GENERAL POVNathan woke up the next day sitting up on his bed; the room was still covered in darkness. Yesterday night wasn't really a comfortable one for him. He had spent the night laying half asleep and half awake, closing and opening his eyes, swaying from side to side on his bunk bed.He had been preoccupied with thoughts about Candidate 1 and how to meet up with him again. Nathan felt Mr. Elliot needed to know that their mother had not told his siblings and himself anything about going with Carter to his party; he hoped the man had not started to feel betrayed.He leaped down from the bed, and from a corner of the room, he heard a rustle.He froze halfway.“Who’s there?” He asked, looking a bit frightened.“It’s me, Owen.”"Gosh, you scared me,” Nathan said, looking relieved, placing one of his slender hands on his chest.“You mean you’ve been awake all this time?" Nathan asked further, squinting at Owen’s crouched figure in the corner. "Yeah," Owen said again.Nathan tottered o
L"We are almost there." I said from where I was sitting next to the taxi driver in the Uber we had booked for the trip. We had been on the road for the past one hour and 30 minutes, and we were finally arriving at the affluent scenery of Montgomery County—the same county where I was told my mother was born and had grown up. I took in deep breaths as I tried to re-invoke little clips of childhood memories I had of the place. Though I never got to see my mother in real life, the little time I spent here during the first three years of my life, was enough to convince me of the kind of person my mother must have been, a gentle person. This county was a place for the gentle. Then, I guess at that time my father was not so much of a zealot, he would bring me here accompanied by Vivian who was still my nanny at the time, I still remember myself being tied to her back bouncing back and forth whenever she strolled through the gullies, and some other memories of me running with some of my pla
SOPHIE'S POV "Good to see you, Mr. Elliot; my siblings and I have been dying to see you again." Isabella cheered, still wrapped up in Elliot's arms and clinging to him. I continued to watch from a corner, like an uninvited guest."Same here, my angel; I've been losing sleep, wishing to see my friends again," Elliot responded just as charitably, beaming with smiles from ear to ear.“Did you just say you were losing sleep?” Nathan asked."Yeah," Elliot affirmed cheerily.“Oh my God, that literally was my past 24 hours,” Nathan interjected, and I furrowed my brows, wondering what he meant by that.“Mine too.” Owen chirped in, also smiling.“It's obvious we have all really missed each other’s company,” Elliot said, laughing loudly in a way that was so unlike him.Then he glanced in my direction and seemed to remember only at that moment that I was still there. "Oh." He exclaimed before turning to the kids and saying.“One minute, guys.” He walked over to me with his palms together and
Elliot POVWhile I was still busy working myself up over the dinner date event, which did not go well according to plan, And all that had happened that day between myself and Olivia, with me also bothering myself with how to reach Sophie's kids.I did not know I would get so lucky just the next day.Sophie had not come to work that morning, so in the afternoon, I tried reaching out to Joseph to get an explanation for why she was absent. He told me that none of them were at home by the time he came to pick them up for school and work, and my heart sank."Had Sophie indeed made good on her threat? Had she secretly eloped with the kids to another company like she had threatened to in the past? But I thought she had accepted my apology."I heaved a deep sigh, wondering how I was going to cope if indeed my suspicions ended up being true. Thoughts of my new friends—her kids—also crossed my mind."You know what? Keep an eye on the build
SOPHIE'S POV The taxi I hired dropped me off at our estate. Elliot's Tesla was parked right outside our gate; all the doors were locked and no one was outside.Which meant that he was indoors with the kids.I leaped out of the car, paid the driver, and hurried through the estate gates, yearning to see the faces of my kids with my own eyes, before allowing myself to believe that they were a hundred percent safe.Elliot and the kids were standing on the balcony when I came into the compound."Mummy!" Isabella shrieked, running towards me. She had recognized me first. The other kids lifted their hands subsequently before happy smiles dotted their faces, and then they cheered;"She's back. She's back." I sprung into a run just behind Isabella as they all raced towards me to hug me.After my little affectionate demonstration with the kids, I finally summoned the spunk to look at Elliot, who had saved the day. He was still standing on the balcony, gazing at me with a blank look on his face
ELLIOT POV It was Sunday, and I sat in my parents' sitting room, waiting to hear my father's footsteps descending from the stairs anytime soon. I looked around at the targeted portraits hanging on the luxuriously painted walls like it was my first time seeing them like I was a stranger who was just visiting the apartment for the first time. I crossed my legs to look confident, but I still feared that it was an overdone posture and that it still did little to mask the anxiety I was really feeling.In my head, I had tried pre-selecting several lies to tell him, but after the encounter with Sophie yesterday, the lies no longer felt like lies, and even when I considered telling him the truth, I realized that at this moment, even the truth was obscure; there was no truth yet; all that was available was a possibility, and the purpose of my meeting with dad was not to discuss possibility but rather truth or facts."What would I tell him now?" I reasoned aloud, realizing myself almost immed
