POV“Sam, how about we transfer Deasy to Jean’s school so they can be together?” I said as I stroked Sam’s chest.Sam seemed to think for a moment, then replied, “No problem, as long as Deasy will move to Jean’s school. Does she want to? Have you discussed this with Stacey?”“I have. Deasy was very enthusiastic, but Stacey was not. Then she left somewhere. I don’t know if she’s back yet.”“The most important thing is that Deasy is willing to move. I’ll discuss this with Stacey. She should be happy about it since Deasy’s school has a poor reputation. Is there anything else?” he replied, stroking my head like he used to do.“Nothing. So, what did you want to tell me?” I asked.“It’s about Sean, Linda, and my father. Harris Company is in trouble,” he said as he let out a long breath.“What kind of trouble?”“I don’t know, it’s just that during lunch with Leo, a man who claimed to be a business partner with Harris Company approached us and complained about Harris Company and Se
Samuel's POV"Yes. Why should I be afraid to hear the rest of the story?" she asked. I could see the look of fear and panic on her face. No matter how she dodged, her facial expression told me the truth. "That woman gave the car rental owner a fake address. Luckily, the rental owner has a wonderful memory of the faces of each of his tenants. When the detective went to him and showed him a photo of the woman and her daughter, he recognized them immediately. From there, the police knew the woman's actual address. However, the story didn't stop there, as several stakeouts revealed that a woman was the mastermind behind all this. Finally, with permission from the prosecutor's office, the police got a trace of incoming calls to the woman's cell phone and there was a number that always contacted her. From the investigation, they found that the owner of the number was named Kelly. Do you understand what I mean?" I asked. She got uneasy, then she stood up and walked back and forth. "Next
Stacey’s POVShit! All the truth has been revealed. The detectives and the police were smart, or maybe Kelly’s plan had some flaws. She had been in the temporary prison and would soon be transferred to the city prison after the second trial was over.When I came to visit her, she was furious. She kept cursing and swearing at me. They forced me to testify because I had no choice. If they hadn’t all known the truth, there was no way I would have betrayed her.I couldn’t do anything because I didn’t want to go to jail. I still had Deasy to take care of until she grew up and I didn’t want her to suffer the same fate as me in the past.I was not a traitor, and I always kept my promises. Just like today, I was ready to go to the village to see Aunt Kelly and look for her son’s whereabouts. Since she had paid me and I had promised her, I would endeavor to find her son and bring him to her parents.Please wait, Kelly. You would see your son soon. I hoped he was still at the orphanage.After p
Stacey’s POV“Umm, Mrs. Lake, I think I have something important to tell you,” I replied as I walked after the old woman through the back porch.We stopped right in front of the back entrance that led straight into the kitchen. She turned and squinted, looking at me as if she wanted to dig up the truth before I told her.“Is this about Kelly?” she asked sternly.“Umm yes. And that’s what I came here for,” I replied.She let out a long breath, then took out a key from her trouser pocket and inserted it into the keyhole, turned it and the door opened.“Let’s go inside and talk,” she invited.We went into the kitchen. She placed her shopping bag on the kitchen table, then invited me to sit at the dining table while she prepared a drink.“Tea or coffee?” she asked.“Umm, just mineral water,” I replied since I had already had a cup of coffee that morning.Not long after, she sat in front of me and handed me a cup of mineral water and a plate of blueberry cake.“Have a drink and try this ca
Stacey’s POVMrs. Lake and I walked down the long hallway of the building through the rooms that were mostly classrooms. It was true, the orphanage children, along with other children, were attending school. We finally arrived at the door of a room that was smaller than the others.Mrs. Lake knocked a few times until we heard an answer from inside, then she pushed the door knob down and pushed the door inward.“Good morning, Madam Carter,” Mrs. Lake said as she closed the door after I entered the room.“Good morning. Please have a seat,” she replied.We both sat opposite her. I didn’t expect Madam Carter to be about five years younger than me. Her skin was fair, her face beautiful and her smile very cute.“Is there anything I can help you with?” Madam Carter asked kindly.“We’d like to see Mark, and there’s one more thing,” Mrs. Lake replied.“Oh, what’s that?” she asked.Mrs. Lake pointed at me as she said, “his birth mother ordered her to take Mark to his grandparents in the city. S
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