Sophie POVI jumped out of the passenger seat of the car immediately after we drove into the company's parking lot."Easy Madam." Joseph cautioned, but I could barely wait or listen to him as I hurriedly slammed the car door, rushing out of the park and towards the inside of the building.It was hard to believe that a few hours ago, I had been doing the complete opposite of that, which was lying cuddled up on top of my bed, enveloped in my duvet, even when I knew it was already past 7.My mind had been occupied by thoughts of how much had changed between myself and my boss. The bridge of formality and diplomacy that had initially stabilized the working relationship between us crashed on Saturday, so much so that I could even look him in the eye and address him by his first name. I could hit him across his shoulder and make silly jokes with him all within 24 hours. I was uncertain as to whether or not I could still confront him without feeling slightly uneasy."Has his spell on my kids
GENERAL POV It was past noon, and the golden glow of evening lingered.Joseph dropped the kids off at their estate. After they climbed out, he partially stuck out his head from the car window as usual and yelled sprightly."Going off to get your mom now; we’ll be right back just soon.”“Okay.” They responded uniformly.Waving at him and watching him drive back out in reverse motion. Owen and Nathan went to lock up the gates.‘I’m so famished.” Isabella complained to herself from where she stood.Owen and Nathan broke into a run on their return from the gate."What happened? Where are guys dashing to?"Isabella asked with her eyebrows raised and her little hands fixed on her waist."We've got just about two hours, Bella." Owen tried explaining with a quick voice while still on his heels, darting past her as he raced into the house.The confusion remained smothered on Isabella’s face.“Two hours to what?” She asked further, but Owen was already far gone; it was Nathan, who was behind h
I am filled with immense gratitude as I write this message, appreciating every one of you who has joined me on this journey. Whether you have been following from the start or have recently become a part of this story, your presence has truly enhanced the storytelling experience in immeasurable ways.I am thankful for allowing my characters to be a part of your lives, for investing your time and emotions in their successes and challenges, and for sharing in their joys and sorrows. Your support, feedback, and motivation have been the driving force behind every word written, inspiring me to explore their world further and create narratives that resonate with you.As we come to the end of this story, I'm thrilled to announce that a new story awaits. In the meantime, I would like to hear your thoughts about the story, please don't hesitate to share your feedback.Once again, I extend my heartfelt thanks for being a part of this remarkable journey. Your support ignites my passion.With dee
SOPHIE'S POVI shifted the thick, opaque curtains that fell over the window in my room to one side as I observed the gate of our house through the transparent glass upstairs.The Tesla had just driven out through the open gate, and one of the uninformed security guards had begun to close it up.Elliot, who had been raising fire and brimstone some moments ago, had finally resigned to the strong will of his daughter. He has finally yielded to her persuasion as well as that of her older twin, Amelia. I let out a small smile. Was it not funny that despite his so-called anger about the recent developments, he still insisted on dropping them off at the park, even when Amelia kept insisting that the park was not that far? Sometimes, I find myself debating again who actually pampered Isabella more between her father and grandfather. I let out a wider smile this time.I drew the curtains closed again and returned to my bed to sit quietly."Just like yesterday," I whispered.It was so hard to
GENERAL POVOwen was sitting stiffly inside Michael's larger-than-life office space. While Michael reclined at the other end of the desk, his manner was a little more relaxed since the last time they met at his school. They were having a conversation about Isabella."Have you called my sister yet?" Owen asked calmly."No, not yet," Michael answered, almost blushing at the sound of Isabella's name.Owen shrugged weakly and said,"But why her? I mean, what drew you to her? She literally dresses like a guy. Though I know my sister is beautiful, if you're not close to her like us, you might never know."Michael let out an indulgent smile, readjusting his seat and leaning forward before he spoke again.Actually, I've seen Isabella several times without her usual regalia. Erm, you know, her usual regalia." He let out a gentle laugh.Then, a little more quietly, he added:"She is so kind and beautiful."Owen laughed too, in a way that said, "I thought as much,"Then Michael went on to tap h
ISABELLA’S POVI opened my eyes faintly the next morning after a long sleep the previous night, rolling over tiredly on the hospital's compact bed. Then suddenly, my body brushed against the rigid weight of someone sitting with his back turned against me on the bed. I sat up immediately, rubbing my palms over my face and eyes to brighten my vision. The person turned over at once, and to my relief, it was the face of Dr. James.My curious expression softened into a smile. He smiled too, and with a soothing voice, he asked,"How are you feeling?"His gaze switched to my neck and arms.I involuntarily touched the plastered areas on my hands before I said,"I'm quite fine; it was just a slight accident."A small silence ensued. He stared at me with deep care in his eyes, and for a second I had to bite my lip and look away shyly.Then he inhaled and brought out my phone from the pocket of his lab coat. Then he made a weak gesture with his hand before he said,"Your phone; I charged it for
Nathan arrived at the Epiloxx Club as directed by the address from Isabella's text message. As soon as he got out of the taxi, He walked towards the entrance and stopped for a moment to catch his breath before attempting to go in. He stopped again and flexed his wrist to see what the time was saying on his gold watch; it was exactly 11:30 am. He inhaled and exhaled to calm his nerves, trying to imagine the look Scarlett would have on her face the moment she eventually saw him, as well as the reaction of this so-called boyfriend of hers. Then he brashly waved his hand as if to say, "Whatever." Before proceeding finally into the building with slow but steady strides. While inside the club and standing awkwardly near the door with surveilling eyes, the first thing Nathan's eyes picked out from the crowded, noisy hall illuminated with dull multicolored lights was the sight of Scarlett kissing a guy at the back of the room, a man whom Nathan immediately identified as Kevin. He froze and
General POVIsabella's apartment was located less than 10 minutes away from her school, immediately outside the terminating bar gate.She was in the house, sitting in her cozy blue-painted bedroom with the warm, masculine-looking decor and walls pervaded by the many photographs of bikers and popular sportsmen around the world.She was wreathed in blue tops and shorts, which also marched with the color of her room, sporting a pair of expensive trainers, leaning over to untie and retie the shoelaces with a meticulous expression on her face and taut lips. She lifted her head quickly to check the vintage clocks hanging above the arc when she was done and mouthed the words:"Five minutes past six already?" looking surprised and taken aback."Oh my God." She whispered again, springing up to her feet hurriedly. The event she was about to attend was actually a racing exercise organized by her teammates back in school and was supposed to begin at exactly 6:30; she had just 25 minutes left to
GENERAL POVThe first and second basements of the round, well-ventilated university hall were filled up with mostly young people from different parts of the city; all of them were clothed in nice dresses while also bearing notebooks and pens on their palms, jotting down points as they kept their focus fixedly on the young prominent speaker standing on top of the podium and was about to round off his talk.The speaker's name was Michael Howard, a 25-year-old billionaire heir and owner of one of the largest corporations booming in New York City, just about second after the Harringtons. He was invited to the school’s graduation to deliver the first key note speech to the graduating students. During the speech, Michael went ahead to acknowledge the CEO of Harrington Inc., Elliot Harrigton, who was also present as one of his biggest inspirations.All the while, Nathan, sitting with brother Owen and dressed up in their graduating gowns, nodded attentively to everything Michael was saying at
15 YEARS LATERSOPHIE'S POVI was seated with Elliot in the sectioned corner of our sitting room, where the dining room was located. Breakfast was set, and we were already digging into it in silence when Nathan, who was all suited up and sitting next to his father and ready to accompany him to his office, disrupted the quietness with his slightly hoarse, passionate voice. This had become a usual routine for us every morning since Elliot started to allow him to accompany him to work about four years ago. Sometimes these dining table speculations and business advice would mostly start hours before breakfast; other times, they would start during the meal, and if we happened to be lucky, it would be after we were done eating. Sometimes I found myself counting to ten silently in anticipation of his voice, just like I had done today while dishing the meal, and as expected, the fresh economic expert we had for a son was not disappointed."I was actually following up on one of the brokerage
SOPHIE'S POVAs soon as we arrived at the house, Elliot took out the keys from the ignition point, let out a small groan, and came down from the car hurriedly. With double-quick yet uncoordinated steps, Elliot entered the house with his head bowed to the earth. It was obvious he was still feeling hurt; perhaps it was better to allow him some quiet time to absorb everything. I observed him through the windscreen for a moment before turning over to glance at Mrs. Harrington, his mother, who was still bent over in the back seat, sniffing and weeping bitterly since the moment she followed us to the family house. Even the kids were muttering, their hands resting on her shoulder."Stop crying, grandma," Isabella said, looking at her, and her brother's eyes were on her too, looking at her worriedly.She wrapped her hands around them to acknowledge their plea, but she still could not stop her crying."Darlings, could you please borrow me a few minutes alone with Grandma?"They looked at her o